Reports by people familiar with the matter indicate that U.S. authorities have begun inserting hidden location-tracking devices into selected shipments of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips and servers. These devices are intended to monitor if shipments are illegally diverted —… Read More ›
Month: August 2025
Economic Strain and Overcrowding Pressures Push Nepal to Waive Climbing Fees for Remote Peaks
Nepal’s government has moved to waive permit fees for nearly 100 lesser-known mountains in its remote northwestern Himalayas for the next two years — a decision that officials say is designed to draw climbers away from the country’s crowded eastern… Read More ›
Political Turmoil in Tokyo Obscures Timing for Budget Finalization and Bank of Japan Rate Moves
Japan’s worsening political turbulence is casting a long shadow over the government’s budget timetable and the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) decision-making on interest rates, prompting investors, bureaucrats and markets to reassess policy sequencing in a nation already navigating fragile growth… Read More ›
JP Morgan moves up Fed rate-cut call to September as growth and policy risks mount
J.P. Morgan has accelerated its forecast for the Federal Reserve’s first interest-rate cut, now pencilling in a 25-basis-point reduction as early as the September policy meeting. The bank’s abrupt shift — from a December easing to an autumn move —… Read More ›
Modi fights back: India turns up diplomatic, economic and political pressure on Washington
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun an unmistakable pushback against recent moves by the United States that have strained one of the world’s most important bilateral relationships. What began as a personal rapport between two leaders has hardened into… Read More ›
EU’s $750 Billion Energy Pledge Faces Mounting Doubts Amid Market Realities
The European Union’s proposed commitment to purchase $750 billion worth of U.S. energy products over three years has drawn skepticism from analysts and policymakers. While the pledge was presented as part of a broader transatlantic trade framework that includes a… Read More ›
Leadership Shake-Up at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Raises Alarm Over Data Integrity
The abrupt dismissal of the head of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has triggered national concern over the impartiality and dependability of key economic indicators, especially as markets, policymakers, and businesses depend heavily on this data to navigate… Read More ›
Growth Imperatives and AI Surge Propel Global M&A to $2.6 Trillion
Global mergers and acquisitions activity has soared to $2.6 trillion through the first seven months of the year—a level not seen since the 2021 pandemic-driven frenzy. A confluence of factors has driven dealmakers to override geopolitical headwinds and U.S. tariff… Read More ›
Trump Threatens Tariffs to Punish India’s Russian Oil Purchases
U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated a diplomatic confrontation with New Delhi by warning to impose substantial tariffs on a broad range of Indian goods, aiming to coerce India into reducing its purchases of heavily discounted Russian crude oil. The… Read More ›
Slowing U.S. Job Growth Pressures Fed to Debate Earlier Rate Cuts
Surprisingly tepid job gains in July have injected fresh urgency into the Federal Reserve’s internal debate over interest-rate policy, tilting the scales toward an earlier easing of borrowing costs. The Labor Department’s report showing nonfarm payrolls rising by just 73,000… Read More ›