UNB China’s central bank chief has promised not to weaken its currency to boost sagging exports as global finance ministers opened a closely watched meeting in Shanghai. Zhou Xiaochuan’s comments Friday came as investors and foreign governments look to Beijing for reassurance about its economic and currency management following market volatility. A key concern abroad…
UNB Asian shares were mostly higher Friday after U.S. stocks surged overnight following a recovery in energy companies and bank stocks. Investors also were reassured by pledges from China’s central bank governor not to devalue the yuan for the sake of export competitiveness. KEEPING SCORE: Japan’s Nikkei 225 was up 1.3 percent to 16,346.79 while…
UNB China on Thursday accused the U.S.-allied Philippines of “political provocation” in seeking international arbitration over territorial claims in the South China Sea, driving home its intention to ignore the proceedings despite pressure from Washington. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the decision by Philippine leaders to lodge a case with a tribunal in The…
UNB Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that some U.S. campaign rhetoric about Mexico and immigrants has been “dangerous, damaging and incredibly ill-advised” and is out of step with most Americans’ attitudes. Speaking in Mexico City at Cabinet-level talks on boosting economic and commercial ties with one of the United States’ top trading partners,…
UNB President Barack Obama directed his national security team Thursday to press the U.S.-led international campaign to destroy the Islamic State group “on all fronts.” He also expressed hope that a proposed cease-fire in Syria will lead to a political settlement to end the civil war and allow a more intense focus on IS. Obama…
UNB A series of shootings at a business, its parking lot and two streets nearby left four people including the gunman dead, a sheriff in south-central Kansas said Thursday. Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton said at a news conference that all the dead were shot inside Excel Industries, a plant in Hesston that makes lawn…
UNB The opposition narrowly won Jamaica’s parliamentary elections Thursday, defeating the party led by the first female prime minister to govern the largest English-speaking country in the Caribbean. Preliminary results from the Electoral Commission showed the Jamaica Labor Party capturing 33 spots in the 63-seat Parliament, enough to form a government. With discontent high among…
UNB Iran’s state TV says polls have opened in Iran’s parliamentary elections, the first since Iran’s landmark nuclear deal with world powers last year. At the same time as parliamentary elections, Iranians are also voting Friday for the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body empowered to choose or dismiss the country’s supreme leader. Some…
UNB China has accused the U.S.-allied Philippines of “political provocation” in seeking international arbitration over territorial claims in the South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday the decision by Philippine leaders to lodge a case with a tribunal in The Hague was “irresponsible to the Filipino people and the future of the…
UNB A Canadian teacher was in custody Friday after surrendering to authorities after Indonesia’s Supreme Court overruled his acquittal and that of an Indonesian teacher on charges they sexually abused three children at a prestigious international school, and ordered longer prison terms for both. Canada and the United States both expressed shock at the court…