U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is heading to Southeast Asia to unify allies concerned by China’s growing military abilities as the global coronavirus pandemic continues to cripple the region.…
more ...US Infrastructure Proposal May Move Forward Despite Senate Stall
Issues in the News moderator Kim Lewis talks with VOA senior diplomatic correspondent, Cindy Saine, and senior reporter for Marketplace, Nancy Marshall-Genzer, about growing congressional challenges on infrastructure, police reform,…
more ...UN Experts: Africa Became Hardest Hit by Terrorism This Year
Africa became the region hardest hit by terrorism in the first half of 2021 as the Islamic State and al-Qaida extremist groups and their affiliates spread their influence, boasting gains…
more ...Algerian Judoka Refuses Potential Olympic Bout with Israeli
An Algerian judo athlete will be sent home from the Tokyo Olympics after he withdrew from the competition to avoid potentially facing an Israeli opponent. Fethi Nourine and his coach,…
more ...South Africa Turmoil
On this edition of Encounter, Ambassador Michelle Gavin, senior fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and former Ambassador to Botswana, and Frans Cronje, CEO of the…
more ...Funeral for Haiti’s Assassinated President Disrupted by Protests, Gunfire
The funeral of Haiti’s assassinated president, Jovenel Moise, was disrupted Friday by tear gas used on nearby protesters as well as sounds of gunfire, prompting U.S. officials to leave before…
more ...China’s Xi Visits Tibet Amid Rising Controls Over Religion
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made a rare visit to Tibet as authorities tighten controls over the Himalayan region’s traditional Buddhist culture, accompanied by an accelerated drive for economic development…
more ...To Reach Peace Deal, Taliban Say Afghan President Must Go
The Taliban say they don’t want to monopolize power, but they insist there won’t be peace in Afghanistan until there is a new negotiated government in Kabul and President Ashraf…
more ...Myanmar Military Accused of Arresting Doctors While COVID Infections Rise
Angered by doctors’ support for anti-junta protests, Myanmar’s military has arrested several doctors treating COVID-19 patients independently, colleagues and media said, as the health system struggles to cope with a…
more ...US Training of Foreign Militaries to Continue Despite Haiti Assassination
The United States will not reconsider the type of training it provides to foreign military members despite finding that seven of the 25 individuals arrested in the assassination of Haiti’s…
more ...Bezos, Mars Rover, Wildfires Headline Week in Space
Space tourism notches another win after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos follows fellow billionaire Richard Branson in rocketing to weightlessness. Plus, the hunt for ancient life on Mars is about to…
more ...Reviving ‘Conscious’ Hip-Hop in Indian-administered Kashmir
Koshur Nizam — a hip-hop collective — is reviving “Conscious” hip-hop music in Indian-administered Kashmir. The genre made its way in the disputed territory following an anti-Indian government uprising in…
more ...US Jobless Benefit Claims Increase
Claims for jobless benefits jumped in the U.S. last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, as the world’s biggest economy remains on an uneven recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. A…
more ...Several Suspects in Custody in Plot to Assassinate Madagascar’s President
Authorities in Madagascar have arrested several people they believe were part of a plot to kill President Andry Rajoelina. The attorney general’s office issued a statement Thursday saying the suspects…
more ...Why COVID-19 Is Rising Around Asia This Year After a Mild 2020
Asian countries are reporting record COVID-19 waves this year compared to 2020, as vaccination drives fall short and governments lose hope that mass closures and border controls can keep the…
more ...China ‘Shocked’ by WHO Plan for COVID Origins Study
A senior Chinese health official said Thursday he was shocked by the World Health Organization’s plan for the second phase of a COVID-19 origins study. National Health Commission Vice Minister…
more ...California Utility to Bury 16,000 Kilometers of Power Lines to Prevent Wildfires
California power company Pacific Gas and Electric, whose equipment has caused multiple destructive wildfires over several years, said Wednesday that it would bury 16,000 kilometers of power lines in high-risk…
more ...Hong Kong Police Arrest Another Apple Daily Editor Under Security Law
A former senior editor of Hong Kong’s shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was arrested by national security police on Wednesday morning. A police source told AFP that former executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung had…
more ...Billionaire Bezos Makes Successful Suborbital Trip
Space company Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos rocketed to space Tuesday, with the world’s oldest and youngest people to ever fly in space in tow. Bezos’ flight follows last week’s…
more ...Off-Duty DEA Agent Arrested on Capitol Riot Charges
An off-duty Drug Enforcement Administration agent posed for photographs in which he flashed his DEA badge and firearm outside the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 riot, according to a…
more ...Iraqi PM Fires Security Officials Over IS-Claimed Bombing
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Khadhimi has fired security officials after 34 people were killed and over 50 others wounded, according to Iraqi media, in an explosion Monday night. The Islamic…
more ...Ethiopian Police Reject Claims of Arbitrary Tigrayan Arrests
Ethiopian police have confirmed the arrest of hundreds of ethnic Tigrayans in the capital Addis Ababa in recent weeks. The police said they were supporting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front…
more ...2020 US Political Polls Were Least Accurate in Decades, Analysis Finds
Nearly nine months after last year’s U.S. presidential election, there’s one more loser – political polls – with a new analysis showing the 2020 surveys in advance of the November…
more ...England Lifts COVID Restrictions
Monday is Freedom Day in England. The day has received the moniker because all social restrictions, like mask wearing and maintaining social distancing, that have been imposed to fight against COVID-19 have been lifted. The reversal of the restrictions happens…
more ...Japan-South Korea Summit in Doubt after Japanese Diplomat’s Remarks
A potential summit between Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and South Korean President Moon Jae-in later this week in Tokyo has been thrown into doubt after a Japanese diplomat made inappropriate comments…
more ...Hundreds of Jews Visit Contested Holy Site in Jerusalem
Hundreds of Jewish pilgrims visited a contested Jerusalem holy site under heavy police guard on Sunday, shortly after Muslim worshippers briefly clashed with Israeli security forces at the flashpoint shrine.…
more ...
