The latest wave of endorsements for new Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi has U.S. intelligence officials taking notice. IS media operatives Tuesday disseminated more photographs of fighters from the group’s various affiliates giving bay’ah, or loyalty, to Qurashi, including a series of 16 photographs from IS-Khorasan, as Afghan affiliate is known. The photos … continue reading -> “US Takes Notice as More Islamic State Branches Back New Leader”
Sakshi Chauhan has not left her house in a quiet inner-city slum in the Indian capital for the past six days on her doctor’s orders. The 22-year-old call center operator is recovering from a severe throat infection and the thick smog now blanketing New Delhi has made even breathing dangerous. “The moment I step outside, I … continue reading -> “‘This City is Not Livable’: New Delhi Residents Decry Dirty Air”
Brazil’s carbon emissions have remained stable despite an increase in deforestation because they were offset by a larger use of clean energy sources such as ethanol and wind power, a report said on Tuesday. Brazilian emissions of gases blamed for global warming reached 1.939 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2018, 0.3% more … continue reading -> “Brazil Carbon Emissions Stable as Clean Energy Use Offsets Deforestation”
Five years ago, a car bound for the Ho Chi Minh City airport from downtown might get stuck in a couple of quick jams, costing just an extra minute. Now big swathes of the Vietnamese financial center are congested, and not just during rush hour. That stationary traffic, with engines idling among canyons of high-rises, … continue reading -> “Industrial Growth Creates Nagging Air Pollution in Vietnam”
North Korea may have stormed away from nuclear talks with the United States, set an end-of-year ultimatum, and fired missiles at a record pace in the second half of this year. But that is not stopping U.S. President Donald Trump from portraying his outreach to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a major foreign … continue reading -> “Heading into 2020, Trump Defends Faltering North Korea Talks as a Win”
It has captured the attention of teenagers, celebrities and global brands. And now U.S. lawmakers and regulators are interested in TikTok, the video app downloaded by 1 billion people. According to Reuters, the U.S. government is launching a national security review into the Chinese company ByteDance’s 2017 acquisition of U.S. app Musical.ly. ByteDance is the … continue reading -> “Fueled by Teenagers, the Video App TikTok Raises Regulators Concerns”
The Daily Orange isn’t daily anymore. The student-run newspaper that has covered Syracuse University since 1903, and trained generations of journalists, now prints three issues per week. Editor-in-chief Haley Robertson wonders where she’ll find advertisers, worries about firing friends, and searches for alumni donors who will pay to send reporters on the road to cover … continue reading -> “Fake News? No Jobs? Prospective Journalists Soldier on”
Dubai-based Mara Group launched in October what it calls Africa’s first smartphone manufacturer in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. Mara Phone says its device is the first high specification, affordable smartphone made in Africa to compete in a market dominated by South Korean and Chinese brands. As Ruud Elmendorp reports from Kigali, customers are starting to … continue reading -> “Made-in-Rwanda Phones Aim for Slice of Africa Market”
An enterprising Minnesota college student who drove to Iowa every weekend to buy hundreds of Krispy Kreme doughnuts that he then sold to his own customers in the Twin Cities area has been warned by the confectionary giant to stop. There have been no Krispy Kreme stores in Minnesota for 11 years. Jayson Gonzalez, 21, … continue reading -> “Krispy Kreme Orders Student to Halt Doughnut Resale Service”
A radio host who helped spread the word in the fight against Ebola has been stabbed to death at his home in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, the army said Sunday. The motive for the murder in the town of Lwemba in the troubled Ituri region was unknown, but it came as health authorities were … continue reading -> “Congolese Anti-Ebola Fighter Killed as New Vaccine Arrives”
McDonald’s chief executive officer has been pushed out of the company after violating company policy by engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee, the corporation said Sunday. The fast food giant said former president and CEO Steve Easterbrook demonstrated poor judgment, and that McDonald’s forbids managers from having romantic relationships with direct or indirect … continue reading -> “McDonald’s CEO Pushed out After Relationship With Employee”
Dense, noxious smog enveloped the Indian capital and surrounding area Sunday, causing residents to suffer from burning eyes, sore throats, and shortness of breath. Pollution levels in New Delhi hit a three-year high, forcing 37 flights to be diverted from the city’s international airport due to low visibility. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said … continue reading -> “New Delhi Gasps as Air Pollution Hits 3-Year High”
In October, California became the first US state to ban sales of animal fur products – the state’s governor signed a series of laws that ban sales of new clothing and accessories made of fur, as well as prohibiting wild animals at circuses. The decision made animal lovers happy but isn’t selling well with stores … continue reading -> “California Becomes First US State To Ban Sale Of Animal Fur Products”
Tharparkar desert in Pakistan’s Sindh province is known for being hot and dry. But a recent heavy rain spell has turned the desert into a lush green landscape. The green explosion is also attracting visitors from the city. VOA’s Muhammad Saqib has more in this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. …
This generation of children are called digital natives because they have grown up in a digital world. But there are two generations of older people and many disadvantaged people for whom the digital world is a mystery. A computer science teacher in Washington DC is working to change that. VOA’s Mykhailo Komadovsky reports. …
GISBORN, NEW ZEALAND – New Zealand has launched an official campaign to revive the indigenous Maori language. The ambitious project is part of an official strategy that sees the revival of the language as a key part in national identity and reconciliation. The language has been surprisingly resilient on its own. Case in point – … continue reading -> “Bid Underway in New Zealand to Revive Maori Language”
A land mine explosion in Afghanistan claimed the lives of 9 children Saturday as they walked to school, according to police. Spokesman Khalil Asir said the mine detonated in the northeastern province of Takhar, killing the children, who were nine to 12 years old. Asir said the Taliban planted anti-personnel mines to clear the … continue reading -> “9 School Children Killed in Afghanistan Land Mine Blast”
Hong Kong police Saturday fired tear gas in an effort to disperse protesters whose rallies in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory show no signs of subsiding. Saturday marked the 22nd consecutive weekend of pro-democracy protests in the territory’s streets. Friday, Shen Chunyaok, the director of the Hong Kong, Macao and Basic Law Commission warned that China … continue reading -> “More Rallies in Hong Kong; Police Fire Tear Gas at Protesters”
The United Nations global climate meeting next month will take place in Madrid rather than Chile, which had to bow out as host on short notice, officials said Friday. U.N. climate chief Patricia Espinosa said representatives of the body that organizes the annual conference had accepted Spain’s offer to host it in the country’s capital … continue reading -> “UN Confirms Madrid as New Location for Climate Summit “
The Washington Nationals will not have to travel far, or wait all that long, to visit the White House, as the World Series champions have a get-together planned with President Donald Trump on Monday. Typically, teams wait until the following season when they are in Baltimore or Washington to visit the White House, but the … continue reading -> “Nationals to Visit White House, Trump on Monday”
Spaniards are voicing outrage after five men were acquitted of rape on the grounds that their 14-year-old victim had been unconscious at the time. The Barcelona-based court ruled Thursday that the men were guilty of the lesser crime of sexual abuse and sentenced them to 10-12 years and fined them 12,000 euros ($13,300). … continue reading -> “Spain: 5 Guilty of Sex Abuse Not Rape as Girl Was Unconscious”
On Aug. 25, 1989, an 8-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis wrote in her journal that it was “the most best day” because scientists had “found a Jean for Cistik fibrosis.” On Thursday, the current head of the National Institutes of Health — who was a member of one of the teams that found the … continue reading -> “Scientists, Patients Hail New Cystic Fibrosis Treatment”
The deaths of 39 migrants in the back of a refrigerated truck near London last week has focused a spotlight on the lives of those who risk everything to earn a better living in Britain. Many of the victims are believed to have traveled from Vietnam. Tamsin Barber, an expert on the Vietnamese diaspora in … continue reading -> “Britain’s Black Economy Draws Vietnamese Migrants”
The Nationals’ World Series victory Wednesday night has brought together fans in a city deeply divided by the impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump. The Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros 6-2 on Wednesday in the seventh game of Major League Baseball’s World Series, earning the team’s first championship win in franchise history. Politics … continue reading -> “DC Residents: Nationals’ Win Temporarily Unites City Divided by Politics”
U.S. President Donald Trump’s attended two fundraisers this week, raking in millions of dollars for the Trump 2020 and House Republican campaigns. The events, both held at Trump’s own properties in Washington and Chicago are drawing continued scrutiny and charges of ethics violations that the president brushes aside. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this … continue reading -> “Fundraisers at Trump Properties Trigger Ethics Concerns”