Taxi-drivers in the Spanish capital seeking tighter regulation of Uber and other ride-hailing services called off their indefinite strike on Tuesday after 16 days during which they obtained no concessions from the Madrid regional government. Madrid’s refusal to accept drivers’ demands came after ride-hailing companies Uber and Cabify said last week they were suspending their…
read moreStacey Abrams, who has been chosen to give the Democratic response to the State of the Union, is a rising political star in the Democratic Party and the first African-American woman to deliver the address. Abrams recently showed that she can mobilize the power of black women voters in her close but unsuccessful bid to become…
read morePresident Donald Trump will enjoy the backdrop of a mostly solid economy as he delivers his second State of the Union address Tuesday night, though questions about its sustainability linger. Trump will likely tout the latest signs of strength: Friday’s jobs report showed that employers added the most jobs in January in nearly a year.…
read moreBoth the president and lawmakers invite guests to the State of the Union address, usually to make a statement on an issue they wish to highlight. Here are some notable officials and the guests they plan to bring to the address. President Donald Trump The president has invited Judah Samet, who survived the Holocaust and…
read moreNegotiating new World Trade Organization rules to try to rein in China’s “mercantilist” trade practices would be largely a futile exercise, the Trump administration’s trade office said on Monday, vowing to pursue its unilateral approach to protect U.S. workers, farmers and businesses. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office used its annual report to Congress on China’s…
read moreBrazil’s government has opened discussions with congressional leaders, state governors and mayors on a pension reform bill that would set the minimum retirement age for men and women at 65, a government official said on Monday. The proposal is one of several under consideration, as President Jair Bolsonaro looks to get the legislative ball rolling…
read moreLong before she became just one of the financially destitute legions of street sweepers that dot Moscow’s bitterly cold winter landscape, Shaknoza Ishankulova had simply wanted to do the right thing. It was 2008, and the recent Uzbekistan National University graduate was ecstatic to secure a teaching post at a Tashkent high school, finally making…
read moreFacebook, trudging through its awkward teenage years, is turning 15 on Monday. Launched in 2004 as “TheFacebook,” the service was originally intended only for Harvard students. It’s now a massive global business that connects some 2.3 billion users. It was born in an era of desktop computers, years before the iPhone, and ran no…
read morePushpa Ithal may not fit the stereotype of the typical Silicon Valley CEO — she’s female, foreign-born, and a mother. Nevertheless, Ithal is an entrepreneur, living the Silicon Valley dream of running her own startup. Like her, many foreign-born tech women are finding a place in the Valley — as tech companies have become more…
read moreWhite House officials are expressing anger after an insider leaked months of President Donald Trump’s private schedules. The release of the information is a “disgraceful breach of trust,” according to Madeleine Westerhout, the director of Oval Office operations. In a tweet, Westerhout said what the documents do not show “are the hundreds…
read more“She had so much to offer.” Ian Russell is speaking of his 14-year-old daughter Molly, the youngest of three sisters, who committed suicide in 2017, leaving a note that read, “I am sorry. I did this because of me.” After Molly’s suicide, her parents examined the teenager’s social media use and discovered she was interacting…
read moreIt’s one of the most sensitive security challenges in America: The State of the Union address puts the president, his Cabinet, members of Congress, military leaders, top diplomats and Supreme Court justices all in the same place at the same time for all the world to see. Protecting everyone requires months of planning and coordination…
read moreWorried about a potential Republican primary challenge, President Donald Trump’s campaign has launched a state-by-state effort to prevent an intraparty fight that could spill over into the general-election campaign. The nascent initiative has been an intense focus in recent weeks and includes taking steps to change state party rules, crowd out potential rivals and quell…
read moreBritish lawmakers are debating new proposals on the European Union Withdrawal Agreement this week, amid a series of stark warnings over the consequences of Britain crashing out with no deal on 29 March. Prime Minister Theresa May hopes to negotiate changes to the Withdrawal Agreement in meetings with Brussels in the coming days, after a…
read moreWith Brexit just seven weeks away, Britain’s ruling Conservative Party was locked in tense negotiations with itself Monday to rework the U.K.’s divorce deal with the European Union — as the EU stood firm in ruling out any renegotiation. Meanwhile, pro-EU and pro-Brexit U.K. politicians traded allegations about whether Nissan’s decision not to build a new…
read moreThe growing use of mobile phones, computers, and televisions in Africa has left the continent with huge amounts of electronic waste. According to the United Nations Environment Program, 40 percent of the world’s electronic dumpsites are found in Africa. To reduce the growing problem, a group in Kenya is helping manage E-waste through local and…
read moreThis week, U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a very different and more combative Congress than the one he spoke to last year. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports, Tuesday’s address comes as another government funding deadline looms—and one week after America’s intelligence chiefs contradicted the president’s assertions on Syria, North…
read moreNissan announced Sunday it has cancelled plans to make its X-Trail SUV in the UK — a sharp blow to British Prime Minister Theresa May, who fought to have the model built in northern England as she sought to shore up confidence in the British economy after it leaves the European Union. Nissan said it…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump is refusing to rule out the possibility of another partial government shutdown to win congressional approval of funding for a wall along the southern border with Mexico. But he also signaled strongly he plans to declare a national emergency to build the barrier without assent from lawmakers. “I don’t take anything…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump waded into the controversy surrounding the governor of Virginia over a racist photo that appeared on the governor’s medical school yearbook page. Trump tweeted late Saturday that Gov. Ralph Northam’s initial apology for the photo and subsequent denial that he was in the picture are “Unforgiveable!” The president’s tweet also referenced…
read moreOwners of a new café in the Hungarian capital Budapest are using robotics as a way of giving their customers a new experience. VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports. …
read moreIn December 2018, Apple announced its plans to build a new campus in Austin. Texas is rapidly becoming more and more attractive for tech companies and is often called a second Silicon Valley, thanks to affordable housing, highly qualified workers and the abundance of universities that train IT professionals. Mariia Prus traveled to Dallas to…
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