China, Japan foreign ministers meet and agree on visit, security dialog
BEIJING/TOKYO — Talks between China and Japan’s foreign ministers in Beijing have paved way for Japan to host China’s foreign affairs chief next year, and mutual agreement to hold a security dialog as soon as possible, Japan said on Wednesday….
Big banks, business groups sue US Federal Reserve over annual ‘stress tests’
Major banks and business groups sued the Federal Reserve on Tuesday, alleging the U.S. central bank’s annual “stress tests” of Wall Street firms violate the law. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ohio, claims the Fed’s practice…
Nissan, Honda announce plans to merge, creating world’s No. 3 automaker
TOKYO — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger, forming world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had…
Trump taps ex-Treasury official Miran as chair of Council of Economic Advisers
Washington — President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that Stephen Miran, a Treasury Department adviser in his first administration, would be the chair of his Council of Economic Advisers. The council advises the president on economic policy and is composed…
Rising butter prices give European consumers and bakers a bad taste
PARIS — Pastry chef Arnaud Delmontel rolls out dough for croissants and pains au chocolat that later emerge golden and fragrant from the oven in his Paris patisserie. The price for the butter so essential to the pastries has shot…
Amazon workers strike at seven US facilities ahead of Christmas rush
Amazon.com workers at seven U.S. facilities walked off the job early on Thursday during the holiday shopping rush, aiming to pressure the retailer into contract talks with their union. Warehouse workers in cities including New York, Atlanta and San Francisco…
Thailand joins other Asia nations in battle against cheap Chinese imports
Bangkok — For many countries in Southeast Asia, Chinese investment and tourism are key to their economies. However, cheap low-quality Chinese products that are flooding markets across the region are also raising concerns about how they are undercutting local businesses,…
US Federal Reserve cuts interest rate but adjusts expectations for future
The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered its target interest rate but signaled it might take longer than previously expected to bring inflation down to the central bank’s target rate of 2% per year. That means there will likely be…
Kenyan president strongly defends animal vaccination program
NAIROBI, KENYA — Kenya’s president said Tuesday that a mass livestock vaccination campaign will continue despite fears of some herders and farmers that the inoculations will somehow hurt their animals. Kenyan President William Ruto lashed out at those objecting to…
VOA Kurdish: Syrian currency gets boost in value, but prices remain high
After the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, the value of the Syrian currency increased against the U.S. dollar, but the price of goods remains high. Residents say that traders are exploiting this situation and that official monitoring institutions…