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Starmer, Trump hold productive talks on UK-US economic deal, PM spokesperson says

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump held productive talks between their respective teams on a UK-U.S. economic prosperity deal, agreeing that these will continue this week, a Downing Street spokesperson said on Sunday.

Virgin Australia executives set to meet investors for relisting on ASX, AFR reports

Bain Capital-owned Virgin Australia is set to return to the Australian stock exchange after delisting in 2020, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported late on Sunday. Australia’s second-largest airline’s executives are set to meet prospective investors on Tuesday to pitch…

Swedish journalist jailed in Turkey on terrorism, insult charges

ANKARA – Swedish journalist Kaj Joakim Medin, who was in Turkey to cover protests against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s arrest, was jailed pending trial on terrorism charges, Turkey’s Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Friday. Medin was detained in…

New Zealand central bank to review capital settings to boost competition among banks

WELLINGTON- New Zealand’s central bank said on Monday it would undertake an evidence-based review of its capital regime, assessing it against the settings in other countries in a bid to boost competition in the banking sector. “We have heard the…

U.S.

U.S. Bancorp vice chair’s plane crashed on Saturday, bank says it believes he was on board

A plane registered to U.S. Bancorp’s Vice Chair Terry Dolan crashed in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota on Saturday, the bank said in a statement on Sunday. The Minnesota-based lender said the medical examiner’s office has not been able to confirm whether…

Markets brace for cut to BOJ’s super-long bond buying

TOKYO -The Bank of Japan could take another key step toward diminishing its huge presence in the bond market next week, when it releases its bond-buying plan for the second quarter that may include a cut in the size of…

Russia, US start talks on rare earth metals projects in Russia, Putin envoy says

Moscow and Washington have started talks on joint rare earth metals and other projects in Russia, Russia’s special envoy on international economic and investment cooperation told the Izvestia media outlet in remarks published on Monday. “Rare earth metals are an…

Trump says TikTok sale deal to come before Saturday deadline

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE  – President Donald Trump said a deal with TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the short video app used by 170 million Americans would be struck before a deadline on Saturday. Trump set the April 5…

UK firms stay upbeat, helped by retail rebound, Lloyds survey shows

British business confidence held steady this month, matching February’s six-month high and adding to tentative signs of an uptick in the economy in early 2025, a survey showed on Monday. The Lloyds Bank Business Barometer stayed at 49% in March,…

UK sees fastest job vacancy growth in 3 years, Adzuna says

LONDON – UK job vacancies saw the fastest month-on-month growth in three years in February, according to data published on Monday that contrasted with a largely gloomy outlook for the economy. Job search company Adzuna said the 3.7% increase from…

South Korea February factory output rises faster than expected

SEOUL – South Korea’s factory output rose in February, government data showed on Monday, beating market expectations. Industrial production rose 1.0% in February from a month earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis, compared with a dip of 2.8% in January…

Economy World

Australia’s Domain grants due diligence access to CoStar for $1.8 billion buyout bid

Australia’s Domain Holdings said on Monday it has granted CoStar exclusive due diligence access for the U.S. property data group’s revised buyout proposal which values the real estate classifieds firm at A$2.80 billion ($1.76 billion). CoStar sweetened its offer to…

Oliver Stone to testify at US House panel JFK assassination files hearing

WASHINGTON – Film director Oliver Stone will testify at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing Tuesday on thousands of pages of documents related to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy released this month at the direction of President Donald…

Trump says Zelenskiy wants to back out of critical minerals deal

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants to back out of a critical minerals deal, warning the Ukrainian leader would face big problems if he did. “He’s trying to back…

Global equity funds saw strong weekly inflows on early optimism, but trade jitters resurface

Global equity funds attracted large inflows in the week through March 26 when equity markets initially rebounded on optimism that President Donald Trump’s administration would apply tariffs more selectively rather than impose broad trade restrictions. Investors purchased global equity funds…

Latin American women opt against motherhood in shift from traditional gender roles

MEXICO CITY – A growing number of Latin American women are choosing not to give birth in a radical departure from the traditional family roles that have long dominated in the region. Latin America and the Caribbean has experienced the…

Exclusive-India weighs scrapping import tax on US LNG, boost purchases, sources say

NEW DELHI -India is considering a proposal to scrap import tax on U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) to boost purchases and help cut the trade surplus with Washington, a key irritant for President Donald Trump, four government and industry sources…

Sanctioned Russian tanker firm Sovcomflot’s transportation volumes fell 16% in 2024

Russia’s leading tanker group Sovcomflot’s saw transportation volumes drop around 16% to 63 million metric tons last year compared to 2023, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Friday, citing the group’s CEO Igor Tonkovidov as saying. The United States and…

Exclusive-Alaska governor to brief Trump on Asia gas push as tariffs bite

TOKYO -Alaska’s governor will brief U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration next week on progress in securing Asian backing for a $44 billion natural gas export project, he told Reuters, part of Washington’s broader push on trade and tariffs. Trump wants…

French Constitutional Council ruling deals blow to Le Pen

PARIS -France’s Constitutional Council ruled on Friday that local politicians can be barred from office immediately if convicted of a crime, leaving the door open for far-right leader Marine Le Pen to potentially be barred from the 2027 presidential race….