Vietnam Expects Economic Boom from EU Trade Deal

A trade deal with the European Union expected to be ratified this year will accelerate growth of Vietnam’s export-reliant economy without help from the U.S. market, analysts say. The European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement signed in 2015 should speed annual economic growth by half a percent to more than 7 percent by 2019, according to …

First LP Record is Re-Released Amid Vinyl Revival

Seventy years ago this month, a major record company, Columbia Records, introduced the first LP, or long-playing record. The new format revolutionized music sound recording and was quickly adopted as the new standard by the recording industry. To celebrate the milestone anniversary, Sony has pressed a very limited quantity of that original LP — 500 …

UK Committee Says Brits Knew of US Prisoner Mistreatment

A U.K. parliamentary committee concluded Thursday that it is beyond doubt that British intelligence agencies knew the United States was mistreating people detained after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. A report by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee found Britain knew of the mistreatment at an early stage and that “more could have been done” by …

Contentious Confirmation Process Looms After Supreme Court Justice Retirement

The retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, the key swing vote on the U.S. Supreme Court, gives President Donald Trump a coveted opportunity make the second high court appointment of his term and sets the stage for one of the most contentious confirmation battles in decades. During his 30 years on the bench, Kennedy, an 81-year …

Ukraine Says Russian Hackers Preparing Massive Strike

Hackers from Russia are infecting Ukrainian companies with malicious software to create “back doors” for a large, coordinated attack, Ukraine’s cyber police chief told Reuters on Tuesday. The hackers are targeting companies, including banks and energy infrastructure firms, in a roll out that suggests they are preparing to activate the malware in one massive strike, …

Initiatives Failing to Stop Indian Labor Abuses, Activists Say

International efforts to make it easier for garment workers in India to speak out against sexual harassment, dangerous working conditions and abuses are failing, campaigners said Tuesday. The U.S.-based certifying agency Social Accountability International (SAI) and Britain’s Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) — an alliance of unions, firms and charities — are not enforcing procedures they …

Santos Sees Colombia Peace Deal Safe Under Hawkish Successor

As Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos prepares to step down, he says he’s confident that his crowning achievement — the peace deal with leftist rebels that brought him a Nobel Peace Prize — will survive despite sharp criticism of it by the man now coming into office. “The accord is bulletproofed,” Santos told the Associated …

Field to Fingertips: Tech Divide Narrows for World Cup Teams

As gigabytes of data flow from field to fingertips, click by click, the technological divide has been closing between teams at the World Cup. While the focus has been on the debut of video assistant referees, less obvious technical advances have been at work in Russia and the coaches have control over this area, at …