Russian Law Enforcement Examining Samples From Soyuz Spacecraft Hole
Russia’s Roskosmos space agency has turned over to law enforcement agents samples taken from a mysterious hole in a Soyuz capsule docked at the International Space Station (ISS). …
Russia Repeats Claim That Ukraine Is Preparing A ‘Provocation’
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said “it is quite possible” that Ukraine “might switch to full-scale combat actions within the next few days.” …
Sudanese Unions to Launch Strike to ‘Paralyze’ Government
A coalition of unions in Sudan says it plans to “paralyze” the government with the first of what it says will be indefinite strikes by professionals. Doctors and other hospital workers plan to stay off the job Monday and only deal with emergencies. The coalition urges all Sudanese to keep up their street protests against …
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Weightlifters from Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia Hit After Doping Tests
Five weightlifters from former Soviet states, including two former Olympic champions, have been provisionally suspended after retests of their samples from the 2012 London Olympics came back positive for doping, the sports’ governing body says. …
Russia’s Perm Krai, Solikamsk Mourn Loss Of Nine Miners Killed In Blaze
Russia’s Perm Krai and the city of Solikamsk are mourning the loss of nine construction workers who died after a potash mine owned by the Uralkali company burst into flames, trapping the men some 360 meters underground. …
US Treasury Chief Convenes Calls With Top US Bankers
The U.S. Treasury Secretary said on Sunday he had held a series of phone conversations with top American bankers in what appeared to be a bid to ease nerves in financial markets. U.S. stocks have plunged in recent weeks on concerns over slowing economic growth, with the S&P 500 index on pace for its biggest …
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No End in Sight for Partial US Government Shutdown
The U.S. government is partially closed until at least Thursday – and possibly for days or even weeks beyond. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports, President Donald Trump last week rejected a stopgap spending bill that did not include funds for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. …
Turkey Boosts Military Presence In Syria As Erdogan, Trump Discuss U.S. Pullout
Turkey has begun bolstering its military presence on both sides of its border with Syria, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would withdraw all 2,000 U.S. troops currently based in Syria. …
Tsunami Strikes Indonesia’s Sunda Strait
A tsunami, likely caused by an erupting volcano, struck Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, Dec. 22, 2018, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds more. …
Christmas Lights Bring In Holiday Spirit
During the Christmas season, nights are bright across the United States, as families, businesses and churches put up outdoor light decorations — a simple string of white lights along a roof edge, to elaborate displays with moving figures and music. VOA’s Deborah Block shows us a few of the beautiful light displays in the Washington …
Maryland Junkyard Business Breathes New Life Into Old Cars
A father-son business in Damascus, Maryland, is achieving success by restoring old, rusty cars into magnificent-looking vehicles. This is thanks to the work and inspiration of Bobby and Andy Cohen, who are featured in a multiseason television show “Junkyard Empire.” Maxim Moskalkov filed this report for VOA. …
All Nine Bodies Recovered In Russian Mining Disaster
The bodies of all nine workers trapped by fire in a Russian potash mine have been recovered, regional officials say. …
Trump Defends Syria Pullout After U.S. Envoy’s Protest Resignation
U.S. President Donald Trump again defended his decision to withdraw troops from Syria, saying on Twitter that they were initially only going to be there for three months but have remained for years. …
Paddy Ashdown, Former Bosnia High Representative, Dead At 77
Paddy Ashdown, a former leader of Britain’s Liberal Democrats who served as the international high representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina from 2002 until 2006, has died at the age of 77. …
Military Might In Perspective
Few countries in the world have more than 10 active soldiers per 1,000 people, but some keep large reserve armies. …
Funding Shortage Threatens to Cut Off Vital Air Service in Central African Republic
The World Food Program warns a lack of money is threatening to ground the crucially important U.N. Humanitarian Air Service in Central African Republic early next year. More than half of Central African Republic’s population of five million depends upon international humanitarian assistance to survive. The U.N. Humanitarian Air Service or UNHAS transports the people …
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Iran Says U.S. Troops In Syria ‘Cause Of Instability’ From The Start
Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the presence of U.S. troops in Syria has been “illogical and a source of tension” from the very start, in its first official reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria. …
Legendary Kabardian Horses Galloping To Comeback
In danger of disappearing 30 years ago, the fabled Kabardian horses native to Russia’s North Caucasus region have made a comeback that extends to Western Europe. …
UN Cease-fire Monitors Arrive in Yemen
A United Nations monitoring team has arrived in Yemen to monitor the fragile cease-fire in the port city of Hodeida. The group, led by Patrick Cammaert, a retired Dutch general, meets with government officials Saturday in Aden. The team’s next stop is Sana, before traveling to the Red Sea port city of Hodeida. …
Syria, Mattis and Shutdown Spells Chaos in Washington
This past week has been one of the most chaotic of Donald Trump’s presidency. A battle over the president’s border wall, a key military decision on Syria and the unexpected resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis were all key moments in a week of turmoil that has become a hallmark of the Trump White House. …
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India’s Probe Agencies Empowered to Intercept Computer Data
An Indian government order authorizing some federal investigating agencies to intercept any information stored on computers has triggered a strong opposition protest in Parliament that described it as an assault on people’s right to privacy. The opposition parties are demanding an immediate withdrawal of the Home Ministry order. They fear it would give unlimited powers …
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Thousands in Sudan Demonstrate Over Deteriorating Economy
Hundreds of protesters in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, chanted slogans Friday against the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, including the popular Arab Spring slogan, “The people want to topple the regime.” It was the fourth day of protests over rising prices and political oppression. Social media reported protests Thursday in more than half a …
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Differences With Trump’s Views Prompted Mattis Departure
U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis Thursday announced he was quitting, personally handing his letter of resignation to U.S. President Donald Trump following a lunch meeting at the White House. While not mentioning Trump by name, the letter from Mattis outlined sharp differences between his views and those of the president, notably on the …
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Which Countries Have Troops In Afghanistan?
Around 7,000 U.S. troops might be withdrawn from Afghanistan. Here are the countries that also contribute to NATO’s Resolute Support Mission. …