A month into the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran, there is little sign of de-escalation, with military action continuing across multiple fronts and diplomatic efforts yielding limited progress. A plume of smoke rises following a US-Israeli military strike in Tehran, Iran. (AP) One of the key reasons the conflict continues is the lack…
AFTER PEAKING at more than 10% in late 2022, because of post-pandemic supply-chain snarl-ups, over-generous stimulus cheques and, for good measure, an energy shock from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, average inflation across the rich world fell. By the beginning of this year it was near 2% (see chart 1, top). Central bankers thought they…
DELICIOUS SMELLS of Myanmar rise from bamboo stalls: mohinga fish soup, spicy pork sausages, fermented fish paste. People sip beers and smoke cheroots around a campfire while a guitarist plays popular Burmese songs. This night market, in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, takes place on land that was once occupied by a junkyard. Ko Thet…
The stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 index of 500 of America’s biggest companies, is down 5.4% so far this year, as of March 24. When the S&P 500 is down, it means that more than a few companies’ stocks are also down. And with dividend-paying stocks, a lower stock price means a…
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran must allow oil shipments to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as part of any peace agreement, while referring to the key waterway as the “Strait of Trump”. US President Donald Trump takes the stage at the Future Investment Initiative Institute’s summit. (AP) Notably, the route’s…
US President Donald Trump on Saturday said the Middle East is closer than ever to its rise and is “finally free” from what he described as Iranian terror and nuclear coercion as the US-Iran war entered its 29th day. US President Donald Trump speaks during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Summit in Miami Beach, Florida,…
By Steve Holland and Gram Slattery MIAMI, March 27 (Reuters) – Donald Trump said on Friday the United States does not “have to be there for NATO,” comments that again raised questions about the U.S. president’s commitment to the mutual defense provisions at the center of the transatlantic alliance. Speaking to an investment forum in…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of lying over US demands and voiced openness to diverting weapons to Kyiv to support the US attack on Iran. Rubio said that the United States was open to shifting assistance to Ukraine after the United States and Israel attacked Iran. (AP) Zelensky…
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s government said in a new report on Friday that it has identified signs of life for a third of the country’s 130,000 registered missing people, an announcement that was quickly criticized by a number of search groups which called it an attempt to undermine the depth of Mexico’s disappearance crisis….
YAOUNDE, March 27 (Reuters) – Canada’s minister of international trade said on Friday that he hopes to conclude a free-trade agreement with South America’s Mercosur bloc by the autumn. “We’re stepping up the negotiation timelines a little bit. Hopefully we can have negotiations every six weeks or so, and hopefully we can get it done…