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Iran foreign minister meets Chinese counterpart a week before Trump’s Beijing trip Araqchi’s visit, announced by state news agency Xinhua, ‌is his first trip to China since the US-Israeli war on Iran set off the most severe global oil supply shock in history.

World Bank, IICA launch AgriConnect initiative in Jamaica KINGSTON, Jamaica — The World Bank Group (WBG) in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has launched the AgriConnect initiative to expand rural connectivity, digital inclusion and the integration of family farmers into markets locally. Worldwide, the initiative aims to support up to 300 million smallholder farmers by 2030, promoting the transition from subsistence models to more productive agricultural enterprises. The implementation of the project in Jamaica is part of a global strategy by the World Bank Group to drive the transformation of the agrifood sector.

Rising living costs hitting some older Australians hardest and the Australian dollar at fresh 4 year high Senior Australians on government payments are facing some of the sharpest cost of living increases in the country as soaring electricity prices and rising interest rates put pressure on household budgets. In this episode of the SBS On the Money podcast, Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Patricia Sparrow from COTA Australia to find out more, before Laura Cooper from Nuveen shares her outlook on interest rates after the Reserve Bank’s latest decision. Plus, Luke Laretive from Seneca Financial Solutions breaks down a strong rally on the Australian sharemarket as the ASX200 surged following another record session on Wall Street.

Asia must unite to avert an Iran war food crisis Asia’s next food crisis is under way. After the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed, sending shock waves across energy, fertiliser and food systems. Fuel, freight and fertiliser costs are rising sharply, amplified by skyrocketing insurance premiums – feeding directly into the price of every tonne of fertiliser that still reaches the market.

RBA governor’s frank message on the economy is the biggest shock | Nicki Hutley Michele Bullock drops her usual caution to spell out the threat of higher prices and lower growth The Reserve Bank of Australia has delivered its third rise in official interest rates for the year, taking the cash rate up another 0.25 percentage points to 4.35%, and thereby completely reversing the cuts of 2025. While some make take comfort from the RBA governor’s words in her post-decision press conference that indicated that we could now expect a pause in rate hikes for at least a little while, her overall responses to questions from the media were surprisingly blunt, as well as fairly alarming regarding the economic outlook. Continue reading...

CBL to inject US$ 300 million into card system, authorises transfer for small traders of up to US$ 100,000 quarterly The Central Bank of Libya (CBL) briefed local Libyan Arabic-language media outlets today that it has concluded a meeting with major local banks to discuss difficulties facing foreign currency sales for all purposes. This comes after the long-awaited sale of cash dollars had begun Monday in banks across Libya. Counterintuitively, instead of sending the exchange […] The post CBL to inject US$ 300 million into card system, authorises transfer for small traders of up to US$ 100,000 quarterly appeared first on LibyaHerald .

Romania’s central bank spends up to EUR 2 bln to steady RON amid political turmoil Romania’s central bank is estimated to have spent between EUR 1.5 billion and EUR 2 billion in April to stabilise the local currency RON and manage capital outflows triggered by mounting political uncertainty, Economica.net reported, citing calculations based on official reserve data published by the National Bank of Romania (BNR). The interventions must have continued during the first days of May, when the local currency witnessed further weakening to record lows. The bulk of the intervention in April appears to have been concentrated at the end of the month, when foreign investors reportedly reduced exposure to Romanian government bonds and equities. Pressure on the currency intensified sharply in the final days of April, coinciding with the announcement of a no-confidence motion against the government, which unsettled markets.

Bank of Finland director sees bright spots in the economy Central bank governor Olli Rehn points to major recent corporate deals and the Hungarian election.

BP's new CEO Meg O'Neill sends her first company-wide email addressing the need for strategic change amid geopolitical tensions, technological disruption, and years of financial underperformance. The article highlights her perspective on navigating complexity in the energy sector as the first female leader of a major British energy company.

Intelligence item references Makivvik Corp pursuing unspecified measures in response to difficult circumstances. Insufficient content provided for complete threat assessment.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Japanese counterpart Takaichi Sanae announced cooperation agreements between Vietnam and Japan covering space infrastructure and chip research initiatives during an official visit to Hanoi on May 2.

Greece maintained stable electricity prices for May through strong renewable energy output and supplier discounts despite international pressures. Lower wholesale prices, increased renewable participation, favorable weather, and restrained pricing by providers helped contain costs, with tariffs announced by Public Power Corporation reflecting these market conditions.

Airline reduced diplomatic relations with Orlando in Orlando International Airport [10 sources]

Colombia’s surprise decision to halt interest rate increases this week was intended to prevent upheaval, but may come at a cost, according to central bank co-director Mauricio Villamizar.

Measure TC would require online travel companies to pay taxes on their markups to L.A. customers, aiming to level the playing field between hotels and online travel company counterparts.

Severe weather events linked to climate change are driving increased home insurance costs nationwide. The House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Affairs unanimously approved legislation to provide relief for homeowners facing high premiums, though specific provisions are not detailed in this excerpt.

Reports of conflict in Chicago Ohare International Airport [10 sources]

Romania's Constitutional Court ruled the prosumer law constitutional, allowing individuals producing energy at home to offset surplus energy across properties, use it for both electricity and natural gas bills, and receive monthly billing settlements. The legislation recognizes prosumers as active participants in the energy system with greater flexibility to produce, consume, store, and sell electricity.

Sincere Healthcare Group announces exit from Landmark Medical Centre deal while affirming continuation of operations in Johor, Malaysia. This is a standard corporate announcement regarding a business transaction adjustment in the healthcare sector.

Estonian mobility app firm Bolt has announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with racing driver Paul Aron. This represents standard corporate sponsorship activity in the sports marketing sector.

The Us reduced relations with in Miami International Airport [6 sources]

The Us reduced relations with in Miami International Airport [6 sources]

Ho Chi Minh City has begun construction on a $1.39 billion metro line featuring tunneling beneath the Saigon River, designed to eventually connect to Long Thanh International Airport. This represents a major urban transit infrastructure investment for Vietnam's largest city.

City Grill Group, Romania's leading restaurant group, announces a €7 million investment in a new ready-meals production facility in Buftea that will triple daily production capacity from 5,000 to 15,000 portions. The facility will incorporate automation, sustainability solutions, and quality control measures while expanding product offerings into Asian-inspired cuisines. The expansion is expected to generate 100 new jobs and reflects broader consumer trends toward hybrid eating habits combining home cooking with high-quality convenient meals.

Kone's proposed acquisition of TK Elevator would represent the largest merger in Finnish corporate history and would establish the combined entity as the world's leading elevator company by market position.

Prime Minister Ntahontuye presented a parliamentary report on 2025-2026 performance showing that several state-owned enterprises are underperforming, collecting less than half their projected revenue. Economist André Nikwigize questions accountability for this shortfall, raising concerns about economic management and institutional effectiveness.

De Beers Group announced a new Desert diamonds Bridal campaign featuring the slogan 'A Diamond Is Forever,' promoting a modern vision for proposals. This represents routine corporate marketing activity in the luxury goods sector.

Phancy Group Co., Ltd. (HK-listed, ticker 6682.HK), an AGI company, announced the launch of PhanthyModel, a new AI tool for intelligent modeling. The announcement appears to be standard corporate marketing material from April 2026.

Article announcing Iceland Innovation Week 2026 (April 27-30), published by The Reykjavik Grapevine. The brief excerpt indicates positive reception on opening day but provides no substantive details about the event or any concerning developments.

A metric has increased dramatically from 3% in the early 1990s to 27% in 2023, reaching 39% currently. This substantial growth trajectory over three decades suggests an emerging trend of potential economic significance, though the specific subject matter is not detailed in the provided excerpt.

Interpol reduced relations with in Punjab [5 sources]

Statement asserting that employers will prioritize automation and cost-effectiveness over hiring underprepared graduates, arguing this reflects market economics rather than goodwill-based hiring practices.

Romanian household services sector turnover contracted 10.7% year-over-year in January-February 2025 (7.6% adjusted for workdays), reversing prior year gains. Hotels/restaurants fell 10.3% y/y despite remaining 6.6% above 2023 levels, while tour operators grew 9.5% y/y. The batting/gambling segment declined 6.0% compared to 2023 following sharp contraction.

Ho Chi Minh City plans to introduce 13 direct bus routes to Long Thanh International Airport in neighboring Dong Nai Province to develop a high-quality airport bus network.

United States reduced diplomatic relations in Brantley County Airport [5 sources]

Reports of conflict in Accra International Airport [4 sources]

Stephen Harper reduced diplomatic relations in Beijing [8 sources]

RBI latest meeting 'diluted' its old policy framework: Nomura On Tuesday, the central bank surprised the market with a 25-basis-point cut to its policy repo rate, or the rate at which it lends to banks, to 6.25 percent.