Austria’s Constitutional Court on Monday dealt a blow to the government’s plans to cut benefits for groups including refugees, striking down identical rules in one province and saying refugees deserve special treatment. Austria’s parliamentary election in October was dominated by Europe’s immigration crisis, when it took in some of the …

Thousands of women farmers marched into Mumbai alongside their male peers on Monday demanding the government recognizes their rights over forests and stops the takeover of land for industrial projects. The protesters, who over several days walked 180 kilometers (112 miles) from the town of Nashik, northeast of Mumbai, also …

Fishing vessels that temporarily switch off a public tracking system raise suspicions that they are hiding illegal fishing, according to the advocacy group Oceana. Vessel owners say Oceana is relying on the wrong tracking system. They note that government regulators monitor them through a separate, private system. The automatic identification …

It took a trek of about 180 kilometers to India’s financial capital, Mumbai, for tens of thousands of farmers in the Maharashtra state to win assurances of respite from loans and ownership rights over forest land they are tilling. Named the “Long March,” the farmers’ protest in one of India’s …

Labor strikes. Nationwide protests. Bank failures. In recent months, Iran has been beset by economic problems despite the promises surrounding the 2015 nuclear deal it struck with world powers. Its clerically overseen government is starting to take notice. Politicians now offer the idea of possible government referendums or early elections. …

China said Sunday it does not intend to ignite a trade war with the U.S. because the move would be disastrous for the entire world. “There are no winners in a trade war,” Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan said on the sidelines of China’s annual parliamentary session. “China does not …

Trade representatives for Japan and the European Union met with the U.S. trade representative Saturday in an effort to avoid a trade war over President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on aluminum and steel. At the meeting in Brussels, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom and Japanese counterpart …

Several Asian nations that are major trading partners with the U.S. reacted strongly Friday to a U.S. decision to impose tariffs on metal imports, raising concerns of global trade conflicts. China, a key target of U.S. trade concerns, said it was “resolutely opposed” to the U.S. tariff decision, with Japan …

China is gearing up to retaliate in response to stiff U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum as Chinese industry associations urge authorities to take “resolute measures.” Retaliation from Beijing could contribute to a possible trade war between the world’s two biggest economies, analysts said. China’s Ministry of Commerce has pledged …

Young people around the United States are creating virtual businesses that produce simulated products, which are marketed and sold for virtual money. Thirteen hundred students recently showcased their ventures, ranging from telecom firms to gourmet food providers, in Pasadena, California. At what looked like a corporate trade show, students from …

U.S. employers went on a hiring binge in February, adding 313,000 jobs, the most in any month since July 2016, and drawing hundreds of thousands of people into the job market. The Labor Department said wage gains, meanwhile, fell from January to 2.6 percent year-over-year. Strong hourly wage growth had …

Has President Donald Trump’s romance with the Goldman Sachs crowd gone cold? Top economic adviser Gary Cohn is only the latest Goldman figure to head for the White House exits, suggesting the influence of the oh-so-establishment banking powerhouse has been overwhelmed by the more nationalistic voices in the West Wing. …

Trade ministers from 11 Pacific Rim countries are set to sign a sweeping agreement to streamline trade and slash tariffs just as U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to formalize new tariffs on aluminum and steel to protect U.S. producers. The deal to be signed Thursday in the Chilean capital …

Several Eastern European states have ramped up their opposition to a new gas pipeline linking Russia with Germany. The Nord Stream 2 project will bring Russian gas directly to Western Europe, but critics say it will increase dependence on Russia and enrich its state-owned energy firms at a time when …

The Trump administration is asking China for a $1 billion reduction in the U.S.-China trade deficit. The request comes amid intense international debate over U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. VOA’s Jesusemen Oni has more. …

President Donald Trump is presenting a skewed picture of the decline of manufacturing in making his case for import penalties that could spark a trade war. A look at his latest statement on the subject as he prepares to impose heavy tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum: TRUMP: “From Bush …

Some countries are now likely to be spared from planned tariffs on metals advocated by U.S. President Donald Trump.  “We expect that the president will sign something by the end of the week, and there are potential carve-outs for Mexico and Canada, based on national security, and possibly other countries as …

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to sign tariffs on steel and aluminum imports as early as Thursday, with some trading partners receiving temporary exemptions. White House officials said Mexico and Canada would get a 30-day exemption that could be extended. On Twitter Thursday, Trump said “We have to protect …

U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum has met criticism from his Republican allies in Congress, many of whom worry the measures could trigger a trade war that damages U.S. businesses. But the president does have supporters among some …

President Donald Trump is selling Hispanic business owners on his new tax cuts. Trump is delivering the keynote address Wednesday at the annual legislative summit of the Latino Coalition. It’s his first time addressing Hispanic business owners. The president says the $1.5 trillion package of tax cuts he signed late …

The International Monetary Fund and European leaders pushed back Wednesday against U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, saying it would provoke a calamitous global trade war. IMF chief Christine Lagarde told a European radio interviewer, “If international trade is called into question …

Kenyan coffee has an international reputation for good quality. But Kenya’s coffee industry is struggling as production levels have dropped and a younger generation shows little interest in farming. Since the 1980s, coffee production has dropped by two-thirds. “The German school in Nairobi, when I was there in 1980, ’82, …

Trade war fears pushed U.S. and some Asian stock markets lower Wednesday, following the resignation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser. National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn was a leading administration opponent of Trump’s plan to impose 25 percent tariffs on steel imports and 10 percent tariffs on …

India’s Tata Steel is concerned about U.S. plans to impose tariffs on steel imports, a senior executive at the group’s European unit said on Wednesday. “We need appropriate measures against a negative influence on the European market,” Henrik Adam, chief commercial officer at Tata Steel Europe, told an industry conference. …

The head of Australia’s central bank is upbeat about domestic economic growth despite a disappointing end to last year, but fears the specter of a trade war calling threatened U.S. tariffs “highly regrettable.” President Donald Trump intends to slap duties on imports of steel and aluminum, a pledge that has …