GUAYAQUIL/QUITO – The two candidates battling it out to win Ecuador’s presidency in this Sunday’s run-off have focused their energies on the populous coastal provinces, where voters are pleading for action to tackle spiraling drug-related violence. Incumbent President Daniel Noboa…

Oil prices fell around 1% on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up a trade war with China, even as he announced a 90-day pause on tariffs aimed at other countries. Brent futures fell 73 cents, 1.1%, to $64.73…

WASHINGTON -U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Wednesday that the government will seek to deport a man she previously called a leader of the MS-13 gang in the U.S., after prosecutors moved to drop a gun charge against him….

Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to curtail the ability of judges to issue nationwide injunctions blocking government policies after key parts of President Donald Trump’s agenda have been stymied by such court rulings. The House voted 219-213…

WASHINGTON -The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Paul Atkins as President Donald Trump’s choice to run the Securities and Exchange Commission, installing the business-friendly lawyer atop an agency in the throes of major change. In a largely party line vote,…

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Wednesday paused for 90 days many tariffs but is not halting 25% tariffs on automotive imports and looming tariffs on auto parts, drawing criticism from Michigan business and auto groups. The Detroit Regional Chamber…

U.S. shale firm Occidental Petroleum said on Wednesday the prices it received for oil and gas production during the first quarter were higher than in the preceding three months. Benchmark Brent crude prices averaged $74.98 a barrel during the first…

NEW YORK – Short interest on the Nasdaq rose 0.6% in late March, the exchange said on Wednesday. As of March 31, short interest climbed to about 15.754 billion shares, compared with 15.664 billion shares as of March 14. Investors…

NEW YORK/LONDON – Wall Street bosses are girding for Europe to sideline American investment banks in response to the tariff war unleashed by U.S. President Donald Trump, fearing client boycotts and in a worst-case scenario, even formal restrictions. More than…

The U.S. Social Security Administration abandoned plans to end phone services for retirees that would have started on Monday, following a growing outcry from advocates who warned that the changes could cause chaos and further strain the agency. The agency,…

WASHINGTON -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he does not want U.S. Steel Corp to go to Japan, suggesting he no longer supports Nippon Steel’s bid for the American steel producer. The comment appeared to contradict recent actions…

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday abruptly paused part of his tariff assault on global trading partners, dialing back duty rates on goods from many countries for 90 days to allow room to negotiate lower trade barriers, even…

WASHINGTON – The top U.S. spy’s chief of staff on Wednesday said the U.S. intelligence community is investigating whether the FBI was involved in planning the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. “We’re…

RIYADH -Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister arrived in the United States on Tuesday for an official visit aimed at planning U.S. President Donald Trump’s expected trip to the kingdom later this spring, a source close to the Saudi royal court told…

BRASILIA – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday that his nation will be reciprocal on tariffs announced by the United States, but noted the Latin American country will “use every word for negotiation that is in…

The Federal Reserve’s decision to dramatically decelerate the pace of its balance sheet drawdown last month garnered broad support from policymakers, although there was more internal opposition to the shift than first understood, minutes from the central bank’s latest meeting…

DAKAR – U.S. lawmakers have introduced legislation that could block International Monetary Fund support for some Central African countries, in an effort to guard billions of dollars that oil companies must set aside for environmental restoration. The bill highlights a…

WASHINGTON  – The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Ronald Johnson, a former CIA officer and ambassador to El Salvador, as ambassador to Mexico, amid ties strained by President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and talk he might send in troops to…

NEW YORK -The U.S. dollar rebounded against safe-haven currencies including the yen and Swiss franc on Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on many new tariffs on trading partners, but escalated a confrontation with Beijing by hiking…

BERLIN -Volkswagen said the uncertainty caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs was among the factors leading its operating results to plunge to 2.8 billion euros ($3.07 billion) in the first quarter from 4.6 billion last year. Results at Europe’s…

Federal Reserve policymakers worry U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policy could deal a blow to economic growth, but are signaling they won’t be quick to ride to the rescue with interest rate cuts because they expect increased tariffs to boost…

WASHINGTON -The United States Postal Service said on Wednesday it wants to raise the price of first-class mail stamps to 78 cents from 73 cents effective July 13. The proposal, which must be approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, would…

LONDON -U.S. President Donald Trump late on Tuesday reiterated he would impose tariffs on imports of pharmaceutical products that have long been spared from past trade disputes due to the potential for harm to patients. Trump excluded them from his…

NEW YORK – Wall Street surged after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause in tariffs unveiled last week that roiled markets and erased trillions of dollars from global stock markets. The policy changes also include a lowered overall…

Traders on Wednesday sharply trimmed their bets on Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was further increasing tariffs on China but pausing for 90 days the big tariff increases he had announced last week for…

WASHINGTON -U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said he thinks the Trump administration can reach tariff deals with U.S. allies as he prepares to lead negotiations with more than 70 countries in coming weeks, warning that moves to align…

WASHINGTON  – A majority of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday backed Pete Hoekstra, a former ambassador to the Netherlands, to be ambassador to Canada, a position he would assume as traditional close ties have been strained by President Donald Trump’s…

U.S. Treasury investors were left bruised on Wednesday despite a temporary pause in U.S. tariffs, as some funds were forced to sell bonds in a dash for cash while others called into question the bonds’ status as the world’s safest…

WASHINGTON  -U.S. Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has put a hold on President Donald Trump’s appointee for the U.S. cybersecurity agency, citing what the Oregon senator called a “multi-year cover-up” of serious vulnerabilities in the U.S. telecommunications network. In remarks released…