Jamie Dettmer/VOA NEWS BASHIQA, IRAQ — The peshmerga general frowned when asked about a top Kurdish bomb-disposal expert killed last month the day after the assault on Mosul, Iraq began. “He was a very brave man,” said Gen. Mahmood Kakaye. Suleman Sahed Chirukaya was trying to disarm a jihadist bomb in a tunnel near the town […]readmore
VOA News A top Russian official said Thursday that Moscow has initiated contacts with representatives of the team of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to discuss Syria. “This is an important turning point: the arrival of President-elect Donald Trump’s new team,” the Interfax news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as telling journalists in the […]readmore
VOA NEWS/Dorian Jones ISTANBUL — The Turkish army is engaged in a two-front war, fighting both in Turkey and Syria against PKK Kurdish rebels. With a third front possibly looming, questions are being raised about how sustainable such operations are, given the military is still reeling from massive purges within its ranks following July’s failed coup […]readmore
Henry Ridgwell/VOA NEWS LONDON – Several of the G20 group of industrialized countries are failing to take action in line with their pledges to reduce emissions, made under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, according to new research. Scientists fear the momentum behind reducing emissions could be lost if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump follows through on […]readmore
VOA NEWS/Michael Bowman CAPITOL HILL — Senate Republicans are eager to flex their party’s newfound political muscle next year, but say they have no plans to weaken rules enabling Democrats to block major legislation and, potentially, any Supreme Court nomination put forth by soon-to-be President Donald Trump. Whether Republicans adhere to their promise of restraint will […]readmore
John Owens VOA NEWS A bleak winter beckons for many refugees and migrants trapped in Greece, with thousands left vulnerable to the elements. Aid organizations are offering winter assistance to those stuck in the country since the closure of the Balkan route last spring. The Greek government has largely succeeded in shifting most people from […]readmore
Daniel Schearf VOA NEWS MOSCOW — Russian prosecutors charged Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev with extortion Tuesday and requested he be placed under house arrest in the highest-level corruption case of its kind in decades. Ulyukayev’s lawyer said he denies the charges. Analysts and observers question the charges as politically motivated and say the arrest of […]readmore
Steve Herman & Nike Ching VOA NEWS ABU DHABI / STATE DEPARTMENT —U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says a cease-fire in Yemen could start as early as November 17, «provided that everybody does their part.» Yemen’s armed Houthi movement and a Saudi-led military alliance have agreed to support a solution for the conflict in […]readmore
VOA NEWS MEXICO CITY — Murder by firearms in Mexico have hit record levels under the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto as the death toll from gang violence worsens, a study showed on Tuesday. The months of July to September have seen the highest murder tolls since Pena Nieto took office in December 2012 pledging […]readmore
VOA NEWS LIMA —Peru has started talks with China about joining a Beijing-backed trade pact for the Asia Pacific region even as it holds out hopes that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump might renege on his vow to scrap a rival U.S.-led deal, the government said on Tuesday. Trade Minister Eduardo Ferreyros said he hopes Peru […]readmore