Posts by Amelia Frost
UK Lab Promises Air-con Revolution Without Polluting Gases
The soft, waxy “solid refrigerant” being investigated in a UK laboratory may not look very exciting, but its unusual properties promise an air-conditioning revolution that could eliminate the need for greenhouse gases. The substance’s temperature can vary by more than 50 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) under pressure, and unlike the gases currently used in…
Read MoreU.S. and China Hail Progress, but Does That Mean There’s a Trade Deal?
Deal or no deal? That’s what financial markets and businesses are waiting to learn. A weekend of productive trade talks in Geneva between the United States and China resulted in a “deal,” said Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative and one of the main negotiators for the Trump administration. His Chinese counterpart expressed optimism,…
Read MoreCan More Military Spending Revive an Economy? This British Town Hopes So.
On a wet Wednesday morning in April, Ashley Holroyd had a steady but slow stream of customers into his coffee shop in Barrow-in-Furness, an industrial town in northwest England. The cafe, Coffee D’Ash, had been open for only about six months, and it barely filled the cavernous space. Despite the empty storefronts on the same…
Read MoreIndian Army Reports ‘First Calm Night’ After Kashmir Truce With Pakistan Holds
The frontier between arch-foes India and Pakistan was peaceful and had the “first calm night in recent days”, the Indian army said Monday, after a surprise weekend ceasefire. The truce was agreed to on Saturday after four days of missile, drone and artillery attacks between the two countries which killed at least 60 people and…
Read MoreLeo XIV Gets Down To Business On First Full Week As Pope
Pope Leo XIV launches his first full week as leader of the world’s Catholics on Monday, with journalists, diplomats and top Vatican officials all set to meet the newly elected pontiff. Pomp and prayer marked the initial days of the pontificate of the former Robert Francis Prevost, the US pope first introduced to the world…
Read MoreUS And China To Publish Details Of ‘Substantial’ Trade Talks In Geneva
The United States and China are set to provide details on Monday of the “substantial progress” made during talks in Switzerland over the weekend aimed at cooling trade tensions ignited by President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. US Treasury Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and international trade…
Read MoreAsia Stocks Rise on Hope for Lower Tariffs After U.S.-China Talks
Stocks in Asia gained on Monday after weekend talks signaled that progress had been made in easing trade tensions between the United States and China. Benchmark indexes in Japan and South Korea edged higher in early trading on Monday morning. Futures pointed to the S&P 500 gaining more than 1 percent when trading begins in…
Read MoreTrump Plan Would Tie Some Drug Prices to What Peer Nations Pay
President Trump will sign an executive order on Monday aimed at lowering some drug prices in the United States by aligning them with what other wealthy countries pay, he said on Truth Social on Sunday evening. The proposal he described, which alone cannot shift federal policy, is what he calls a “most favored nation” pricing…
Read MoreWhy Patients Are Being Forced to Switch to a 2nd-Choice Obesity Drug
Tens of thousands of Americans will soon be forced by their health insurance to switch from one popular obesity drug to another that produces less weight loss. It is the latest example of the consequences of secret deals between drugmakers and middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers, that are hired by employers to oversee prescription…
Read MorePhilippines Heads To Polls With Marcos-Duterte Feud Centre Stage
Millions of Filipinos will vote Monday in a mid-term election widely seen as a referendum on the explosive feud between President Ferdinand Marcos and impeached Vice President Sara Duterte. Workers in the capital Manila were busily setting up polling stations Sunday for a race that will decide more than 18,000 posts, from seats in the…
Read MoreParade, Protests Kick Off Eurovision Song Contest Week
The Eurovision Song Contest burst into Basel on Sunday, but a parade launching a week of build-up to the grand final was marked by protests over Israel’s participation. The Swiss city is hosting the 69th edition of the world’s biggest annual live televised music event, reaching around 160 million viewers. Organisers said tens of thousands…
Read MoreHamas Officials Say Group Held Direct Gaza Ceasefire Talks With US
Hamas and US representatives have held rare direct talks in Qatar, two officials from the Palestinian group told AFP on Sunday, while deadly Israeli strikes hit the besieged Gaza Strip. “Direct talks have taken place in Doha between the Hamas leadership and the United States regarding a ceasefire in Gaza, a prisoner exchange and the…
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