US and China near deal that would suspend planned tariffs

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration and China are close to finalizing a modest trade agreement that would suspend tariffs that are set to kick in Sunday, de-escalating their 17-month trade war."We're close to a deal," said Myron Brilliant, the US Chamber of Commerce's head of international affairs, who has been briefed by both sides.Brilliant said the administration has agreed to suspend Trump's plans to impose tariffs on $160 billion in Chinese imports Sunday and to reduce exi

Dec. 13, 2019

US Fed says will focus on low inflation, global economy

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The Federal Reserve kept its key lending rate unchanged on Wednesday but said it will turn its sights to low inflation and developments in the world economy.That was a signal that central bankers, who have repeatedly pledged to change course if needed, are monitoring the global slowdown and persistent absence of price pressures, which could open the door to further rate moves.At its final meeting of 2019, the Fed's policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee left the benchma

Dec. 12, 2019

Six dead in hours-long New York-area shootout

JERSEY CITY (AFP) -- Six people including a police officer and two suspects were killed during an hours-long shootout across a New York suburb not far from the Statue of Liberty, local officials said."Our officers were under fire for hours," Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly told reporters after the latest high-profile US shooting.In addition to the officer and the suspects, three civilians were killed in the incident that began around midday at a cemetery and ended in a store, Ke

Dec. 11, 2019

Heroism, devastation after deadly N. Zealand volcano eruption

WHAKATANE (AFP) -- Tales of heroism, devastation and horrifying injuries emerged Tuesday after New Zealand's smouldering White Island volcano exploded, killing an estimated 13 people.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said five people had died and eight more were presumed dead after Monday's eruption, while dozens of injured had been airlifted to hospitals across the country.Among the 47 people caught on the island during the sudden eruption were tourists from Australia, the United States, Britain, C

Dec. 10, 2019

World Anti-Doping Agency imposes 4-year ban on Russia

The Russian flag and national anthem were banned from next year's Tokyo Olympics and other major sports events for four years on Monday.Russia's hosting of world championships in Olympic sports also face being stripped after the World Anti-Doping Agency executive committee approved a full slate of recommended sanctions as punishment for state authorities tampering with a Moscow laboratory database.Russian athletes will be allowed to compete in major events only if they are not implicated in posi

Dec. 9, 2019

[Graphic News] Majority of Americans see North Korea as enemy: poll

　A majority of Americans view North Korea as an enemy, a recent survey showed, putting the communist nation atop a list of countries in terms of enemy perceptions.　The poll of 1,500 people, carried out last month by the London-based research data group YouGov and the Economist magazine, showed that 56 percent of Americans consider North Korea to be an enemy of the United States, up from 51 percent in August. 　The survey asked respondents about their perceptions of 14 countries. The enemy percept

Dec. 9, 2019

Finland picks youngest-ever prime minister

HELSINKI (AFP) -- Finland's Social Democrats elected a 34-year-old former transport minister to the post of prime minister on Sunday, making her the youngest head of government in the country's history.Sanna Marin narrowly won Sunday's vote to replace outgoing leader Antti Rinne, who resigned on Tuesday after losing the confidence of the coalition partner Centre Party over his handling of a postal strike."We have a lot of work to do to rebuild trust," Marin told reporters on Sunday nig

Dec. 9, 2019

Hong Kongers mark half a year of protest with mammoth rally

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Democracy protesters took part in the largest mass rally through Hong Kong's streets in months on Sunday in a forceful display of support for the movement, with a leading activist warning the city's pro-Beijing leaders they had a "last chance" to end the political crisis.Organisers estimated some 800,000 people snaked for hours through the financial hub's main island as the protests marked six months, a vivid illustration of the hostility that still seethes towards t

Dec. 9, 2019

Hong Kong protesters aim for big turnout at rare sanctioned march

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong democracy protesters are hoping for huge crowds later Sunday at a rally they have billed as a "last chance" for the city's pro-Beijing leaders in a major test for the six-month-old movement.The march comes two weeks after pro-establishment parties got a drubbing in local elections, shattering government claims that a "silent majority" opposed the protests.The semi-autonomous financial hub has been battered by increasingly violent demonstrations in

Dec. 8, 2019

China says to exempt 'some' US soybean, pork from tariffs

BEIJING (AFP) - China said on Friday it will offer a tariff waiver to "some" imports of US soybean and pork, in the latest sign of easing trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.The world's two biggest economies have exchanged blows for over a year, with tariffs now impacting hundreds of billions of dollars in two-way trade. The olive branch comes at a time when the two sides are edging towards a partial deal that includes a promise to increase the purchase of US farm produce.&qu

Dec. 6, 2019

[Graphic News] US draws fewer new foreign students for 3rd straight year

　A new report found that the number of foreign students coming to US universities continued to decrease last year.　The annual report from the Institute of International Education found a 1 percent decrease in the number of newly enrolled international students in fall 2018 compared with the year before. This follows two years of decreases after more than a decade of upward movement.　Some schools have blamed US President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric for driving students away, but

Dec. 4, 2019

Trump, Macron and Erdogan clash overshadows NATO summit

LONDON (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron exchanged fire over the future of NATO on Tuesday, as the French leader attacked Turkey and demanded the alliance rethink its strategy. The three-way battle overshadowed the start of the alliance's 70th anniversary summit in London, threatening to derail efforts to show unity in the face of Russia and China.In recent weeks Macron has tried to shake up the agenda of the meeting by demanding a review of NATO's "brain dead" str

Dec. 4, 2019

Trump says China deal could wait until after election

US President Donald Trump appeared to downplay the chances for a deal to end the US-China trade war before the end of the year.Speaking in London he is attending a NATO summit, Trump said Tuesday that the only limiting factor to reaching an agreement with China is whether he wants to make a deal. Asked about his previous goal of reaching an agreement by years‘ end, Trump told reporters, ’"I have no deadline, no.""In some ways I like the idea of waiting until after the

Dec. 3, 2019

[Graphic News] Americans prefer mobile devices for news: survey

　Americans rely on their mobile devices for online news far more than desktop or laptop computers, building on a trend that began several years ago, a survey showed.　The Pew Research Center report found 57 percent of US adults often get news from a smartphone or tablet compared with 30 percent from a PC.　The share of Americans who often get news on a mobile device is more than double the 21 percent who did so in 2013, the first time Pew asked this question.　The percentage who often get news on a

Dec. 3, 2019

US threatens 100% tariffs on French goods over digital tax

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Monday threatened to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on $2.4 billion in French goods in retaliation for a digital services tax it says is discriminatory.French sparkling wine, yogurt and Roquefort cheese are on the list of goods that could be targeted as soon as mid-January after a report from the US Trade Representative's office found the tax penalizes American tech companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.The decision "sends a clear

Dec. 3, 2019

[Graphic News] More countries affected by terrorism even as deaths fall: index

　The number of global deaths from terrorism fell 15.2 percent in 2018, even as the number of countries affected by extremist violence continued to grow, the 2019 Global Terrorism Index showed.　From a high of 33,555 deaths in 2014, when the Islamic State group lured tens of thousands of jihadists to the Middle East, the number of terrorism deaths has more than halved to 15,952 in 2018, the index published by the Sydney-based Institute for Economics & Peace showed.　Afghanistan topped the list

Dec. 2, 2019

White House says will refuse to take part in impeachment hearing

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump's attorney said on Sunday that the White House will not participate in congressional hearings set to begin this week that will consider passing impeachment articles against the president."We cannot fairly be expected to participate in a hearing while the witnesses are yet to be named and while it remains unclear whether the Judiciary Committee will afford the President a fair process through additional hearings," White House counsel Pat Cip

Dec. 2, 2019

'Still angry': Hong Kong protesters return to the streets

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Police fired tear gas and pepper spray in Hong Kong on Sunday as tens of thousands of black-clad protesters flooded into the streets, a week after pro-democracy candidates scored a landslide local election victory.The rally heralded an end to a rare lull and a return to the large-scale demonstrations that Hong Kongers have staged for nearly six months, fuelled by growing fears that authoritarian China is stamping out the city's liberties.It also marked a resumption of the incr

Dec. 2, 2019

Victims of London Bridge attack lauded by their families

LONDON (AFP) -- British police on Sunday named the two victims who died in the London Bridge terror attack, as their families paid glowing tributes to the pair.Jack Merritt, 25, from Cambridgeshire in eastern England, and 23-year-old Saskia Jones of Warwickshire in the West Midlands, were both killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan during his rampage Friday, the Metropolitan Police said.Merritt, a course coordinator at Cambridge University's criminology institute, and Jones, a volunteer, died

Dec. 2, 2019

China accuses UN rights chief of inflaming Hong Kong unrest

HONG KONG (AP) -- China accused the UN high commissioner for human rights of emboldening "radical violence" in Hong Kong by suggesting the city's leader conduct an investigation into reports of excessive use of force by police.The UN commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, wrote in an opinion piece Saturday in the South China Morning Post that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam's government must prioritize "meaningful, inclusive" dialogue to resolve the crisis.She urged Lam to hold an &quo

Dec. 1, 2019