Less than two months after a landmark U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew back to the city state on Friday and suggested that continued work on weapons programs by North Korea was inconsistent with its leader’s commitment to denuclearize. Pompeo was asked en route to Singapore about his statement…
read moreThe U.S. Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions Friday on a Russian bank for helping North Korea avoid U.N. Security Council actions to restrain Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The development comes as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to urge leaders of Southeast Asian countries in Singapore on Saturday to…
read moreA Pakistani engineer has designed a system to help developing countries avoid fuel imports by making ethanol with the millions of tons of straw that are wasted each year. Faith Lapidus reports. …
read moreMost African farmers and small businesses operate with no way to protect themselves if disaster strikes. But that may be starting to change. A handful of companies are now offering inexpensive, tech-driven micro-insurance and are making it easy for ordinary Africans to sign up. Neha Wadekar reports for VOA from Nigeria and Kenya. …
read moreYoung African leaders from 48 countries are in the United States for the Mandela Washington Fellowship’s annual summit, training and networking across the civil, enterprise and public sectors. As Haydé Adams FitzPatrick reports, U.S. officials say supporting the next generation of African leaders is in America’s interest. …
read moreTrump administration officials say they are concerned about foreign meddling in upcoming midterm elections and are working to fight it. At the White House on Thursday, the director of National Intelligence warned Russia is continuing to “try to weaken and divide” America ahead of the vote. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has more. …
read moreTop U.S. national security leaders made a rare joint appearance in the White House briefing room Thursday to express concern about efforts by Russia — and potentially others — to meddle in upcoming elections here, and to reassure the public that strong countermeasures are being taken. “We continue to see a pervasive message campaign by…
read moreApple made history Thursday when it became the first publicly listed U.S. company to be valued at $1 trillion. The tech giant’s share price climbed well over 2 percent in mid-session trading, boosting it about 9 percent higher since Tuesday, when it announced better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and a buyback of $20 billion worth of its…
read moreThe Trump administration has announced plans to freeze fuel efficiency standards for vehicles. The administration also announced Thursday it wants to rescind the authority of California and other states to set more stringent vehicle mileage standards to address environmental issues like climate change and smog. New fuel-efficiency requirements, which were set to take effect in…
read moreThe rolling fields of green soybean plants growing on Fred Grieder’s Illinois farm would be a welcome sign most years … an indicator of a promising harvest in the fall. But this isn’t most years. Tariffs are turning away potential customers overseas, and Grieder estimates he could lose around $100 an acre if the trade…
read moreSince May, the price per bushel of soybeans has dropped almost 20 percent in the wake of an escalating trade war between the United States and China. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, despite plans for a massive aid package by the Trump administration, what producers want most is reliable access to the world’s largest markets.…
read morePresident Donald Trump is justifying his call for voter ID cards by saying photo identification is a universal requirement in the marketplace. As anyone who frequents a grocery store knows, it’s not. A look at his comments on the subject Tuesday and his press secretary’s attempt to explain them Wednesday: TRUMP: “We believe that only…
read moreWhen the #MeToo movement swept across the country, triggering a national reckoning about sexual misconduct, some politicians lost their positions and power amid such allegations. Many others did not. As voters return to the polls this year, The Associated Press has found that scores of politicians accused of sexual misconduct are running again and poised…
read moreOne day after Facebook shut down 32 fake social media accounts that spewed politically divisive messages, U.S. lawmakers were warned that Russian efforts to confuse and polarize the American people are as robust and pernicious as ever. VOA Senate correspondent Michael Bowman reports both Republican and Democratic lawmakers are concerned. …
read moreMore British businesses should be made to report the difference in how much they pay male and female staff, lawmakers said Thursday, citing “obscene” gender pay gaps in some companies. Businesses and charities with more than 250 workers must publish figures on their gender pay gap each year under a law introduced last year, but…
read moreA little-known dispute over 3D-printed guns has morphed into a national legal debate in the last week, drawing attention to a technology that seems a bit of sci-fi fantasy and — to gun-control advocates — a dangerous way for criminals to get their hands on firearms that are easy to conceal and tough to detect.…
read more3-D printers are being used extensively in industry, research, teaching and hobbies, printing with metal, plastic and even edible material such as dough. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh are experimenting with another kind of 3-D printing — with yarn. VOA’s George Putic reports. …
read moreGoogle declined Wednesday to confirm reports that it plans to launch a censored version of its search engine in China, where its main search platform was previously blocked, along with its YouTube video platform. “We provide a number of mobile apps in China … [to] help Chinese developers, and have made significant investments in Chinese companies like…
read moreThe Federal Reserve is leaving its benchmark interest rate unchanged while signaling further gradual rate hikes in the months ahead as long as the economy stays healthy. The Fed’s decision left the central bank’s key short-term rate at 1.75 percent to 2 percent – the level hit in June when the Fed boosted the rate…
read moreEuropean Union imports of U.S. soybeans were already rising substantially before a top EU official told President Donald Trump last week that the bloc would buy more. EU Commission figures released Wednesday show that 37 percent of the bloc’s soybean imports last month were coming from the U.S., compared with 9 percent in July 2017.…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump, in a series of tweets on Wednesday, made his most forceful call yet for an end to the federal criminal investigation of Russian interference in the election that he won. Trump said Mueller’s 14-month investigation of his campaign’s links to Russia is “a terrible situation,” and he tweeted that the attorney…
read moreThe Trump administration is clearing the way for insurers to sell short-term health plans as a bargain alternative to pricey Obama-law policies for people struggling with high premiums. But the policies don’t have to cover existing medical conditions and offer limited benefits. It’s not certain if that’s going to translate into broad consumer appeal among…
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