USA

NEW YORK (AP) — Half of U.S. adults consider fake news a major problem, and they mostly blame politicians and activists for it, according to a new survey.

A majority also believe journalists have the responsibility for fixing it. Differences in political affiliation are a major factor in how people think about fake news, as Republicans are more likely than Democrats to also blame journalists for the problem.

WASHINGTON, June 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. farmer sentiment in May dropped to its lowest level since October 2016 amid the U.S.-initiated trade disputes with China, a survey showed Tuesday.

The Ag Economy Barometer, which measures U.S. agricultural producer sentiment, dropped to 101 points in May, 14 points lower than that in April, said the survey by Purdue University and CME Group.

The results "erased all of the large improvement in farmer sentiment" that took place following U.S. President Donald Trump's election in November 2016, said the survey.

WASHINGTON, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed an immigration bill that could offer path to citizenship to undocumented immigrants in defiance of U.S. President Donald Trump's opposition.

The 237-187 vote was largely along party lines with only seven Republican lawmakers joining their Democratic counterparts in supporting the bill.

According to the bill, qualified recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program -- also known as "Dreamers" -- will be eligible for a 10-year-long legal residence status.

PEORIA, the United States, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The trial of Brendt Christensen, accused kidnapper and killer of visiting Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying at the University of Illinois in 2017, began on Monday at a federal courthouse here.

The trial began with jury selection at the central Illinois courthouse in Peoria.

Shortly after the courtroom opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (1430 GMT), Christensen and his defense team entered. Christensen wore a blue button down shirt and tan dress pants and looked calm, occasionally talking with the lawyer beside him.

Washington, June 3; GANASHAKTI: America's business leaders are growing more worried that the US will enter a recession by the end of 2020, mainly due to an increasingly protectionist trade policy, a report revealed on Monday.

The report by the National Association for Business Economics is based on responses by 53 economists, CNN reported. It comes as the US ratchets up its trade war with China and has gone after other major trading partners, including India and Mexico.

The report found what it called a "surge" in recession fears among the economists.

New York, Jun 4 (PTI) An Indian-origin woman in the US has been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison for strangling her nine-year-old stepdaughter to death in a bathtub, a crime described as "unimaginable" by the court.

Shamdai Arjun, 55, of Queens, New York was convicted last month of second-degree murder by a jury that deliberated for less than one hour before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder. She was sentenced Monday to an indeterminate term of 22 years to life in prison.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 03 (APP): A UN expert said Monday that the failure of governments across the world to ensure clear air, constitutes a “violation of the rights to life, health and well-being, as well as the right to live in a healthy environment.”

Ahead of the 2019 World Environment Day on Wednesday, which has air pollution as its theme, David Boyd, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, called on states to take urgent action to improve air quality in order to fulfill their human rights obligations.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 03 (APP): Pregnant women are putting their lives and babies at risk because of “catastrophic” and prohibitive healthcare costs before, during and after childbirth, UNICEF said on Monday.

In a new report highlighting how few of the world’s poorest pregnant women have a doctor, nurse or midwife at their side when they need them most, the UN Children’s Fund said that more than 800 women die every day from complications, while many more mothers live with “debilitating” outcomes.

NEW YORK, Jun 03 (APP): US President Donald Trump, who had mocked London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s height before boarding his presidential plane to start his controversial state visit to the United Kingdom, continued to disparage the Muslim politician, who of Pakistani ancestry, just before landing in London.

In his last statements before departing Washington for the British capital, Trump compared Sadiq Khan to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the strongest critics of the president, and said he was not looking forward to meet him during his stay in London.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mexico launched a counteroffensive Monday against the threat of U.S. tariffs, warning not only that it would hurt the economies of both countries but also could cause a quarter-million more Central Americans to migrate north.

A high-level delegation from the Mexican government held a news conference at the embassy in Washington, making the case against President Donald Trump’s threat of imposing a 5% tariff on Mexican imports by June 10.

It is unclear what more Mexico can do — and what will be enough — to satisfy the president.