MUNICH — China’s foreign minister told a gathering of international security policy officials Saturday that trying to shut China out of trade in the name of avoiding dependency would be a historic mistake. Wang Yi spoke at the Munich Security Conference. Host Germany wants to avoid over-reliance on trade with an …
your ad hereAlgeria’s Black Market for Foreign Currency Underlines Its Economic Woes
ALGIERS, Algeria — In a square near the center of Algiers, currency traders carry wads of euros, pounds and dollars, hoping to exchange them to those worried about the plummeting value of the Algerian dinar. This black market for foreign currencies is among the signs of the economic woes plaguing Algeria. …
your ad hereJapan Unexpectedly Slips into Recession
TOKYO — Japan unexpectedly slipped into a recession at the end of last year, losing its title as the world’s third-biggest economy to Germany and raising doubts about when the central bank would begin to exit its decade-long ultra-loose monetary policy. Some analysts are warning of another contraction in the current …
your ad hereZimbabwe Will Attempt to Establish Gold-Backed Currency
Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s government said Monday it is introducing a gold-backed currency to replace the country’s nearly worthless dollar, which most businesses have shunned, preferring the U.S. dollar or South African rand. Minister for Finance and Economic Development Mthuli Ncube told reporters in an online press conference that Zimbabwe was …
your ad hereUS Inflation Slows as Price Pressures Ease Gradually
WASHINGTON — Annual inflation in the United States cooled last month yet remained elevated in the latest sign that the pandemic-fueled price surge is gradually and fitfully coming under control. Tuesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that the consumer price index rose 0.3% from December to January, up from a …
your ad hereConsumers Have Fewer Choices as Brands Prune Their Offerings
NEW YORK — How much choice is too much? Apparently for Coca-Cola, it’s about 400 different types of drinks. That’s why the beverage company recently decided to discontinue half of them, shedding brands like Tab, Zico coconut water, Diet Coke Fiesty Cherry and Odwalla juices but still leaving about 200 others …
your ad hereYellen to Visit Pittsburgh, Detroit to Tout Biden’s Economic Wins
WASHINGTON — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan this week as part of an election-year push aimed at showcasing what she calls “the strongest economic comeback of our lifetimes.” Yellen will visit Pittsburgh on Feb. 13 and Detroit on Feb. 14 for …
your ad hereIMF Chief: Mideast Growth to Slow in 2024 on Oil Cuts, Gaza
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — The International Monetary Fund said on Sunday Middle East economies were lagging below growth projections due to oil production cuts and the Israel-Gaza conflict, even as the global economic outlook remained resilient. Despite uncertainties, “the global economy has been surprisingly resilient,” IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva …
your ad hereCuba Charges 30 Over Massive Chicken Heist
HAVANA — Cuba has charged 30 people with stealing 133 tons of chicken and selling them on the street in a rare major heist at a time of food shortages in the communist-run nation. Thieves took the meat, in 1,660 white boxes, from a state facility in the capital, Havana, and …
your ad hereKenyan Farmers Embrace Chinese-Engineered Grass for Fodder
Having enough feed for livestock is critical to the food security of many African countries. Some farmers are considering adopting a Chinese-engineered grass called Juncao, advertised as high-yielding and fast-maturing. Some scientists advise caution. Francis Ontomwa has more from Kajiado, Kenya. Video: Amos Wangwa. …
your ad hereWill Immigrants Save US Economy as Baby Boomers Retire in Droves?
About 10,000 people born between 1946 and 1964 leave the workforce each day …
your ad hereNorth Korea Welcomes Russian Tourists, Likely First To Visit Since the Pandemic
US, China Officials Meet to Discuss Economy, Trade, Production
Iraq Bans 8 Local Banks From US Dollar Transactions
Baghdad, Iraq — Iraq has banned eight local commercial banks from engaging in U.S. dollar transactions, taking action to reduce fraud, money laundering and other illegal uses of U.S. currency days after a visit by a top U.S. Treasury official. The banks are banned from accessing the Iraqi central bank’s daily …
your ad hereIMF Predicts China Economy Slowing Over Next Four Years
washington — The International Monetary Fund says China’s economic decline is likely to continue over the next four years as the world’s second largest economy deals with a range of challenges from a rapidly aging population, higher unemployment and a property crisis. In a report released on Friday, the global financial …
your ad hereReport: Global Carmaker Supply Chains Exposed to Xinjiang Forced Labor
Taipei, Taiwan — A new report finds that some global carmakers are applying weaker human rights and responsible-sourcing standards to their joint ventures in China due to pressure from the Chinese government. The lax standards increase the risk of exposing supply chains to forced labor from China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region, where …
your ad hereUS Employers Added Surprisingly Robust 353,000 Jobs In January
WASHINGTON — The nation’s employers delivered a stunning burst of hiring to begin 2024, adding 353,000 jobs in January in the latest sign of the economy’s continuing ability to shrug off the highest interest rates in two decades. Friday’s government report showed that last month’s job gain — far above what …
your ad hereVOA Game Room – the World Series starts, a rare golf win in Scotland, cleaning up football, America’s Cup, cricket and boxing
Major League Baseball’s World Series has begun, a Spanish golfer wins in Scotland, football tackles corruption, sailing for America’s Cup, cricket on hold, boxing for Somalia …
your ad hereVOA Game Room – Familiar champions in the NBA and French Open, F1 record is tied, a golf dream comes true, women’s soccer, rugby, judo
The Los Angeles Lakers are NBA champions. The master of clay wins the French Open and ties a record. A Formula One record is tied. A boyhood golf dream comes true. Women’s football, rugby and judo. …
your ad hereVOA Game Room
The Los Angeles Lakers are NBA champions. The master of clay wins the French Open and ties a record. A Formula One record is tied. A boyhood golf dream comes true. Women’s football, rugby and judo. …
your ad hereUS to Religious Freedom Violators: ‘You Will Be Held to Account’
The United States is painting a bleak portrait of religious freedom, with violations in countries including North Korea, Iran, Russia, Myanmar and China, while praising Uzbekistan for its progress in respecting people’s fundamental rights. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday released the State Department’s 2018 Report on International …
your ad hereTrump Warns Iran that US ‘Cocked & Loaded’ but ‘In No Hurry’
Capitol Hill correspondent Katherine Gypson and VOA Persian’s Katherine Ahn contributed to this report from Washington. The United States was “cocked & loaded,” ready to strike three sites in Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz but called off the attacks at the last possible …
your ad hereUS Official Urges Ending Kosovo Trade Taxes Against Serbia
A U.S. State Department official has called for an end to Kosovo’s taxes on Serbian goods so that European Union-mediated talks on resolving the dispute between the former war foes could resume. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer said Monday full normalization of relations between Serbia and its former …
your ad hereVirginia City to Divest Budget Funds From Fossil Fuels
Officials in Charlottesville, Virginia, have voted to divest the city’s operating budget investments from any entity involved in the production of fossil fuels or weapons. WVIR-TV reports the City Council voted 4-1 last week to complete those divestments within the next 30 days. Supporters of divestment argued that …
your ad hereBoris Johnson to EU: I Won’t Pay Unless Deal Improved
Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is stepping up his campaign to be Britain’s next prime minister by challenging the European Union over Brexit terms. Johnson told the Sunday Times he would refuse to pay the agreed-upon 39 billion-pound ($50 billion) divorce settlement unless the EU offers Britain a better withdrawal …
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