Giving the poorest people in the world’s fast-growing cities access to affordable, clean energy supplies, while wiping out the use of hazardous solid fuels is essential for urban economies to grow on a warming planet, researchers said. Some half a billion people in urban areas still cook with traditional fuels like wood, said a report…
read moreAmazon.com said on Thursday it was searching for a location to build its second headquarters in North America that would cost more than $5 billion and house up to 50,000 staff. The e-commerce company, which is headquartered in Seattle, said it was seeking proposals from local and state government leaders and would select the location…
read moreHurricane Harvey pushed U.S. unemployment claims to the highest level in more than two years, after many workplaces in Texas were damaged by wind or submerged by floods. On Thursday, Texas reported more than 51,000 new applications for financial assistance for newly-laid off workers. The state usually reports about 10,000 jobless claims per week. Outside…
read moreWashington’s political establishment is reeling a day after President Trump blindsided Republican Congressional leaders, siding with Democrats on a three-month debt ceiling extension that puts his own party in an awkward spot with mid-term elections little more than a year away. Republican reaction to the deal has veered from bewilderment to anger to cautious endorsement…
read moreU.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday he hoped to see compromise immigration reform that combines border security measures with protections for immigrants who were brought illegally to the United States as children. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ended a program for so-called Dreamers and gave Congress six months to find a…
read moreCongressional investigators on Thursday questioned Donald Trump Jr. about Russian meddling in his father’s presidential campaign last year, including a meeting the younger Trump held with a Kremlin-linked lawyer who purportedly was going to hand them “damaging information” about Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. The younger Trump told the investigators that he set up the June…
read moreWhen in doubt, President Donald Trump has a ready-made response to any questions: “We’ll see.” On Wednesday, Trump delivered his go-to line repeatedly. Asked if he would tie debt ceiling legislation to Harvey relief: “We’ll see.” On his plans for an increasingly aggressive North Korea: “We’ll see.” And on efforts to work with the Chinese…
read moreU.S. workers’ productivity rose a bit more this spring than initially reported, but the gains were relatively weak and a key reason why recent economic growth has been modest. The Labor Department said Thursday that productivity grew at a revised annual rate of 1.5 percent in the April-June quarter. That’s up from an initial estimate…
read moreFifteen states and Washington, D.C., are suing the Trump administration to stop plans to end the program that keeps young undocumented immigrants from deportation. The attorneys general filed their lawsuit Wednesday in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York. They argue that the decision to scrap the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is unconstitutional because…
read moreA Belgium-based start-up is on its way to making the world a bit sunnier, by printing the first 3-D sunglasses out of recycled plastic. The Antwerp-based company w.r.yuma – pronounced “We are Yuma” and named after one of the sunniest places on earth – began a month-long online crowd-sourcing campaign on Kickstarter on Wednesday. After…
read moreThe U.S. Supreme Court stepped into Texas’ congressional redistricting debate this week, temporarily halting a lower court order to correct two districts found to be drawn with racially discriminatory intent. The Supreme Court’s stay is the latest turn in a contentious six-year battle over accusations of racially motivated redistricting in Texas. Given Texas’ sizable congressional…
read moreThe U.S. Supreme Court stepped into Texas’ congressional redistricting debate this week, temporarily halting an order to correct two districts that lower courts found disenfranchised minority voting rights. The court’s stay is the latest in the years-long battle over racially motivated redistricting in Texas that could have a significant impact on Republican Party control of…
read moreAid groups have criticized efforts by European leaders to stem the flow of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, arguing Europe’s economy needs more workers. One nongovernmental organization in Italy has been trying to fill the gap by training African migrants to work as beekeepers and then pairing them with local honey producers in need of employees.…
read moreAs women pound the pavements of Abidjan selling their wares, direct manic traffic in blue police uniforms and host popular television shows, it’s hard to believe Ivory Coast has one of the world’s widest gender gaps. With stark inequalities in school, as well as in access to healthcare and jobs, the United Nations ranks French-speaking…
read moreDinosaurs roamed Washington this week as young Americans protested possible budget cuts for the Peace Corps and other national service programs funded by the federal government. About 100 young people wearing Tyrannosaurus rex costumes stalked the National Mall and other parts of the nation’s capital to dramatize their slogan, “Expansion, not extinction.” They said they…
read moreTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is raising speculation that Harriet Tubman’s future on the $20 bill could be in jeopardy. In a CNBC interview, Mnuchin on Thursday avoided a direct answer when asked whether he supported the decision made by the Obama administration to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill with Tubman, the 19th…
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