Le Pen’s pro-institution line was paying off until France judges ended her presidential hopes
PARIS – Far-right leader Marine Le Pen believed respect for France’s cherished institutions would open her path to the presidency, betting it would endear her once-fringe party to mainstream French voters. She launched the tactic after a resounding 2017 election…
Europe’s defence challenge energises young techies at hackathon
AMSTERDAM – A weekend hackathon in Amsterdam aimed at finding fast-and-cheap battlefield solutions for Ukraine drew more than 100 young programmers and engineers, with many saying Europe’s rearmament plans were prompting them to consider careers in defence. European countries are…
US Senate Republican Ron Johnson says advancing Trump agenda depends on spending cuts
WASHINGTON -A prominent conservative senator predicted on Sunday that Donald Trump’s tax-cuts and immigration agenda will not advance in the U.S. Senate unless the president and Republican leaders agree to slash federal spending to a level last seen before the…
China’s CNOOC discovers 100 million-ton oilfield in South China Sea, Xinhua says
BEIJING – The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has discovered an oilfield in the South China Sea with proven reserves exceeding 100 million tonnes, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday. The newly found Huizhou 19-6 oilfield is not in…
Trump says he is not joking about third presidential term
WASHINGTON -Republican President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was not joking about seeking a third presidential term, which is barred by the U.S. Constitution, but that it was too early to think about doing so. Trump, who took office…
Trump says reciprocal tariffs will target all countries
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that reciprocal tariffs he is set to announce this week will include all nations, not just a smaller group of 10 to 15 countries with the biggest trade imbalances….
Japan finance minister says he will closely communicate with US on forex
TOKYO – Japan Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Monday that he would communicate closely with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on foreign exchange, pointing out that close dialogue is important for market stability. Kato made the comment to parliament…
Australia forecasts hit to resource, energy export earnings from lower US dollar
SYDNEY – Australia’s mining and energy export earnings are expected to fall 6% in the financial year through June, with prices of its key iron ore shipments declining, the government said on Monday. Profits are forecast fall to A$387 billion…
Sudan’s paramilitary RSF chief says war with army is not over
CAIRO – The leader of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said on Sunday that his war against the army was not over and his forces would return to Khartoum despite being largely driven out of the…
Amid earthquake crisis, Myanmar military still bombs towns
An armed resistance movement against Myanmar’s military-run government criticised the junta on Sunday for conducting airstrikes on villages even as the country reels from an earthquake that has killed around 1,700 people. The Karen National Union, one of Myanmar’s oldest…
New Mexico Republican Party HQ set on fire, graffitied ‘ICE=KKK’
The headquarters of the Republican Party of New Mexico was set on fire on Sunday and “ICE=KKK” spray painted on the building in what the party called “a deliberate act of arson.” Fire officials in Albuquerque, the largest city in…
South Korea to draft $6.8 billion extra budget for wildfire, tariff threats
SEOUL – South Korea will soon submit a 10 trillion won ($6.8 billion) supplementary budget bill to parliament to respond to the fallout from the country’s worst-ever forest fires and counter slumping growth, the finance minister said on Sunday. Choi…
Pentagon chief Hegseth says ‘warrior’ Japan indispensable to deter China
TOKYO – U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday that Japan was indispensable in tackling Chinese aggression by helping Washington establish a “credible” deterrence in the region, including across the Taiwan Strait. “We share a warrior ethos that defines…
Court allows Musk, DOGE to make further cuts to USAID
A U.S. appeals court on Friday ruled that Elon Musk and members of the cost-focused Department of Government Efficiency that he spearheads can make further cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development while they appeal a lower court order…
Finland’s Stubb says he told Trump deadline needed for Ukraine ceasefire
HELSINKI – Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said on Sunday he had told U.S. President Donald Trump that a deadline needs to be set for establishing a Ukraine ceasefire in order to make it happen. “April 20 would be a good…
Experimental Lilly drug cuts genetic heart disease risk factor by 94% in trial
CHICAGO -The highest dose of an experimental drug developed by Eli Lilly significantly reduced levels of a genetically inherited risk factor for heart disease in a midstage trial, according to data presented at a major medical meeting on Sunday. The…
Hundreds of thousands of eastern Canadians face power outages due to ice storm
TORONTO -Over 300,000 Canadians faced power outages in parts of Ontario on Sunday as an ice storm pummeled the region over the weekend, according to electricity provider Hydro One. Environment Canada issued winter storm warnings for freezing rain in Ottawa,…
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. 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…
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…