Robots, artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies were all on display at the National Retail Federation (NRF) 2018 trade show. The event showcased the ways retailers are keeping pace with shoppers’ round-the-clock spending. Tina Trinh reports. …
read moreThe Trump administration’s promise to exempt Florida from an offshore drilling plan is not a formal action, an Interior Department official said Friday in a statement that Democrats said contradicted a high-profile announcement by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Zinke has proposed opening nearly all U.S. coastline to offshore oil and gas drilling, but said soon…
read moreOne year after more than 4 million protesters rallied for the Women’s March in cities across the country, tens of thousands are expected here in Washington for an anniversary march. While the focus for the first march was the newly inaugurated president, this year’s march takes place at a time when women are speaking out…
read moreThe federal government shutdown only partly curbs operations. But the longer the shutdown continues, the more likely its impact will be felt. U.S. troops will stay at their posts and mail will get delivered, but almost half of the 2 million civilian federal workers will be barred from doing their jobs if the shutdown extends…
read moreA partial shutdown of the U.S. government commenced early Saturday after a funding bill was blocked in the Senate. Spending authority expired at midnight Washington time, triggering a halt of non-essential functions. A handful of Republicans joined all but a handful of Democrats in opposing the funding bill, which needed 60 votes to advance in…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump will be entering something of a lion’s den when he visits the elitist enclave of Davos next week, rubbing shoulders with the same “globalists” that he campaigned against in winning the 2016 election. Aides said some of Trump’s advisers had argued against him attending the World Economic Forum in order to…
read moreBritain wants to have a comprehensive trade deal with the European Union as well as a defense pact in place once it leaves the bloc, Prime Minister Theresa May said in remarks published in a German newspaper Saturday. May added that her government was not seeking to “cherry pick” in the negotiations and that it wanted a trade deal that goes further…
read moreRepublican lawmakers criticizing Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into U.S. President Donald Trump’s ties with Russia found themselves Friday with an unusual — and perhaps unwelcome — ally. As Republicans called for the release of a classified memorandum that they say shows anti-Trump bias at the Justice Department, a network of Kremlin-controlled Twitter accounts swung…
read moreThe man accused of tackling U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in the Kentucky lawmaker’s yard has been charged with assaulting a member of Congress as part of a federal plea agreement. And his lawyer confirmed what’s long been suggested by neighbors: The attack stemmed from a dispute about yard maintenance. Rene Boucher has signed the plea…
read moreThe largest banking trade group in the United States says shutting down the government could hurt investor and consumer confidence, but would hit the overall economy indirectly. Speaking as the American Bankers Association unveiled its annual economic forecast in Washington, Ellen Zentner, chair of the ABA’s advisory committee, said “no one likes the uncertainty of…
read moreImagine if cigarettes were no longer addictive and smoking itself became almost obsolete; only a tiny segment of Americans still lit up. That’s the goal of an unprecedented anti-smoking plan being carefully fashioned by U.S. health officials. But the proposal from the Food and Drug Administration could have another unexpected effect: opening the door for…
read moreKatie Filipczyk Howard has always known that she was a “feminist,” but not a militant one. “Being a feminist means you are pro-woman. It doesn’t mean that you hate men,” she said. So it wasn’t unusual that this 42-year-old running coach and writer would attend the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. What gave Howard pause,…
read moreSwiss luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet said it would launch a second-hand business this year, becoming the first big brand to announce plans to tap into a fast-growing market for pre-owned premium watches. The company told Reuters it would launch the business at its outlets in Switzerland this year. If this proved successful, it would roll out the operation…
read moreForeign investors in Vietnam will welcome a fairer, more predictable set of business practices as the government pursues the heads of local firms over corruption, analysts believe. Some foreign companies might review their own books to ensure clean accounting, as prosecutors investigate executives in Vietnamese firms over suspected graft. Most will laud the crackdown as…
read moreThe 45th annual March for Life rally takes place Friday in Washington. President Trump says he will speak at the anti-abortion event from the White House. The rally also coincides with the 45th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, a Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in the United States. Pro-choice supporters favor the law, while…
read morePresident Donald Trump marks his first year in office Saturday, Jan. 20. Trump’s tumultuous first year was unlike any other in recent U.S. political history, and 2018 could offer more of the same. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington. …
read moreA fierce political battle over immigration and American border security threatens to short-circuit efforts to keep the U.S. government open beyond midnight Friday, Washington time, when federal spending authority expires. The Senate began to debate the House-passed measure to fund the government through Feb. 16, but adjourned late Thursday. Senators will begin debate again at…
read moreThe U.S. House Intelligence Committee has voted to release the transcript of its interview of Glenn Simpson, the co-founder of the research firm that assembled the infamous Trump-Russia dossier. The transcript was expected to be released later Thursday. Fusion GPS, based in Washington, was hired by a law firm that represented Hillary Clinton’s campaign and…
read moreWidow Ahatho Turuga lost 20 of her goats to drought early last year, but the shopkeeper is planning to reinvest in her herd once she has saved enough money. “I think I will start with four goats and see how it goes,” she said, rearranging soap on the upper shelf of her shop in Loglogo,…
read moreTurkey’s main business lobby on Thursday called on the government to end the state of emergency as parliament extended it for a sixth time since it was imposed after an attempted coup in 2016. Emergency rule allows President Tayyip Erdogan and the government to bypass parliament in passing new laws and allows them to suspend…
read moreHouse Republicans plan to go ahead with a vote on a temporary spending measure aimed at keeping the U.S. government open after a midnight Friday deadline.U.S. President Donald Trump threw the vote into doubt Thursday with a tweet that indicated his opposition to part of the plan, but House Speaker Paul Ryan said later that…
read morePresident Donald Trump’s White House is relying on a sweeping interpretation of executive privilege that is rankling members of Congress on both sides of the aisle as current and former advisers parade to Capitol Hill for questioning about possible connections with Russia. The White House’s contention: Pretty much everything is off limits until the…
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