President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Wednesday to talk with U.S. troops stationed there. Trump and first lady Melania Trump landed at Al Asad Airbase in western Iraq at 7:16 p.m. local time. They left Washington late Christmas night, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a tweet Wednesday afternoon. The…
read moreFarmers in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh are getting back land that was taken from them more than a decade ago by the government because it was not used, a rare move in a country riven by conflict over land. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel of the Congress Party, which won a state election earlier this…
read moreWe like to say we’re addicted to our phones or an app or some new show on a streaming video service. But for some people, tech gets in the way of daily functioning and self-care. We’re talking flunk-your-classes, can’t-find-a-job, live-in-a-dark-hole kinds of problems, with depression, anxiety and sometimes suicidal thoughts part of the mix. Suburban…
read moreThe partial shutdown of the U.S. government entered its fifth day Wednesday, with no public indication a resolution is imminent. President Donald Trump spoke about the shutdown Tuesday, asserting that it will continue until his demand for funds to construct a U.S.-Mexico border wall are met. “I can’t tell you when the government is going…
read moreTechnology is very quickly changing entertainment as we know it. While some worry that people are spending too much time on video games and not enough time with other people, there is a place in Los Angeles where visitors can interact with both. It’s called the Two Bit Circus – a funhouse that incorporates technology…
read moreJapan is withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission and will resume commercial whaling next year, a government spokesman said Wednesday, in a move expected to spark international criticism. “We have decided to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission in order to resume commercial whaling in July next year,” top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters.…
read moreIn 2018, technology firms such as Facebook and Google faced more scrutiny and negative press over their handling of data breaches and online speech. The issue may mean new rules and more regulations in the future. The question of who can access personal user data through technology caused many people to rethink how much they…
read moreThe year 2018 proved to be one of change in U.S. politics. Opposition Democrats won back control of the House of Representatives in the November midterm elections, and that could have a profound impact on the next two years of Donald Trump’s presidency. A preview of what the year ahead could look like came in…
read moreThe year 2018 proved to be one of change in U.S. politics. Opposition Democrats won back control of the House of Representatives in the November midterm elections, and that could have a profound impact on the next two years of Donald Trump’s presidency. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington. …
read morePresident Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed confidence in Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin amid worries over a weakening economy and a stock market slump, but repeated his criticism of the U.S. Federal Reserve, saying it has raised interest rates too quickly. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after a Christmas video conference with U.S. troops…
read moreAs the first two years of President Donald Trump’s administration close, Republican allies still haven’t figured out how best to influence a leader who takes cues from the forces that swept him to office and seems to fear losing them above all else. Republicans on Capitol Hill and even the president’s closest advisers have been…
read more2018 has been dubbed “The Year of the Woman,” after a record number of women were electetd to national, state and local legislatures across the United States. The diverse group includes several first-timers who took the leap into politics in response to the Trump administration’s policies. VOA’s Jesusemen Oni reports. …
read moreIt was another contentious year between U.S. President Donald Trump and the reporters who cover his administration. The president continues to refer to journalists as “enemy of the people.” White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this story. …
read moreBefore Facebook, Vu Kim Chi thought something was lacking in her job, which is to promote the economy in and around Vietnam’s famed Ha Long Bay. Posting updates to her department’s website, or photocopying missives to send to constituents, she said, was mostly one-sided. But after she set up an official Facebook page for Quang…
read moreSpaceX continues making news in 2018. The company first broke its own record from 2017 when it passed 18 launches in year. On Sunday, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, SpaceX launched another record-setting rocket… this one for U.S. national security. Arash Arabasadi reports. …
read moreU.S. stock markets fell sharply on Monday with the S&P 500 down more than two percent and the Dow off nearly three percent. President Donald Trump is blaming the Federal Reserve (central bank) for stock market declines and other economic problems. In tweets, Trump has said the only U.S. economic problem is rising interest rates.…
read moreAs Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recovers from surgery on Friday for early stage lung cancer, two new films are paying tribute to her life and accomplishments. The documentary “RBG” by filmmakers Julie Cohen and Betsy West, chronicles the Justice’s life-long legal battles for gender equality, her appointment to the Supreme Court by an…
read moreBatteries have been around for hundreds of years, but don’t go thinking this technology is old hat (old fashioned). Batteries are the future. A team of California Scientists with support from the National Science Foundation are on the cutting edge of building a battery that lasts longer and holds more energy. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports.…
read moreFrom Capitol Hill, a blunt message: America’s political discourse is broken, threatening the nation’s wellbeing and possibly democracy itself. So said retiring or defeated U.S. senators in their farewell addresses as the current Congress comes to a close. VOA’s Michael Bowman has this report. …
read moreThe U.S. Treasury Secretary said on Sunday he had held a series of phone conversations with top American bankers in what appeared to be a bid to ease nerves in financial markets. U.S. stocks have plunged in recent weeks on concerns over slowing economic growth, with the S&P 500 index on pace for its biggest…
read moreThe U.S. government is partially closed until at least Thursday, and possibly for days or even weeks beyond, as President Donald Trump holds firm in demanding funds for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and Democrats remain resolutely opposed. “The only way to stop drugs, gangs, human trafficking, criminal elements and much else from coming…
read moreA White House official says tension between a president and the interest-rate setting Federal Reserve is “traditional as part of our system.” Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney says it should come as no surprise that President Donald Trump is unhappy the central bank, an independent agency, “is raising rates and we think driving down the…
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