Latest Government policy News
United States and China launch economic and financial working groups with aim of easing tensions
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department and China's Ministry of Finance launched a pair of economic working groups on Friday in an effort to ease tensions and deepen ties between the nations. Led by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Vice Premier He Lifeng, the working...
US education chief considers new ways to discourage college admissions preference for kids of alumni
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s education chief said he’s open to using “whatever levers” are available — including federal money — to discourage colleges from giving admissions preference to the children of alumni and donors. In an interview with The Associated...
South Korean lawmakers vote to lift hunger striking opposition leader's immunity to arrest
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In a surprise outcome, South Korea’s opposition-controlled parliament voted Thursday to pass a motion submitted by the government that allows the potential arrest of the country’s leading opposition figure, Lee Jae-myung, who faces a widening investigation over...
China, at UN, presents itself as a member of the Global South as alternative to a Western model
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — China told assembled world leaders Thursday that it considers itself part of the Global South, saying it identifies with the goals and challenges of less-developed nations and offering them an alternative to what it has long called “Western hegemony.” The message came...
Black leaders say threats to undermine US democracy appear aimed at their community
WASHINGTON (AP) — Some of the nation’s most influential Black leaders on Thursday said many threats to democratic institutions in the U.S. appear to be aimed squarely at their community, including efforts to make voting more difficult, censor lessons around race and weaken social safeguards...
Proposed North Carolina budget would exempt legislators from public records disclosures
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Republican state lawmakers in North Carolina are attempting to exempt themselves from public records laws meant to safeguard transparency with a budget provision allowing them to keep any legislative document private — even after they leave office. Tucked...
Climate activists disrupt traffic in Boston to call attention to fossil fuel policies
BOSTON (AP) — Climate activists briefly disrupted the morning commute in Boston Thursday to put pressure on the state’s governor to ban fossil fuel infrastructure. The 15-minute protest blocked a roadway outside the South Station Transportation Center in downtown Boston. Boston...
Turkey’s central bank hikes interest rates again in further shift in economic policies
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s central bank raised its key interest rate by 5 percentage points Thursday, another large but expected hike that signals a continued push toward more traditional economic policies under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The bank hiked its policy rate to 30%,...
Sweden's central bank hikes key interest rate, saying inflation is still too high
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden’s central bank raised its key interest rate Thursday, saying that “inflationary pressures in the Swedish economy are still too high,” although there were signs that inflation had begun to fall. The Riksbank raised its policy rate by a quarter of a...
Senate confirms chairman of joint chiefs as GOP senator still blocking hundreds of military nominees
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Gen. CQ Brown as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, putting him in place to succeed Gen. Mark Milley when he retires at the end of the month. Brown's confirmation on a 83-11 vote, months after President Joe Biden...
