UPDATE: Pres Biden Upgrades Sanctions Vs Russia; ‘It’s a War Without a Cause’
By Frank Csongos and Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – President Joe Biden announced Thursday new economic sanctions on Russia to punish its military invasion of Ukraine. Biden denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin of waging “naked aggression” and pledged Russia will bear the consequences. “It’s a war without a cause,” he said. Biden said the U.S. […]
Italy Lobbying EU To Keep Energy Out Of Sanctions Package Against Russia – Italy Government Sources
–Rome hopes any sanctions would unfold in stages, sees energy sanctions as ‘last resort’ given Italy’s dependence on Russian gas By Silvia Marchetti ROME (MaceNews) – Italy is lobbying at the European level to exempt Russian energy exports from the European Union’s potential sanctions as Italy would end up paying the highest price, according to […]
Analysis: Canada’s Economy Survives Anti-Covid Mandate Blockade, Reputation at Stake
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Canadian economy appears to have emerged little hurt overall from a temporary blockade of its key US trade route caused by a truckers-led protest against anti-Covid mandates, but the government failure to prevent occupations of crucial border crossings and the national capital has tarnished the country’s reputation as an […]
Japan Government Downgrades View: Some Weakness Seen in Pickup Hit by Covid
— Pickup in Consumption Pausing on Resumed Covid Restrictions — Business Investment Moving Upward as Seen in Q4 GDP Rebound By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Thursday downgraded its economic overview for the first time in five months, noting the recent spike in coronavirus cases sparked by the Omicron variant is hurting consumer spending, […]
USTR Tai: China’s Trade Practices At Odds with WTO Pledges
By Eric Ham WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – US Trade Representative Katherine Tai Wednesday admonished China for pursuing an aggressive state-led industrial policy at odds with market-oriented trade norms. “China has not moved to embrace the market-oriented principles on which the WTO and its rules are based, despite the representations that it made when it joined 20 […]
Pres Biden: Haven’t Verified Any Russia Withdrawal; GOP Prepares Sanctions Bill
By Eric Ham WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – President Biden Tuesday said he has not verified Russia claims it is withdrawing some forces from nearby Ukraine as Republicans prepare their own sanctions legislation. In a brief statement delivered as U.S. stocks were posting gains on the possibility of a Russian drawdown, the president tempered the optimism with […]
Italy’s Democrats Recover Lost Ground, Lead Polls but in Tie with Former Fascist Party – Sources
By Silvia Marchetti ROME (MaceNews) – After a deep crisis and loss of support that lasted more than four years, Italy’s Democratic Party is leading polls with a higher chance of winning next year’s general vote and putting it in position to push through key reforms, said party officials. Still, polls show a tie with […]
Reports: Canada’s PM Trudeau Weighs Using Emergency Act to Clear Trucker Blockades
(MaceNews) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is considering using the Emergency Act, which would limit civil liberties and give the federal government temporary powers to help end blockades at US borders by truckers protesting Covid mandates, news reports said. Trudeau told his Liberal Party caucus on Monday he would invoke the never-before-used Emergencies Act […]
Future of US Inflation Depends on Shelter Costs Flywheel
By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Last month’s strong rate of increase in consumer prices reported Wednesday was the same, and for some major categories less, than in the previous month, suggesting that mathematical base effects will force indicated inflation to decelerate later this year. Most significantly, shelter costs, that contribute a third of all […]
Japan Sentiment, Public Approval of Kishida Government Slip with Rapid Omicron Spread
–PM Kishida Under Pressure To Shore Up Voter Support Before Upper House Election This Year –Kishida Tackling Pandemic; His Long-Term Approach of Inclusive Policy Takes Time To Have Impact By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Omicron storm in the new year is hurting business and consumer confidence as the government was forced to resume its […]