U.S. defense and intelligence officials say the special forces operation that killed former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria last October has done little to hinder the terror group. Instead, the Defense Intelligence Agency warns the organization’s command and control structure, as well as many of its clandestine …
Amid the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday the outbreak is a “global health emergency” and “an epidemic with multiple locations” but not yet a pandemic. Where is the virus spreading? As of Feb. 4, WHO says as of Tuesday there are …
The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are running almost neck-and-neck in the Iowa Democratic caucus, according to partial results that follow a night of chaos and confusion. With 41 delegates up for grabs, Buttigieg has a slight lead over Sanders, followed by …
A former South Sudanese soldier turned farmer in Jonglei state says he is earns millions of South Sudanese Pounds each year from his fruit farm, far more than he ever earned serving in the military. Paul Alim Amol, who is 50 years old, retired from the military two years after …
The United States is restricting passenger flights that include people who have recently traveled from China. Beginning late Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security said it will direct the arrival of U.S. citizens who have been in China within 14 days of their return to one of 11 designated airports …
The World Health Organization reports cancer is on the increase globally. But it says preventive measures can save the lives of millions of cancer sufferers over the next decade. This report comes in regard to World Cancer Day on Feb. 4. Over the past decade, nearly every country in the …
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has demanded “demonstrable evidence” from the Taliban that it will lower the violence level in Afghanistan before signing a deal that would lead to peace talks and a withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. Pompeo told a news conference in Uzbekistan on Monday …
Turkey hit targets in northern Syria, responding to shelling by Syrian government forces that killed at least four Turkish soldiers, the Turkish president said Monday. A Syrian war monitor said six Syrian troops were also killed. The exchange, which came hours after a large Turkish military convoy entered …
In the real world, political primaries are looming, impeachment is ongoing and heavy news never seems to stop. But during commercial breaks in the Super Bowl, advertisers did their best to serve up an antidote heavily spiked with fun. True, political ads did invade the game, with President Trump and …
The Somali government has declared a national emergency over a locust upsurge which is spreading in the East Africa region. The Somali Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Said Hussein Iid said the desert locust poses a “major threat” to the country’s already fragile food security situation. The first wave of …
While much of the political world focused on Iowa and its caucuses Monday that kick off the election season, President Donald Trump has his mind on a Democratic candidate who’s skipping the early-voting state. Trump used a Super Bowl pregame interview with Fox New Channel’s Sean Hannity to make a …
Key U.S. Republican senators are saying that President Donald Trump’s request to Ukraine to launch an investigation to benefit himself politically was wrong, but did not amount to a significant enough offense to convict him on impeachment charges and remove him from office. Trump has for months described as “perfect” …
Russia has been dodging U.N. sanctions and hiring North Korean workers to push back against the U.S.-led maximum-pressure policy, while supplementing the shrinking labor supply in its Far East, experts say. “Russia and, to a certain extent, China do not want to completely follow the U.S. sanctions lead,” said Ken …
Former communications minister Mohammed Allawi was named prime minister-designate by rival Iraqi factions Saturday after weeks of political deadlock. The choice came as the country has been weathering troubled times, including anti-government protests and the constant threat of being ensnared by festering U.S.-Iran tensions. The selection of Allawi, 66, to …
A Connecticut opera singer charged with using an SUV to blast through barricades outside President Donald Trump’s Florida estate, drawing law enforcement gunfire, refused to appear in court Saturday, delaying her initial appearance. Palm Beach County Judge Ted Booras said Hannah Roemhild’s first hearing would be held Monday if she …
The impact of climate change on Australia’s unprecedented bushfire crisis will be examined by an independent inquiry set up by the New South Wales state government. The six-month inquiry will look at the causes of the bushfires, as well as how the state of New South Wales prepared and reacted …
The Afghan Taliban’s turbulent negotiations with the United States on a peace deal have ground to a halt over differences on how to reduce insurgent violence. The latest standoff in the peace process, being hosted by Qatar, comes amid a sharp increase in Taliban attacks on U.S.-backed Afghan government forces over …
U.S. forces in northeast Syria again prevented Russian military convoys from touring near the Iraqi border on Friday, in what locals described as an increased escalation between both sides over freedom of navigation in the predominantly Kurdish region. A VOA reporter saw American Humvees patrolling the main road of al-Malikiyah town, also known as Derik, in …
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Friday that the Trump administration would not waver in its support for Ukraine and denied charges at the heart of President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Pompeo met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday and denied allegations that vital military aid and a White …
India’s boycott of Malaysian palm oil over Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s rebuke of New Delhi’s handling of Kashmir and Muslim migrants may deal a heavy blow to Malaysia’s economy this year, the more so if it expands to other key commodities. But some economists say the nominally punitive move may …
It’s the final days of the campaign for Democratic presidential hopefuls to win the hearts and minds of voters in Iowa, but so far none of the candidates still in the race have earned University of Iowa student Nick Pryor’s support. “Ah, I’m still undecided at this point,” he told …
There were questions about quid pro quos and whisteblowers, the Constitution and an unpublished book. Senators in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial posed dozens of questions to White House lawyers and to House Democrats prosecuting the case. The questions, written on paper and read aloud by Chief Justice John Roberts, …
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Thursday defended President Donald Trump’s response to American troops being diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries from Iran’s missile strike, saying he cared about the service members. Last week, Trump appeared to play down the injuries, saying he “heard that they had headaches and a …
The spotlight on brain injuries suffered by American troops in Iraq this month is an example of America’s episodic attention to this invisible war wound, which has affected hundreds of thousands over the past two decades but is not yet fully understood. Unlike physical wounds, such as burns or the …
A municipal appeals court in Phnom Penh has upheld a lower-court ruling to continue investigating a pair of former Radio Free Asia reporters on espionage charges. Journalists Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin, who were detained for “illegally collecting information for a foreign source” in November 2017, had recently filed a …
Nigerian twin girls conjoined in the chest and abdominal regions are now living normal lives, weeks after being successfully separated at the state-owned National Hospital. Medical experts say the operation was the most complicated case of conjoined twins separation in Nigeria. Timothy Obiezu reports from Nassarawa, near Abuja. …