Author: Fworld

The U.S. military carried out air strikes against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday. President Donald Trump has made it clear the strikes were a retaliation for Assad’s suspected use of chemical weapons April 4, which left about 100 dead, including women and children. But why were the use of chemical weapons …

Eritrea has once again found itself on the wrong side of international norms as a U.N. report accused the East African country of violating an arms embargo by buying military communications equipment from North Korea. This marks the third consecutive year that Eritrea has been named by the U.N. panel monitoring sanctions on North Korea, …

Before the U.S. attack on a Syrian air base, President Donald Trump accused his predecessor of doing nothing when Syria’s government used chemical weapons against its population in 2013. Trump is right that President Barack Obama issued what amounted to an empty threat of military action. The circumstances, though, were more complicated than Trump described. …

Eleven weeks into his presidency, President Donald Trump’s response to the chemical weapons attack in Syria is being seen as evidence that mature voices have taken the helm of the administration’s security decision-making. Veteran observers who spoke to VOA said the apparently successful missile strike on the Syrian air base from which the attack was …

The U.S. attorney general is not pleased that the police department of the Atlantic coast city of Baltimore, Maryland, has decided to adhere to an agreement negotiated with the Obama administration. While Jeff Sessions said the consent decree will make Baltimore “a less-safe city,” Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh disagreed, saying “I believe that it makes …

The United States and Russia will maintain a hotline aimed at preventing midair collisions of their warplanes in Syria, senior U.S. military officials said Friday, contradicting Moscow’s claims that it has suspended the “deconfliction” talks in protest of America’s cruise missile strikes on a Syrian air base. The officials also said they’re looking into whether …

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters Friday he’s made “tremendous progress” with Chinese President Xi Jinping during talks at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump said Xi and his representatives have been “really interesting” to talk to and he believes the two sides will continue to make progress in solving issues between the two sides. “The relationship …

First there was panic, then bluster. The alert the U.S. military gave Russia on Thursday of an upcoming cruise missile strike was quickly circulated by Russian officials to their Syrian counterparts. Fearing the al-Shayrat air base might not be the only target, many fled Damascus or hustled their families out of the Syrian capital, according …

Jupiter is extra close and extra bright this week, and that means some amazing, new close-ups. The Hubble Space Telescope zoomed in on the solar system giant Monday, and NASA released the pictures Thursday. Jupiter was a relatively close 415 million miles (668 million kilometers) away. The planet’s Great Red Spot is especially vivid. It’s …

Pirooz Parvarandeh, a longtime Silicon Valley executive, saw a problem. Although he has lived in the United States for more than 40 years, he knew little about the contributions and accomplishments of Iranian Americans like himself. That lack of knowledge is widespread, he feared, and in his view makes Iranians in America more subject to …

Conservative activist groups that generally support Republicans but oppose a pro-export, anti-import Republican tax proposal released a study on Thursday estimating its impact on individual U.S. states, underscoring the party’s division over taxes. The two activist groups, backed by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, reported that seven states won by President Donald Trump in …

Many companies aim for “Best in Class” status, but some are seeking another “B” — B corporation certification. Certified B corporations, or “B corps,” address the growing consumer interest in supporting socially and environmentally responsible companies. B corps are essentially for-profit companies that behave more like nonprofits, tackling global issues such as pollution and income …

The grief-stricken father cradled his 9-month-old twins, Aya and Ahmed, each in the crook of an arm. Stroking their hair, he choked back tears, mumbling, “Say goodbye, baby, say goodbye” to their lifeless bodies. Then Abdel Hameed Alyousef took them to a mass grave where 22 members of his family were being buried. Each branch …

Teaching is a stressful profession. A 2014 survey found that nearly half of U.S. teachers say they experience a lot of daily stress. That affects their health, well-being, and job satisfaction. Jayne Donohoe is out to change that, with exercise. The physical education teacher at Gunpowder Elementary School in Baltimore, Maryland, notes that physical activity …

The future of public transportation in New York City is taking shape on the bayous of Louisiana and Alabama. Shipyard workers in the two states are scrambling to finish the city’s new ferry fleet in time for a launch this summer, just a little more than a year after it was first proposed. The city …

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he has the votes to bust a planned Democratic filibuster of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee as a showdown nears that could change the Senate, and the court, for generations. The Kentucky Republican says Democrats “seem determined to head into the abyss. They need to reconsider.”  Democrats are …

The latest North Korean missile test Wednesday, launched near the country’s submarine base in Sinpo, could indicate the military is developing counter measures to defend against the threat of a U.S. preemptive strike and to nullify the advantage of the THAAD missile defense system being deployed in the South. Both U.S. and South Korean militaries …

U.S. President Donald Trump is suggesting that Susan Rice, the national security adviser for his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, spied on conversations Trump aides had with foreign nationals last year and sought to unmask their identities for political gain, an allegation Rice said Tuesday was “absolutely false.” Rice, in an interview with MSNBC, said …

Two Florida men pleaded guilty Tuesday of conspiring to provide material support to Islamic State, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Dayne Christian, also known as Shakur, and Darren Jackson, who used the name Daoud, were arrested last year while driving a co-defendant, Gregory Hubbard, often called Jibreel, to the Miami airport, where he planned …

Former U.S. President George W. Bush touted his signature aid project for Africa during a visit to Botswana on Tuesday, saying he hoped Washington would recognize its importance in saving lives threatened by AIDS. Launched in 2003 during the first Bush administration, PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is the world’s largest provider …

A U.S. appeals court said Monday it would hold a hearing in May over a Hawaii federal judge’s order that blocked President Donald Trump’s revised travel restrictions on citizens from six Muslim-majority countries. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously upheld a Seattle judge’s block of Trump’s first travel order. The appeals court did …

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will chair a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the North Korea nuclear issue later this month. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told reporters Monday that Tillerson’s briefing to member states will take place April 28 — well after this week’s summit between President Donald …

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced steps on Monday to prevent the fraudulent use of H1B visas, used by employers to bring in specialized foreign workers temporarily, which appeared to fall short of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to overhaul the program. Trump had promised to end the lottery system for H1B visas, which …

A senior White House official says Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and senior adviser to President Donald Trump, is in Iraq.  The official said Sunday Kushner is traveling with General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Details about Kushner’s visit were not immediately available, however Iraq’s fight against Islamic State jihadists is …

Training for the Boston Marathon has left Tommy Race feeling spent. His bank account, too: Race’s Boston adventure will cost about $2,000.   “It’s a lot of money, but it’s also a vacation,” said Race, a high school math teacher from Bellingham, Washington. “For a runner like myself, I’d much rather throw down money to …

The United States and Egypt are expected to reach accord on enhanced collaboration in the fight against radical Islamist terrorism Monday when Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi comes calling on President Donald Trump at the White House. “Both have a very deep antipathy toward political Islamism,” said H.A. Hellyer, senior fellow at the Rafik Hariri …