Italy warns G7 defense ministers of ‘incompatible’ world visions
NAPLES, ITALY — Defense ministers of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies kicked off their meeting on Saturday with host country Italy warning that the global security framework is growing increasingly precarious because of competing visions of the world. The…
Russia, Ukraine each bring home 95 prisoners of war in swap brokered by UAE
Russia and Ukraine carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war on Friday, each side bringing home 95 prisoners in an agreement in which the United Arab Emirates acted as mediator. Russia’s Defense Ministry, in a post on the…
Ukraine media outlets, businesses targeted with false bomb threats
Emails threatening terror attacks led to the evacuation of hundreds of businesses, media outlets and foreign embassies in Ukraine this week. Ukrainian national police searched dozens of properties targeted by the threat, including the Kyiv office of VOA sister network…
Russia returns bodies of 501 soldiers; Western allies weigh Zelenskyy victory plan
Russia returned to Ukraine the bodies of 501 soldiers on Friday, Ukrainian authorities said. The move appeared to be the biggest repatriation of war dead since Russia invaded in February 2022. Most of the soldiers were killed in the fighting…
Ukranian fighter finds US-made M224 mortar effective on front lines
When it comes to military equipment being sent to Ukraine, big-ticket items like Patriot missiles and F-16 fighter jets come to mind. But for many Ukrainian soldiers, the U.S.-made 60-millimeter M224 mortars, also used by the U.S. Marine Corps, have…
Ukraine evacuates thousands from embattled Kharkiv town
Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukraine on Friday said it was evacuating thousands of people from an embattled northeastern town that Kyiv retook from Russia about six months after Moscow launched its invasion in 2022. Kupiansk, a key rail hub in the…
US ‘concerned’ by reports North Korea shipping soldiers to Russia
WASHINGTON — Growing evidence of an expanding military partnership between North Korea and Russia is sparking renewed concern in Washington, where officials see Moscow making a determined but desperate push to advance in its war against Ukraine. The heightened sense…
US sanctions Chinese entities for building, shipping Russian Garpiya drones used in Ukraine
washington — The United States on Thursday announced fresh sanctions targeting Chinese and Russian entities for their role in designing, building and shipping attack drones that have resulted in mass casualties in Ukraine. The sanctions target two Chinese entities, Xiamen…
European Central Bank cuts main interest rate a quarter-point to 3.25% as inflation fades
The European Central Bank, which sets interest rates for the 20 countries that use the euro currency, cut borrowing costs once again on Thursday after figures showed inflation across the bloc falling to its lowest level in more than three…
Watchdog: ‘Serious questions’ over Meta’s handling of anti-immigrant posts
Meta’s independent content watchdog said Thursday there were “serious questions” about how the social media giant deals with anti-immigrant content, particularly in Europe. The Oversight Board, established by Meta in 2020 and sometimes called its “supreme court,” launched a probe…