The governments of Spain and Brazil on Monday reinforced their commitment to completing a trade pact between the European Union and South American trade bloc Mercosur despite protectionist sentiments. On a two-day visit to Brazil, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he agreed with Brazilian President Michel Temer about the need to wrap up a…
read moreAll 100 U.S. senators have been invited to the White House on Wednesday for a classified briefing that will primarily concern North Korea, the administration announced Monday. The briefing will be conducted by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs…
read moreThe U.S. and China are launching four rounds of talks, as U.S. President Donald Trump heads to China later this year in a visit aimed at strengthening cooperation to reduce tensions in the Korean Peninsula. In a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, Trump said he’s “looking forward to the state visit…
read moreThe CEO of one of the Middle East’s largest carriers said Monday passenger numbers to the United States have dipped slightly over fears by some Muslim passengers that their visas may be rejected upon arrival, but expressed confidence in President Donald Trump as a “very good businessman.” Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker said uncertainty…
read moreEuropean shares opened sharply higher and the euro briefly vaulted to five-month peaks on Monday after the market’s favored candidate won the first round of the French election, reducing the risk of another Brexit-like shock. The victory for pro-EU centrist Emmanuel Macron, who is now expected to beat right-wing rival Marine Le Pen in a…
read moreA fungus that causes “vomitoxin” has been found in some U.S. corn harvested last year, forcing poultry and pork farmers to test their grain, and giving headaches to grain growers wrestling with massive supplies and low prices. The plant toxin sickens livestock and can also make humans and pets ill. The appearance of vomitoxin and…
read moreThe U.S. Surgeon General under the Obama administration has resigned and been replaced, at least, temporarily, by his deputy. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that Vivek Murthy was asked to resign after “assisting in a smooth transition” from the Obama administration to that of President Donald Trump. Murthy’s replacement is his…
read moreU.S. Vice President Mike Pence says the U.S. is quietly confident that China will do more to influence North Korea to drop its nuclear weapons program. Pence spoke Saturday in Sydney at a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Both the U.S. and Australia have pressured China to take more responsibility in…
read moreThe founder of Microsoft, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, has given a passionate defense of foreign aid while voicing fears the political climate in the U.S. and in Britain could result in cuts to aid budgets. In a speech this week in London, he warned that withdrawing aid would “create a leadership vacuum that others will…
read moreLawmakers from coal-mining states are pushing to extend health benefits for more than 22,000 retired miners and widows whose medical coverage is set to expire at the end of April. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and other coal-state Democrats threatened to shut down the government over the issue in December, but they retreated after winning…
read moreVice President Mike Pence and Australia’s prime minister brushed off any lingering hostility over a contentious refugee deal and joined forces Saturday to urge China to take a greater role in pressuring North Korea to drop its nuclear weapons program. Pence and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull repeatedly praised the decades-long American-Australian alliance following a meeting…
read moreU.S. Vice President Mike Pence met Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney, in an effort to improve relations after a highly publicized argument between U.S. President Donald Trump and the Australian leader. The visit to Australia is the first by a senior Trump administration official as the United States looks to strengthen ties with…
read moreThe U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee said on Friday it had invited FBI, NSA and Obama administration officials to testify as it restarts its investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. After stalling over the committee chairman’s ties to President Donald Trump’s White House and disagreements over who should testify, the…
read moreWhen Gokul Gunasekaran was offered a full scholarship for a graduate program in electrical engineering at Stanford University, he saw it as the chance of a lifetime. He had grown up in Chennai, India, and had a solid job offer with a large oil company after getting his undergraduate degree. He came to America instead,…
read moreEven after disembarking from North Korea’s Air Koryo plane at Pyongyang airport, it’s difficult to miss the airline’s brand. The Air Koryo conglomerate makes cigarettes and fizzy drinks, besides owning a taxi fleet and petrol stations – and all have the same flying crane logo as the carrier. The military-controlled airline expanded into consumer products…
read moreU.S. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions vowed Friday to continue their tough approach to illegal immigration, warning of the dangers of cross-border gangs and sanctuary cities. Speaking in San Diego on the second day of a trip through the U.S. Southwest, where border concerns are most prominent, Kelly…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a full review of the powers given to government regulators to oversee the banking and finance industries following the financial meltdown of 2008. Trump went to the Treasury Department on Friday to sign three executive orders that start the process of fulfilling his campaign pledges to undo regulations that…
read moreGreece far exceeded its international lenders’ budget demands last year, official data showed on Friday, posting its first overall budget surplus in 21 years even when debt repayments are included. The primary surplus — the leftover before debt repayments that is the focus of International Monetary Fund-European Union creditors — was more than eight times…
read moreCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that he plans to be respectful and engage the United States with a fact-based approach to solving problems a day after Donald Trump called Canada a “disgrace” for policies that hurt American farmers. Trudeau said during a news conference alongside visiting Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni on…
read moreThe U.S. government says it will not waive trade sanctions for U.S. companies seeking to drill for oil in Russia, including for U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the announcement Friday, indicating that the United States would maintain a tough stance on sanctions against Russia. “In consultation with President Donald J. Trump,…
read moreIndonesia and the United States agreed Friday to find ways to reduce barriers to U.S. companies operating in Southeast Asia’s largest economy, visiting U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Jakarta’s investment chief said. The Trump administration has put Indonesia on a list of 16 countries whose trade surpluses with the United States will be put…
read moreArkansas has executed an inmate for the first time in nearly a dozen years as part of its plan to execute several inmates before a drug expires April 30, despite court rulings that have already spared three men. Ledell Lee’s execution was the first in the state since 2005. He was pronounced dead at…
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