Section: Voice of America (USA)
Portugal’s Sobral Wins Eurovision Contest With Tender Ballad
Portugal’s Salvador Sobral won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with a gentle romantic ballad that challenged the event’s decades-long reputation for cheesy, glittery excess. Sobral sang his Amar Pelos Dois (Love For Both) in a high, clear tenor accompanied by quiet strings and a piano. Unlike the 25 other competitors who...
Artillery Fire Kills 4 in Ukraine’s Restive East
Ukraine officials blamed pro-Russian separatists in the country’s restive east for the killings of four civilians Saturday by artillery fire in a government-controlled area near the Russian border. The shelling in the Donetsk region occurred just hours before the finals of the wildly popular Eurovision song contest, held this year in Kyiv....
Worldwide Cyberattack Spreads Further in Second Day
A cyberattack against tens of thousands of data networks in scores of countries, all infected by malware that locks computer files unless a ransom is paid, spread further in its second day Saturday, with no progress reported in efforts to determine who launched the plot. Computer security experts assured individual computer users who have kept...
Italy, Portugal Eyed as Favorites as Ukraine Hosts Eurovision Final
The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, is bracing to host the finale of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, the annual europop song fest that is expected to garner a television audience of some 200 million. …read more Source: Voice of...
Authorities Seek Clues On Culprits Behind Global Cyberattack
The British government said on Saturday it does not yet know who was behind a massive global cyberattack that disrupted Britain’s health care services and targeted vital computer systems in as many as 100 other countries. British Interior Minister Amber Rudd said Britain’s National Cyber Security Center was working with the...
Russia Seeks Investment, Trade Links on China’s New ‘Silk Road’
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is heading to China Sunday to join leaders of 27 other nations at the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) summit in Beijing. The massive China-led project aims to revive the ancient Silk Road and maritime trade routes by expanding investment in infrastructure linking Asia, Africa and Europe. While China plans to...
Massive Cyberattack Hits Organizations Around Globe
An aggressive wave of cyberattacks has hit companies and public institutions around the globe, causing international havoc and bringing many services to a standstill. The cyberextortion attempt appeared to use stolen software developed by a U.S. spy agency. One of the first and worst attacks was aimed at Britain’s National Health Service. A...
Sinister Text Messages Reveal High-tech Front in Ukraine War
Television journalist Julia Kirienko was sheltering with Ukrainian soldiers and medics two miles (three kilometers) from the front when their cellphones began buzzing over the noise of the shelling. Everyone got the same text message at the same time. “Ukrainian soldiers,” it warned, “they’ll find your bodies when the snow...
Eurovision: Pop, Politics, Dancing Ape – But no Russia
Sprinkle the sequins, spark up the disco lights and get ready for battle — it’s time for the Eurovision Song Contest , a celebration of kitsch and cheesy pop with an undercurrent of politics and patriotism. More than a singing contest, it’s diplomacy in dancing shoes. This week musical acts from more than 40 countries are taking the...
Russia: ‘Cautious Optimism’ After Trump-Lavrov Meeting
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that a meeting between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. President Donald Trump was “extremely positive.” Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia has “cautious optimism” about the prospect of improving relations with the United States, but also that...
