worldwide news
German band Joasihno strikes a chord in a unique way as it takes its show on the road. Currently touring in Canada, the two-man band works in concert with a “robotic” element that can play several instruments at the same time. “Actually we call it psychedelic robot orchestra,” said Cico Beck, one of the creators …
Read more “German Band Works in Concert With "Robotic" Instruments to Create Music Mix”
Turkish-backed forces in Syria have taken full control of the Afrin enclave that has been held by Syrian Kurds. Turkish soldiers and local militias entered the center of Afrin Sunday after a two-month offensive. Kurds protest the offensive calling it ethnic cleansing and vow to continue the fight to keep their ancestral lands in Syria. …
President Donald Trump referred to MS-13 in his State of the Union address as “the most violent and murderous gang in the US.” He claims the gang’s violent activities are a consequence of a broken US immigration system. But who and what is MS-13? VOA Spanish Service correspondent Cristina Caicedo Smit explains the origins of …
The main rebel group in the southern pocket of Syria’s opposition-held eastern Ghouta told Reuters on Sunday it was negotiating with a United Nations delegation about a ceasefire, aid and the evacuation of urgent medical cases. “We are engaged in arranging serious negotiations to guarantee the safety and protection of civilians,” said Wael Alwan, the …
Read more “Statement: Rebels in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta Discussing Ceasefire with UN”
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte asked governments on Sunday to abandon the International Criminal Court, saying the world tribunal – where he is facing a possible complaint for the thousands of killings of drug suspects under his crackdown – is “rude.” Although the Philippine Senate has ratified the Rome Statute that established the ICC, Duterte said …
Read more “Philippine Leader Calls for Abandoning Int’l Criminal Court”
The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria condemns the rampant sexual and gender-based violence used by Syria’s warring parties to instill fear in the civilian population and to humiliate and shame their victims into silence. The U.N. investigators find sexual and gender-based violence is pervasive throughout Syrian society. No one is spared. They say countless …
Read more “Sexual Violence in Syria Used as Tool to Instill Fear and Shame”
Supporters of opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili are demonstrating in Kyiv to demand the resignation of President Petro Poroshenko. …
Five members of an Indian family were killed and two wounded by Pakistani shelling in disputed Kashmir on March 18. …
Security has been stepped up outside Russian government installations in Ukraine after Kyiv announced that only diplomats would be allowed access to vote in Russia’s presidential election. …
Voters in Russia go to the polls on March 18 in a presidential election that is all but certain to secure President Vladimir Putin a fourth term in office. …
Two U.S. senators – one Republican and one Democrat – have pledged greater support for a U.S.-based Iranian-American group that calls for replacing Iran’s Islamist leadership with a democratic, secular government. Republican Senator John Boozman and Democratic Senator Ben Cardin spoke to the Organization of Iranian-American Communities (OIAC) on Thursday, as the group held an …
Read more “US Senators Pledge Help to Iranian Group Seeking End to Iran’s Islamist Rule”
The Russian scientist who originally helped develop the nerve agent believed to have been used in the poisoning of a Russian double agent in Britain said other countries could have also produced test samples of the substance. …
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a major breakthrough in efforts to contain South Africa’s longest and largest recorded listeria outbreak. The current outbreak of listeriosis in South Africa began more than one year ago in January 2017. As of March 12, the WHO has recorded 978 lab-confirmed cases of this foodborne disease, including 183 …
Read more “Breakthrough Reported in South Africa’s Worst Listeria Outbreak”
Thousands of civilians streamed out of their towns in Syria’s north and south on March 17 as they sought to escape a military offensive by Syrian government forces on a rebel-held area near Damascus and Turkey’s operation against a Kurdish enclave. …
American counterterrorism airstrikes in northern Afghanistan are reported to have killed up to 35 Islamic State militants and wounded a dozen more. A regional Afghan military statement said Saturday the pre-dawn strikes took place in the Darzab and Qishtepa districts of Jowzjan province, where IS maintains bases. The statement noted that seven nationals of the …
Read more “Officials: US Strikes Kill 35 IS Militants in Afghanistan”
Afghanistan will host high-level talks with Pakistan on Saturday to “chalk out a way forward” to improve strained bilateral ties and enhance cooperation to further a recent Afghan offer of peace talks to the Taliban. Pakistani National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua will travel to Kabul for the daylong discussions “on a special invitation” from his …
Read more “Top Pakistan Security Official to Visit Afghanistan for Crucial Talks”
United Nations aid agencies are appealing for more than $950 million to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance this year for 1.3 million Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi communities hosting them in Cox’s Bazar. Nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees live in substandard, overcrowded settlements in Cox’s Bazar. More than 670,000 of them have fled to Bangladesh since …
Read more “UN Appeals for Nearly $1 Billion to Aid Rohingya Refugees”
FIFA has finally and fully approved video review to help referees at the World Cup. Also Friday, the world soccer body lifted its three-decade ban on Iraq’s hosting of international events. The cities of Irbil, Basra and Karbala were given the go-ahead to stage official matches. The last step toward giving match officials high-tech help in Russia …
Read more “FIFA Finally Approves Video Review to Use at World Cup”
Air strikes killed dozens of civilians in eastern Ghouta on March 16 and forced thousands more to flee, as Syrian troops continued their offensive on the last rebel stronghold near Damascus. …
The Russian Foreign Ministry has welcomed Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s proposal to seek ways of overcoming the lingering consequences of the August 2008 war in South Ossetia. …
Russians living in Ukraine will be unable to vote in Russia’s presidential election because access to Moscow’s diplomatic missions will be blocked, Kyiv said March 16. …
Pakistani authorities say a powerful blast in the southwestern town of Qillah Saifullah, near the Afghan border, has killed at least two people and wounded 10 others. …
The Pentagon says the U.S. Navy has experienced a major, unexplained drop in close encounters with Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf since August. …
South by Southwest is a pop-up marketplace of ideas. Held in Austin, Texas, it combines music and film festivals with a tech conference. Its nine days of events draw people from around the world, including Africa, as Tigist Geme of VOA’s Horn of Africa Service reports. …