Headlines- On Monday at 14:00 GMT, the US military says it would start blockading Iranian ports, preventing ships from entering or leaving Iran from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
- In the southern town of Biyyada, Hezbollah claims that its men have attacked Israeli soldiers with "a swarm of attack drones."
- US President Donald Trump's threat to block the Strait of Hormuz was deemed "ridiculous" by Iran's navy chief, Shahram Irani.
- Any military ships approaching the Strait of Hormuz "will be considered a violation of the ceasefire and will be met with severe force," according to a statement released on Sunday by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
- The speaker of Iran's parliament Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf is leading the delegation that has arrived to Pakistan for talks with the United States.
- Nawaf Salam, the prime minister of Lebanon, stated that he was working to ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces and to put an end to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
- Viktor Orban, the longtime prime minister of Hungary, has conceded defeat to Peter Magyar in the country's legislative election.
Month: April 2021
Ramadan Smart Prayer Apps
During Ramadan many mosques are open, but because of attendance limits there’s no guarantee of a place to pray. But new phone apps can help solve that problem, as VOA’s Yuni Salim found
Asians Dominate Oscar Nominations-Here’s Why It...
Six of this year’s Oscar contenders are Asian or Asian-American, reflecting a greater diversity at this year’s Academy Awards
COVID-19 Not Spreading in Remote Nation...
Vanuatu, a remote chain of more than 80 islands in the Pacific, is one of the few countries in the world where the coronavirus has not spread. How did they do it?
Africa Malaria Vaccine
In an exclusive interview with VOA, the director of Oxford University’s Jenner Institute says their new malaria vaccine, tested in Burkina Faso, has shown a preliminary efficacy rate of 77%, which could help prevent over 400,000 deaths a year, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa
Xinjiang Authorities Sentence Prominent Uyghur Author...
Authorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have sentenced a prominent Uyghur author, whose work was targeted in a book burning campaign following his detention four years ago, to 20 years in prison, according to officials
UN General Assembly Holds Interactive Multi-Stakeholder...
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, addresses the General Assembly interactive multi-stakeholder hearing held as part of the preparatory process for the 2021 High-level meeting on HIV/AIDS
Diversity at the Oscars
This year’s Oscar nominations by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences are the most diverse ever
A Day In The Life Of...
Most Ukrainian hospitals are overwhelmed with coronavirus patients. The number of hospitalizations over the past month has increased dramatically and many medical facilities are suffering from an acute oxygen shortage
Deep Inside Chernobyl’s Radioactive Ruins
RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service correspondent Yevhen Solonyna ventured inside the concrete sarcophagus of Chernobyl’s Reactor No. 4 in 2018 for a rare and risky glimpse at the stricken power plant’s radioactive ruins
China’s Arrest of Tibetan Writers Blocks...
Beginning in 2008—when widespread protests against Chinese rule swept Tibetan regions—and until 2010, nearly 60 influential Tibetan poets, writers, and other literary figures and academics were arrested by Chinese police, with the whereabouts of many still unknown, Gyal said.