Month: January 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump and aides on Sunday heaped scorn on a new book detailing his chaotic first year in the White House and suggestions that he is not mentally fit to be the U.S. leader. Trump, in a Twitter comment, said, “I’ve had to put up with the Fake News from the first day …

Read more “Trump, Aides Scorn Book Depicting Chaotic White House”

Russia’s political leaders attended Christmas services as the country marked the holiday according to the Eastern Orthodox calendar. President Vladimir Putin came to the Church of Saints Simeon and Ann in St. Petersburg on the night of January 6 to 7 while Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his wife Svetlana chose the Cathedral of Christ …

Read more “Putin, Medvedev Attend Orthodox Christmas Services”

He lives the life of an average American today, but nearly four decades ago as a child Volodymyr Polovchak whipped up a Cold War storm by refusing to return from the United States to the Soviet Union. …

The United States has found no evidence that American diplomats in Havana were the victims of attacks with an unknown weapon, U.S. Senator Jeff Flake said Saturday. Flake, an Arizona Republican who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee and has been a longtime advocate of detente with Cuba, met Friday with high-ranking Cuban officials, including Foreign …

Read more “No Evidence of ‘Sonic Attacks’ in Cuba, US Senator Says”

Jerry Van Dyke, the younger brother of actor Dick Van Dyke who struggled for decades to achieve his own stardom before clicking as the dimwitted sidekick in television’s Coach, has died at age 86, his manager said. John Castonia said Van Dyke died Friday at his ranch in Hot Spring County, Arkansas. His wife, Shirley Ann …

Read more “‘Coach’ Co-star Jerry Van Dyke Dies at 86”

Saudi Arabian authorities have detained 11 princes after they gathered at a royal palace in Riyadh in a rare protest against the government suspending payment of their utility bills, the public prosecutor said Saturday. Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has introduced reforms that include reducing energy subsidies, introducing value-added taxes and cutting some …

Read more “11 Saudi Princes Detained Following Protest Over Utility Bills”

Russian President Vladimir Putin helped usher in the Orthodox Christmas at services at the Church of Saints Simeon and Anna in St. Petersburg. …

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Iran’s western province of Kermanshah on January 6. …

Thousands of pro-government Iranians have rallied in cities across the country for a fourth day in a show of support for the clerical leadership, while antigovernment protests reportedly continued in at least nine cities across the country, including the capital, Tehran. …

Nearly 4,000 companies and 170,000 people will descend on Las Vegas next week for CES, the massive consumer electronics show. For many small technology companies, the event is a big opportunity to raise their profile. VOA’s Michelle Quinn visits one San Francisco company to learn how they prepare for “the Super Bowl of conferences.” …

The U.S. economy ended 2017 by adding 148,000 new jobs in December. Despite the modest gain, hiring was strong enough to suggest the economic momentum will continue. But while the national unemployment rate remained unchanged at a 17-year low of 4.1 percent, analysts say the pace of job growth may be slowing down. Mil Arcega …

Read more “US Economy Ends Year with Modest Job Gains”

Nearly 200,000 Salvadoran beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, anxiously wait as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security weighs a decision whether to end the designated security program. Given precedent with beneficiaries from Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan, TPS holders from El Salvador worry they may be next on Trump’s chopping block, despite a 16-year …

Read more “Nearly 200,000 Salvadorans Anxiously Await Decision on TPS Future”

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says he plans to stay in his post through 2018 despite speculation he might leave soon due to strained relations with President Donald Trump. …

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says he’s not worried about Islamabad retaliating against Washington over its suspension of as much as $2 billion in military aid this week. …

The White House is working with leading U.S. lawmakers on legislation designed to enable the United States to remain in the Iran nuclear deal, media are reporting, citing senior U.S. officials. …