Section: Voice of America (USA)
Balkans Look to NATO as Russia’s Influence Wanes
As NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels discuss efforts to deter Russian aggression, rising tensions not seen since the Cold War will be on the minds of central and eastern European foreign ministers gathering Thursday in the former Yugoslavia. The agenda of the annual meeting of the Central European Initiative (CEI) in Banja Luka aims to...
Debate Over Free Press in Ukraine Suffers From Old Stereotypes
A heated debate over freedom of the press versus state security erupted in Ukraine after the pro-government hacker group Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) published a list containing the personal information of thousands of journalists who had received accreditation from the separatist, Russian-backed “Donetsk People’s Republic” in eastern Ukraine....
US Democratic National Committee Network Hacked
The U.S. Democratic National Committee (DNC) said Tuesday its computer network was breached by Russian government hackers who gained access to opposition information on presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz described the incident as “serious” and said the committee moved...
France Deports 29 Russia Fans Over Euro 2016 Violence
French police have begun the deportation of 29 Russians following violent clashes with England supporters in the early days of the Euro 2016 football (soccer) tournament. More than 35 people were injured in Marseille late Saturday after British and Russian fans brawled in and around the Stade Velodrome. After the match ended in a 1-1 draw,...
NATO to Send 4 International Battalions to Baltics, Poland
NATO will agree to deploy four international battalions to Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — countries that feel most threatened by Russia, alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday. “This will send a clear signal that NATO stands ready to defend any ally,” Stoltenberg said ahead of a meeting of alliance defense ministers...
UEFA Considers Expelling Russia, England from Euro 2016
European football’s governing body, UEFA, threatened Sunday to expel both Russia and England from Euro 2016 in France if their fans continue violent behavior. More than 35 people were injured in Marseille late Saturday after British and Russian soccer fans brawled in and around the Stade Velodrome. After the match ended in a 1-1 draw,...
Floods, Strikes, Terrorist Threats — Euro 2016 Debuts in France
The floodwaters are receding and sunbathers are back in Paris parks, but the Seine River still laps over arteries that normally host cars and skateboarders. Strikes over unpopular labor reforms have disrupted rail, fuel and garbage services, while authorities are on high alert over terrorist fears. In some ways, the monthlong UEFA European...
Floods, Strikes and Terrorist threats — Euro 2016 Debuts in France
Floods, strikes and threats of another terrorist attack … the monthlong Euro 2016 football championship kicks off outside Paris Friday amid a raft of potential problems. Earlier in the week, Ukrainian police arrested a man suspected of plotting attacks during the games, just as fans begin arriving in France. But from the French capital, Lisa...
Brexit Raises Fear of Aggressive Russia in Baltics
Political analysts say a vote in favor of Britain leaving the European Union would raise concerns among the former Soviet states in the Baltics and eastern Europe that are now EU members and neighbor a resurgent Russia. If British voters decide in a June 23 referendum to leave the EU, a so-called “Brexit,” former Soviet states...
Russian Orthodox Patriarch: USSR Preserved Christian Morality
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, recently said that the Soviet Union preserved Russia’s Christian morality – a claim that raised more than a few eyebrows. Omitting any mention of the Soviet government’s mass persecution of religious institutions, Kirill’s words appeared to some as an attempt to...
