white house — There are few things the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Joe Biden agree on. One is the presidential candidacy of activist-lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Both the Biden and Trump camps see Kennedy as a potential spoiler in this November's election. About half of registered voters have told pollsters that if given the chance, they would replace both Biden and Trump on this year's ballot. "If you picture what this country is going to look like in November if either President Trump or President Biden won... Читать дальше...
Blantyre, Malawi — A new report finds that gaps in family laws in most African countries are fueling discrimination of women and girls. The report from the international NGO Equality Now says laws that favor men in matters of sex, marriage and inheritance, among other issues, leave many women in despair. The study, released to coincide with the United Nations-declared International Day of the Family on Wednesday, highlights how legal frameworks and customary practices in 20 African countries have fueled discrimination in marriage... Читать дальше...
China, France, and Spain are the largest extractors of uranium in Niger. China is also the single largest harvester of Nigeria’s lithium. A Nigerian subsidiary of a U.S. private firm Chevron is involved in that country’s oil production.
The U.S. is planning on sending over one billion dollars' worth of military aid to Israel even as Israel is planning on military action in Rafah. This comes as aid trucks headed to Gaza were looted in the West Bank and Israel released a video they say shows Hamas militants in a UN compound. A look at Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Kyiv, including his stint on stage as a guitar player in a rock band in a Kyiv bar. A conversation about Iran’s nuclear program amid conflict with Israel... Читать дальше...
NEW YORK — A jury was chosen on Wednesday to determine whether U.S. Senator Robert Menendez broke the law in what federal prosecutors have called a yearslong bribery scheme to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar, as well as himself. Opening statements in the trial of New Jersey's senior senator are expected to begin later in the day before U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein in Manhattan. The trial could last into early July. Twelve jurors and six alternates were chosen, including an investment banker... Читать дальше...
Paris — France has declared a state of emergency in its overseas Pacific territory of New Caledonia after deadly protests by native-born, pro-independence activists who oppose efforts to expand the voting rights of French residents on the archipelago. Mainland France is glued to the events thousands of kilometers away — where fires were still burning Wednesday after two straight days of rioting that killed several people and left hundreds more wounded. Protesters have looted shops and torched cars and buildings... Читать дальше...
Washington — The United States on Wednesday imposed visa restrictions on more than 250 members of the Nicaraguan government and levied sanctions on three Nicaraguan entities in retaliation for "repressive actions" and a failure to stem migrant smuggling through the Central American country. Senior administration officials told reporters that the officials subject to visa restrictions included police and paramilitary officials, prosecutors, judges and public higher education officials. At the same time... Читать дальше...
Chattogram, Bangladesh — The 23 crew members of MV Abdullah, which was released on April 14 after 33 days of captivity by Somali pirates, met their families Tuesday afternoon as the vessel reached the Chattogram Port in Bangladesh. The crew members received a warm welcome when vessel MV Jahan Moni-3, carrying them from Kutubdia in Cox's Bazar, reached New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT)-1. Relatives waiting for the sailors' safe return had gathered at the port jetty with flowers. Abdun Nur Khan Asif... Читать дальше...
Washington — The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two commanders of Sudan's paramilitary force, vowing pressure to stop the unit from an offensive on the Darfur city of el-Fasher. The Treasury Department said it was freezing any U.S. assets and criminalizing transactions with Ali Yagoub Gibril, Central Darfur commander of the Rapid Support Forces, and an RSF major general involved in operational planning, Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed. "The RSF military operation to encircle and besiege el-Fasher... Читать дальше...
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia, in protest of the parliament's passage Tuesday of what critics call a Russian-style foreign agent law. The ruling party approved the legislation despite warnings from Washington and Brussels that such a move might threaten Georgia’s partnership with the West. VOA Georgian Service’s Ani Chkhikvadze has more details from Tbilisi.
WASHINGTON — The White House will send an unofficial delegation to Taiwan this weekend for the inauguration of the island's democratically elected president, the Biden administration announced Wednesday, in a move that is certain to upset China but unlikely to draw excessive responses from Beijing as the two countries try to stabilize relations. A senior White House official said the move is in line with longstanding U.S. practice to send the delegation — which includes two former senior officials and a scholar ... Читать дальше...
He captured the most famous faces in 1930s and early '40s cinema — Garbo, Crawford, Bogart and Gable. Now the work of George Hurrell, one of Hollywood's greatest portrait photographers, is on display at Washington’s National Portrait Gallery. For VOA News, Cristina Caicedo Smit has the story. Videographer: Hakim Shammo; Video editor: Cristina Caicedo Smit
Abuja — Human rights activists in Nigeria are criticizing a new bid put forward by Nigerian lawmakers to punish drug trafficking with the death penalty. The proposed measure is part of authorities' efforts to escalate a crackdown on drug abuse and trafficking. The law, if passed, would allow judges to issue the death sentence to people convicted of producing, supplying or selling narcotics. Currently, the maximum sentence is life in prison. The Nigerian Senate adopted the bill on Thursday... Читать дальше...
There is little that the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Joe Biden agree on. One is the presidential candidacy of an activist lawyer with a famous political pedigree: Robert F. Kennedy, Junior. VOA’s chief national correspondent Steve Herman at the White House reports both the Biden and Trump camps see Kennedy as a potential spoiler in this November’s election. Camera and edit: Adam Greenbaum
NEW YORK — A sprightly miniature poodle named Sage was crowned "Best in Show" on Tuesday at the 148th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, winning the grand prize in the most prestigious competition among pure-bred canines in the United States. Sage, the finalist representing 21 breeds classified as non-sporting dogs, triumphed over more than 2,500 top-ranked dogs competing in the two-day contest, held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City. Читать дальше...
SYDNEY — Researchers in New Zealand say that artificial intelligence, or AI, can help solve problems for patients and doctors. A new study from the University of Auckland says that an emerging area is the use of AI during operations using so-called "computer vision." The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, says that artificial intelligence has the potential to identify abnormalities during operations and to unburden overloaded hospitals by enhancing the monitoring of patients to help them recover after surgery at home. Читать дальше...
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, three congressional aides said Tuesday. It's the first arms shipment to Israel to be announced by the administration since it put another arms transfer — consisting of 3,500 bombs — on hold this month. The administration has said it paused that earlier transfer to keep Israel from using the bombs in its growing offensive in the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah. Читать дальше...
