Section: Voice of America (USA)
NATO Chief to Russia: ‘Step Back from the Brink’
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is calling on Russia to “step back from the brink” of war in Ukraine by withdrawing thousands of combat troops massed on its border. “Step back from the brink, step back from the border and [do] not use peacekeeping as an excuse for war-making,” said Rasmussen during a visit to...
Snowden’s Revelations Bring Changes to US Intelligence Gathering
For more than a year, former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden has been living in Russia, having been granted asylum. He is wanted in the United States on espionage charges after making public key intelligence documents dealing with the U.S. National Security Agency’s secret surveillance programs. And amid frosty U.S.-Russia...
NATO Chief to Russia: ‘Step Back from the Brink’
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is calling on Russia to “step back from the brink” of war in Ukraine by withdrawing thousands of combat troops massed on its border. “Step back from the brink, step back from the border and [do] not use peacekeeping as an excuse for war-making,” said Rasmussen during a visit to...
Moves to Dismantle ‘Euromaidan’ Protest Tents in Kyiv Spark Clashes
Tensions flared on Thursday on Kyiv’s Independence Square, the scene of street protests that toppled a Moscow-backed president in February, when protesters still camped there clashed with city workers who tried to clear away their tents. The protesters set fire to heaps of tyres, sending clouds of black smoke billowing across the city...
Australia Honors Victims of Malaysia Airlines MH-17
Australia is observing an official day of mourning for the victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17. More than 30 Australian citizens and residents were among the 298 passengers and crew who died when the airliner was shot down in eastern Ukraine. A multifaith service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne was part of a day of mourning,...
Snowden Cleared for 3 More Years in Russia, Lawyer Says
Former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, wanted by the United States for leaking extensive secrets of its electronic surveillance programs, has been given a three-year residence permit by Russia, his Russian lawyer told reporters on Thursday. The announcement comes at a time when Russia’s relations with the West are at Cold...
Russia Imposes One-Year Ban on Food Imports from West
The Russian government has imposed a ban on most food imports from the United States, the European Union and other Western nations in apparent retaliation for their sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced the sanctions Thursday in Moscow. The import ban includes meat, fruit, vegetables and milk...
Ukrainians Urged To Save Energy As Russian Gas Shortage Bites
Residents in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities are having to cope without hot water, after the government switched off communal boilers in residential housing blocks to save energy. It comes amid growing fears about Ukraine’s ability to survive the coming winter following Russia’s decision in June to cut off gas supplies. But as Henry...
Ukrainians Urged to Save Energy as Russian Gas Shortage Hurts
Residents in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities are having to cope without hot water after the government switched off communal boilers in residential housing blocks to save energy. This development comes amid growing fears about Ukraine’s ability to survive the coming winter following Russia’s decision in June to cut off gas supplies....
US Defense Secretary Echoes Concerns of Possible Russian Invasion of Ukraine
A top U.S. official is voicing concern that Moscow may be preparing to invade Ukraine. For days, Western officials have been warning about the Russian military buildup along the border with Ukraine. After a visit to U.S. European Command Headquarters, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel made his concern clear. “When you see the buildup of...
