2020 Democrats to converge for debates

Joe Biden won't be on the stage, but the former US vice-president and front-runner for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination is likely to be the target when 10 rivals hold their first debate on Wednesday in Miami, Florida.

Student debt a 'life sentence' for millions

LOS ANGELES - Haley Walters is five years away from earning her law degree. If everything goes according to plan, she will be under a mountain of $100,000 in student debt by the time she enters the work force.

Vietnam, EU to ink free trade agreement

The European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement will be signed on Sunday in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, local media reported on Wednesday.

San Francisco to become 1st US city to ban e-cigarettes

San Francisco will soon become the first city in the United States to ban the sale of e-cigarettes. The elected Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed a landmark bill that would prohibit the sale, manufacture and distribution of electronic smoking devices and flavored tobacco products on city property.

Heat across Europe sparks scramble for shade

PARIS - Fans flew off store shelves and water fountains offered relief from the heat as temperatures soared in Europe on Monday, with officials urging vigilance ahead of even hotter conditions forecast later in the week.

Chinese Ambassador confident London will not bow to pressure

Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the United Kingdom, has said he believes the UK government "will act independently and in its own interests" as it considers whether to join a United States-led boycott of the use of certain Huawei technology.

UK slammed for large prison population

Politicians in the United Kingdom have been urged to lead a public debate on the best way to punish criminals after it emerged that England and Wales are putting more people behind bars than any other country in Western Europe.

US set to launch 'deal of century'

MANAMA/JERUSALEM - The first stage of US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan was expected to be launched in Bahrain on Tuesday at a conference the White House touts as a bid to drum up $50 billion in investment in the region. Palestinians, however, have derides it as an "economy first" approach doomed to fail.

California's homeless crisis worsens

During her 10-minute walk from her home to the subway station, Sophia Zhang, a resident of San Francisco, said she saw homeless people lying on the street every day. Occasionally, she saw some injecting themselves with a needle or shouting at passersby.

Matilda the Musical set to charm China

For generations, the books of British author Roald Dahl have been a bedside fixture for millions of children around the world.

Ambassador expects positive talks over Sino-US trade frictions

China and the United States should have negotiations on equal footing to solve current economic and trade frictions, and a positive outcome would definitely benefit the world's economy, said Maria Gustava, Mozambique's ambassador to China.

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