Tunisia plans to increase aid for poor families by $70.3 million, after nearly a week of protests over austerity measures, an official said Saturday. “This will concern about 250,000 families,” Mohamed Trabelsi, minister of social affairs, said. “It will help the poor and middle class.” President Beji Caid Essebsi was also scheduled to visit the…
read moreReactions to President Donald Trump’s use of a vulgar slur to explain his opposition to Haitian and African migration to the United States were continuing to circulate Saturday. Trump stunned lawmakers Thursday in a White House meeting on immigration when, according to multiple reports and confirmation from attendees, he asked, “Why are we having all these people from s—hole countries…
read moreDeadly traffic accidents are more than just individual tragedies. They’re a drag on economic growth in developing countries, according to a new World Bank report. The study is among the first to show that investing in road safety in low- and middle-income countries would raise national incomes. Ninety percent of the world’s annual 1.25 million…
read moreFor Illinois farmer Garry Niemeyer, it’s a slow time of year, spent indoors fixing equipment, not outdoors tending his fields, which now lie empty. All of his corn and soybeans were harvested in what has turned out to be a good year. “This is the largest amount of corn we’ve had ever,” he said. And…
read moreOn Friday, President Donald Trump waived economic sanctions on Iran, the second time he’s issued a sanctions waiver under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major world powers. The agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, restricted Iran’s controversial nuclear program in exchange for broad relief from international sanctions. While the United…
read moreThe United States Department of Agriculture reports record harvests of corn and soybeans in the United States in 2017, with stocks overflowing at elevators and storage bins across the country. But as VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, record yields don’t necessarily translate into stronger bottom lines for farmers, who increasingly depend on international trade to move…
read moreThe U.S. president is in hot water once again — this time on an international stage — following his reported use of a vulgarity that disparaged poorer nations during a discussion on immigration reform. Global leaders and citizens have been swift and unequivocal in their condemnation. VOA’s Ramon Taylor reports. …
read moreProtesters took to the streets in towns and cities across Tunisia for a fourth day Friday, as anger grows over price hikes introduced by the government. Demonstrations in 2011 in Tunisia grew into the revolution that overthrew the government and triggered a wave of uprisings across the Arab world. Seven years on, the dictatorship may…
read moreThe White House on Friday decided to continue to waive sanctions on Iran that targeted its nuclear weapons program, preserving the 2015 deal between Tehran and six world powers. But Trump administration officials warn this is the last waiver the U.S. will issue. That means Washington could leave the deal within months, reports VOA’s Bill…
read moreNorth Carolina Republican legislative leaders asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to block enforcement of an order throwing out the state’s congressional map and directing a redraw almost immediately. The lawmakers’ attorneys filed a motion with Chief Justice John Roberts seeking delay of the lower court judges’ directive that the General Assembly draw a…
read morePuerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rossello has criticized the U.S. federal government’s response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated the U.S. territory in September, leaving many in Puerto Rico without power and other basic services that still have not been restored. Rossello spoke Friday at a political gathering in the U.S. state of Florida, where thousands of…
read moreGeneral Motors Co is seeking U.S. government approval for a fully autonomous car — one without a steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator pedal — to enter the automaker’s first commercial ride-sharing fleet in 2019, executives said. For passengers who cannot open doors, the Cruise AV — a rebranded version of GM’s Chevrolet Bolt EV…
read moreA top American general has told Pakistan’s army chief the U.S. military does not intend to conduct any unilateral strikes inside the country and both sides emphasized the need for continued cooperation to fight terrorism, an official announcement said Friday. U.S. Central Command General Joseph Votel telephoned General Qamar Javed Bajwa this week and offered…
read morePresident Donald Trump entered the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday for his first known physical checkup since his inauguration nearly one year ago. The examination is being conducted by the president’s personal physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson. “I think it is going to go very well. I would be surprised if it didn’t,”…
read morePresident Donald Trump on Friday rejected a bipartisan “Dreamer” immigration plan proposed by a group of U.S. senators, saying it did not properly fund his long-touted wall along the southern border with Mexico and calling it “a step backward.” “The so-called bipartisan DACA deal presented yesterday to myself and a group of Republican Senators and…
read moreThis year, 2018, promises to be one of challenge and opportunity for President Donald Trump, both domestically and overseas. Trump hopes to build on his victory on tax cuts late last year. But the president and his Republican allies in Congress will likely face strong political headwinds this year leading up to the November midterm…
read more2018 promises to be a year of challenge and opportunity for President Donald Trump, both domestically and overseas. Trump hopes to build on his victory on tax cuts late last year. But the president and his Republican allies in Congress will likely face strong political headwinds this year leading up to the November midterm congressional…
read moreThe Athens subway came to a standstill Friday as Greeks protested new reforms that parliament is set to approve Jan. 15 in return for bailout funds, including restrictions on the right to strike. In the first major industrial upheaval of 2018, the shutdown of the Athens metro, used by about 938,000 commuters daily, caused traffic…
read moreChina’s trade with North Korea plunged 50 percent in December as U.N. sanctions imposed over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile development tightened, the government reported Friday. China accounts for nearly all of the isolated North’s trade and energy supplies. Beijing has imposed limits on oil sales and cut deeply into the North’s foreign revenue by…
read moreFiat Chrysler Automobile said on Thursday it will shift production of Ram heavy-duty pickup trucks from Mexico to Michigan in 2020, a move that lowers the risk to the automaker’s profit should President Donald Trump pull the United States out of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Fiat Chrysler said it would create 2,500 jobs…
read moreWomen flocked to Le Mall in Jeddah on Thursday to check out the kingdom’s first car exhibition aimed at women, a few months after Saudi Arabia granted them the right to drive. Pink, orange and yellow balloons hung in the mall’s showroom as women posed for photos and selfies in front of the cars. One…
read moreFinger-pointing and acrimony surrounding probes of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election intensified Thursday, with the Trump White House and Democratic lawmakers trading accusations of undermining and manipulating investigations that require bipartisan buy-in to succeed. “There’s been a lot of comments about obstruction of justice, and frankly the only people we’ve seen trying to…
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