The U.S. and China signed earlier this year an agreement to stem the flow of illegal trade in cultural artifacts. The agreement is part of the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act, a U.S. law that implements the 1970 UNESCO Convention.

Since it's outbreak in Mexico the Swine Flu has been poising to be the next big pandemic, severity of said pandemic has yet to be seen. The H1N1 virus, a close relative to the 1918 pandemic strain, has brought the peak flu season early to the U.S.

Following Beijing's recent rise in gasoline prices, China now claims a higher gasoline prices than the U.S., local Chinese media said today.

The 1986 federal Bradley Amendment seems innocent and helpful to Americans on the surface. The federal law is purported to collect child support that could normally never be collected, with the idea of decreasing poverty in America. It was hatched from the national hysteria whipped up in the 1980s, derived from the legendary and abusive behavior of “deadbeat dads” as well as the intense need for welfare reform.

Shanghai. November 29 - BYD Auto Co. plans to start volume exports of its own-brand cars to U.S. and European markets in the second half of next year or early 2009, according to an Automotive News report.

The last remaining piece of North American real estate in the portfolio amassed by the former Computer Associates (CA) under the leadership of founder and former chief Charles Wang is on the market, Newsday reported Wednesday.

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday let pass a deadline for supporting investors in a case before the Supreme Court, exposing disagreement within the government over how the court should rule in a case that may have implications for investors in Enron Corp., The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Prudential Financial, the US insurance group, announced on Wednesday that it was going to shut down its small stock research and sales business, which some analysts called "a distraction" with little value. This closure will result in the loss of about 420 jobs. This will be the biggest business breakage recently occurred.

Former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn has dedicated much of his career to reducing global threats from weapons of mass destruction. He is currently the co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a private group working to decrease such threats worldwide. In an interview with VOA, Nunn expressed concern that the risk of such an attack is growing, as we hear in this report from correspondent Meredith Buel in Washington.

The end of the standoff between Britain and Iran still leaves many questions unanswered. Chief among them is why Iran took such a deliberately provocative action as seizing British sailors and marines. As VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, many analysts believe the heart of the matter lies in the struggle between Iran and the United States for influence in Iraq and the Middle East.

The U.S. women's water polo team got payback for its loss in the final of the 2005 world championships, beating Hungary 10-9 in double overtime Thursday. Lauren Wenger scored four goals for the American team, including the winner 38 seconds into the second three-minute overtime.

The U.S. Senate continues debate Tuesday on President Bush's request for additional funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Majority Democrats have included a provision calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by next March - a measure that Republicans are seeking to strip from the overall bill. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.