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Kim Jong Un heads home via train after 2-day Beijing visit

BEIJING (AP) — A special train believed to be carrying Kim Jong Un departed Beijing on Wednesday after a two-day visit by the North Korean leader to the Chinese capital.

Kim could not be seen, but he was presumed to be on board the long train as it crossed on elevated tracks over a busy Beijing street and headed toward eastern China and the border with North Korea.

Trump pleads on TV for wall money; Dems say he stokes ‘fear’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump urged congressional Democrats to fund his long-promised border wall in a somber televised address that was heavy with dark immigration rhetoric but offered little in the way of concessions or new ideas to break the standoff that has left large swaths of the government shuttered for 19 days.

U.S. Secretary of State in Baghdad for talks with Iraqi leaders

BAGHDAD, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit to meet with Iraqi leaders to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation, an Iraqi official television reported on Wednesday.

Pompeo met with the Iraqi Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi and is expected to meet with the Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and other top officials, the state-run Iraqiya channel said.

Global economic growth to slow to 2.9 pct in 2019: World Bank

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Global economic growth is projected to slow to 2.9 percent in 2019 from a downwardly revised 3 percent in 2018 amid rising downside risks, the World Bank said on Tuesday.

In its newly-released Global Economic Prospects report, the World Bank said the outlook for the global economy "has darkened" as global financing conditions have tightened, trade tensions "have intensified," and some large emerging market and developing economies have experienced significant financial market stress.

World Bank president Kim to join U.S. private equity fund as partner

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Jim Yong Kim, president of World Bank, said on Tuesday that he will join a private equity fund next month after leaving his current post.

Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a New York-based global infrastructure investor, said that Kim will become GIP's partner and vice chairman on February 1.

EU imports of U.S. soybeans up 112 percent

BRUSSELS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- During the July-December 2018 market year, European imports of U.S. soybeans increased by 112 percent compared to the same period in the previous year.

According to information released by the European Commission on Monday, the U.S. remains Europe's number one soybean supplier, with a share of 75 percent of EU imports.

Conversely, Europe remains by far the top destination of U.S. soybean exports (28 percent), followed by Argentina (10 percent) and Mexico (9 percent).

Vice premier stresses energy security, high-quality growth

BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng has stressed energy security and high-quality growth for the energy sector.

Measures should be taken to boost oil and gas supply such as enhancing exploration, said Han, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

More efforts should be made to balance supply and demand among different regions such as improving energy infrastructure, Han said after an inspection of the National Energy Administration in Beijing Tuesday.

Call for no-deal Brexit to be ruled out after UK PM suffers parliament defeat

LONDON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Britain's main opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn Tuesday night called for a no-deal Brexit to be ruled out after Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a major defeat in the House of Commons.

Twenty Conservative MPs helped inflict the defeat on May when they supported a cross-party measure aimed at blocking Britain leaving the European Union (EU) with no deal.

Trump to take over airwaves, and Democrats demand equal time

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is taking over the nation’s airwaves Tuesday night to argue his case for a U.S.-Mexico border wall — and Democrats are not happy about it.

Representatives for ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox Broadcasting, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, MSNBC and NBC confirmed plans to air Trump’s address live at 9 p.m. Eastern.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer say Democrats should be given time to respond after Trump’s address.

China’s Shenzhen switches to electric taxis

SHENZHEN, China (AP) — One of China’s major cities has reached an environmental milestone: an almost entirely electric-powered taxi fleet.

The high-tech hub of Shenzhen in southern China announced at the start of this year that 99 percent of the 21,689 taxis operating in the city were electric. Last year, it still had 7,500 gasoline-powered taxis on the roads. A few can still be found, but electric ones far outnumber them.

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