https://www.voanews.com Voice of America is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.voanews.com/Content/responsive/VOA/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.voanews.com en 2026 - VOA 60 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 07:50:22 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA The Vatican issued an update Saturday on the health of Pope Francis, who remains in Rome’s Gemelli hospital under the care of doctors, saying that while his prognosis remains "complex," the pope is no longer in "imminent danger" of death. On Friday, the Vatican’s Holy See Press Office announced that since Francis’ condition is now considered stable, barring any major developments, updates on his health will be less frequent. The 88-year-old pontiff has spent four weeks in the hospital and is receiving treatment for double pneumonia. Medical bulletins from the pope’s doctors, which had been almost a daily occurrence since his admission to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, will be issued only when there is new information, the press office said Friday. The office emphasized that Francis’ recovery is progressing, but that it will require time to make sure the improvements continue. This also means the Holy See's daily morning update about how the pope spent the night will no longer be issued, which leaves only the evening news briefing for journalists. The Vatican said that this is a "a positive sign" for the Catholic faithful, meaning that no news is essentially good news. Francis is continuing his prescribed medical treatments, which included motor physiotherapy Friday. He alternates between noninvasive mechanical ventilation at night and high-flow oxygenation with nasal cannulas during the day, according to the Vatican. Francis had part of a lung removed as a young man after a pulmonary infection and has in recent years battled recurring bouts of bronchitis. On Thursday, the press office said Francis celebrated the 12th anniversary of his papal election surrounded by health care staff. Part of the pope’s hospital stay comes during the Christian season of Lent. It is the annual 40-day period of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. Lent began on March 5. https://www.voanews.com/a/vatican-francis-stable-out-of-imminent-danger-of-death/8011730.html https://www.voanews.com/a/vatican-francis-stable-out-of-imminent-danger-of-death/8011730.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 14:09:19 -0400 EuropeAmericaswebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) https://www.voanews.com/a/march-15-2025---1800-utc/8011713.html https://www.voanews.com/a/march-15-2025---1800-utc/8011713.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 14:00:00 -0400 Worldwide in Five Britain’s leader encouraged his global counterparts to continue pushing for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine at the start of a virtual meeting Saturday intended to end the fighting between the two countries. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a virtual meeting of mostly European leaders that “sooner or later” Russia would have to engage in talks on reaching a ceasefire in the three-year conflict. He addressed the group, described as a “coalition of the willing,” of mostly European leaders as well as those from Australia, New Zealand and Canada but not the United States. “Sooner or later, he’s going to have to come to the table,” Starmer said of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Moscow to accept a ceasefire deal agreed to by U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said “the ball is in Russia's court.” Putin has said he agrees with a ceasefire in theory, but Russia still has certain conditions and questions that must be addressed before accepting any agreement. In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that Putin is stalling and has demanded so many preconditions “that nothing will work out at all.” Meanwhile, the U.S. has expanded sanctions on Russian oil and gas as well as its financial sectors. Saturday’s discussion among world leaders could address future military and financial support for Ukraine and Zelenskyy’s security concerns if a peace deal is reached. Zelenskyy attended Saturday’s online video session. https://www.voanews.com/a/starmer-sooner-or-later-russia-must-yield-to-peace/8011681.html https://www.voanews.com/a/starmer-sooner-or-later-russia-must-yield-to-peace/8011681.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:56:05 -0400 UkraineEuropewebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) https://www.voanews.com/a/march-15-2025---1400-utc/8011647.html https://www.voanews.com/a/march-15-2025---1400-utc/8011647.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 10:00:00 -0400 Worldwide in Five The replacement crew for the International Space Station was launched late Friday, paving the way for the return home of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, two NASA astronauts stuck on the space station for nine months. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:03 p.m. from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying Crew-10 members: NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russia’s Kirill Peskov. The crew is part of a routine six-month rotation. Crew-10 and the Dragon spacecraft are expected to reach the space station around 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Returning to Earth alongside Wilmore and Williams will be NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Their return is scheduled for Wednesday, to allow for an overlap of the two crews to brief the new team. Wilmore and Williams arrived aboard the International Space Station in June 2024 and expected to stay in space for about 10 days. But their return was delayed after mechanical issues with their spacecraft, which, after weeks of troubleshooting was subsequently sent back to Earth without them. Their return was continually pushed back due to other technical delays. https://www.voanews.com/a/nasa-spacex-launch-crew-to-space-station-to-retrieve-stuck-astronauts/8011575.html https://www.voanews.com/a/nasa-spacex-launch-crew-to-space-station-to-retrieve-stuck-astronauts/8011575.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 06:04:44 -0400 USAScience & Healthwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) https://www.voanews.com/a/march-15-2025---1000-utc/8011574.html https://www.voanews.com/a/march-15-2025---1000-utc/8011574.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0400 Worldwide in Five A California jury Friday imposed a $50 million fine on Starbucks in the case of a delivery driver burned by a scalding cup of hot tea at a company location in Los Angeles. Michael Garcia was picking up three drinks in 2020 but one, he claimed, was "negligently" unsecured and spilled in his lap. He claimed that he consequently "suffered severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals" and he was taken to an emergency room by paramedics. "Michael Garcia’s life has been forever changed," his attorney, Nick Rowley, said. "No amount of money can undo the permanent catastrophic harm he has suffered, but this jury verdict is a critical step in holding Starbucks accountable for flagrant disregard for customer safety and failure to accept responsibility," he added. Starbucks said it planned to appeal the verdict. "We sympathize with Mr. Garcia, but we disagree with the jury’s decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive," company spokesperson Jaci Anderson said in a statement. "We have always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores, including the handling of hot drinks," she added. https://www.voanews.com/a/8011572.html https://www.voanews.com/a/8011572.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 05:47:48 -0400 USAwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) A U.S. federal appeals court Friday lifted a block on the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government, pausing a lower court ruling blocking enforcement of a series of presidential executive orders halting support of DEI initiatives. The three-judge panel on the Fourth Circuit of Appeals, in Richmond, Virginia, found that the directives by President Donald Trump were likely constitutional, disagreeing with a ruling in February by a federal judge in Maryland. The judges are allowing the Trump administration to implement the policy while they consider a final decision on the constitutionality of the orders. U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore had blocked implementation of Trump’s executive order nationwide pending the outcome of a lawsuit brought by the city of Baltimore and groups that claimed, among other things, the executive orders -- one abolishing DEI programs in the federal government and another requiring recipients of federal grants to not operate DEI programs -- improperly targeted constitutionally protected free speech. The Trump administration maintains the orders do not ban or discourage any speech but target instead unlawful discrimination. In addition to directing federal agencies to end diversity programs, the executive orders also precluded federal contractors from having them. Trump also ordered the Justice Department and other agencies to identify businesses, schools and nonprofit organizations that were deemed unlawfully discriminating through DEI policies. https://www.voanews.com/a/us-appeals-court-allows-dei-crackdown/8011570.html https://www.voanews.com/a/us-appeals-court-allows-dei-crackdown/8011570.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 05:35:26 -0400 USAwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) A Friday report by the United Nations says Iran is using advanced technology, including drones, facial recognition and a citizen-reporting app to crack down on violations of its mandatory hijab laws. A key element of the effort is the government-backed Nazer app, which enables the police and "vetted" members of the public to report alleged violations by women in vehicles, including those in ambulances, mass transit and taxis. The report describes the app as allowing users to upload the vehicle license plate, location and time of an alleged violation. It then, according to the report, alerts police. Then, according to the report, the app "triggers a text message (in real-time) to the registered owner of the vehicle, warning them that they had been found in violation of the mandatory hijab laws, and that their vehicles would be impounded for ignoring these warnings." According to the report, authorities are using drones in Tehran and the southern part of the country to monitor hijab compliance in public areas, as well as new facial recognition software said to have been installed last year at the entrance of Tehran’s Amirkabir University. The report is to go to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday. https://www.voanews.com/a/un-iran-using-drones-to-enforce-hijab-law/8011563.html https://www.voanews.com/a/un-iran-using-drones-to-enforce-hijab-law/8011563.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 04:49:23 -0400 IranMiddle EastTechnologywebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) Cuba’s power grid failed Friday night, leaving millions of the island nation’s 10 million residents in the dark. The outage, which began around 8 p.m. Eastern time, affected most of western Cuba, including the capital of Havana. Cuba has struggled with blackouts in recent months, including a nationwide one in December. Friday’s power failure was the fourth widespread one in five months. Government officials blame U.S. economic sanctions for the ongoing crisis, while others point to aging infrastructure, fuel shortages and the island’s susceptibility to hurricanes. Vicente de la O Levy, Cuba's minister of energy and mines, said on X Friday night that the country was making progress in restoring electricity. He gave no reason for the power grid’s crash apart from saying it started at the Diezmero substation, which then caused the National Electric System to fail. Power was still out early Saturday morning; officials gave no estimation of when it would be restored. CNN showed footage from Havana showing the city in darkness and pedestrians walking with flashlights. In October, a dayslong power outage forced some in Havana to resort to cooking over improvised stoves in the street. The situation also spurred protests, a rarity in the communist nation. Protesters blocked streets with heaps of trash before security forces dispersed them. At the time, O Levy dismissed the protests as "isolated and minimal incidents." https://www.voanews.com/a/widespread-power-outage-in-cuba-leaves-millions-in-dark-/8011557.html https://www.voanews.com/a/widespread-power-outage-in-cuba-leaves-millions-in-dark-/8011557.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 04:15:11 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) U.S. weather forecasters warned of the threat of tornados in multiple states this weekend following at least five twisters in the state of Missouri on Friday. Friday's storms left some 100,000 buildings without power as severe weather continued into the night. The tornado risk was expected to continue into the weekend in a slew of states including Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. Accuweather predicted the storm risk to peak from Saturday afternoon to Saturday night. The National Weather Service warned of heavy thunderstorms from the Midwest to the Mississippi Valley, bringing with them the chance of flash flooding, power outages, downed trees and travel disruptions. In Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency on Friday, extending into Sunday. In her proclamation, she said "this severe weather could cause significant damage to public and private property and poses a danger to the health and safety of the people of Alabama, including potential disruption of essential utility systems, personal injury and loss of life." The proclamation means the state National Guard will be on alert and could be activated. Missouri also declared a state of emergency. Forecasters expect the thunderstorms to swamp the South and move toward the East Coast on Saturday night into Sunday. Although the tornado threat is expected to decrease, the East Coast will likely face hail and potentially damaging wind gusts. The storm system is expected to move off into the Atlantic Ocean sometime Sunday night into Monday. https://www.voanews.com/a/forecasters-warn-of-tornadoes-in-us-in-coming-days/8011541.html https://www.voanews.com/a/forecasters-warn-of-tornadoes-in-us-in-coming-days/8011541.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 02:11:12 -0400 USAwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) https://www.voanews.com/a/march-15-2025---0600-utc/8011539.html https://www.voanews.com/a/march-15-2025---0600-utc/8011539.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 02:00:00 -0400 Worldwide in Five Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani announced that Abu Khadija was killed in an operation by Iraqi intelligence with support from coalition forces. Abu Khadija was one of ISIS’s most active leaders, responsible for operations along the Kirkuk, Diyala, and Salahaddin borders. He was seen as the driving force behind ISIS attacks on Iraqi forces. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-senior-isis-leader-killed-in-iraqi-intelligence-operation/8011284.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-senior-isis-leader-killed-in-iraqi-intelligence-operation/8011284.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 01:15:23 -0400 Middle Eastwebdesk@voanews.com (Dilshad Anwar) The case of a man whose confession was made public by Irbil security forces last month has raised questions about how the security forces in the Kurdistan Region treat people they arrest. Human rights groups and lawyers say this is not the first time something like this has happened. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-release-of-man-s-confession-sparks-legal-concerns-/8011458.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-release-of-man-s-confession-sparks-legal-concerns-/8011458.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 01:14:11 -0400 Middle Eastwebdesk@voanews.com (Diyar Jamal) Despite widespread protests, Syria’s newly signed interim constitution is raising deeper concerns about the country’s future. Experts warn that its provisions could form the basis of Syria’s permanent constitution in five years. And many fear the constitution will lead to sectarian rule and threaten Syria’s stability. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-syria-s-interim-constitution-raises-fears-of-sectarian-division-/8011267.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-syria-s-interim-constitution-raises-fears-of-sectarian-division-/8011267.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 01:13:35 -0400 Middle Eastwebdesk@voanews.com (Balen Salih) Despite numerous threats from the security institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent days, Nowroz celebrations are taking place in many cities on Friday across Kurdish regions, two Kurdish human rights groups said. Click here for the full Web story in Kurdish. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-kurds-in-iran-celebrate-nowruz-despite-threats-from-iranian-guards-/8011468.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-kurds-in-iran-celebrate-nowruz-despite-threats-from-iranian-guards-/8011468.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 01:13:10 -0400 Middle Eastwebdesk@voanews.com (Ozlem Yasak) The Saudi crown prince plans to discuss reducing the hours of fasting for Muslims during Ramadan. However, the Kurdistan Regional Government Fatwa Committee says it is not right to follow political decisions on fasting. On the other hand, the former director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs told VOA that if Saudi Arabia makes such a decision, others should consider following it, because Saudi Arabia is still seen as the center of important religious decisions. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-debate-grows-over-proposal-to-shorten-fasting-hours-during-ramadan-/8011485.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-debate-grows-over-proposal-to-shorten-fasting-hours-during-ramadan-/8011485.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 01:12:55 -0400 Middle Eastwebdesk@voanews.com (Snur Karim) Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharia, has signed a five-year constitution, raising concerns among Kurdish parties. Critics say it fails to represent Syria’s diverse communities. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-syria-s-interim-constitution-raises-concerns-among-kurds-observers-/8011492.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-kurdish-syria-s-interim-constitution-raises-concerns-among-kurds-observers-/8011492.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 01:12:40 -0400 Middle Eastwebdesk@voanews.com (Bafraw Nuri) U.S. President Donald Trump promised to seek accountability for those who pursued legal cases against him when he was out of office, speaking Friday at the Justice Department. "Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice. But I stand before you today to declare that those days are over, and they are never going to come back. They're never coming back," Trump said. During his years out of office, the department twice indicted Trump on charges that he illegally stored classified documents at his Florida estate and that he worked to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Both cases were dismissed after Trump won election in November, with the department citing a long-standing policy of not prosecuting a sitting president. "Now, as the chief law enforcement officer in our country, I will insist upon and demand full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that have occurred. The American people have given us a mandate, a mandate like few people thought possible," Trump said. Trump has fired prosecutors who investigated him during the Biden administration and scrutinized thousands of FBI agents who investigated some supporters of the president who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Representative Jamie Raskin, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, called Trump’s speech a "staggering violation of [the] traditional boundary between independent criminal law enforcement and presidential political power." Speaking outside Justice shortly after Trump spoke, Raskin said, "No other president in American history has stood at the Department of Justice to proclaim an agenda of criminal prosecution and retaliation against his political foes." Trump has long been critical of both the department and the FBI. He has installed political allies into top leadership positions at both of those agencies. FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi attended Friday’s talk. In introducing Trump, Bondi said, "We all work for the greatest president in the history of our country. ... He will never stop fighting for us, and we will never stop fighting for him and for our country." During his speech, Trump promised "historic reforms" at the agencies and said, "Under the Trump administration, the DOJ and the FBI will once again become the premier crime fighting agencies on the face of the Earth." His speech had echos of his campaign rallies, with music blaring from speakers before Trump entered the department’s Great Hall and his address hitting on some of the main themes from his campaign, including border security and fighting violent crime. On crime, Trump said that homicides, property crime and robberies rose during the Biden administration. "I have no higher mission as president of the United States than to end this killing and stop this law breaking and to making America safe again. And that's what you're all about in this room. We want to protect Americans, and we protect everybody that's in our country," he said. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-vows-accountability-for-those-who-pursued-him-in-court-cases-/8011522.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-vows-accountability-for-those-who-pursued-him-in-court-cases-/8011522.html Fri, 14 Mar 2025 23:12:18 -0400 USAwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that South Africa's ambassador to Washington had been declared persona non grata, signaling worsening relations between the two countries. In a post on X, Rubio said South Africa's ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, was "no longer welcome in our great country." "Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS [President of the United States]." There has been no immediate response from South Africa's embassy in Washington. Rubio's move came amid tense relations between the U.S. and South Africa. President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order suspending aid to South Africa over a controversial land expropriation act that Trump said would lead to the takeover of white-owned farms. Trump also said that South African farmers were welcome to settle in the United States. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a post on X, defended his government's measure. "We are guided by the Constitution, which places a responsibility on the state to take measures to redress the effects of past racial discrimination," he said. "We have expressed concern about the mischaracterisation of the situation in South Africa and certain of our laws and our foreign policy positions," Ramaphosa said after Trump signed the executive order in early February. https://www.voanews.com/a/us-to-expel-south-africa-ambassador-as-relations-deteriorate/8011493.html https://www.voanews.com/a/us-to-expel-south-africa-ambassador-as-relations-deteriorate/8011493.html Fri, 14 Mar 2025 22:05:55 -0400 Africawebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)