Category: World

The White House said on July 18 that it will nominate Jon Huntsman Jr., former ambassador to China, to be U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Russia. …

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has asked Congress to extend martial law until December in the southern island of Mindanao, where the military has been fighting a bloody two-month insurgency by Islamic militants. More than 500 people have been killed in the conflict, which began after a failed attempt by security forces to capture Isnilon Hapilon, …

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A senior Russian diplomat has suggested that Moscow and Washington are close to an agreement that would restore Russian access to two diplomatic compounds that were seized in December by then-President Barack Obama’s administration. …

Iranian media reported on July 17 that a soldier opened fire on his comrades, killing three and injuring six others before killing himself. …

The former state official behind a ban on a popular Mexican-American studies program in Tucson is scheduled to spend Tuesday testifying in federal court over the law Arizona passed that ultimately ended the program. Former Arizona schools chief Tom Horne, who was behind the battle against the program the year that lawmakers passed the state’s …

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A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.8 hit off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and triggered a tsunami warning, but the threat soon passed, the U.S. earthquake monitoring agencies said early on July 18. …

Progress is not moving fast enough to meet an ambitious set of global goals to conquer poverty, inequality and other international woes by a 2030 deadline, slowed largely by growing war and violence, the United Nations said on Monday. Advances have been few and uneven in reducing conflict and promoting gender equality, sustainable energy, infrastructure …

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A leader of the Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group says a peace accord it’s trying to implement with the government is “the best antidote” for violent extremism exemplified by a bloody siege of southern Marawi city by Islamic State group-aligned militants. Government and rebel representatives submitted draft legislation to President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday aimed …

Read more “Philippine Rebels: Peace Pact "Best Antidote" for Extremism”

Relatives and friends of people killed three years ago when a surface-to-air missile blew a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet out of the sky over Ukraine gathered Monday to mark the anniversary at a new memorial near the Amsterdam airport from which the plane departed.   The commemoration, in presence of the Dutch king, comes as …

Read more “3 Years on, Families Honor Loved Ones Lost on Downed MH17”

At least eight people are dead after a suspected female suicide bomber detonated at a mosque in northeastern Nigeria. A spokesman for a civilian self-defense force in Maiduguri city says the bomber was being chased by local security workers on Monday morning and ran into the middle of worshippers and exploded. At least 13 people …

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European Union foreign ministers decided on July 17 to impose sanctions on another 16 Syrians for their alleged roles in chemical weapons attacks against civilians. …

A ceremony has been held in Almaty to honor actor Vladimir Tolokonnikov, a prominent native of the Kazakh city who died on July 16 in Moscow. …

The trial of former Kazakh National Security Committee (KNB) chief Nartai Dutbaev began in the capital, Astana, on July 17. …

“Sir, my father was an Islamic State militant, but he divorced my mother in 2013,” said Jassem Mohammad, 21, pulling out his identification card and presenting it to the camp manager.  “He now has two other wives.”   In a tiny patch of shade on the edge of a blistering desert camp outside of Mosul, …

Read more “After Mosul: The IS Family Dilemma”

One of U.S. President Donald Trump’s lawyers has defended his son’s meeting with a Russian lawyer last year in hopes of obtaining damaging information about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. …

The future of America’s health care system remains an open question as Republicans once again postpone a vote on their plan to replace Obamacare. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s team continues to grapple with fallout from emails showing the president’s son eager to acquire Russian-provided ammunition against Hillary Clinton during last year’s campaign. VOA’s Michael Bowman …

Read more “Washington Week: Health Care and Russia Probe”

A look at the best news photos from around the world. …

Iranian President Hassan Rohani’s younger brother, Hossein Fereidoun, has been arrested on unspecified financial crimes charges and an American citizen has been sentenced to a decade behind bars for “infiltrating” the country. …

Investigators say it’s clear what caused Flight MH17 to crash in eastern Ukraine’s war zone in 2014: a Buk missile brought in from Russia and fired from territory held by Moscow-backed separatists. But they have yet to name a single suspect, and families of the 298 victims can only sit and wait for justice. …

The Calgary Stampede is a 10-day rodeo and festival in Alberta’s largest city. It features a parade, concerts, competitions, and exhibitions by First Nations tribes. …

Ray Phiri, a South African jazz musician who founded the band Stimela and became internationally known while performing on Paul Simon’s Graceland tour, died of cancer on Wednesday at age 70. Phiri, a vocalist and guitarist known for his versatility in jazz fusion, indigenous South African rhythms and other styles, received many music awards in …

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At least eight people were killed Saturday in a stampede in a soccer stadium in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, during a match between two local teams, the sports minister said. A fight broke out between fans of rivals Ouakam and Stade de Mbour, and police fired tear gas to break it up. The resulting confusion …

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Several hundred people protested in Warsaw after Poland’s Senate adopted two judicial bills that the opposition says are an attempt by the ruling conservative party to undermine the separation of powers. …

Russia’s Yevgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Zakharov won the three-meter springboard synchronized diving title at the world swimming champions in Budapest, denying China gold for only the second time in history. …