Hussam Alhallak and his wife kept thinking that the war in Syria would end, or that at least conditions would improve. But it persisted, with gunfire in the streets and bombings that drove the couple and their two young children into their basement for protection.   They just wanted to move away from the violence. The family fled as refugees to Turkey and two years later to the United States, where they are rebuilding a life for themselves far away from war-torn Syria, in the small, working-class city of Rutland, Vermont.   They learned English, and the couple attended community college classes in accounting, all while Alhallak was working early in the morning at a bakery. In February he was offered a job as a tax accountant.   “This is my dream,” said Alhallak, 36, who was an accountant in Damascus. “Thank god for everything. Yeah, yeah, I’m very happy now.” The family has made great strides in a short time. But three years ago, when Rutland’s former Mayor Christopher Louras announced a plan to relocate up to 100 refugees there, it wasn’t clear how they would be received. The plan initially divided the economically depressed city of about 16,400. …

The Group of Seven nations on Monday pledged $20 million to help Amazon countries fight fires, even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said rich countries were treating the region like a “colony.” The G-7 pledge came despite tensions between European countries and the Brazilian president, who suggested the West was angling to exploit Brazil’s natural resources. “Look, does anyone help anyone — not including poor people, you know — without something in return? What have they wanted there for so long?” he said to journalists outside the presidential palace. Bolsonaro has insulted adversaries and allies, disparaged women, blacks and homosexuals, and even praised his country’s 1964-1985 dictatorship. But nothing has rallied more anger at home and criticism from abroad than his response to fires raging in parts of the Amazon region. The far-right populist initially questioned whether activist groups might have started the fires in an effort to damage the credibility of his government. Bolsonaro has called for looser environmental regulations in the world’s largest rainforest to spur development. In response, European leaders threatened to block a major trade deal with Brazil that would benefit the very agricultural interests accused of driving deforestation. In Brazil’s Para state, where fires have …

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he would likely host the 2020 G-7 summit at one of his properties, the Trump National Doral Golf Club resort in Florida. No final decision has been made for next year’s venue, when it is the U.S.’s turn to stage the annual gathering. But Trump, who often touts the beauty and amenities of his clubs and hotels, says the posh, palm tree setting would be perfect for meetings with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Britain, Japan and Canada. He said other leaders “love the location of the hotel, they also like the fact is it right next to the airport for convenience. And it is Miami, Doral, Miami, so it is a great area,” he said as this year’s summit in the Atlantic coastal town of Biarritz, France wound down. “We haven’t had anything that could even come close to competing with it, especially when you look at the location.” The club’s web site touts “a new generation of style and service,” and has four golf courses, including the “Blue Monster” that has hosted major championships in the past and charges golfers $250 to play an 18-hole round. Other G7 leaders have often …

It’s called the “Year of Return,” where people of African descent are encouraged to go to Ghana to mark 400 years since the first enslaved Africans were brought to what became the United States. This week, a delegation from the U.S. civil rights organization National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is in Ghana visiting the sites of their ancestors.  It was a last-minute decision for Morandon Henry to come to Ghana. So far, the NAACP board of directors member has found his visit inspiring, emotional and rewarding. He is part of the group of almost 300 touring Ghana this week. On Thursday, he and some members visited the former home of W. E. B. Du Bois, the African American civil rights activist, historian and a co-founder of the NAACP who moved to Ghana in his later years. Today, his home is a museum and his final resting place in a leafy suburb of Ghana’s capital, Accra. “It is monumental, because he is one of the founders of our organization. And just to come and see the work him and his wife did when they came to Ghana was monumental for me. It was emotional, but just to …

Wildfires have been raging on in Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest.  Environmental organizations and researchers say business interests, emboldened by the country’s new president, are to blame. The government has authorized military intervention. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …

Immigrants, including sex workers, in Botswana could get a lifeline as the southern African country’s cabinet is due to decide on offering free Anti-Retroviral (ARV) treatment to foreigners. An estimated 30,000 migrants in the diamond rich country are HIV positive. Mqondisi Dube has more from Gaborone. …

It’s called the  “Year of Return”, where people of African descent are encouraged to come to Ghana to mark 400 years since the first enslaved Africans were brought to what became the United States. This week a delegation from U.S. civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, is in Ghana visiting the sites of their ancestors.  Stacey Knott reports from Accra. …

U.S. farmers, currently caught in the middle of a trade dispute between the Trump Administration and China, are also facing one of the most erratic years of weather variations, leaving many fields unplanted. Although prices for U.S. corn and soybeans have stabilized despite the weather, new tariffs imposed by China and the uncertain fate of the US, Canada, Mexico Trade Agreement is creating a perfect storm in a season already filled with uncertainty for farmers. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports from Colfax, Illinois. …

It might not be obvious at the supermarket, but the banana industry is fighting to protect the most popular variety of the fruit from a destructive fungus. A disease that ravages banana crops has made its long-dreaded arrival in Latin America, the biggest exporter of the crop. That’s reigniting worries about the global market’s dependence on a single type of banana, the Cavendish, which is known for its durability in shipping. For years, scientists have said big banana companies like Chiquita and Dole would eventually need to find new banana varieties as the disease spread in countries in Asia and elsewhere. Then this month, the fungus was confirmed in Colombia, one of the top exporters in Latin America, prompting officials in the country to declare a state of emergency. Banana industry watchers say it’s more proof the Cavendish’s days are numbered, but that there’s still plenty of time to find alternatives. “I don’t think it’s going to impact the availability of the Cavenidsh in supermarkets anytime soon,” said Randy Ploetz, a retired scientist from the University of Florida who studied tropical plant diseases. While all sorts of bananas are grown around the world for domestic consumption, the ones shipped to places including the United States and the European Union are mostly Cavendishes. It …

Stock markets in Asia traded down Monday as investors processed the latest round of reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States and China. The slump hit major markets in Japan, China and Hong Kong. China’s top trade negotiator Vice Premier Liu He said Monday that China is willing to negotiate with the United States to end the ongoing trade battle, and that China opposes “the escalation of the trade war.” His comments follow those Sunday from Trump, who said he had “second thoughts” about the rising tariffs the two countries have imposed on each other’s goods.  But the White House quickly clarified that he meant that was because he did not raise the taxes even more than he did. Last week, before heading to France for the Group of 7 summit of the leaders of some of the world’s leading economies, Trump boosted tariffs on $550 billion worth of Chinese products shipped to the United States after Beijing said it would raise tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. exports to China, which itself was in retaliation to an earlier Trump tariff hike. On Sunday, as he sat down to a breakfast meeting with new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, …

Nigeria’s agency for combating human trafficking is repatriating and re-settling women who have been subjected to forced labor and prostitution after being smuggled into Europe on false promises of working at well-paying jobs.  Thousands of Nigerian women have been trafficked in recent years, though some were lucky enough to be able to return to their country.  Timothy Obiezu takes a closer look at the story of some human trafficking victims who are now back in Nigeria rebuilding their lives. …

Opera legend Placido Domingo was greeted with a standing ovation in Salzburg, Austria, at his first appearance on stage since nine women accused him of sexual harassment dating back three decades. Even before he sang a single note, Domingo was greeted with a thunderous applause that grew to a crescendo until most of the house was on its feet. “Wonderful public, good performance all,” the Spanish-born singer said as he signed autographs after the performance of Verdi’s tragic opera Luisa Miller.  “I mean, so much love from the public.” The Associated Press reported last week that nine women accused Domingo of using his position as general director at the Los Angeles Opera and elsewhere to try to pressure them into sexual relationships. Several of the woman said he offered them  jobs and then punished them professionally if they refused his advances. Allegations included repeated phone calls, invitations to hotel rooms and his apartment, and unwanted touching and kisses. In a statement to the AP, Domingo called the allegations “deeply troubling and, as presented inaccurate” and that he believed his interactions with the women were consensual. Two U.S. opera houses, in Philadelphia and San Francisco cancelled performances by Domingo after the …

Hong Kong police drew their guns and fired a warning shot Sunday night after protesters attacked officers with sticks and rods, and brought out water cannon trucks for the first time, an escalation in the summerlong protests that have shaken the city’s government and residents. The day’s main showdown took place on a major drag in the outlying Tsuen Wan district following a protest march that ended in a nearby park. While a large crowd rallied in the park, a group of hard-line protesters took over a main street, strewing bamboo poles on the pavement and lining up orange and white traffic barriers and cones to obstruct police. After hoisting warning flags, police used tear gas to try to disperse the crowd. Protesters responded by throwing bricks and gasoline bombs toward the police. The result was a surreal scene of small fires and scattered paving bricks on the street between the two sides, rising clouds of tear gas and green and blue laser lights pointed by the protesters at the police. The protesters eventually decided to abandon their position. Two water cannon trucks and a phalanx of police vehicles with flashing lights joined riot police on foot as they advanced …

Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees rallied to mark the second anniversary of their exodus out of Myanmar. Almost 200,000 Rohingya participated in a peaceful gathering, which was attended by UN officials, at the Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar on Sunday. More than a million Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar’s Rakhine state now live in southern Bangladesh in the world’s largest refugee settlement. The majority having fled military-led violence in 2017 that the United Nations says was executed with “genocidal intent”. Refugees say Myanmar’s security forces and Buddhist civilians carried out mass killings and gang rapes during weeks of “clearance operations”. Myanmar has denied the charges, saying only that the military was conducting legitimate operations against Rohingya insurgents who attacked police posts. The rally was held days after Bangladesh, with the help of the U.N. refugee agency, attempted to begin the repatriation of some 3,000 Rohingyas. But none of the refugees agreed to return to Myanmar without being granted a citizenship and guaranteed basic rights. The UNHCR said that building confidence was essential for repatriation. For centuries, Myanmar has refused to recognize the Rohingya as legitimate residents of the country. They were denied citizenship and subjected to tight restrictions on …

At a meeting of leaders of the most advanced democracies in Biarritz, France, deep divisions are coming out into the open between U.S. President Donald Trump and his counterparts on issues including the trade war with China, how to handle Iran and bringing Russia back into the group. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara is there covering the G-7 summit and brings this report …

Recent airstrikes carried out by Israel against Iranian targets in Syria and Iraq highlight a clear escalation of tensions between the two rival countries, analysts warn. Several Israeli airstrikes hit Iranian targets late Saturday near the Syrian capital, Israeli military said. The late Saturday attack that hit an Iranian military target near the Syrian capital of Damascus came as a response to a drone attack that Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force was planning to carry out on Israeli territory, according to Ronen Manelis, an Israeli military spokesperson. Prior to the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a tweet that his military was able to foil the planned Iranian drone attack on Israel. “In a major operational effort, we have thwarted an attack against Israel by the Iranian Quds Force and Shi’ite militias,” he said, adding that Israeli “forces operate in every sector against the Iranian aggression.” Clear links Last month, Israel reportedly launched another attack on a Shi’ite militia base in Iraq that was used as an Iranian weapons depot. While Iraqi and Israeli governments have not confirmed who was behind the attack, U.S. officials said last week that Israel was responsible for the July attack in …

A former Republican Congressman says he’ll launch a primary challenge to US President Donald Trump in 2020. Joe Walsh is now the second candidate to unveil a challenge to President Trump from within his own party, as VOA’s Elizabeth Cherneff tells us in this report …

Astronaut Anne McClain has denied reports that she may have committed the first crime in space. McClain’s estranged wife, Summer Worden, accused the astronaut of accessing her bank account while on a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station, The New York Times first reported. “There’s unequivocally no truth to these claims,” McClain wrote on Twitter. “We’ve been going through a painful, personal separation that’s now unfortunately in the media.” McClain’s lawyer told investigators that the astronaut had accessed the bank records while aboard the ISS in order to monitor the couple’s combined finances — something she had done over the course of their relationship, the Times reported. Worden has not accused McClain of moving or using the money in the account she accessed, the Times reported. Worden, a former Air Force intelligence officer, filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission accusing McClain of identity theft for improperly viewing the account. Soon after, her family filed a second complaint with NASA’s Office of Inspector General. NASA has touted McClain’s accomplishments saying, “”Lt Col. Anne McClain has an accomplished military career, flew combat missions in Iraq and is one of NASA’s top astronauts.”     …

Leaders of the Group of Seven nations said Sunday they are preparing to help Brazil battle fires burning across the Amazon region and repair the damage even as tens of thousands of soldiers got ready to join the fight against blazes that have caused global alarm. French President Emmanuel Macron said the summit leaders were nearing an agreement on how to support Brazil and said the agreement would involve both technical and financial mechanisms “so that we can help them in the most effective way possible.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country and others will talk with Brazil about reforestation in the Amazon once fires there have been extinguished. “Of course (this is) Brazilian territory, but we have a question here of the rainforests that is really a global question,” she said. “The lung of our whole Earth is affected, and so we must find common solutions.” Pope Francis also added his voice to the chorus of concern over the fires in Brazil, which borders his homeland of Argentina, and urged people to pray so that “they are controlled as quickly as possible.” He told a crowd in St. Peter’s Square that “we’re all worried” about the Amazon fires. …

When starlight from billions of years ago zips across the universe and finally comes into focus on Earth, astronomers want their telescopes to be in the best locations possible to see what’s out there. Despite years of legal battles and months of protests by Native Hawaiian opponents, the international coalition that wants to build the world’s largest telescope in Hawaii insists that the islands’ highest peak — Mauna Kea — is the best place for their $1.4 billion instrument. But just barely. Thirty Meter Telescope officials acknowledge that their backup site atop a peak on the Spanish Canary island of La Palma is a comparable observatory location, and that it wouldn’t cost more money or take extra time to build it there. There’s also no significant opposition to putting the telescope on La Palma like there is in Hawaii, where some Native Hawaiians consider the mountain sacred and have blocked trucks from hauling construction equipment to Mauna Kea’s summit for more than a month. But Hawaii has advantages that scientists say make it slightly better: higher altitude, cooler temperatures, and rare star-gazing moments that will allow the cutting-edge telescope to reach its full potential. “Every once in a while at …

Sudan’s new prime minister says in an interview that ending his country’s international pariah status and drastically cutting military spending are prerequisites for rescuing a faltering economy. Abdalla Hamdok, a well-known economist, told The Associated Press on Sunday that he has already talked to U.S. officials about removing Sudan from Washington’s list of countries sponsoring terrorism and portrayed their reaction as positive. He says that “a democratic Sudan is not a threat to anybody in the world.” He also hopes to drastically cut Sudan’s military spending which he says makes up a large chunk of the state budget. Hamdok was sworn in last week as the leader of Sudan’s transitional government. His appointment came four months after the overthrow of autocratic leader Omar al-Bashir, who ruled for nearly three decades. …

 Two members of an Iran-backed Iraqi paramilitary force say that a new drone attack has killed one commander and wounded another near the border with Syria.   Officials from the Hezbollah Brigades, separate from the Lebanese groups of the same name, said the drone attack occurred Sunday near the Qaim border crossing.    The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists about the matter.    Iraq’s Hezbollah Brigades operate under the umbrella of the state-sanctioned militias known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces. Many of them are supported by Iran.    If confirmed, it would be the latest in a series of attacks that have targeted PMF bases and weapons depot in Iraq. U.S. officials have said that Israel was behind at least one of them.   …

Last updated at 2:40p.m. Iran’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, showed up Sunday at the French city hosting the G7 summit of top world leaders, but did not meet with U.S. officials during the brief visit. Zarif’s appearance in Biarritz, where U.S. President Donald Trump has been meeting with leaders of six other countries, came as a surprise.   When asked about the development, Trump had no comment. But Zarif’s visit was at the behest of French President Emmanuel Macron, who has had talks with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, about tensions in the Persian Gulf region that stem from Trump’s withdrawal last year from the 2015 international accord aimed at restraining Tehran’s nuclear weapons program. Macron had met with Zarif on Friday in Paris before the summit opened, but invited him back to the Atlantic coastal town where the summit is being held after tense exchanges among the world leaders about Iran at their Saturday night dinner. Demonstrators of the National Council of Resistance of Iran demonstrate on the Trocadero square Friday, Aug. 23, 2019 in Paris as Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif is in France. Poster reads: get out. Asked about a possible Trump meeting with Zarif, …

As a young scholar, Elizabeth Warren traveled to federal courthouses, studying families overwhelmed by debt. She brought along a photocopier, gathering reams of statistics as she tried to answer one question: Why were these folks going bankrupt?    Warren, then a law professor, wasn’t satisfied with textbook explanations; she wanted to hear directly from people drowning in debt. So she sat in courtrooms, listening to one hard-luck story after another. She interviewed lawyers and judges, duplicated bankruptcy filings on a sturdy copier _ nicknamed R2-D2 _ that she hauled around to save printing costs. And she was joined in her research by two professor-colleagues who teamed with her to study those documents and build a database.    Warren had suspected bankruptcy court might be a last stop for deadbeats, or maybe the very poor. Instead, she discovered mostly middle-class people, many of them homeowners with college degrees who’d suffered one bad break – an illness, a divorce, a job loss. It was the kind of cruel twist that seemed all too familiar: When Warren was 12 years old, her father, a carpet salesman, had a heart attack. The family’s station wagon was repossessed, and her mother went to work in a …