Voice of America

washington — Thousands of policymakers, health care professionals and advocates gathered this week in Munich, Germany, to take stock of the global fight against HIV as they try to meet the 2030 deadline set by world leaders for eliminating AIDS as a public health threat. Advocates hailed sub-Saharan Africa’s progress in the global HIV response, with tens of millions of people now on lifesaving drugs. A new UNAIDS survey released during the conference reported that “approximately 30.7 million... Читать дальше...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced criticism from a press advocacy group as he visited Washington this week to address Congress and hold talks at the White House. Robin Guess reports from Washington.

ottawa — A massive wildfire that destroyed about a third of the western Canadian tourist town of Jasper is still out of control, but rain and cooler conditions are helping firefighters, authorities said on Friday.  Jasper is in the middle of Alberta's mountainous Jasper National Park, a major tourist attraction. The town and park, which draw more than 2 million tourists a year to this area of the Rocky Mountains, were evacuated on Monday.  "Rain and cooler temperatures and the incredibly hard... Читать дальше...

CARACAS, Venezuela — The future of Venezuela is on the line. Voters will decide Sunday whether to reelect President Nicolas Maduro, whose 11 years in office have been beset by crisis, or allow the opposition a chance to deliver on a promise to undo the ruling party's policies that caused economic collapse and forced millions to emigrate.  Historically fractured opposition parties have coalesced behind a single candidate, giving the United Socialist Party of Venezuela its most serious electoral challenge in a presidential election in decades.

Manzini, Eswatini  — Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is the only country left in Africa that maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province. Eswatini is nevertheless a growing trade partner with China, which means the country has to be careful as it reaches out to other nations in Asia for new economic opportunities. Eswatini's recent efforts to build stronger ties with South Korea, Singapore and Bhutan could be interpreted as a move away from China, its biggest trading partner in Asia. Читать дальше...

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s minister for information technology and telecommunication confirmed Friday the government is implementing an internet firewall but rejected talk that the tool will curb free speech online, defending it as a cybersecurity upgrade. “It’s a system. It is not a physical wall that we are putting up,” Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the state minister, told VOA. “It will not curb anything.” The junior minister, currently the ministry’s top official, defended the government’s decision to... Читать дальше...

Attacks, arrests and restrictions on journalists including over coverage of youth demonstrations is causing concern among Kenyan media. Journalists are taking to the streets to protest. Juma Majanga covered the protests and filed this report from Nairobi, Kenya. Camera: Amos Wangwa

washington — The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security. "Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly... Читать дальше...