Prices have risen on almost 1,000 drugs in the United States in the first three weeks of January, the most increases in January since at least 2011, according to a nonprofit organization that tracks drug prices. The price increases on 985 drugs ranged from 1 to 26 percent, with median increases of 5 percent, data […]
A cyclist makes their way through fog on a frosty morning at Primrose Hill, in north London, on Dec 11, 2022. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) LONDON – Tears rolled down the cheeks of Christine Haycock, 42, as her eldest daughter Emily decided to save pocket money to buy a new jumper for the mother of […]
People line up for food outside a bakery in the port city of Tripoli, Lebanon, on July 27. Some people have to wait for hours for a bag of subsidized Arabic pitta bread, in short supply as an economic crisis that has lasted years has depleted state coffers. (IBRAHIM CHALHOUB / AFP) The world has […]
Conflict in Ukraine drives up costs as Europe bears brunt of Russia sanctions Trade union members demonstrate in front of the Engie headquarters in Brussels on Nov 9. The cost-of-living pressure has added strains to people's livelihoods. (GEERT VANDEN WIJNGAERT / AP) About 16,500 people took to the street in the Belgian capital Brussels on […]
European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Sept 28, 2022. (YVES HERMAN / REUTERS) BRUSSELS – A dozen countries including Belgium, Italy, Poland and Slovenia have made a push to "significantly" lower a planned European Union cap on gas prices, as the bloc struggles to strike a deal on the […]
The sun sets behind the coal-fired power plant 'Scholven' of the Uniper energy company in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Oct 22, 2022. (MICHAEL SOHN / AP) ROME – Analysts agree that the severe economic impacts of the energy crisis are being felt in almost all economic sectors in Europe, and the problems are bound to remain until […]
The sun sets behind the coal-fired power plant 'Scholven' of the Uniper energy company in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Oct 22, 2022. (MICHAEL SOHN / AP) LONDON – Europe needs its industrial companies to save energy amid soaring costs and shrinking supplies, and they are delivering – demand for natural gas and electricity both fell in the […]
Italy's new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni reacts during the cabinet minister bell handover ceremony at Palazzo Chigi in Rome on Oct 23, 2022. (ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP) ROME – With Italy's newly installed government facing pressing domestic priorities, analysts do not expect immediate changes to the country's foreign policy line. Observers told Xinhua that Giorgia […]
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference on a new package of measures to address high energy prices and ensure security of supply, during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Oct 18, 2022. (FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP) BRUSSELS – The European Commission has proposed […]
Gasoline and diesel prices are displayed near a gas station in Rome, Italy, June 23, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA) BRUSSELS – The question of how, when and whether to cap gas prices is set to dominate another meeting of European Union countries on Wednesday, as they pursue a joint plan to target high gas prices […]
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala attends a press conference after an informal summit of the European Union in Prague, the Czech Republic, on Oct. 7, 2022. (LIAN YI / XINHUA) PRAGUE – European Union leaders said on Friday at an informal summit here that they are still working on coordinated energy policies for the bloc's […]
An OPEC flag is seen on the day of OPEC+ meeting in Vienna, Austria October 5, 2022. (PHTOT / REUTERS) The US reacted angrily to the OPEC+ decision on Wednesday to make its sharpest cuts to oil production in two years despite pressure from Washington to increase production, especially during the sensitive period as midterm […]
This handout picture taken and released by the Turkish Defence ministry press office on Aug 3, 2022, shows an inspection delegation member inspecting the Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni carrying 26,000 tonnes of corn from Ukraine, off the coast of north-west Istanbul. (TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTRY / AFP) ROME – The head of the United Nations […]
This handout picture taken and released by the Turkish Defence ministry press office on Aug 3, 2022, shows an inspection delegation member inspecting the Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni carrying 26,000 tonnes of corn from Ukraine, off the coast of north-west Istanbul. (TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTRY / AFP) ROME – The head of the United Nations […]
Rising energy prices and expenses have driven Germany's economy to the brink of recession, and the engine of Europe losing its economic momentum means more uncertainties for the continent's economy. With energy prices through the roof, inflation in Germany could exceed 10 percent this year with the economy heading into recession, said the country's central […]
A customer pays for vegetables at the Maravillas market in Madrid, Spain, on May 12, 2022. (MANU FERNANDEZ / AP) BOUVINES, FRANCE – Emmanuel Lefebvre produces thousands of tonnes of endives on his farm in northern France annually, but this year he may abandon his crop because of the crippling energy costs required to freeze […]
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission building in Brussel on June 16, 2022. (KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP) BRUSSELS – The European Union will propose measures to cap revenues from low-cost electricity generators and force fossil fuel firms to share the profits they make from soaring energy prices, European Commission President Ursula von der […]
The gas storage plant Reckrod is pictured near Eiterfeld, central Germany, July 14, 2022, after the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was shut down due to maintenance. (MICHAEL PROBST / AP, FILE) BRUSSELS / PRAGUE / VLADIVOSTOK – The Czech Republic, which currently holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, wants to […]
Food concerns deepen as 345m face acute shortages in UN famine warning This Nov 19, 2018 photo shows 10 year-old Ghazi Saleh lying on a bed at Al-Mudhafar hospital in Taez, Yemen.(MARZOOQ AL-JABIRY / AFP) Millions of people struggling for food every day are seeing their hopes dimmed by soaring grain prices and tight supplies […]
This photograph taken on July 31, 2022 shows a grain combine harvester collecting wheat near Novoazovsk outside Mariupol in Donetsk. (PHOTO / AFP) SINGAPORE/JAKARTA – Global wheat consumption is headed for its biggest annual decline in decades as record inflation forces consumers and companies to use less and replace the grain with cheaper alternatives, amid […]
