Mensagens

Europe watches Beijing summit from the sidelines and fears the worst

Imagem
  The highly anticipated summit between US President Trump and his Chinese host Xi Jinping has begun - and Europe is watching from a distance. Yet, whatever the outcome is, there is little Brussels can be optimistic about. For Europe, the Trump-Xi summit is not just about US-China relations. It’s about whether the European Union ends up squeezed between two superpowers cutting tactical deals over trade, technology, energy and security – while European interests are treated as secondary (if at all). In fact, Europe might be watching the summit from a lose-lose position. The most immediate concern in Brussels and Berlin is probably nothing less than industrial survival – and it comes in the form of rare earths. China still dominates the supply chain for these critical minerals used in a wide range of goods from electric vehicles to semiconductors, from green tech products to defence systems. European officials fear a US-China arrangement could prioritize American access to Chinese ra...
Enviar um comentário
Ler mais

As Trump readies to meet Xi, experts say he is ‘desperate for a win’

Imagem
  Trade between the two countries has suffered since Trump came into office even as China’s exports have hit new highs. With the leaders of the United States and China set to meet this week, experts say this is the best time for President Xi Jinping to negotiate. The US is busy with wars in the Middle East, and President Donald Trump’s approval rating is cratering at home: he is desperate for a win, which could give China the upper hand. Trade between the world’s two largest economies has been disrupted since Trump returned to office last year and unleashed a series of tariffs on the world, imposing some of the highest rates on China, 145 percent at one point. Beijing retaliated with its own tariffs and halted the exports of rare earth metals, an essential component for a range of industries, including cars and smartphones, and which China has a monopoly in. While things have eased slightly since the peak of that freeze, they are far from normal. “Trade relations really, really det...
Enviar um comentário
Ler mais

Putin hails Russia’s test launch of ‘most powerful missile in the world’

Imagem
  Russian leader says the nuclear-capable Sarmat missile will enter combat service at the end of the year. Russia has test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile, with President Vladimir Putin describing the nuclear-capable Sarmat weapon as the world’s “most powerful” missile. State television broadcast footage of Sergei Karakayev, commander of Russia’s strategic missile forces, reporting to Putin on what Moscow described as a successful launch on Tuesday. Putin said that the  Sarmat missile  would enter combat service at the end of the year. “This is the most powerful missile in the world,” he said in televised remarks, adding that its warhead yield was more than four times greater than any Western equivalent. Putin said the Sarmat was capable of suborbital flight, giving it a range exceeding 35,000km (21,750 miles), and claimed it could “penetrate all existing and future anti-missile defence systems”. The test comes after years of setbacks. Development of the Sa...
Enviar um comentário
Ler mais

Basketball star Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies forward, dies at age 29

Imagem
  Neither the Grizzlies nor Clarke’s agency, Priority Sports, immediately released details surrounding his death. Brandon Clarke, an athlete for the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States, has died at the age of 29, according to his team, the Memphis Grizzlies. No cause of death was immediately announced. Local media reports indicate he was pronounced dead at a home in California’s San Fernando Valley after emergency workers responded to a call for help. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement on Tuesday. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” Born in Vancouver, Canada, Clarke was selected as the 21st pick overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, before his rights were traded to Memphis on draft night. He spent his entire NBA career with the Grizzlies and was named to the NBA Al...
Enviar um comentário
Ler mais

US faces rising costs with Iran war driving energy prices, inflation higher

Imagem
  Consumer prices spiked in April, driven by soaring energy costs, with petrol prices up nearly 30 percent since last year. United States consumer prices have risen for the second consecutive month, marking the biggest annual increase in almost three years,  as energy prices surged  on the back of the US-Israel war on Iran. US consumer prices rose by 0.6 percent in April after a 0.9 percent increase in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index (CPI) report published on Tuesday. Prices ticked up by 3.8 percent on an annual basis, which is the largest jump since May 2023. Prices rose by 3.3 percent in March. The increase was driven by a surge in energy prices, including prices for petrol or gasoline, which rose by 5.4 percent. On an annual basis, the increase is stark. Energy prices surged by 17.9 percent over the last 12 months, with petrol prices up 28.4 percent compared to this time last year. The average price for a gallon (3.78 litres) of ...
Enviar um comentário
Ler mais

Africa’s richest man plans new Mombasa oil refinery: Why this matters

Imagem
  Dangote’s planned East Africa refinery will model his recent mega project in Nigeria’s Lagos. After successfully launching Nigeria’s only operational oil refinery in 2024, billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote has set his sights on East Africa as the next location for another mega refinery project, according to recent reports. It comes as African countries are actively seeking ways to make energy more secure, following huge global disruptions amid the US and Israel’s war on Iran and Tehran’s subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas is shipped. Dangote, Africa’s richest man, appeared to be one of the winners from this fallout when his newly operational refinery, located in Nigeria’s commercial Lagos State, began selling large volumes of crude oil across the continent as the war on Iran escalated in March and global oil prices soared. At present, West, South and East Africa rely primarily on importing refined petr...
Enviar um comentário
Ler mais

Spain reports new hantavirus case in passenger evacuated from cruise ship

Imagem
  The infected man is one of more than 120 passengers and crew members evacuated from MV Hondius, the ministry says. A Spanish passenger evacuated from the cruise ship at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak has tested positive for the virus, Spain’s Ministry of Health has announced, with the World Health Organization (WHO) confirming 11 cases,  including  three people from the cruise who have died. The man who was confirmed infected on Tuesday is one of more than 120 passengers and crew members  evacuated  from the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, whose fate has caused international alarm after the passengers’ deaths. A military hospital in Madrid is quarantining 14 Spaniards who were removed from the ship on Sunday, with all but one testing negative for the hantavirus. “The patient who provisionally tested positive for hantavirus yesterday has been confirmed as positive,” the Health Ministry said. “Yesterday the patient had a slight fever and minor respiratory symptom...
Enviar um comentário
Ler mais