BEIJING/HONG KONG — A 22-year-old Chinese woman’s account of how she was lured into the country’s illegal surrogacy industry before suffering a miscarriage went viral on Chinese social media this week and raised heated debates over women’s rights and social inequality. Surrogacy is banned in China, and authorities have vowed to severely crack down on illegal…
read moreBEIRUT — Declassified 1970s-era U.S. spy satellite imagery has led a British-Iraqi archeological team to what they believe is the site of a seventh-century battle that became decisive in the spread of Islam throughout the region. The Battle of al-Qadisiyah was fought in Mesopotamia — in present-day Iraq — in the A.D. 630s between Arab Muslims…
read moreSydney — Australia, Japan and the U.S. on Sunday committed to closer military cooperation in training their forces as the countries deepened their ties in a bid to counter China’s military strength. Australia’s minister of defense, Richard Marles, hosted U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Japan’s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Sunday for the trilateral ministers’…
read moreNEW YORK — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump celebrated his election victory on Saturday night by attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship event with billionaire friend Elon Musk and cheering fans at a heavily guarded Madison Square Garden in New York City. Known by some in the mixed martial arts world as the “Combatant in Chief,” Trump counts…
read moreBela Karolyi, the charismatic if polarizing gymnastics coach who turned young women into champions and the United States into an international power in the sport, has died. He was 82. USA Gymnastics said Karolyi died Friday. No cause of death was given. Karolyi and wife, Martha, trained multiple Olympic gold medalists and world champions in…
read moreNEW YORK — Health officials said Saturday they have confirmed the first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo. The person had traveled to eastern Africa and was treated in Northern California upon return, according to the California Department of Public Health. Symptoms are improving and the risk…
read moreU.S. President-elect Donald Trump has selected Chris Wright, the founder of an oilfield services company, to lead the Energy Department, as his new administration continues to take shape. The transition team officially announced the choice on Saturday afternoon. On Friday, Trump announced a new National Energy Council to be led by his Interior Department pick,…
read moreLIMA, PERU — President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated the importance of maintaining dialogue to manage the U.S.-China rivalry, at a summit held Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Lima, Peru. The U.S.-China relationship is the “most important” in the world, Biden said, stressing both leaders’…
read moreMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA — On the last night of their lives, Jagdish Patel, his wife and their two young children tried to slip into the U.S. across a near-empty stretch of the Canadian border. Wind chills reached minus 36 Fahrenheit (minus 38 Celsius) that night in January 2022 as the family from India set out on foot…
read moreTikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance is valuing itself at about $300 billion after a recent buyback offer, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, even as the tech giant’s popular TikTok app faces the prospect of a looming ban in the United States. The TikTok parent in recent days told investors it was looking to buy…
read moreRIO DE JANEIRO — As Brazil prepares to welcome leaders from the world’s 20 largest economies for the Group of 20 summit, another event is taking place in Rio de Janeiro, one that brings global civil society to together for pivotal discussions. The Brazil G20 Social Summit, an initiative by the Brazilian government, marks the first…
read moreBAKU, AZERBAIJAN — Hundreds of activists formed a human chain outside one of the main plenary halls at the United Nations climate summit on what is traditionally their biggest protest day during the two-week talks. The demonstration in Baku, Azerbaijan, will be echoed at sites around the world in a global “day of action” for climate…
read moreARLINGTON, TEXAS — Jake Paul beat boxing legend Mike Tyson by unanimous decision to win an intergenerational heavyweight battle in Texas on Friday that failed to live up to its enormous hype. The bout between the 27-year-old social media influencer-turned-prizefighter Paul and the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Tyson was streamed live on Netflix and played out…
read moreCHIPINGE, Zimbabwe — Gertrude Siduna appears to have little appetite for corn farming season. Rather than prepare her land in Zimbabwe’s arid southeastern Chipinge district for the crop that has fed her family for generations — and bitter about repeated droughts that have decimated yields — she turns her thoughts to the prices for chilies and techniques…
read moreBAKU, AZERBAIJAN — The United Nation’s climate chief urged G20 nations on Saturday to push COP29 negotiations toward a deal to raise money for developing nations, warning there was a “long way to go.” Negotiators worked through the night to narrow their differences at the U.N. talks in Baku before ministers arrive next week for the…
read moreWINCHESTER, England — In the half-light of dusk, Martin Edwards surveys the shadows of the ancient woodland from a high seat and waits. He sits still, watching with his thermal camera. Even the hares don’t seem to notice the deer stalker until he takes aim. The bang of his rifle pierces the stillness. He’s killed a…
read moreLONDON — There are certain phrases that Wachuka Gichohi finds difficult to hear after enduring four years of living with long COVID, marked by debilitating fatigue, pain, panic attacks and other symptoms so severe she feared she would die overnight. Among them are normally innocuous statements such as, “Feel better soon” or “Wishing you a quick…
read moreTop Republican members of the House of Representatives say lawmakers have begun discussions about Russia’s war in Ukraine in an effort to carry out President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to quickly end the conflict there. Lawmakers told VOA’s Ukrainian Service that they are optimistic that Trump can achieve his goal. Republican Representative Mike Waltz, who…
read moreU.S. President-elect Donald Trump has selected North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to run the Interior Department, as his new Cabinet continues to take shape. The transition team officially announced the pick Friday, though Trump first announced the selection late Thursday during a dinner at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. Additionally, Trump announced Friday that Burgum also…
read moreSTATE DEPARTMENT — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Taiwan’s envoy to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Lin Hsin-I, on Thursday ahead of the bloc’s Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Lima, Peru. The discussion centered on economic cooperation, as Blinken highlighted in a social media post. “Met with Lin Hsin-i in Lima. We spoke…
read moreBAKU, Azerbaijan — Cities in Asia and the United States emit the most heat-trapping gas that feeds climate change, with Shanghai the most polluting, according to new data that combines observations and artificial intelligence. Seven states or provinces spew more than 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases, all of them in China, except Texas, which…
read moreMELBOURNE, Australia — How do you remove children from the harms of social media? Politically the answer appears simple in Australia, but practically the solution could be far more difficult. The Australian government’s plan to ban children from social media platforms including X, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram until their 16th birthdays is politically popular. The opposition…
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