Year: 2019

East Timor is marking the 20th anniversary of a referendum that ended 24 years of Indonesian occupation and delivered independence, but that also sparked a bloody rampage by pro-Jakarta militias who killed 1,500 people and pushed another half-a-million out of their homes. The capital has…

Peru plans to beef up security at its border with Ecuador to prevent illegal immigration, after stricter entry requirements for Venezuelans led to a 90% drop in legal crossings, a government official said on Monday. More than 850,000 Venezuelans have fled their homeland for Peru…

Libya's airport authorities say they have closed the only functional airport in the capital, Tripoli, a day after it was hit by shelling amid clashes between rival armed groups fighting for control of the city. Nasr al-Din Shaab el-Ain, the head of Tripoli's civil aviation…

Tunisia's 26 presidential candidates have launched their campaigns in a political climate marked by uncertainty, money laundering allegations and worries about violent extremism. There is no clear front-runner as campaigning began Monday for the Sept. 15 first-round vote to replace Tunisia's first democratically elected president,…

Iran is for the first time acknowledging that a rocket explosion took place at its Imam Khomeini Space Center, with an official saying a technical malfunction caused the blast.   Government spokesman Ali Rabiei made the statement on Monday in comments broadcast by Iranian state…

Hurricane Dorian, a powerful category 5 Atlantic storm, is battering the northern Bahamas and headed toward the southeastern U.S. state of Florida. VOA's Mike O’Sullivan reports, a key emergency official expects the storm to weaken before affecting the U.S. coastline but says disruptions from wind,…

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the United States will continue to support Ukraine in the country's conflict with Russia and its right to full territorial integrity. Washington "stands with the people of Ukraine and most especially since 2014, we have stood strongly for the…

Hurricane Dorian, a dangerous Category 5 storm, made landfall in the northwestern Bahamas Sunday, slamming the island with 295 kilometer an hour winds. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Dorian is the strongest hurricane in modern history to hit the area and warned "catastrophic conditions"…

A list of some of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States in the last two years:    — Aug. 31, 2019: Five people were killed in West Texas in shootings in the area of Midland and Odessa.    — Aug. 4, 2019: A…

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U.S. President Donald Trump’s next round of tariffs on Chinese imports is scheduled to take effect Sunday, escalating the trade war between the world’s two largest economies with a big hit to consumer goods. Trump has targeted about $300 billion in annual goods imports from…

While most migrants who arrive at America's southern border are from the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, the U.S. Border Patrol in Texas' Del Rio Sector reports apprehending people from more than 50 countries in the last year. VOA's Ramon Taylor…

In Russia, countrywide celebrations have been held to mark the 350th anniversary of the national flag. Yet, only 50 percent of respondents polled in a recent survey could correctly name the sequence of the colors on the flag. Russia recently saw a surge of patriotic…

Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg took her Friday school strikes to the gates of the United Nations, surrounded by hundreds of other young activists, calling on adults to take action on climate change. Thunberg will speak at a climate change summit of world leaders next month…

This week, on #VOAOurVoices: from afro beats and South Africa’s hypnotic gqom music, to the Ivorian sounds of Coupé-Decalé, African artists continue to reinvent the rhythms of Africa – and the world is taking note. This week, our hosts are joined by David Vandy, from…

The first legal challenge to prevent British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from suspending Parliament has been delayed in a Scottish court. The Court of Session in Edinburgh refused Friday to take immediate legal action to prevent Johnson from suspending Parliament for several weeks during part…

Police in Hong Kong have arrested three prominent pro-democracy activists, ahead of a major protest that had been planned for Saturday. The march had already been called off by organizers after an appeals board denied permission. Joshua Wong, founder of political party Demosisto, was arrested…

A large scientific study into the biological basis of sexual behavior has confirmed there is no single "gay gene" but that a complex mix of genetics and environment affects whether a person has same-sex sexual partners.  The research, which analyzed data on DNA and sexual experiences from almost half a…

The U.S. Special Representative to Venezuela Elliot Abrams told reporters at the State Department that America is "ready for change in Venezuela," and that embattled President Nicolas Maduro leaving power is a critical part of the country being able to move forward toward free elections…

U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser visited Belarus Thursday, receiving an enthusiastic welcome from its autocratic leader who has faced Western criticism over the nation’s democratic record. John Bolton met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the nation of 10 million with…

Democratic U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Chris Van Hollen last week endorsed taking action to head off a possible Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lauded an innovative Ugandan approach to resettling war refugees, and called for greater political openness in Uganda. The senators…

CNN has apologized for a misleading headline that appeared on its website during its coverage Sunday of the Hong Kong riots. At one point, a headline reading “Police Use Petrol Bombs and Water Cannons Against Hong Kong Protesters” flashed on the screen. According to Hong…

Teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg arrived in New York on Wednesday after crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a zero-emissions sailboat to attend a conference on global warming.    The 16-year-old Swede set sail from Plymouth, England, on Aug. 14. At 4 a.m., she tweeted: Land!! The lights of Long Island and…

As the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s new president unveils his coalition government, opposition members are complaining about being left out.  On Monday, President Felix Tshisekedi announced his cabinet, seven months after winning a contested election that landed him in the country’s highest office. The…

Exasperated with the government's unflinching attitude to escalating civil unrest, Jason Tse quit his job in Australia and jumped on a plane to join what he believes is a do-or-die fight for Hong Kong's future. The Chinese territory is grappling with its biggest crisis since…

Water scarcity is one factor driving millions of people from their homes each year but is often not the only reason why they move, researchers told an international conference on Tuesday. In most cases, other economic and social problems like conflict, corruption or a lack…

More than a thousand students have rallied in the capital of Pakistan-held Kashmir to denounce India's downgrading of the special status of the portion of the disputed region it controls. The demonstrators chanted ``We want freedom'' and denounced human rights violations in Indian-administrated Kashmir. Tuesday's…

Syrian insurgents launched counterattacks Tuesday in and near areas recently taken by government forces in the country’s last remaining rebel region, after a series of setbacks they suffered in recent weeks, opposition activists said. The fierce fighting killed more than 50 fighters on both sides,…