Unemployment rises in half of states

WASHINGTON – Unemployment rates rose in 25 U.S. states last month, driven higher in many cases by more people who began looking for work but didn’t immediately find jobs.

Colorado was one of the states where joblessness increased, rising to 4.3 percent in May. That is up from 4.2 percent a month earlier.

Rates fell in nine states and Washington, D.C., and were unchanged in 16 states, the Labor Department said Friday.

U.S. reports Iran remains terror threat

WASHINGTON – Iran’s support for international terrorist groups remained undiminished last year and even expanded in some respects, the Obama administration said Friday, less than two weeks before the deadline for completing a nuclear deal that could provide Tehran with billions of dollars in relief from economic sanctions.

The assessment offered a worrying sign of even worse terror-related violence to come after a year in which extremists in the Middle East, Africa and Asia committed 35 percent more terrorist acts, killed nearly twice as many people and almost tripled the number of kidnappings worldwide.

Obama plans to visit Ethiopia next month

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is making the first visit by a sitting American president to Ethiopia next month.

The White House says the late July stop is being added to a previously announced trip by Obama to Kenya to participate in a global entrepreneurship summit.

Obama will meet with leaders of Ethiopia’s government.

Associated Press