Hundreds of Guatemalan soldiers were deployed on Monday to an area near the border with Honduras and Mexico, home to long-standing social conflicts, in a bid to improve security after three soldiers were gunned down by suspected drug runners. Defense Minister Luis Miguel Ralda told reporters that 2,000 soldiers had …
Coast Guard rescuers pulled four trapped men alive from a capsized cargo ship Monday, drilling into the hull’s steel plates to extract the crew members more than a day after their vessel overturned while leaving a Georgia port. All four were described as alert and in relatively good condition and …
President Donald Trump’s rally in North Carolina will serve as a measure of his clout in trying to elect a Republican to the House in a closely watched special election that’s seen as a tossup race. It will be his first campaign rally since a tough end of summer that …
Pope Francis visited the Indian Ocean nation of Mauritius on Monday to celebrate its diversity, encourage a more ethical development and honor a 19th century French missionary who ministered to freed slaves. Thousands of Mauritians waved palm branches as Francis arrived in his popemobile to celebrate a Mass honoring the …
In a wide-ranging interview on the new global arms race, former US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he wished “diplomacy had been given a little more chance” before the US and Russia let the INF treaty to end. Panetta, who was also CIA Director and a Congressman from California, told …
Mark Sanford, the former South Carolina governor and congressman, joined the Republican race against President Donald Trump on Sunday, aiming to put his Appalachian trail travails behind him for good as he pursues an admittedly remote path to the presidency. “I am here to tell you now that I am …
Todd Phillips’ dark comic book film “Joker” won the Golden Lion Award at the 76th Venice International Film Festival on Saturday and cemented its place as a legitimate contender for the rest of the awards season. Jury president Lucretia Martel announced the winners of the prestigious award during a ceremony …
Sudan’s first Cabinet since the ouster of president Omar al-Bashir was sworn in Sunday as the African country transitions to a civilian rule following nationwide protests that overthrew the autocrat. The 18-member Cabinet led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, which includes four women, took oath at the presidential palace in …
China urged U.S.-led foreign troops Saturday to withdraw from Afghanistan in an “orderly and responsible” manner if a prospective peace deal is signed with the Islamist Taliban to end the 18-year war. U.S. negotiators are in the final stage of their yearlong bilateral dialogue with the insurgent group. The peace …
Former top officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are assailing the agency for undermining its weather forecasters as it defends President Donald Trump’s claim that Hurricane Dorian had threatened Alabama. They say NOAA’s action risks the credibility of the nation’s weather and science agency and may even …
Thousands of displaced people are living in “rapidly deteriorating” conditions in the worst-hit parts of the Bahamas six days after Hurricane Dorian made landfall, the U.N. World Food Program warned Saturday. The warning came as aid groups rushed emergency aid to the storm-ravaged islands and officials warned that an …
Anyone who has tried booking interesting and affordable accommodations in New York City knows how difficult it is. Renting a room for less than $30 a night sounds impossible. But it’s true, even if the accommodations are a bit… unconventional. Elena Wolf has the story narrated by Anna Rice. …
An Iraqi resort is welcoming visitors again after years of war, terrorism and chaos kept families away. Habbaniya Lake was once one of Iraq’s most popular tourist destinations. Now, managers say they plan to restore it in the next couple of years. VOA’s Jim Randle narrates our report. …
Hurricane Dorian has weakened as it hits the U.S. southeastern coast Friday, lashing North Carolina, southeast Virginia and parts of New England with torrential rain, flooding and strong winds. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump has created a potential firestorm of his own, by continuing to insist he was …
Officials said Friday Taliban militants conducted an overnight attack on the western Afghan city of Farah, the capital of Farah province. There was no immediate word about casualties among Afghan forces or the Taliban. On Thursday, the NATO-led military alliance said an American soldier and a Romanian soldier were killed …
WAGGA WAGGA, Australia — After the horrors of fleeing to Sinjar Mountain in northern Iraq to escape Islamic State fighters in 2014, several hundred Yazidi refugees are starting new lives in the Australian outback. Members of the minority religious group have been resettled in a handful of regional centers, like Wagga …
Maurice, a French rooster, now has a legal victory to crow about. A court in Rochefort in western France on Thursday rejected complaints by Maurice’s neighbors that he was a nuisance and made too much noise. The rooster’s owner, Corrine Fesseau, who lives in the village of Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, was …
The government on Thursday ordered Michigan State University to make sweeping changes and pay a $4.5 million fine after determining that it failed to adequately respond to sexual assault complaints against Larry Nassar, a former campus sports doctor who molested elite gymnasts and other female athletes. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos …
Zimbabwe’s government doctors are on strike, demanding a salary increase to cover the soaring cost of living. The strike began on Tuesday. The doctors, like many government workers, say inflation has made it impossible to meet basic needs. Columbus Mavhunga has the story for VOA from Harare. …
A peculiar form of body art is gaining popularity in New York city – It’s protest body art where people paint their bodies, not with pictures and innocent images, but slogans aimed at fighting divisiveness. Nina Vishneva has the story narrated by Anna Rice. …
The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Wednesday subpoenaed the Department of Homeland Security for documents that could shed light on President Donald Trump’s alleged offer of pardons to officials implementing U.S. immigration policy. The committee, which is considering whether to recommend impeachment against Trump, cited press reports that …
A number of technology companies including Facebook Inc., Alphabet’s Google, Microsoft Corp. and Twitter Inc. met with representatives of the U.S. government Wednesday to discuss security strategies related to the 2020 U.S. election, Facebook said in a statement. The security teams of the companies met with representatives from the Federal …
President Donald Trump isn’t giving up on the dubious idea that Alabama faced a serious threat from Hurricane Dorian. During an Oval Office briefing Wednesday, Trump displayed a map of the National Hurricane Center forecast for last Thursday that showed Dorian could track over Florida. The map he displayed …
The focus in the Bahamas is on rescue and recovery efforts Wednesday after the bulk of Hurricane Dorian finally moved north after flooding neighborhoods, ripping roofs off buildings and leaving thousands of people in need of aid. Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said there were seven confirmed deaths from the storm, …
Rescue workers said Tuesday they have recovered the bodies of 20 people killed in a middle-of-the-night fire aboard a dive boat off the coast of Southern California, while continuing to look for 14 more people feared dead. Divers, in water 20 meters deep, scoured the submerged remains of the 23-meter …
Russia’s natural resources and environment minister said on Wednesday he supported allowing private oil and gas companies to work on the Arctic shelf. Speaking to reporters at an economic forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, the minister, Dmitry Kobylkin, said he supported “any decision linked to an …