Section: Voice of America (USA)
Russia Says No Need to Steal Western Coronavirus Research
Russia still expects a tentative agreement with a multinational pharmaceutical company to manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine under development with Oxford University to move forward, despite accusations Russia has been trying to steal vaccine data, the head of Russia’s wealth fund said Friday in an interview with Reuters.Kirill Dmitriev denied...
Rights Campaigners: Treason in Russia Can Mean Almost Anything
Treason in Russia can almost mean anything these days, say rights campaigners. The high-profile arrest last week of former defense reporter Ivan Safronov on a charge of high treason has prompted an international outcry, but his detention is part of a Kremlin-sponsored “spy mania” that’s seeing the net being cast far and wide for...
Iran: ‘Human Error’ Caused Ukraine Crash
Iran claims “human error” was responsible for the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane earlier this year that killed all 176 people on board.The Iranian Civil Aviation authority said late Saturday, “A failure occurred due to a human error in following the procedure” for aligning the radar.The misalignment caused a “107-degree error” in the...
Ousted NY Prosecutor Tells Panel Barr ‘Urged’ Him to Resign
The ousted U.S. attorney who was leading investigations into President Donald Trump’s allies told the House Judiciary panel on Thursday that Attorney General William Barr “repeatedly urged” him to resign during a hastily arranged meeting that sheds light on the extraordinary standoff surrounding his departure.Geoffrey Berman,...
Facebook Takes Down Accounts, Pages of Trump Ally Stone
Facebook Inc. on Wednesday removed 50 personal and professional pages connected to U.S. President Donald Trump’s longtime adviser Roger Stone, who is due to report to prison next week.The social media platform said Stone and his associates, including a prominent supporter of the right-wing Proud Boys group in Stone’s home state of...
Lithuania Bans Russian Broadcaster RT Over Kremlin Ties
Lithuania took Russian broadcaster RT off-air on Wednesday, citing the channel’s ties to EU-sanctioned Russian media executive Dmitry Kiselyov. The move follows a similar ban on RT in Latvia last week, where regulator called RT “propaganda” and also said the channel was controlled by Kiselyov, the head of Russia’s...
Russian Court Fines Coronavirus-Denying Rebel Monk
A Russian court on Tuesday fined a coronavirus-denying monk who has challenged Kremlin lockdown orders for spreading false information about the pandemic.The court in the Ural Mountains region ordered Father Sergiy to pay 90,000 rubles ($1,250). The 65-year-old monk, who has attracted nationwide attention by urging followers to disobey church...
US Strategic Partners Urge More Attention to Black Sea
Top diplomats from Ukraine, Georgia and Romania are urging the United States and NATO to step up their presence in the Black Sea region to discourage Moscow from advancing its aggressive agenda.Ambassadors from the three countries, all of which border the sea, voiced their concerns Thursday at an event organized by the Middle East...
US Global Media Agency Names Longtime VOA Journalist as Acting Director
The U.S. Agency for Global Media has named longtime Voice of America journalist Elez Biberaj as VOA’s acting director. Biberaj’s appointment was announced in an email to staff Tuesday by recently installed USAGM CEO Michael Pack, who also named acting heads of other major U.S.-funded news networks. Biberaj has been VOA’s Eurasia...
Residents of Eastern Ukraine Vote on Extending Putin’s Rule
Residents of separatist-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine who have Russian citizenship are traveling to Russia to vote on constitutional amendments that would allow President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036.Authorities of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics have organized bus services to polling...
