BLOOMBERG Russian President Vladimir Putin visited troops in two occupied regions of Ukraine, according to video by the Kremlin, marking the second time in a month he’s toured territory seized in the more than year-old invasion. Putin was shown meeting officers of the Vostok National Guard in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk and at the headquarters of the Dnepr …

BLOOMBERG The Moscow City Court rejected an appeal by Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich against his detention on allegations of espionage in a high-profile case that’s highlighted the growing pressure on journalists in Russia. Gershkovich, 31, appeared smiling in the glass defendant’s cage when media were allowed into the courtroom before the hearing. It was the first time …

BLOOMBERG Bangladesh’s garment factories, a key source of foreign exchange for the South Asian nation, face the heightened risk of fires as summer temperatures soar, an industry lobby group warned. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, the main industry body in the world’s No 2 exporter after China, issued 11 instructions to its 4,500 members over the weekend. These …

BLOOMBERG European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on the European Union to maintain a common position towards China after French President Emmanuel Macron sparked outrage by suggesting that the bloc should avoid being dragged into a dispute with Beijing by the US. Von der Leyen told lawmakers in Strasbourg, France, that the EU needs to diversify away from …

PESHAWAR / WAM A landslide during a thunder and lightning storm on the main road through northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pass buried more than 20 trucks, killing at least two people, with dozens more feared trapped, Reuters said. “Twenty to twenty-five containers are buried in the wreckage,” Abdul Nasir Khan, deputy commissioner of the Khyber district, told Reuters. “The wreckage is …

BLOOMBERG Bitcoin’s 2023 rebound has stalled around the closely watched $30,000 level, hampered by the latest US crypto crackdown and a more sober assessment of the outlook for Federal Reserve monetary policy. The largest token edged up less than 2% to $29,941 in New York, after sinking 3% a day earlier in its worst drop since March 9. Ether and …

LONDON / WAM Gold prices rose on Tuesday after two sessions of losses as the dollar eased, while investors sought more clarity on the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy stance, Reuters reported. Spot gold was up 0.2% at $2,001.09 per ounce, as of 0457 GMT. Also, US gold futures rose 0.2% to $2,011.10. Spot silver dipped 0.4% to $25.02 per …

BLOOMBERG US equity futures pointed to gains for Wall Street as signs of a Chinese economic bounceback helped markets look past patchy company earnings and the possibility of more central bank policy tightening. Contracts on the S&P 500 gained 0.4%, while those on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 climbed as much as 0.6%. Investors are preparing for more first-quarter earnings, including …

DUBAI / GULF TIME UAE rice brands, part of the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Group, have generously donated 50 tonnes of rice to the UAE Food Bank to support the Three Million Meals Initiative during the holy month of Ramadan. The initiative, under Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, aims to provide food to people in need within the …

BLOOMBERG  The European Central Bank (ECB) is set to deliver three quarter-point increases in interest rates in May, June and July before ending the most aggressive bout of monetary tightening in its history, economists polled by Bloomberg say. That would take the deposit rate to 3.75%, where it would stay through the rest of the year, according to the April …