Mount Juliet, United States — Amazon is bolstering its e-commerce empire while continuing a march deeper into people’s lives, from robots to healthcare and entertainment. Innovations unveiled in recent days by…
more ...Argentina’s triple-digit inflation slows, but workers still struggle to pay bills
BUENOS AIRES — Argentina’s triple-digit inflation, among the world’s highest, is starting to slow down but this offers little relief for workers whose salaries have stayed the same while costs of…
more ...China tees up fresh spending to boost ailing economy
beijing — China said Saturday it would issue special bonds to help its sputtering economy, signaling a spending spree to bolster banks, shore up the property market and ease local government…
more ...China to lift 4-year ban on Australian lobster imports, Australia’s prime minister says
MELBOURNE, Australia — China will resume importing Australian live lobsters by the end of the year, removing the final major obstacle to bilateral trade that once cost Australian exporters more than…
more ...Expansion of ASEAN-China free-trade pact questioned amid summit
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — As Laos hosts this year’s summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Beijing is calling for additions to its free-trade agreement with the regional forum that focus…
more ...China targets brandy in EU trade tit-for-tat after EV tariff move
Beijing/Paris — China imposed temporary anti-dumping measures on imports of brandy from the EU on Tuesday, hitting French brands including Hennessy and Remy Martin, days after the 27-state bloc voted for…
more ...China is oversupplying lithium to eliminate rivals, US official says
LISBON — Chinese lithium producers are flooding the global market with the critical metal and causing a “predatory” price drop as they seek to eliminate competing projects, a senior U.S. official…
more ...Europe braces for Chinese retaliation over EV import tariffs
The European Union is braced for retaliation from China after the bloc voted Friday to impose tariffs on the import of Chinese electric vehicles, which Brussels says receive unfair state…
more ...Debt burden threatens poor countries’ development goals, UN official says
HAMBURG, Germany — The world’s poorest countries are having to prioritize debt service over investments, United Nations Development Program administrator Achim Steiner said on Monday, scuppering progress towards their sustainable development…
more ...As affordable housing disappears, states scramble to shore up losses
Los Angeles — For more than two decades, the low rent on Marina Maalouf’s apartment in a blocky affordable housing development in Los Angeles’ Chinatown was a saving grace for her…
more ...As affordable housing disappears, states scramble to shore up the losses
Los Angeles — For more than two decades, the low rent on Marina Maalouf’s apartment in a blocky affordable housing development in Los Angeles’ Chinatown was a saving grace for her…
more ...Portugal looks to put new twist on cork industry
Mozelos, Portugal — Portugal, the world’s leading cork producer, is finding new uses for the material, from footwear to furniture, as demand for wine bottle stoppers wanes. Producers highlight the environmentally…
more ...US dockworkers to suspend strike until January
detroit — The union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports reached a deal Thursday to suspend a three-day strike until January 15 to provide time to…
more ...US town divided by factory deal as candidates compete to be toughest on China
In the American Midwest, a local fight over a Chinese electric vehicle battery factory reflects broader controversy over Chinese investments in the U.S. VOA’s Calla Yu reports on how the…
more ...Cambodia’s new canal could boost trade but risks harming key river
PREK TAKEO, Cambodia — The Mekong River is a lifeline for millions in the six countries it traverses on its way from its headwaters to the sea, sustaining the world’s largest…
more ...Zimbabwe currency plunges after central bank move to allow more flexibility
Harare, Zimbabwe — The value of Zimbabwe’s gold-backed currency plunged 44% Friday on the official market. The sudden drop of the gold backed currency, known as ZiG, began Friday shortly after…
more ...Oxfam: ‘Oligarchy’ of super-rich undermining cooperation to tackle poverty, climate change
London — As world leaders gather for the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, the charity Oxfam says they are being undermined by what it calls a…
more ...Harris promises tax breaks, investments for US manufacturers
PITTSBURGH — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Wednesday she would offer tax credits to domestic manufacturers and invest in sectors that will “define the next century,” as she detailed…
more ...US Justice Department sues Visa, saying it monopolizes debit card markets
NEW YORK — The U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Visa on Tuesday, alleging that the financial services behemoth uses its size and dominance to stifle competition in the…
more ...Sri Lanka’s new leader appoints cabinet ahead of expected snap polls
Colombo, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s new leftist president appointed his Cabinet Tuesday ahead of an expected snap parliamentary election as he prepares to renegotiate the bankrupt island nation’s unpopular International…
more ...German economy expected to contract again in 2024, say sources
Berlin — Germany’s leading economic institutes have downgraded their forecast for 2024 and now see Europe’s largest economy shrinking by 0.1%, people familiar with the figures from the autumn joint economic…
more ...Biden administration seeks to ban Chinese, Russian tech in most US vehicles
New York — The U.S. Commerce Department said Monday it’s seeking a ban on the sale of connected and autonomous vehicles in the U.S. that are equipped with Chinese and Russian…
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