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Venezuela says $300m US oil sale used to prop up currency
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) -- Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said Tuesday that her country has received $300 million from a US sale of Venezuelan crude and she will use it to prop up her country's battered currency, the bolivar. Rodriguez said the sum from a $500 million sale conducted by Washington would be used to "stabilize" the foreign exchange market "to protect the income and purchasing power of our workers." Washington last weekend said US President Donald Trump brokered a "hist
Jan. 21, 2026 -
India signs trade and strategic deals with UAE
NEW DELHI (AP) — India and the UAE finalized a series of agreements Monday, hoping to double bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032. The United Arab Emirates president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital as part of a visit aimed at bolstering bilateral and strategic partnership. The meeting largely focused on strengthening cooperation across trade, energy, defense and emerging technologies, India’s foreign secretary Vikram M
Jan. 20, 2026 -
IMF sees steady global growth as AI boom offsets trade headwinds
The International Monetary Fund again edged its 2026 global growth forecast higher Monday as businesses and economies adapt to US tariffs that have eased in recent months and a continued AI investment boom that has fueled asset wealth and expectations of productivity gains. The IMF in its World Economic Outlook update forecast global GDP growth at 3.3 percent in 2026, up 0.2 percentage point from its last estimate in October. That's even with 3.3 percent growth in 2025, which will also beat the
Jan. 20, 2026 -
China's economy grows 5% in 2025
China’s economy expanded at a 5 percent annual pace in 2025, buoyed by strong exports despite US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. However, growth slowed to a 4.5 percent rate in the last quarter of the year, the government said Monday. That was the slowest quarterly growth since late 2022 when China was beginning to loosen stringent COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The economy, the world’s second largest, grew at a 4.8 percent annual pace in the previous quarter. China’s leaders have been trying
Jan. 19, 2026 -
Supreme Court tests limits of Trump's power over economy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The US Supreme Court signaled four months into Donald Trump's second presidential term last year its interest in shielding the Federal Reserve from political interference. When the justices on Wednesday consider the legality of his bid to fire Fed Gov. Lisa Cook, their willingness to preserve the US central bank's independence will be put to the test. With control over US monetary policy at stake, the legal battle over Trump's attempt to remove Cook marks the second case
Jan. 18, 2026 -
EU, Mercosur sign trade deal after 25 years of negotiations
ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries formally signed a long-sought landmark free trade agreement Saturday, capping more than a quarter-century of torturous negotiations to strengthen commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions around the world. The signing ceremony in Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion, marks a major geopolitical victory for the EU in an age of American tariffs and surging Chinese exports, expanding t
Jan. 18, 2026 -
Trump imposes 25% tariff on imports of some AI chips
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed a 25 percent tariff on certain AI chips, such as the Nvidia H200 AI processor and a similar semiconductor from AMD called the MI325X, under a new national security order released by the White House. The proclamation follows a nine-month investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and targets a number of high-end semiconductors meeting certain performance benchmarks and devices containing them for import duties. The action is
Jan. 15, 2026 -
China's trade ends 2025 with record $1.2tr surplus
BEIJING (Reuters) -- China on Wednesday reported a strong export run in 2025 with a record surplus of nearly $1.2 trillion, as producers braced for three more years of a Trump administration set on slowing the production powerhouse by shifting US orders to other markets. Beijing's resilience to renewed tariff tensions since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last January has emboldened Chinese firms to shift their focus to Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America to offset US dut
Jan. 14, 2026 -
US approves Nvidia H200 exports to China with some conditions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The Trump administration on Tuesday gave a formal green light to China-bound sales of Nvidia's second most powerful AI chips, putting in place a rule that will likely kick-start shipments of the H200 despite deep concerns among China hawks in Washington. According to the regulations, the chips will be reviewed by a third-party testing lab to confirm their technical AI capabilities before they can be shipped to China, which cannot receive more than 50 percent of the total
Jan. 14, 2026 -
World Bank sees resilient global growth in 2026
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The global economy is proving more resilient than expected, with 2026 gross domestic product growth expected to improve slightly over forecasts from last June, the World Bank said Tuesday while warning that growth is too concentrated in advanced countries and overall too weak to reduce extreme poverty. The World Bank's semi-annual Global Economic Prospects report shows that global output growth will slow slightly to 2.6 percent this year from 2.7 percent in 2025 before ed
Jan. 14, 2026 -
Trump visits Ford plant, defends his tariffs
DETROIT (AP) — President Donald Trump offered a full-throated defense of his sweeping tariffs on Tuesday, traveling to swing-state Michigan to push the case that he’s boosted domestic manufacturing in hopes of countering fears about a weakening job market and still-rising prices that have squeezed American pocketbooks. Trump visited the factory floor of a Ford plant in Dearborn, where he viewed F-150s — the bestselling domestic vehicle in the US — at various stages of production. That included s
Jan. 14, 2026 -
Trump pressures Iran with tariffs that could raise prices in US
WASHINGTON (AP) — US President Donald Trump has once again drawn his go-to diplomatic weapon — tariffs, this time to coerce the Iranian government to end its bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. Trump said in a social media post on Monday he would impose a 25 percent tax on imports to the United States from countries that do business with Iran. The sanctions could hurt the Islamic Republic by reducing its access to foreign goods and driving up prices, which would likely inflame tensions in a
Jan. 14, 2026 -
China, EU agree on steps to resolve EV imports dispute
HONG KONG (AP) — China and the European Union said Monday they have agreed on steps toward resolving their dispute over the bloc’s imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles. A “guidance document” released by the EU on Monday gives instructions for Chinese EV manufacturers on making price offers for battery EVs, including minimum import prices and other details. The EU had imposed tariffs of up to 35.3 percent on Chinese EV imports in 2024 following an anti-subsidy investigation. The EU said that
Jan. 13, 2026 -
Paramount sues Warner Bros for details on Netflix deal
Paramount Skydance on Monday sued Warner Bros Discovery for more information on a rival $82.7 billion deal with Netflix, escalating a battle to take control of one of the most storied Hollywood studios. The David Ellison-led company also said it planned to nominate directors to Warner Bros' board, in one of its most aggressive steps to convince investors that its $108.7 billion all-cash bid is superior to Netflix's cash-and-stock deal. Paramount and Netflix have been in a heated battle for Warn
Jan. 13, 2026 -
DOJ investigation of Powell sparks backlash, support for Fed independence
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell appeared Monday to be emboldening defenders of the US central bank, who pushed back against President Donald Trump’s efforts to exert more control over the Fed. The backlash reflected the overarching stakes in determining the balance of power within the federal government and the path of the US economy at a time of uncertainty about inflation and a slowing job market. This has created a sen
Jan. 13, 2026