California has become the first U.S. state to ban all production and sale of animal fur products. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill that will make it illegal to make, sell and even donate any new item made using animal fur starting in 2023. The bill excludes used items, taxidemy …
There are more than a dozen candidates running against U.S. President Donald Trump in the next presidential race, but one Democrat who is standing out in the Asian American community is entrepreneur, Andrew Yang. He may not be one of the top three candidates in the Democratic Party, but he …
Banned Books Week happens every year as many children in America begin a new school year. In honor of the occasion, local libraries organize readings of Harry Potter, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill A Mockingbird and hundreds of other novels. Despite many of them being considered classical literature, they …
There are thousands of Venezuelans stranded at the border after the Ecuadorian government imposed new rules that bar people from entering the country without a visa. But many of the refugees are stuck because they can’t afford the $50 fee to get a visa. VOA’s Celia Mendoza reports from the …
A second evacuation flight of 123 asylum-seekers from Libya landed in Rwanda late Thursday at Kigali International Airport. Most of the 123 are young Africans who were detained in Libya on their way to Europe. They have been taken to a transit facility in Gashora, where the United Nations refugee …
Hong Kong pro-democracy demonstrations Saturday were smaller and less disruptive than recent massive rallies that shut down much of the city. The largest event on Saturday was a march that included thousands of protesters in the Mong Kok shopping district in Kowloon, across from the business and financial centers …
Ali Javanmardi from VOA’s Persian Service contributed to this report from Irbil. The World Food Program says more than 100,000 people have been displaced so far by the Turkish invasion of northern Syria. The agency said the those displaced have come from the towns of Ras al-Ayn and Tal Abyad. …
VOA Connect Episode 91 – We learn that the transition to cleaner energy isn’t always about climate change, as coal miners in the American West are finding out. Yet those working in and running unprofitable mines are having to rethink their future, too, adapting their skills to survive. Also on …
As coal companies are shutting down in Gillette, Wyoming, workers in the coal industry have lost their jobs. We talk to some of the people most affected by all the coal plants shutting down. Reporter/Camera: Steve Baragona …
We go to Kemmerer, Wyoming to find out how residents are handling the move away from coal, and hear from economist Robert Godby who offers an explanation as to why the state has been so slow to transition to coal alternatives. Reporter/Camera: Steve Baragona …
Sixteen-year old Faithwins Iwuh — who is sometimes referred to as Nigeria’s Greta Thunberg — wants Nigeria to contribute to the global fight against climate change. To achieve this, she started planting trees around her school and neighborhood, and recycles used plastic bags into shower caps. Iwuh says she has …
The Trump administration Thursday proposed a rewrite of rules for dealing with lead pipes contaminating drinking water, but critics say the changes appear to give water systems decades more time to replace pipes leaching dangerous amounts of toxic lead. Contrary to regulatory rollbacks in many other environmental areas, the administration …
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is threatening to “open the gates” to millions of refugees to enter Europe as criticism grows over Turkey’s ongoing military operation against a Syrian Kurdish militia. “Hey, European Union! Pull yourself together,” Erdogan said at a meeting of party supporters Thursday. “I repeat it: If …
VOA’s Victoria Macchi contributed to this report. The Trump administration is touting a drop in enforcement actions along the U.S.-Mexico border for a fourth straight month as proof it is successfully reducing illegal immigration into the United States. “This administration’s strategies have brought about results — dramatic results,” Acting Customs …
California power company Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) cut power Wednesday to millions of Californians due to high winds that could down power lines sparking wildfires. Utilities companies have warned for months that cutoffs were possible, but the power cut seems to have caught many by surprise. Twitter was …
A woman who worked at NBC News claimed that Matt Lauer raped her at a hotel while on assignment for the Sochi Olympics, an encounter the former “Today” show host claimed was consensual. The claim outlined by Brooke Nevils in Ronan Farrow’s book, “Catch and Kill,” puts a name and …
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long threatened to send troops into northeastern Syria to clear the border region of Syrian Kurdish fighters whom Turkey considers a serious security threat. A Turkish invasion looks more likely after President Donald Trump’s sudden announcement that U.S. troops, who had fought alongside the …
The United Nations said Wednesday recent U.S. airstrikes on alleged drug-processing facilities in Afghanistan that killed more than 30 civilians, including children, were “not lawful.” The casualties occurred last May in western Farah and adjoining Nimroz provinces where the U.S. bombed more than 60 sites, identifying them as drug-production plants, …
Russia’s Justice Ministry has branded opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s nonprofit Anti-Corruption Foundation a “foreign agent” under a 2012 law that was widely criticized by the West for stigmatizing groups with the designation. Navalny quickly rejected the ministry’s Wednesday announcement, saying Russian authorities fear his foundation (FBK) because of the evidence …
U.S. gymnastics star Simone Biles clinched a record-extending 15th world championship gold medal Tuesday as the Americans won the women’s team title in Stuttgart. Biles, 22, collected her 21st medal at the championships to become the most decorated women’s gymnast, taking her one clear of Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina. She also …
The Supreme Court says police investigated two suspicious packages found near the court just before the justices were to hear arguments over LGBT rights. Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg says the packages were found Tuesday near an intersection between the court, the Capitol and the Library of Congress. Police cleared the …
The International Organization for Migration reports fatalities from a shipwreck Monday off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa has pushed the migrant death toll on the Mediterranean Sea this year to 1071. The boat, which capsized seven miles from the coast of Lampedusa, reportedly departed from Tunisia with …
With U.S. troops pulling out from the Syria-Turkey border following U.S. President Donald Trump’s Sunday announcement, Kurdish officials and experts say that Syrian Kurdish forces could turn to other powers for protection against a possible Turkish incursion into northeast Syria. The United States and the international coalition to defeat the …
Researchers say Saturn has overtaken Jupiter as the planet in our solar system with the most number of moons. U.S. scientists announced Monday that 20 new moons have been found orbiting Saturn, bringing the total number of moons around that planet to 82. That beats Jupiter’s 79 moons. Researchers say …
The Democratic-led impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives is expanding, but its fate in Congress and national political impact remain far from certain. VOA spoke with several legal and political commentators about how the high-stakes process is developing, its likelihood of removing the president from office, and impact on the …
Hong Kong struggled to recover on Monday, with the metro only partially functioning and infrastructure extensively damaged, after scores of protesters were arrested in violent clashes overnight that drew the first warning from the Chinese military. Tens of thousands of protesters marched peacefully through the center of the Chinese-ruled city …