Month: June 2017

The topic of this week’s Majlis podcast was the Central Asians who made their way to Syria and Iraq to join with militant groups fighting in those two countries. …

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday that it’s “great to have a president who is more concerned with Des Moines than Denmark,” after rolling up to a political fundraiser on a motorcycle. Pence was in Iowa Saturday at a fundraiser for Senator Joni Ernst dubbed “Roast and Ride,” a barbecue to honor U.S. veterans. …

Read more “Pence Praises Trump as ‘More Concerned with Des Moines Than Denmark’”

Rights activists in Hong Kong are set to commemorate the anniversary of China’s Tiananmen Square protests, once again calling on China to revise its official explanation of the event. Sunday marks 28 years since Chinese tanks rolled into crowds of demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, opening fire and killing hundreds of pro-democracy activists. Some estimates put …

Read more “Remembering Tiananmen Square, 28 Years Later “

Reuters news agency is reporting that dozens of civilians have been killed in the past two days while fleeing a Mosul neighborhood held by the Islamic State (IS) militant group. …

SpaceX launched its first recycled cargo ship to the International Space Station on Saturday, another milestone in its bid to drive down flight costs. After a two-day delay caused by thunderstorms, the unmanned Falcon rocket blasted off carrying a Dragon capsule that made a station delivery nearly three years ago. When this refurbished Dragon reaches …

Read more “SpaceX Launches First Recycled Supply Ship”

British police say they have responded to at least one “terrorist” incident in London, with witnesses saying several pedestrians had been struck down by a car on London Bridge and several other people had been stabbed near the site. …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that he once raised the possibility of Russia joining NATO with then-President Bill Clinton, and that Clinton said he had “no objection.” …

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis applauded China’s efforts to work with the international community on North Korea at an annual security forum in Singapore Saturday. But when it came to the South China Sea, he called China’s ongoing militarization of man-made islands there and its disregard for international order, unacceptable. “We cannot accept Chinese …

Read more “Mattis Says China’s Militarization of Man-Made Islands Unacceptable”

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is under way, and many believers are carrying out one of the five pillars of Islam with fasting and reflection. VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports on various local traditions among Muslims around the world and how they observe the breaking of each day’s fast. …

Questions about the U.S. commitment to the Asian region will be a key focus as Secretary of Defense James Mattis attends the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this weekend. In recent years, the annual meeting has been an opportunity for countries in the region to voice frustrations and concern about China. This year, analysts say, Washington …

Read more “US Security Policy in Spotlight at Annual Asia Defense Summit”

Fears for Western hostages being held by the Taliban arose on June 2 after the Taliban threatened retaliation if the Afghan government executes Taliban prisoners in revenge for this week’s devastating truck bombing in Kabul. …

While many world leaders on June 2 said they fear a bleaker future following the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 Paris climate change agreement, Russian President Vladimir Putin was more upbeat about it. …

Media reported on June 2 that Montenegro has barred 149 Russians and Ukrainians from entering the country in response to recent bans Moscow placed on Montenegrins traveling to Russia. …

Kathy Griffin and her attorney have scheduled a news conference for Friday morning to discuss the fallout from the comedian posing with a likeness of President Donald Trump’s severed head.   Attorney Lisa Bloom says Griffin will discuss the photo and video she and celebrity photographer Tyler Shields posted on Tuesday. The images prompted CNN …

Read more “Kathy Griffin, Lawyer to Discuss Trump Photo Fallout”

President Vladimir Putin has urged U.S. businessmen to use their influence to help normalize Russia-U.S. relations.   Speaking at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Putin said relations between Moscow and Washington are now at their lowest point since Cold War times.   During a panel meeting, Putin called on the U.S. participants of the …

Read more “Putin Urges US Business to Help Normalize Russia-US Ties”

The price of oil has fallen sharply as investors bet that President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement will increase the country’s oil and gas production. The cost of a barrel of crude slumped 2.4 percent, or $1.18, to $47.18 in electronic trading in New York on …

Read more “Investors Bet Trump Climate Withdrawal to Boost US Drilling”

The heated debate over India’s cash ban continues, with critics saying it slowed an economy that was growing, while the government says economic momentum was barely affected. Critics say the scrapping of 86 percent of the country’s currency last November cost India its status as the world’s fastest growing economy.   According to data released …

Read more “Has India’s Currency Ban Stopped Its Economic Momentum?”