Washington — The United States on Thursday issued more sanctions targeting Houthi and Hezbollah trade networks, the U.S. Treasury Department said, as Washington increases pressure on Tehran and the Iranian-backed groups. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it targeted companies, individuals and vessels accused of being involved in the shipment of Iranian commodities, including…
read moreWellington, New Zealand — Kim Dotcom, who is facing criminal charges relating to the defunct file-sharing website Megaupload, will be extradited to the United States from New Zealand, the New Zealand justice minister said on Thursday. German-born Dotcom, who has New Zealand residency, has been fighting extradition to the United States since 2012 following a FBI-ordered…
read moreWASHINGTON — The federal government is expected to announce water cuts soon that would affect some of the 40 million people reliant on the Colorado River, the powerhouse of the U.S. West. The Interior Department announces water availability for the coming year months in advance so Western cities, farmers and others can plan. Behind the scenes,…
read moreNEW YORK — Google said Wednesday that an Iranian group linked to the country’s Revolutionary Guard had tried to infiltrate the personal email accounts of roughly a dozen people linked to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump since May. The tech company’s threat intelligence arm said the group was still actively targeting people associated…
read moreTOA BAJA, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Ernesto dropped torrential rain on Puerto Rico and knocked out power for nearly half of all customers in the U.S. territory Wednesday as it threatened to grow into a major hurricane en route to Bermuda. The storm was over open water about 1,110 kilometers south-southwest of Bermuda late Wednesday, with…
read morewashington — The Biden administration is planning to speed up the processing of asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Canada border in response to a significant increase in migrant crossings. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed in an email to VOA that there would be two changes in the asylum process at the northern border. They also emphasized…
read moreGaborone, Botswana — U.S. and Botswanan military personnel took part in a workshop focusing on better integrating women into the African country’s army, addressing issues such as sexual harassment and the need for tailored equipment. The three-day workshop was part of a larger program wrapping up Thursday intended to strengthen relations between the two countries and…
read moreWisconsin is one of three states in the Midwest both Republicans and Democrats view as critical to their presidential campaigns. VOA’s Midwest Correspondent Kane Farabaugh looks at what’s motivating voters as campaigning in the state ramps up. …
read moreWashington — The last time Debra Tice hugged her son, he was 30 years old. Now the American journalist is 43 and still being held somewhere in Syria. “I can’t really get past that,” Debra Tice told VOA with a grimace. Wednesday marks 12 years since Austin Tice was abducted while reporting in Syria. His family…
read moreWASHINGTON — The U.S. has approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles, the State Department announced Tuesday. Congress was notified of the impending sale, which includes more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs, 120 mm tank ammunition and high explosive…
read morepentagon — Eight U.S. service members in Syria were injured in a drone attack by Iranian-backed militants last week, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said on Tuesday. Tuesday marked the first time that the Pentagon blamed Iranian proxies for Friday’s attack. “We assess that it was conducted by Iranian-backed militia, but we’re still…
read moreWASHINGTON — Since replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris has quickly consolidated power and energized a campaign that many Democrat leaders had worried about. Meeting no meaningful challenge from other Democrats, Harris secured votes to be the nominee from 4,567 delegates — 99% of the participating delegates — in…
read morewashington — A U.S. Army intelligence analyst on Tuesday pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to sell military secrets to China, the Department of Justice said. Korbein Schultz was charged in March with conspiracy to disclose national defense information, exporting defense articles and technical data without a license, and bribery of a public official. Schultz, who…
read morewashington — President Joe Biden on Tuesday visited Louisiana’s infamous “Cancer Alley” to strike at what he identified as a top priority of his dwindling presidency: announcing $150 million in research funding toward the goal of dramatically reducing cancer deaths in the United States. The Cancer Moonshot is an initiative close to Biden’s heart. Both he…
read moreMinneapolis, Minnesota — Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, one of the progressive House members known as the “Squad” and a sharp critic of how Israel has conducted the war in Gaza, is trying to avoid the fate of two of her closest allies when Minnesota holds its primary elections Tuesday. Omar is defending her Minneapolis-area 5th…
read moreWarsaw, POLAND — Poland on Tuesday signed a $10 billion deal to buy 96 Apache attack helicopters from U.S. manufacturer Boeing in an upgrade to the country’s military capabilities. Poland has sharply accelerated the modernization of its armed forces since Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022. “This is the landmark purchase by Poland for…
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