Australian authorities said Friday they are focused on protecting water plants, pumping stations, pipes and other infrastructure from intense bushfires surrounding Sydney, the country’s largest city. Firefighters battling the blazes for weeks received a reprieve of slightly cooler, damper conditions over Christmas, but the respite is not expected to last …
Zaheer Ahmed had just returned home from work in northern India last Friday afternoon and stepped out for a smoke before lunch. Minutes later, he was dead, shot in the head. His death, and the killing by gunfire of four other Muslim men the same afternoon in the mainly Muslim …
A Bek Air plane with 95 passengers and five crew members on board crashed near the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan on Friday, killing at least 14 people and injuring at least 35, authorities in Almaty said. The plane was heading for the capital, Nur-Sultan, the country’s capital formerly known …
Billboard charting quartet, “Sons of Serendip,” won the hearts of fans and judges alike as finalists on the NBC program, “America’s Got Talent” with their interpretations of pop music, arranged with a unique blend of vocals, harp, piano and cello. The group has released three successful albums, “Sons of Serendip, Christmas: Beyond the Lights and Life and Love.” …
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that China had sailed its newest aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait for a second time. The move comes as Taiwan prepares to hold a presidential election January 11. The Chinese carrier first went through the strait November 17 for what China said was “routine …
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday lawmakers will vote in early January on a measure seeking authorization to send troops to Libya in support of the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli. Erdogan said parliament would take up the measure on January 8 or 9 after returning from a recess. His …
An Iranian military fighter jet crashed on Wednesday near a dormant volcano in the northwest of the country and its pilot was missing, official media reported. State news agency IRNA said the jet went down at 9:00 a.m. (0530 GMT) near Mount Sabalan, in the Lesser Caucasus range, and was …
For many international students studying in the United States, returning to their home country for the winter holidays is not an option. Students cite the cost of flights, and worries about renewing visas as the main reasons for not traveling. And some who live very far say it wouldn’t be …
A Russian court on Tuesday extended the pre-trial detention of an American being held on espionage charges. Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who holds US, British, Canadian and Irish citizenship, has been jailed in Russia since he was arrested at a Moscow hotel on December 28 last year. The Moscow …
Depending on which country they’re from, the kids may ask about Father Christmas, Papa Noel, Saint Nick or Santa Claus. But those who believe all want to know one thing: where in the world the jolly old man and his sleigh full of gifts are on Christmas Eve. For the …
Officials in Burkina Faso say soldiers killed 80 Islamic militants who launched simultaneous attacks on a military post and the northern town of Arbinda Tuesday. The militants killed at least 35 civilians, mostly women, before they were beaten back. Seven soldiers were also killed. Arbinda Burkina Faso President Roch Marc …
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was hospitalized Monday evening after a fall in the presidential residence, his office said. Bolsonaro was taken to the armed forces’ hospital in the capital of Brasilia and underwent examinations of his skull that showed no problems, said a statement from the presidency’s communications office. The …
Syrian government forces pressed ahead Monday with a new military assault on the country’s last rebel stronghold that began last week, an offensive that has set off a mass exodus of civilians fleeing to safer areas near the Turkish border. Under the cover of airstrikes and heavy shelling, Syrian troops …
The families of American newlyweds who were badly injured during a volcanic eruption in New Zealand said Tuesday the two are progressing as well as could be hoped for given the extent of their injuries. The couple, Lauren Urey, 32, and Matt Urey, 36, from Richmond, Virginia, remain hospitalized in …
Thousands of Iraqis protested Monday in Baghdad and other parts of the country after politicians missed an overnight deadline for naming a new prime minister. Anti-government rallies have rocked the capital and the Shiite-majority south since October with people protesting against corruption, poor services and a lack of jobs. FILE …
Five people have been sentenced to death over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but two top figures investigated over the killing have been exonerated, Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said Monday. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was murdered in October last year in what Riyadh called a “rogue” operation, tipping …
A fire at a warehouse in India’s capital on Monday killed nine people and injured three others, an official said. The fire broke out early in the morning in New Delhi’s Kirari area. Its cause was not immediately known, an official with the Delhi Fire Service said. It took about …
Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets Sunday ahead of a midnight deadline to name an interim prime minister. Anti-government rallies have rocked Baghdad and the Shi’ite-majority South since October, protesting against corruption, poor services, and a lack of jobs. Protesters have called for an end to the political system …
Among the protesters rallying in India against a controversial new citizenship law that critics call anti-Muslim are thousands of female students and conservative Muslim women who seldom appear in public places. The law has excluded Muslims from six religious groups who will get expedited citizenship if they fled persecution in …
Boeing Co’s Starliner astronaut spacecraft landed in the New Mexico desert on Sunday, the company said, after faulty software forced officials to cut short an unmanned mission aimed at taking it to the International Space Station. The landing at 7:58 a.m. ET (1258 GMT) in the White Sands desert capped …
Travelers across France scrambled Saturday to begin their Christmas getaways as a strike over a pension overhaul showed no signs of letting up. Trains were canceled, roads were packed and nerves were tested, but hopes of a holiday truce were dashed after talks between the government and union leaders this week failed to ease …
The United States will continue to pursue diplomatic negotiations with North Korea while pressing Pyongyang to improve its human rights practice, a State Department official said this week. Robert Destro, U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor affairs, told VOA in an interview Thursday that …
President Donald Trump on Saturday said the United States and China would “very shortly” sign their so-called Phase One trade pact. “We just achieved a breakthrough on the trade deal and we will be signing it very shortly,” Trump said at a Turning Point USA event in Florida. The Phase One deal …
North Korea Saturday lashed out at the U.S. State Department’s recent criticism of its human rights record, warning Washington would “pay dearly” for what it called “reckless” remarks. North Korea’s Foreign Affairs Ministry specifically took issue with a recent VOA interview of a senior State Department official who said the …
A catastrophic fire warning has been issued for parts of New South Wales in eastern Australia, including Sydney. Emergency crews are also battling serious blazes in the states of Victoria and South Australia. New South Wales has seen the largest ever deployment of its emergency services. About 100 fires are …