Crews Work to Protect S. California Homes from Holy Fire

A wildfire in Southern California that began Monday grew to 85 square kilometers (33 square miles) in size Saturday as firefighters worked to keep the flames from engulfing residential areas in Holy Jim Canyon. Aircraft have been dumping pink fire retardant on homes in the Lake Elsinore area and other communities in the foothills of …

Facing Indictment, US Congressman Ends Re-Election Bid

In an about-face, U.S. Rep. Chris Collins is ending his re-election bid days after the Republican was charged with insider trading.   Collins released a statement Saturday morning saying his will suspend his campaign and finish the rest of his term. Collins was indicted Wednesday on charges he passed inside information about a biotechnology company …

Space: The Military’s New Mobility Frontier

It might sound like science fiction, but the general in charge of the U.S. military’s air transports across the globe says refueling and resupplying the military may soon be a job that’s literally out of this world. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb has more. …

Wave of Strikes Hits Syria’s Last Rebel-held Bastion

Dozens of airstrikes and shelling hit parts of the last swath of Syrian territory still held by rebels Friday, according to rebels, rescue workers and a war monitoring group, in a possible prelude to a full-scale government offensive. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said dozens of strikes from helicopters and warplanes had hit parts of Hama, Idlib and Aleppo provinces, …

Police Beat Fans at Tehran Stadium Chanting ‘Death to Dictator’

Iranian security forces have beaten football fans chanting anti-government slogans at Tehran’s main sports stadium, in the first such confrontation since nationwide protests began last December. Friday’s incident happened at Azadi Stadium in the Iranian capital as fans gathered in the stands several hours before home team, Esteghlal, was due to kick off against visiting …

S. Korean Firms Imported N. Korean Coal in Sanctions Breach

Three South Korean firms imported coal from North Korea disguised as Russian products in violation of U.N. resolutions in a fresh sign of loosening sanctions, South Korea’s customs agency said Friday. Seoul has been examining nine cases of potential imports of North Korean coal, which would breach a resolution passed last August by the U.N. …

Charlottesville White Supremacist Protest Recalled One Year Later

Sunday marks the one year anniversary of the violent “Unite The Right” protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. Last year’s protest, organized by white supremacists upset over the removal of a statue of a Confederate hero, left one person dead and 19 injured. White nationalists are planning a protest to mark the occasion in Washington. Meanwhile, Virginia …

Sons Feel Mixed Emotions After N. Korea Returns Dad’s Dog Tag

The lone military identification tag that North Korea provided with 55 boxes of human remains last month belonged to Master Sgt. Charles H. McDaniel, an Army medic from Indiana who was killed in the opening months of the Korean War.   The Army on Wednesday handed McDaniel’s slightly corroded dog tag to his sons, Charles …