lyndon'blog

Obama Prepares for NATO Summit in Chicago After hosting the G8 summit at Camp David on Saturday, President Barack Obama will host the NATO summit, beginning Sunday in Chicago. Mr. Obama is preparing for the NATO gathering, which has Afghanistan at the top of the agenda. The United States last hosted a NATO summit in 1999 - two years before the al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the United States that sparked the first use of the common defense provision in the NATO Charter. The North Atlantic ...

Chinese swimmer Zhang Lin's disappointing result at the national championships is probably caused by an asthma attack, said his coach Chen Yinghong here on Wednesday. The 25-year-old Zhang, winner of the men's 800m freestyle at 2009 Rome worlds, only managed a fourth-finish at the men's 400m freestyle Tuesday and his result, three minutes and 49.14 seconds, didn't reach the Olympic A standard 3:48.92, which may make him miss the 400m free at the 2012 London Games. Zhang trailed newly-crowned world ...

Taylor Swift named ACM Entertainer of the Year for 2nd year Country music superstar Taylor Swift was named entertainer of the year at Sunday night's Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) in Vegas, repeating her victory of last year. Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson were the night's top winners, with two awards each. Swift joins Carrie Underwood as the only performers to win the coveted award two years running. "I want to say to my fellow nominees in this category, I respect you so much, ...

Canada's international merchandise trade with China has more than tripled in the past decade, according to data released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday. Canada's imports from China amounted to 48.2 billion Canadian dollars (about 48.4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2011, compared with 16.0 billion Canadian dollars in 2002, while exports to China reached 16.8 billion Canadian dollars, a four-fold increase over 4. 1 billion in 2002. China remained Canada's second-largest source of imports for the 10th ...

A federal judge in New York Thursday sentenced Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout to 25 years in prison for conspiring to sell weapons to a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist group based in Colombia. U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin could have sentenced Bout to three life terms for his conviction on four counts of conspiracy to kill Americans, to sell anti-aircraft missiles, and to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. She chose instead to depart from sentencing guidelines, ...

The number of unemployed U.S. workers seeking new jobless benefits fell to a four-year low last week, as the labor market strengthens in the world's largest economy. The government's Labor Department said that 357,000 workers made first-time claims for unemployment compensation, down 6,000 from the week before. That was the lowest total since April 2008. The government is set to release its jobs report for March on Friday, with economists projecting that another 200,000 or more jobs were added ...

In remarks in Washington on Tuesday, President Barack Obama denounced a $3.5-trillion Republican budget plan, saying it would harm middle class Americans and set back the nation's economic recovery. Mr. Obama's speech sharpened his message to voters about the difference between what he calls his balanced and fair budget proposals, and those of opposition Republicans, including that party's presidential hopefuls. Last week, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved a 2013 ...

The Egyptian revolution sent the country's economy into a tailspin. Egypt was already plagued by high unemployment, particularly among those under the age of 30. Amid ongoing unrest, foreign investors have put projects on hold. Once-reliable industries like tourism are struggling. But several dozen technology entrepreneurs think they have what it takes to spur job creation, despite political uncertainty. They are taking part in a competition sponsored by Google, which will award a $200,000 ...

The head of the International Monetary Fund says the global economy is improving after a difficult time, but remains fragile. In a Tuesday speech to journalists in Washington, Christine Lagarde warned against complacency or insularity. She said Europe's economy is showing some encouraging signs, but remains under strain, while the United States is seeing improved signs of growth and employment. Lagarde called for continued U.S. leadership on economic issues, and argued the world is so interconnected that ...

The United States, with the world's-largest economy, now has claimed the dubious distinction of having the industrialized world's highest corporate tax rate. Japan dropped its corporate tax rate slightly on Sunday, to just more than 38 percent. That moved the United States to the top spot, with a 39.2 percent rate. The U.S. has maintained that rate for two decades and it is unlikely to be changed in the coming months. The United States is in the early stages of the political campaign leading to the ...