https://www.voanews.com/z/616 americas https://www.voanews.com/Content/responsive/VOA/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.voanews.com/z/616 en 2026 - VOA 60 Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:29:57 -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... 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 Europewebdesk@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... 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) This week, BlackRock, one of the largest U.S. asset management firms, signed an agreement with CK Hutchison Holdings to acquire 90% of Panama Ports Company, which operates the crucial Balboa and Cristobal ports. The acquisition comes amid U.S. concerns that the Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison could create a strategic foothold for China in the Panama Canal. The deal also addresses some of the U.S.’s strategic anxieties for now, yet the implications extend beyond the Canal’s waters. The agreement... https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-mandarin-blackrock-makes-major-move-in-panama/8010120.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-mandarin-blackrock-makes-major-move-in-panama/8010120.html Fri, 14 Mar 2025 14:55:50 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Lin Yang) Haitian armed gangs set fire overnight to Radio Television Caraibes building in downtown Port-au-Prince, not far from the National Palace. RTVC had moved its daily operations to the suburb of Petionville because of a spike in gang violence. However, its downtown office contained equipment and a series of television and radio studios.  Click here for the full story in Creole. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-haiti-gangs-set-fire-to-rtvc-media-office-in-port-au-prince-/8010394.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-haiti-gangs-set-fire-to-rtvc-media-office-in-port-au-prince-/8010394.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 22:49:39 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Wilner Bossou) China’s Foreign Ministry says China is committed to Panama Canal neutrality and has never interfered in its operation. VOA’s Leonid Martynyuk explains why this is misleading. https://www.voanews.com/a/china-misleads-on-involvement-in-panama-canal/8010384.html https://www.voanews.com/a/china-misleads-on-involvement-in-panama-canal/8010384.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 20:32:44 -0400 Polygraphwebdesk@voanews.com (Leonid Martynyuk) washington — A Guatemalan judge ordered prominent journalist Jose Ruben Zamora back to prison this week in a move that the leader of his legal team called “inhumane.”Zamora on Monday returned to Mariscal Zavala prison in Guatemala City on the orders of Judge Erick Garcia, whose decision came after another court revoked house arrest from the elPeriodico founder.The publisher is awaiting another trial in a money-laundering case that press freedom groups say is politically motivated.“We’re very... https://www.voanews.com/a/publisher-zamora-reimprisoned-in-guatemala-in-move-his-lawyers-call-inhumane-/8010046.html https://www.voanews.com/a/publisher-zamora-reimprisoned-in-guatemala-in-move-his-lawyers-call-inhumane-/8010046.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 19:03:04 -0400 Press Freedomwebdesk@voanews.com (Liam Scott) CHARLEVOIX, QUEBEC — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations gathered Thursday in Charlevoix, Quebec, as host country Canada outlined its top agenda, focusing on achieving a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine” and strengthening security and defense partnerships as the G7 marks 50 years.During the opening remarks, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said, “Peace and stability is on the top of our agenda, and I look forward to discussing how we can continue to... https://www.voanews.com/a/ukraine-peace-global-security-top-g7-agenda-as-diplomats-convene-in-canada-/8010030.html https://www.voanews.com/a/ukraine-peace-global-security-top-g7-agenda-as-diplomats-convene-in-canada-/8010030.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 17:46:06 -0400 Ukrainewebdesk@voanews.com (Nike Ching) Armed gangs attacked the Carrefour Feuilles neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, on Tuesday. According to VOA Creole's reporter on the ground, the attack lasted four hours, during which gangs set fire to homes and pillaged their contents. One eyewitness told VOA at least one person was shot. Many residents fled the area.Click here for the full story in Creole. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-armed-gangs-attack-neighborhood-in-haiti-/8008756.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-armed-gangs-attack-neighborhood-in-haiti-/8008756.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 02:05:20 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Wilner Bossou) BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Argentine retirees and fans of several soccer teams clashed with police Wednesday during a protest in front of Congress in the capital, Buenos Aires, against the economic policies implemented by the government of President Javier Milei.What started as a peaceful demonstration escalated into violent clashes as police deployed water cannons, tear gas and pellets against stone-throwing protesters.For weeks, Buenos Aires retirees have held weekly protests demanding... https://www.voanews.com/a/argentines-protesting-austerity-measures-clash-with-police/8009041.html https://www.voanews.com/a/argentines-protesting-austerity-measures-clash-with-police/8009041.html Wed, 12 Mar 2025 21:26:34 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) PENTAGON — The United States has cleared out the last migrants being held at its naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, sending them back to the U.S. mainland as they await deportation.Two U.S. defense officials told VOA on Wednesday that 40 detainees, including 23 “high-threat illegal aliens” incarcerated at the base’s detention center, were flown to Louisiana on Tuesday.The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operation, said the detainees were flown aboard a... https://www.voanews.com/a/us-clears-out-remaining-migrants-from-guantanamo-bay/8008349.html https://www.voanews.com/a/us-clears-out-remaining-migrants-from-guantanamo-bay/8008349.html Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:13:51 -0400 Immigrationwebdesk@voanews.com (Jeff Seldin) U.S. trade wars with Canada and the European Union intensified on Wednesday, with President Donald Trump and the United States’ normally allied countries imposing new levies on each other.The United States enacted 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports on 35 countries, including Canada and the 27-nation EU, and ending previous exemptions that also had been in place for imports from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Japan, Mexico and South Korea.“In my judgment, these... https://www.voanews.com/a/us-enacts-tariffs-on-all-steel-aluminum-imports/8007751.html https://www.voanews.com/a/us-enacts-tariffs-on-all-steel-aluminum-imports/8007751.html Wed, 12 Mar 2025 01:28:50 -0400 USAwebdesk@voanews.com (Ken Bredemeier, Chris Hannas) Medecins Sans Frontiere says cholera is on the rise in Haiti. The nongovernmental health organization, also known as Doctors Without Borders, says 150 Haitians were treated for cholera between Feb. 15 and March 6. The Cite Soleil neighborhood reported 19 infections. MSF expressed concern about the trend as Haitians have less access to clean water at a time when gang violence victims are living on the streets in unsanitary conditions.  Click here for the full story in Creole. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-msf-reports-150-new-cholera-cases-in-haiti-/8007305.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-msf-reports-150-new-cholera-cases-in-haiti-/8007305.html Tue, 11 Mar 2025 17:20:28 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Wilner Bossou) U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war with Canada on Tuesday, doubling the 25% U.S. tariff on its northern neighbor’s steel and aluminum exports to 50% after Canada’s Ontario provincial leader said he is adding a 25% levy on electricity sold to 1.5 million American customers.In an all-caps post on his Truth Social media platform, Trump called Canada “one of the highest tariffing nations anywhere in the world.” The president said the doubled U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs would... https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-escalates-trade-war-doubles-tariffs-on-canada-steel-aluminum/8006924.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-escalates-trade-war-doubles-tariffs-on-canada-steel-aluminum/8006924.html Tue, 11 Mar 2025 12:53:42 -0400 USAwebdesk@voanews.com (Ken Bredemeier) TORONTO — Canada’s next prime minister met with outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday and vowed a quick transition.  Mark Carney said he had a long meeting with Trudeau in which they discussed U.S.-Canada relations, national security issues and the timing of the handover in power.  “That transition will be seamless and it will be quick,” said Carney, adding there would be an announcement soon.  Carney, a two-time central bank chief, will become prime minister after the... https://www.voanews.com/a/newly-elected-canadian-prime-minister-promises-quick-transition/8005930.html https://www.voanews.com/a/newly-elected-canadian-prime-minister-promises-quick-transition/8005930.html Mon, 10 Mar 2025 18:38:13 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) Alotenango, Guatemala — Guatemalan authorities evacuated around a thousand people on Monday after Central America's most active volcano erupted, spewing lava, ash and rocks. Residents with traumatic memories of a deadly eruption in 2018 sought refuge after the Fuego volcano exploded spectacularly 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the capital Guatemala City. "We heard the rumblings and then a strong eruption," Manuel Cobox, 46, told AFP after leaving his home with his wife and... https://www.voanews.com/a/residents-evacuated-as-guatemalan-volcano-spews-lava-rocks-/8005895.html https://www.voanews.com/a/residents-evacuated-as-guatemalan-volcano-spews-lava-rocks-/8005895.html Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:47:28 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Agence France-Presse) TORONTO — Former central banker Mark Carney will become Canada's next prime minister after a Liberal Party leadership vote in a landslide. Carney is 59. He was born in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, on March 16, 1965, and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Credentials Carney ran the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020. After helping Canada manage the worst impacts of the 2008 financial crisis, he was recruited to become the first non-Brit to run... https://www.voanews.com/a/who-is-mark-carney-the-next-prime-minister-of-canada-/8004842.html https://www.voanews.com/a/who-is-mark-carney-the-next-prime-minister-of-canada-/8004842.html Sun, 09 Mar 2025 22:04:34 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) Bahía Blanca, Argentina — Argentine authorities on Sunday raised the death toll from flash flooding in the port city of Bahia Blanca to 16 people, while divers searched for two young girls who were swept away in raging waters. The city, located in the south of Buenos Aires province and home to one of the country's largest ports, saw a year's worth of rain in a matter of hours on Friday, with numerous neighborhoods and roads quickly inundated. Mayor Federico Susbielles said in a... https://www.voanews.com/a/argentina-flooding-death-toll-rises-to-16-two-girls-missing/8004834.html https://www.voanews.com/a/argentina-flooding-death-toll-rises-to-16-two-girls-missing/8004834.html Sun, 09 Mar 2025 21:51:27 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Agence France-Presse) Panama City — After weeks of lawsuits and human rights criticism, Panama on Saturday released dozens of migrants who were held for weeks in a remote camp after being deported from the United States, telling them they have 30 days to leave the Central American nation. It thrust many like Hayatullah Omagh, a 29-year-old who fled Afghanistan in 2022 after the Taliban took control, into a legal limbo, scrambling to find a path forward. “We are refugees. We do not have money. We cannot pay for... https://www.voanews.com/a/panama-releases-dozens-of-detained-deportees-from-us-into-limbo/8004560.html https://www.voanews.com/a/panama-releases-dozens-of-detained-deportees-from-us-into-limbo/8004560.html Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:46:54 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Ottawa, Canada — Former central banker Mark Carney won the race to become leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as prime minister, official results showed Sunday. Carney will take over at a tumultuous time in Canada, which is amid a trade war with longtime ally the United States and must hold a general election soon. Carney, 59, beat former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland who came in second place in a contest in which just over 150,000 party... https://www.voanews.com/a/canada-s-liberal-party-voting-on-pm-trudeau-successor/8004533.html https://www.voanews.com/a/canada-s-liberal-party-voting-on-pm-trudeau-successor/8004533.html Sun, 09 Mar 2025 18:14:31 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump is keeping new tariffs in place on Mexico, Canada and China to pressure them to block the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the United States, top White House economic officials said Sunday. "If fentanyl ends, I think these [tariffs] will come off,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told NBC’s “Meet the Press” show. “But if fentanyl does not end, or he's uncertain about it, he will stay this way until he is comfortable,” he said. "This is... https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-to-keep-tariffs-to-pressure-mexico-canada-china-on-fentanyl-aides-say/8004380.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-to-keep-tariffs-to-pressure-mexico-canada-china-on-fentanyl-aides-say/8004380.html Sun, 09 Mar 2025 13:02:44 -0400 USAwebdesk@voanews.com (Ken Bredemeier)