Author: Leslie Stewart

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistani military has released 190 passengers from trains hijacked by separatist militants, security officials said Wednesday that the fighting continued to release dozens of hostages held by extremists in vests filled with explosives.More than 400 people, including 214 soldiers and other security guards, joined the Jafar Express as they moved to a northern city in southwestern Balochistan province in the southwestern province of Pakistan on Tuesday. When they entered a tunnel in a remote mountainous region of Balochistan, the railway tracks were blown up by extremists, and then fired on trains, killing 11 people in Pakistan’s first…

Opinion: Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information, NigeriaNigeria has emerged as one of the most active and dynamic crypto markets in recent years. From the vibrant high-tech hubs in Lagos to the grassroots communities in small cities, young Nigerians have resorted to cryptocurrencies to address basic economic challenges, from hedging against inflation to access global markets in ways that traditional finance does not allow.As the Minister of Information, I saw firsthand how digital innovation has become important to Nigerian stories. Cryptocurrency, blockchain technology and other digital assets are no longer on the edge of our economy. They are at the heart…

The House hearing ended abruptly on Tuesday after an exchange between Republicans and Democrats was with GOP Chairman Rep. Sarah McBride.At a hearing hosted by the European Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, R-Texas MP Keith Self admitted McBride (d-del.) and spoke and misunderstood her in the process. McBride is the first openly trans member of Congress.”I now recognize McBride, the Delaware representative.”Without missing the beat, McBride responded by thanking himself and calling him “Madame Chair.”Follow the live politics report hereRep. Bill Keating, a top Democrat on the subcommittee, asked himself to step in and repeat what he said. After his self doubled…

Caleb Lagrand, soybean farmer at his farm in Magnolia, KentuckyCourtesy: American Soybean AssociationCaleb Ragland, a soybean farmer in Magnolia, Kentucky, voted for President Donald Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024. But now we have to navigate the customs minefield when the sector is already facing major headwinds.Ragland works with his wife and three sons and has deep roots in the community. His family has been farming on the land for over two centuries. But over the past few years he has seen a double-digit percentage drop in crop prices while production costs have risen. Soybean futures have fallen by more…

Following the announcement of tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods by US President Donald Trump in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on March 4, 2025, people browse grocery stores.Arlyn McDray | ReutersWednesday’s report could provide mildly encouragement news as concerns grow that President Donald Trump’s tariff policies will exacerbate inflation.The February consumer price index is projected to show a 0.3% increase across a wide range of goods and services across the world’s largest economy. This projection is held in both the measurement and core index of all items that exclude volatile food and energy prices.On an annual basis, headline inflation and core…

The Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led coalition that joined the US forces to fight the Islamic state, have agreed to merge with the same interim Syrian government forces that previously had affiliated with al-Qaeda, officials said. The two groups shook Syria and attacked the deal on days of fatal sectarian violence between government forces and those loyal to the abdicated Assad regime after shaking Syria and killing hundreds of civilians. The SDF had little involvement in those conflicts, but has long been opposed to both the old Syrian leadership and the new Syrian leadership. In a new ceasefire, two of…

Opinion: Tim Haldorsson, founder of Lunar StrategyWhen President Donald Trump announced the US strategic crypto sanctuary on March 2, the focus was immediately on a surge in the prices of attached coins. Behind the market excitement is a much larger story that goes far beyond the designated assets themselves. The real opportunity is not to hold Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), XRP (XRP), Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA). This is based on these newly legalized platforms.This government support creates fertile ground for the entire project ecosystem, unlocking innovation across multiple sectors and creating investment opportunities that can define the next wave of…

When President Donald Trump wanted to claim the success of his first term in an interview last month, he relied on the stock market. “I was extremely proud to hand over the country when the stock market was higher than before before before before before before,” he told Fox News in a February 9 interview. “It was an incredible achievement.”And in his second term he promised that the trend would continue.”The stock market is going to be great,” he told the crowd at an investor meeting on February 19.But his tone changed last week after stocks began spiraling downwards in…

President Donald Trump and other senior White House officials have been covering Americans over the past few days due to potential economic slowdowns, and they say they’ll move forward.Fear fostering potential tariff impacts has slowed the labor market, and indicators pointed to potential negative growth in the first quarter.”What we’re doing is so big, so there’s a transition period,” Trump said Sunday on the Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures.” “We’re bringing wealth back to America. That’s a big deal. …It takes a little time, but I think it should be great for us.”When asked if he thought the recession…

US President Donald Trump will attend the White House Script Summit on March 7, 2025 at the White House in Washington, DC. Evelyn Hockstein |ReutersPresident Donald Trump’s return to the White House, volatility and geopolitical turbulence in global markets has led to warnings that the US economy could be heading towards a recession, but economists say the recession is not on the card yet.”I don’t think we’ll talk about the US recession. The US economy is resilient despite Donald Trump,” Holger Schmeading, chief economist at Belenberg Bank, told CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe on Monday.Dubbing Trump as “Agent of Confusion and…