Iran responds to Trump’s letter, voices readiness for indirect talks
DUBAI -Iran has sent a response through Oman to U.S. President Donald Trump’s letter in which he urged Tehran to reach a new nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was cited as saying by the official IRNA news agency…
Trump nominee says she would not administer internet program to benefit Elon Musk
WASHINGTON -The Trump administration’s nominee to oversee a $42 billion government fund to bring high-speed broadband internet to unserved or underserved parts of the United States denied on Thursday that she would administer the program to benefit Starlink owner Elon…
Argentina economic activity grows at fastest pace since 2022
BUENOS AIRES -Argentina’s economic activity increased 6.5% in January compared with the same month last year, its highest year-on-year growth since mid-2022, official data showed on Thursday. The economy of the Latin American country registered its third consecutive month of…
Bank of Mexico cuts interest rate as trade war stokes recession fears
MEXICO CITY -The Bank of Mexico delivered a unanimous 50-basis-point interest rate cut to 9.00% on Thursday, highlighting progress on inflation but warning of heightened uncertainty relating to trade tensions and a weakening economy. The move, which was expected by…
Euro zone consumers may be put off by inflation ‘misperception,’ ECB’s Schnabel says
LONDON – The euro zone’s economic recovery may have been held back by households’ “misperception” of inflation and income, which has made them reluctant to spend, European Central Bank board member Isabel Schnabel said on Thursday. Policymakers and economists have…
US beef sales to China skid after Beijing lets export registrations lapse
CHICAGO – U.S. beef sales to China have taken a dive, U.S. government data showed on Thursday, after Beijing allowed the expiration of registrations that had permitted exports from hundreds of American meat facilities. A tit-for-tat tariff dispute has also…
India’s Axis Bank, J.P. Morgan roll out anytime dollar payments for clients
MUMBAI – India’s Axis Bank has partnered with J.P. Morgan to offer real-time U.S. dollar payment capabilities to commercial clients in the country, facilitated by Kinexys, the U.S-based lender’s blockchain and digital assets unit. This is the first instance where…
Reddit down for thousands of US users, X outage eases, Downdetector shows
Reddit was down for thousands of users in the U.S. on Thursday, as X’s services appeared to stabilize, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com. There were more than 28,000 incidents of people reporting issues with Reddit as of 3:40 p.m….
EU expands sanctions against Belarus over political oppression
BRUSSELS – The European Union’s member states announced on Thursday sanctions on a further 25 individuals and seven entities over what the EU said was the undermining of democracy and rule of law in Belarus. Among those being sanctioned is…
Far-right European politicians attend Jerusalem antisemitism conference
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned against “the fires of antisemitism” in Western Europe at a conference on Thursday overshadowed by a boycott by several Jewish speakers over the presence of a number of right-wing and far-right European…
French prosecutors request 18-month suspended sentence for actor Depardieu
PARIS – French prosecutors requested on Thursday an 18-month suspended sentence and a 20,000-euro ($21,588.00) fine for actor Gerard Depardieu in his sexual assault trial, Le Parisien and other media reported. Depardieu, 76, a towering figure of French cinema, is…
Rubio to discuss with Jamaica Cuban doctor program after US visa threats
(This March 26 story has been refiled to correct grammatical errors in paragraphs 1 and 2) KINGSTON – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said that Jamaica and the U.S. will discuss the Cuban doctors helping the Caribbean…
Rubio says US may have revoked more than 300 visas
GEORGETOWN -U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday the State Department may have revoked more than 300 visas and warned that the Trump administration was looking every day for “these lunatics” after Washington this week detained and revoked…
US will deploy biometric capabilities with Colombia, Noem says
BOGOTA – The United States will deploy biometric capabilities in partnership with Colombia to help manage migration and disrupt criminal activity, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during a visit to Bogota on Thursday. “Today we have signed a…
CBO sees US deficits rising over 30 years, economic growth slowing
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Congressional Budget Office on Thursday projected significant increases in federal budget deficits and debt over the next 30 years, in part due to rapidly rising interest costs, as it sketched out sluggish economic growth and a…
De-dollarisation could speed up with US isolationist policies, analysts say
LONDON – If the Federal Reserve, a bedrock of global financial stability, were to withhold dollar funding to allies during times of stress, the world could greatly reduce its reliance on the currency, creating “a doubled-edged sword” for the U.S.,…
DOGE team is not involved in FAA decision on Starlink terminals, acting chief says
WASHINGTON – The acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday that members of Elon Musk’s DOGE government reform team did not make the agency’s decision to test Starlink terminals. Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau also said at…
Zelenskiy says Russia hit Ukraine’s power infrastructure, US should react
KYIV – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday Russian artillery had damaged Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the front-line city of Kherson, two days after the U.S. announced that each side had agreed to a truce on energy strikes. “Two days…
French prosecutors seek seven years’ jail for Sarkozy for taking Libyan money
PARIS – French prosecutors on Thursday requested a seven-year jail sentence and a 300,000-euro fine for French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy for allegedly taking millions of euros from late Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi to help his 2007 election campaign. Sarkozy has…
Greenland agrees to form broad government in shadow of Trump pressure, local media reports
COPENHAGEN -Greenland’s Democrats will announce a four-party coalition government on Friday, local media said on Thursday, following an election overshadowed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s interest in taking control of the island. The expected announcement of a broad coalition would…
Carney has not spoken to Trump, says Canadian prime minister’s office
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did not speak to U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, a spokeswoman for Carney said, denying an earlier story. Citing sources in Washington, said the two men had held their first call since Carney was…
Argentina’s Milei signals ‘no room’ for FX devaluation
BUENOS AIRES – Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei said on Thursday that there was “no room” for a sharp devaluation of the local peso, addressing investor fears about a potential weakening of the currency that has driven a renewed flight…
Tariff fears pressure British stocks; Aston Martin slumps to record low
British equities closed lower on Thursday, with mining stocks leading declines, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on all foreign-made vehicles and auto parts. Late on Wednesday, Trump announced a 25% tariff on imported cars and light trucks…
China accelerates government bond issuance in Q1 to highest on record
China stepped up fiscal support and accelerated the pace of government bond issuance to the highest on record in the first quarter of this year, according to Reuters calculations based on official data. WHY IT’S IMPORTANT Market watchers believe China…
SiCarrier says its tools can help China make advanced chips
BEIJING – China can use domestically developed tools to make advanced semiconductors, countering U.S. curbs on Beijing’s access to high-end chipmaking technology, an executive at a major Chinese supplier said on Thursday. Du Lijun, president of chip equipment maker Shenzhen…
Factbox-How hard have Trump and Musk layoffs hit US agencies?
President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk are undertaking a sweeping campaign to cut the size of the 2.3-million-strong civilian U.S. government workforce with plans to fire or offer buyouts to more than 100,000 employees. The layoffs have primarily been…
Germany’s Scholz says Trump’s tariffs are wrong, everyone will lose
BERLIN – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on cars is wrong and the U.S. president had chosen a path that would produce only losers. “U.S. President Trump’s decision is wrong,” Scholz said…
Bank of America mortgage applications jumped 80% in Q1, executive says
NEW YORK -Bank of America saw an 80% jump in mortgage applications between January and March as buyers were tempted by increasing home inventory and lower long-term bond yields, an executive said. “We’re seeing a steady increase in home buying…
Walgreen to pay more than $2.85 million to settle US overbilling charges
Walgreen will pay more than $2.85 million to settle whistleblower allegations that the pharmacy overbilled Medicaid programs in Georgia and Massachusetts for generic medications, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday. The settlement partially resolves claims against the Walgreens…
TikTok Shop steps up Europe expansion with US future unclear
LONDON – E-commerce platform TikTok Shop said it will launch to users in France, Germany, and Italy on Monday, expanding its reach further into Europe even as TikTok faces being shut down in the U.S. if Chinese owner ByteDance does…