As South Korea’s new leadership works toward easing long strained inter-Korean relations, U.S. experts are eyeing the country’s conciliatory overtures to the Kim Jong Un regime, worried that a possible resumption of the Kaesong Industrial Complex could provoke discord with the Trump administration. Shortly after South Korean President Moon Jae-in …
your ad hereUS Top Court Hands Chevron Victory in Ecuador Pollution Case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to Chevron Corp. by preventing Ecuadorean villagers and their American lawyer from trying to collect on an $8.65 billion pollution judgment issued against the oil company by a court in Ecuador. The justices turned away an appeal by New York-based lawyer …
your ad hereUS Supreme Court Limits Where Companies Can be Sued
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday tightened rules on where injury lawsuits may be filed, handing a victory to corporations by undercutting the ability of plaintiffs to bring claims in friendly courts in a case involving litigation over the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. blood-thinning medication Plavix. The justices, in an 8-1 …
your ad hereBRICS Meeting Highlights Climate Change, Trade, Terrorism
Climate change, trade and terrorism were highlighted Monday at a Beijing meeting of foreign affairs officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, known collectively as the BRICS nations. The five nations are seeking to further align their views on key issues at a time when President Donald Trump …
your ad hereWith Whole Foods, Amazon on Collision Course With Wal-Mart
When Wal-Mart Stores Inc. bought online retailer Jet.com for $3 billion last year, it marked a crucial moment — the world’s largest brick-and-mortar retailer, after years of ceding e-commerce leadership to arch rival Amazon, intended to compete. On Friday, Amazon.com Inc. countered. With its $14 billion purchase of grocery chain Whole …
your ad hereTax Overhaul in Trouble as Opposition to Import Tax Grows
A key part of House Republicans’ plan to overhaul the way corporations pay taxes is on life support, leaving lawmakers scrambling to save one of President Donald Trump’s biggest priorities and increasing the chances the GOP will simply pass a tax cut instead of overhauling the tax code. A proposed …
your ad hereFarmers Blast Trump’s Cuba Retreat as Bad for Trade
U.S. farm groups criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to retreat from his predecessor’s opening toward Cuba, saying it could derail huge increases in farm exports that totaled $221 million last year. A trade delegation from Minnesota, one of the largest U.S. agriculture states, vowed to carry on with its planned …
your ad hereEstonia Upstart Taxify Wants to Take on Uber
The key to success for ride-hailing providers like Uber is keeping drivers happy so they run their app, ensuring that enough cars respond to passenger demand. Estonia upstart Taxify is hoping to win over drivers and take on Uber Technologies Inc., the industry leader, by offering a larger share of …
your ad hereColombia Reaches Deal to End 37-day Teachers’ Strike
Colombia on Friday reached a deal with public school teachers to end a 37-day strike that has kept millions of children out of classes, amid criticism the government has failed to keep its promise to improve public education after a peace deal with Marxist rebels. Union members participating in the …
your ad hereTransport Strike Brings ‘Black Friday’ to Italian Cities
Nationwide strikes left commuters and tourists stranded across Italy on Friday, as transport unions called for better job conditions for workers and protested against privatization. Underground and overground trains, airplanes and buses were cancelled in a series of strikes over a 24-hour period starting on Thursday evening. Transport Minister Graziano …
your ad hereGreece Dodges New Crisis, but Austerity Remains Part of Life
Greek stocks rallied to two-year highs Friday after the government struck a deal with European creditors that means the country won’t face another brush with bankruptcy anytime soon. However, for austerity-weary Greeks, the deal does little to lift the pall from years of belt-tightening. After months of haggling that raised …
your ad hereAmazon Inks Deal to Acquire Whole Foods
Amazon announced Friday that it will purchase Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. It is the e-commerce giant’s biggest acquisition to date, and highlights the company’s continued attempt to penetrate the $800 billion grocery industry. “Millions of people love Whole Foods Market because they offer the best natural and organic foods, …
your ad hereAfrica’s ‘Large and Dynamic’ Economies Cannot Be Ignored
From the president of Mozambique to the US Secretary of Commerce, greater US economic engagement in Africa is the dominant theme at this year’s business summit organized by the Corporate Council on Africa. VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo was there and reports. …
your ad hereUS Moves to Seize DiCaprio’s Picasso, ‘Stolen’ Funds in 1MDB Case
U.S. authorities moved on Thursday to seize a Picasso painting given to American movie star Leonardo DiCaprio and the rights to two Hollywood comedies, as they filed complaints to recover about $540 million they say was stolen from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad sovereign wealth fund. The U.S. Justice Department filing …
your ad hereWhite House Lacks Plan to Address Debt Ceiling
The White House lacks a unified plan to increase the government’s borrowing cap as a likely September deadline is drawing near, said Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget. A failure by Congress to raise the debt ceiling could send dangerous shock waves through the global economy. …
your ad hereMilitary-linked Business Enterprises Dominate in Cuba
American tourists strolling the ample squares and narrow streets of colonial Havana may not know it, but from novelist Ernest Hemingway’s famed Floridita bar to Sloppy Joe’s eatery, they are probably patronizing businesses owned by Cuba’s military. It is that lucrative line of business that President Donald Trump will target …
your ad hereIndonesia Plows Ahead on Fisheries Protection, Despite Resource Constraints
Foreign fishing in Indonesian waters has long been a concern for the government, for which it has recently taken a literally explosive approach: blowing up illicit fishing boats. But the country’s wildly popular Minister of Marine Affairs lobbied the United Nations last week to declare illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing …
your ad hereTrump Administration Suspends Methane Gas Rules
The Trump administration is suspending regulations aimed at cutting dangerous methane gas emissions from oil and natural gas wells. The Interior Department is indefinitely putting on hold methane trapping rules imposed on wells on federal lands. The Senate rejected the suspension last month, prompting the department to act on its …
your ad hereGreece Reaches Deal with European Lenders for Bailout Installment
Greece’s European lenders agreed Thursday to release another $9.5 billion of a desperately needed bailout installment, while holding out the hope of debt relief. All sides reached a deal in Luxembourg Thursday after months of often bitter negotiations. The European Union’s top economy official, France’s Pierre Moscovici, said Greece has …
your ad hereMacron: France Must Be Country That ‘Thinks and Moves Like a Startup’
French President Emmanuel Macron laid out his vision for a digital future on Thursday, saying he wants France to undergo a revolution so that it becomes a country that “thinks and moves like a startup.” Speaking at the Viva Technology conference in Paris, Macron repeated he wanted to reform labor …
your ad hereReports: US Job Market Stronger, But Credit Card Bills Rising
New data show the U.S. job market becoming a bit stronger, while credit card costs are increasing for American consumers. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department says the number of newly-laid off workers signing up for assistance fell 8,000 last week to a nationwide total of 237,000. Experts say any …
your ad hereUS Senate Approves Russia Sanctions
The U.S. Senate voted 98-2 Thursday to approve sweeping sanctions against Russia and make it harder for President Donald Trump to ease punitive measures against Moscow. “We have no time to waste,” said Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona. “The United States of America needs to send a strong message …
your ad hereUS Central Bank Hikes Key Interest Rate Amid Weaker Than Expected Data
The U.S. central bank raised its benchmark interest rate Wednesday amid concerns about sluggish growth, a slowdown in consumer spending and low inflation. But the head of the U.S. Federal Reserve says the one-quarter of 1 percent increase in the federal funds rate demonstrates the committee’s confidence in the overall …
your ad hereKushner Company Drops Tax Break Request in New Jersey
The real estate firm owned by the family of Jared Kushner has withdrawn a request for a big tax break for one its buildings in Jersey City, New Jersey, the latest setback for the company in the area. The Kushner Cos. sent a letter withdrawing its application for a …
your ad hereLighter Cars Can Save a Lot of Money
Fierce competition among car manufacturers requires constant search for ways to cut expenses without compromising safety and other standards. One of the areas with room for improvement is in manufacturing of car bodies, which could be made lighter but still strong enough to protect passengers. VOA’s George Putic visited the …
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