Does this mean we are in an era of endless war, broken up by temporary ceasefires? I posed this question to Sanam Vakil, the director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the London-based think tank Chatham House. “That’s what we’ve witnessed in the Middle East now for about a decade because the…
Hi, this is Evelyn, writing to you from Beijing. Welcome to the latest edition of The China Connection — a succinct snapshot of what I’m seeing and hearing from local businesses. Students and businesses alike are embracing AI in China, while the U.S. worries more about the negative impact. Will that encourage cooperation on AI…
An employee of Basra Oil Company, works at the Nahr Bin Umar Oil and Gas Field on the outskirts of the southern Iraqi city of Basra on April 29, 2026. Hussein Faleh | Afp | Getty Images Oil and gas giants benefited significantly from their trading desks through the first quarter, shining a light on…
South Korea’s Kospi opened at a fresh record Monday, leading gains in Asia-Pacific markets amid rising oil prices and escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. President Donald Trump’s rejection of Tehran’s latest proposal to end the war, however, stoked worries over an elongated Middle East conflict. Iran submitted a new proposal to U.S. negotiators focused…
CHONGQING, China — Three years ago, in the idyllic town of Woodside south of San Francisco, the United States and China held their first high-level talks on the dangers posed by artificial intelligence. President Xi Jinping and his longtime foreign minister appeared serious in their conviction that a channel should be a established between Beijing and Washington…
A shopper walks past a Coach retail store inside a shopping mall on March 24, 2026 in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. Cheng Xin | Getty Images China’s consumer and producer inflation jumped more than expected in April as the Middle East conflict drives commodity costs higher. Consumer prices ticked up 1.2% in April from a…
The Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker Shenlong Suezmax successfully docked at Mumbai Port after navigating the high-risk Strait of Hormuz amid the intensifying West Asia conflict on March 11, 2026 in Mumbai, India. Hindustan Times | Getty Images Oil prices jumped Monday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the conflict with Iran was “not…
May 10 (Reuters) – A rare earths deal between the United States and China is still in effect and an extension will be announced at the appropriate time, a senior U.S. official told reporters on Sunday. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet in Beijing on May 14 and 15. (Reporting by…
When wildlife TV personality Forrest Galante sat down for his monthly call with YouTube consultant Paddy Galloway, he received some bad news. No more turtles. Galante has 2.5 million YouTube subscribers. He’s been producing wildlife programming for more than a decade, including a docuseries on Animal Planet and a show on the History Channel. He…
Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images President Donald Trump’s decision to remove the 10% tariff on Scotch whisky exports to the U.S. has brought relief to the embattled sector — and could also provide a much-needed boost to a niche corner of the industry: premium cask investing. Cask investing involves buying an oak barrel filled…