Focus On ‘Unity’ As Shanghai Summit Opens In China
Chinese President Xi Jingping has praised the “unity” of the Shanghai Cooperation Agreement (SCO) at the opening ceremony of the organization’s summit in the coastal Chinese city of Quingdao. …
Trump Says Singapore Summit Is ‘Onetime’ Chance For North Korea
U.S. President Donald Trump said that his June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is a “onetime” chance for the North, adding “but I feel really confident.” …
Trump: Meeting with Kim ‘One-Time Shot’ for North Korea
U.S. President Donald Trump warned Saturday that his meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12 is a “one-time shot” for the reclusive leader. Before leaving the international Group of Seven summit in Quebec, Trump told reporters that he expects to know right away if Kim is serious about giving up …
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Children at Risk of Death from Heavy Flooding in Somalia
The U.N. children’s fund warns that heavy rains and flooding in Somalia are putting hundreds of thousands of children at high risk of disease and death. The 230,000 people who have been displaced by floods since April are living in congested, unsanitary conditions that breed disease, according to UNICEF, and about half of that number …
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Iran’s World Cup Carpet Diplomacy
A diplomatic opportunity looms as Iran plans to give silk carpets to opponents and soccer bodies at the World Cup in Russia. …
Ex-El Salvador President Accused of Corruption; Arrest Ordered
Prosecutors in El Salvador have ordered the arrests of former President Mauricio Funes and 30 members of his inner circle on a range of corruption charges for allegedly siphoning $351 million from public coffers, the Attorney General’s Office announced Friday. The 31 arrest orders include Funes’ private secretary, his long-time partner Ada Mitchelle Guzman Siguenza, …
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NATO Eastern Flank Members Pledge Closer Ties, Citing Russia
Nine NATO nations on the alliance’s eastern flank pledged Friday to cooperate more to increase their security in light of what they called an “aggressive” Russia that threatens their vision of a free, peaceful Europe. Eight presidents and one parliament speaker held the third meeting of the Bucharest Nine, a group of nations once …
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G-7 Leaders Try to Bridge Wide Trade Gap With Trump
Emotions were on display when U.S. President Donald Trump met other G-7 leaders at their annual summit in Canada on Friday, but the discussions were civilized and diplomatic, according to sources. Trump held firm on asserting the United States is disadvantaged when it comes to trade with its European allies. “The other leaders presented their …
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Eulogy For A Subway: Siberian City Decides To Bury Its Metro Once And For All
The million-plus residents of Omsk have been promised a subway system since the early 1990s. What they got instead was a source of endless mockery and cynicism. Now city officials have decided to end the project once and for all. …
U.S. Special Counsel Charges Russian Associate Of Ex-Trump Campaign Chief
U.S. authorities have indicted a Russian man who was a key associate in Ukraine for President Donald Trump’s ex-campaign chief on obstruction of justice and other charges. …
Serbian Drivers Block Streets In Protest Over Fuel Prices
Drivers in several Serbian cities stopped their cars in the streets during the afternoon rush hour for an hour on June 8 to protest high fuel prices. …
Somali-American Tops Dubai Competition
A Minnesota teenager is the first American to win the prestigious Dubai International Quran Recitation Contest. For VOA, Maxamuud Mascadde has the story from Minneapolis. …
An All-Female Gang, an Impossible Heist in Ocean’s 8
A star-studded all-female cast beefs up the new heist film “Ocean’s 8,” by filmmaker Gary Ross. The new release marks a departure from the all-male gang of tuxedo-clad cons both in the original 1960s flick “Ocean’s 11,” with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and in the 2001 remake with George Clooney and Brad Pitt. So, …
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Seaweed May Hold Key Ingredient for Ocean Friendly Sunscreen
As summer draws near in the Northern Hemisphere, millions of people will slather on sunscreen to protect themselves from the sun’s harmful rays. But most sunscreens contain chemicals harmful to the oceans. Now researchers in London have developed a compound found in seaweed that could be the basis for a new generation of environmentally friendly …
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Economic Ties With Iran, Central Asia Focus Of Shanghai Group Meeting
China will host a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization this weekend that is expected to focus on expanding economic ties with Iran and Central Asia. …
Bulgaria Moves To Revive Russian Nuclear Project Suspended In 2012
The Bulgarian parliament has approved a plan to revive the Belene nuclear power plant five years after the Russian project was suspended due to financing problems and concerns about relying too heavily on Russian energy. …
Chinese Telecom Giant To Pay $1 Billion In Iran Sanctions Case
The United States and China have reached a deal that allows the Chinese telecom giant ZTE Corp. to stay in business in exchange for paying an additional $1 billion in fines for having violated U.S. sanctions against Iran and North Korea. …
Ukrainian Activist Kolchenko Stops Hunger Strike In Russian Prison
Ukrainian activist Oleksandr Kolchenko, who is serving 10-year prison term in Russia on extremism charges that he and his supporters consider politically motivated, has stopped his hunger strike, his lawyer says. …
Kyrgyz Supreme Court Cuts Prison Terms Of Three Opposition Politicians
Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court has upheld the convictions of three opposition politicians in a high-profile case but reduced their prison sentences. …
Montenegrin Journalists Rally For ‘Independent Public Media’
Montenegrin journalists and civil rights activists have gathered in the capital, Podgorica, to protest against the proposed dismissal of the national public broadcaster’s director and editorial team. …
Afghan, US Forces to Temporarily Halt Anti-Taliban Offensive
Afghanistan’s President, Ashraf Ghani has announced his forces will halt offensive operations next Tuesday until June 20 to encourage the Taliban to seek a peaceful resolution to the war. In a nationally televised speech Thursday, Ghani explained he has taken the unilateral move in response to an Islamic decree, or fatwa, top Afghan clerics issued earlier …
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Trump ‘Will be Sticking to His Guns’ During G7 Showdown
U.S. President Donald Trump “will be sticking to his guns” at the upcoming Group of Seven summit despite criticism of his trade policies from allies, one of his key economic advisers told reporters on Wednesday. “The president is at ease with all these tough issues,” said Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council. “There’s …
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Before Trump-Kim Summit, Japan’s Prime Minister Visits White House
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting the White House on Thursday to impress upon President Donald Trump Japan’s interests ahead of Trump’s historic summit next week with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The U.S. and Japanese leaders are scheduled to hold about two hours of talks and a joint press conference. Before departing …
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June 6, 2018
A look at the best news photos from around the world. …