Author: Techman

Italy has agreed to allow rescue ship Ocean Viking to disembark 82 migrants in the southern port of Lampedusa, the SOS Mediterranee charity which runs the vessel said Saturday. "The Ocean Viking just received instructions from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of Rome to proceed…

The International Organization for Migration reports it has repatriated 127 African and Asian migrants stranded in Libya under difficult, brutal conditions. Tripoli’s Mitiga International airport was shut down last Sunday after being hit by missiles. For safety reasons, IOM’s chartered plane with 127 migrants aboard…

The leaders of South Sudan and Sudan have agreed to reopen border areas between their countries in a bid to boost trade and the free movement of people. The agreement between new Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, reached late…

The Ukrainian president's envoy for peace talks with Russia-backed separatists expressed concern Friday that the leaders of France and Germany will push Ukraine to make unacceptable concessions to Russia. Ukraine and Russia have been locked in a bitter standoff since 2014, when Russia annexed the…

Renan Toussaint in Port au Prince, Jean Robert Philippe and Jacquelin Belizaire in Washington contributed to this report WASHINGTON / PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - Haitian Senator Willot Joseph, a member of the ruling PHTK party (Pati Ayisyen Tet Kale), admitted Friday that he accepted a $100,000…

A tropical cyclone was forecast to move across the northwestern Bahamas in the coming days, potentially bringing more rain and wind to islands already devastated by Hurricane Dorian, the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned on Thursday.  The Miami-based hurricane center issued a tropical storm warning for islands including hurricane-hit Abacos and…

U.S. President Donald Trump has arrived in Baltimore, the eastern U.S., majority-black city he recently called a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess'' where "no human being would want to live.'' Trump was there Thursday to address Republican congressional leaders attending an annual retreat. Before…

With a go-ahead from the Supreme Court, the Trump administration Thursday began enforcing a new rule denying asylum to most migrants arriving at the southern border — a move that spread despair among those fleeing poverty and violence in their homelands.     A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland…

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is planning to vote Thursday on a resolution to determine certain parameters for conducting an impeachment probe of President Donald Trump. The procedural vote would allow the committee’s chairman to designate certain meetings as having the purpose of examining information…

This article originated in VOA’s Persian Service. Iran says it has sold oil on a tanker near Syria’s coast to a private company in defiance of U.S. efforts to stop such a sale, fueling debate among observers about whether the ship has offloaded any crude.…

Some Rwandans who used to be wildlife poachers have turned into conservationists. For VOA, reporter Eugene Uwimana has more from the Gorilla Guardians Village, located near Volcanoes National Park in Northern Rwanda   ...

After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush encouraged a reeling nation to light candles in honor of the victims. Elaine Greene and two friends joined the hordes in a candlelight vigil, but not before she stopped to grab an old…

Facing growing competition from less expensive smartphone providers, Apple introduced its new versions of its iconic iPhone Tuesday at its annual product launch event in California.  Along with their latest upgrades and new offerings, Apple also caught the attention of both consumers and critics for…

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shuffled his Cabinet on Wednesday, adding two women and the son of a former leader to freshen his image but maintaining continuity on U.S.-oriented trade and security policies. Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japan's postwar history, kept key positions…

Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma, who helped launch China's online retailing boom, stepped down as chairman of the world's biggest e-commerce company Tuesday at a time when its fast-changing industry faces uncertainty amid a U.S.-Chinese tariff war. Ma, one of China's wealthiest and best-known entrepreneurs,…

The prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia Saturday has prompted hopes that Moscow and Kyiv are ready for serious talks to end a more than five-year war in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine — a Moscow-fomented conflict that’s claimed more than 13,000 lives. As…

A lawyer for Michael Flynn accused federal prosecutors of misconduct on Tuesday as a judge set a December sentencing hearing for President Donald Trump's former national security adviser.   The arguments from Flynn attorney Sidney Powell were the latest in a series of aggressive attacks…

New satellite images published Monday by the European Space Agency show an increase in air pollution in the Brazilian Amazon while fires burned in the region last month. Several maps showed more carbon monoxide and other pollutants in August than in the previous month, when…

Barcelona could cut deaths from air pollution and improve quality of life by implementing in full a plan to calm traffic and free up space for residents, researchers said Monday. The compact Spanish city is home to more than 1.6 million people and is plagued…

The American Medical Association on Monday urged Americans to stop using electronic cigarettes of any sort until scientists have a better handle on the cause of 450 lung illnesses and at least five deaths related to the use of the products. The AMA, one of…

Officials in northern Burkina Faso say at least 29 people were killed in two separate incidents Sunday.  Government spokesman Remis Dandjinou said, in a statement, at least 15 people were killed when a truck carrying people and goods "rode over an improvised explosive device in…

Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China and any form of  secessionism "will be crushed,” state media said on Monday, a day after demonstrators rallied at the U.S. consulate to ask for help in bringing democracy to city. The China Daily newspaper said Sunday's…

Nissan Motor Co's nominating committee will discuss Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa's resignation and possible successors at a meeting on Monday, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Saikawa has expressed his desire to resign from the troubled automaker and is not "clinging to his…

Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday replaced the energy minister with one of his sons, state media said, in a major shakeup as the OPEC kingpin reels from low oil prices. The appointment of Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, half-brother to de facto ruler Crown Prince…

Top oil producers will consider fresh output cuts at a meeting this week, but analysts are doubtful they will succeed in bolstering crude prices dented by the U.S.-China trade war. The OPEC petroleum exporters' cartel and key non-OPEC members want to halt a slide in…

Turkish and U.S. troops conducted their first joint ground patrol in northeastern Syria Sunday as part of a planned so-called "safe zone" that Ankara has been pressing for in the volatile region. Turkey hopes the buffer zone, which it says should be at least 30…

This story originated in VOA's Ukrainian service. Some information is from Reuters and RFE. VOA Ukrainian's Tatiana Vorozhko contributed reporting.  WASHINGTON - Ukrainian security officials have a launched an investigation into "subversive" activities by one of the Eastern European country's defense contractors over plans to supply military hardware…

Bidi Bidi refugee camp is home to nearly a quarter-million South Sudanese who fled the violence of civil war in their home country. Its progressive policies allow refugees to live, farm and work together while they wait to return to their home country. But, as…