German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced growing pressure on his leadership ahead of state elections in which polls suggest his governing party will fare badly. In one region, his CDU party is barely above the threshold required to enter the state assembly, and it faces the prospect of falling to second ...
Category: Semafor
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US approves Africa investments as it challenges China’s influenceUS approves Africa investments as it challenges China’s influence
The US approved new investments in Africa aimed at challenging China’s preeminence on the continent. Washington’s bets include $414 million in financing for a uranium project in Niger — a country that expelled all US forces two years ago — and hundreds of millions for digital infrastructure providers. China has ...
Nigerian fuel price spike renews worry over inflation and Iran war exposureNigerian fuel price spike renews worry over inflation and Iran war exposure
The News An energy price spike in Nigeria is renewing fears of an inflation rise and concerns that Africa’s top oil producer remains vulnerable to global shocks despite growing domestic refining capacity led by a giant facility owned by the continent’s richest man Aliko Dangote. The Dangote Refinery, whose shares ...
Asian economies boom on AI-driven data center demandAsian economies boom on AI-driven data center demand
Major Asian economies are profiting from growing global demand for AI as their manufacturing sectors build the high-end equipment needed for a worldwide data center boom, economists said. Surging exports are set to drive GDP growth in Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while Seoul’s and Taipei’s burgeoning tax receipts ...
GM to build Patriot missile parts for Lockheed MartinGM to build Patriot missile parts for Lockheed Martin
American automaker General Motors will manufacture components for Patriot missiles, Lockheed Martin announced Thursday, potentially boosting efforts to plug the US’ gaping munitions holes that have emerged during more than six months of conflict with Iran. The Pentagon is hoping to enlist more manufacturers in its push to speed up ...
Trump backs Fed’s Warsh following rate hikeTrump backs Fed’s Warsh following rate hike
Stocks rallied Thursday as markets digested the US Federal Reserve’s decision to hike interest rates — an expected move, but one that was seen as a critical test of the central bank’s independence. “Stocks can move on, as uncertainty has faded,” an analyst told Bloomberg. US President Donald Trump criticized ...
Novo to partner with Anthropic on drug discovery effortsNovo to partner with Anthropic on drug discovery efforts
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk will partner with Anthropic in an effort to speed up drug development, as the one-time GLP-1 leader bets AI will help it reclaim lost market share. Novo rivals Lilly, Merck, and Roche have all invested in AI, though it has largely been used to improve workplace ...
US, China ramp up summit preparationsUS, China ramp up summit preparations
US President Donald Trump will reportedly greet China’s leader Xi Jinping as he steps off the plane in Washington, DC next week — the first leader accorded that deference in Trump’s second term — as preparations ramp up for their summit. The countries’ top diplomats spoke Thursday, possibly to finalize ...
A Norman Conquest retelling “steeped in Viking lore and gore”A Norman Conquest retelling “steeped in Viking lore and gore”
by Erin Goeres. With the UK in the throes of “Bayeux fever” — the 200-foot tapestry depicting the buildup to the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and the Battle of Hastings, now on display in Britain — a scholar of Scandinavian studies “exposes the slyly partisan narrative of the Bayeux ...
Saudi Arabia’s well-timed uranium find near MedinaSaudi Arabia’s well-timed uranium find near Medina
On July 22, the US and Saudi Arabia finalized a nuclear deal that gave the kingdom a pathway to enrich uranium. Fifty-four days later, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman announced an estimated 110 million tonnes of ore with “promising concentrations of uranium” were discovered near Medina. He didn’t say ...