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Inflation fell to zero in March, a welcome reprieve after persistent inflation under President Biden and the best reading in nearly five years, even as consumer spending accelerated sharply and incomes rose solidly — a powerful signal of economic improvement at the start of the Trump administration. The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, was flat in March, according to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Core PCE — which strips out food and energy — was also unchanged, marking the tamest monthly inflation reading since early 2020. Compared with a...

Russian forces managed to capture around 68 square miles of Ukraine in April. But it cost them 4,800 vehicles and more than 36,600 dead and wounded troops, according to one statistician who collects data mostly from official Ukrainian sources including the general staff in Kyiv. In the same month, Ukrainian losses were “minimal,” concluded analyst Konrad Muzyka of Rochan Consulting in Poland. Ukraine sprawls across 233,000 square miles, 19% of which is under Russian occupation. At the current rates of advance and loss, the Russians would capture the rest of Ukraine in the year 2256 at the cost of 101...

Russia has attacked at least eight Ukrainian energy facilities since March 18 when Moscow says it halted such attacks, a senior Ukrainian presidential official said on Wednesday. Ihor Zhovkva, speaking on national television, also said that, contrary to Russian statements, no preconditions were discussed with U.S. officials as they agreed a Black Sea truce with Russia during talks in Saudi Arabia this week. The Kremlin said earlier that a number of conditions must be met before the Black Sea maritime security deal negotiated with the United States can be activated.

The U.S. is hoping a “broad ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine can be struck in the coming weeks before Easter, Bloomberg wrote on Sunday. Separate negotiations between the U.S. and Russia and Ukraine have taken place over the last few weeks with hopes to pause the fighting for 30-days. Sources familiar with the planning told Bloomberg the White House is aiming “for a truce agreement by April 20.” The date is seen as significant because this year both Western and Orthodox churches mark Easter on the same day. -snip- Russia ‘undermines peace efforts’ In recent days, Russia increased strikes on...

The United States is tonight poised to lift its ban on military aid and intelligence support for Ukraine after a plea by Sir Keir Starmer. The Prime Minister spoke to US President Donald Trump for 20 minutes ahead of peace talks in Saudi Arabia to end the three-year conflict. Downing Street sources said the PM raised the US’s suspension of intelligence-sharing and military aid in their call today. UK officials have also been convincing Ukrainian officials of the need to meet US requirements for its military backing to resume. Following his discussion with President Trump, a spokesman for the Prime...

Canada has ordered 88 F-35A fighters for $14.5 billion, and now they are really discussing whether the Pentagon can press a special button and turn all those aircraft into scrap metal if necessary The fear of being left unarmed and defenseless against armed aggression is exactly what the Trumpists have sown among their allies with their latest actions. Canadians, who have repeatedly heard threats from Donald Trump about the "51st U.S. state" and face the tariff war unleashed by Washington, have become anxious about their security. So, Canadian expert circles have expressed concerns about the ongoing acquisition of American F-35...

Vice President J.D. Vance called out pro-Ukrainian protesters Saturday for screaming as they chased him down on a walk with his 3-year-old daughter, Mirabel. “Today while walking my 3 year old daughter a group of ‘Slava Ukraini’ protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared,” Vance wrote on X. Vance confronted the protesters in an interaction that was captured on video by WCPO 9. As Ukrainian flag-waving activists complained to the vice president that “people are dying,” he calmly and collectively spoke to their concerns about Russia and a hopeful end to the war....

Agreement between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and German company Diehl Defence paves the way for large industrial projects Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the German company Diehl Defence, which produces IRIS-T systems and is "an important part of Ukraine's air defense shield." According to the minister, the signed agreement paves the way for large industrial projects that will strengthen the capabilities of Ukrainian air defense. In addition, the memorandum provides for a threefold increase in the supply of missiles and air defense systems, Umerov noted. IRIS-T is a medium-range...

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seen by Russia as possible venues for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, two Russian sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. -snip- Saudi Arabia and the UAE did not respond to requests for comment. The Kremlin declined comment. But both Trump and Putin have developed friendly relations with rulers of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Trump said on Sunday that his administration had "meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia." When asked about those remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said...

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence said on Monday that at least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed and wounded in weekend battles in Russia's western Kursk region, prompting commanders to send reinforcements to frontline units. "North Korean army units are being re-equipped after losses in assaults" around the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba and Martynovka in the Kursk region, the GUR wrote in a post to its official Telegram channel. On Dec. 14 and 15, the GUR said, "units of the DPRK army suffered significant losses -- at least 30 soldiers were killed and wounded," using the acronym...

Russia's ability to outmatch Ukraine with artillery barrages on the battlefield has significantly reduced to just 1.5 Russian rounds for every Ukrainian shell fired back, Western officials have said. This compares with Russian forces launching at least five times as many artillery rounds as Ukraine could in the war previously - with the ratio at times much higher even than that. The Western officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, put the levelling out down to a "wide variety of factors". These factors include limitations in Russia's defence production lines, difficulties with transporting more rounds to the frontline by rail,...

Up to 50,000 Russian soldiers could be missing in action in Ukraine, a senior defence official who is related to President Putin has revealed in an apparent slip-up. Anna Tsivileva, a deputy defence minister, told a parliamentary roundtable that there had been tens of thousands of requests for DNA testing to identify the remains of servicemen. “We accept the DNA of relatives, as I have said, free of charge,” Tsivileva said. “[There are] 48,000 relatives who have applied to us.” However, Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the parliamentary defence committee, stressed that the figures cited by Tsivileva were classified and...

When exit polls began to be released on Tuesday night, it appeared to contain a nugget that augured well for Kamala Harris. In the end, it didn't. Americans were asked who they trusted more to handle the economy. It was a win for Donald Trump — 51% picked him to 47% for Harris — but it was a much more narrow victory than would have been imaginable earlier this year when the former president was trouncing President Joe Biden regularly on the issue. It seemed to be a validation of a strategy for Harris in the final few days of...

Iran has been left powerless to export ballistic missiles to Russia for up to two years following Israeli airstrikes on weapons factories across the country. Over 100 aircraft, including F-35 Lightnings, F-16 Falcons, F-15 Eagles, air-to-air refuellers and drones, took part in the Israeli attacks in the early hours of Saturday morning. In particular, Israel appears to have targeted Iranian “planetary mixers”, used to make solid fuel for ballistic missiles. -snip- The exchange of weapons goes both ways and Iran had been reliant on Russian air defences to see off Israeli attacks. Iran purchased the S-300 air defence system from...

Jim O'Neill came up with the term BRIC in 2001 in a research paper that underlined the massive growth potential of Brazil, Russia, India and China. The then-Goldman Sachs chief economist highlighted the need to reform global governance to include these up and coming countries in his paper. Today, the grouping accounts for 45% of the world's population and 35% of its economy. O'Neill, who admitted he would “have Mr. BRICS stamped on his forehead forever”, has however said the group group had achieved very little over the past 15 years. In an interview, he added that it was not...

The development is a complete U-turn from the BRICS initiative where the alliance is pushing de-dollarization narratives around the world. Sources say India is unhappy with the narrative pushed by its BRICS counterparts, China and Russia. According to sources, India believes that China is using BRICS as a stepping stone to strengthen its dominance around the world. India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed that the country is not interested in the dedollarization agenda.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he has told former President Donald Trump that Kyiv will pursue nuclear weapons for defense if it doesn’t gain entry to NATO. “In a conversation with Donald Trump, I told him it comes to this,” Zelensky said in Ukrainian while speaking to the European Council in Brussels. “The outcome is either Ukraine will be a nuclear power — and that will be our protection — or we should have some kind of alliance. Other than NATO, today we don’t know of any effective alliances.” Zelensky, 46, emphasized that Ukraine is choosing to pursue membership...

Kiev has the capability to build a nuclear weapon "in a few weeks," a high-ranking Ukrainian official has told Bild, the German tabloid reported on Thursday after Vladimir Zelensky announced his atomic ambitions. Ukraine needs either membership in NATO or nuclear weapons, Zelensky said on Friday in Brussels, arguing in favor of his "victory plan" to end the conflict with Russia. This prompted Bild to reveal that a Ukrainian official involved in weapons procurement told them "a few months ago" that Kiev was willing to go nuclear. "We have the material, we have the knowledge. If the order is given,...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly told NATO to let his country join the group or it will get nuclear weapons in a shock ultimatum that was allegedly backed by Donald Trump. The leader, 46, declared his bombshell proposal at the EU summit in Brussels - stating either NATO quickly accepts Ukraine into its alliance, or it will once again become a nuclear power, reports Bild. Zelensky had reportedly planned to present what is being dubbed his 'victory plan' to the heads of state and government of the European Union, but instead made the dramatic announcement to stunned reporters on...

The finance ministers of the most important BRICS countries refused to come to the meeting in Moscow. The Kremlin presented there its idea of ​​​​phasing out payments in US dollars. No one supported it. Friday's BRICS meeting in Moscow was focused on the Kremlin's announcement of a global payment system alternative to the dollar. However, it was held without the participation of finance ministers and central bank governors of China, India and South Africa, Reuters reports. The countries sent their deputies and junior officials to the meeting. China was represented in Moscow by Vice Finance Minister Liao Ming and Central...