Author: Fworld
Start a Start-up: University in Texas Helps Students Become Entrepreneurs
03/02/2019
In 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 …
Storm Batters Southern California, Floods Wildfire Burn Areas
03/02/2019
The second in a string of powerful storms battered California on Saturday, shutting key highways after water and mud rushed into lanes from bare hillsides in wildfire burn areas where thousands of residents were under evacuation orders. Flash flood warnings were issued for huge swaths of Southern California, and forecasters said the system brought more …
Russia Joins US, Will Suspend INF Nuclear Treaty
02/02/2019
The United States and Russia are making tit-for-tat moves with their participation in a nuclear treaty, something politicians and analysts see as a burgeoning arms race. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Saturday that Russia is suspending its participation in the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The Russian move follows a similar action Friday by …
Iowa Couple Reaches Out to Fellow African Refugees
02/02/2019
Sam and Tricia Gabriel got off work on a dark January evening in Iowa. The temperature outside was -13 degrees Celsius (8 degrees Fahrenheit). Instead of settling into their cozy suburban townhome with their children, ages 9 and 2, the Gabriels quickly returned to the roads, slick with ice. Tricia drove her car in one …
Business Space for Women Fosters Creativity, Cooperation
02/02/2019
Finding a comfortable working environment can sometimes be difficult, especially for women working in male-dominated fields like science and technology. But some new startups are all about creating spaces that cater to and are dominated by women. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
Pence Attends Venezuelan Exiles’ Solidarity Event
01/02/2019
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is meeting Friday with Venezuelan exiles and community leaders in Miami, Florida. The vice president is participating in a round table discussion with the exiles and community leaders at a Spanish-speaking worship center. He also is expected to deliver remarks at a solidarity event held at the same …
Women Will Surround Trump at State of the Union Address
01/02/2019
Pelosi behind and above. Female immigrants, gazing down from the balcony. A black woman who ran a close race for governor of Georgia, rebutting. When President Donald Trump delivers his first State of the Union address under divided government on Tuesday, he’ll be surrounded by these and other living reminders of the 2018 elections …
As Court Gag Order Looms, Trump Adviser Roger Stone on Media Blitz
01/02/2019
President Donald Trump’s longtime adviser Roger Stone made multiple media appearances Thursday in Washington, talking freely with reporters before he was set to appear in court Friday and likely face a gag order from a judge. Charged by Special Counsel Robert Mueller with obstructing a congressional probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Stone …
20 Charged in Scheme to Let Pregnant Chinese Give Birth in US
01/02/2019
Federal authorities said Thursday that they had charged 20 people with participating in an illegal operation to bring pregnant Chinese women to the United States to give birth. A baby born on U.S. soil gets automatic citizenship. Three travel agents operating in Southern California were arrested Thursday, charged with conspiracy, visa fraud and money laundering. …
Hate Crimes in Major US Cities Rise for Fifth Year in a Row, Data Show
01/02/2019
A suspected hate-fueled assault on Jussie Smollett, a black, gay and Jewish actor and singer in Chicago, has drawn national headlines and cast a spotlight on rising hate crimes in the United States. Smollett, who plays a gay character in the Fox musical drama series Empire, said he was walking in downtown Chicago early Tuesday morning …
US-North Korean Nuclear Talks Making Only Limited Progress, Envoy Says
01/02/2019
The U.S. has made only limited progress with North Korea on nuclear talks, Washington’s North Korea envoy Stephen Biegun acknowledged Thursday. “While we would want to be much farther along than we currently are, we have made some progress over the last six months, with expectations of much more to come,” Biegun said in a …
Trump Says He will Let Justice Department Decide Handling of Mueller Report
31/01/2019
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would let the Justice Department decide how to handle the special counsel’s report on an investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Moscow. Republican Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, William Barr, said at his confirmation hearing this month …
Senator to Question FBI in Arrest of Trump Ally
31/01/2019
The Republican chairman of the U.S. Senate judiciary panel Wednesday requested a briefing from the FBI on the arrest of Roger Stone, a longtime associate of President Donald Trump, in an inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Senator Lindsey Graham said he was concerned about the number of agents involved, tactics employed …
Lawmakers Attempt to Rein in President’s Tariff Power
31/01/2019
U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday introduced legislation to limit the president’s power to levy import tariffs for national security reasons. The bills face an uncertain future but underscore bipartisan concerns on Capitol Hill over the rising costs of the Trump administration’s trade policies. The United States in 2018 slapped duties on aluminum and steel from other …
Taliban: US to Help in Afghan Reconstruction After Military Exit
30/01/2019
The United States and the Taliban have both agreed to establish two “technical teams” to determine mechanisms for the withdrawal of all American and NATO troops from Afghanistan and for preventing terrorists from using Afghan soil against America and its allies. Chief Taliban negotiator, Mullah Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, has revealed the details after nearly …
Stone Indictment Offers Clues, Prompts Questions About Russia Probe
30/01/2019
The indictment of President Donald Trump’s longtime ally Roger Stone has raised new questions about just what special counsel Robert Mueller has uncovered during his 20-month investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. One question is whether the indictment gets Mueller’s prosecutors any closer to the heart of the investigation: determining whether there …
US Lawmakers Again Seek to End US Support for Saudis in Yemen
30/01/2019
Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers will try again to pass a resolution ending U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, with a greater chance of success than when a similar measure passed the Senate last month. Republican Senator Mike Lee, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats, …
Spy Chief Contradicts Trump’s Claims of Progress With North Korea
29/01/2019
North Korea is unlikely to give up all of its nuclear weapons and has continued activity inconsistent with pledges to denuclearize, U.S. national intelligence chief Dan Coats said on Tuesday, apparently contradicting President Donald Trump’s claims of big progress with Pyongyang. The director of national intelligence’s downbeat assessment, in testimony before a Senate committee, came …
UNICEF Needs Nearly $4 Billion to Help 73 Million People
29/01/2019
The U.N. Children’s Fund is launching its largest-ever appeal for $3.9 billion in life-saving assistance for 73 million people, including 41 million children affected by conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies in 59 countries. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The U.N. Children’s Fund says 2019 …
US intel Chief: Russia, China Biggest Espionage, Cyber Threats
29/01/2019
Russia and China pose the biggest espionage and cyber attack threats to the United States and are more aligned than they have been in decades, the leader of the U.S. intelligence community told U.S. senators on Tuesday. While the two countries seek to expand their global reach, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said, some …
White House Wary of Another Shutdown But Firm on Wall
29/01/2019
The White House says President Donald Trump wants to avert another partial U.S. government shutdown but remains committed to erecting new barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, something most Democratic lawmakers still reject. “The president doesn’t want to go through another shutdown — that’s not the goal,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday at …
US’ Mnuchin Expects Progress in ‘Complicated’ China Trade Talks
29/01/2019
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday the United States expects significant progress this week in trade talks with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, but the two sides will be tackling “complicated issues”, including how to enforce any deal. The talks, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Washington, will include a meeting between Liu …
Federal Prosecutors Charge China’s Huawei with Financial Fraud, Theft
29/01/2019
Federal prosecutors on Monday unsealed two separate indictments against China’s Huawei Technologies, it’s chief financial officer and several affiliates for financial fraud and theft of American intellectual property. In a 13-count indictment unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, prosecutors charged the Chinese tech giant, its top financial officer, Wanzhou Meng, and two affiliates …
‘A Star Is Born’ Leads Pack for Screen Actors Guild Awards
28/01/2019
Popular musical romance “A Star Is Born” – featuring the powerhouse duo of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga – leads the field for Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, which are seen as a major predictor of Oscars success. Hollywood’s A-listers including Gaga made their way up the silver carpet – in honor of the event’s …
‘El Chapo’s’ Lawyers Face Tough Choices at Trial’s End
28/01/2019
With federal prosecutors expected to rest their case against Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman on Monday, lawyers for the accused Mexican drug kingpin have given few clues about how they plan to counter three months of testimony by more than 50 government witnesses. Among the tough choices they face are whether to call their own witnesses …
US Lifts Sanctions on Rusal, Other Firms Linked to Russia’s Deripaska
28/01/2019
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Sunday lifted sanctions on aluminum giant Rusal and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska, despite a Democratic-led push in the U.S. Congress to maintain the restrictions. Earlier this month, 11 of Trump’s fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate joined Democrats in a failed effort to keep the …