The shots that echoed

“He is ready to rumble,” declared Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, on the red carpet outside the Washington Hilton on April 25th. “This speech tonight will be classic Donald J. Trump. It will be funny. It will be…

A bumpy ride ahead

As summer 2026 looms, the travel industry is confronting an uncomfortable truth. Jet-fuel prices in America averaged $8.63 a gallon in April, up sharply from March and more than double the level before the Iran conflict escalated. Even after Iran…

China’s surprising spring

On April 16th China’s National Bureau of Statistics released its first-quarter GDP figures for 2026. The economy expanded by 5.0% year on year, beating analysts’ forecasts of 4.8% and accelerating from the 4.5% recorded in the final quarter of 2025.…