There is a “growing disenchantment among the Russian elites” with Putin’s war on Ukraine, says historian and director of Mayak Intelligence Mark Galeotti.
May 07, 2026
Putin Is Facing Growing Disenchantment among Russian Elites | Mark Galeotti
May 7, 2026 | “There is a sense that he’s really lost touch with the country.”
There is a “growing disenchantment among the Russian elites” with Putin’s war on Ukraine, says historian and director of Mayak Intelligence Mark Galeotti.
There is a “growing disenchantment among the Russian elites” with Putin’s war on Ukraine, says historian and director of Mayak Intelligence Mark Galeotti.
Stocks Are Exuberant. Bonds Are Subdued. Why the Divergence?
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Stock investors are betting that companies will make enormous profits, despite the war. But investors in bonds, including U.S. Treasuries, have other concerns.
The U.S. stock market has been splendid lately, while the bond market has wobbled. These two barometers of the global financial world have responded quite differently to the higher oil prices and increased economic risks induced by the war in Iran.
After a rough stretch in March, the U.S. stock market has regularly shrugged off risk — not only recovering its losses since the start of the war but going on to new highs, as investors bet that publicly traded U.S. companies would keep reaping enormous profits, regardless of what happened in the war.
Other international stock markets, which had performed marvelously before the war and took heavy losses in March, have also rebounded stoutly. International stock markets overall are ahead of the U.S. stock market since the start of the year.
But the bond market is another matter. Bond traders have maintained a much sharper focus on risk. Yields remain correlated with shifts in the price of oil. As oil prices have spiked and inflation has risen, yields have risen and bond prices, which move in the opposite direction, have fallen. » | Jeff Sommer | eff Sommer writes Strategies, a weekly column on markets, finance and the economy. | Thursday, May 7, 2026
The U.S. stock market has been splendid lately, while the bond market has wobbled. These two barometers of the global financial world have responded quite differently to the higher oil prices and increased economic risks induced by the war in Iran.
After a rough stretch in March, the U.S. stock market has regularly shrugged off risk — not only recovering its losses since the start of the war but going on to new highs, as investors bet that publicly traded U.S. companies would keep reaping enormous profits, regardless of what happened in the war.
Other international stock markets, which had performed marvelously before the war and took heavy losses in March, have also rebounded stoutly. International stock markets overall are ahead of the U.S. stock market since the start of the year.
But the bond market is another matter. Bond traders have maintained a much sharper focus on risk. Yields remain correlated with shifts in the price of oil. As oil prices have spiked and inflation has risen, yields have risen and bond prices, which move in the opposite direction, have fallen. » | Jeff Sommer | eff Sommer writes Strategies, a weekly column on markets, finance and the economy. | Thursday, May 7, 2026
As U.S. Debt Hits a Worrying Milestone, Washington Barely Notices
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The debt is outgrowing the size of America’s economy. The president’s policies could accelerate the country’s fiscal headaches, experts say, unless policymakers intervene.
The U.S. government learned last week that it may have reached an unfortunate milestone: The size of its debt surpassed the nation’s total economic output.
It was a striking imbalance, according to early estimates, one that the country has experienced only in rare circumstances — briefly during the pandemic, and in the aftermath of World War II. But the development barely seemed to register in the nation’s capital, where few policymakers bothered to acknowledge the latest warning sign about the government’s poor fiscal health.
The root of the problem is well-documented and widely known. U.S. debt has soared in recent years because of a mismatch between federal spending and tax revenue, one complicated by a rapidly aging population, which has driven up costs across government.
For economists, the fear is that these conditions are inching the United States toward a fiscal crisis, one in which its debt is so great that the country can’t easily afford to pay the rising interest on it. But their warnings have long gone unheeded in Washington, calcifying the strains on the government’s balance sheet in ways that President Trump’s agenda is expected to exacerbate. » | Tony Romm | Reporting from Washington | Thursday, May 7, 2026
The U.S. government learned last week that it may have reached an unfortunate milestone: The size of its debt surpassed the nation’s total economic output.
It was a striking imbalance, according to early estimates, one that the country has experienced only in rare circumstances — briefly during the pandemic, and in the aftermath of World War II. But the development barely seemed to register in the nation’s capital, where few policymakers bothered to acknowledge the latest warning sign about the government’s poor fiscal health.
The root of the problem is well-documented and widely known. U.S. debt has soared in recent years because of a mismatch between federal spending and tax revenue, one complicated by a rapidly aging population, which has driven up costs across government.
For economists, the fear is that these conditions are inching the United States toward a fiscal crisis, one in which its debt is so great that the country can’t easily afford to pay the rising interest on it. But their warnings have long gone unheeded in Washington, calcifying the strains on the government’s balance sheet in ways that President Trump’s agenda is expected to exacerbate. » | Tony Romm | Reporting from Washington | Thursday, May 7, 2026
UAE’s Ruling Royal Family Benefits from More Than €71m in EU Farming Subsidies
THE GUARDIAN: Al Nahyans’ control over farmland in Europe has meant they receive proportion of payments to farms
This screenshot was taken from this Guardian article. | Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE, is at the helm of the Al Nahyan family. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
The United Arab Emirates’ ruling royal family is benefiting from tens of millions in EU subsidies to grow crops destined for the Gulf, it can be revealed.
A cross-border investigation by DeSmog and shared with the Guardian found subsidiaries controlled by the Al Nahyans collected more than €71m (£61m) in six years for farmland it controls in Romania, Italy and Spain.
The Al Nahyan family is the second richest in the world, with an estimated wealth of more than $320bn (£235bn), mostly derived from the Emirates’ vast oil reserves.
Subsidies under the common agricultural policy (Cap) make up a third of the EU’s entire budget, paying out about €54bn each year to farmers and rural areas across the bloc.
But an unknown proportion of this ends up in the hands of foreign investors – including those controlled by autocratic states. » | Clare Carlile | Thursday, May 7, 2026
The United Arab Emirates’ ruling royal family is benefiting from tens of millions in EU subsidies to grow crops destined for the Gulf, it can be revealed.
A cross-border investigation by DeSmog and shared with the Guardian found subsidiaries controlled by the Al Nahyans collected more than €71m (£61m) in six years for farmland it controls in Romania, Italy and Spain.
The Al Nahyan family is the second richest in the world, with an estimated wealth of more than $320bn (£235bn), mostly derived from the Emirates’ vast oil reserves.
Subsidies under the common agricultural policy (Cap) make up a third of the EU’s entire budget, paying out about €54bn each year to farmers and rural areas across the bloc.
But an unknown proportion of this ends up in the hands of foreign investors – including those controlled by autocratic states. » | Clare Carlile | Thursday, May 7, 2026
May 06, 2026
Having a Big Family Is Now the Preserve of the Rich
THE TELEGRAPH: As Britain’s birth rate tumbles, having several children may be the new status symbol
Subtle signs of riches come in many forms: a fancy car, private club memberships and paying someone else to do your cooking and cleaning.
But as Britain’s birth rate keeps tumbling to new lows, the ultimate status symbol may be having several children.
Think of the Prince and Princess of Wales with their three children, the Beckhams with four, or even Baroness Morrissey, a financier, with nine.
In this economy, it is hard enough for many young people to entertain having one child, let alone two or three.
The Telegraph’s analysis of the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey shows that the higher your income, the more children you are likely to have. » | Eir Nolsøe Economics Correspondent. Ben Butcher Data Editor | May 6, 2026
The day that mothers decided that staying at home to do their motherly duties was worthless and insisted, instead, on going out to work to earn a living was the day that the death knell was sounded on traditional British culture and values, and it was also the harbinger of the downfall of the West. Fie on women’s liberation! I can think of nothing that has been more harmful to Western culture than so-called women’s liberation. The empowerment of women has meant the disempowerment of men. And this, to society’s detriment. — © Mark Alexander
Subtle signs of riches come in many forms: a fancy car, private club memberships and paying someone else to do your cooking and cleaning.
But as Britain’s birth rate keeps tumbling to new lows, the ultimate status symbol may be having several children.
Think of the Prince and Princess of Wales with their three children, the Beckhams with four, or even Baroness Morrissey, a financier, with nine.
In this economy, it is hard enough for many young people to entertain having one child, let alone two or three.
The Telegraph’s analysis of the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey shows that the higher your income, the more children you are likely to have. » | Eir Nolsøe Economics Correspondent. Ben Butcher Data Editor | May 6, 2026
The day that mothers decided that staying at home to do their motherly duties was worthless and insisted, instead, on going out to work to earn a living was the day that the death knell was sounded on traditional British culture and values, and it was also the harbinger of the downfall of the West. Fie on women’s liberation! I can think of nothing that has been more harmful to Western culture than so-called women’s liberation. The empowerment of women has meant the disempowerment of men. And this, to society’s detriment. — © Mark Alexander
May 05, 2026
Unspoken Diet Tricks Every 1950s Woman Knew (That Kept Them All Skinny)
Apr 28, 2026 | In 1961, Jean Wilson wore a 23-inch waist dress to her wedding in Dayton, Ohio. She wore the same dress to her daughter's wedding in 1989. Nobody in her household counted a single calorie the entire time.
These are the 10 diet habits that were ordinary in 1950s American kitchens - every one of them worked, every one was either abandoned or replaced with something you could buy and not one required a subscription, a food journal or anything called a "program".
These are the 10 diet habits that were ordinary in 1950s American kitchens - every one of them worked, every one was either abandoned or replaced with something you could buy and not one required a subscription, a food journal or anything called a "program".
Droits de douane : Emmanuel Macron déplore des « menaces de déstabilisation » de Donald Trump
LE FIGARO : Le président français a par ailleurs estimé que l’Europe devrait « activer » ses instruments anticoercition si les États-Unis taxaient les voitures importées.
Emmanuel Macron a déclaré ce mardi 5 mai qu’en cas d’application d’une surtaxe américaine de 25% sur les voitures importées depuis l’Union européenne, l’UE devrait « activer » ses instruments anticoercition, en déplorant des « menaces de déstabilisation ». « Je pense que dans la période géopolitique que nous vivons, des alliés comme les États-Unis d’Amérique et l’Union européenne ont bien mieux à faire que d’agiter des menaces de déstabilisation », a-t-il dit lors d’une conférence de presse à Erevan. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mardi 5 mai 2026
Emmanuel Macron a déclaré ce mardi 5 mai qu’en cas d’application d’une surtaxe américaine de 25% sur les voitures importées depuis l’Union européenne, l’UE devrait « activer » ses instruments anticoercition, en déplorant des « menaces de déstabilisation ». « Je pense que dans la période géopolitique que nous vivons, des alliés comme les États-Unis d’Amérique et l’Union européenne ont bien mieux à faire que d’agiter des menaces de déstabilisation », a-t-il dit lors d’une conférence de presse à Erevan. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mardi 5 mai 2026
Steve Rosenberg: Russian Parade Warning, Economic Worries: I Read Today's Russian Papers
Democrats, Britain’s Prime Minister Is a Warning
THE NEW YORK TIMES — OPINION: In Democratic primaries across America, a familiar debate is playing out. Is it the time for a moderate or a maverick? Should the party be looking for someone to heal and stabilize a troubled country or someone to energize supporters, antagonize opponents — Republicans, big business, maybe even the Democratic establishment itself — and promise sweeping change?
Until recently, Britain seemed to offer moderate Democrats a clinching case. In 2024, after leading the Labour Party to a crushing victory over a reviled right-wing government, Keir Starmer was hailed as a centrist hero. He marginalized progressives in his own party, enticed Conservative politicians to switch sides and secured Labour’s largest majority since 1997. For the Democratic think tank Third Way, the takeaway from Mr. Starmer’s triumph was clear: “Centrism wins elections.”
That seems a long time ago now. Britain’s government is in the doldrums and Mr. Starmer has become one of its most unpopular leaders ever — with negative approval ratings on a par with the short-lived prime minister Liz Truss, a paragon of political failure. Reform U.K., a Trumpian anti-immigration party spearheaded by Nigel Farage, has led the polls since last April. And in recent months, Labour has also been overtaken on its left by a surging Green Party.
This week, it’s going to get worse. In local elections across the country, which are being treated as a referendum on Mr. Starmer’s leadership, Labour is headed for a historic wipeout. The leader once heralded as centrism’s shining future now survives on borrowed time. In many ways, his fall is a very British story. But the Democrats, casting about for an election strategy, should pay attention — for Mr. Starmer’s collapse was written into the nature of his victory. » | GUEST ESSAY by Samuel Earle | Mr. Earle is the author of “Tory Nation: The Dark Legacy of the World’s Most Successful Political Party.” He wrote from New York. | Tuesday, May 5, 2026
If joylessness is your thing, if freedoms mean little to you, if you are unconcerned about democratic freedoms, if you like your leaders colourless, if your children’s rights as they grow into adulthood mean little to you, if your are indifferent to their infantilization as adults, if you are insouciant about being imprisoned for writing the wrong thing on social media, if you like your leaders to have a tinge of authoritarianism about them, if you like them stern, then Starmer could well be your man, and he could well be a role model for Democrats in America to emulate . Good luck with that! — © Mark Alexander
May 04, 2026
May 03, 2026
Brexit Failed. Farage Did It. Now You're Voting FOR Him?
She's Had It. And After This Episode, So Will You. | Jen Welch
May 2, 2026 | Jennifer Welch, host of the massively popular I've Had It podcast, joins Jim Acosta for an unfiltered breakdown of the week that broke everyone's brain — King Charles lecturing Congress about democracy while Trump called Putin, billionaires lining up to kiss the ring at a Fox News state dinner, and the Supreme Court quietly delivering wins for corporate America while everyone watches the chaos.
Plus: actor-turned-crypto fraud investigator Ben McKenzie, who testified before the U.S. Senate on the FTX collapse, weighs in on Trump's embrace of the very crypto industry he's been sounding the alarm on for years.
Plus: actor-turned-crypto fraud investigator Ben McKenzie, who testified before the U.S. Senate on the FTX collapse, weighs in on Trump's embrace of the very crypto industry he's been sounding the alarm on for years.
May 02, 2026
« Un jeu de poker menteur » : que cherche Donald Trump avec sa menace de taxe à 25% sur les voitures européennes ?
LE FIGARO : ENTRETIEN CROISÉ - Le président américain a menacé les voitures européennes importées aux États Unis de droits de douane de 25%, qui s’appliqueraient dès la semaine prochaine.
Antoine Bouët est économiste. Depuis le 1er octobre 2022, il est directeur du Centre d’études prospectives et d’informations internationales (CEPII) et est également professeur d’économie à l’université de Bordeaux. Olivier Dorgans est avocat associé au sein du cabinet Stephenson Harwood.
L’année 2025 a été marquée par la guerre commerciale opposant les États Unis au reste du monde. Après avoir menacé l’Europe de droits de douane record en avril, les accords de Turnberry – ainsi nommés en référence au golf écossais où Donald Trump a reçu les dirigeants européens – conclus en juillet 2025 devaient constituer un nouveau point d’équilibre commercial entre les deux blocs. Un équilibre fragile que Donald Trump vient de remettre en cause, en promettant de taxer à 25% (au lieu des 15% prévus) les voitures et camions européens importés aux États Unis. Et ce, dès la semaine prochaine. » | Par Enguerrand Armanet | samedi 2 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Antoine Bouët est économiste. Depuis le 1er octobre 2022, il est directeur du Centre d’études prospectives et d’informations internationales (CEPII) et est également professeur d’économie à l’université de Bordeaux. Olivier Dorgans est avocat associé au sein du cabinet Stephenson Harwood.
L’année 2025 a été marquée par la guerre commerciale opposant les États Unis au reste du monde. Après avoir menacé l’Europe de droits de douane record en avril, les accords de Turnberry – ainsi nommés en référence au golf écossais où Donald Trump a reçu les dirigeants européens – conclus en juillet 2025 devaient constituer un nouveau point d’équilibre commercial entre les deux blocs. Un équilibre fragile que Donald Trump vient de remettre en cause, en promettant de taxer à 25% (au lieu des 15% prévus) les voitures et camions européens importés aux États Unis. Et ce, dès la semaine prochaine. » | Par Enguerrand Armanet | samedi 2 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Why Milei’s Approval Ratings Are Tanking
Apr 29, 2026 | Compare news coverage. Spot media bias. Avoid algorithms.
Milei's popularity is coming under strain in Argentina as his economic recovery has stalled and corruption allegations have hurt his reputation. So in this video, we'll explore what's going wrong and whether he can pull his approval back from the brink.
Milei's popularity is coming under strain in Argentina as his economic recovery has stalled and corruption allegations have hurt his reputation. So in this video, we'll explore what's going wrong and whether he can pull his approval back from the brink.
John Major: "The First Role of Any Government… Is to Leave Something Better for the Next Generation”
Irans Währung Rial fällt auf historisches Tief
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Die iranische Landeswährung Rial ist auf einen Tiefstand gefallen. Die US-Seeblockade während der brüchigen Waffenruhe verschärft die wirtschaftliche Lage in dem Land.
Die US-Seeblockade setzt die iranische Wirtschaft weiter unter Druck. Die iranische Währung Rial ist nach Angaben der Wechselkurs-Webseiten Bonbast und AlanChand auf einen historischen Tiefstand gegenüber dem US-Dollar gefallen. Auf dem Schwarzmarkt würden derzeit rund 1,8 Millionen Rial für einen Dollar gehandelt, berichteten die beiden Portale, die als Referenz für inoffizielle Kurse gelten.
Bei Kriegsbeginn vor zwei Monaten lag der Kurs noch bei etwa 1,7 Millionen Rial je Dollar, wie die Nachrichtenagentur AFP meldete. » | Sophie Barkey | Mittwoch, 29. April 2026
Die US-Seeblockade setzt die iranische Wirtschaft weiter unter Druck. Die iranische Währung Rial ist nach Angaben der Wechselkurs-Webseiten Bonbast und AlanChand auf einen historischen Tiefstand gegenüber dem US-Dollar gefallen. Auf dem Schwarzmarkt würden derzeit rund 1,8 Millionen Rial für einen Dollar gehandelt, berichteten die beiden Portale, die als Referenz für inoffizielle Kurse gelten.
Bei Kriegsbeginn vor zwei Monaten lag der Kurs noch bei etwa 1,7 Millionen Rial je Dollar, wie die Nachrichtenagentur AFP meldete. » | Sophie Barkey | Mittwoch, 29. April 2026
May 01, 2026
Trump Tears Up EU Tariff Deal and Raises Some Import Duties
THE GUARDIAN: US president says tariff on cars and lorries will rise to 25% and accuses European Union of non-compliance
Donald Trump has said he is tearing up part of the tariff deal he struck with EU leaders at his golf course in Scotland last summer, criticising Brussels for taking so long to ratify the deal.
Blindsiding Brussels late on May Day bank holiday on Friday, he announced that he would be increasing tariffs on cars and lorries imported into the US from the EU from 15% to 25% from next week.
Vehicles made in the US by EU companies would be exempt from the increase, he wrote on Truth Social.
“I am pleased to announce that, based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our full agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be increasing Tariffs charged to the European Union for Cars and Trucks coming into the United States,” Trump said. » | Lisa O’Carroll | Senior correspondent | Friday, May 1, 2026
This poor man should be put out of his misery and locked up! I strongly suggest he be sectioned! 😊 — © Mark Alexander
Donald Trump has said he is tearing up part of the tariff deal he struck with EU leaders at his golf course in Scotland last summer, criticising Brussels for taking so long to ratify the deal.
Blindsiding Brussels late on May Day bank holiday on Friday, he announced that he would be increasing tariffs on cars and lorries imported into the US from the EU from 15% to 25% from next week.
Vehicles made in the US by EU companies would be exempt from the increase, he wrote on Truth Social.
“I am pleased to announce that, based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our full agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be increasing Tariffs charged to the European Union for Cars and Trucks coming into the United States,” Trump said. » | Lisa O’Carroll | Senior correspondent | Friday, May 1, 2026
This poor man should be put out of his misery and locked up! I strongly suggest he be sectioned! 😊 — © Mark Alexander
What the End of Saudi Arabia’s Big-Spending Era Means for the Kingdom and Beyond
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The kingdom is pulling back from a costly and high-profile golf venture amid mounting financial concerns, raising questions about its plans.
Saudi Arabia embarked on a nation-changing project over the past decade under a young prince in a rush to reimagine his kingdom. The kingdom announced ambitious ventures in sports, entertainment and other areas — all in a bid to diversify its economy from its heavy reliance on oil exports and to remake its image from a conservative, insular nation to a dynamic country playing on the world stage.
But in recent years, the global ambitions of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have clashed with financial reality, as the state faces mounting expenses and lower oil revenue, exacerbated by the continuing war in the Middle East. Several major projects have recently been scaled back, mothballed or scrapped.
On Thursday the country’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund announced the latest casualty: a multibillion-dollar effort that had, when it started just four years ago, threatened to upend global golf and become a key symbol of Saudi Arabia’s determination to be a major player in sports.
When launching in 2022, the upstart competition, LIV Golf, tore apart the sport’s traditional structures by luring some of the games biggest names with the biggest checks in the sport’s history. It also pulled in — and remunerated — figures like President Trump and led to costly legal battles and congressional hearings.
Now, just four years later, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund had said it will cease funding the competition at the end of the year, raising questions about Saudi plans in sports and beyond. In the fund’s most recent announcement about its strategy for the next five years, its main focus was domestic investment. Big-time sports was notably omitted from its list of priorities. » | Tariq Panja | Tariq Panja has covered Saudi Arabia’s efforts to disrupt sports since it began spending heavily for its global ambitions. | Friday, May 1, 2026
Saudi Arabia embarked on a nation-changing project over the past decade under a young prince in a rush to reimagine his kingdom. The kingdom announced ambitious ventures in sports, entertainment and other areas — all in a bid to diversify its economy from its heavy reliance on oil exports and to remake its image from a conservative, insular nation to a dynamic country playing on the world stage.
But in recent years, the global ambitions of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have clashed with financial reality, as the state faces mounting expenses and lower oil revenue, exacerbated by the continuing war in the Middle East. Several major projects have recently been scaled back, mothballed or scrapped.
On Thursday the country’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund announced the latest casualty: a multibillion-dollar effort that had, when it started just four years ago, threatened to upend global golf and become a key symbol of Saudi Arabia’s determination to be a major player in sports.
When launching in 2022, the upstart competition, LIV Golf, tore apart the sport’s traditional structures by luring some of the games biggest names with the biggest checks in the sport’s history. It also pulled in — and remunerated — figures like President Trump and led to costly legal battles and congressional hearings.
Now, just four years later, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund had said it will cease funding the competition at the end of the year, raising questions about Saudi plans in sports and beyond. In the fund’s most recent announcement about its strategy for the next five years, its main focus was domestic investment. Big-time sports was notably omitted from its list of priorities. » | Tariq Panja | Tariq Panja has covered Saudi Arabia’s efforts to disrupt sports since it began spending heavily for its global ambitions. | Friday, May 1, 2026
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)