As a new virus spreads inside and outside of China, health officials are scrambling to contain it, but the virus is so new, not much is known about it. VOA’s Carol Pearson tells us what we do know about the coronavirus. …
Three people died Thursday when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in the Snowy Monaro region of Australia’s southern New South Wales state, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the deaths and crash in comments to reporters as Australia attempts to deal with …
The discredited practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ children is now banned in Utah, making it the 19th state and one of the most conservative to prohibit it. Supporters navigated a winding path to passage and some dissent remains, but barring it in Utah could give a boost to similar …
After the Afghan Taliban announced they will observe a seven- to 10-day cease-fire with U.S troops and commit to reduction in violence against Afghan security forces, Afghan officials call the Taliban offer “ambiguous,” and push for a complete cease-fire as a way forward for peace talks. Sediq Sediqqi, a …
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration is preparing to announce the addition of several countries to a travel ban that bars people from certain countries from entering the United States. “You see what’s going on in the world, our country has to be safe,” he told reporters in …
Security forces in Beirut’s capital fired water cannon and tear gas at angry protesters outside parliament Wednesday, where a new government was being formed. The demonstrators rallied near the parliament building in the early hours to protest the new government. They hurled stones, firecrackers and sticks at police and tried …
The impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump began in full Tuesday in the U.S. Senate, with the expectation of a spirited debate over the rules governing the third such trial in U.S. history over whether a president should be ousted from the White House for allegedly violating his oath …
Russian President Vladimir Putin formed his new Cabinet Tuesday, replacing many of its members but keeping his foreign, defense and finance ministers in place. The Cabinet shake-up comes as Putin has launched a sweeping constitutional reform that is widely seen as an attempt to secure his grip on power well …
An American freelance journalist who was detained in Lebanon on suspicion of broadcasting live footage of protests to an Israeli news outlet has been released, the journalist said Tuesday. Nicholas Frakes, 24, told The Associated Press he was released from nearly two days in detention after an official Lebanese investigation …
Thousands of gun-rights activists, including armed militia members, rallied peacefully Monday in the capital of the southeastern U.S. state of Virginia in opposition to proposed gun control regulations. Despite fears the rally could turn violent, the protest ended without reports of incidents or arrests. Reporters at the rally say the …
With his impeachment trial in the Senate about to go into high gear, U.S. President Donald Trump is heading to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum. Trump departed on Air Force One on Monday, the third anniversary of his inauguration as the 45th U.S. president. In Davos …
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Untied States will start doing more to support Venezuela’s opposition leader and self-proclaimed president, Juan Guaido. Pompeo and Guaido met with reporters Monday on the sidelines of a regional counterterrorism meeting in Bogota, Colombia. Guaido, head of the National Assembly, declared himself Venezuelan …
The field for this year’s Super Bowl is set, with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers earning the right to play for the National Football League championship on Feb. 2 in Miami. The Chiefs defeated the Tennessee Titans 35-24 on Sunday to claim the American Football Conference crown and …
Las Vegas, Nevada is often called ‘Sin City.’ It’s known as a place where people behave in more self-indulgent or decadent ways, famously summed up in the saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” But some Afghan immigrants who lead quiet religious lives have a different view of this …
For the first time, most of the United States’ 2.1 million federal workers will be eligible to get twelve weeks of paid family leave following the birth or adoption of a child. The new benefit – under the annual National Defense Authorization Act – goes into effect on Oct. 1. …
Germany is bringing together the key players in Libya’s long-running civil war in a bid to curb foreign military meddling, solidify a cease-fire and help relaunch a political process to determine the North African nation’s future. Chancellor Angela Merkel invited leaders from 12 countries as well as the United Nations, …
Police fired tear gas on Sunday to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters who gathered in a central Hong Kong park, but later spilled onto the streets in violation of police orders. Out in numbers before the demonstration began, police intervened promptly when the rally turned into an impromptu march. Several …
Amid a spike in violent extremism around the world, a communications researcher is experimenting with a novel idea: whether people can be “inoculated” against hate with a little exposure to extremist propaganda, in the same manner vaccines enable human bodies to fight disease. The idea is based on something called …
Cameroon teachers are protesting what they say is growing violence against them by both students and their parents, and the teachers are urging the government to protect them and reinstate corporal punishment. The teachers say the absence of corporal punishment is encouraging abuse of teachers. This week, several attacks on …
The World Food Program is appealing for $62 million to provide life-saving food assistance over the next six months to 700,000 people suffering from severe hunger in the Caribbean island of Haiti. Millions of Haitians still lack proper shelter, food and other basic necessities 10 years after a devastating earthquake …
The United Nations envoy to Libya said on Saturday he hoped but “could not predict” whether eastern oil ports shut ahead of a pending Berlin summit aimed at reaching a truce in Libya would be reopened soon. Ghassan Salame said the Berlin summit scheduled for Sunday would likely discuss the …
A jury of seven men and five women was selected Friday for Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial after an arduous two-week process, setting the stage for testimony to begin in the next week. The final tally mostly erased a gender imbalance that, just hours earlier, led to complaints by prosecutors that …
For just the third time in U.S. history, senators will sit in judgment of a U.S. president and decide if there is enough evidence to remove him from office. Members of Congress are held to account for their decisions by a free press asking tough questions about their actions. But …
More than 3,500 Central Americans had poured into Guatemala by Friday in U.S.-bound gatherings known as caravans, officials said, posing a headache for the leaders of Guatemala and Mexico amid fierce U.S. pressure to curb migration. President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged the region to prevent such groups of migrants …
The U.S. military says 11 service members are in hospitals after displaying concussion symptoms, following Iran’s attack last week on Iraqi bases where U.S. troops were stationed. Iran’s ballistic missile attack on two Iraqi bases was launched in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike that killed Iran’s top general Qassem …
Iranian state TV has broadcast what appears to be a prank call to a U.S. television network to try to support false Iranian claims of heavy U.S. casualties in an Iranian missile attack on an Iraqi base last week. Several Iranian diaspora journalists tweeted a video clip of Thursday’s …