Month: March 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a memo paving the way for major tariffs on Chinese imports. It's part of Trump's plan to crack down on China's theft of intellectual property. But many U.S. farmers are worried the tariffs will prompt China to retaliate…

Just a week after the empire he started announced it is shutting down, Toys R Us founder Charles Lazarus died at 94. "There have been many sad moments for Toys R Us in recent weeks and none more heartbreaking than today's news about the passing…

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Thursday initiating actions to consider imposing tariffs on a long list of nearly 1,300 Chinese imported products worth about $60 billion. The move could limit China's ability to invest in the U.S. technology industry, setting the stage…

Stocks plunged Thursday after the Trump administration slapped sanctions on goods and investment from China. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 700 points as investors feared that trade tensions between the world's largest economies would escalate. The planned sanctions include tariffs on $48…

U.S. Federal Reserve officials voted to raise the central bank's benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percent this week, signaling perhaps three or more rate hikes this year as economic conditions improve. But as Mil Arcega reports, rising rates mean higher borrowing costs…

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected at any time to fire a salvo directly at China in what could escalate into a full-scale trade war between the world’s two largest economies. Trade actions against China, partly in response to the theft and improper transfer of…

U.S. congressional leaders have reached a deal on a $1.3 trillion spending bill as a budget deadline looms. Lawmakers now have until midnight Friday to approve it and prevent the year's third government shutdown. Passage of the massive bipartisan effort seems certain. The bill, which…

When Nestle executive Stephan Canz attended the German school in Nairobi in the early 1980s, it was surrounded by lush coffee farms. Today, the trees have long since been uprooted and replaced by a shopping mall and upmarket homes, driving a sharp drop in production…

French commuters face major train service disruptions on Thursday due to an unexpectedly large walkout by railway workers angry at the government's plans to shake up the state-owned and highly indebted SNCF rail company. Labor unions said last week they would launch rolling strikes in…

Peter G. Peterson, a billionaire and business executive who became one of the most prominent voices to argue for entitlement reform and reducing the U.S. national debt, died of natural causes early Tuesday, his family said. He was 91. Born in the small town of…

An Egyptian court on Tuesday ordered authorities to revoke the operating licenses of the Uber and Careem ride-hailing services and block their mobile apps and software. The government and the companies are expected to appeal the administrative court verdict, which would prevent it from being…

Nearly 50 countries expressed concern on Tuesday about the "serious threat" to the World Trade Organization posed by unilateral trade actions, a pointed reference to U.S. import tariffs that have caused a global outcry. Delivering concluding remarks after a two-day informal meeting of the WTO…

The European Union said on Tuesday that the right of citizens from poorer member states to work in richer ones on a low salary would be limited to 18 months under a reform of the bloc's labor laws sought by France. The new law, promoted…

A New York City councilman and a tenants' rights group said they will investigate allegations that the real estate company formerly controlled by Jared Kushner, a presidential adviser and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, falsified building permits. In allegations first uncovered by The Associated Press, the…

Colombia proposed on Monday that the International Monetary Fund provide assistance to help several hundred thousand Venezuelan refugees who have fled an economic and political crisis to  neighboring countries, officials at the G20 summit said. The proposal was discussed at a meeting on Venezuela by…

The Trump administration on Monday banned all use by Americans of Venezuelan cryptocurrency, saying that its introduction is intended to skirt U.S. sanctions. In a separate move, the administration also slapped sanctions on four current and former senior Venezuelan officials accused of corruption and mismanagement.…

Indonesian president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has instructed ministers to keep fuel prices stable over the next two years, said Energy Minister Ignasius Jonan, which would, in effect, continue a controversial fuel subsidy scheme that analysts say has negatively impacted growth and the environment.  The Ministry…