China is probing the loan practices of a group of big private sector conglomerates who have been on a high-profile global spending spree over the past few years. And although the review targets only a few of the country’s most politically-connected companies, some analysts see an attempt to increase government control over the role played…
read moreIn his first televised face-to-face interview in six weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump said it is “very bothersome” that the man leading the probe into possible ties between his campaign and Russia is friends with former FBI Director James Comey. Trump told Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends” that special counsel Robert Mueller is “very,…
read moreDevelopments in Washington, D.C., on Thursday include President Donald Trump saying he did not tape discussions with fired FBI Director James Comey, questioning why former President Barack Obama didn’t stop Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Senate Republicans releasing their version of a health care bill for the country, as well as drone and technology…
read moreDemeaning images in advertising of women doing domestic chores or scantily clad act as stubborn obstacles to gender equality, the head of U.N. Women said Thursday, urging the global ad industry to become a weapon for good. Advertising has the power to create positive portrayals of women and eliminate stereotypes, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of…
read moreMinnesota’s government and businesses will continue to engage with Cuba in the areas they can, like agricultural trade, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s partial rollback of the detente, Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith said on Thursday. The first U.S. state representative to make an official visit to Communist-run Cuba since Trump’s announcement on Friday, Smith said…
read moreJetSmart, a low-cost airline set to launch this year in Chile, said on Thursday it will offer one-way tickets for less than $2, as the nation’s passenger air market becomes increasingly competitive. “We will have 30,000 tickets for 1,000 pesos ($1.50) per one-way trip plus taxes, to fly within Chile … in 2017,” JetSmart, owned…
read moreA new survey reveals Americans are deeply divided on gun policy issues, just as they are over immigration, health care and other political matters that have polarized the nation. The survey, released Thursday by Pew Research Center, found sharp differences among gun owners and those who don’t own firearms. More than half of gun owners…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he did not record his conversations with former Federal Bureau of Investigation chief James Comey. Comey has said the president urged him to curb the agency’s investigation into Russia’s meddling of the 2016 presidential election, which Trump denies. Trump wrote on Twitter: “With all of the recently reported…
read moreThe wait for visitor visas to the United States could get a little longer. White House and State Department officials said Thursday that a new executive order revoking an Obama-era guideline on processing times at consulates was made in the interest of “vetting” and national security. It was not immediately clear how much much longer…
read moreA booming plastics and packaging industry in Asia – including China – is being driven by rising incomes and consumption, with analysts saying a growing middle class will add to the rise in plastics demand across the region. But it comes along with a rising environmental alarm over plastic pollution in rivers and oceans. Online…
read moreThere’s good news for pesto lovers. The airport in Genoa, Italy, home of the famous sauce, is allowing passengers to take pesto with them on flights, providing they make a small donation of less than a dollar to the Flying Angels charity, which helps provide money for sick children to be flown overseas for treatment.…
read moreRepublican U.S. senators have finally unveiled their version of a health care bill aimed at repealing the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement. After weeks of secret meetings, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell initially released the proposal Thursday only to Republican Senators before publishing the 142 page measure online. “We have…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump Wednesday basked in the cheers of his supporters in the rural heartland of America, far from the controversies of Washington and investigations linking his campaign to Russia’s meddling in last year’s election. At a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Trump told the crowd of admirers, “It’s always terrific to be…
read moreFederal officials say Russian cyber-operatives targeted voting systems in 21 U.S. states last year and had varying degrees of success in penetrating them. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports, that testimony before House and Senate panels Wednesday revealed significant tensions between state election officials and federal agencies whose cooperation is deemed essential to safeguard future elections. …
read moreEuropean Union leaders open a two-day summit in Brussels Thursday to address everything from Britain’s planned exit from the regional economic bloc to the resurging economy. British Prime Minister Theresa May’s remarks at the two-day meeting are expected to include reassurances about the futures of the three million citizens of other EU countries currently living…
read moreMinority Leader Nancy Pelosi is telling Democrats that next year could be the year they take back control of the House. The response from some: It better be. In the wake of a dispiriting loss for Democrats in a Georgia special House race, Pelosi is confronting renewed questions about her leadership, especially because…
read moreEvery 45 seconds or so, a neatly wrapped VanHeusen dress shirt destined for a J.C. Penney store in the United States drops off a new production line at a factory north of Vietnam’s capital. Next door, rice paddies the size of 40 football fields have been filled for the $320 million textile mill which Hong…
read moreMilitary conflicts and growing threats around the world continue to underpin demand for weapons, but industry and government leaders from the United States, Europe, Russia and the Middle East say they don’t see a huge near-term spike in arms orders. Executives report being busier than ever at this year’s Paris Airshow, the oldest and biggest…
read moreU.S. senators expressed concern on Wednesday about a plan to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, fearing a rush to consider the major legislation as Republican leaders prepare to unveil it. The healthcare bill will be released to the Republican Senate Conference on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. EDT and posted online, Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming…
read moreJared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and chief Middle East adviser, made his first solo visit Wednesday to the region, holding separate meetings with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to try to restart long-dormant peace talks. There was no immediate word on the results of the meetings, which are aimed at laying the groundwork for…
read moreWebster Allen Two Hawk Jr. had not had a drink in six weeks – one of the conditions for getting a bed at the Rapid City, South Dakota rescue mission. But the 55-year-old Sicangu Lakota artist had received some bad news that cold day in March: All of his artwork had been stolen. In his…
read morePresident Donald Trump claimed hard-fought congressional victories Wednesday, intensifying an already difficult day of questions for Capitol Hill Democrats. Republicans won two seats in the U.S. House late Tuesday, defeating Democrats in South Carolina and also in the most expensive U.S. House race in history, Georgia’s 6th Congressional District. The contests to fill those…
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