Section: Voice of America (USA)
Hopes of Change Betrayed for Downcast Bosnian Voters
Bosnia’s 3.3 million voters will choose a new political elite across six layers of government on Sunday in an election that, had it happened a few months ago, might have been a catalyst for change. But hopes that civil unrest in February would usher in a brighter future for a country riven by corruption and ethnic and ideological divisions...
EU Energy Chief Asks Russia, Ukraine to Hold Gas Crisis Talks
European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has asked Ukraine and Russia to take part in another round of talks to try to solve a gas pricing row on Oct. 21 in Berlin, a Commission official said on Thursday. The European Union’s executive hopes to broker a deal to resolve a stand-off that has prompted Moscow to shut off gas deliveries...
MH17 Victim Found Wearing Oxygen Mask
Dutch prosecutors have confirmed the body of a passenger on the Malaysian airliner that crashed in July in eastern Ukraine was found wearing an oxygen mask. The prosecutors said the victim of the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was Australian. Forensic experts have tested the mask for fingerprints, saliva and DNA, but the tests yielded no...
US, UK Top Diplomats Reiterate Support for Ukraine’s Sovereignty
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his British counterpart, Philip Hammond, have met in Washington, expressing their commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and support for the Ukrainian government’s efforts to implement democratic reforms. Speaking Wednesday during a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary Hammond,...
Little Hope for Improved US-Russia Relations, Analysts Say
Recent statements at the United Nations by President Barack Obama and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated things are not well between Washington and Moscow. President Obama said the international community must urgently address what he called “Russian aggression in Europe” — a reference to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea...
Harvard Study Shows Russian-speaking Ukrainians Backing Kyiv
A new study conducted at Harvard University suggests that Russian-speaking Ukrainians may be significantly more supportive of Kyiv’s standoff against Moscow and the pro-Russian separatists than has previously been reported. The study, authored by researcher Bruce Etling at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, is one of...
UN: More Than 300 Killed Since Ukraine Ceasefire
The United Nations says at least 331 deaths were recorded in eastern Ukraine following the September 5th cease-fire between Russian-backed separatists and government troops. In a monthly report, released Wednesday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights says at least 3,600 people were killed and nearly 9,000 wounded in violence in Eastern...
Crimea’s Tatars Say Russian Rule Repressive
Concerns are rising about the future of Crimean Tatars, after the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula by Russia earlier this year. Despite promises of inclusion, Tatar leaders say their minority community is facing persecution. Bill Rodgers narrates this report from VOA’s Danila Galperovich. …read more Source: Voice of...
Ukraine Wants New IMF Bailout Deal As War Takes Economic Toll
As the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank gets under way in Washington, Ukraine wants to adjust the terms of its $17 billion bailout. Kyiv says the country is now at war and needs to build new armed forces. But some analysts say the terms of the loans could backfire on Ukraine’s economy. Henry Ridgwell...
Finance Minister Warns Russia Can’t Afford Military Spending Plan
Russia’s finance minister said on Tuesday the country could no longer afford a multi-billion-dollar revamp of the armed forces approved by President Vladimir Putin, stepping up a campaign to trim spending as sanctions over the Ukraine crisis bite. Anton Siluanov said a new defense program should be drawn up to take into account the changed...
