One of the first sights that greets arrivals to the centre of Serbia’s capital Belgrade are government buildings in an advance state of collapse. Nato planes bombed them back in 1999 – and they remain in much the same condition. The message they deliver to visitors could be “welcome to Serbia, our recent history has…
Head into the basement of any bustling mall in Singapore and the chances are you will smell the sweetness of fresh, buttery baked goods. Long lines of people swarm the counters of Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Singaporean bakeries – tray and tongs in hand, after picking out cream rolls and milk breads or filled croissants…
The UK economy shrank by more than expected in April as taxes increased for businesses, household bills jumped and exports to the US plunged. The economy contracted by 0.3%, more than the 0.1% fall predicted by economists. In April, employers’ National Insurance and water, energy and council tax bills all rose, while the introduction of…
A human-sized Labubu doll was sold this week for a record 1.08m yuan ($150,324; £110,465), according to a Chinese auction house. The 131cm (4ft 4in) figurine was sold at the Yongle International Auction in Beijing. The auctioneer said it was now the most expensive toy of its kind in the world. Labubu dolls are quirky…
Talks aimed at cooling tensions between the US and China have ended in a “deal”, according to US President Donald Trump. He said China had agreed to supply US companies with magnets and rare earth metals, while the US would walk back its threats to revoke visas of Chinese students. “Our deal with China is…
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented the budget for the fiscal year 2025-2026 in the National Assembly on Tuesday. Under the watchful eye of the International Monetary Fund, the government projected growth of 4.2 per cent and set an ambitious tax collection target at Rs14,131 billion, an 8.95pc increase from last year’s goal. The government had earlier promised…
The latest trade truce between China and the United States offered investors the hope of an eventual deal that the feuding superpowers can live with, though the possibility of another tariff flare-up remained a risk for markets. The muted market reaction told its own story, as US and Chinese officials ended two days of talks…
Starbucks has received “a lot of interest” in the sale of a stake in its China business, its chief executive told the Financial Times in an interview published on Wednesday, as the U.S. coffee chain looks to revive sales in its second-largest market. “The good news is we’ve got a lot of interest — a…
The dollar and China’s yuan were little changed on Wednesday as teams from U.S. and China concluded trade talks in London, hinting at a thaw in a damaging trade war between the world’s two largest economies but offering scant detail. The countries’ officials agreed on a framework based on a trade truce reached last month…
The 2020s could be the weakest decade for economic growth since the 1960s, the World Bank said in a report on Tuesday. The culprit for the potential bout of sluggish expansion? Tariffs, the organization said. “Only six months ago, a ‘soft landing’ appeared to be in sight: the global economy was stabilizing after an extraordinary string…
