Category: World

Home Grown Gaza Pineapples …

The biggest holiday of the season is in full swing, and holiday decor provides an important background for all the festivities. Cities, public buildings and most private homes are made ornate with Christmas trees, lights, bows, menorahs, Santas and other holiday figures. Some are now preparing for New Year’s Eve as well. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke …

Read more “Americans Get Creative With Holiday Decorations”

Going Avocado Green …

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is questioning whether recent close encounters between Russian and American warplanes over Syria were mistaken or the result of what he called “dangerous” maneuvers by some Russian fighter jet pilots. …

An executive at Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank denied that he helped Iran evade U.S. sanctions as he took the witness stand in his defense in a high-profile sanctions case unfolding in New York. …

U.S. President Donald Trump said he has sought Russia’s help in resolving the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program but he is not satisfied with Russia’s efforts. …

After more than a half-century, Egypt reopened the sanctuary of Amun-Re, “The King of Gods,” which honors Hatshepsut, the longest-reigning female pharaoh and one of the most powerful women in ancient Egyptian history. Hamada Elrasam files. …

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has arrested seven suspected Islamic extremists and thwarted plans for bomb attacks in St. Petersburg on December 16. …

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) will announce current president Jacob Zuma’s successor as party leader on Sunday as it looks to conclude a bruising leadership battle and focus on policy, a party spokesman told radio station 702 on Friday. “On Sunday morning as we arrive we should be able to make an announcement …

Read more “ANC to Vote on Zuma Successor”

Ailing Republican senators John McCain and Thad Cochran missed votes this week, but their presence will be crucial early next week as the GOP tries to pass a sweeping $1.5 trillion tax package in the Senate with a razor-thin majority and all Democrats opposed to the legislation.   McCain, 81, of Arizona, is at a …

Read more “Return of 2 Ill GOP Senators Crucial Next Week for Tax Bill”

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL. …

Wahhabi radicals have been trying to help recruit Islamic State fighters in the majority-Muslim country of Kosovo, but one imam there has been praised for his success in confronting them. (RFE/RL’s Balkan Service) …

At the doors of the Syrian capital, children with wrinkled faces and arms like sticks are going hungry because President Bashar Assad’s forces, supported by Russia and Iran, are blocking trucks filled with humanitarian relief.   As the government and its opponents wrap up another fruitless round of talks in Geneva, humanitarian officials warn that …

Read more “Hunger at Damascus’ Door as Syrian Government Blocks Aid”

A pledge by health and development experts to tackle neglected diseases that blind, disable and disfigure millions of the world’s poorest people has spurred tremendous progress in five years, a report said on Thursday. More than one billion people were treated in 2016 for painful infections, such as sleeping sickness and elephantiasis, as increased funding, …

Read more “Success as 1 Billion Treated in Battle Against Painful Tropical Diseases”

“Net neutrality” regulations, designed to prevent internet service providers like Verizon, AT&T, Comcast and Charter from favoring some sites and apps over others, have been repealed. On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission voted to dismantle Obama-era rules that have been in place since 2015, but will forbid states to put anything similar in place. Here’s …

Read more “What Is Net Neutrality?”

An excruciating monologue and question by a fake journalist tips the scales at a whopping four minutes during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s televised press conference. …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again avoided uttering the name of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, the latest example of a conspicuous official effort to keep his name out of public discussion. …

Russian presidential hopeful Ksenia Sobchak reportedly won’t face separatism charges for her criticism of Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Other critics have been less fortunate. …

Britain urgently needs a “standstill” deal to keep its ties with the European Union unchanged in a post-Brexit transition period, and will probably need an adaptation phase after that for sectors such as financial services, a group of lawmakers said. A transition agreement — which is widely expected to last for two years — must …

Read more “UK Urgently Needs Brexit Transition Deal … And More Time, MPs Say”

Two Minutes of the latest news from around the world. …

Give us 5 minutes, and we’ll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world. …

The Russian national hockey league says it is in favor of allowing its players to participate in next year’s Winter Olympics as “neutrals” after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Russian teams from participating under the country’s flag. …

Pakistan has ordered at least 10 international charities to close down, rejecting their applications to reregister under stricter new regulations for foreign-funded groups. …

A U.S. judge has ordered the Bangladeshi man accused of attempting a suicide bombing in New York to remain in federal custody while he awaits trial on charges that include supporting a foreign terrorist organization. Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old supporter of the Islamic State militant group, appeared by video on December 13 for a brief …

Read more “U.S. Judge Orders Accused New York Bomber Detained Ahead Of Trial”