United States

Dollar trade with US aligns with Russia's national currency policy: Kremlin

The trade with the US in dollars does not contradict Russia's principle policy of use of national currencies in foreign transactions, the Kremlin said Saturday. Russia switched to the use of national currencies in foreign trade after its USD and Euro accounts were frozen by the West following the outbreak of the 2022 conflict with Ukraine and has been pushing for a global de-dollarisation trend. In an interview to the state-run TASS news agency, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov pointed that the dollar is the national currency of the United States, so its use in transactions with Washington will not conflict with the principle of transitioning to national currencies. "In general, yes," the Kremlin spokesman agreed with the thesis about the dollar as the national currency in Russian-American trade and that its use will not fundamentally affect Russia's interactions with its current partners. Amid reports of bilateral negotiations to expand economic cooperation between Moscow an

German Chancellor calls for reset with US as old global order crumbles

Merz warned the US could not go it alone but also said Europe must beef up its own defences and mentioned confidential talks with France on nuclear deterrence

Goldman Sachs' lawyer Ruemmler resigns after ties with Epstein surfaces

Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at storied investment bank Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, has resigned, after emails between her and Jeffrey Epstein showed a close relationship where she described him as an "older brother" and downplayed his sex crimes. Up until her resignation on Thursday, Ruemmler repeatedly tried to distance herself from the emails and other correspondence and had been defiant that she would not resign from Goldman's top legal post, which she had held since 2020. While Ruemmler has called Epstein a "monster" in recent statements, she had a much different relationship with Epstein before he was arrested a second time for sex crimes in 2019 and later killed himself in a Manhattan jail. Ruemmler called Epstein "Uncle Jeffrey" in emails and said she adored him. In a statement before her resignation, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said Ruemmler "regrets ever knowing him". During her time in private practice after she left the Whi

Trump admin reaches trade deal with Taiwan to cut tariffs, boost investment

The Trump administration has reached a trade deal with Taiwan, with Taiwan agreeing to remove or reduce 99 per cent of its tariff barriers, the office of the US Trade Representative said. The agreement comes as the US remains reliant on Taiwan for its production of computer chips, the exporting of which contributed to a trade imbalance of nearly USD 127 billion during the first 11 months of 2025, according to the Census Bureau. Taiwan's exports to the US will be taxed at a 15 per cent rate or the US government's "Most Favoured Nation" rate, the USTR's office said on Thursday. The 15 per cent rate is the same as that levied on other US trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Japan and South Korea. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer attended the signing of the reciprocal agreement, which occurred under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States. Taiwan's Vice Premier Li-chiun Cheng and

US companies paid nearly 90% of 2025 tariff costs, says NY Fed study

Using data through November 2025, the study finds that about 94 per cent of the tariff costs were passed through to US firms and consumers in the first eight months of the year

Two injured after US warship collides with supply vessel in the Carribean

US President Donald Trump ordered a massive naval buildup in the Caribbean in recent months to support his campaign against drug traffickers in the region

Kremlin memo maps US-Russia economic ties, including dollar reset

At the heart of the offer is Russia's return to the dollar settlement system, a move which would mean a stunning reversal of Kremlin policy and, potentially, a dramatic shake up for global finance

Americans shouldered bulk of Trump tariff burden, says NY Fed report

The bank said 90 per cent of the tariffs imposed by the president on imported goods are borne by American consumers and companies

La Niña weakening, neutral Pacific conditions likely by April: US

The Pacific is expected to remain normal through summer in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the US Climate Prediction Center

US authorities announce an end to immigration crackdown in Minnesota

The immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to mass detentions, protests and two deaths is coming to an end, border czar Tom Homan said Thursday. "As a result of our efforts here Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals," Homan said at a news conference. "I have proposed and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude," he continued. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched Operation Metro Surge on December 1. Federal authorities say the sweeps focused on the Minneapolis-St Paul metro area have led to the arrest of more than 4,000 people. While the Trump administration has called those arrested "dangerous criminal illegal aliens," many people with no criminal records, including children and US citizens, have also been detained. Democratic Governor Tim Walz said Tuesday that he expected Operation Metro Surge to end in "days, not weeks and months," based on his conversations with senior Trump administration officials. He told reporter

US shelves major tech curbs on China after Trump-Xi trade detente

That meeting also included a pledge by the Chinese to delay painful export restrictions on the rare-earth minerals that underpin tech manufacturing globally

Welspun Q3FY26 profit nearly wiped out due to US tariff slowdown

Welspun's consolidated net profit came ‌in at 2.1 million rupees ($23,178.81) for the three-month period ended December 31, sharply down from 1.21 billion rupees in the year-ago period

Ukraine agrees to host another round of US-mediated talks with Russia

President Donald Trump's envoys are intensifying efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion against Ukraine as it approaches its fifth year and the question of territories is the key sticking point

US adds 130,000 jobs in January, 2024 payrolls cut by nearly 900,000

US employers added a surprisingly strong 1,30,000 jobs last month, but government revisions cut 2024-2025 US payrolls by hundreds of thousands. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3 per cent, the Labour Department said Wednesday. The report included major revisions that reduced the number of jobs created last year to just 1,81,000, weakest since the pandemic year of 2020, and less than half the previously reported 5,84,000. The job market has been sluggish for months even though the economy is registering solid growth. But the January numbers came in stronger than the 75,000 economists had expected. Healthcare accounted for nearly 82,000, or more than 60 per cent, of last month's new jobs. Factories added 5,000, snapping a streak of 13 straight months of job losses. The federal government shed 34,000 jobs. Average hourly wages rose a solid 0.4 per cent from December to January. The unemployment rate fell from 4.4 per cent in December as the number of employed Americans rose and the n

India's massive $500 billion US import ambition raises scepticism: Experts

US President Donald Trump last week said he will slash tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from 50 per cent , sparking relief in India

US reopens El Paso airspace hours after announcing 10-day closure

The move has stranded numerous aircraft from Southwest Airlines and American Airlines at the airport

Except Trump, nobody has stated India's refusal to buy Russian oil: Lavrov

Except US President Donald Trump, nobody else has declared that India will stop buying Russian oil, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the country's parliament Wednesday. Lavrov's comments came two days after Russia accused the US of attempting to prevent India and other countries from buying Russian oil, saying Washington was using a wide range of "coercive" measures, including tariffs, sanctions and direct prohibitions. On Wednesday, responding to a lawmaker in the State Duma (Lower House), Lavrov said, "You mentioned that Donald Trump announced India's agreement to no longer purchase Russian oil. I have not heard such a statement from anyone else, including Prime Minister Modi and other Indian leaders." Lavrov noted that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, setting the trend for India's chairmanship of BRICS, told the first meeting of sherpas in New Delhi that energy security will be one of the top items of the BRICS summit, expected to be attended by Russian President Vladim

US lawmakers push for tighter curbs on China's access to chipmaking tools

The congressional warning over gaps in US export controls comes as China appears to be making breakthroughs Washington has long sought to block

Trump privately weighs exiting the USMCA trade pact he negotiated

A White House official, asked about the discussions, described Trump as the ultimate decision-maker and someone always seeking a better deal for the American people

US' curbs on Venezuela oil business unfairly target Russia: Lavrov

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia would clarify the situation with Washington