Philadelphia Struggles with Fighting Massive Drug Epidemic

Anthony walks the streets of Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood looking for two competing things: His next heroin fix – and help in what he says is his struggle to end addiction. He traces the habit to one fateful day. “I shattered my leg and I was on oxycodone pain medication prescribed through my doctor,” recalls the …

Luxury Car Makers Shift Gears from Sporty Sedans to SUVs

Luxury brands are switching gears at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. Manufacturers once known for iconic sports cars are facing an identity crisis — trying to compete with Tesla’s electric autos while still serving Americans’ love of SUVs (sport utility vehicles). Arash Arabasadi reports …

Philadelphia’s Battle Against Opioids Takes Aim at Hard-Hit Neighborhood

President Trump’s opioid commission is calling for more federal funding to battle addiction and deadly opioid drug-related overdoses in the United States. More than 175 Americans are dying every day and the Trump administration has declared the opioid crisis a “public health emergency”. VOA’s Chris Simkins takes us to a hard hit Philadelphia neighborhood where …

Iran Inaugurates New Extension to its Main Arabian Sea Port

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated on Sunday a newly built extension to the country’s main Arabian Sea outlet, the strategic Chabahar Port on the Gulf of Oman, which more than triples its capacity and poses a challenge for a port under construction in neighboring Pakistan. The $340 million project was constructed by a Revolutionary Guard-affiliated …

McMaster: ‘Increasing’ Possibility of War with North Korea

The White House national security advisor says the  possibility of war with impoverished, but nuclear-armed North Korea is “increasing every day.” “There are ways to address this problem short of armed conflict,” H.R. McMaster said Saturday, “but it is a race because he’s getting closer and closer and there’s not much time left,” in a …

Rising German Nationalist Party Elects Leaders Amid Protests

Members of a rising nationalist party in Germany elected their leadership Saturday at a convention in the city of Hannover that was overshadowed by protests. Joerg Meuthen was re-elected as chairman at the first full party congress since the Alternative for Germany, known as AfD, won seats in the national parliament for the first time. …

Former Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh Breaks with Houthis, Calls for Opening New Page with Saudi Arabia

Former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh officially broke with his Houthi militia allies, calling on his supporters to rise up against them across the country. Arab media is reporting that the former president’s supporters have gained control of key government installations in the capital, including the defense ministry, the interior ministry and Sana’a Airport. In …

Trump Applauds Senate Passage of Republican Tax Overhaul Bill

U.S. President Donald Trump praised the Senate’s early Saturday morning passage of an immense Republican tax overhaul bill, telling reporters outside the White House the measure calls for “the biggest tax cuts in the history of our country.” Later Saturday at a Republican fundraiser in New York, Trump attributed passage of the bill to semantics. …

Trump Says Fired National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s Actions During Transition ‘Were Lawful’

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday the actions of former national security adviser Michael Flynn during Trump’s transition to the White House “were lawful.” “I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during …

Military IDs 100 Killed on USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor

The military has identified 100 sailors and Marines killed when the USS Oklahoma capsized during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 76 years ago, officials said Friday. The milestone comes two years after the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency dug up nearly 400 sets of remains from a Hawaii cemetery. Officials exhumed the bodies after determining …

Justice Minister: Kosovo PM Removed From International Arrest Warrant

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj was removed from an international arrest warrant issued by Serbia, lifting an obstacle to him traveling outside the country, the justice minister said on Friday. Early this year Ramush Haradinaj, a former Kosovar guerilla leader who in September took over as prime minister, was arrested in France on an arrest …

Health Care Fallout: Fate of 8M Low-Income US Children in Limbo

TC Bell knows what life is like without health insurance after growing up with a mother who cobbled together care from a public health clinic, emergency room visits and off-the-books visits to a doctor they knew. That memory makes Bell, of Denver, grateful for the coverage his two daughters have now under the Children’s Health …