Author: Fworld

All-Clear After Bomb Threat at CNN Offices

Police have given the all-clear after a phoned in bomb threat forced the evacuation of CNN’s offices in New York.   Police said a man with a southern accent called CNN just after 10 p.m. Thursday and said five bombs had been placed throughout the facility inside the Time Warner building at Columbus Circle.   …

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81 Migrant Children Separated From Parents Since June

The Trump administration separated 81 migrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border since the June executive order that stopped the general practice amid a crackdown on illegal crossings, according to government data obtained by The Associated Press.   Despite the order and a federal judge’s later ruling, immigration officials are allowed to separate …

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Virginia Tech Students Unveil the House of the Future

Joseph Wheeler and his team of students and faculty from Virginia Tech University are convinced they are building the house of the future. Judges at the recent Solar Decathlon Middle East agreed, awarding their future house first place in the December competition held in Dubai. “We set it up in two days,” Wheeler told VOA. …

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US Bids Farewell to President George HW Bush at State Funeral

The U.S. said farewell Wednesday to former President George H.W. Bush at a state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral attended by dignitaries, family and friends. President Donald Trump, who in the past has had an acrimonious relationship with the Bush family, was in attendance to pay his last respects to the 41st U.S. president. …

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Russia Warns Cyprus Against Allowing US Military to Deploy There

Russia on Wednesday warned authorities in Cyprus not to allow the U.S. military to deploy on their territory, saying such a move would draw a Russian reaction and result in “dangerous and destabilizing consequences” for the Mediterranean island. Maria Zakharova, a spokesman for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Moscow had become aware of what …

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In Photos: State Funeral of Former President George H.W. Bush

The U.S. bids farewell to former President George H.W. Bush at a state funeral in Washington attended by top American political figures, along with current and former leaders from throughout the world. …

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Mexico’s New Leader Says Relations With Trump Good

Mexico’s leftist new president said Wednesday that relations with U.S. President Donald Trump are “good,” and the two will probably talk soon about the immigration issue. Many analysts had been expecting President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to run into headlong conflict with Trump, especially since a caravan of about 7,000 Central American migrants set up …

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4 Men Charged in Panama Papers Investigation

Federal authorities announced a raft of conspiracy and tax fraud charges Tuesday against four men in the first U.S. prosecution related to the so-called Panama Papers. The 11-count indictment unsealed in Manhattan stems from what prosecutors described as an “intercontinental money laundering scheme” involving a global law firm based in Panama. Two Germans, one American …

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US Coal Consumption Drops to Lowest Level Since 1979

Americans are consuming less coal in 2018 than at any time since Jimmy Carter’s presidency, a federal report said Tuesday, as cheap natural gas and other rival sources of energy frustrate the Trump administration’s pledges to revive the U.S. coal industry. A report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration projected Tuesday that 2018 would see …

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US Re-Establishes ‘Permanent Diplomatic Presence’ in Somalia

The United States says it has re-established a “permanent diplomatic presence” in Somalia for the first time in 27 years. The State Department on Tuesday said, “This historic event reflects Somalia’s progress in recent years and is another step forward in formalizing U.S. diplomatic engagement in Mogadishu.” The U.S. closed its Somalia embassy in January …

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White House Seeks to End Subsidies for Electric Cars, Renewables

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Monday the Trump administration wants to end subsidies for electric cars and other items, including renewable energy sources. Asked about plans after General Motors announced U.S. plant closings and layoffs last week, Kudlow pointed to the $2,500-to-$7,500 tax credit for consumers who buy plug-in electric vehicles, including …

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Earthquake-weary Alaskans Still Grappling with Damage

Life was beginning to return to normal Monday in Alaska following the powerful earthquake near Anchorage, but people nervous about aftershocks were still grappling with damage that closed public buildings and schools, clogged roads and knocked homes off foundations. Some residents went back to work. But state transportation officials again urged people who live north …

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Children Return to School 3 Weeks After California Wildfire

Eight-year-old Bella Maloney woke up next to her little brother in a queen-size bed at a Best Western hotel and for breakfast ate a bagel and cream cheese that her mother brought up from the lobby. And then she was off to school for the first time in nearly a month. For Bella, brother Vance …

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China-US Tariff Truce is Opportunity with Tight Time Frame

China and the United States have agreed to put tariffs on hold and give negotiations a chance. But the short 90-day period the two have to finish negotiations, which includes major holidays both in Washington and Beijing, will require quick steps, analysts say.   China’s pledges to purchase what the White House calls “substantial” amounts …

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Trump Writes to Pakistan’ Khan to Seek Cooperation on Afghan Peace

U.S. President Donald Trump in a letter to Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, has sought Islamabad’s cooperation in bringing the Taliban to the table for negotiating peace in Afghanistan.   Khan revealed to a group of local journalists that he received the letter Monday morning and promised Pakistan will make “all possible efforts” to help …

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IFRC: Migrant Children Traveling Alone Are ‘Most Vulnerable People In the World’

A report by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) says thousands of unaccompanied children and children who have been separated from their families run the daily risk of sexual and gender-based violence as they travel along the world’s migratory trails.  “A child who is migrating alone, without the love and …

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Trump-Xi Dinner in Argentina Leads to Trade War Truce

U.S. President Donald Trump has returned home from the Group of 20 meeting of the world’s top economies. After the curtain came down on the summit, the spotlight lingered on the leaders of the two top economies. As VOA’s White House bureau chief Steve Herman reports from Buenos Aires, in the end a truce was …

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Former President George H.W. Bush to Lie in State at Capitol

Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda starting Monday evening as Americans honor the life of the country’s 41st president. The Capitol will be open for dignitaries and the public to pay their respects through early Wednesday, with visitors allowed to walk past Bush’s casket. He died …

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Beyonce to Lead Mandela Tribute Concert

Beyonce will lead an all-star line-up that includes Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Usher in Johannesburg on Sunday when she performs at a concert to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. The concert is the climax of a year of events celebrating the centennial of Mandela’s birth in 1918, and is part of a …

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Mattis Slams ‘Slow Learner’ Putin Over Election Meddling

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accused Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday of being a “slow learner” who again tried to meddle in U.S. elections in November, adding that he had no trust in the Russian leader. The remarks by Mattis at a security forum in California came a day after President Donald Trump held …

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Pompeo Condemns Iran Missile Test 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday condemned what he described as Iran’s testing of a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads as a violation of the international agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program.    Amid tension between Washington and Tehran over ballistic missiles, Pompeo warned in a statement released on Twitter that Iran …

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Trump, Xi Talk Trade Over Dinner in Argentina

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, over a Buenos Aires dinner of grilled sirloin steak, discussed their vast differences on trade that have led in past months to exchanges of significant retaliatory tariffs between the world’s two largest economies.  Trump, sitting across from Xi at a long banquet table, described their relationship …

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Melania Trump Decks the White House Halls

Since President John Adams and first lady Abigail Adams’ Christmas party at the White House in December 1800, wintertime in the U.S. president’s residence has been filled with various holiday festivities. This year, first lady Melania Trump has decked White House halls in the spirit of the patriotic theme “American Treasures.” Patsy Widakuswara has this …

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After the Fire, California Community Looks to Future

The town of Paradise, California, was nearly wiped off the map in a devastating wildfire three weeks ago.  At least 88 people died and more than 150 are still missing.  Mike O’Sullivan reports from Chico, California, that survivors are now planning for the future. …

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UNESCO Adds Reggae, Perfume Making and More to List of Cultural Treasures

The United Nations has added reggae music to its list of International Cultural Treasures worthy of protection and promotion. Perfume-making in a southern French city and a religious tradition in Mexico are among traditions that have joined the list of UNESCO’S Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke has more. …

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Canada, Mexico, US Sign Trade Deal

The leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States signed a new North American trade deal Friday. Justin Trudeau, Enrique Pena Nieto and Donald Trump inked the deal in Argentina, ahead of the opening of the G-20 summit. It will, however, take a while for the agreement to take effect as lawmakers from all three …

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