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 …
As Rudy Giuliani was pushing Ukrainian officials last spring to investigate one of Donald Trump’s main political rivals, a group of individuals with ties to the president and his personal lawyer were also active in the former Soviet republic. Their aims were profit, not politics. This circle of businessmen and …
A series of memes that have gone viral in Bolivia show President Evo Morales combating raging forest fires with a toy water gun or a flame-thrower, while others superimpose his image on the original cast of the “Ghostbusters” film. Many young Bolivians have used the memes to poke fun at …
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in central Kyiv on Sunday to protest broader autonomy for separatist territories, part of a plan to end a war with Russian-backed fighters. Protesters chanted “No to surrender!”, with some holding placards critical of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the crowd, which police said had swelled to …
Rights groups and opposition parties in Thailand are warning that a new center authorities plan to open by next month to combat the spread of fake news online may be misused to target and silence government critics. Thailand emerged from five years of military rule after tainted elections in March …
Pope Francis urged bishops on Sunday to boldly shake up the status quo as they chart ways to better care for the Amazon and its indigenous people amid threats from forest fires, development and what he called ideological “ashes of fear.” Francis opened a three-week meeting on preserving the …
Thousands marched in Edinburgh Saturday calling for Scottish independence, with a possible British exit from the European Union just weeks away and calls growing for a fresh vote in Scotland on breaking from Britain. The demonstrators, many carrying Scottish flags, some wearing kilts and a few playing musical instruments – …
The International Organization for Migration has helped 143 Somali refugees, stranded in war-torn Yemen, return home earlier this week. The group of Somali refugees, including 56 children, set off by boat from the port of Aden on Monday and arrived at the port of Berbera in Somaliland the following …
Iraqi officials say one person was killed in Baghdad as police fired on anti-government protesters Saturday, the first day of demonstrations since a two-day curfew was lifted. Demonstrators began taking to the streets last Tuesday to protest unemployment, poor public services and corruption. Saturday’s protests came one day after …
Yves Manuel in Port-au-Prince, Monica Lindor in Jacmel, Socrate Ameyes Jean Pierre in Miragoane, Charles Makenson in Jeremie, Innocente Desgranges in Petit Goave, Lucson Palmeus in Port-de-Paix and Junior Racine in St. Marc contributed to this report WASHINGTON / PORT-AU-PRINCE – Thousands filled the streets of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, as …
The former owner of a California wine business has been sentenced to five months in prison for his role in the college admissions scheme. Fifty-three-year-old Agustin Huneeus, of San Francisco, was sentenced in Boston’s federal court Friday after pleading guilty to a single count of fraud and conspiracy. Authorities say …
A group that opposes affirmative action is appealing a federal judge’s ruling that Harvard University does not discriminate against Asian American applicants. Students for Fair Admissions filed a notice Friday with the 1st U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston. The group says it will appeal all the way to the …
A high-tech hotel in Japan is science fiction come to life, with virtual ninjas staffing the front desk, facial recognition software that detects customers’ moods, and dinosaur footprints leading to the elevator. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi takes us back to the future. …
A University of Georgia researcher reported that about 90 percent of all the plastic ever produced is still around, most of it is in the ocean or the world’s landfills. Its effects on the environment and our health are still being studied. To combat this rising tide of garbage, many …
A full 8 hours of sleep just isn’t in the cards for some people. But what about a quick nap? New research suggests short naps can lower a person’s risk for cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes by as much as 48 percent. Karina Bafradzhian visited a new shop …