https://www.voanews.com/z/611 Accurate, objective news coverage from the U.S. and around the world. https://www.voanews.com/Content/responsive/VOA/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.voanews.com/z/611 en 2026 - VOA 60 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:30:36 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA The Vatican issued an update Saturday on the health of Pope Francis, who remains in Rome’s Gemelli hospital under the care of doctors, saying that while his prognosis remains "complex," the pope is no longer in "imminent danger" of death.On Friday, the Vatican’s Holy See Press Office announced that since Francis’ condition is now considered stable, barring any major developments, updates on his health will be less frequent. The 88-year-old pontiff has spent four weeks in... https://www.voanews.com/a/vatican-francis-stable-out-of-imminent-danger-of-death/8011730.html https://www.voanews.com/a/vatican-francis-stable-out-of-imminent-danger-of-death/8011730.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 14:09:19 -0400 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) Britain’s leader encouraged his global counterparts to continue pushing for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine at the start of a virtual meeting Saturday intended to end the fighting between the two countries.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a virtual meeting of mostly European leaders that “sooner or later” Russia would have to engage in talks on reaching a ceasefire in the three-year conflict.He addressed the group, described as a “coalition of the willing,” of mostly European... https://www.voanews.com/a/starmer-sooner-or-later-russia-must-yield-to-peace/8011681.html https://www.voanews.com/a/starmer-sooner-or-later-russia-must-yield-to-peace/8011681.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:56:05 -0400 Ukrainewebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) Relations between Russia and China are indeed closer than at any point since the 1950s, but they are shaped more by pragmatism, economic necessity and shared opposition to Western influence than by deep trust or historical affinity. https://www.voanews.com/a/russian-foreign-minister-exaggerates-russia-china-relations-ignores-nuances/8011464.html https://www.voanews.com/a/russian-foreign-minister-exaggerates-russia-china-relations-ignores-nuances/8011464.html Fri, 14 Mar 2025 20:53:12 -0400 Polygraphwebdesk@voanews.com (Leonid Martynyuk) CHARLEVOIX, QUEBEC, CANADA — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven leading democracies urged Russia on Friday to accept a U.S.-proposed ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war or face the possibility of additional sanctions.“We called for Russia to reciprocate by agreeing to a ceasefire on equal terms and implementing it fully,” the diplomats said in a joint statement from the site of their talks talks in Canada. “We discussed imposing further costs on Russia in case such a ceasefire is not... https://www.voanews.com/a/g7-urges-russia-to-accept-ceasefire-or-face-further-sanctions/8010842.html https://www.voanews.com/a/g7-urges-russia-to-accept-ceasefire-or-face-further-sanctions/8010842.html Fri, 14 Mar 2025 12:35:50 -0400 Ukrainewebdesk@voanews.com (Nike Ching) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that there were reasons for "cautious optimism" regarding a proposed ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia, following talks between a U.S. envoy and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.Speaking to reporters in a telephone news briefing, Peskov referenced comments from Putin on Thursday in which he expressed qualified support for a U.S. ceasefire proposal to halt Russia's war with Ukraine for 30 days but said some questions... https://www.voanews.com/a/kremlin-reasons-to-be-optimistic-about-ceasefire-deal/8010812.html https://www.voanews.com/a/kremlin-reasons-to-be-optimistic-about-ceasefire-deal/8010812.html Fri, 14 Mar 2025 12:13:20 -0400 Ukrainewebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia had trapped the remaining Ukrainian soldiers in its western Kursk region, where they have held on for more than seven months in one of the most important battles of the war.Putin told reporters in Moscow that the situation in Kursk was "completely under our control, and the group that invaded our territory is in isolation," according to Reuters.Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Kursk last August to divert... https://www.voanews.com/a/putin-says-ukrainians-must-surrender-or-die-/8010430.html https://www.voanews.com/a/putin-says-ukrainians-must-surrender-or-die-/8010430.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 22:50:59 -0400 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) The national assembly of Bosnia's Serb-controlled Republika Srpska on Thursday adopted the draft of the new Republic Constitution, introduced by the autonomous republic's president, Milorad Dodik, that includes articles that violate Bosnia's constitution.Bosnian state prosecutors on Wednesday had ordered the arrest of Dodik and his aides for ignoring a court summons for allegedly trying to undermine Bosnia's constitution. Republika Srpska is an entity within Bosnia and... https://www.voanews.com/a/constitutional-crisis-shakes-bosnia/8010418.html https://www.voanews.com/a/constitutional-crisis-shakes-bosnia/8010418.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 21:57:43 -0400 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (Aid Mrsic) CHARLEVOIX, QUEBEC — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations gathered Thursday in Charlevoix, Quebec, as host country Canada outlined its top agenda, focusing on achieving a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine” and strengthening security and defense partnerships as the G7 marks 50 years.During the opening remarks, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said, “Peace and stability is on the top of our agenda, and I look forward to discussing how we can continue to... https://www.voanews.com/a/ukraine-peace-global-security-top-g7-agenda-as-diplomats-convene-in-canada-/8010030.html https://www.voanews.com/a/ukraine-peace-global-security-top-g7-agenda-as-diplomats-convene-in-canada-/8010030.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 17:46:06 -0400 Ukrainewebdesk@voanews.com (Nike Ching) PARIS — On the way to investigate the scene of a historic asteroid collision, a European spacecraft swung by Mars and captured rare images of the red planet's mysterious small moon Deimos, the European Space Agency said Thursday.Europe's HERA mission is aiming to find out how much of an impact a NASA spacecraft made when it deliberately smashed into an asteroid in 2022 in the first test of our planetary defenses.But HERA will not reach the asteroid — which is 11 million kilometers... https://www.voanews.com/a/asteroid-probe-snaps-rare-images-of-martian-moon/8009850.html https://www.voanews.com/a/asteroid-probe-snaps-rare-images-of-martian-moon/8009850.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 15:29:34 -0400 Science & Healthwebdesk@voanews.com (Agence France-Presse) Western politicians have repeatedly called on China to limit or cease tacit support for Russia’s bloody war against Ukraine. In response, China’s leadership insists it is committed to peace and respect for the territorial integrity of other nations.But unlike most United Nations member states, China has never condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and their military-diplomatic partnership — from joint bomber flights near the U.S. state of Alaska to votes in the U.N. Security... https://www.voanews.com/a/can-the-us-pry-russia-away-from-china/8009771.html https://www.voanews.com/a/can-the-us-pry-russia-away-from-china/8009771.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:26:15 -0400 USAwebdesk@voanews.com (Danila Galperovich) LONDON — A British jury on Thursday convicted a United Nations judge of forcing a young woman to work as a slave after tricking her into coming to the U.K.Prosecutors said Lydia Mugambe made the Ugandan woman work as her maid and provide childcare for free.Mugambe, who is also a high court judge in Uganda, was studying for a doctorate in law at the University of Oxford when the offenses occurred.Prosecution lawyer Caroline Haughey told jurors during the trial that Mugambe "exploited and... https://www.voanews.com/a/un-judge-from-uganda-convicted-in-uk-of-forcing-woman-into-slavery-/8009684.html https://www.voanews.com/a/un-judge-from-uganda-convicted-in-uk-of-forcing-woman-into-slavery-/8009684.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 13:29:28 -0400 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) BRUSSELS — Belgian federal prosecutors announced Thursday the arrests of several people as part of a corruption probe linked to the European Parliament amid reports in local media that Chinese company Huawei bribed EU lawmakers.The arrests came as an investigation by Le Soir newspaper and other media said lobbyists working for the Chinese telecoms giant are suspected of bribing current or former European Parliament members to promote the company’s commercial policy in Europe.About 100... https://www.voanews.com/a/belgium-makes-arrests-in-corruption-probe-linked-to-eu/8009509.html https://www.voanews.com/a/belgium-makes-arrests-in-corruption-probe-linked-to-eu/8009509.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 11:42:42 -0400 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened the European Union with 200% tariffs on wine, champagne and other spirits produced in the 27-nation bloc after the EU levied what he said was “a nasty 50% tariff” on American-distilled whiskey.Trump contended in a post on his Truth Social media platform that the EU is “one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World.” He said it was formed in 1993 “for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the United... https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-threatens-hefty-tariffs-on-european-spirits/8009495.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-threatens-hefty-tariffs-on-european-spirits/8009495.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 11:18:14 -0400 USAwebdesk@voanews.com (Ken Bredemeier) Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for a U.S. ceasefire proposal to halt Russia’s war with Ukraine for 30 days, but he stressed that many details would have to be worked out and that any truce should pave the way to lasting peace.“We agree with the proposals to halt the fighting, but we proceed from the assumption that the ceasefire should lead to lasting peace and remove the root causes of the crisis,” Putin told reporters Thursday in Moscow. He went on to list several... https://www.voanews.com/a/us-russian-officials-to-discuss-ukraine-ceasefire-proposal/8009215.html https://www.voanews.com/a/us-russian-officials-to-discuss-ukraine-ceasefire-proposal/8009215.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 07:16:18 -0400 Ukrainewebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) Russian aerial attacks overnight killed at least two people in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, officials said Thursday.Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram his region came under attack by Russian drones and shelling, and that one other person was injured.In the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Serhiy Lysak said at least three people were hospitalized after a Russian attack hit the city of Dnipro.Lysak said on Telegram the attack damaged multiple apartment... https://www.voanews.com/a/deadly-russian-aerial-attacks-hit-ukraine-s-kherson-region/8009158.html https://www.voanews.com/a/deadly-russian-aerial-attacks-hit-ukraine-s-kherson-region/8009158.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 05:50:57 -0400 Ukrainewebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis marks 12 years as head of the Catholic Church on Thursday, seemingly out of danger after a month in hospital but with his health casting a shadow over his future.The 88-year-old was, for a time, critically ill as he battled pneumonia in both lungs at Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he was admitted on Feb. 14.The Argentine's situation has markedly improved since then, with the Vatican confirming his condition as stable on Wednesday evening, and talk is now... https://www.voanews.com/a/hospitalized-pope-marks-12-years-in-job-with-future-uncertain/8009112.html https://www.voanews.com/a/hospitalized-pope-marks-12-years-in-job-with-future-uncertain/8009112.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 02:26:42 -0400 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (Agence France-Presse) WASHINGTON — A fossil of a partial face from a human ancestor is the oldest in western Europe, archaeologists reported Wednesday.The incomplete skull — a section of the left cheek bone and upper jaw – was found in northern Spain in 2022. The fossil is between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years old, according to research published in the journal Nature."The fossil is exciting," said Eric Delson, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History, who was not involved in the... https://www.voanews.com/a/archaeologists-find-million-year-old-face-fossil-of-a-human-ancestor/8009101.html https://www.voanews.com/a/archaeologists-find-million-year-old-face-fossil-of-a-human-ancestor/8009101.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 01:43:35 -0400 Science & Healthwebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) The US administration's efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine are putting pressure on the Kremlin. But Moscow has made considerable territorial gains and some in Russia say they are prepared to give up nothing. VOA's Jeff Custer narrates this report from our team in Moscow. https://www.voanews.com/a/russian-officials-expect-to-keep-ukrainian-land-in-peace-deal/8009086.html https://www.voanews.com/a/russian-officials-expect-to-keep-ukrainian-land-in-peace-deal/8009086.html Wed, 12 Mar 2025 23:45:22 -0400 Ukrainewebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) As the U.S. seeks to strengthen ties with resource-rich Central Asia, the European Union is also reaching out to the region. Having adopted a new strategy for Central Asia in 2019, the bloc appears to be making renewed efforts to implement it. EU Commissioner for External Relations Jozef Sikela has begun a tour of the region ahead of an EU-Central Asia summit in Uzbekistan in April.Click here for the full story in Uzbek. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-uzbek-eu-boosts-its-central-asia-strategy/8008733.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-uzbek-eu-boosts-its-central-asia-strategy/8008733.html Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:13:40 -0400 South & Central Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Malik Mansur) The U.S. administration's efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine are putting pressure on the Kremlin. But Moscow has made considerable territorial gains and some in Russia say they are prepared to give up nothing. VOA's Jeff Custer narrates this report from our team in Moscow. https://www.voanews.com/a/some-in-russia-ready-to-open-the-champagne-ahead-of-expected-ukraine-peace-talks-/8008717.html https://www.voanews.com/a/some-in-russia-ready-to-open-the-champagne-ahead-of-expected-ukraine-peace-talks-/8008717.html Wed, 12 Mar 2025 18:57:37 -0400 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)