Category: Світ

At a summit with Southeast Asian countries in Singapore, Vice President Mike Pence announced a new “U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership” that he says will spur renewed American investment in the region’s digital infrastructure. VOA White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara brings the details from Singapore. …

American prosecutors have obtained a sealed indictment against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, whose website published thousands of classified U.S. government documents, a U.S. federal court document showed Thursday. The document, which prosecutors say was filed by mistake, asks a judge to seal documents in a criminal case unrelated to Assange, and carries markings indicating it …

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Thursday while he remains undecided about another presidential run, the midterm election results could suggest a greater opening for an independent or third-party candidate.   Kasich made his second trip this year to New Hampshire, where he finished second in the state’s leadoff Republican presidential primary in 2016.   “I’m …

In Singapore, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has offered the Trump administration’s support for Southeast Asia’s digital and urban infrastructure development. In his remarks at the U.S. ASEAN Summit, Pence announced the new “U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership.” “This effort will spur renewed American investment in the region’s digital infrastructure, advancing prosperity and security in Southeast …

Thousands of firefighters in California are battling deadly wildfires in northern and southern parts of the state. So far 56 people in the state have died as a result of the fires. Many more have lost their homes. The wildfires in Southern California have been sweeping through many affluent communities near Los Angeles. Some residents …

China’s state-run Xinhua News has debuted what it called the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) anchor. But the novelty has generated more dislikes than likes online among Chinese netizens, with many calling the new virtual host “a news-reading device without a soul.” Analysts say the latest creation has showcased China’s short-term progress in voice recognition, …

U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis defended the deployment of thousands of troops to the border with Mexico as he travelled there on Wednesday, saying the mission was “absolutely legal” and justified, and that it was improving military readiness. President Donald Trump’s politically charged decision to send U.S. troops to the Mexico border came ahead of …

Several major news organizations announced they would throw their weight behind CNN’s legal efforts to regain White House press credentials for their reporter Jim Acosta, including rival network FOX News. “Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized,” FOX News president Jay Wallace said in a statement. “While we don’t condone …

Two U.S. senators, defying opposition from top Republicans, vowed on Wednesday to push for action on a bipartisan measure that would protect a federal investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election. Republican Senator Jeff Flake and Democratic Senator Chris Coons said they would take to the Senate floor at around 4:15 p.m. EST, …

The abrupt cancellation of high-level talks between the United States and North Korea suggests denuclearization negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have hit a snag, experts said.  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was scheduled to meet with Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the North Korean Central Committee, in New York City last week. However, the meeting …

Bowing to public criticism, the Texas Board of Education voted Tuesday to restore Helen Keller to the state’s history curriculum — but board members were still mulling scrapping lessons on Hillary Clinton while preserving hot-button instruction about how Moses influenced the nation’s Founding Fathers and how the states’ rights issue helped cause the Civil War.  …

Paradise, California had long prepared for wildfires but only in its worst nightmares did it imagine the kind of “megafire” that last week destroyed most of the town and killed at least 42 people. Born of tinder dry conditions and erratic winds, the “Camp Fire” was the latest California megafire, a huge blaze that burns …

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday that he was looking forward to an “update” on talks about a bilateral trade agreement that President Donald Trump hopes will cut Tokyo’s trade surplus with Washington. Pence, who is in Tokyo at the start of a broader Asian visit, also said …

The U.S. still attracts record numbers of international students, but the sticker shock of college tuition and negative political rhetoric is slowing down the robust rate of application seen over the past decade. The U.S. remains the top destination in the world for more than 1 million visiting students — hosting more than double the …

Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker will consult with ethics officials about any matters that could require him to recuse himself, the Justice Department said on Monday, after critics called on him to step aside from overseeing a Special Counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. “Acting AG Matt Whitaker is fully committed …

As deadly wildfires burned at multiple sites in the western U.S. state of California, forecasters warned the dry, windy conditions fueling the fires will be in place through at least Tuesday. Thousands of fire personnel are trying to contain the Camp Fire burning north of the state capital, Sacramento, which began last week and has …

Calculations are shifting in European capitals on whether Donald Trump is likely to serve a second term as U.S. president. The consensus in Europe ahead of last week’s midterm elections was that he would most likely serve only one term in the White House, but the expanded Republican majority in the Senate is prompting a …

Migrants from Central American countries are moving on toward the United States, sometimes with the help of drivers traveling north.  A caravan arrived Sunday in Irapuato, an agricultural city about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Queretaro, where the group had spent Saturday night.  Although Mexican law enforcement is not providing transportation for the caravan, police …

U.S.-backed Syrian fighters resumed their ground offensive Sunday against the Islamic State group in the last territories controlled by the extremists in eastern Syria. The Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement that the decision to resume the fighting came after threats from Turkey against the Kurdish-led force dropped due to diplomatic activities.   The …

The United States is observing Veterans Day on Sunday, the annual day it stops to remember the millions of men and women who have served in the country’s armed forces, often at the sacrifice of their own lives. President Donald Trump, in Paris, said on Twitter, “On this Veterans Day — the 100th Anniversary of …

Key U.S. Democratic lawmakers vowed Sunday they would try to protect the investigation of President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign’s links to Russia from interference by his new acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, who often attacked the probe before Trump named him to oversee it. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he would attempt to attach …

A blaze that started Thursday outside the hilly town of Paradise has grown and killed at least 11 people and destroyed more than 6,700 buildings, almost all of them homes, making it California’s most destructive wildfire since record-keeping began. But crews have made gains and the fire is partially contained, officials said Saturday. Wildfires are …

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve parliament, worsening an already major political crisis, has drawn criticism from Western powers, including the United States and the European Union. Sirisena dissolved parliament on Friday night, only five days before it was due to reconvene. A new cabinet he installed was in danger of losing a …

California officials say they have found two people dead in Malibu as fire roared through the area, and two arrests have been made for looting in neighboring Ventura County. The announcement Saturday brings to 11 the number of people who have died in this current batch of wildfires: the Woolsey and smaller Hill Fire in …

Law enforcement authorities in Northern California said late Friday nine people have died in a wildfire, one of three in the state that have leveled more than 6,400 homes and forced widespread evacuations. The Butte County Sheriff’s office said the victims were mostly found dead in cars or outside their vehicles as they attempted to …

The United States is halting refueling of aircraft from the Saudi-led coalition engaged in Yemen, Saudi Arabia said Saturday, a move that would end one of the most divisive aspects of U.S. assistance to the Saudi war effort.  Saudi Arabia, in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), said it had decided …