Month: August 2019

The U.N. human rights office is condemning a crackdown Friday in Zimbabwe by riot police on peaceful protesters in the capital, Harare.  The agency is calling for an investigation into excessive use of force by security forces. U.N. Human Rights spokesman Rupert Colville says there…

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday the U.S.-Israel relationship can withstand the “weakness” of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who shook diplomatic norms this week in barring two members of Congress from visiting the country. Pelosi told The Associated Press that the…

The Los Angeles Opera declined Friday to release any details of its promised investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against opera legend Placido Domingo, the company’s longtime general director, including whether it has begun. Also Friday, the union that represents opera singers said it plans…

Thousands of travelers entering the United States experienced delays Friday because of a technology outage affecting Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) processing systems.  Reuters reported that in a tweet at 6:37 p.m. EDT, CBP said that the affected systems were “coming back online” and that travelers were being processed. The…

In Sudan, women are well-represented in the workforce. They are not lacking in any public spaces. And over the past few months, they have made up half, if not more, of the protest crowds making demands of their new transitional government. Women were an integral…

Scary folk tales and urban legends have always captivated people's imaginations, especially those of the young. Now, "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," a collection of short stories for children by author Alvin Schwartz and illustrator Stephen Gammell has been adapted by Oscar-winning producer…

Women were an integral part of protests that led to the ouster of Sudan's Omar al-Bashir and in demonstrations after his downfall. But many leaders now say they feel they have been locked out of political agreements and do not expect to be named to…

America's top representative in Taiwan said Thursday that Washington expects the island to continue increasing its defense spending as Chinese security threats to the U.S. ally continue to grow.   W. Brent Christensen said the U.S. had ``not only observed Taiwan's enthusiasm to pursue necessary…

VOA contributor Greta Van Susteren interviews US National Security Advisor John Bolton. ...

French President Emmanuel Macron is celebrating U.S. and African veterans as well as French resistance fighters who took part in crucial but often-overlooked World War II landings on the Riviera.   At a ceremony Thursday in the southern town of Saint-Raphael marking 75 years since…

The river that drains much of the flood-soaked United States is still running higher than normal, menacing New Orleans in multiple ways just as the hurricane season intensifies. For months now, a massive volume of water has been pushing against the levees keeping a city…

An Italian court has upheld an appeal by the Spanish rescue ship Open Arms, suspending the Italian Interior Ministry's decision to ban the ship from entering Italian waters. The rescue ship with 147 migrants onboard has been stuck in the Mediterranean for nearly two weeks…

Jim Warlick is the master of presidential memorabilia, trinkets and novelties. Owner of the souvenir store White House Gifts in Washington, D.C. Warlick's company describes its mission as offering a “nonpartisan tribute to Presidential history.” ...

Apple's AirPods, Apple Watch and HomePod, which have helped the company offset waning sales of its bestselling iPhone this year, are not included in a temporary reprieve on tariffs by the Trump administration and will face a 10% levy on Sept 1. The administration said…

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross warned Tuesday that 70 years after countries adopted the Geneva Conventions to limit the barbarity of war, the terrible suffering in conflicts today shows they are not being respected. Peter Maurer told a U.N. Security…

The United Nations refugee agency urgently appealed to European governments Tuesday to let two migrant rescue ships disembark more than 500 passengers who remain stranded at sea as countries bicker over who should take responsibility for them.    The people rescued while attempting to cross…

Rarely has a candidate gone far in a US presidential race highlighting a singular issue, but Democrat Jay Inslee is aiming to buck that trend with his commitment to tackling climate change. Unless he does something to dramatically change his trajectory -- he has less…

Guatemala's incoming president Alejandro Giammattei has vowed to seek better terms for his country from an unpopular migration deal agreed with Washington last month, but any room for maneuver is seen as likely to be hampered by weakness in the national Congress. Preliminary results from…

Australia on Tuesday announced a Aus$500 million ($340 million) climate change package for Pacific island countries, which have been increasingly vocal in demanding their powerful neighbor curb its carbon emissions. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the funding, drawn from Australia's existing international aid budget, would…

Vast swathes of southeastern Myanmar lie under floodwaters that have already forced tens of thousands to flee their homes as the death toll from a massive landslide hit 59, firefighters said Monday. Seasonal monsoon rains batter the country every year, but the recent deluge has…

A Vietnamese military official advocates developing a more modern, better skilled navy that can hold off complex threats, mainly what experts believe to be increasing pressure from China. A rear admiral and political commissar in Hanoi told the official Viet Nam News August 6 that…

The lawyer of the man suspected of opening fire in a mosque in Norway says his client is not cooperating with investigators. "He is exercising his right not to be interrogated," the lawyer said Monday.  "He is not admitting any guilt." The suspected gunman, 21-year-old…

In 1988 - sensing a need -  religious leaders began delivering meals to people with HIV and AIDS who couldn't leave their homes. From that simple idea, the non-profit Food and Friends has grown into a Washington, D.C., institution, bringing thousands of meals a day…

The acting U.S. Homeland Security chief on Sunday defended raids last week on food processing plants in Mississippi searching for hundreds of undocumented migrants, but acknowledged "the timing was unfortunate," just days after a gunman targeted and killed 22 Hispanics in a mass shooting in…

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has protested Russian President Vladimir Putin's latest visit to Ukraine's Crimea region, calling a it a "gross violation" of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "Attempts by the Russian side and the mass media to describe such 'visits' as 'ordinary' domestic…

NEW DELHI — India's main opposition Congress party on Saturday appointed Sonia Gandhi to serve as interim president until it elects a new party chief.    The party accepted the resignation of her son Rahul Gandhi, who quit in July after Congress’ crushing defeat in…

EL PASO, TEXAS — More than 100 people marched through the Texas border city of El Paso on Saturday, denouncing racism and calling for stronger gun laws one week after 22 people were killed in a mass shooting that authorities say was carried out by a…

Written by Eugen Tomiuc with reporting by RFE/RL's Romanian Service, Hotnews.ro, G4media.ro, and Digi24.ro.  Romanians rallied in Bucharest and other cities across the country Saturday to mark the first anniversary of a massive anti-corruption protest that the government violently quelled.  The demonstrations came amid public outrage over the…