Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Insights & Views

Thu, Dec 18, 2025 11:17 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Why Freetown’s celebrated tree planting scheme won’t work for other African cities, or the planet

| Insights & Views

More than a million trees have been planted in the city of Freetown in Sierra Leone since 2020. This reforestation scheme, known as FreetownTheTreeTown, has been celebrated for its innovative approach to climate action,...

Workplace aggression causes real harm — leaders must take action against it

| Insights & Views

Workplace aggression is a pervasive and highly damaging issue that costs organizations billions of dollars annually in lost productivity. Beyond financial losses, it fosters toxic workplace cultures, exposes companies to...

NZ’s barriers to economic growth: short-term thinking, political concentration and policy flip-flops

| Insights & Views

Economic growth took centre stage during Prime Minister Christopher Luxons recent State of the Nation speech. Yet in amongst the discussion and criticism of the governments plans, many have got locked into a...

Inuit children in Nunavut face a preventable food security crisis

| Insights & Views

Nunavut has the highest rate of child poverty and the highest rate of food insecurity of any Canadian province or territory. In 2022, around 80 per cent of Indigenous children aged between one and 14 in Nunavut lived in...

Trump’s war on climate science is pushing us into a dystopian future

| Insights & Views

US President Donald Trumps latest war on the climate includes withdrawing support for any research that mentions the word. He has also launched a purge on government websites hosting climate data, in an apparent attempt to...

Friday essay: ‘I was unseen, even to myself’ – as many as half of people with anorexia are autistic. Fiona Wright is one of them

| Insights & Views

The final straw, the one that broke this particular camels back, was my girlfriends receipt of her autism diagnosis over email. She didnt want to open the report alone and asked if I would read it with her and when we...

Trump mineral deal with Ukraine offers hope but little in the way of security

| Insights & Views

If you want to get an idea of how Donald Trumps mind works (and this can change from day to day, as we know), its worth taking a look at his TruthSocial website. As I write, beneath a video pinned to the top of his feed...

3541 3542 3543 3544 3545 3546 3547 3548 3549 3550

Economy

Oil Prices Climb on Venezuela Blockade, Russia Sanctions Fears, and Supply Risks

Oil prices extended their gains during Asian trading on Thursday as geopolitical tensions involving Venezuela and Russia heightened concerns over global crude supply. Market sentiment was boosted after U.S. President...

Asian Stocks Slide as AI Spending Fears and Global Central Bank Decisions Weigh on Markets

Asian shares fell sharply on Thursday as technology stocks came under renewed pressure, driven by growing investor concerns over heavy artificial intelligence spending and its impact on corporate balance sheets. Market...

Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Global Central Bank Decisions as Yen, Sterling and Euro React

The U.S. dollar remained steady against major global currencies on Thursday as investors positioned themselves ahead of key central bank decisions in the United Kingdom, Europe and Japan. Currency markets showed cautious...

BoE Set to Cut Rates as UK Inflation Slows, but Further Easing Likely Limited

The Bank of England is widely expected to cut interest rates on Thursday as signs mount that UK inflation is easing and economic growth is weakening. Financial markets anticipate a 25-basis-point reduction, bringing the...

U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher as Micron Earnings Boost AI Sentiment Ahead of CPI Data

U.S. stock index futures inched higher on Wednesday evening, supported by blowout earnings and strong guidance from Micron Technology, although broader gains remained limited as investors stayed cautious ahead of key U.S....

Politics

Trump Announces $1,776 Cash Bonus for U.S. Military Personnel Ahead of Christmas

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening that eligible U.S. military personnel will receive a one-time cash payment of $1,776, a move he described as a special warrior dividend timed ahead of Christmas. The...

U.S. House Advances GOP Healthcare Bill as ACA Subsidies Near Expiration

A major U.S. federal healthcare subsidy expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic is set to expire at the end of the year after the House of Representatives narrowly advanced a Republican healthcare bill that does not renew...

U.S. Initiates $11.1 Billion Arms Sale to Taiwan Amid Rising China Tensions

Taiwans defence ministry announced on Thursday that the United States government has formally initiated the congressional notification process for a proposed $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, underscoring Washingtons...

Union-Aligned Investors Question Amazon, Walmart and Alphabet on Trump Immigration Policies

A union-aligned investment group has urged major U.S. corporations including Amazon, Walmart and Google-parent Alphabet to explain how President Donald Trumps immigration policies are affecting their finances, workforce...

Venezuela Seeks UN Security Council Meeting Over U.S. Oil Tanker Blockade

Venezuela has formally requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address what it described as ongoing U.S. aggression against the country, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The request...

Science

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Technology

Apple Opens iPhone to Alternative App Stores in Japan Under New Competition Law

Apple has announced a major shift in its App Store policies in Japan, opening iPhones and other Apple devices to alternative app stores in order to comply with new competition laws aimed at reshaping the countrys...

Micron Technology Forecasts Surge in Revenue and Earnings on AI-Driven Memory Demand

Micron Technology delivered record first-quarter results and issued a bullish forecast for the current quarter, driven by rising memory prices and strong demand linked to artificial intelligence workloads. The upbeat...

Oracle Stock Slides After Blue Owl Exit Report, Company Says Michigan Data Center Talks Remain on Track

Oracle shares fell more than 4% on Wednesday after a Financial Times report claimed that Blue Owl Capital, Oracles largest U.S. data center partner, decided not to support a planned $10 billion data center project in...

OpenAI Explores Massive Funding Round at $750 Billion Valuation

OpenAI, the company behind the widely used AI chatbot ChatGPT, has reportedly entered preliminary discussions with investors about a potential new funding round that could value the company at approximately $750 billion....

Republicans Raise National Security Concerns Over Intel’s Testing of China-Linked Chipmaking Tools

Republican lawmakers are raising alarms over potential U.S. national security risks after a Reuters report revealed that Intel evaluated advanced chipmaking equipment from ACM Research, a company with significant ties to...