Author: James Martin

Inflation was hotter than expected across the US last month as it continues to fall back from its highest levels in a generation. Price growth dropped to an annual rate of 3.1% in January, according to official data; above economists’ expectations of 2.9%. In December, the consumer price index stood at 3.4%. The latest official data sparked a pre-market sell-off on Wall Street before New York opened for trading on Tuesday. Stock markets have scaled record highs in recent weeks as investors grew more confident about the easing of inflation and some of the US’s largest companies released robust results.…

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The French government has suspended an electric car leasing scheme after only six weeks following a surge in demand that more than doubled the number of vehicles required. Officials said the scheme, launched in December aimed at helping low-income households and cutting carbon emissions, would be relaunched next year. Originally, 25,000 European-build electric cars were to be offered to lease from €100 (£85) a month, but this was doubled after massive demand. The government said it had received more than 90,000 applications by the end of January. “It’s a real success story and symbolic of French environmental policy. It is…

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When England set off for India I thought Jack Leach would be their most important bowler; two games later – and he played in only the first Test – he has been ruled out of the series and I’m not sure it will have much of an impact. That is down to the performances of England’s young spinners, Jasprit Bumrah’s reverse swing and the realisation that seam bowling may be more important than anyone would have expected. With his experience, Leach was the one England spinner I thought could control his bowling in the heat of battle, when the pressure…

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Biden says ‘key elements’ of a Gaza deal are on the table With the threat of an Israeli ground offensive looming in Rafah, Joe Biden has said the US would do “everything possible” to make a ceasefire happen. After a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Biden said that “the key elements of the deal are on the table,’ but “there are gaps that remain.” Senior officials from the US, Egypt, Israel and Qatar were expected to meet in Cairo to work on a three-phase framework that would see the release of hostages and achieve an extended pause, sources…

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Russia preparing for military confrontation with West, says Estonia Russia is preparing for a military confrontation with the West within the next decade and could be deterred by a counter build-up of armed forces, Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said. A growing number of Western officials have warned of a military threat from Russia to countries along the eastern flank of NATO, calling for Europe to get prepared by rearming, Reuters reported. The chief of the intelligence service said the assessment was based on Russian plans to double the number of forces stationed along its border with Nato members Finland…

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Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Welcome to the blog Good morning and welcome back to the blog. Today we will be delving into the latest farmers’ protests and policymakers’ efforts to address the agriculture sector’s concerns. Protests are expected to continue in several European countries. At the same time, the European parliament’s committee on agriculture and rural development will hold an exchange of views with stakeholders. We will also be keeping an eye on political moves as Europe enters campaign season. ‘Major disruption’: Farmers protest at Antwerp…

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Perhaps it was fitting that Aleksander Ceferin chose Paris for a hall of mirrors show, just a dozen miles from the real thing in Versailles, but the consequences of last Thursday’s events may be far from illusory. The Uefa president’s dramatic announcement that he did not, after all, plan to run for an unprecedented fourth term was timed in part to wrongfoot his doubters but served only to amplify questions about the governing body’s future. Had Ceferin not decided to press for an alteration to Uefa’s term limits there would have been little discussion at this point around the election…

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Lisa Wilkinson felt “alone” and unsupported by Network Ten as her reputation was being “trashed in the media”, the veteran TV presenter has told the federal court. The former Project presenter has also revealed Ten executives pulled her off air after her Logies speech was criticised as reckless. “I was shocked, embarrassed and deeply disappointed by [Ten CEO Beverley] McGarvey’s decision to remove me from The Project,” Wilkinson said in an affidavit. “At that time, my most recent contract as co-host of The Project had only been signed 11 months before and still had more than two years to run.”…

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