Farmers around the world are using an unsustainable amount of well water to irrigate their crops, which could lead to an uptick in food prices as that water runs low, international researchers warned Wednesday. Farmers are increasing their use of groundwater to grow staple crops such as rice, wheat and cotton, the scientists said. But…
read moreVenezuela has arrested a senior manager of state oil company PDVSA on suspicion of “irregularities” in contracts to supply fuel to the domestic market, authorities said on Wednesday. The detention of international commerce manager Marco Malave, 47, followed a shakeup of personnel at PDVSA’s trade department since January and amid gasoline shortages around the South…
read moreA study by U.S. economic experts and a major health insurance company says a healthy population is a key ingredient in a healthy and growing economy. Blue Cross and Moody’s Analytics used data from millions of insurance customers to draw a statistical relationship between health and prosperity in the United States. In counties throughout the…
read moreThe United States is examining its next steps in the campaign to defeat Islamic State militants and stabilize the refugee crisis with regional allies, as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson embarks on trips to Turkey and NATO headquarters this week. The top U.S. diplomat will press NATO allies to demonstrate a clear path to increase…
read moreA study that measures the human toll of air pollution from global manufacturing and trade demonstrates how buying goods made far away can lead to premature deaths both there and close to home. Each year, more than 750,000 people die prematurely from dirty air generated by making goods in one location that will be sold…
read morePresident Donald Trump’s move to unravel Obama-era environmental regulations, launched with great fanfare Tuesday, is attracting scorn from both ends of the political spectrum. Concerted pushback from Democratic lawmakers and activists on the left, along with nagging doubts from conservatives skeptical of Trump’s commitment to the cause, suggest that making good on one of…
read moreImagine “a Hugo Chavez-type leader” in Mexico, Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, posited during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which he chairs. Invoking the former populist leader of Venezuela was his way of suggesting what might happen if the U.S. fails to keep a good relationship with its neighbor,…
read moreRepresentative Maxine Waters doesn’t expect to pose for a photo with President Donald Trump anytime soon. In fact, the California congresswoman plans to boycott any meeting, event, ceremony or public event with the president, at the White House or even in her home district of Los Angeles. “I don’t see myself meeting with him, sitting…
read moreWhen he was growing up in Hyderabad, India, Ravindra Sunku, 52, could see and smell the burning kerosene and wood his neighbors used to cook. It stuck in his memory people he knew might have suffered from lung disease caused from what they inhaled by doing something as simple as cooking dinner. Now a tech…
read moreRex Tillerson is making his first visit to key NATO ally Turkey as U.S. secretary of state. The forthcoming operation to remove Islamic State from its self-declared capital of Raqqa in Syria is, according to U.S. officials, expected to top the agenda of Tillerson’s visit to Ankara. He is scheduled to meet with Turkey’s political…
read moreThe United States is examining next steps in the campaign to defeat Islamic State militants and to stabilize the refugee crisis with regional allies, as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson embarks on trips to Turkey and NATO this week. The top U.S. diplomat will press NATO allies to demonstrate a clear path to increase defense…
read moreThe Trump administration has used its first appearance at the annual AIPAC conference of pro-Israel activists in Washington to reinforce a tougher U.S. approach toward the Jewish state’s adversaries than the approach of its predecessor, Barack Obama. VOA’s Michael Lipin was at the conference and has a report. …
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump told a group of senators on Tuesday that he expected lawmakers would be able to reach a deal on health care, without offering specifics on how they would do it or what had changed since a health care reform bill was pulled last week for insufficient support. “I have no doubt…
read moreCalifornia and a dozen other states could be heading for a showdown with the federal government as the Trump administration reviews rules on fuel efficiency and vehicle emissions, rules President Donald Trump has said curtail growth in the auto industry. California has a waiver under federal law to set its own standards, and other states…
read moreAmazon purchased the Middle East’s biggest online retailer Souq.com on Tuesday for an undisclosed amount, a day after a state-backed firm disclosed an $800 million counteroffer. A joint statement described the purchase as expanding Amazon’s influence into the Mideast as the state-supported firm Emaar prepares to launch its own retail website in a country…
read moreAn Indiana board is poised to endorse a deal directing $7 million in tax breaks and grants for a deal brokered by President Donald Trump to keep hundreds of jobs at the Carrier Corp. factory in Indianapolis. The incentive package is set for a vote by an Indiana Economic Development Board committee on Tuesday,…
read morePolitical satire dates back to the ancient Greeks, 2,400 years ago when Aristophanes made fun of the Peloponnesian War. It’s a staple of late-night American television talk shows and the editorial pages of most newspapers. Successful political cartoonists are able to draw biting commentary with the stroke of a crayon. VOA’s Anush Avetisyan profiles an…
read moreEven with the Republican failure to repeal Barack Obama’s health care law, Democratic lawmakers in some states are pressing ahead with efforts to protect birth control access, Planned Parenthood funding and abortion coverage in case they are jeopardized in the future. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives withdrew a bill last week that would…
read moreThe House Intelligence Committee has canceled all meetings this week as its chairman, Devin Nunes, rejects Democratic calls to recuse himself from the committee’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. “Everything is political; people say a lot of things around here and it’s fine, it’s politics,” Nunes told reporters just moments after…
read moreWhite House senior aide Jared Kushner has agreed to speak to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about meetings he had with Russians during last year’s presidential campaign and transition period. In the meantime, President Donald Trump is assigning an additional task to his young son-in-law’s bulging portfolio. VOA White House Bureau Chief Correspondent Steve…
read moreU.S. General Attorney Jeff Sessions on Monday warned cities and states protecting immigrant felons from deportation could face cuts in federal grants, and called on citizens to abide by U.S. immigration laws. But there is widespread resistance to tough immigrant measures, which many Americans consider inhumane. Sporadic demonstrations against deporting immigrants have taken place nationwide.Some politicians…
read moreTurkish and Gulf airlines are touting free WiFi and better in-flight connectivity for smartphones as they scramble to mitigate the impact of a ban on laptops in plane cabins bound for the United States. The restrictions could deal a blow to fast-growing Gulf airlines, which depend on business-class flyers stopping over in Dubai or Doha…
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