Luis Ramirez LONDON—U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has pledged nearly $1 billion in new U.S. aid for Syrian refugees at an international donors conference and is calling for the Syrian government and Russia to halt attacks on rebel-held areas in order to let humanitarian aid through. The conference opened Thursday in London with donor […]readmore
Hasib Danish Alikozai DES MOINES, IOWA—While polls show that most Iowans had the U.S. economy on their minds when they participated in Monday’s caucuses to choose a candidate for president, one group of caucus watchers was picking candidates with a different issue in mind.Five thousand of Iowa’s National Guard troops have served in Afghanistan […]readmore
VOA News The senior U.S. military commander in Afghanistan told Congress on Thursday that training for Afghan forces would be severely constrained if the number of American troops there was cut to 5,500, as President Barack Obama has proposed. Obama is planning to cut the number of American forces in Afghanistan from the current 9,800 […]readmore
The United Nations is reporting new cases of alleged sexual abuse and exploitation by U.N. peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. The U.N. mission in the C.A.R., MINUSCA, said it has identified seven new possible victims in the town of Bambari. According to a statement Thursday, U.N. investigators believe at least five of the victims […]readmore
Simone Orendain BAHILE, PALAWAN PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES—In the tiny coastal Philippine town of Bahile in Palawan province, fishermen drop off the night’s catch with the local fish distributor.On the one main road that bisects the town, fish sorters load plastic tubs with the catch while children play on the shore during the sunny late morning. But […]readmore
VOA News Spokesmen for the National Football League and law enforcement agencies say there is “no credible threat” centered around Sunday’s Super Bowl. “At this time we know of no credible threat directed at Super Bowl 50,» said Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. Jeffrey Miller, who is the NFL’s senior vice president of security said […]readmore
Former Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Jr., as noted in his obituary, will lie in repose outside of the Mayor’s Office on the second floor of Providence City Hall from 12 noon to 6 PM on Saturday, February 6 and Sunday, February 7. Those wishing to pay their respects will enter through the Washington Street door […]readmore
Michael Bowman CAPITOL HILL—A battle over emergency aid to an American town with contaminated drinking water delayed Senate action on a major overhaul of the U.S. energy sector that could reduce Europe’s dependence on natural gas from Russia and U.S. dependence on strategic minerals from China.On Thursday, Senate Democrats, joined by a handful of Republicans, […]readmore
Colonel Michael J. Winquist, Chief of the Cranston Police Department, announces members of the Cranston Police Special Victims Unit; along with RI Human Trafficking Task Force- Homeland Security Investigation (Providence), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Providence Police Department conducted a “Sting Operation” targeting “Johns” who respond to escort advertisements on “Backpage.com”. On Friday, […]readmore
PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Jorge Elorza announced the Summer of Learning campaign to address the issue of summer learning loss which disproportionally affects low-income students and students of color in the public school system. «Each year, summer learning loss causes our kids to fall behind in their education,» said Mayor Elorza. «I asked a talented […]readmore