Headlines- While Iran's economy, military, and leadership have all significantly deteriorated, US President Donald Trump claims that the Strait of Hormuz is in "extremely good shape," adding that "it doesn't mean we won't smack them to see what happens."
- An apparent mentally unstable woman was shot and killed by New York City police after allegedly stabbing two people in Times Square.
- Leaders from more than a dozen countries, including Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian, China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi, and Russia's Vladimir Putin, gathered in Kyrgyzstan on Monday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
- On Monday, Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of Spain, accused Russian and Israeli-linked social media platforms of spreading disinformation regarding the July refugee crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
- On Monday, US President Donald Trump's administration was given permission by the US Supreme Court to proceed with the $400 million White House ballroom construction project.
- At least 750 people killed and another 3000 went missing on Wednesday after landslides caused by a glacial collapse unleashed a torrent of mud and water across Nepal and China's autonomous region of Tibet.
Tag: Coronavirus Detection
Coronavirus Constrains Centuries Old Muslim Traditions
The coronavirus outbreak threatens to upend Muslim traditions that have been practiced for almost 1,500 years. The pandemic has forced many governments to order unprecedented restrictions on movement, gathering, and collective prayers. VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem brings us the story of the world’s nearly 2 billion Muslims and how they will spend their holiest month Ramadan, which is starting this week
India Communities Join the Fight to...
As the coronavirus pandemic raises the specter of hunger in India for tens of thousands who have lost livelihoods, communities are cooking tens of thousands of meals for those in need. The efforts range from small to big ones
For Israeli and Palestinian Muslims, This...
The holy month of Ramadan is set to begin later this week for the world’s two billion Muslims. It is a month of fasting, family gatherings, and prayer in mosques. But all over the Muslim world, “shelter in place” orders will keep people at home. In Israel, the government is expected to announce a nightly curfew on Arab towns and East Jerusalem to keep people inside
Malawi Health Workers Face Stigma, Discrimination...
Malawi so far has confirmed 33 cases of COVID-19 and three deaths. But health workers say they are presumed to carry the virus, shunned in public, refused access to public transport, and even evicted from rented homes
COVID-19: Stuck in Lockdown
Police in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, detained several people who gathered to demonstrate against the government’s COVID-19 lockdown measures. Some protesters were forced into police cars and fined around $1,000 after officers broke up the April 23 demonstration
Hard Hit by COVID, Spain Slowly...
Spain, with one of the highest death tolls from coronavirus, enacted strict social-distancing measures in mid-March. But with the number of infections and deaths now slowing down, the Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced the kingdom is cautiously moving to relax those measures~VOA NEWS
End Prosecution of Bloggers for Criticizing...
Within the region, Tunisia enjoys a relatively high degree of political freedom. However, the past two years have seen a number of criminal prosecutions related to freedom of expression – many of which have used outdated laws from the era of ousted President Ben-Ali to prosecute critics for defamation and insulting state officials and institutions
Experts: Sufficient Testing, Hospital Capacity, PPE...
Several countries around the world, including Germany and South Korea, and a number of U.S. states are easing their coronavirus lockdown restrictions this week. But experts caution that a number of conditions need to be in place before people leave their homes and head back out to churches, shops, restaurants and beaches
COVID-19: US Medical Supply Volunteers
Medical students from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. have launched a volunteer organization called Med Supply Drive to help doctors get very needed medical supplies during the coronavirus pandemic. The students collect as many face masks, gloves, disinfectants and hand sanitizers as they can from tattoo parlors and labs to pass along to doctors who are working round the clock to save people
US Food Supply Strained Even as...
With more Americans cooking at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, grocery stores face higher consumer demand for food and other products precisely when the nation’s supply chain is being strained. While shortages of some basic goods have raised concerns about the U.S. food supply, VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports from the state of Wisconsin – America’s dairy capital – that bare store shelves don’t necessarily mean the nation is running out of food