Section: Voice of America (USA)
Ukraine-US Military Exercises Begin As Russia Holds Drills in Belarus
Ukraine and the United States launched joint military exercises on Thursday, two days after Russia began joint military drills with forces in neighbouring Belarus. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said the U.S. Army-led Rapid Trident exercises, taking place near Yavoriv in western Ukraine, would involve about 4,000 servicemen from 10 countries. It said...
US Official Apologizes After Accusing Scientists of Conspiring Against Trump
A Trump health appointee who is accused of trying to muzzle an important scientific publication in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic apologized Tuesday for a separate video in which he reportedly says scientists battling the virus are conspiring against President Donald Trump and warns of shootings in America if Trump loses the election....
Poisoned Russian Opposition Leader Posts Photo from Hospital Bed
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny published a photo of himself in a Berlin hospital bed Tuesday as he recovers from a nerve agent poisoning last month in Siberia.Navalny, surrounded by his family as he sat up in bed, said he was pleased to be able to breathe independently.“I miss you all,” Navalny wrote in the post on Instagram. “I can...
UN Council to Hold Urgent Debate on Human Rights Situation in Belarus
At its opening session, the U.N. Human Rights Council approved a proposal by the European Union to hold an urgent debate on the human rights situation in Belarus by a vote of 25 in favor, two against and 20 abstentions. The European Union cited the steep deterioration of human rights in Belarus following the allegedly rigged August 9th election...
Pandemic Upends Annual Ukraine Pilgrimage for Hasidic Sect
For Rabbi Jonathan Rietti, this year would have marked his 37th consecutive visit to Uman, Ukraine, for Rosh Hashana — the Jewish new year which falls this year on September 18-20. The town, located 200 km south of Kyiv, is the burial place of the 18th-century tzaddik, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who founded the Breslov sect of Hasidism. Up...
US Sanctions 4 for Russia-linked Interference in November Presidential Election
The United States on Thursday sanctioned four Russian-linked operatives, accusing them of trying to meddle in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.The sanctioned individuals are Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian member of Parliament tied to Russian intelligence, and three other Russian-based operatives connected to the Internet Research Agency troll...
Belarus Authorities Allegedly Issued Death Threats Against Opposition Activist
A prominent Belarusian opposition activist has accused authorities of threatening to kill her has they tried to forcibly deport her to Ukraine amid government efforts to end five weeks of mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko following a disputed election. Maria Kolesnikova said in a complaint filed by her lawyer Thursday that she...
Journalist Woodward Defends Decision to Withhold Trump’s Virus Comments
Bob Woodward, facing widespread criticism for only now revealing President Donald Trump’s early concerns about the severity of the coronavirus, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he needed time to be sure that Trump’s private comments from February were accurate. In Woodward’s upcoming book on Trump, “Rage,”...
EU Council President Urges Action on Belarus Sanctions
European Council President Charles Michel has called for faster consideration of sanctions against officials in Belarus after the detention of multiple opposition leaders.“Political persecution in Belarus including detentions on political grounds and forced exile must stop,” Michel tweeted Wednesday. “Belarusian authorities must free political...
Masked Belarusian Authorities Detain Another Lukashenko Opponent
Unidentified Belarusian authorities have detained one of the two remaining free leaders of an opposition council amid continuing protests against longtime President Alexander Lukashenko following a disputed election.Attorney Maxim Znak was taken out of the Coordination Council’s office on Wednesday by unknown people wearing ski masks,...
