North Dakota regulators were expected to take action Wednesday on a proposal to expand the capacity of the Dakota Access Pipeline.The three-member, all-Republican Public Utilities Commission signaled last month that it would approve a permit to expand the capacity of the pipeline, despite objections from opponents who said it would increase the probability of a…
read moreA federal judge in Texas has dismissed Chinese tech giant Huawei’s lawsuit challenging a U.S. law that bars the government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment because of security concerns.The lawsuit, filed last March, sought to declare the law unconstitutional. Huawei argued the law singled out the company for punishment, denied it due process…
read moreProtective suit-clad inspectors in the epicenter of China’s viral outbreak went door-to-door Wednesday to find every infected person in the central city suffering most from an epidemic that is showing signs of waning as new cases fell for a second day. Wuhan, where the new form of coronavirus emerged, is on the final…
read moreRod Blagojevich returned home to Chicago early Wednesday, shaking hands and signing autographs after President Donald Trump cut short the 14-year prison sentence handed to the former Illinois governor for political corruption.Blagojevich landed at O’Hare airport hours after walking out of a Colorado prison where he served eight years, promising to work for judicial and…
read moreIran’s foreign minister said Wednesday that he believes his recent meeting with a U.S. senator had spooked the Trump administration because it was an opportunity to talk directly to “the American nation.”Mohammad Javad Zarif met last week with Sen. Chris Murphy on the sidelines of an international security conference in Germany. The Connecticut Democrat defended…
read moreThe U.S. presidential contest has moved to another state. Arid, sparsely-populated Nevada holds its nominating caucuses Saturday, and already thousands have cast their ballots in early voting. Candidates are competing for the votes of 200,000 union members. As VOA’s Carolyn Presutti reports from Las Vegas, securing union backing is more challenging than in previous election…
read moreAfter skipping the first two presidential primary contests, billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg will be on the election debate stage for the first time Wednesday night in Las Vegas. Bloomberg has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on political ads on TV, radio and social media, raising his name recognition…
read moreHundreds of passengers have begun leaving the cruise ship that has been quarantined for two weeks at a Japanese port in a futile attempt to curb the spread of the new coronavirus that has claimed the lives of over 2,000 people in mainland China.Around 500 relieved passengers are expected to disembark the Diamond Princess Wednesday…
read moreSouth Korea reported 15 new cases of the coronavirus Wednesday, intensifying concerns of an outbreak following a lull in reported South Korean infections.A total of 46 people in South Korea have been infected with the highly contagious virus, which causes a pneumonia-like illness recently named COVID-19. South Korean health officials this week warned of a…
read moreA week after Attorney General William Barr overturned the Justice Department’s recommendation for a stiff prison sentence for U.S. President Donald Trump’s friend Roger Stone, the public uproar over political meddling in the U.S. system of justice rages.A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Stone will be sentenced Thursday while she decides whether to grant the…
read moreBernie Sanders’ presidential campaign plans to ask for a partial recount of the Iowa caucus results after the state Democratic Party releases the results of its recanvass.Sanders campaign senior adviser Jeff Weaver told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that the campaign has had a representative in contact with the Iowa Democratic Party throughout…
read moreMany wealthy nations are letting the world’s younger generations down by failing to curb planet-warming emissions, a U.N.-backed report said Wednesday, warning climate change posed an urgent threat to the health and future of every child and adolescent.A new global index showed children in Norway, South Korea and the Netherlands had the best chance at…
read moreThe Trump administration said Tuesday that it is waiving federal contracting laws to speed construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, moving the president closer to fulfilling a signature campaign promise in an election year but sparking criticism about potential for fraud, waste and abuse.The Department of Homeland Security said waiving procurement regulations will…
read moreThe federal judge in the Roger Stone trial is refusing to postpone sentencing while President Donald Trump says the conviction of his close friend and confidant should be thrown out.Judge Amy Berman Jackson said during a conference call Tuesday with Stone and his lawyers that the sentencing will take place Thursday as planned.But Jackson appeared…
read morePresident Donald Trump on Tuesday said he has total confidence in U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who last week said in an interview that Trump’s tweeting habit had made it impossible for him to do his job.”I do make his job harder … I do agree with that,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force…
read morePresident Donald Trump has gone on a clemency blitz, commuting the 14-year prison sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and pardoning former NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerik, among a long list of others.Trump also told reporters that he has pardoned financier Michael Milken, who pleaded guilty for violating U.S. securities laws and served two years…
read moreA roadside bombing targeted a police vehicle in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing a policeman and wounding three others, officials said. The police were assigned to escort health workers during an anti-polio vaccination campaign in the region. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Kolachi, a town in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa…
read moreThe White House Correspondents Association said Tuesday it will bring comedy back to this year’s annual dinner, a once light-hearted staple of the Washington calendar that has become deeply politicized under U.S. President Donald Trump.The WHCA said Saturday Night Live veteran Kenan Thompson will host the April 25 dinner, while Hasan Minhaj, the Peabody award-winning…
read moreSpain’s government approved Tuesday the introduction of new taxes on digital business and stock market transactions, following similar steps by other European countries.The Cabinet agreed at its weekly meeting to adopt the so-called Google tax and Tobin tax. The measures still require parliament’s approval.Finance Minister Mara Jesus Montero said the Google tax, which has angered…
read moreAs some of the negative effects of life lived online become more apparent, “digital wellness” groups are promoting ways to maintain healthy lifestyles. Deana Mitchell reports …
read moreThe U.N. secretary-general said Tuesday that the virus outbreak that began in China poses a very dangerous situation” for the world, but “is not out of control.” Speaking in an interview with The Associated Press, Antonio Guterres said that” the risks are enormous and we need to be prepared worldwide for that.” …
read moreAustralia is preparing to evacuate more than 200 of its citizens from the coronavirus-hit cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, in Yokohama, Japan. They will face two weeks in isolation on their return home. Also, the first group of Australian coronavirus evacuees from the Chinese city, Wuhan, has been released from quarantine. The Diamond Princess has…
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