US to stick with Kurdish allies in Syria
Voice of America
A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters.
The fall of the Assad regime in Syria will not impact U.S. support, at least for now, for one of Washington’s most steadfast allies in the fight against the Islamic State terror group, according to senior American officials.
People take shelter at a metro station during an air raid alert, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, December 25, 2024.
FILE - A man looks at the social media platform TikTok on his smartphone in Hanoi on October 6, 2023.
Loraine Mwanza, chairperson of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), speaks at the launch of the USAID-Funded MISA Freedom of Expression Report at the Protea Hotel in Lusaka, Dec. 17, 2024. (Kathy Short for VOA)
FILE - U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighters stand guard at Al Naeem Square, in Raqqa, Syria, Feb. 7, 2022.
France's newly appointed Prime Minister Francois Bayrou looks on after the handover ceremony at the Hotel Matignon , the Prime Minister residence, in Paris, Dec. 13, 2024.
FILE - Families with young children pose for photos in Beijing, Feb. 13, 2021. Struggling with an aging population and declining birth rates, China is trying to shift its population policies to avert a demographic crisis.
Pope Francis presides over the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican, Dec. 24, 2024, after opening the basilica's Holy Door marking the start of the Catholic jubilar year 2025. Pope Francis presides over the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican, Dec. 24, 2024, after opening the basilica's holy door marking the start of the Catholic jubilar year 2025. Pope Francis opens the Holy Door to mark the opening of the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Dec. 24, 2024. The first pilgrims pass through after Pope Francis opened the Holy Door to mark the opening of the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Dec. 24, 2024.
Screenshot of an X post showing bounty notice for Carmen Lau.
Loraine Mwanza, chairperson of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), speaks at the launch of the USAID-Funded MISA Freedom of Expression Report at the Protea Hotel in Lusaka, Dec. 17, 2024. (Kathy Short for VOA)
FILE - Former members of Syria's Bashar al-Assad's security forces wait in line to register for the identification and reconciliation process, after the ousting of al-Assad, in Aleppo, Syria, Dec. 23, 2024.
FILE - Police officers detain Alesya Marokhovskaya of the Vazhniye Istorii news outlet outside the Russia's Justice Ministry. The banner reads: "There are no foreign agents, there are journalists," in Moscow, Sept. 8, 2021.