The United States on Tuesday accused companies in the United Arab Emirates, the Central African Republic and Russia of engaging in illicit gold deals to help fund the mercenary fighters of Russia's Wagner Group. The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement it has sanctioned four companies linked to Wagner and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that it alleged were used to help pay the paramilitary's forces fighting in Ukraine and undertaking operations to support Russian interests in Africa. "The Wagner Group funds its brutal operations in part by exploiting natural resources in countries...
As the United States approaches the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, many Americans say the event is still affecting their lives, a Gallup survey indicates. The survey found that today, 26% of Americans "express reluctance" to fly, 27% feel the same way about going into skyscrapers, and 36% feel the same way about traveling abroad. Thirty-seven percent were uneasy about attending events involving large crowds. Immediately following the attacks, those numbers were 43%, 35%, 48% and 30%, respectively. Lower-income Americans over 50 and without a...
After suspending the use of 1.63 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine over contamination concerns last week, Japan is now recalling those doses, Moderna Inc. and its Japanese partner, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. said Wednesday. Last week, some vials of the vaccine were found to be contaminated with stainless steel. Japanese officials said Wednesday that they did not think the stainless steel particles posed a health risk, while Moderna said the contamination was probably caused by pieces of metal rubbing together in the machinery that puts stops on the vials. "Stainless steel...
North Korea has requested that 3 million doses of Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine it was allocated be sent to countries with severe outbreaks, according to UNICEF. "The DPRK Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has communicated that the 2.97 million doses being offered to DPR Korea by COVAX may be relocated to severely affected countries in view of the limited global supply of COVID-19 vaccines and recurrent surge in some countries," a UNICEF spokesperson said in an email to VOA's Korean Service on Tuesday. COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) is an international vaccine distribution program...
France and Germany on Wednesday urged Iran to return rapidly to nuclear negotiations, after a break in talks following Iranian elections in June, with Paris demanding an "immediate" restart amid Western concerns over Tehran's expanding atomic work. France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told his newly-appointed Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian in a telephone call it was urgent for Tehran to return to the talks, Le Drian's ministry said in a statement. A sixth round of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington was adjourned in June after hardliner Ebrahim Raisi was...
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said Tuesday 70% of all adults in the European Union are now fully vaccinated -- more than 250 million people. In a video message from EU headquarters in Brussels, Von der Leyen called the milestone a "great achievement, which really shows what we can do when we work together." But she also cautioned the pandemic is not over and many more Europeans need to get vaccinated a soon as possible to prevent new infections and the possible emergence of new variants. On Monday, World Health Organization European Regional Director Hans Kluge warned...
North and South Korea have restored a communication hotline that was cut off by Pyongyang last June.
According to the South's presidential office, the leaders of both countries have agreed to...
Critical infrastructure facilities were hit by drone strikes early on Thursday, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Volodymyr Zelenskiy's presidential office said on Thursday.
"Another attack...
Andrew McCabe, pejabat FBI No. 2 yang secara umum dikritik Presiden Donald Trump atas dugaan bias politik, mundur dari biro tersebut hari Senin waktu AS, beberapa minggu sebelum masa pensiunnya,...