VIDEO: Before becoming the 41st U.S. president, George H.W. Bush served in many roles in government, including as CIA director, ambassador to the United Nations, envoy to China, and President Ronald Reagan’s vice president. VOA looks back his impact on U.S. foreign policy.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On December 5, 1933, the prohibition of alcohol in the United States ends with the passage of the 21st Amendment. Alcohol prohibition had been the law of the land since the passage of the 18th Amendment in 1919. Prohibition led to a rise in organized crime, including notorious bootlegger Al Capone.

Taiwan is expected to adjust its largely hands-off stance toward political rival China by 2020, following losses for the ruling party in local elections last month, while still holding a middle ground between independence and unification .

Tens of thousands of angry farmers from around India poured into the country’s capital recently, demanding a special session of parliament to discuss their demands: better prices for farm produce and a waiver by the government from repaying loans taken from banks.

Despite losing most of the territory they once held, Islamic State (IS) fighters are now holding their ground against U.S.-backed forces in their last stronghold in eastern Syria.

VIDEO: Dictionary.com , an online English dictionary, picked its word of the year – Misinformation. VOA talks to the linguist who decided the word best summed up 2018.