U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state targeting Muslim Rohingya qualifies as ethnic cleansing. “After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya,” Tillerson said in a written statement Wednesday. U.S. officials have…
read moreThe fashion and textile industry could generate nearly half a million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa over the next decade. That’s according to the African Development Bank, which launched its “Fashionomics” initiative in 2015 to revitalize the industry. However, designers in the region still struggle to grow their businesses. Lenny Ruvaga reports for VOA from Nairobi.…
read moreIraq and General Electric have signed a deal to develop Iraq’s power infrastructure, which would help bring much-needed electricity to areas facing significant shortages across the country. GE says in a statement released Wednesday that the more than $400 million contract will help building 14 electric substations and supply critical equipment such as transformers, circuit…
read moreEach year in America, when summer ends and fall begins, it’s a safe bet you’ll find pumpkins and sweet potatoes flavoring everything from coffee to pie. It’s seasonal food that makes its way from farms to tables around the country from Thanksgiving to Christmas time. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports from a farm feeding local produce…
read morePresident Donald Trump, just prior to beginning his Thanksgiving holiday vacation, carried out one last executive action – pardoning a turkey. VOA White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman was in the Rose Garden for the ceremony and has this report. …
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump all but endorsed embattled Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore on Tuesday, saying the former state judge “totally denies” allegations that he sexually molested underage girls years ago. “I can tell you one thing for sure: We don’t need a liberal person in there, a Democrat,” Trump told reporters at the White…
read moreVenezuelan authorities arrested the acting president of Citgo, the U.S. subsidiary of state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), along with five other senior executives Tuesday for alleged corruption. Attorney General Tarek William Saab told a press conference that interim president Jose Pereira and other managers allegedly arranged contracts that put Citgo at a disadvantage. The…
read moreThe White House is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a ban on travelers from six countries after an appeals court in California last week allowed only parts of the president’s order to go into effect. The request on Monday is the most recent salvo in an ongoing legal skirmish between plaintiffs in federal…
read moreMelania Trump and son Barron joined in a time-honored tradition of receiving the official White House Christmas tree, which will become the showstopper for a president who has vowed to put Christmas back at the center of the winter holidays. A military quartet played holiday tunes Monday as a horse-drawn wagon carried the 19 1/2-foot…
read moreFederal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday followed through on his pledge to repeal 2015 regulations designed to ensure that internet service providers treat all online content and apps equally, setting up a showdown with consumer groups and internet companies who fear the move will stifle competition and innovation. The current rules, known as…
read moreA federal judge has further blocked the Trump administration’s order to cut funding to so-called sanctuary cities. The move by U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick in San Francisco made permanent Monday his earlier ruling from April that temporarily stayed the order. Orrick agreed with plaintiffs who argued the order violates the constitution. The city…
read moreSecretary of State Rex Tillerson is rejecting criticism that his “redesign” of the 70,000-person State Department caused staff morale to plummet since the start of the Trump administration. During a meeting Monday with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Tillerson told journalists “This department is performing extraordinary well, and I take exception…
read moreThe U.S. Justice Department is suing to stop AT&T’s multi-billion dollar bid to take over another communications giant, Time Warner, calling it illegal and likening it to extortion. “The $108 billion acquisition would substantially lessen competition, resulting in higher prices and less innovation for millions of Americans,” a Justice Department statement said Monday. “The combined…
read moreThe White House confirms the weekly presidential radio address — a fixture for decades — is on indefinite hiatus. “We received quite a few comments and a lot of feedback that the weekly address wasn’t being used to its full potential,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in response to a VOA question during Monday’s…
read moreAfter years of being shielded from deportation from the United States while their country recovers from a devastating 2010 earthquake, tens of thousands of Haitians will lose that security status. “It was assessed overall that the extraordinary but temporary conditions that served as the basis of Haiti’s most recent designation has sufficiently improved such that…
read moreConservation groups sued the U.S. government on Monday over a plan to allow hunters to bring home elephant and lion trophies from Zimbabwe, following changing statements about the possible move by President Donald Trump’s administration. The lawsuit in federal court in Washington was the latest move in a saga that began last week when a…
read moreU.S. stocks are higher Monday as technology and industrial companies, banks and retailers all make modest gains. Drugmakers and other health care companies are trading lower. Companies that make opioid pain medications are down sharply after the government released a much higher estimate of the costs of the ongoing addiction crisis. Keeping score The Standard…
read moreFed Chair Janet Yellen says she will leave the U.S. central bank’s board when her successor is sworn in early next year. Jerome Powell was chosen by President Donald Trump to head the Federal Reserve when Yellen’s term expires. Powell must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before he can take office, but analysts say…
read moreThe European Union went back to its roots Monday by picking cities from two of its founding nations — France and the Netherlands — to host key agencies that will have move once Britain leaves the bloc in 2019. During voting so tight they were both decided by a lucky draw, EU members except Britain…
read moreRegulators in the U.S. state of Nebraska have voted to approve a route for TransCanada Corp’s Keystone XL pipeline – the last major obstacle to complete the oil pipeline that President Donald Trump has supported. The regulatory body, which by state law could not consider the risk of leaks or potential environmental impacts, voted to…
read moreThe Alabama woman who has accused Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexually abusing her four decades ago when she was 14 and he was 32 said Monday it took her decades before she regained her sense of trust and confidence in herself. Leigh Corfman, now 53, told NBC’s Today show that she was…
read morePresident Donald Trump isn’t campaigning for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore because of “discomfort” with the sexual misconduct allegations made by several women but isn’t calling on the controversial judge to drop out of the race because the state’s voters should decide, the White House says. Ultimately, Trump doesn’t know who to believe following decades-old…
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