Category: Technology

The day started with one Republican congressman from Texas announcing he would retire and ended with another, a long-serving former committee chairman from Wisconsin, saying he too was ready to bow out, signaling the House GOP mood as the party tries to find its path back to the majority in 2020. With the retirement announcements of Reps. Bill Flores, R-Texas, and Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., 15 House Republicans have said they will step aside before next year's elections. The departures show the limits of serving in the House minority, but also raise questions about the sway of President Donald Trump's own reelection effort alongside down-ballot candidates. A spokesman for the House GOP's campaign committee noted that both Flores and Sensenbrenner come from Republican districts, which suggests voters will have little interest…

An American woman who attempted to carry a 6-day-old baby out of the Philippines hidden inside a sling bag has been arrested at Manila's airport and charged with human trafficking, officials said Thursday. They said Jennifer Erin Talbot was able to pass through the airport immigration counter on Wednesday without declaring the baby boy but was intercepted at the boarding gate by airline personnel. Talbot, from Ohio, was unable to produce any passport, boarding pass or government permits for the baby, airport officials said. Clad in an orange detainee shirt and in handcuffs, Talbot, 43, was presented to reporters in Manila on Thursday. She kept her head low and appeared at times to be on the verge of tears. She did not issue any statement. Talbot had planned to board…

Prominent Washington lawyer Greg Craig was found not guilty of lying to the Justice Department about work he did for the government of Ukraine in a case that arose from the special counsel’s Russia investigation and that centered on the lucrative world of foreign lobbying. The jury deliberated for less than a day before clearing Craig, a White House counsel in the Obama administration, of a single count of making false statements to federal investigators. The swift verdict on Wednesday was a setback to the Justice Department’s crackdown on lobbyists who do unregistered work for foreign governments and came as prosecutors have been ramping up enforcement of a decades-old law meant to police foreign influence and promote transparency. U.S. officials hoped a conviction would demonstrate an aggressive approach to lobbyists…

Britain's political turmoil is again making headlines across the English Channel, with a number of European commentators criticizing Prime Minister Boris Johnson's handling of Brexit. But others, like conservative French lawmaker Nicolas Bay, saluted Johnson for standing firm, and honoring Britain's 2016 referendum to leave the European Union. In Brussels, European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said the EU's position toward Brexit has not changed. "There may be twists and turns in political developments in London right now, but our position is stable," she said. "We are willing to work constructively with Prime Minister Johnson and to look at any concrete proposals as long as they're compatible with the withdrawal agreement." The commission is freeing up millions of dollars in disaster funds for farmers, workers and companies to cope with a…

Illegal drug use is on the rise around the world according to a new UN report. How bad is it and what is being done to stop the spread of dangerous and increasingly deadly drugs? Former US "Drug Czar" Gil Kerlikowske and Ben Westhoff, author of "Fentanyl Inc." weigh in with Greta Van Susteren. Recorded September 4, 2019    ...

The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Burundi said Wednesday that the country, following years of political turmoil, was primed for a genocide.     The commission's warning, contained in its latest report on human rights in Burundi, was based on an analysis developed by the U.N. Office for the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect.      The three-member panel found that eight common risk factors for criminal atrocities leading to a possible genocide were present in Burundi.    Factors included an unstable political, economic and social environment; a climate of impunity for human rights violations; a weak judicial system; and the absence of an independent press and freedom of expression.    Commission member Francoise Hampson said the criteria identified by the Genocide Prevention Committee indicated that in countries where these factors were present, there was a risk the situation could deteriorate.     "On top of that, our own report shows the…

Argentine economists sharply hiked 2019 inflation forecasts and cut their gross domestic product outlook for the year, according to a central bank poll released on Tuesday, following a wave of  political uncertainty that beat the local peso down 26% in August. The survey came two days after the government announced capital controls in a bid to halt a run on the peso currency. The controls, which followed an announcement that Argentina would extend the maturities of about $100 billion in debt, were a massive setback for the government's free-markets reform effort. Inflation was seen at 55% for the year, according to the survey of 39 analysts, up from 40% in the same central bank poll a month earlier. The new weakness in the peso, which fell 50.5% against the U.S.…

Saber Sessi was working the night shift at a municipality vehicle depot in Carthage, Tunisia, when he signed off on five bulldozers in the early hours of July 9. Unbeknownst to him, the intended target for those bulldozers was his home. "I opened the gate, I handed [the keys] over and then I saw them drive around to my house," said Sessi, 50, who lived beside the depot in the working-class neighborhood of Mohamed Ali, in the northern surburbs of the Tunisian capital. Sessi's house and nine other buildings were razed to the ground that night in a government operation to clear illegal homes from the area that used to be a battleground for gladiators in the Roman Empire — the Circus of Carthage. Today, two-thirds of Carthage — about…

Hurricane Dorian will likely avoid landfall in Florida, but that does not mean residents of the Sunshine State or anywhere else along southeastern U.S. coast can relax. Forecasters say Dorian is getting bigger and will move "dangerously close" to Florida and Georgia Tuesday through Wednesday night, then threaten North and South Carolina with massive rainfall and powerful winds. Potential rainfall from Hurricane Dorian, through Sunday, Sept. 8 As of late Tuesday, Dorian was a Category 2 storm, about 200 kilometers east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, with top sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for an area from near the Savannah River along the Georgia-South Carolina border north to Surf City, North Carolina. Even if it stays offshore, Dorian's winds and rain extend 95…

People in the Bahamas experienced another hellish night as the center of powerful Hurricane Dorian sat stationary on the northern edge of Grand Bahama Island and pounded the area with fierce winds and the flooding effects of heavy rains and storm surge. Dorian made landfall on the island late Sunday night and barely moved throughout the day Monday. Forecasters expect the storm to finally move away during the day Tuesday and threaten the U.S. state of Florida. "We are in the midst of a historic tragedy in parts of northern Bahamas," said Prime Minister Hubert Minnis. "Our mission and focus now is search, rescue, and recovery. I ask for your prayers in those in affected areas and for our first responders." He told reporters at a Monday news conference there…

East Timor is marking the 20th anniversary of a referendum that ended 24 years of Indonesian occupation and delivered independence, but that also sparked a bloody rampage by pro-Jakarta militias who killed 1,500 people and pushed another half-a-million out of their homes. The capital has been sprucing up with freshly painted structures, newly paved streets and manicured gardens for the arrival of foreign dignitaries for celebrations that will last until the end of the month. But beneath the cheery facade is a lingering anger. Joao Borras, now 37, was forced to flee as militias rampaged through the capital, Dili, shot dead his two best friends, and razed his home. He said the killings were not just in the open but also behind closed doors by a government apparatus backed by…

Peru plans to beef up security at its border with Ecuador to prevent illegal immigration, after stricter entry requirements for Venezuelans led to a 90% drop in legal crossings, a government official said on Monday. More than 850,000 Venezuelans have fled their homeland for Peru in recent years, part of a mass exodus from the Caribbean nation as it faces a crippling economic crisis. But in June, Peru started requiring Venezuelans who arrive to already have visas, part of stricter policies for Venezuelans in some South American nations. "The entry of Venezuelan migrants to our country has dropped dramatically and today it's 90% less than what we saw in June," Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio told journalists. Popolizio said his ministry was working with the interior ministry and police to make…

Libya's airport authorities say they have closed the only functional airport in the capital, Tripoli, a day after it was hit by shelling amid clashes between rival armed groups fighting for control of the city. Nasr al-Din Shaab el-Ain, the head of Tripoli's civil aviation authority, said Monday that all flights at Mitiga airport have been suspended “until further notice.” The U.N. mission in Libya said four projectiles struck the civilian parts of the airport Sunday, with one hitting an airplane carrying pilgrims coming back from Saudi Arabia. The Tripoli-based Health Ministry said at least four people were wounded. The U.N-supported government blamed the attack on the self-styled Libyan National Army, which launched an offensive to take Tripoli in April. The LNA has denied the accusation. ...

Tunisia's 26 presidential candidates have launched their campaigns in a political climate marked by uncertainty, money laundering allegations and worries about violent extremism. There is no clear front-runner as campaigning began Monday for the Sept. 15 first-round vote to replace Tunisia's first democratically elected president, who died in office in July. Candidates held rallies Monday in Tunis and in poorer provinces to present their platforms. One prominent candidate is in jail facing accusations of money laundering and tax evasion. Tunisia's provisional leader after its 2011 Arab Spring uprising, former activist Moncef Marzouki, is also running. He lamented to The Associated Press that candidates are "fighting each other with methods unworthy of democracy." The campaign kickoff came the same day that four people were killed in clashes near the Algerian border.…

Iran is for the first time acknowledging that a rocket explosion took place at its Imam Khomeini Space Center, with an official saying a technical malfunction caused the blast.   Government spokesman Ali Rabiei made the statement on Monday in comments broadcast by Iranian state television.   He said the explosion caused no fatalities and also that officials had found no sign that sabotage was involved in the explosion.   Satellite photos showed a rocket on a launch pad at the space center had exploded Thursday. The space center is located about 240 kilometers, or 150 miles, southeast of the capital, Tehran.   President Donald Trump on Friday tweeted a surveillance photo likely taken of the site by an American spy satellite. He wrote that the U.S. had nothing to…

Hurricane Dorian, a powerful category 5 Atlantic storm, is battering the northern Bahamas and headed toward the southeastern U.S. state of Florida. VOA's Mike O’Sullivan reports, a key emergency official expects the storm to weaken before affecting the U.S. coastline but says disruptions from wind, rain and storm surges are likely ...

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the United States will continue to support Ukraine in the country's conflict with Russia and its right to full territorial integrity. Washington "stands with the people of Ukraine and most especially since 2014, we have stood strongly for the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Pence said after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Warsaw on Sunday. "And I can assure you that we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine on your security, on territorial integrity, including Ukraine's rightful claim to Crimea," Pence said. The United States is an important ally for Kyiv, having imposed sanctions on Russia for annexing the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and backing pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine's east. Pence and Zelenskiy were in Warsaw for commemorations to mark the…

Hurricane Dorian, a dangerous Category 5 storm, made landfall in the northwestern Bahamas Sunday, slamming the island with 295 kilometer an hour winds. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Dorian is the strongest hurricane in modern history to hit the area and warned "catastrophic conditions" are occurring in the Abaco Islands. The hurricane agency had said the storm's advance is expected to slow over the next day or two, followed by a gradual turn to the northwest as it edges closer to southeastern U.S. state of Florida Hurricane Dorian Lashes Northern BahamasUS forecasters call storm's 260-kilometer-an-hour winds 'catastrophic' "It's going to stall out...and it hasn't even touched Florida or the southeast (U.S.) coast," Peter Gaynor, acting chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told Fox News Sunday. "You've got to…

A list of some of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States in the last two years:    — Aug. 31, 2019: Five people were killed in West Texas in shootings in the area of Midland and Odessa.    — Aug. 4, 2019: A gunman wearing body armor shot and killed nine people at a popular nightlife area in Dayton, Ohio. Police were patrolling the area and killed the suspect.     — Aug. 3, 2019: A gunman opened fire at a shopping center in El Paso, Texas, killing 22 people and injuring more than two dozen. A suspect was taken into custody.    — May 31, 2019: Longtime city worker DeWayne Craddock opened fire in a building that houses Virginia Beach government offices. He killed 12 people and wounded…

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U.S. President Donald Trump’s next round of tariffs on Chinese imports is scheduled to take effect Sunday, escalating the trade war between the world’s two largest economies with a big hit to consumer goods. Trump has targeted about $300 billion in annual goods imports from China for 15% tariffs in two parts, on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15. If fully imposed, virtually all Chinese imports, worth about $550 billion, would be subject to punitive U.S. tariffs imposed since July 2018. Here is a look at U.S. tariffs and expected Chinese retaliation scheduled over the next several months. FILE - A woman shops for Chinese made shoes, Aug. 24, 2019, at a store in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles. Sept. 1 tariffs The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency will…

While most migrants who arrive at America's southern border are from the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, the U.S. Border Patrol in Texas' Del Rio Sector reports apprehending people from more than 50 countries in the last year. VOA's Ramon Taylor and Victoria Macchi spoke with asylum-seeking families who have journeyed across the Atlantic and through the Americas en route to the US-Mexico border, desperate for a new beginning.   ...

In Russia, countrywide celebrations have been held to mark the 350th anniversary of the national flag. Yet, only 50 percent of respondents polled in a recent survey could correctly name the sequence of the colors on the flag. Russia recently saw a surge of patriotic celebrations orchestrated by local and federal authorities. Yulia Savchenko has more from Moscow on the state-promoted events.   ...

Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg took her Friday school strikes to the gates of the United Nations, surrounded by hundreds of other young activists, calling on adults to take action on climate change. Thunberg will speak at a climate change summit of world leaders next month at the U.N. General Assembly. VOA's Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has more from Washington.   ...

This week, on #VOAOurVoices: from afro beats and South Africa’s hypnotic gqom music, to the Ivorian sounds of Coupé-Decalé, African artists continue to reinvent the rhythms of Africa – and the world is taking note. This week, our hosts are joined by David Vandy, from VOA’s The African Beat. Together, they explore the global influence and reach of African music, and how that expansion benefits artists from the continent. In our #WomentoWatch segment, we highlight the women who are pushing the sounds of Africa to a new level, and feature a live performance from singer-songwriter ToluMiDe. ...

The first legal challenge to prevent British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from suspending Parliament has been delayed in a Scottish court. The Court of Session in Edinburgh refused Friday to take immediate legal action to prevent Johnson from suspending Parliament for several weeks during part of the period ahead of the Brexit deadline of Oct. 31. Judge Raymond Doherty, however, said a full hearing on the case will be heard Tuesday, raising the prospect that the government's move could still be blocked. He said there is no need for an immediate injunction because a “substantive” hearing on the case will be heard next week. The full hearing had originally been set for Sept. 6, but was moved up. Law professor Nick McKerrell at Glasgow Caledonian University said the decision to…

Police in Hong Kong have arrested three prominent pro-democracy activists, ahead of a major protest that had been planned for Saturday. The march had already been called off by organizers after an appeals board denied permission. Joshua Wong, founder of political party Demosisto, was arrested Friday on suspicions of organizing an unauthorized protest on June 21, according to police. "He was suddenly pushed into a private car on the street," Demosisto, which advocates for greater democracy in Hong Kong, said on its official Twitter account. Pro-democracy activists Agnes Chow, left, and Joshua Wong speak to media outside a district court in Hong Kong, Aug. 30, 2019. Agnes Chow, also of Demosisto, was arrested at her home. Police said Wong and Chow, both 22, are being investigated on suspicion of "organizing…

A large scientific study into the biological basis of sexual behavior has confirmed there is no single "gay gene" but that a complex mix of genetics and environment affects whether a person has same-sex sexual partners.  The research, which analyzed data on DNA and sexual experiences from almost half a million people, found there are thousands of genetic variants linked to same-sex sexual behavior, most with very small effects.  Five of the genetic markers were "significantly" associated with same-sex behavior, the researchers said, but even these are far from being predictive of a person's sexual preferences.  "We scanned the entire human genome and found a handful — five, to be precise — of locations that are clearly associated with whether a person reports in engaging in same-sex sexual behavior," said Andrea Ganna, a biologist at the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Finland who co-led the research.  He…