NEW YORK, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. states of New York and New Jersey on Thursday declared a state of emergency for areas under flash flood warnings, as heavy rain slammed the East Coast, threatened ...

WASHINGTON, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Federal Reserve has kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent despite pressure from the White House to loosen monetary policy.