Biden seeks higher tariffs on Chinese steel as he courts union voters
SCRANTON, Pa. — President Joe Biden is calling for a tripling of tariffs on steel from China to protect American producers from a flood of cheap imports, an announcement he planned to roll out Wednesday in an address to steelworkers…
Zimbabwe’s new gold-backed currency sliding on black market
Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s recently introduced gold-backed currency is sliding on the local black market but officials insist the currency is getting stronger and has a bright future. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare. Even songs are played on the radio…
Angolan fishermen blame Chinese trawlers for declining fish stock
In the port of Benguela on Angola’s Pacific coast, fishermen and fish traders are struggling to make ends meet. They say their catch is getting smaller and they blame illegal fishing by Chinese trawlers. For Joao Marcos, Barbara Santos has…
Activists urge Nigeria to refuse Shell’s oil selloff plans
London — Environmental and human rights activists are calling on the Nigerian government to withhold approval of plans by the London-based oil giant Shell to sell off its operations in the Niger Delta, unless the oil giant does more to…
China’s credit rating outlook downgraded
The credit ratings agency Fitch downgraded its outlook on China’s credit rating Wednesday. The agency released a statement citing “increasing risks to China’s public finance outlook” as its reason for cutting its outlook from stable to negative. Fitch is predicting…
Content creation holds appeal for laid-off workers seeking flexibility
With a compact mirror in one hand and an eyelash curler in the other, Grace Xu told her roughly 300,000 TikTok followers she was likely about to be laid off. She was right, she tells them in a subsequent clip….
Biden administration announces $6.6 billion to ensure leading-edge microchips are built in US
WILMINGTON, Del. — The Biden administration pledged on Monday to provide up to $6.6 billion so that a Taiwanese semiconductor giant can expand the facilities it is already building in Arizona and better ensure that the most-advanced microchips are produced…
Yellen says US will not accept Chinese imports decimating new industries
BEIJING — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned China on Monday that Washington will not accept new industries being decimated by Chinese imports as she wrapped up four days of meetings to press her case for Beijing to rein in…
Cambodians face mounting pain from microfinance debt
KEAN SVAY, KANDAL PROVINCE, Cambodia — Five years ago, Lun Sam Ath took out a $12,000 loan to build a new wooden house and repay a previous loan that she had used to buy a motorbike. The 45-year-old mother of…
Unexpected strawberry crop spins Burkina’s ‘red gold’
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso — In the suburbs of Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, lucrative strawberry farming is supplanting traditional crops like cabbage and lettuce and has become a top export to neighboring countries. Prized as “red gold” in the Sahel, strawberry…