U.S. President Donald Trump has stuck by his claim that the Obama administration wiretapped his phones in Trump Tower with the help of British security, despite a complaint by British authorities that such an assertion is “ridiculous.” Trump spoke to reporters Friday at a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Questioned by a reporter…
read moreZander Dejah, 25, pays $1,900 a month rent to live in a downtown San Francisco house with at least 40 other people, many of whom sleep in bunk beds. Dejah is a resident of The Negev, a communal living space that styles itself as a home for millennial tech workers to brainstorm ideas, write code…
read moreCountry-specific rules of origin within the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would be “totally unacceptable,” and a U.S. border adjustment tax would likely violate global trade rules, Mexico’s economy minister said Friday. Under the trilateral trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada, rules of origin can specify that products must meet minimum…
read moreThe Brazilian economy has begun to turn around, jobs are being created, and business confidence is slowly recovering, President Michel Temer said on Friday, touting initial successes of his recovery plan. Speaking at a business meeting in Sao Paulo, Temer pointed to the latest cover of The Economist showing Brazil beginning to lift off among…
read moreAs Russia becomes a hot-button issue in American politics, a former Pentagon official is urging the new Trump administration to pay more attention to the conflict in Ukraine. Michael Carpenter, a senior Defense Department official under former President Barack Obama who dealt with Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian affairs, described to VOA on Friday a six-point…
read moreU.S. factories cranked out more autos, steel and computers in February, the sixth straight monthly increase in manufacturing output. Factory production rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent last month from January, the Federal Reserve said Friday . That followed another 0.5 percent gain the previous month. Factories are benefiting from greater consumer and…
read moreEach year, the University of Southern California hosts the African Global Economic and Development Summit, bringing delegations from Africa to meet with business leaders, government officials and others in the U.S. But this year, the African summit has no Africans. All were denied visas. Visa issues are not uncommon for people traveling from African nations.…
read moreForeign tourism to the United States, which supports millions of American jobs, is slowing, possibly because President Donald Trump sought controversial travel restrictions on some Muslim-majority nations. Online searches for flights to the United States are down in most major nations, not just those hit by restrictions. Jim Randle reports some travel experts say the…
read moreThe 2018 budget proposal unveiled Thursday has drawn reaction from home and abroad. President Donald Trump intends to boost military and law enforcement spending, while slashing foreign aid and U.S. contributions to international organizations. The administration also wants to cut spending on environmental protection, foreign affairs, arts, humanities and public broadcasting. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports…
read moreThe White House is criticizing two U.S. federal courts for blocking President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from six Muslim majority countries. Trump’s executive order had been scheduled to go into effect Thursday. Details from VOA White House Bureau Chief Correspondent Steve Herman. …
read moreWhat goes on the chopping block — research into cancer or Alzheimer’s? A Zika vaccine or a treatment for superbugs? Health groups say President Donald Trump’s proposal to slash funds for the nation’s engine of biomedical research would be devastating for patients with all kinds of diseases — and for jobs. “It is possible that…
read morePresident Donald Trump has proposed eliminating funding for social programs supporting laid-off coal miners and others in Appalachia, stirring fears in a region that supported him of another letdown on the heels of the coal industry’s collapse. The 2018 budget proposal submitted to Congress by the White House on Thursday would cut funds to the…
read moreWith uncertainty over economic policy direction in the United States, Southeast Asian economies appear less reliant on U.S. monetary decisions, with analysts saying China’s influence is likely to keep growing in the region. On Thursday, a sign of the region’s greater financial independence came as most regional markets failed to follow a .25 basis point…
read moreU.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says “it is clear that a different approach is required” after 20 years of failed diplomatic efforts to prevent North Korea from having nuclear weapons. Speaking Thursday in Tokyo on the opening leg of his first trip to Asia as the top U.S. diplomat, Tillerson said part of the…
read moreThe first time a U.S. federal court issued a temporary restraining order against President Donald Trump’s travel ban, the government filed an appeal the next day. After Wednesday’s court ruling against Trump’s second executive order, which temporarily suspends refugee admissions and the issuance of new visas to people from six countries, an appeal to the…
read moreAfrica’s rising youth population is outpacing available jobs in the public and private sectors, leaving would-be workers vulnerable to exploitation, terrorism and human rights abuses. Nigerian entrepreneur Tony Elumelu believes the solution to Africa’s unemployment problem is for the private sector to lead and drive growth, a philosophy he calls “africapitalism”. He was on a…
read moreZimbabwe has opened its 2017 tobacco-selling season with hopes the “golden leaf” will change the economic fortunes of the southern African nation. Officials say the tobacco yield has been increasing after a downward turn in 2000 when the government chased white commercial farmers off their land. Zimbabwean farmers applauded after the 2017 tobacco selling season…
read moreA North Korean hacking group known as Lazarus was likely behind a recent cyber campaign targeting organizations in 31 countries, following high-profile attacks on Bangladesh Bank, Sony and South Korea, cybersecurity firm Symantec Corp said Wednesday. Symantec said in a blog that researchers have uncovered four pieces of digital evidence suggesting the Lazarus group was…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to get tough on trade partners like China, Mexico and Germany. Now his Treasury chief, Steven Mnuchin, will get his first opportunity to confront them all in one room. The meeting of the 20 most powerful economies’ finance ministers in Germany this week is likely to be dominated by…
read moreTin, her husband and five children have cleared years of refugee hurdles to come to the U.S.: blood tests, interviews, DNA and fingerprints, background checks. She has her one must-bring possession within reach, a well-worn Bible, and keeps their phone charged for the U.S. Embassy to call. But the odds of that happening dropped precipitously.…
read moreCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with first daughter Ivanka Trump as a guest, welcomed a new musical that celebrates Canadian compassion and openness following the September 11 attacks. Trudeau and Trump and some 120 ambassadors from around the world attended the show “Come From Away” Wednesday night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, in one…
read moreWhile shamrocks and smiles typically define the Irish prime minister’s traditional St. Patrick’s Day visit to the White House, with President Donald Trump the celebration could turn more serious. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has signaled that he will use the meeting, scheduled for Thursday, one day before St. Patrick’s Day, to talk about Brexit and Trump’s…
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