VOA News The Red Cross is launching its first search and rescue ship on Monday in an effort to save the lives of people crossing the Mediterranean in search of refuge and safety in Europe. The Responder will patrol the central Mediterranean route between North Africa and Italy, where most of the 3,100 drownings of […]readmore
VOA News Day 3 of the Rio Olympics is featuring medal events in gymnastics, swimming, fencing, women’s rugby, judo and more. First timers are also debuting on day 3. Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first U.S. Olympian to compete while wearing a hijab, made her Olympic debut during the fencing competition. She won her first match but […]readmore
Spaniard won gold medal eight years ago but missed 2012 London Games because of knee problems With white tape peeking out from under the red sweat band on his injured left wrist, Rafael Nadal was back in action on Sunday (7 August), playing his first match in 2½ months and back at an Olympics for the […]readmore
Serna Williams opened the defence of her Olympic singles gold medal with a patchy 6-4, 6-2 victory over Australia’s Daria Gavrilova on Sunday, gesturing or yelling at herself as she often does when not all goes her way. «I’m always frustrated on the court if it’s not perfect,» the American said. Williams had not competed […]readmore
The USA women’s artistic gymnastics team treated fans to an impressive performance this afternoon at the Rio Olympic Arena on Sunday. The team, consisting of Ally Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez, are the leaders in the competition after four out of the five subdivisions. Biles and Raisman also qualified for […]readmore
VOA News Brazilian police have arrested an Iranian national suspected of having connections with terrorism in the city of Chui, in Rio Grand do Sul, southern region of Brazil. Pouria Paykani had been monitored by the federal police and the Brazilian Intelligence Agency since July 15. Local reports say a warrant for his arrest and […]readmore
Margaret Besheer UNITED NATIONS—Portugal’s former prime minister Antonio Guterres is holding on to his lead in the race to become the United Nation’s next secretary-general. The U.N. Security Council held a second round of “straw polls” – informal ballots – on Friday, and diplomats with knowledge of the results said Guterres topped the pack of […]readmore
VOA News A coalition of Arab and Kurdish fighters is reported to have taken «almost complete control» of a strategic northern Syrian city that was a stronghold of the Islamic State group. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF – which includes Arab and Kurdish fighters – seized […]readmore
VOA News The opening ceremony for Rio’s Olympic Games kicked off with a roaring crowd of tens of thousands and a pop song expressing love for Brazil. Billions of people watched the ceremony on television Friday, featuring more than 200 Olympic teams, including the first-ever team of refugees to band together and compete. The refugee […]readmore
Recently, Phelps was voted one of the six captains for the U.S. swim team, another honor he holds for the first time at the 2016 Games. “I’m honored to be chosen, proud to represent the U.S., and humbled by the significance of carrying the flag and all it stands for,” Phelps said through a U.S. […]readmore