Stopgap bill passes House to fund federal government
WASHINGTON — After two failed attempts to pass a bill to fund the U.S. government, the U.S. House passed a stopgap bill to fund the federal government through March. The vote…
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US charges Russian Israeli dual national tied to Lockbit ransomware group
washington — The United States has charged a Russian Israeli dual citizen over alleged involvement with the Lockbit ransomware group, the Justice Department said Friday. Rostislav Panev, 51, was arrested in…
continue readingNew US missile defense base in Poland fortifies NATO’s eastern flank
The United States last month formally opened a permanent military base in Poland, part of NATO’s missile defense system amid rising tensions with Russia. The Polish defense minister says the…
continue readingElon Musk considers funding Nigel Farage’s populist party in UK
LONDON — It’s a photo that sent a tremor through British politics: Elon Musk flanked by British politician Nigel Farage and a wealthy backer, in front of a gilt-framed painting of…
continue readingElon Musk gives nod to German far-right party as election looms
U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, set to join President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, waded into Germany’s election campaign on Friday, calling the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) the country’s savior. The AfD…
continue readingRussia hands 16-year prison term to east Ukraine resident for ‘treason’
Moscow — Russia on Friday sentenced a resident of east Ukraine’s Lugansk region to 16 years in prison for “high treason,” Moscow’s FSB security service said. Moscow regularly hands heavy sentences…
continue readingUS House rejects revamped spending deal as government shutdown looms
A hastily negotiated bill to keep the government open failed Thursday, after Democrats and some Republicans objected to a deal to extend the debt ceiling through 2027. The changes came…
continue readingVOA Mandarin: China faces operational challenges if it were to invade Taiwan, US says
The U.S. Defense Department’s annual report on China’s military power, released this week, says the PLA is accelerating modernization, but it still faces several operational challenges in executing a rapid…
continue readingVOA Russian: Europe targets Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’
Leaders of 12 European countries agreed at a meeting in Tallinn to expand sanctions against Russia’s “shadow fleet” that is used by Moscow to sell oil and evade Western sanctions.…
continue readingVOA Russian: Defense minister charts Kremlin’s path toward a war with NATO
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said that a conflict between Russia and NATO is possible within the next decade. VOA Russian spoke to experts who agreed that Belousov is most…
continue readingUS Republicans plan vote on deal to avert shutdown, lift debt limit
Republicans in the U.S. Congress teed up a vote on Thursday for a new spending package that would avert a looming government shutdown, this time with the support of President-elect…
continue readingAfter a police stop in Serbia, journalist finds spyware on phone
Washington / belgrade, serbia — An encounter with police in the Serbian city of Pirot earlier this year unnerved investigative reporter Slavisa Milanov. A journalist for the independent media outlet FAR,…
continue readingBiden’s immigration legacy is a complex one
WASHINGTON — Immigration has been a defining challenge of the Biden presidency, marked by record numbers of asylum-seekers and other migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. President Joe Biden pledged to…
continue readingTrump pushes for conflict-ending Ukraine-Russia ‘deal’
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says the leaders of Ukraine and Russia should be “prepared to make a deal” to end the brutal conflict that has consumed Ukraine since 2022. He…
continue readingUS ambassador: US arms manufacturers could help boost Vietnam’s capabilities
HANOI, VIETNAM — U.S. weapons manufacturers could work with Vietnamese counterparts to help build Vietnam’s armed forces, the U.S. ambassador to the southeast Asian country said on Thursday. “Our goal is…
continue readingFrance’s Macron visits cyclone-devastated Mayotte as residents plead for aid
MAMOUDZOU, MAYOTTE — French President Emmanuel Macron arrived Thursday in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte to survey Cyclone Chido’s destruction and was immediately confronted with a firsthand account of devastation…
continue readingAppeals court removes prosecutor Fani Willis from Georgia election case against Trump, others
ATLANTA, Georgia — A state appeals court on Thursday removed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump and others but did not dismiss…
continue readingFrench court finds 51 defendants guilty in mass rape trial
After a French court Thursday found all 51 defendants guilty in a drugging-and-rape case, the victim, Gisele Pelicot said that the trial has been a “difficult ordeal,” but that she…
continue readingDominique Pelicot jailed for 20 years in landmark French mass rape trial
AVIGNON, France — A French court found all 51 defendants guilty on Thursday in a drugging-and-rape case that horrified the world and transformed the victim, Gisele Pelicot, into a stirring symbol…
continue readingPutin says Russia is moving closer to achieving goals in Ukraine
Moscow — President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russian forces were moving towards achieving their primary goals on the battlefield in Ukraine and touted what he said was the invincibility…
continue readingUS deaths are down and life expectancy is up, but improvements are slowing
NEW YORK — U.S. life expectancy jumped last year, and preliminary data suggests there may be another — much smaller — improvement this year. Death rates fell last year for almost…
continue readingUS effort to curb China’s and Russia’s access to advanced computer chips ‘inadequate,’ report finds
WASHINGTON — The Commerce Department’s efforts to curb China’s and Russia’s access to American-made advanced computer chips have been “inadequate” and will need more funding to stymie their ability to manufacture…
continue readingExpert: Several African governments unaware of young workers in Russian drone factories
WASHINGTON — They were promised a chance to earn money, get an education abroad, and gain work experience. Instead, they found themselves assembling military drones in Russia and, in one case,…
continue readingTrump urges US lawmakers to reject spending bill, raising government shutdown odds
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday called on U.S. lawmakers to reject a stopgap bill to keep the government funded past Friday, raising the likelihood of a partial shutdown. Trump and…
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