Even though former President Barack Obama has taken a more active role recently to support presumptive Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, the ex-president has, for the most part, refrained from publicly criticizing his successor, President Donald Trump. But as VOA’s Brian Padden reports, many Democrats are urging Obama to become high profile surrogate for Biden by directly confronting Trump’sRead more
Protests erupted Tuesday for a third straight night in Belarus after the top opposition candidate in Sunday’s presidential election fled the country for her children’s safety.Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya sent a video message to her supporters asking them to forgive her going to Lithuania at this time.“It was a very hard decision to make. I know thatRead more
The wife of a jailed Iranian teachers union leader says her husband and five other dissidents have tested positive for the coronavirus in a Tehran prison that has transferred them to rooms where they cannot maintain social distance. In a Monday interview with VOA Persian from her home in Tehran, the wife of Esmail Abdi saidRead more
Kamala Harris, a U.S. senator from California and former presidential candidate, is Joe Biden’s vice presidential running mate, the Biden campaign announced Tuesday, via a tweet to supporters. Biden’s one-time opponent has made headlines for her sharp criticism of him on the campaign trail, alongside controversy over her time as a prosecutor in California. “@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he’s spent his lifeRead more
Months after her presidential campaign collapsed amid questions over her political identity, Kamala Harris suddenly and forcefully found her voice – and at a fortuitous time. Harris, a 55-year-old U.S. senator from California, was chosen by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as his running mate on Tuesday, making history as the first Black woman and Asian-AmericanRead more
Tensions are flaring in an eastern Syria province after the assassinations of several powerful Arab tribal leaders, with U.S.-backed forces accusing Islamic State (IS) sleeper cells and Syrian government proxies of carrying out such attacks to cause instability in the former IS stronghold. In the past two weeks, three leaders of the al-Agidat and al-BaggaraRead more
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has chosen California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated for a major party’s ticket.“I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy,Read more
Egypt on Tuesday reopened Gaza’s main passenger crossing point for the first time in months for thousands of Palestinians who have been stranded on both sides of the border due to the coronavirus crisis. Gaza residents holding Egyptian passports or foreign passports and patients seeking treatment abroad were to leave through the Rafah crossing point during itsRead more
Five U.S. states are holding an array of elections on Tuesday, with Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a staunch critic of President Donald Trump, facing a stiff challenge in a Democratic primary in her Minneapolis district.Omar, a Somali American, is one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress. She is seeking nomination for a secondRead more
The Taliban reaffirmed Tuesday its commitment to ending violence in Afghanistan, while emphasizing that a comprehensive cease-fire has to be discussed during intra-Afghan peace negotiations due to begin later this month.The proposed talks are an outcome of the agreement the United States sealed with the Taliban in February to end the nearly 19-year-old Afghan war,Read more
The World Health Organization said Tuesday said it was holding talks with Russia regarding its recently approved COVID-19 vaccine. Russia on Tuesday became the first country to approve a vaccine for use in tens of thousands of its citizens. In an appearance on Russian television, President Vladimir Putin claimed the vaccine has proven efficient and hasRead more
A keffiyeh on her head and the Lebanese flag in her hand, Cerine Bader was out on the streets with a mission: to join a revolution against the political elite whom she saw as corrupt, inefficient, and self-serving. She was among thousands of others who had gathered at Martyrs Square in Beirut, the heart ofRead more