Category: European Union

When American conservative commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed Russian IT entrepreneur Pavel Durov in April, he had an additional unexpected audience: scammers. After the video was published, a phony Russian-language transcript of the interview tried to attract “investors” to a cryptocurrency scheme that promised monthly earnings of $13,000. That scheme came to VOA’s attention because its creators used a copy of a VOA Russian article page in their attempts to defraud internet users. It is one of many examples of legitimate media outlets being exploited for fraudulent purposes. These schemes buy advertising using Facebook accounts — often hacked without the user’s knowledge — spanning countries like the Philippines, Mexico and Afghanistan. The strategy and rhetoric follow a pattern, according to Jordan Liles, at American fact-checking site Snopes.com. “There are so many scams online that pose as legitimate publishers,” he told VOA. “Name any publisher – they’ve probably been used in scams to try to fool people who don’t look at their web address bar.” There is no indication that Durov or Carlson is involved in the scheme. VOA reached out to them for comment but received no response. In a statement, Facebook parent company Meta told VOA it takes scams seriously. “Fraud is a problem that’s always persisted with new technology,” the company wrote. “But that’s exactly why Meta always has — and always will — take a hard line against scams, fraud and abuse in all of its forms to help keep it off of our platforms.” Scammers have previously posed as Voice of America, using deepfakes in two separate cases that targeted VOA Russian journalists. Those cases relied on artificial intelligence. In contrast, the Durov scam takes a distinctly low-tech approach: It uses a Q&A-style text transcript in Russian that falsely claims to be a “continuation” of Carlson’s interview. The founder of Russian social media site VKontakte and messenger app Telegram, Durov is a well-known tech entrepreneur. That makes him harder to impersonate. According to an April 2024 report by the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, while deepfakes of public figures “are relatively routine,” they also tend not to be believable. Layers of lies  At the center of the cryptocurrency scam impersonating VOA is an intriguing promise and a trail of stolen accounts spanning the globe. The fake story claims that Durov told Carlson about his latest creation: ProTON-Invest, an open program that will allow even the least financially literate … “Facebook scammers use fake VOA article to push Russian cryptocurrency scheme” →

JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Centuries-old stone Buddha statues and precious jewelry repatriated by the Dutch government to its former colony are on display at Indonesia’s National Museum, providing a glimpse into the country’s rich heritage that the government had struggled to retrieve. The collection is part of more than 800 artifacts that were returned under a Repatriation Agreement signed in 2022 between Indonesia and the Netherlands, said Gunawan, the museum’s head of cultural heritage. The objects are not just those looted in conflict but also those seized by scientists and missionaries or smuggled by mercenaries during the four centuries of colonial rule.  “I was so amazed that we have all of these artifacts,” said Shaloom Azura, a visitor to the museum in Jakarta. She hoped other historical objects can be repatriated too, “so we don’t have to go to the Netherlands just to see our own cultural heritage.” The agreement to return cultural objects was inspired by the new era of global restitution and repatriation efforts. In 2021, France said it was returning statues, royal thrones and sacred altars taken from the West African nation of Benin. Belgium returned a gold-capped tooth belonging to the slain Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba. Cambodia in 2023 welcomed the return of priceless stolen artifacts that had been seized during periods of war and instability. Many of the items returned so far have come from the United States. And the Berlin museum authority said it would return hundreds of human skulls from the former German colony of East Africa. The Dutch government announced the same year the return of the Indonesian treasures and looted artifacts from Sri Lanka. Few objects made it back before deal was struck The repatriation “is not something out of the blue” but followed a lengthy process, said I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, former Indonesian ambassador to the Netherlands who also headed the government’s team tasked to recover the objects. He said negotiations with the Dutch government have been ongoing since Indonesia’s independence in August 1945, but it was only in July 2022 that Indonesia formally requested the return of its cultural objects with a list of specific items. “This repatriation is important for us to reconstruct history that may be lost or obscured or manipulated,” Puja said. “And we can fill the gap of the historical vacuum that has existed so far.” The Dutch government in 1978 returned the famous 13th-century … “Indonesia showcases returned artifacts it had sought for decades from Netherlands” →

MINSK, BELARUS — Belarusians began voting on Sunday, with President Alexander Lukashenko expected to cruise to victory unchallenged for a seventh term, prolonging his three-decade authoritarian rule. Lukashenko — a 70-year-old former collective farm boss — has been in power in reclusive, Moscow-allied Belarus since 1994. Polls opened at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) in Minsk’s first presidential vote since Lukashenko suppressed mass protests against his rule in 2020. He has since allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to invade Ukraine in 2022. The opposition and the West said Lukashenko rigged the last vote and the authorities cracked down on demonstrations, with more than a thousand people still jailed. All of Lukashenko’s political opponents are either in prison — some held incommunicado — or in exile along with tens of thousands of Belarusians who have fled since 2020. “All our opponents and enemies should understand: do not hope, we will never repeat what we had in 2020,” Lukashenko told a stadium in Minsk during a carefully choreographed ceremony on Friday. Belarusians value ‘peace’ Most people in Belarus have only distant memories of life in the landlocked country before Lukashenko, who was 39 when he won the first national election in Belarus since it gained independence from the Soviet Union. Criticism of the strongman is banned in Belarus. Most people AFP spoke to in Minsk and other towns voiced support for him. The other candidates running against Lukashenko have been picked to give the election an air of democracy and few know who they are. In Minsk, 74-year-old pensioner Nadejda Gujalovskaia, who described herself as a “patriot,” voted for Lukashenko because of a lack of other options. “Maybe everything here is not perfect, we don’t have democracy,” said Gujalovskaia. The fate of Ukraine was also on her mind. “I don’t want a Maidan [uprising] here,” she said, referring to the social unrest that erupted in Ukraine in 2013, eventually leading to the ousting of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. That set Kyiv’s new pro-European government on a collision course with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who in 2014 seized Crimea and then eight years later launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, Russian troops entered Ukraine from several directions, including from Belarus. The following year, Russia sent tactical nuclear weapons to the country, which borders NATO countries. “Thanks to our president there is peace in this country,” Irina Lebedeva, repeating the government’s narrative, which … “Polls open in Belarus with Lukashenko set to extend 30-year rule” →

ROME — Italy’s prime minister addressed growing criticism Saturday of the repatriation of a Libyan warlord wanted by the International Criminal Court, as Giorgia Meloni cited an appeals court order and security concerns. The repatriation of Ossama Anjiem to Libya, a key partner in Europe’s efforts to keep migrants from crossing the Mediterranean and landing on its shores, sparked outrage from human rights groups and questions from Italy’s opposition parties. Meloni said her government will ask the ICC to clarify why it took months to issue the arrest warrant for Anjiem, also known as Ossama al-Masri, and why it was issued only after he traveled through at least three European countries. “Al-Masri was released by an order of Rome’s Court of Appeal … It was not a government choice,” Meloni told journalists during a trip to Saudi Arabia. Italy has close ties to Libya’s internationally recognized government in Tripoli and relies on it to patrol its coasts and prevent migrants from leaving. Any trial of al-Masri in The Hague could bring unwanted attention to Italy’s migration policies and its support of Libya’s coast guard. Al-Masri leads the Tripoli branch of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution, a notorious network of detention centers run by the government-backed Special Deterrence Forces. He was arrested Sunday in Turin, where he reportedly attended the Juventus-Milan soccer match the night before. The ICC warrant, dated the day before his arrest, accused al-Masri of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Mitiga prison, starting in 2015, that are punishable with life in prison. The court said he was accused of murder, torture, rape and sexual violence. The prison holds political dissidents, migrants and others. Human rights groups for years have documented abuses in Libyan detention facilities where migrants are kept. The ICC said the arrest warrant was transmitted to member states Saturday, including Italy, and that the court had told Italy to contact it “without delay” if it ran into problems cooperating with the warrant. But Rome’s court of appeals ordered al-Masri freed Tuesday, citing a “procedural error” in his arrest. The ruling said Justice Minister Carlo Nordio should have been informed ahead of time since the ministry handles all relations with the ICC. Al-Masri was sent to Libya aboard an aircraft of the Italian secret services. The ICC said it had not been given prior notice of the appeals court’s decision, as required, and was “yet … “Italy’s Meloni defends repatriation of Libyan warlord wanted by ICC” →

HALLE, GERMANY — Tens of thousands of Germans rallied Saturday against the far right ahead of next month’s legislative elections, as U.S. tech billionaire Elon Musk again endorsed the anti-immigrant AfD party. Musk, speaking by video link, told thousands of AfD supporters gathered in the eastern city of Halle that their party was “the best hope for the future of Germany.” AfD supporters at the rally shouted their approval as party co-leader Alice Weidel looked on smiling. Meanwhile, protesters against the AfD turned out in cities across Germany. The largest gatherings took place in Berlin and Cologne, police revising their turnout figures upward to 35,000 and 40,000 respectively. The protesters in Berlin used their mobile phones to form “a sea of light for democracy” in front of the Brandenburg Gate, holding letters forming the word “Resistance.” AfD polling a record AfD is polling at about 20% before Germany’s February 23 elections, a record for a party that has shattered a decades-old taboo in post-war Germany against supporting the far right. The mainstream conservative CDU/CSU alliance leads with about 30%, with CDU leader Friedrich Merz the favorite to become chancellor after the elections. Musk, a close associate of U.S. President Donald Trump, told the AfD rally the election was important. “I think it could decide the entire fate of Europe, maybe the fate of the world,” he said. Musk has rattled European politicians in recent weeks with comments on his social platform X supporting AfD and far-right politicians in other countries, including Britain. Like Trump, the AfD opposes immigration, denies climate change, rails against gender politics, and has declared war on a political establishment and mainstream media it claims limit free speech. Peaceful protests The anti-AfD rallies took place in about 60 towns following calls from a variety of organizations, attracting more people than the police expected. The protests passed peacefully, with banners saying, “Nazis out” or “AfD is not an alternative,” a reference to the far-right party’s full name “Alternative for Germany.” The CDU’s Merz also came in for criticism. Many protesters fear he is tempted to break his party’s policy of refusing to enter into coalition talks with the AfD. There was also a protest in the southern city of Aschaffenbourg, where a deadly knife attack recently by an Afghan migrant further inflamed the debate over immigration. Several thousand also turned out in the eastern city of Halle, where the … “Tens of thousands protest Germany’s far right as Musk endorses AfD “ →

More than 50 exiled Russian artists who left the country for Europe to escape the war have raised more than $100,000 in an online charity auction. The funds will be sent to various Ukrainian initiatives aimed at helping Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war or providing assistance to those still residing close to the front line.     Click here for the full story in Russian. …

KYIV, UKRAINE — Moldovan President Maia Sandu visited Kyiv on Saturday for talks with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid growing tensions in Transnistria, a pro-Russian separatist enclave of Moldova that neighbors Ukraine. The territory, which has a population of half a million, has seen heating, hot water and electricity cut-offs since the start of the year because a Kyiv-Moscow gas transit contract that had allowed Russian gas to flow there has expired. “We’ll discuss security, energy, infrastructure, trade and mutual support on the EU path,” Sandu wrote on X as she arrived in the Ukrainian capital. There was a demonstration in Transnistria on Friday to call on Moldova to facilitate the transit of Russian gas and end the energy crisis, local media reported. Transnistria used to receive gas from Russia via a pipeline that crossed Ukraine and Moldova. Kyiv has refused to renew the transit contract, which expired on Jan. 1, abruptly ending Russian gas supplies to Transnistria, which has declared a state of emergency. The rest of Moldova has been spared gas cuts thanks to gas and electricity imports from neighboring Romania. With Ukraine’s struggle against a Russian invasion nearly in its fourth year, Moldova is afraid the conflict could expand onto its territory in case of Russian attempts to destabilize Transnistria. In an interview with AFP, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean on Wednesday accused Moscow of trying to generate “instability” in Moldova. He said the crisis could only be resolved if Russian troops stationed in Transnistria since a war against Moldova in 1992 are pulled out. …

HAIFA, ISRAEL — Naftali Furst will never forget his first view of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, on Nov. 3, 1944. He was 12 years old. SS soldiers threw open the doors of the cattle car, where he was crammed in with his mother, father, brother, and more than 80 others. He remembers the tall chimneys of the crematoria, flames roaring from the top. There were dogs and officers yelling in German “Get out, get out!” forcing people to jump onto the infamous ramp where Nazi doctor Josef Mengele separated children from parents. Furst, now 92, is one of a dwindling number of Holocaust survivors able to share first-person accounts of the horrors they endured, as the world marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazis’ most notorious death camp. Furst is returning to Auschwitz for the annual occasion, his fourth trip to the camp. Each time he returns, he thinks of those first moments there. “We knew we were going to certain death,” he said from his home in Haifa, northern Israel, earlier this month. “In Slovakia, we knew that people who went to Poland didn’t return.” Strokes of luck Furst and his family arrived at the entrance to Auschwitz on Nov. 3, 1944 -– one day after Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler ordered the cessation of the use of the gas chambers ahead of their demolition, as the Soviet troops neared. The order meant that his family wasn’t immediately killed. It was one of many small bits of luck and coincidences that allowed Furst to survive. “For 60 years, I didn’t talk about the Holocaust, for 60 years I didn’t speak a word of German even though it’s my mother tongue,” said Furst. In 2005, he was invited to attend the ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald, where he was liberated on April 11, 1945, after being moved there from Auschwitz. He realized there were fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors who could give first-person accounts, and he decided to throw himself into memorial work. This will be his fourth trip to a ceremony at Auschwitz, having also met Pope Francis there in 2016. Some 6 million European Jews were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust — the mass murder of Jews and other groups before and during World War II. Soviet Red Army troops liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau on Jan. 27, 1945, and the day … “One of last Auschwitz survivors makes telling the stories his mission” →

New online videos recently investigated by VOA’s Russian and Ukrainian services show how artificial intelligence is likely being used to try to create provocative deepfakes that target Ukrainian refugees.  In one example, a video appears to be a TV news report about a teenage Ukrainian refugee and her experience studying at a private school in the United States. But the video then flips to footage of crowded school corridors and packets of crack cocaine, while a voiceover that sounds like the girl calls American public schools dangerous and invokes offensive stereotypes about African Americans.  “I realize it’s quite expensive [at private school],” she says. “But it wouldn’t be fair if my family was made to pay for my safety. Let Americans do it.”  Those statements are total fabrications. Only the first section — footage of the teenager — is real.  The offensive voiceover was likely created using artificial intelligence (AI) to realistically copy her voice, resulting in something known as a deepfake.  And it appears to be part of the online Russian information operation called Matryoshka —‚ named for the Russian nesting doll — that is now targeting Ukrainian refugees.  VOA found that the campaign pushed two deepfake videos that aimed to make Ukrainian refugees look greedy and ungrateful, while also spreading deepfakes that appeared to show authoritative Western journalists claiming that Ukraine — and not Russia — was the country spreading falsehoods.  The videos reflect the most recent strategy among Russia’s online disinformation campaign, according to Antibot4Navalny, an X account that researches Russian information operations and has been widely cited by leading Western news outlets.  Russia’s willingness to target refugees, including a teenager, shows just how far the Kremlin, which regularly denies having a role in disinformation, is prepared to go in attempting to undermine Western support for Ukraine.  Targeting the victims   A second video targeting Ukrainian refugees begins with real footage from a news report in which a Ukrainian woman expresses gratitude for clothing donations and support that Denmark has provided to refugees.  The video then switches to generic footage and a probable deepfake as the woman’s voice begins to complain that Ukrainian refugees are forced to live in small apartments and wear used clothing.  VOA is not sharing either video to protect the identities of the refugees depicted in the deepfakes, but both used stolen footage from reputable international media outlets.   That technique — altering … “Russian deepfake videos target Ukrainian refugees, including teen” →

BELGRADE, SERBIA — A woman rammed a car into a crowd of anti-government protesters in Serbia’s capital and injured one of them Friday, police said, as a student-led strike shut down businesses and drew tens of thousands of people to demonstrations around the country. The nationwide protests took place on the same day that President Aleksandar Vucic held a big afternoon rally with thousands of supporters in the central town of Jagodina, his coalition stronghold, to counter the persistent anti-government protests that have challenged his tight grip on power for nearly three months. Vucic told his supporters that the country has been “attacked both from outside and inside” by the anti-government protests. “It is not accidental that that they have attacked Serbia from abroad,” Vucic said, pointing out Serbia’s friendly relations with Russia and China, and a refusal to impose sanctions on Moscow because of the war in Ukraine. “That is what they want to crush, but we must not allow it. That is our strength,” he told the cheering crowd. Call for talks Vucic also called for a dialogue with the striking students, who have received widespread support from all walks of life in Serbia, at the same time weakening popular support for his party. The students have rejected negotiations on their demands with Vucic. The protesters have blocked traffic daily in Serbia to protest the deaths of 15 people killed in the November collapse of a train station canopy that critics have blamed on government corruption. The government denies blame for the deaths. Police in Belgrade said that they detained the 24-year-old driver who rammed into a crowd of protesters in a section of the city called New Belgrade. The injured victim, a 26-year-old woman, was hospitalized; her condition was described as stable. A similar incident took place during a blockade last week in Belgrade, when a car rammed into protesting students, seriously injuring a young woman. Many in Serbia believe the huge concrete canopy at a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad fell down because of sloppy reconstruction work that resulted from corruption. Weekslong protests demanding accountability for the crash have been the biggest since Vucic came to power more than a decade ago. He has faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms despite formally seeking European Union membership for Serbia. It wasn’t immediately possible to determine how many people and companies joined the students’ call … “Driver rams anti-government rally in Serbia’s capital, hurts protester “ →

WASHINGTON — Ahead of Belarus’ presidential election this weekend, a media advocacy group filed a complaint Friday with the International Criminal Court accusing the country’s longtime leader of crimes against humanity against journalists. The complaint, filed by Reporters Without Borders, known by French acronym RSF, accuses President Alexander Lukashenko of orchestrating a harsh crackdown on independent media that began after he claimed victory in the disputed 2020 election. That election was widely seen as rigged, with opposition candidates jailed or forced to flee. Security forces violently suppressed the subsequent mass protests. Paris-based RSF cited in its complaint the imprisoning and persecution of journalists and displacement of media workers as examples of crimes against humanity. “RSF calls on the ICC Prosecutor to include these crimes against journalists in its preliminary investigation,” Antoine Bernard, RSF’s director of advocacy and assistance, said in a statement. Since the crackdown on independent media began, Belarus has ranked among the worst jailers of journalists in the world, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Belarusian media experts say the dire environment has made it harder to access credible information. “The Belarusian information space is tightly controlled by the government,” Natalia Belikova, the head of international cooperation at Press Club Belarus, told VOA from Warsaw. Repression against journalists and activists has been increasing in the lead up to the election, she said. Press Club Belarus counts more than 40 journalists currently jailed in the country. The European Parliament and exiled Belarusian leader Svetlana Tikhanovskayahave condemned the upcoming election in Belarus as a sham. Since 2020, the Belarusian government has pressured independent media through raids on news outlets, blocking websites and designating media organizations as “extremist.” The harsh environment forced some reporters to quit their jobs. Meanwhile, hundreds of other journalists fled into exile, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists. “For five years, the Belarusian regime has systematically persecuted independent voices, starting with journalists,” Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, said in a statement. Belikova said she thinks the complaint to the ICC is significant. “On the level of raising the profile of repression in Belarus, especially against journalists and free press, I think this is a very important move,” she said. But Belikova added that she wasn’t sure whether the complaint will improve the crisis facing Belarusian journalists. The office of the ICC prosecutor said it does not comment on complaints … “Ahead of election, media group accuses Belarus of crimes against humanity” →

LONDON — A London judge on Friday rejected a U.S. mother’s challenge to be extradited to Colorado to face murder charges in the deaths of two of her young children. Judge John Zani said in Westminster Magistrates Court that it would now be up to the British Home Secretary to order Kimberlee Singler returned to the United States. Singler, 36, is accused of two counts of first-degree murder in the December 2023 shooting and stabbings of her 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, and one count of attempted murder in the knife slashing of her 11-year-old daughter. She also faces three counts of child abuse and one count of assault. Singler’s attorney had argued that sending her back to the U.S. would violate European human rights law, in part, because she faces a sentence of life in prison without parole in Colorado if convicted of first-degree murder. Such a sentence would be inhumane because it offers no prospect for release even if she is rehabilitated, attorney Edward Fitzgerald said. Fitzgerald said that despite an option for a Colorado governor to commute her sentence at some point, it was “political suicide” to do so. Experts for the defense had originally said that a life sentence had never been commuted in Colorado. But prosecutors later found that Governor John Hickenlooper in 2018 commuted life sentences of five men convicted of murder. The defense countered that three of those sentences were not life without parole and two were for men who committed their crime between the ages of 18 and 21, which is sometimes considered a mitigating factor at sentencing because of their relative youth. “This defendant, Kimberlee Singler, has no real prospect of release no matter what progress she makes” behind bars, Fitzgerald said. Prosecutor Joel Smith said the judge only had to consider if there is a mechanism that could allow Singler to be freed someday. “Prospect of release — that is not your concern,” Smith told the judge at a hearing in December. Zani said in his ruling that there was an option in Colorado to release an inmate serving a life sentence. “I am satisfied that the defendant has failed to vault the hurdle necessary in order to succeed in the challenges raised,” the judge said. Fitzgerald said he planned to appeal. Singler has denied that she harmed her children. She told police that her ex-husband had either carried out the … “London court says US mom can be extradited in children’s killings” →

Near Auschwitz’s walls, the former home of the concentration camp’s commandant, Rudolf Hoss, stands as a symbol of denial and complicity, its windows overlooking the site of some of the Holocaust’s worst atrocities. As the world marks the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation (Jan. 27), plans are under way to transform the house into a research center on hate, extremism, and radicalization. VOA’s Eastern Europe bureau chief, Myroslava Gongadze, visited the house and has the story. Camera: Daniil Batushchak …

Officials in Ukraine say Russia launched a barrage of drones in an overnight attack Friday killing at least two civilians, wounding several others and damaging commercial and residential buildings. The interior ministry said two victims were killed by drone debris in the central Kyiv region. It said a multistory residential building and commercial buildings were among the infrastructure that sustained damage during the attack. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted and destroyed some 120 drones over a dozen regions, including Moscow, overnight Friday, launched by Ukraine. No casualties were reported. U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he would talk soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to push the Russian leader to end his nearly three-year war on neighboring Ukraine. “Millions of young lives are being wasted. That war is horrible,” Trump, via video link from Washington, told global business leaders meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He said that “Ukraine is ready to make a deal,” although no peace negotiations have been announced. “This is a war that never should’ve started.” Trump, three days into his second term in the White House, said he would ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to cut global oil prices, now about $77 a barrel, to curb Russia’s oil revenues, which it uses to fund the war. “If the price comes down,” Trump said, “the war in Ukraine will end immediately.” “It’s so important to get that done,” he said. “It’s time to end it.” Trump’s new remarks on the war came a day after he described the conflict as a “ridiculous war” and told Putin in a social media message that if he didn’t move to end it, the U.S. would impose new tariffs, taxes and sanctions on Russian exports to the West. But the Kremlin was unmoved by Trump’s threat, saying Thursday it did not see any particularly new elements in U.S. policy toward Russia. “He likes these methods, at least he liked them during his first presidency,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Peskov said Russia remains ready for “mutually respectful dialogue” with the United States as Trump starts a four-year term in the White House. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. …

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday invited global businesses to manufacture their products in the U.S. and promised them lower taxes but warned if they chose to produce their goods elsewhere, they would have to pay tariffs to export them to the United States. “America is back and open for business,” Trump, in a video linkup from Washington, told corporate leaders meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “My message to every business in the world is very simple: Come make your product in America, and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on Earth,” Trump said. “But if you don’t make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then, very simply, you will have to pay a tariff.” Trump, three days into his second term in the White House, said he wants to cut the U.S. corporate tax rate from 21 to 15%, although that needs approval from his political allies in the Republican-controlled Congress. Lawmakers have begun debating how to extend and reshape personal and corporate tax cuts enacted in 2017 during Trump’s first term in office. Trump promised the U.S. would supply Europe with the liquified natural gas it needs but contended that the European Union treats the United States “very, very unfairly” with the extent of regulations it imposes on American businesses operating in the 27-nation bloc. The president complained specifically about tariffs and environmental impact statements for new construction projects, calling them “things you shouldn’t have to do.” Trump promised that his administration would make the U.S., already the world’s biggest economy, “a manufacturing superpower” and said the government during his four-year term would eliminate 10 business regulations for every new one that is imposed. He said he plans to ask Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut the price of oil they produce to boost the global economy. He contended that if the current global oil price — about $77 a barrel — is cut, “the war in Ukraine will end immediately.” Russia uses revenue from its own oil production to help fund its three-year war on neighboring Ukraine. Trump said that in the global economy, the U.S. “just wants to be treated fairly by other countries.” He said the U.S. wants to have a “fair relationship” with China, the world’s second-biggest economy. “We don’t want to take advantage,” he said of … “Trump to global businesses: Make products in US or pay tariffs” →

NUUK, GREENLAND — The mineral wealth on the Arctic island of Greenland is in the global spotlight after U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants to take control of the territory from Denmark, prompting alarm from European allies. Trump’s words were echoed in a January 12 interview on “Fox News Sunday” by Vice President JD Vance, who said, “There is a deal to be made in Greenland,” and that the island has “a lot of great natural resources.” Until now, Greenland’s mining industry has struggled to turn a profit, but could that be about to change? ‘Full of minerals’ Greenland currently has only one active commercial mine — White Mountain —located north of the capital, Nuuk, and gets its stark, monochrome color from anorthosite rock, which is rich in calcium deposits and other minerals. The mine’s operator, Lumina Sustainable Materials, ships the rock from Greenland’s western coastline to Asia, Europe and North America, where it is used to make a variety of products such as fiberglass, paint, fillers, cement and polymers. Efforts are under way to exploit aluminum deposits within the anorthosite. “Greenland is a country full of minerals. We have, literally, minerals available all over the place,” Bent Olsvig Jensen, Lumina’s managing director in Greenland, told VOA in an interview. Dozens of other mining companies from around the world are conducting exploration and feasibility studies across Greenland, although White Mountain remains the only commercial operation currently trading. China competition The minerals include plentiful rare earth elements such as lithium and scandium, which are critical for devices such as batteries. Global supply chains for those elements are currently dominated by China. Trump has repeatedly said that U.S. control of Greenland is necessary for “international security.” His comments caused a political storm in Greenland and Denmark, but mining companies see an opportunity. “His interest in Greenland can actually help the industry get access to further investment, which is needed for the industry to develop in Greenland,” Jensen said. “So, yes, I definitely welcome it. And I think it’s important that both from the industry side but also from the political side in Greenland that we position ourselves towards Trump and the U.S.” ‘Not for sale’ Greenland’s government is largely autonomous, although Denmark is responsible for the island’s security. Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for resources, emphasized the government’s long-held response to Trump’s interest: Open for business, but not for sale. “We do want … “Will Trump spark a mineral ‘gold rush’ in Greenland?” →

Greenland’s mineral wealth is in the global spotlight after U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants to take control of the island from Denmark. But until now, Greenland’s mining industry has struggled to turn a profit. Could that be about to change? Henry Ridgwell reports from Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. …

LONDON — A British teenager who murdered three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event was jailed for at least 52 years on Thursday, for an atrocity prosecutors said was so violent it appeared he had tried to decapitate one of the victims.  On Monday, Axel Rudakubana, 18, admitted carrying out the killings last July in the northern English town of Southport, a crime which was followed by days of nationwide rioting.  Rudakubana will likely spend the rest of his life in jail for the murders of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who were among 26 children attending the summer vacation event.  He also pleaded guilty to 10 charges of attempted murder, as well as to producing the deadly poison ricin and possessing an al-Qaida training manual.  Two of his victims suffered “horrific injuries which … are difficult to explain as anything other than sadistic in nature,” prosecutor Deanna Heer told Liverpool Crown Court.  Judge Julian Goose described Rudakubana’s actions as “evil,” saying: “I am sure that Rudakubana had a settled and determined intention to carry out these offenses and that, had he been able to, he would have killed each and every child, all 26 of them, as well as any adults who got in his way.”  The judge sentenced Rudakubana in his absence after he refused to return to court, having twice been removed for interrupting the hearing.  Goose said he was not allowed by law to impose a life sentence without the possibility of parole as Rudakubana was 17 at the time of his crimes, but added: “It is likely that he will never be released and that he will be in custody for all his life.” …

London — Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS are facing fresh scrutiny from Britain’s competition watchdog, which announced investigations Thursday targeting the two tech giants’ mobile phone ecosystems under new powers to crack down on digital market abuses.  The Competition and Markets Authority said it launched separate investigations to determine whether the mobile ecosystems controlled by Apple and Google should be given “strategic market status” that would mandate changes in the companies’ practices.  The watchdog is flexing its newly acquired regulatory muscles again after the new digital market rules took effect at the start of the year. The CMA has already used the new rules, designed to protect consumers and businesses from unfair practices by Big Tech companies, to open an investigation into Google’s search ads business.  The new investigations will examine whether Apple or Google’s mobile operating systems, app stores and browsers give either company a strategic position in the market. The watchdog said it’s interested in the level of competition and any barriers preventing rivals from offering competing products and services.  The CMA will also look into whether Apple or Google are favoring their own apps and services, which it said “often come pre-installed and prominently placed on iOS and Android devices.” Google’s YouTube and Apple’s Safari browser are two examples of apps that come bundled with Android and iOS, respectively.  And it will investigate “exploitative conduct,” such as whether Apple or Google forces app makers to agree to “unfair terms and conditions” as condition for distributing apps on their app stores.  The regulator has until October to wrap up the investigation. It said it could force either company to, for example, open up access to key functions other apps need to operate on mobile devices. Or it could force them to allow users to download apps outside of their own app stores.  Both Google and Apple said the work “constructively” with the U.K. regulator on the investigation.  Google said “Android’s openness has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps. It’s the only example of a successful and viable open source mobile operating system.”  The company said it favors “a way forward that avoids stifling choice and opportunities for U.K. consumers and businesses alike, and without risk to U.K. growth prospects.”  Apple said it “believes in thriving and dynamic markets where innovation can flourish. We face competition in every segment and jurisdiction where we … “UK watchdog targets Apple, Google mobile ecosystems with new digital market powers” →

Officials in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region said Thursday a Russian ballistic missile attack killed at least one person and injured 24 others. Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram that Russian drones also destroyed an energy facility and knocked out power to tens of thousands of people. In the Mykolaiv region, Governor Vitaliy Kim said on Telegram that Ukrainian air defenses shot down nine Russian drones. Debris from the drones damaged several houses, Kim said. Ukraine’s military also shot down several drones over the Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Serhiy Lysak said. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down four Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region located along the Russia-Ukraine border. Trump-Putin U.S. President Donald Trump told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday to end his “ridiculous war” against Ukraine or the United States would soon impose new “high levels” of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on any Russian exports to the West.  Trump, two days into his second term in the White House, told Putin in a social media post that he was “not looking to hurt Russia” and that the U.S. “must never forget” that Russia helped the U.S. win World War II, but that it was time to end Moscow’s nearly three-year invasion of neighboring Ukraine.  “All of that being said,” Trump noted on his Truth Social account, “I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE.”  “If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and soon,” Trump said he would “have no other choice” but to impose the taxes, tariffs and sanctions. Under President Joe Biden, who left office on Monday, the United States and its European allies frequently sanctioned key sectors of the Russian economy and oligarch friends of Putin, worsening the country’s economy but failing to stop the war.  Trump said, “Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better. It’s time to “MAKE A DEAL.” NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!”  There was no immediate response from Putin to Trump’s demands. Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters …

A record 47% of the European Union’s electricity now comes from solar and other renewables, a report Thursday said, in yet another sign of the growing gap between the bloc’s push for clean energy and the new U.S. administration’s pursuit of more fossil fuels. Nearly three-quarters of the EU’s electricity doesn’t emit planet-warming gases into the air — with another 24% of electricity in the bloc coming from nuclear power, a report released by the climate energy think tank Ember found. This is far higher than in countries like the United States and China, where nearly two-thirds of their energy is still produced from carbon-polluting fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Experts say they’re encouraged by Europe’s fossil fuel reductions, particularly as the U.S. looks set to increase its emissions as its new president pledges cheaper gas prices, has halted leases for wind projects and pledged to revoke Biden-era incentives for electric vehicles. “Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy,” said Chris Rosslowe, an energy expert at Ember. In 2024, solar power generated 11% of EU electricity, overtaking coal which fell below 10% for the first time. Clean wind power generated more electricity than gas for the second year in a row. 2024 data wasn’t available for all countries. Ember’s data for the world’s largest generators of electricity for 2023 show Brazil with the largest share of its electricity from renewables, almost 89%, with much of that coming from hydroelectric power. Canada had about 66.5%, China 30.6%, France 26.5%, the U.S. 22.7% and India 19.5%. One reason for Europe’s clean power transition moving at pace is the European Green Deal, an ambitious policy passed in 2019 that paved the way for climate laws to be updated. As a result of the deal, the EU made their targets more ambitious, aiming to cut 55% of the region’s emissions by the end of the decade. The policy also aims to make Europe climate neutral — reducing the amount of additional emissions in the air to practically zero — by 2050. Hundreds of regulations and directives in European countries to incentivize investment in clean energy and reduce carbon pollution have been passed or are in the process of being ratified across Europe. “At the start of the Deal, renewables were a third and fossil fuels accounted for 39% of Europe’s electricity,” Rosslowe said. “Now fossils generate only 29% and wind … “Europe posts record year for clean energy” →

As U.S. President Donald Trump declared an energy emergency in the United States and signed a sweeping executive order to expand oil and gas drilling, VOA’s Russian Service spoke to experts who predict that if oil prices fall, the Russian budget may feel pressure that could make any further U.S. sanctions against Russia, touted by Trump if Putin does not make a deal on the war in Ukraine, more painful for Moscow. Click here for the full story in Russian. …

LONDON — Prince Harry claimed a monumental victory Wednesday as Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids made an unprecedented apology for intruding in his life over decades and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his privacy invasion lawsuit. News Group Newspapers offered a “full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life,” Harry’s attorney, David Sherborne, read from a statement in court. The statement even went beyond the scope of the case to acknowledge intruding on the life of Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana, and the impact it had on his family. “We acknowledge and apologize for the distress caused to the duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages,” the settlement statement said. His phone was hacked, and he was spied on It was the first time News Group has acknowledged wrongdoing at The Sun, a paper that once sold millions of copies with its formula of sports, celebrities and sex — including topless women on Page 3. Harry had vowed to take his case to trial to publicly expose the newspaper’s wrongdoing and win a court ruling upholding his claims. In a statement read by his lawyer, Harry claimed he achieved the accountability he sought for himself and hundreds of others, including ordinary people, who were snooped on. News Group acknowledged “phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators” aimed at Harry. News Group had strongly denied those allegations before trial. “This represents a vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong-armed into settling without being able to get to the truth of what was done to them,” Sherborne said outside the High Court in London. Wrongdoing alleged at the top The bombshell announcement came after the trial’s start was postponed a day as last-minute settlement talks heated up outside court. Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles III, and Tom Watson, a former Labour Party member of Parliament, were the only two remaining claimants out of more than 1,300 others who had settled lawsuits against News Group Newspapers over allegations their phones were hacked and investigators unlawfully intruded in their lives. The company engaged in “perjury and cover-ups” to obscure the truth for years, deleting 30 million emails and other records, Harry and Watson said … “Murdoch’s UK tabloids apologize to Prince Harry, admit intruding on Diana” →

U.S. President Donald Trump signaled the possibility of placing additional sanctions on Russia for its war in Ukraine. Asked about the prospect while speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump responded, “Sounds likely.” Trump said his administration has been in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and would be speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very soon.” He said the European Union should be “paying a lot more than they’re paying” to aid Ukraine, while falsely stating the U.S. has contributed $200 billion more than the EU. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has committed about $175 billion in aid for Ukraine. The European Union says the bloc and its member states have made about $145 billion in aid available. Trump says Europe should be paying more because its proximity means the war has a greater effect on the EU than the United States. “I mean, what are we, stupid? I guess the answer is yes, because they must think so,” Trump said. He has previously complained that NATO allies are not allocating enough of their spending to defense and called for increased defense budget targets. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said during a speech Wednesday at an EU Defence Agency conference that, in terms of general defense spending, Trump is “right to say that we don’t spend enough,” and that the EU needs to invest more. She called for the EU to provide “more, faster and stronger” support to Ukraine, saying that Ukrainians “are fighting for their freedom and ours.” “There is absolutely no doubt that we can do more to help Ukraine,” Kallas said. “With our help, they can also win the war.” Aerial attacks Ukrainian officials said Wednesday the country’s air defenses shot down dozens of drones overnight, including in Mykolaiv where Governor Vitaliy Kim said falling debris damaged an apartment building and injured two people. Officials in the Khmelnytskyi and Sumy regions also reported drones being shot down in their areas. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it destroyed six Ukrainian drones over the Rostov region, while also knocking down a drone over Kursk and another over Voronezh. Rostov Governor Yury Slyusar said drone fragments fell in the courtyard of a house, but that no one was injured. Ceasefire provisions Zelenskyy said Tuesday that if a ceasefire deal were enacted with Russia, “at least 200,000 European peacekeepers” would need to be … “ Trump expresses possibility of more sanctions against Russia for Ukraine war” →

ANKARA, TURKEY — Turkey has detained nine people, including the owner of the hotel, in connection with a deadly fire that claimed the lives of 76 people and injured dozens at a ski resort in western Turkey, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said early Wednesday. Yerlikaya also reported that the bodies of 45 victims had been handed over to their families, while DNA tests were being conducted to identify the remaining bodies at the forensic institute. The fire occurred at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in the Bolu mountains. The hotel, where the fire broke out, expressed deep sorrow in a statement on Wednesday and pledged full cooperation with the investigation. “We are cooperating with authorities to shed light on all aspects of this incident,” the statement said. “We are deeply saddened by the losses and want you to know that we share this pain with all our hearts.” The 12-story hotel, which had 238 registered guests, was consumed by flames after the fire started on the restaurant floor around 3:30 a.m. local time or 0030 GMT. Survivors described scenes of panic as they fled through smoke-filled corridors and jumped from windows to escape. Authorities are facing growing criticism over the hotel’s safety measures, as survivors reported that no fire alarms went off during the incident. Guests said they had to navigate the smoke-filled corridors in complete darkness. President Tayyip Erdogan declared Wednesday a day of national mourning following the tragedy, which occurred during the peak of the winter tourism season, with many families from Istanbul and Ankara traveling to the Bolu mountains for skiing. …

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would likely impose sanctions on Russia if its president, Vladimir Putin, refuses to negotiate about ending the war in Ukraine.  Trump gave no details on possible additional sanctions. The United States has already sanctioned Russia heavily for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.  Trump said his administration was also looking at the issue of sending weapons to Ukraine, adding his view that the European Union should be doing more to support Ukraine.  “We’re talking to [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy; we’re going to be talking with President Putin very soon,” Trump said. “We’re going to look at it.”  Trump said he had pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping in a call to intervene to stop the Ukraine war.  “He’s not done very much on that. He’s got a lot of … power, like we have a lot of power. I said, ‘You ought to get it settled.’ We did discuss it.”   …