Mogadishu Restaurant Siege Ends, 19 Civilians Dead

Somali security forces ended the al-Shabab siege of a Mogadishu restaurant early Thursday after battling the militants for almost 11 hours. Major Abdifatah Bashir Ali, commander of police in the Hodan district of the city, told VOA Somali that special security forces launched a major operation just before 6 a.m. local time and were able …

Reports: Special Counsel Investigating Trump for Possible Obstruction of Justice

The special counsel investigating Russia’s influence on last year’s U.S. elections and possible links to the campaign of President Donald Trump has expanded to include looking at whether the president has obstructed justice. The revelation came late Wednesday in articles published by the Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal, based on accounts …

Republican Rep. Steve Scalise Shot – ‘Badly Hurt’ – at Congressional Baseball Practice in Virginia

A suspect is in custody after gunfire erupted at a baseball field in Virginia, where Republican Representative Steve Scalise was shot and badly injured. The shooting took place shortly after 7am. as lawmakers were practicing for an annual Congressional baseball game set for tomorrow.  Colleagues of Scalise immediately took to Twitter to express their shock …

Deadly, Massive Fire Destroys London Apartment Tower

Firefighters on Wednesday continued to battle one of London’s biggest fire disasters in recent memory as a rapid-moving blaze raced through a 24-story apartment building in West London. Hours after the fire was first reported, crews worked to rescue people trapped inside and count the number of dead. …

Congressman Scalise Shot Outside Washington

U.S. Congressman Stephen Scalise was shot Wednesday in Alexandria, Virginia just south of Washington, according to local emergency response officials. Scalise is reported to be in stable condition after being shot in the hip as he and other Republican congressional lawmakers were practicing for an annual baseball game scheduled for Thursday. Reports say at least …

Michigan Vietnam Vet Is Trump’s 1st Medal of Honor Recipient

Members of Army medic James McCloughan’s unit in Vietnam called him “Doc.” Now, those soldiers, several of whom McCloughan saved during the ferocious, dayslong Battle of Nui Yon Hill in 1969, will have a new name for him: Medal of Honor recipient. Army spokeswoman Valerie L. Mongello said Tuesday that the 71-year-old from South Haven, …

Tillerson Defends Proposed Cuts to Diplomacy, Foreign Aid Programs

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has defended President Donald Trump’s proposal to sharply cut spending on diplomacy and foreign aid while proposing large increases in military spending. The president’s 2018 proposed budget would cut spending at the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) by 32 percent and boost Defense Department spending …

US Agency Kills Proposal to Protect Endangered Sea Life From Fishing Nets

The Trump administration is throwing out proposed rules aimed at keeping endangered whales, turtles and other sea life from getting caught in Pacific Coast fishing nets. The regulation was proposed under the Obama White House in 2015 by not only government experts, but also members of the Pacific fishing industry. It would have shut down …

Secret Service Says It Doesn’t Have Any Trump Tapes

The U.S. Secret Service said Monday it doesn’t have any recordings or transcripts of any tapes recorded within President Donald Trump’s White House, a disclosure that failed to rule out whether any tapes exist of Trump’s conversations with ousted FBI Director James Comey. The agency made the disclosure in response to a freedom of information …

Lengthy Coalition Talks Ahead for Kosovo, Could Delay Reforms

Kosovo could be heading towards lengthy talks on forming a coalition government, delaying economic reforms, official preliminary results showed on Monday. Early elections were held on Sunday after the PDK-led government of Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, accused by the opposition of failing to meet pledges to improve the lives of young people, lost a no-confidence …

IS Calls For Global Attacks During Ramadan

An audio message purporting to come from the spokesman of the Islamic State extremist group has called on followers to launch attacks in the United States, Europe, Russia, Australia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and the Philippines during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began late last month. …

Foreign Influence Prolonging Fight Against Militants in Philippines

Foreign influence is adding an unwelcome new mystery to the Philippine government’s battle against a violent Muslim group that some suspect is not even fighting for a religious cause.  Armed Forces of the Philippines say they have cut the Maute Group, a suspected terrorist organization on the southern island Mindanao, to “remnants” after fighting it …