Month: July 2021

Raul Castro was among thousands who attended a government-organized rally in Havana on Saturday to denounce the U.S. trade embargo and reaffirm their support for Cuba's revolution, a week after unprecedented protests rocked the communist-run country. Government supporters gathered on the city's seafront boulevard before…

Temple elephants in southern India's Kerala state began their monthlong wellness camp at Vadakkunnathan temple, Saturday, July 17.  Eating fruits, rice sweet balls, and other items, the elephants were seen happily interacting with people.  The elephants are ritualistically relieved from daily chores for a monthlong restorative treatment…

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Forces in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region have released about 1,000 government soldiers captured during recent fighting, the head of its ruling party said, as both sides prepared for a showdown over contested land in the west of the region. Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the Tigray…

Issues in the News moderator Kim Lewis talks with VOA Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson and correspondent for Marketplace Kimberly Adams about the ongoing battle between Democrats and Republicans over voting rights legislation, what's next after Senate Democrats agree to a $3.5 trillion human infrastructure package,…

Rescue workers searched flood-ravaged parts of western Germany for survivors on Saturday as water levels remained high in many towns and houses continued to collapse in the country's worst natural disaster in half a century. At least 133 people have died in the flooding, including…

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Pope Francis cracked down Friday on the spread of the old Latin Mass, reversing one of Pope Benedict XVI’s signature decisions in a major challenge to traditionalist Catholics who immediately decried it as an attack on them and the ancient liturgy. Francis reimposed restrictions on…

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A federal judge in Texas on Friday ordered an end to an Obama-era program that prevented the deportations of some immigrants brought into the United States as children. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled in favor of Texas and eight other conservative states that had…

Professor William LeoGrande, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs in the Department of Government at the American University, and Professor of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University, Eduardo Gamarra, analyze with host Carol Castiel the roots and ramifications of twin crises in the…

At least seven Colombian nationals who were arrested by Haitian authorities in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise received U.S. military or police training. A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation, told VOA Friday…

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan defended Friday his government’s efforts to promote a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, rebutting allegations that Islamabad was backing the Taliban’s violent insurgency to fuel hostilities in the neighboring country. Khan spoke at an international regional connectivity conference…

Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was scheduled to arrive Friday in Haiti after spending nearly a month in Cuba for medical treatment, an associate of his told The Associated Press. Joel Edouard "Pacha" Vorbe, an executive committee member of Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas party, said Aristide…

The World Meteorological Organization is calling for action to halt climate change as extreme weather becomes the norm rather than the exception.  Heavy rainfall this week has triggered devastating floods across western Europe, killing and injuring scores of people, destroying homes and livelihoods.  At the…

Australian cybersecurity experts are calling for more aggressive government action to protect businesses from ransomware attacks. Experts have warned a "tsunami of cybercrime" has cost the global economy about $743 billion. Big companies can be attractive targets for cybercriminals who can extort millions of dollars…

Iran appears to be intensifying its effort to exploit U.S. and Western targets in cyberspace, running a campaign aimed at manipulating American military personnel and defense companies on social media. Tehran's latest campaign, orchestrated on Facebook by a group known as Tortoiseshell, used a series…

A Chinese gene company is collecting genetic data through prenatal tests from women in more than 50 countries for research on the traits of populations, raising concern that such a large DNA database could give China a technological advantage and the strategic edge to dominate…