VOA
393 Articles
Nigeria's LGBTQ community fights restrictive cross-dressing bill
The new measure calls for a punishment of six months in jail or a fine of about $1,200 for cross-dressers.A mob chattered as a transgender woman was beaten and stripped in Lagos weeks after the bill was introduced.This is an outcome LGBTQ activists feared and the reason they say they’re fighting bac...
Swedish Defense Minister at Pentagon as Finland, Sweden Formally Apply to Join NATO
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made the announcement Wednesday at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, flanked by the ambassadors from both countries after receiving their formal application letters.Finland and Sweden’s applications mark a significant departure from their decades-long n...
Russian soldier pleads guilty to killing Ukrainian civilian
Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin could be sentenced to life in prison for shooting a 62-year-old Ukrainian man in the head.Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova previously said her office is preparing war crimes cases against 41 Russian soldiers.This for offences that included bombing civilian in...
Russia: 959 Ukrainian troops surrender in Mariupol
A ministry spokesman told reporters that number included 694 who had surrendered during the past 24 hours.Ukrainian officials have not confirmed the figures. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said Monday more than 260 fighters had left the ruins of the Azovstal steel plant and turned the...
U.S calls for more economic support for Ukraine
In comments prepared for the Brussels Economic Forum, Yellen says while Ukraine will eventually need “massive support,” for now it needs “budget funding to pay soldiers, employees and pensioners, as well as to operate an economy that meets its citizens' basic needs.”
New Somali President welcomes return of U.S troops
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud thanked U.S. President Joe Biden in a tweet Tuesday, calling the United States “a reliable partner in our quest to stability and fight against terrorism.”U.S. forces have been working for years with Somali forces in their efforts to contain al-Shabab.
Chinese spy ship did not breach sea law, Australia says
Australia tracked the spy ship over the past week as it sailed past the Harold E Holt naval communications station at Exmouth, in Western Australia, which is used by Australian, U.S. and allied submarines.Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday the Chinese navy vessel was not in Australian territo...
Canada blazes path in space law
While the move to amend its criminal law to include any crimes by citizens who one day go to the moon seems far-fetched, experts say that because of the growing interest in and feasibility of space tourism, countries should begin thinking about how crimes committed in space will be adjudicated. ...
Russia takes losses in failed river crossing, officials say
Ukraine's airborne command released photos and video of what it said was a damaged Russian pontoon bridge over the Siversky Donets River and several destroyed or damaged Russian military vehicles nearby. The command said its troops "drowned the Russian occupiers."
North Korea's Kim orders lockdown as first COVID-19 outbreak is confirmed
Genetic sequencing analysis of samples collected from a group of people in Pyongyang had identified the BA.2 strain.At least one person confirmed to have COVID-19 has died, and around 350,000 people have shown signs of a fever that has "explosively spread nationwide" since late April.