U.S. President Donald Trump notified Congress on Friday of his intent to sign a trade agreement with Mexico after talks with Canada broke up earlier in the day with no immediate deal to revamp the tri-nation North American Free Trade Agreement. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said U.S. officials would resume talks with their Canadian …
your ad hereBig Names Bid Farewell to ‘Queen of Soul’
Notables gathered to pay tribute to soul singer Aretha Franklin during an epic, hours-long funeral service in Detroit, Aug. 31, 2018. Franklin died Aug. 16, 2018, of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76. …
your ad hereFake, Low Quality Drugs Come at High Cost
About one in eight essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries may be fake or contain dangerous mixes of ingredients that put patients’ lives at risk, a research review suggests. Researchers examined data from more 350 previous studies that tested more 400,000 drug samples in low- and middle-income countries. Overall, …
your ad hereCoca-Cola Hopes for Caffeine Hit as It Buys Costa Coffee Chain
Coca-Cola is hoping for a caffeine-fueled boost with the acquisition of British coffee chain Costa. Costa is Britain’s biggest coffee company, with over 2,400 coffee shops in the U.K. and another 1,400 in more than 30 countries, including around 460 in China, its second-biggest market. Coca-Cola said Friday it will …
your ad hereNotables Gather in Detroit for Queen of Soul’s Funeral
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton, his wife, Hillary Clinton, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and a host of musicians are gathered in Detroit to remember singer Aretha Franklin, a giant in the world of American music. The ceremony at the Greater Grace Temple assumed epic proportions, with a program of speakers and …
your ad hereMournful, Joyful, Stormy: Aretha Franklin’s Eight-Hour Funeral
The lengthy funeral of soul superstar Aretha Franklin went from reverent to downright angry Friday, as several speakers took the opportunity to lash out at U.S. President Donald Trump. Civil rights activist, minister, and television host Al Sharpton got a standing ovation when he noted that viewers corrected him when …
your ad hereUS Ports Fear Tariffs Could Reduce Ship Traffic, Jobs
Ports and ground terminals in nearly every state handle goods that are now or will likely soon be covered by import tariffs. Port executives worry that this could mean a slowdown in shipping that would have ripple effects on truckers and others whose jobs depend on trade. The Associated Press …
your ad hereMourners Pay Final Respects to Aretha Franklin at Public Viewing
Thousands of mourners have come to pay their respects to music legend Aretha Franklin, who will be laid to rest Friday in Detroit, Michigan. A star-studded roster of performers and speakers are scheduled to attend. From Washington, VOA’s Jill Craig has more. …
your ad hereCanada, US Push Toward NAFTA Deal by Friday
Top NAFTA negotiators from Canada and the United States increased the pace of their negotiations Thursday to resolve final differences to meet a Friday deadline, with their Mexican counterpart on standby to rejoin the talks soon. Despite some contentious issues still on the table, the increasingly positive tone contrasted with …
your ad hereMicrosoft to Contractors: Give New Parents Paid Leave
Microsoft will begin requiring its contractors to offer their U.S. employees paid leave to care for a new child. It’s common for tech firms to offer generous family leave benefits for their own software engineers and other full-time staff, but paid leave advocates say it’s still rare to require similar …
your ad hereFans Flock to Her Father’s Church to Salute Franklin
Before the world marks the end of Aretha Franklin’s life at her funeral Friday, fans gathered a day early to celebrate her in the place where her faith was forged and her voice was first discovered, singing signature gospel classics like Amazing Grace and Precious Lord. The line for the public …
your ad hereRepublican US Senator Asks FTC to Examine Google Ads
U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch on Thursday added to the growing push in Washington to have the Federal Trade Commission rekindle an antitrust investigation of Alphabet Inc’s Google. Hatch, the Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, sent a letter to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons recounting several news reports that identified …
your ad hereSexually Transmitted Diseases Seeing Record Increases, CDC Says
The number of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States is hitting record highs, according to latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were diagnosed in 2017, says the CDC. This is the fourth year of increases …
your ad herePrince Harry, Wife Meghan Attend Hit Musical Hamilton in London
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan attended a performance of the hit musical Hamilton on Wednesday to raise money for a charity which works with children affected by HIV in southern Africa. At the end of the show, Harry and the musical’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda addressed the audience, said a …
your ad hereCholera Outbreak Stirs Panic in Algeria
Algerian health authorities claim the situation is under control after a cholera epidemic in at least four provinces caused more than 60 confirmed cases of the disease, with several deaths reported. Residents in a village of Tipaza province are drinking water from a spring government officials claim is infected with …
your ad hereWHO: Africans Living Longer, Healthier Lives
The World Health Organization says Africans are living longer and healthier lives. But the WHO warns that that millions on the continent still face the challenge of chronic diseases. News of the uptick came in Dakar this week where WHO representatives met with officials from 47 African countries. Healthy …
your ad hereMinnesota’s Hmong Farmers Drive Local Food Economy
Hmong farmers in St. Paul, Minnesota have the best advocate for their business enterprises: themselves, working together. Originally from China, the Hmong are an Asian ethnic group that migrated to Vietnam and Laos in the 18th century. They have never had a country of their own. After the Vietnam War …
your ad hereOperation Finale – How Mossad Brought Adolf Eichmann to Justice
The drama “Operation Finale” revisits history and brings to life the dramatic capture, by Mossad operatives, of Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Nazi Holocaust. Filmmaker Chris Weitz and scriptwriter and historian Matthew Orton offer a dramatic rendition of the historic events that took place in Argentina, …
your ad hereSalah Takes on Egyptian Federation Over World Cup Debacle
Emboldened by his global star power, Mohamed Salah has said out loud what many of his Egyptian teammates have been saying in private for weeks: Failure by the national federation to enforce discipline and stop meddling by sponsors was mostly to blame for the Pharaohs’ miserable World Cup run in …
your ad hereIndian Currency Decree Did Little to Root Out ‘Black Money’
Nearly all of the currency removed from circulation in a surprise 2016 attempt to root out illegal hoards of cash came back into the financial system, India’s reserve bank has announced, indicating the move did little to slow the underground economy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s currency decree, which was designed …
your ad hereNetflix, Amazon Hope to Woo India with Local Stars, Stories
As entertainment giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime woo Indian audiences, they are investing millions of dollars in making films and serials locally. And for Bollywood, one of the world’s most glitzy movie industries, the entry of video streaming services with deep pockets has opened new opportunities. “When a Bollywood …
your ad hereIn ‘Operation Finale’ the Anatomy of a Mass Murderer
The taut drama Operation Finale revisits history and brings to life the dramatic capture, by Mossad operatives, of Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust. Filmmaker Chris Weitz and scriptwriter and historian Matthew Orton offer a dramatic rendition of the historic events that took place in Argentina 15 …
your ad hereMaryland Muslim Organization Distributes Eid Holiday Meat to Local Residents
Muslims living in United States are sharing the happiness and joy of the Eid celebration with non-Muslims, especially when Muslims sacrifice an animal and share the meat with the poor and needy. VOA’s Vardha Khalil recently visited a residential area in Silver Spring, Maryland, where a local Muslim organization distributed …
your ad hereVice Premier: Chinese Enforcers Should be "Realistic" in Pollution
Chinese authorities should not arbitrarily shut down firms that meet emission standards during environmental cleanup campaigns, Vice Premier Han Zheng said on Wednesday. Beijing has made reducing pollution one of its highest national priorities, but the drive has been criticized as poorly planned at the local level, with across-the-board closures …
your ad hereTrump OKs Tariff Relief for Three Countries
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed proclamations permitting targeted relief from steel and aluminum quotas from some countries, the U.S. Commerce Department said on Wednesday. Trump, who put in place tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in March, signed proclamations allowing relief from the quotas on steel from South Korea, …
your ad here