Rights groups are criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to keep the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba open. “I am keeping another promise,” Trump said Tuesday in his State of the Union address, having signed an executive order that cancels a 2009 order in which then-President Barack Obama pledged to shutter the facility. In his…
read moreMembers of Congress reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech, with some praising its bipartisan tone and others wishing he had used the national address to more specifically discuss some of the issues facing the nation. Republican Rep. Ryan Costello called it a positive speech that highlighted domestic priorities such as…
read moreCalling North Korea a “depraved” and “cruel dictatorship,” President Donald Trump, in his first State of the Union address, again promised to exert “maximum pressure” to prevent Pyongyang from developing nuclear missiles that can threaten the U.S. mainland. “Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation. I will not…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump used a large chunk of his State of the Union address Tuesday to talk about the immigration reforms he wants to see. He called his four-part plan one that would create a “safe, modern and lawful immigration system,” while Democrats described the president’s approach as “insulting” and “heartless.” The first part…
read moreGreta Van Susteren, along with VOA journalists Jim Malone, Steve Herman and Katherine Gypson, discuss President Trump’s First State of the Union Address, as well as the Democratic response by Rep. Joe Kennedy III. …
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump delivered a message of unity and progress on Monday evening during his first State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress. VOA White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman reports that during the address, Trump took credit for a booming U.S. economy, requested 1.5 trillion dollars for infrastructure improvements…
read moreA new political dawn in Zimbabwe has sparked talk among farmers of land reform and the return of some whites who lost their land and livelihoods to President Robert Mugabe during a 37-year rule that drove the economy to collapse. Mugabe, 93, resigned in November after the army and his ZANU-PF party turned against him,…
read moreA new political dawn in Zimbabwe has sparked talk among farmers of land reform and the return of some whites who lost their land and livelihoods to President Robert Mugabe during a 37-year rule that drove the economy to collapse. Mugabe, 93, resigned in November after the army and his ZANU-PF party turned against him,…
read moreMany refugees would like to buy low-carbon stoves and lights but poor access in camps and a lack of funding is forcing them to rely on “dirty and expensive” fuels, a report said Tuesday. Millions of refugees worldwide struggle to access energy for cooking, lighting and communication and often pay high costs for fuels like…
read moreA colorful paint job has transformed one of Mumbai’s drab hilltop slums into a tourist destination, even prompting comparisons with Italy’s picturesque Amalfi Coast. During a recent journey on a Mumbai metro train, Dedeepya Reddy was struck by the grim appearance of a slum in Asalpha in the city’s eastern suburbs as she stared out…
read moreHackers who stole around $530 million worth of cryptocurrency from the Coincheck exchange last week — one of the biggest such heists ever — are trying to move the stolen “XEM” coins, the foundation behind the digital currency said on Tuesday. NEM Foundation, creators of the XEM cryptocurrency, have traced the stolen coins to an…
read moreMiddle Eastern countries should pursue fiscal policies to support growth and build broader tax bases to fund infrastructure projects and social spending, the head of the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday. “A key priority is building broader and more equitable tax bases. All must pay their fair share, while the poor must be protected,” IMF Managing…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump is following a long presidential tradition for his State of the Union address Tuesday, inviting guests to showcase policies most important to him. Fifteen guests will sit alongside first lady Melania Trump in the gallery of the House of Representatives chamber as Trump delivers his first State of the Union address…
read moreAs trade tensions grow between the United States and China, there is concern among foreign companies in China that a possible trade war between the two countries could leave them caught in the crossfire. President Donald Trump has been ratcheting up trade pressure on China, and a senior administration official has said the U.S.…
read moreFrench consumer fraud authorities are investigating a promotional campaign for Nutella that prompted scuffles in several supermarkets – and even a police intervention. The Finance Ministry’s fraud agency said Tuesday it will examine whether the campaign by the Intermarche supermarket chain violated pricing regulations. An official with the agency would not give further details. Intermarche…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump is expected to highlight a strong economy and call for bipartisan action on immigration as he gives his first State of the Union address Tuesday night. The televised speech before a joint session of Congress comes a year after Trump took office and about a week after a three-day government shutdown…
read morePresident Donald Trump will herald a robust economy and push for bipartisan congressional action on immigration in Tuesday’s State of the Union address, as he seeks to rally a deeply divided nation and boost his own sagging standing with Americans. The speech marks the ceremonial kickoff of Trump’s second year in office and is traditionally…
read moreThe U.S. Treasury Department has released a congressionally mandated list of Russian politicians and business figures who are close to President Vladimir Putin’s government, along with their relationship to top leaders and their net worth. The list of more than 200 people does not carry any new sanctions, though a number of the figures are…
read morePresident Trump’s immigration framework proposing a pathway to citizenship for almost 2 million undocumented immigrants faces a tough road ahead on Capitol Hill. A week after an impasse over immigration policy briefly shut down the U.S. government – and with only a few working days left before another possible shutdown – congressional leaders of both…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump’s trade chief on Monday dismissed Canadian proposals for unblocking NAFTA modernization talks but pledged to stay at the table, easing concerns about a potentially imminent U.S. withdrawal from the trilateral pact. Trump, who described the 1994 pact as a disaster that has drained manufacturing jobs to Mexico, has frequently threatened abandon…
read moreBrushing aside opposition from the Department of Justice, Republicans on the House intelligence committee voted Monday to release a classified memo that purports to show improper use of surveillance by the FBI and the Justice Department in the Russia investigation. The memo has become a political flashpoint, with President Donald Trump and many Republicans…
read moreNew “security upgrades” to the U.S. refugee admissions program will help block criminals and other suspicious persons from entering the United States from high-risk nations, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Monday. Nielsen, speaking at a public event in Washington, did not give further details. But she said the upgrades would be announced later…
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