Podcasts about International Monetary Fund

In the nine months since a cease-fire ended full-on war in Gaza, the world's attention has in many ways moved on. That has been especially true since February, with the start of the war in Iran. But the situation in Gaza remains grim and unsettled, and the state of affairs in the West Bank has become increasingly fraught. Meanwhile, the way forward for Palestinian politics is murky, and the prospect of any durable resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems more remote than ever. Salam Fayyad served as Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority from 2007 to 2013, after a long career at the International Monetary Fund. In many capitals, including Washington, Fayyad is still considered one of the most effective Palestinian leaders of recent decades. Dan Kurtz-Phelan spoke with him on July 15, on the sidelines of the Aspen Security Forum, about his proposals for building a Palestinian state, delivering humane and effective governance in Gaza, and finding a viable way forward for the Palestinian cause. You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview.

Last week, Bank of England Chief Economist, Huw Pill, downplayed any near-term rate cuts, noting the central bank must keep inflation under control. Consequently, policymakers are maintaining a cautious stance, especially as Monetary Policy Committee official Megan Greene signalled a readiness to hike rates if domestic overheating persists. Elsewhere, the International Monetary Fund upgraded the UK's 2026 growth forecast to 1%, positioning it as the third fastest-growing economy in the G7. However, this contrasted with comments from ratings agency, Fitch, that high debt and inflation-linked servicing costs constrain creditworthiness, while elevated yields reflect monetary expectations and a weaker growth outlook...Stocks featured:Vodafone Group, Shell, St James PlaceTo find out more about the investment management services offered by Walker Crips, please visit our website:https://www.walkercrips.co.uk/This podcast is intended to be Walker Crips Investment Management's own commentary on markets. It is not investment research and should not be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy, sell or trade in any of the investments, sectors or asset classes mentioned. The value of any investment and the income arising from it is not guaranteed and can fall as well as rise, so that you may not get back the amount you originally invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Movements in exchange rates can have an adverse effect on the value, price or income of any non-sterling denominated investment. Nothing in this podcast constitutes advice to undertake a transaction, and if you require professional advice you should contact your financial adviser or your usual contact at Walker Crips. Walker Crips Investment Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 226344) and is a member of the London Stock Exchange. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iowa Business Report Monday EditionJuly 13, 2026     National financial journalist Jordan Goodman on the International Monetary Fund prediction of a global economic slowdown in the wake of the war in Iran. 

Cosmic LOVE Newsletter of the Week with Metaphysician Christopher Rudy You can find the Newsletters archived below: June 30, 2026, Brace Yourself Folks - Keep Your Head https://www.heartcom.org/BraceYourself.htm July 4, 2026, Revolution Revelations - July 4th https://www.heartcom.org/July4th2026.htm July 10, 2026, Aquarian Infrastructure - Emerging Blueprint https://www.heartcom.org/250years.htm Brace Yourself Folks Keep Your Head, Revolution Revelations and Aquarian Infrastructure Love as Frequency, Consciousness, and Creative Force Dr. Christopher Rudy opens the program with an AI-generated Cosmic Love theme song co-produced with Donald Newsom, using its lyrics as a foundation for the episode's central message. He describes love not only as an emotion or moral ideal, but as a frequency, a sacred rhythm, and a form of spiritual energy in action. Rudy connects this concept with what he calls the Holy Spirit, conscious evolution, and humanity's movement into an “Aquarian quantum age” in which reality is increasingly understood through energy, harmonics, interconnectedness, and the accelerating influence of artificial intelligence. AI and the Acceleration of Human Knowledge Rudy argues that artificial intelligence is rapidly increasing humanity's ability to organize, compare, and recognize patterns across scientific, spiritual, and historical information. He refers to the Genesis Project and claims that AI may help recover or synthesize suppressed quantum research dating back to Nikola Tesla, potentially compressing centuries of innovation into a much shorter period. From his perspective, this acceleration is contributing to a “great awakening” or “great enlightenment,” although he acknowledges that different people may experience this transition at different speeds and that no exact timetable is guaranteed. A Metamorphosis of Collective Consciousness Using the image of a caterpillar entering a cocoon before becoming a butterfly, Rudy describes present global instability as part of a larger transformation in human consciousness. He says old political, economic, medical, and social systems are disintegrating while new structures based on unity, shared sovereignty, abundance, and collective conscience are still forming. He presents his Heartware concept as a possible communication framework through which large numbers of people could respond to information using shared ethical and consciousness-based criteria, thereby cultivating what he calls social conscience within digital networks. Astrology, Quantum Fields, and a Time of Intensity The host offers what he calls a cosmic weather report, interpreting current astrological configurations as indicators of strong spiritual, psychological, and social energies. He discusses planetary alignments involving Pluto, Uranus, Neptune, and Venus, linking them with innovation, spiritual fire, transformation, and the reorganization of consciousness. Rudy also relates these energies to his own recent healing crisis and nervous-system exhaustion, while describing astrology, acupuncture, frequency medicine, and quantum healing as interconnected systems for understanding energy. These claims are presented as his metaphysical and health-related interpretations rather than established medical or scientific conclusions. War, Surveillance, and Systems of Control Rudy then summarizes several recent newsletters in which he addresses geopolitical conflict, corporate power, banking institutions, surveillance technology, medical systems, and what he views as suppressed information. He references Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Israel, Palantir Technologies, Peter Thiel, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the military-industrial and medical-industrial complexes. He argues that war, disease, scarcity, and surveillance have become profitable systems of control, while also repeating controversial claims about COVID-19, vaccines, deep-state operations, and population reduction. Throughout this portion, Rudy presents these assertions as his own interpretation of alternative media reports and linked sources, not as independently verified findings. From Scarcity Economics to an Abundance Model A major theme of the episode is Rudy's belief that humanity must transition from an economy based on scarcity, competition, and centralized control to one based on abundance, free energy, ethical technology, and shared prosperity. He maintains that advanced energy and healing technologies have been suppressed and suggests that releasing them could reduce pollution, lessen conflict over resources, and transform economic life. He connects this envisioned change with first principles of cosmic law, geometric models of consciousness, constitutional freedoms, and a new “currency of conscience” designed to place ethical responsibility and human welfare above profit. The Emerging Blueprint for a Golden Age In closing, Rudy describes humanity as moving through a prolonged evolution in which artificial intelligence, quantum science, communication technologies, and spiritual awareness may eventually converge. He frames this as a transition from awakening into a higher collective consciousness, sometimes described as fifth-dimensional or Christ-like awareness. While acknowledging that the process may unfold over months, years, or longer, he urges listeners to remain hopeful, cultivate love and courage, examine their own consciousness, and become active participants in the transformation they wish to see.

On the Iowa Business Report weekend edition:*  U.S. Small Business Administration associate administrator Josh Carter discusses unique programs to benefit small businesses*  Financial journalist Jordan Goodman shares International Monetary Fund data projecting a global economic slowdown* In our business profile, we'll introduce you to Kathy Boden Holland of Mindr, based in Des MoinesThe Iowa Business Report is presented by the Iowa Business Council, online at iowabusinesscouncil.org. Additional support comes from the Iowa Secretary of State, sos.iowa.gov/protectyourbusiness.

P.M. Edition for July 8. While there's more fighting in the Middle East, the NATO summit ended with a show of unity between the U.S. and its European allies. We caught up with WSJ Brussels bureau chief Dan Michaels in Ankara to discuss takeaways from the meeting for the U.S., Europe and Ukraine, including President Trump's warm reception of its president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Plus, the latest forecast from the International Monetary Fund predicts that the world is no longer at risk of a recession caused by the war in Iran. Journal economics reporter Matt Grossman explains why. And Delta Air Lines announces its latest flight tier—basic business. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is holding steady despite fresh tensions in the region. And the International Monetary Fund is no longer warning of a global recession in its latest forecast. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for WSJ's free What's News newsletter. An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The International Monetary Fund left its global growth forecast largely unchanged for this year, saying that the boom in artificial intelligence helped offset the fallout from conflict in the Middle East. Petya Koeva Brooks, Deputy Director of the IMF's Research Department, discusses the updated World Economic Outlook report with Bloomberg's Dani Burger and Vonnie Quinn.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode recorded on 19 June 2026 at the PSE-CEPR Policy Forum in Paris.Twice before, the world's savings and debts have piled up in the wrong places, and twice the imbalance broke something. The first time it took the Plaza Accord to fix it. The second time it took a global financial crisis.Now we are in a third wave. Gita Gopinath (Harvard, former IMF Chief Economist and First Deputy Managing Director) and Philip Lane (European Central Bank, CEPR) join Tim Phillips to ask what is different this time.Household and bank balance sheets are stronger than before 2008. But the fragility has moved to governments carrying much higher debt, and to non-bank financial institutions whose exposures and links to banks are only partly visible. Foreign investors hold US$40.7 trillion of US equities, 44% of world GDP outside the US, much of it riding on the AI boom.Lane's overriding principle: central banks can calm bond markets under stress, but they must be just as clear about what they will not do if debt is unsustainable.The research behind this episode:Bai, Chong-En, Gita Gopinath, Hélène Rey, and Axel Weber. 2026. "G7 Economists Memo on Global Imbalances." Prepared for the French Presidency of the G7, 28 March.The panel also draws on the fourth CEPR/Bruegel Paris Report, Paris Report 4: The New Global Imbalances, edited by Hélène Rey, Beatrice Weder di Mauro and Jeromin Zettelmeyer (CEPR Press and Bruegel, 2026), free to download at cepr.org.Gopinath made the keynote presentation “The Third Wave: Addressing Global Imbalances” on 19 June at PSE.To cite this episode:Phillips, Tim, Gita Gopinath, and Philip Lane. 2026. "Addressing Global Imbalances." VoxTalks Economics (podcast). About the guestsGita Gopinath is the Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics at Harvard University, where her research spans international finance and macroeconomics, dollar dominance, exchange rates and sovereign debt. She was First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 2022 to 2025, and the Fund's Chief Economist from 2019 to 2022. Philip Lane is Chief Economist and a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, and a Fellow of CEPR's International Macroeconomics and Finance programme. He was Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland from 2015 to 2019, and remains an honorary professor of economics at Trinity College Dublin, where his research covered financial globalisation and European monetary integration.Research cited in this episodeThe three waves of global imbalances. Gopinath frames today's imbalances as the third episode since the 1970s in which national savings and investment have pulled badly out of line, a framing she titled "The Third Wave" in her Atlanta Fed presentation. The first, in the early 1980s, produced the 1985 Plaza Accord, when the US and its G5 partners agreed to talk the dollar down after years of a strong currency and a widening trade deficit. The second built through the 2000s and unwound in the 2008 global financial crisis. In both, the US was the deficit country; the surplus moved from Japan to China.Foreign holdings of US equities. Gross foreign holdings of US equities stood at US$40.7 trillion, 44% of world GDP excluding the US (Gopinath 2026, citing US Treasury data). Gopinath's slides show 54% of gross foreign inflows into US government debt since 2007 and estimate that 61% of the deterioration in the US net international investment position since the global financial crisis has been driven by valuation effects rather than trade deficits.Non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs). Hedge funds, private credit funds, insurers and other institutions outside the regulated banking system now intermediate a large and growing share of global finance. Gopinath's slides show leveraged intermediation migrating from households and banks before the 2008 crisis toward government and non-bank financial institutions today, echoing the concerns set out in the G7 memo and the CEPR Paris Report.The 2020 "dash for cash." In March 2020, US Treasury yields rose sharply even as investors would normally be expected to flee to safety, a sign that market functioning, not just prices, can break down under stress. Gopinath cites the episode as evidence that hedge funds, now bigger players in Treasury market-making, can amplify rather than absorb shocks.ECB crisis tools: PEPP, OMT and TPI. Lane describes three instruments built since 2012 to separate monetary policy from market functioning: the Outright Monetary Transactions programme (2012), designed to backstop governments already in an ESM assistance programme; the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (2020), the ECB's flexible, country-varying response to Covid-19; and the Transmission Protection Instrument (2022), intended to calm unwarranted bond market panic without financing unsustainable debt.US federal debt and the fiscal deficit. Gopinath's slides put federal debt at 108% of GDP in 2025, up from 41% in 2007 and 39% in 2000 (source: Federal Reserve, FRED). In conversation she cites the US fiscal deficit at close to 7% of GDP, at a point in the cycle when the economy is strong. Note this is federal debt specifically; the G7 memo cites a broader measure, US general government debt, at around 120% of GDP, projected to reach around 140% by 2031. The two figures are not directly comparable and should not be conflated in the notes or on air.More VoxTalks Economics episodesThis episode sits alongside three earlier VoxTalks Economics conversations built around the CEPR/Bruegel Paris Report 4, The New Global Imbalances.Global Imbalances Redux, in which Maurice Obstfeld sets out the history of the three waves of imbalances and what today's policymakers can learn from how the first two were resolved.Rebalancing the Chinese Economy, in which Yiping Huang explains why decades of investment-led growth suppressed Chinese household consumption, and what it would take to reverse that.Stablecoins and Global Imbalances, in which Gilles Moec examines how dollar-backed stablecoins help fund the US deficit, and the regulatory gaps that leaves behind.Related reading on VoxEUWhy global imbalances matter again, and what to do about them, a VoxEU column drawn from Chapter 1 of Paris Report 4, setting out why imbalances have widened since 2018 and the risks of a disorderly unwind.Industrial policy, tariffs, and the return of global imbalances, which finds that tariffs are a weak tool for correcting current account imbalances and that industrial policy's effects run mainly through its impact on domestic saving and consumption.

Headlines:Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is giving the Iran-backed Iraqi militias until September 30 to give up their weapons.Iraq and Syria agreed on Monday to strengthen cooperation across a number of sectors, including energy and border security, but also water, agricultuare and transport.Israeli forces eliminated three senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in Gaza.The International Monetary Fund reached an agreement with Egypt that could unlock over $1.6 billion for the country.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Research Analyst Ahmad Sharawi.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

The Finance Minister believes all signs are pointing to economic growth this year. The International Monetary Fund's recommending the country continue to hike taxes and make spending cuts. It predicts the economy will grow by 2% throughout this year, rising to 2.7% next year. Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking the IMF's quite optimistic about our growth this year, and she believes the economy's ready to bounce back. She says they see it starting to recover after a difficult few months, and all of the bank economists agree. The IMF's also broadly happy with the Government's targeted response to the oil price shock. It believes the annual inflation rate will peak at 4% within the next few months thanks to high oil prices, before dropping back. Willis told Hosking inflation would've been a huge problem if the Government unfurled the money hose like a lot of people wanted. She says there was a lot of talk about cutting petrol tax, and giving people extra cash in their back pocket. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The International Monetary Fund is broadly happy with how the Government and Reserve Bank are steering the economy - but it's warned some changes need to take place. The agency says the Government will need to hike taxes, as well as continue cutting spending, to get the country's finances on a more sustainable path forward. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained how this could be implemented. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The International Monetary Fund is broadly happy with how the Government and Reserve Bank are steering the economy - but it's warned some changes need to take place. The agency says the Government will need to hike taxes, as well as continue cutting spending, to get the country's finances on a more sustainable path forward. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained how this could be implemented. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An economist believes there could be merit to introducing a capital gains tax as the International Monetary Fund releases New Zealand's report card. The IMF's recommending spending cuts and continued tax rises to support this. It also suggests we introduce a comprehensive capital gains or land tax. Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold told Ryan Bridge a capital gains tax could work for us, if done right. He doubts the country would get much money out of it, but suggests it would be useful in resetting the table in terms of the investment options people should be thinking about. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most empires never write their plans down, but the American empire did. In 1950 a top-secret government document called NSC-68 laid out the blueprint for permanent war: a militarized economy, a nuclear buildup without limit, and a posture of global confrontation that would outlast the men who wrote it. It is the founding doctrine beneath every operation in this series.In this episode we take a deep dive into how NSC-68 was written and by whom, and its role in shaping the trillion-dollar war economy still running today.This is part of the first season of Socialist History, our new series on The Socialist Program. In each episode we unpack a different CIA or Pentagon operation or document that shaped US imperialism.Join The Socialist Program community at www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get access to the next episodes in this series, more exclusive content, and help keep this show on the air.Archival notes:0:10 - Alex Jones, host of Infowars (2017)0:16 - Pres. Donald Trump speaking at a rally (2018)2:13 - Pres. Harry S. Truman speaking at his inauguration. Includes newsreel narrator voiceover (1949)3:40 - Interview with Paul H. Nitze, former US government official and author of NSC-68 (1996)6:03 - US Army documentary on the end of World War II, narrator voiceover (1945)6:44 - Gen. Douglas MacArthur speaking at the signing of Japan's surrender in World War II. Includes newsreel narrator voiceover (1945)8:04 - Newsreel on soldiers returning home at the end of World War II, including narrator voiceover and source audio (1945)10:24 - Pres. Franklin Roosevelt addresses Congress on World War II (1943)11:06 - Newsreel on Soviet heroism in World War II, narrator voiceover (1942)11:25 - Newsreel on the formation of the United Nations, narrator voiceover (1945)11:49 - Newsreel on the formation of the International Monetary Fund, narrator voiceover (1944)12:29 - Newsreel on the bombing of Dresden in World War II, narrator voiceover (1945)14:39 - Newsreel on US industrial transition to wartime, narrator voiceover (1943)15:30 - Pres. Harry S. Truman radio address (1945)16:35 - Documentary on economic transition after World War II, narrator voiceover (1945)17:10 - Cold War propaganda cartoon (1949)18:30 - Newsreel on the formation of NATO, narrator voiceover (1949)19:34 - Source audio of first Soviet nuclear weapon test (1949)19:46 - Newsreel on first Soviet nuclear weapons test, includes narrator voiceover and source audio of reporters questioning Soviet Foreign Minister Vyshinsky (1949)20:33 - Documentary on Chinese Civil War, narrator voiceover (1950s)22:25 - Interview with Paul H. Nitze, former US government official and author of NSC-68 (1996)25:25 - Interview with US Ambassador George F. Kennan (1993)29:21 - Interview with Paul H. Nitze, former US government official and author of NSC-68 (1996)31:50 - Newsreel on development of the hydrogen bomb, narrator voiceover (1950)35:11 - Newsreel on outbreak of the Korean War, narrator voiceover (1950)36:46 - Interview with Dean Rusk, Asst. Sec. of State during the 1950 division of Korea (1988)37:38 - Interview with Donald MacDonald, official in the US military occupation government in South Korea (1988)38:09 - Interview with Gregory Henderson, US Vice Consul in Korea 1948-1950, on the South Korean police (1988)39:07 - Interview with Ko Wan-soon, survivor of the Jeju Massacre (2022)41:37 - Newsreel on Gen. Douglas MacArthur meeting John Foster Dulles, narrator voiceover (1950)42:39 - Interview with Paul H. Nitze, former US government official and author of NSC-68 (1996)44:46 - Pres. Harry S. Truman speech, after outbreak of Korean War (1950)46:01, 46:50 - Interview with Yan Von Sik, soldier in the Korean People's Army (DPRK [North Korea]), on his experience in the Korean War (1998)48:15 - Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower on Korean War armistice. Includes newsreel narrator voiceover (1953)1:02:55 - Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell address (1961)

It's Tuesday, June 30th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson and Timothy Reed China to add 435 ships to Navy by 2030 China's control of the high seas is on the rise.  Global Times reports that China's shipbuilding industry produced 16 million tons of ships last year — an increase of 46% year over year.  China is handling 57% of the global shipbuilding annually. By contrast, the United States retains around 0.04% of the global shipbuilding capacity at present.  Currently, China is producing the equivalent dead weight in ships of 160 aircraft carriers per year. China's military plan is to add 435 ships to their naval capacity by 2030 in addition to their current fleet of 395 ships. United States Naval Institute News has reported that America has 291 battle force ships in operation -- exactly the number it had in 2004.  The Pentagon has revealed that China has targeted a fleet of nine aircraft carriers in nine years from now to compete with the 11 carrier fleet of the United States. China's GDP is 7.3% vs, America's GDP of 2.2% In God's providence, China has improved its Gross Domestic Product by 7.3% per year over the last 20 years.  By contract, the United States has averaged a GDP improvement of just 2.2% per year over the same timeframe. This year, the International Monetary Fund is forecasting a 4.4% Gross Domestic Product bump for China and a 2.3% bump for the United States. China builds 3 million drones and increases nuclear warheads by 77% China's drone production is approaching three million per year now. By contrast, the U.S. military is producing 120,000 drones per year, with a plan to increase to about 1 million per year in the next year or two. China's nuclear warhead buildup continues as well -- now at 620 warheads which is up from 350 in 2020. That's a 77% increase which would put the nation with 1,100 nuclear warheads in five years. The United States and Russia have each deployed 1,770 nuclear warheads. Job 12:9 and 23 asks the question: “Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?  ... He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them.” White House affirms parents, opposes Johnson Amendment The White House Religious Liberty Commission issued its final report over the weekend. The report noted that “parents bear primary responsibility for the formation of their children. … This principle is deeply rooted in American law, tradition, and constitutional understanding. However, witnesses testified that government actors have frequently infringed upon the fundamental rights of parents to raise their children in accordance with their beliefs. Parental rights deserve greater clarity and stronger protection.” The report also recommended “federal legislation repealing the Johnson Amendment.” The commission called this ”an unconstitutional restriction on the religious speech of houses of worship and faith-based non-profits.”  The commission was particularly concerned about “physicians, nurses, pharmacists, administrators, patients, and religious healthcare providers regarding conscience conflicts involving abortion, sterilization, assisted suicide, gender-related interventions, vaccine mandates.” Trump: Democrat Party is embracing Communism Last Friday, President Donald Trump spoke on religious liberty to the Faith and Freedom Coalition. He warned that the Democrat Party is turning towards communism. Listen TRUMP:  “I looked at some of the people that got elected the other night in New York. These are people that want to destroy our country. They hate our country. They hate our people. They hate the Democrat Party. “The Democrat Party is in big trouble. This isn't stopping with New York. These are not social 'Dumocrats.' These are hardcore, godless communists. They don't believe in God. This is the most serious threat to our country since its existence, in my opinion.” Homosexual pride marches in San Fran, New York City, and Ukraine Pride comes before a fall. And the month of June featured more pride events around the world. Indeed, 56,000 people participated in San Francisco's homosexual pride march over the weekend, and news reports indicate more than a million showed up on Sunday for New York City's event. Plus, 5,000 people showed up at last week's homosexual pride march in Kiev, Ukraine. That's the largest turnout since the start of the war. Ukraine has been celebrating homosexuality with these events since 2013.   Meanwhile, since June 2012, Moscow banned all homosexual pride events for a hundred years. The largest homosexual pride event in Asia occurs in Taipei, Taiwan each year — attracting some 150,000 people.  And the Chinese government shut down Shanghai homosexual pride marches in 2020.  How sexual perversion is affirmed in corporate America Here In the United States, the pro-homosexual Human Rights Campaign lost 65% of its Fortune 500 company participants in its Corporate Equality Index for 2026. Companies like Target, Amazon, Walmart, and Verizon agreed to forego all external benchmarking. However, the companies continue to provide the same level of benefits to their homosexual employees. Specifically, 93% offer gender-identity non-discrimination policies. That's about the same as the last two years. Marriage in decline Marriage is on the decline in America. Today, only 46% of adults are married, down from 72% in 1960. Incredibly, 29% of older adults have never married. That's up from 7% in 1960.  This may be a first in human history. Hebrews 13:4 declares this: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” Oregon withdraws $90,000 fine against counselor who didn't affirm perversion And finally, Frank Canepa, a Catholic counselor from Oregon, won a legal victory after being persecuted for his Judeo-Christian beliefs, reports the Daily Citizen. Canepa was fined almost $90,000 for not affirming sexual perversion. One of his clients, whom he had been helping professionally for two and a half years, brought up homosexual relationships 44 times and finally demanded that he personally bless her homosexual relationship which he refused to do. Sadly, the state of Oregon seeks to prohibit people of faith from sharing their convictions with those who are homosexual.  But Jonathan Scruggs of Alliance Defending Freedom stated, “The government can't target counselors for their views and force people to say things that go against their core convictions.”  Thankfully, Oregon was forced to withdraw the outrageous fine. Close And that's The Worldview on this Tuesday, June 30th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Guest Elizabeth Weingarten is a journalist and applied behavioral scientist who works at the intersection of science and storytelling. A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, she has worked on the editorial staffs of The Atlantic, Slate, and Qatar Today, and was Managing Editor of Behavioral Scientist. Her writing has appeared in publications including The Atlantic, Slate, CNN, The Financial Times, Quartz, Harvard Business Review, and Time. She has led research programs at the think tank New America, the consultancy ideas42, and at tech companies Torch and Udemy. An in-demand speaker, she has shared her work and conducted workshops at venues including SXSW, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and the University of Virginia. She lives in Northern California with her husband and son. Summary In this conversation, author Elizabeth Weingarten discusses her book How to Fall in Love with Questions—a New Way to Thrive in Times of Uncertainty, which explores how people can develop a healthier relationship with uncertainty. Drawing on the writings of Rainer Maria Rilke, behavioral science, neuroscience, philosophy, and personal experience, she argues that uncertainty is not something to be eliminated but to be navigated thoughtfully. Weingarten explains that our brains are wired to seek certainty, which leaves discomfort in the wake of unanswered questions. Yet rushing toward easy answers often leaves us more confused and stuck. She introduces practical frameworks, including a "question map" and a fruit-tree model that categorizes questions by the time and attention they require. The discussion also examines leadership, decision-making, perfectionism, community, and self-compassion. Ultimately, Weingarten suggests that growth comes not from finding immediate answers but from learning to live with meaningful questions long enough for deeper clarity and wisdom to emerge. The Essential Point The central idea of Elizabeth Weingarten's message is that uncertainty is not a problem to be solved as quickly as possible; it is a condition of life that can foster growth, insight, and self-discovery when approached with curiosity and patience. Many of life's most important questions cannot be answered immediately, and trying to force certainty often prevents us from finding the deeper understanding we actually need. Social MediaWebsite LinkedIn

Who kept the courts sitting and the streetlights lit when the state had almost no money to pay anyone?Two hundred years ago, British local government ran on unpaid labour. In a parliamentary survey of the boroughs from 1835, two in three of the people doing local government work were not paid at all.James Robinson (University of Chicago, CEPR) explains how this succeeded in this week's episode of VoxTalks Economics. Robinson and his co-authors call this the "embedded state". Members of the elite willingly took the unpaid jobs because the postings carried prestige and led to Parliament, promotion or a paid post. Less glamorous or dead-end postings -- the jailer for example -- had to be paidBut the unpaid officers were more productive than the paid ones.Robinson argues this is not a quirk of England at that time. Rwanda runs a high-capacity state today on much the same basis, without ever raising the taxes the IMF says a proper government needs. The lesson for anyone trying to make government work: start with the society, not the tax code.New episode of VoxTalks Economics. Link in bio.Image: William Benjamin Watkins by George Patten / Manchester Town Hall.The research behind this episode:Heldring, Leander, Davis Kedrosky, James A. Robinson, and Matthias Weigand. 2026. "The Success of the Embedded State in England." CEPR Discussion Paper No. 21460. Centre for Economic Policy Research, London. To cite this episode:Phillips, Tim, and James A. Robinson. 2026. "The success of the embedded state." VoxTalks Economics (podcast). Assign this as extra listening. The citation above is formatted and ready for a reading list or VLE.About the guestJames A. Robinson is University Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy and the Department of Political Science, University of Chicago, and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research. His research spans comparative political and economic development, state capacity, and the long-run relationship between institutions and prosperity, with fieldwork across sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. He shared the 2024 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson.Research cited in this episodeThe 1835 parliamentary report. After the 1832 Reform Act, Parliament sent lawyers to roughly three hundred of the largest boroughs to record who worked for each borough government, what they did, whether they were paid, how much, and how well the job was done. The commissioners graded public goods directly; whether a jail existed, and if so whether its condition was satisfactory. The 3,500-page report is the factual basis for the paper, and it survives because Parliament itself did not know how these idiosyncratic, often medieval borough governments worked.The fiscal-military state. The dominant account of British state formation comes from John Brewer's The Sinews of Power (1989), which traces the rise of a tax-raising, salaried fiscal state after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Robinson's point is that this describes 20,000 officials in London; across the rest of the country, where fiscal resources were thin, most government work was done for free.Mark Goldie and the unpaid office-holder. The historian and political theorist Mark Goldie documented the scale of unpaid local office-holding in earlier work; Robinson and his co-authors took that observation and asked how to study it systematically, which led them to the 1835 report.The embedded state. A state has high capacity when it can implement policy and provide public goods. The embedded state does this without the fiscal resources to fund a modern bureaucracy, by drawing on the social structure of the society it governs to motivate people to do government work unpaid. Because that social structure differs from place to place, embedding looks different in 1830s Britain, in modern Rwanda, and in 1970s South Korea; understanding the state means understanding the sociology beneath it.Rwanda's state capacity. Robinson and Leander Heldring also study the organisation of the state in Rwanda, where most government workers are unpaid and the country has never raised the 15% of national income in taxes that the International Monetary Fund treats as the threshold for a functioning state, yet implements policy effectively.Elinor Ostrom and the commons. Elinor Ostrom won the 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize for showing that communities can organise to provide and govern shared resources without the state. Robinson's argument is that the interface between such collective provision and the state is productive rather than antagonistic.Somaliland and the Guurti. Somaliland has an elaborate clan structure, and its upper house, the Guurti, represents the clans. Robinson offers it as a case where anyone trying to improve public good provision should start from the existing social structure rather than from tax reform.The History of British Local Government. Beatrice and Sidney Webb's nine-volume history of English local government documents the medieval charters, inherited land and bequests that determined how much fiscal capacity each borough had. That historically determined variation in whether a borough could afford to pay its officers is what the paper uses to identify the effect of pay on performance.More VoxTalks Economics episodesNobel Special - James Robinson on antisocial norms. The saying “don't be a toad” in Colombia tells people to mind their own business and not to tell on others. The warning that “snitches get stitches” is common to many societies. It's easy to imagine why groups adopt prosocial norms like sharing and volunteering. But what sustains an “antisocial” norm?

Long-standing assumptions about globalisation, multilateral co-operation and financial stability are increasingly being challenged, raising questions about whether the institutions designed to support prosperity are still fit for purpose. Mark Sobel, vice chair and chief economist at OMFIF, is joined by Eswar Prasad, economist and author of The Doom Loop: Why the World Economic Order Is Spiraling Into Disorder. They discuss the central thesis of the book – how globalisation, inequality and institutions like the International Monetary Fund have created a destructive feedback loop, destabilising the world order.

As governments across Europe and beyond commit to significantly higher defence spending, a critical question is coming into focus: how can these ambitions be financed sustainably? In the final instalment of the ‘Hard power' series on defence, Mark Sobel, vice chair at OMFIF, is joined by Andrea Presbitero, economist at the International Monetary Fund. They discuss what rising military expenditure means for public finances and economic growth as well as the trade-offs facing governments – from advanced and emerging markets – already grappling with constrained budgets. 

On this day, 16 June 1983, workers at the Chilean state-run El Salvador copper mines launched an illegal strike in protest at General Pinochet's dictatorship jailing their union leader the previous day. More strikes were due to take place at other mines the following day, and other unions were deliberating on whether not to join the strikes. Government officials responded by sacking 550 workers at the mines, and stating they would fire any workers who took part in the strikes. Despite many right-wing figures claiming that the Western-backed regime was an economic success story, Chile was at this time in the midst of a severe recession with collapsing economic growth and official unemployment figures of 20%. Meanwhile, the government was imposing spending restrictions demanded by the International Monetary Fund and private banks.Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 12 June 2011 a strike of public sector workers in Botswana ended after nine weeks when the government agreed to offer them a pay increase of 3%. Previously, on the advice of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the government had refused to offer any increase despite significant rises in the cost of living.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7735/botswana-strike-endsOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

China has ample room to expand the global use of renminbi through trade and commodity settlement, supply chain finance and offshore market development, senior economists said, adding that the process will be gradual and largely hinges on continuing financial market reforms across the globe.经济学家表示，中国在通过贸易和大宗商品结算、供应链金融以及离岸市场发展来扩大人民币全球使用方面拥有充足空间。他们指出，这一过程将是渐进的，并在很大程度上取决于全球金融市场的持续改革。As the existing US dollar-dominated architecture sees an erosion of global trust and buckles under the strains of geopolitical conflict and the weaponization of financial infrastructure by some countries, the internationalization of the renminbi will help make the global monetary system more inclusive and resilient, they said.他们认为，在当前以美元为主导的体系面临全球信任侵蚀，并在地缘政治冲突和部分国家将金融基础设施武器化的压力下举步维艰之际，人民币国际化将有助于构建一个更加包容和更具韧性的全球货币体系。In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Zhu Min, former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said the trend of renminbi internationalization is “unstoppable”, and the technical pathway is “already mapped out”.国际货币基金组织前副总裁朱民在接受《中国日报》专访时表示，人民币国际化的趋势“不可阻挡”，技术路径“已经铺就”。Zhu pushed back against a long-held assumption that the renminbi could not become a major international currency without full convertibility and a fully liberalized capital account. “We need to correct this old mindset,” he said.朱民反驳了一种长期存在的假设，即人民币在没有实现完全可兑换和资本账户完全自由化的情况下，不可能成为主要的国际货币。“我们需要纠正这种旧的思维定式，”他说。He pointed to the IMF's Special Drawing Rights basket, a collection of five major international currencies that gives the renminbi a 12.48 percent weighting after the dollar and the euro, as proof that such constraints are not necessarily insurmountable.他援引国际货币基金组织特别提款权货币篮子为例，该篮子由五种主要国际货币构成，人民币以12.48%的权重位列美元和欧元之后。他认为，这证明了上述制约因素并非不可逾越。Expanding the use of the renminbi in cross-border trade settlement serves as a viable and crucial pathway toward its further internationalization, experts said.专家表示，扩大人民币在跨境贸易结算中的使用，是其进一步国际化的可行且关键路径。“For a currency to become truly global, settlement is a critical gateway,” said Miao Yanliang, chief strategist at China International Capital Corp. “And in that respect, China‘s trade leverage is growing.”中国国际金融股份有限公司首席策略师缪延亮表示：“一种货币要真正实现国际化，结算是一个关键门户。在这方面，中国的贸易优势正在不断增强。”Miao noted that China is the world's largest trading nation and largest crude oil importer, as well as a dominant consumer of copper, iron ore and soybeans. “That trade position gives China a unique advantage to gradually enhance the convenience and acceptance of renminbi settlement,” he added.他指出，中国是全球最大的贸易国和最大的原油进口国，也是铜、铁矿石和大豆的主要消费国。“这种贸易地位赋予了中国独特的优势，可以逐步提高人民币结算的便利性和接受度，”他补充道。In recent years, geopolitical shifts have accelerated the renminbi‘s adoption, with some commodity sellers increasingly exploring settling trade in renminbi.近年来，地缘政治的变化加速了人民币的使用，一些大宗商品卖家越来越多地探索使用人民币进行贸易结算。The recent disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted vulnerabilities in the existing dollar-centric oil trading system, said Shi Kang, chair professor at the PBC School of Finance at Tsinghua University.清华大学国家金融研究院副院长、五道口金融学院讲席教授施康表示，近期霍尔木兹海峡航运受阻事件，凸显了当前以美元为中心的石油交易体系的脆弱性。“In the coming period, we will see more oil trade settlement gradually shift away from the existing dollar-based system,” Shi said.“在未来一段时间，我们将看到更多的石油贸易结算逐渐从现有的美元体系中转移出去，”施康说。Beyond trade settlement, Zhu, the former IMF official, noted that strengthening the renminbi's role as a “financing tool in global supply chains” would also bolster its international standing.除了贸易结算，前国际货币基金组织官员朱民指出，加强人民币作为“全球供应链融资工具”的作用也将提升其国际地位。China accounts for nearly one-third of global manufacturing output, equaling the combined share of the United States, Japan, Germany and South Korea, yet its currency plays only a modest role in international finance, Zhu said, describing this as “a clear mismatch”.朱民表示，中国占全球制造业产出的近三分之一，相当于美国、日本、德国和韩国的总和，但人民币在国际金融中仅扮演着温和的角色，他将此形容为“一个明显的不匹配”。“The US' real economy has weakened, but it still underpins an enormous dollar system，” he said. “Geo-economic shifts inevitably drive changes in finance and beyond.”“美国的实体经济已经疲软，但它仍然支撑着一个庞大的美元体系，”他说。“地缘经济的变化必然推动金融及其他领域的变革。”A stronger renminbi is not only an inevitable choice for China‘s development, but also a necessity for global financial stability, Zhu stressed, saying that the renminbi could be used more extensively within global supply chains to align with China's manufacturing strength.朱民强调，更强势的人民币不仅是中国发展的必然选择，也是全球金融稳定的需要。他表示，人民币可以在全球供应链中更广泛地使用，以与中国制造业的实力相匹配。For a currency to become truly internationally strong, Zhu said, it must not only be usable for cross-border transactions, but also be held as a store of value and eventually repatriated or reinvested, all of which requires deep bond markets, robust derivatives markets and a liquid offshore market.他表示，一种货币要真正成为国际强势货币，不仅必须能用于跨境交易，还必须能作为价值储藏手段被持有，并最终能够回流或再投资，这一切都需要有深度的债券市场、稳健的衍生品市场和流动性充裕的离岸市场。Miao, from China International Capital Corp, suggested that China could increase the supply of offshore renminbi, including expanding the availability of government bonds and high-grade renminbi-denominated bonds, to provide global investors with secure renminbi holdings and to support the domestic economy.中金公司的缪延亮建议，中国可以增加离岸人民币的供给，包括增加政府债券和高等级人民币债券的可获得性，从而为全球投资者提供安全的人民币资产，并支持国内经济。In another development, the Ministry of Finance plans to issue a total of 84 billion yuan ($12.4 billion) of renminbi-denominated sovereign bonds in Hong Kong this year. The first two issues, totaling 29.5 billion yuan, were made in February and April.另一方面，中国财政部计划今年在香港发行总计840亿元人民币（约合124亿美元）的主权债券。其中，前两期共计295亿元人民币的债券已于今年2月和4月发行。The world is facing an urgent need for more diversified safe-haven assets and liquidity, said Shi, from Tsinghua University.清华大学的施康表示，世界迫切需要更多元化的避险资产和流动性。That is a gap that the renminbi, backed by China‘s proactive institutional opening-up, is increasingly positioned to fill, Shi added.他补充说，在中国积极主动的制度型开放支持下，人民币正日益能够填补这一空白。“We do not want to replace the dollar system, nor are we trying to develop a separate system，” Shi said. “China's goal is to address the weak links in the current monetary system, allowing more currencies to participate and thus enhance global financial stability.”“我们不想取代美元体系，也不是要建立一个独立的体系，”施康说。“中国的目标是解决当前货币体系中的薄弱环节，让更多货币参与进来，从而增强全球金融稳定。”Marc Uzan, executive director of the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee, said that central banks are diversifying reserves, more energy deals are being priced in nondollar currencies, and countries are settling trade in local currencies. However, he acknowledged that the dollar‘s structural advantages remain significant, and “a swift end to dollar hegemony is unlikely”.重塑布雷顿森林体系委员会执行董事马克·乌赞表示，各国央行正在多元化其储备，更多能源交易正以非美元货币定价，各国也在使用本币进行贸易结算。不过，他也承认，美元的结构性优势依然显著，“美元霸权不太可能迅速终结”。He said he expects a multipolar future in which the dollar, euro and renminbi will each play a larger role, alongside regional currencies.他表示，他预计未来将出现一个多极化的格局，美元、欧元和人民币将与区域性货币一道，各自发挥更大的作用。external coercion /ɪkˈstɜːnəl kəʊˈɜːʒən/外部胁迫dominant consumer /ˈdɒmɪnənt kənˈsjuːmə/主要消费国PBC School of Finance, Tsinghua University /piː biː siː/清华大学五道口金融学院financing tool /ˈfaɪnænsɪŋ tuːl/融资工具manufacturing output /ˌmænjʊˈfæktʃərɪŋ ˈaʊtpʊt/制造业产出geo-economic shifts /ˈdʒiːəʊ iːkəˈnɒmɪk ʃɪfts/地缘经济变化store of value /stɔːr əv ˈvæljuː/价值储藏/保值手段Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee /ˌriːɪnˈventɪŋ ˈbretən wʊdz kəˈmɪti/重塑布雷顿森林体系委员会

As China and the United States race to expand their artificial intelligence capabilities, economists said the two countries need closer cooperation on global governance and safety standards in order to better manage the potential risks of the technology.在中美两国竞相提升人工智能能力之际，经济学家表示，两国需要在全球治理和安全标准方面加强合作，以更好应对该技术的潜在风险。While the US continues to lead in frontier AI research, large-scale models and computing power, economists said that China is rapidly catching up and has developed strengths in integrating AI into manufacturing, consumer services and other parts of the real economy, reflecting different development priorities in the two countries.尽管美国在前沿人工智能研究、大模型和算力方面继续保持领先，但经济学家表示，中国正在迅速追赶，并在将人工智能融入制造业、消费者服务及其他实体经济领域方面形成了优势，这反映了两国不同的发展重点。"There are two main players in the development of frontier AI — China and the US," economist and Nobel laureate Michael Spence told China Daily. "There's almost no measurable difference between them now in terms of performance. Whatever difference there was, China has caught up."“前沿人工智能的发展主要有两个参与者——中国和美国，”经济学家、诺贝尔奖得主迈克尔·斯宾塞在接受《中国日报》采访时表示。“就性能而言，现在两者几乎没有可测量的差异。无论过去存在什么差距，中国已经赶上了。”According to Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, US and Chinese AI models have traded places at the top of performance rankings multiple times since early 2025.根据斯坦福大学以人为本人工智能研究所的数据，自2025年初以来，美国和中国的人工智能模型在性能排名榜首位置已经多次交替。As of March, the top US model led by only 2.7 percent, with a marginal gap that fluctuated over the past year while remaining in single digits, according to the institute's 2026 AI Index Report.根据该研究所发布的《2026年人工智能指数报告》，截至今年3月，美国顶尖模型的领先幅度仅为2.7%，这一微小差距在过去一年中有所波动，但始终保持在个位数。"The models of AI innovation pursued by China and the US are actually quite different," said Zhu Min, former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund.“中美两国所追求的人工智能创新模式其实存在很大差异，”国际货币基金组织前副总裁朱民表示。"The US focuses on large models, massive computing power and a strong foundational base, aiming for what we call 'artificial superintelligence'. What the US pursues is the development of intelligence itself," he said.“美国专注于大模型、巨量算力和强大的基础底座，目标是所谓的‘人工超级智能'。美国追求的是智能本身的发展，”他说。China, according to Zhu, measures AI development by a different yardstick.朱民表示，中国衡量人工智能发展的标准不同。"China, in contrast, emphasizes applying AI to the real economy. When assessing whether AI is good or not, China places greater weight on the benefits and convenience it can bring to the real economy and to people's daily lives," he added.“相比之下，中国更强调将人工智能应用于实体经济。在评估人工智能优劣时，中国更看重它能给实体经济和人们的日常生活带来的效益和便利，”他补充道。Spence noted that China's systematic approach to deployment gives it an edge that the West currently lacks.斯宾塞指出，中国在部署方面的系统性做法使其具备了西方目前所缺乏的优势。"China has, in my view, in the context of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), a better set of either plans or intentions to make sure that AI is deployed by and adopted across a wide range of the economy, both in manufacturing and services," Spence said.“在我看来，在‘十五五'规划（2026-2030年）的背景下，中国在确保人工智能在制造业和服务业等广泛经济领域得到部署和应用方面，有一套更好的计划或意图，”斯宾塞说。"We talk a lot about the diffusion challenge, but we are just talking about it. We are not doing anything," he added.“我们经常谈论推广的挑战，但只是停留在口头上，并没有采取任何实际行动，”他补充道。As both China and the US, along with other economies, are scrambling to scale up their AI capabilities, the risks are increasing too — and not just economic ones.随着中美两国及其他经济体都在争相提升人工智能能力，相关风险也在增加——而且不仅仅是经济风险。"AI carries significant uncertainty, including risks related to society, the environment and potential military uses," Zhu warned.“人工智能具有巨大的不确定性，包括与社会、环境以及潜在军事用途相关的风险，”朱民警告说。"Therefore, establishing a governance framework and safety 'guardrails' for AI is, I believe, the most critical imperative for China and the US as the two leading players in this field, and it is also what the world expects of them," he added.“因此，为人工智能建立治理框架和安全‘护栏'，我认为是中美作为该领域两个领先国家最紧迫的任务，也是世界对它们的期望，”他补充道。"The US tends to favor exogenous governance — building external oversight frameworks for monitoring and compliance," Zhu said. "China emphasizes an endogenous approach, embedding safeguards from the very beginning, even before model deployment, to ensure that AI benefits humanity."“美国倾向于外生治理——建立用于监控和合规的外部监督框架，”朱民说。“中国强调内生方法，在模型部署之前就从一开始嵌入安全措施，以确保人工智能造福人类。”Zhu noted that "both approaches are valid, open to discussion, and could together shape the future of AI governance".朱民指出，“这两种方法都是有效的，可以讨论，并且可以共同塑造人工智能治理的未来。”Spence said the US and China "can probably cooperate on certain aspects of regulation, such as not using the technology for highly destructive purposes".斯宾塞表示，美国和中国“可能在监管的某些方面展开合作，例如不将该技术用于高度破坏性的目的”。China and the US agreed to launch an intergovernmental dialogue on AI, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun announced at a news conference earlier this month.中国外交部发言人郭嘉昆在本月初的一次新闻发布会上宣布，中美两国同意启动人工智能政府间对话。Guo said that China and the US need to work together to promote the development and improve the governance of AI to ensure that it will better contribute to the progress of human civilization and the common welfare of the international community.郭嘉昆表示，中美需要共同努力，推动人工智能的发展，完善人工智能的治理，确保人工智能更好促进人类文明进步和国际社会共同福祉。cooperation /kəʊˌɒpəˈreɪʃən/ 合作

The IMF warns that Ireland's resilence can't be taken for granted. For more on this our Work and Technology Correspondent, Brian O'Donovan.

In order to promote the economic and social development of countries, you have to be clear about what economic and social development even means and how you'll measure these concepts. This is where official statistics excels. Many nations continue to build the capacity of their statistical systems to address the needs of their countries. Our episode today focuses on official statistics and statistical capacity development with guest Oliver Chinganya. Oliver Chinganya is the chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Zambia statistical agency, and co chair of the advisory board for Digital Earth Africa. He was recently appointed a senior advisor at the International Growth Center at the London School of Economics. Formerly, he was chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Zambia Statistical Agency and co-chair of the advisory board of the Georgia Africa until January 2025. Chinganya served as director of the African Center for Statistics and chief statistician at the UN Economic Commission for Africa, also known as UNICA. Until October 2025, he was vice president of the International Statistical Institute. His career also includes senior roles at the African Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Zambia Statistical Office. He is a fellow chartered statistician and chartered scientist of the Royal Statistical Society and is widely recognized for advancing statistical capacity and driving digital innovation across Africa.

Plus: Sony projects double-digit earnings for the new fiscal year despite sharp fourth-quarter losses. And the International Monetary Fund warns that AI-powered cyberattacks could cause major market disruptions. Danny Lewis hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is like a ticking time bomb for the global economy, disrupting the flow of energy and rippling through industries from agriculture to semiconductors. How bad could it get? The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for global growth this year from 3.4 percent to 3.1 percent in the best-case scenario and 2 percent in the worst case. What countries will be the most affected, and what can they do to protect themselves? Gita Gopinath, an economics professor at Harvard University who was formerly the first deputy managing director of the IMF, joins FP Live to discuss. IMF's World Economic Outlook: Global Economy in the Shadow of War Ravi Agrawal: The World Is Paying the Price for America's War Keith Johnson: Why Iran Isn't Blinking Yet Jason Bordoff and Spencer Dale: Making the U.S. More Resilient to Oil Price Shocks Esfandyar Batmanghelidj: The Iran War Is Jeopardizing the Entire Global Economy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Continuing tradition, host Landry Signé joins top global leaders on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund's 2026 Spring Meetings. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East loomed over this year's gathering, as agencies considered how to maintain their development agendas amidst the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting fuel supply crisis. Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Kristalina Georgieva is not like previous heads of the International Monetary Fund. She grew up behind the Iron Curtain in Bulgaria, which was then part of the Soviet bloc. Born in Sofia in 1953, her father was a civil engineer and her mother a shopkeeper. Life was tough because her family weren't part of the Communist Party regime. Her father fell ill when Kristalina was young and she was just fifteen when she went to work at the local food market. She studied economics at the then Karl Marx Higher Economic Institute and then in the late 1980s she headed to London to spend a year at the London School of Economics. Over the last 30 years she's landed top jobs at the World Bank and the European Commission. In 2019, she was appointed managing director of the IMF, becoming the first person from an emerging economy to lead the institution. In the rare moments when she's not working, friends, colleagues and family paint a picture of a fun-loving woman who likes nothing better than dancing and singing. Becky Milligan explores Kristalina's life and career. Contributors Dessislava Kinova - daughter Iliyana Tsanova - friend and Chief Risk Officer at the European Commission Lord Nick Stern - friend and environmental economist Lord Mark Malloch Brown - friend and former World Bank Vice President Ivan Krastev - friend and political scientist Galia Mintcheva - special adviser Archive 60 Minute interview - CBS Face the Nation interview - CBS IMF news conference - UN Audiovisual Library Georgieva at Fortune MPW summit - Fortune MagazineProducer: Nathan Gower Editor: Justine Lang Sound mix: James Beard Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

It's almost two months since the United States and Israel went to war with Iran. And in spite of a ceasefire the vital Strait of Hormuz through which 20 per cent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes on tankers, is still effectively closed. The oil price remains high, affecting economies around the world. The most recent assessment from the International Monetary Fund warned that the war could throw the world economy “off course” and a prolongued conflict risked causing a global recession. David Aaronovitch asks what this means for us now and whether an end to the conflict could re-set the world's economies or have conditions changed for good?Guests: Joseph Stiglitz, American economist and recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and Professor at Columbia University Duncan Weldon, author and economist Diana Choyleva, economist and founder of Enodo Economics. Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

Back from the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, Simon Waever and Seth Carpenter unpack what policy makers and investors could be underpricing: the growth hit from higher energy costs, the risk of too much tightening by central banks and why emerging markets still look resilient.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Simon Waever: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Simon Waever, Morgan Stanley's Global Head of Emerging Markets Sovereign Credit and LatAm Fixed Income Strategy. Seth Carpenter: And I'm Seth Carpenter, Global Chief Economist and Head of Macro Research. Simon Waever: Today: The key takeaways for investors from the International Monetary Fund spring meetings in Washington, D.C. It's Tuesday, April 21st at 10am in New York. Every six months, the IMF meetings in D.C. bring policy makers and investors together to take stock of the global economy. And we were both there as part of our IMF policy pulse conference. This time, continuing a pattern of recent years, the backdrop was a bit more complicated. Investors are weighing the economic fallout from the Iran conflict, potentially more persistent inflation pressures, and, as always, rising concerns around global debt and fiscal sustainability. So, the key question coming out of Washington is how do these risks reshape the outlook, and what should investors be paying attention to now. Let's start with the growth outlook, Seth. When you think about the Iran conflict, what's the single biggest channel through which it could hit global growth? And is that risk underpriced by markets today? Seth Carpenter: I think it really is underpriced, and not just by markets. I would say I had conversations with investors, but also with policy makers down in Washington. And I would say relative to my views on things, both markets and policy makers are under appreciating how much of a hit to growth this could be. Where is it going to happen? What's the channel? Well, that actually – that differs depending on which economy that you're looking at. I would say here in the U.S., it's primarily the middle- and lower-end of the income distribution. Higher energy prices, gasoline prices going up, taking away at discretionary income, especially in what we've been calling this K-shaped economy where the bottom half is already struggling. So, a bit of a hit primarily to consumption spending. I'd say in other parts of the world, it's broader. Asia – we are already starting to see rationing being imposed for production, for public transportation in lots of ways that really are going to crimp spending both by households and businesses. And then of course Europe. Well, they're still in some ways reeling and adapting from the energy price shock. When Russia invaded Ukraine, natural gas prices went up a lot more then. But I think there's still an adjustment process going on. So, I think the potential hit to growth is real. I think it has spread across economies around the world, but each different economy, each different country has its own sort of nuance and flavor to it. Simon Waever: And what about the central banks? I know you met with quite a few of them as well. Are they at risk of being behind the curve on inflation or is actually the bigger mistake now look like over-tightening? Seth Carpenter: Yeah, I really think the over-tightening is the bigger risk here. It's funny, being behind the curve. That's a phrase that I did hear a lot, especially among some of the European policy makers. And people are feeling scarred, I guess you could say, from the surge in inflation that we got coming out of COVID. But history suggests that these sorts of surges in energy prices tend to be: one, more focused in headline inflation rather than core; and second, they do tend to revert on time and go away, over time. And I would say the bigger the hit to growth, the more likely it is that the inflationary impulse will start to fade on its own. And so, I do think there's too much reliance maybe on the inflation side of things, maybe not quite enough on the growth. And so, when I weigh the pros and cons, I would say the risk is probably too much tightening rather than not enough. But you know, Simon, I tend to spend more of my time in Washington talking to policymakers and investors who are focused on the developed market economy. So, I talked to people about the Fed, talked to people about the ECB. Morgan Stanley's real strong suit, when we do these conferences of the meeting though, is our EM focus. And I know you and the rest of the team have really over the years ramped up our engagement. So, when you think about the conversations that you had with investors and with officials, what do you think has, sort of, shifted most in recent months? And maybe what's shifted over the past week because the news flow has been going back and forth. What's going on in emerging markets that investors need to know about? Simon Waever: Right. I would say the first, and by far the biggest focus throughout the week was the disconnect between the very positive market sentiment versus actual developments in the Iran conflict. I think many participants believe the mood would be much worse and that the decision coming out of the meetings would be whether to buy into a challenging backdrop or just stay away. But instead, I think they came away thinking that the mood was actually fairly upbeat. But also that markets are pricing in a substantial probability of a resolution already. And that brings me to my second takeaways, and that's around EM resilience. EM has faced multiple macro shocks in recent years. And I think it's fair to say that EM policymakers, including central banks, have built up their credibility when it comes to responding to such events and the volatility they bring. Several of the EM central banks we met were positively surprised by the resilience of FX markets but also noted that they would still err on the side of caution. EM fundamentals also help in this aspect, which has seen contained external imbalances versus the past and mechanisms to deal with the energy price shock.Of course, with everything else impacted by the war, duration matters – especially as fiscal buffers are not equal across EM. But I would say in general it reaffirms our view that EM is in a good place to absorb and deal with the uncertainty. And that would actually be my third and final point. That the year as a whole should be good for EM assets, assuming that trajectory remains one of de-escalation. And I think that does extend to FX as well, where the market may quickly return to trading U.S. dollar weakness, particularly if the market's priced more of the Fed cuts that you expect. Seth Carpenter: Got it. So, you did say, assuming we return to a theme of de-escalation, and I guess we have that built into our forecast. The last four or five, six days has seen lots of back and forth. But if we do assume we end up de-escalating the current crisis in the Middle East, looking across EM [be]cause it really is a differentiated, subtly nuanced, broad part of the world. If I had to push you a little bit and say, where do you see the clearest winners? What would you point at? Simon Waever: Sure. I mean, to me, LatAm remains a key winner. We've had this call since the start of the year, but if anything, the Iran conflict and my discussions at the IMF only reinforce this. The region is obviously physically removed from the Middle East, but there are also many large commodity exporters. And a lot of the discussions were around the political realignment with the U.S. and there are several examples. Just to give a few: Argentina as usual, was a key part of the discussions. And compared to the meeting six months ago, they were much more positive given what's been accomplished since, both in terms of the structural reforms and the FX purchases here to date. And I have to mention Venezuela given it was during the meetings last week that the IMF resumed dealing with them, which had been a key positive catalyst that we've been looking for. Brazil is obviously the biggest economy, and I would say sentiment was pretty positive. But also there's an acknowledgement that the elections in October are just too close to call. And that is likely to bring some uncertainty closer to the time. Seth Carpenter: Yeah, those are all super compelling examples [be]cause they mix the economics, the markets with the politics. Obviously you mentioned the elections coming up in Brazil; and then for Argentina it was this real huge landslide shift in what was going on because of an election there a couple years ago. And we're seeing how that's coming out. Alright, so let's go in the opposite direction. And not everything can be rosy, and even if as a class we're pretty optimistic and pretty constructive on EM… Do you think there are some key vulnerabilities across the space that you cover that maybe could surprise us to the downside? Or maybe that markets really aren't appreciating now and might have to rethink? Simon Waever: Yeah, I think to start with, we move outside of LatAm and in all those discussions it was much more about the extent of vulnerability to the conflict and in particular the energy exposure. And I would say in general, an oil price of eighties is a sweet spot for EM, sovereign dollar bonds. But differentiation should pick up a lot. I would say the obvious view would be that energy exporters should outperform importers. But what I would highlight is actually more around the differentiation within all the importers [be]cause that's where policy space can differ significantly. And even just within Central America and Caribbean, I would call out countries like Costa Rica and Guatemala as having more policy space than say, El Salvador or Dominican Republic. And within Africa, it really comes down to the energy balance and whether you have alternative financing sources. Seth Carpenter: Got it. Got it. That's really helpful. I will say every day, every week, every month we get new headlines about what's going on. I think you and I are both going to have to be glued to our screens to, sort of, follow what's going on and see how it affects markets. But I guess for here maybe we will call it quits. I really learned a lot from my time down in Washington. It sounds like you had some really good engagement too. Simon Waever: Yep. I agree. Thanks for taking the time to talk. Seth Carpenter: It's always good to talk to you, Simon. Simon Waever: As a reminder, if you enjoy Thoughts on the Market, please take a moment to rate and review us and share the podcast with a friend or colleague today.

Iran has announced that the Strait of Hormuz is open, but the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation tells us he wouldn't advise ships to use it, yet. Andrew Peach looks at how the impact of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is continuing to affect oil and petrol prices. Elsewhere the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have resumed dealings with Venezuela, nearly two decades after its former president Hugo Chávez cut ties. And we look at what's happening in the gaming industry where its stars are at the BAFTA Games Awards in London. Global business news, with live guests and contributions from Asia, Latin America and the USA. (Picture: A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman's Musandam province on the 12th of April, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Against the backdrop of the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings, Devex reporters Adva Saldinger, Michael Igoe, and Ayenat Mersie dissect the stories they've been hearing on the ground this week. That includes the latest OECD figures showing a staggering 25% drop in official development assistance, the ripple effects of the conflict in the Middle East, and a newfound focus on rebuilding public consensus. The discussion also looks at the World Bank's bold new “sector-first” strategy, highlighted by the launch of Water Forward — an ambitious initiative aiming to provide one billion people with access to clean water through country-led compacts. The return of African trade corridors enters the discussion as well, along with the International Monetary Fund's scramble for concessional funding. To dig into these stories, listen to this episode of This Week in Global Development.

President Trump's new threat against the chair of the Federal Reserve. Plus, a second investigation has been launched into former congressman Eric Swalwell. Also, the International Monetary Fund is warning the Iran war could create a global shortage of oil and tip the world into a recession.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Thursday, April 16th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark and Adam McManus 1 million Lebanese displaced by Middle East conflict The recent war in the Middle East between the U.S., Israel, and Iran has displaced over one million people in Lebanon.  Israel has bombed targets in Lebanon associated with Hezbollah, a Muslim militant group backed by Iran.  Christians make up a third of Lebanon's population. Sadly, Israel's bombardments there have lead to the deaths of over 2,000 people, including Christians.  Michel Constantin with the Catholic Near East Welfare Agency said, “Towns and villages in which Christians live in south Lebanon have also been violently attacked without any warning. Israel has bombed areas that have nothing to do with Hezbollah.” United States brokers peace deal between Lebanon and Israel The United States brokered peace talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. It's the first time the two countries have held diplomatic talks in decades.  Lebanon and Israel agreed to work towards ending the influence of Hezbollah, the terrorist group. Listen to comments from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. RUBIO: “This is a historic opportunity. We understand we're working against decades of history and complexities that have led us to this unique moment. “Some of you are shouting questions about ceasefire. This is a lot more than just about that. This is about bringing a permanent end to 20 or 30 years of Hezbollah's influence in this part of the world.” Slow economic growth this year because of Middle East war The International Monetary Fund expects global economic growth to slow this year due to the war in the Middle East.  The conflict is driving up energy prices and disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.  The International Monetary Fund projects global growth to slow to 3.1 percent this year. That's down from its original forecast of 3.3 percent.   70% of Americans think taxes too high Yesterday was tax day in the United States. A new Fox News Poll found a record 70 percent of voters think their taxes are too high. That's up from 60 percent in 2025. Also, 75 percent of people see government spending as wasteful. That's up nearly 20 percentage points since 2025. The average single worker in the U.S. sends just under a third of their income to the government. That's according to a report by the Cato Institute.  U.S. fertility rate down The U.S. fertility rate fell to a new low last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The general fertility rate in 2025 was 53.1 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 44. That's down one percent from the rate in 2024 and down 23 percent from 2007. The fertility rate for women in their 20s has dropped significantly. Meanwhile, the rates for women in their 30s and early 40s is growing.   Hegseth and Rubio will read the Bible aloud Nearly 500 leaders from all spheres of influence are about to gather in Washington, D.C. to read the entire Bible aloud. The Museum of the Bible is hosting its “America Reads the Bible” event from April 19 to 25. Participants will read Scripture for 12 hours each day. Readers include Rev. Franklin Graham, Dr. Ben Carson, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Six governors and 20 members of Congress will also be reading the Bible aloud.  The event's website says, “In honor of the 250th birthday of the United States, America Reads the Bible serves as a spiritual celebration of our nation's founding ideals and a call to rediscover the truth that still anchors us today.” Nehemiah 9:3 says, “And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and, for another fourth, they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.” Oklahoma principal risked life to stop school shooter An Oklahoma high school principal risked his life to stop a school shooter last week. The 20-year-old shooter opened fire inside the lobby of Pauls Valley High School last Tuesday afternoon. The principal, 60-year-old Kirk Moore, charged the shooter, tackling him to the ground. Another staff member helped disarm the gunman.  Moore was the only person injured in the incident, suffering a shot to his leg. However, he is healthy and recovering after being hospitalized. He wrote in a statement last Friday, “I am grateful that my instincts and training, as well as God's hand, were available to me on Tuesday.” John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” Today is the FINAL day to see “A Great Awakening” Christian film And finally, as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the word “liberty” is resurfacing in cultural debates, but for Sight & Sound President Joshua Enck, it carries a deeper meaning, inspiring the ministry's new film, “A Great Awakening,” reports The Christian Post. “On the Liberty Bell, it quotes Leviticus 25:10 which says, ‘Proclaim liberty throughout all the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.' Wnck, who also directed this film, said, “I want that liberty to ring out over this nation once again in the hearts of men and women.” The film centers on the unlikely friendship between 18th-century evangelist George Whitefield and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, a deist.  Whitefield, widely regarded as one of the most influential preachers of the Great Awakening, traveled thousands of miles on horseback throughout the American colonies.   Enck said, “It was the first shared experience across the colonies. Eighty percent of colonists didn't just hear about Whitefield; they heard him preach. They were unified by something they could all believe in.” Remarkably, he spoke 18,000 times to 10 million people in person. One scene depicted in the film shows Whitefield preaching in a coal field in Bristol, England, drawing miners from underground. He wrote in his diary that he saw white streaks down their blackened cheeks from tears. The director explained, “They were a team. Franklin was the greatest promoter of the greatest event in American history. There were many preachers leading up to 1776, but there were none like Whitefield, and when you combined the power of his voice with Franklin's ability to get the word out, it unified the colonies.” According to Enck, before the political revolution came spiritual awakening. He noted, “Our tagline says it all: ‘Before the revolution, there was a revelation.'”  In the film, Whitefield delivers a line that encapsulates Enck's understanding of biblical liberty: “Blood will be shed for the liberty you're talking about, but blood was already shed [by Jesus Christ] for the liberty.” He added, “This film doesn't shy away from the Gospel. We don't soft-shoe anything.” Rather than portraying historical figures as flawless icons, the film highlights their humanity and need for a Savior. Today is the final day that A Great Awakening is in the theaters.  Make it a priority for your family to see it. Bring some friends. Check out special links to watch the trailer and purchase tickets in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com. The film's website is www.AGreatAwakening.com.  Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, April 16th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

There could be big changes coming to longstanding bank regulations. With earnings season heating up, the discussion over capital rules is back in focus.    Credit Currents is on the ground in Washington, D.C. as the world's top policymakers and regulators attend meetings with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Institute of International Finance (IIF).    We unpack what looser capital requirements could mean, the implications for credit, and how regulators and the US Federal Reserve are responding.    Host: Chandra Ghosal, Vice President, Senior Credit Officer, Moody's Ratings   Guest: Megan Fox, Associate Managing Director, Financial Institutions Group, Moody's Ratings   Related Research:  Banks – US – Proposed changes to risk-based capital requirements will likely be credit negative 18 March 2026 Banks – US – New philosophy of US banking supervision and regulation is credit negative 23 March 2026 Banks – US – A policy shift on liquidity regulation would have mixed credit implications 13 March 2026 Banking – US – Solid bank results likely in 2026, though sensitive to widening tail risk 16 March 2026 © 2026 Moody's Corporation and/or its licensors and affiliates. All rights reserved. Go to www.moodys.com/pages/globaldisclaimer.aspx for complete legal terms and conditions governing use of Moody's information made available in this video. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Firefighters are responding to a significant fire at an oil refinery in Geelong. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Malaysia today to speak with counterpart Anwar Ibrahim and attend other meetings, as he continues his southeast Asian campaign to shore up oil and fertiliser supplies. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is in the US today for crucial talks, as the International Monetary Fund delivers a grim forecast of a possible global recession. News from today's live program (1-2pm). - オーストラリアに残る国内製油所２カ所のうち１カ所で火災が発生し、被害が出ています。アルバニージー豪首相は石油の安定供給を目指し、きょう訪問先のマレーシアでイブラヒム首相との会談に臨みます。チャーマーズ豪財務相は、米ワシントンで今週開かれている国際通貨基金（IMF）と世界銀行の会合で、今後の経済をめぐる重要な話し合いに出席します。2026年４月16日放送。

The IRS has published its official list of occupations that qualify for the new 'no tax on tips' provision, giving millions of service workers potential tax relief. We examine the economic impact of this policy, who really benefits, and what it might mean for consumer spending patterns.Today's Stocks & Topics: Dutch Bros Inc. (BROS), Market Wrap, Nestlé S.A. (NSRGF), Nestlé S.A. (NSRGY), No Tax on Tips: What the IRS Ruling Actually Means for Workers and the Economy, HF Sinclair Corporation (DINO), The International Monetary Fund and Global Economy, Sandisk Corporation (SNDK), Western Digital Corporation (WDC), The Curve Steepener and the War.Our Sponsors:* Check out Anthropic: https://claude.ai/invest* Check out Pebl: https://hipebl.ai* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/invest* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code INVEST20 for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

World finance ministers meeting in Washington have been voicing their anger and frustration at the US because of the financial strains being placed on the global economy caused by its military offensive in the Middle East. Rachel Reeves from the UK described the US-Israeli war with Iran as 'folly' while France's finance minister Roland Lescure called for renewed efforts to unblock the Strait of Hormuz. The calls come as Iran's military widens its threats on shipping the Gulf to include the Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman - if the US naval blockade of Iranian ports continues. The International Monetary Fund has been warning of the risk of a global recession at its Spring Conference in Washington DC. There was further evidence of these concerns today. Hermes is the latest fashion house, after LVMH and Gucci-owner Kering to say sales have been weaker than expected at the start of this year...with spending hit both in the Middle East, but also fewer tourists visiting Paris and buying handbags and designer clothes. And there has been continued unrest in parts of India over wages, as the increased costs of living caused by the crisis continue to hurt the economy. Also in the programme - are hedge fund managers cashing in on the uncertainty of whether firms will receive refunds on tariffs?And we discover why Google is clamping down on so-called ‘back button hijacking'...when sites mess with your browser so you can't leave.Presenter: Leanna Byrne Senior Producer: Craig Henderson

Global economic leaders are gathering in Washington D.C. this week for the spring meetings hosted by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, and energy strategy is at the top of the agenda. But the Trump administration's energy agenda and the Iran War are adding a new layer of complexity to those talks. POLITICO's Sara Schonhardt breaks down how that tension could shape global energy and economic policy in the years ahead. Sara Schonhardt is an international climate reporter for POLITICO's E&E News. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive producer of POLITICO Energy.  Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. Cyril Zaneski is executive editor of POLITICO's E&E News. Debra Kahn is the editorial director for energy and environmental coverage at POLITICO. Veronica Tejera is the deputy head of Audio/Video at POLITICO. Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and Instagram. Follow POLITICO here:    ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram:  / politico      ➤ Facebook:  / politico   For more reporting on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Global recession warning from the International Monetary Fund, Andrew Peach looks at rising oil, gas and food prices, and how they could force central banks to keep interest rates higher for longer.Also, European airlines call for emergency support as the conflict disrupts aviation.And we ask whether America's tipping culture improves service or simply keeps wages low.(Photo: People walk in front of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) HQ2 building in Washington, DC, USA, 13 April 2026. Credit: SHAWN THEW/EPA/Shutterstock)

In its World Economic Outlook report the International Monetary Fund says that, in a worst case scenario -  where oil, gas and food prices spike and remain high this year and next - global growth could fall below 2% in 2026. That's if the US-Israel war with Iran continues and high energy prices persist. It said the most severe conditions that could lead to a worldwide slowdown would include oil prices reaching an average $110 per barrel this year and hitting $125 in 2027. Based on these assumptions, the IMF said inflation could reach as much as 6% next year. This could force central banks to increase interest rates to slow the pace of price rises. We hear how Africa's fuel crunch continues - and hopes for a more stable future...Evergrande was once China's biggest real estate firm, before its debt crisis sent shockwaves through the wider economy.. Today the founder of the collapsed property giant Hui Ka Yan pleaded guilty to a series of fraud charges. It's a case that marks a major moment in the fallout from the company's collapse.And - how a gold pocket watch owned by a hero of the Sinking of the Titanic could fetch up to one hundred and thirty five thousand dollars at auction...Presenter Leanna Byrne Senior Producer: Craig Henderson

The International Monetary Fund has warned that the Middle East conflict will cause more damage to the UK economy than any other member of the G7. Also: The former Nato secretary general Lord Robertson warns increasing welfare spending threatens the UK's ability to defend itself. And British households and businesses could get free electricity if they use appliances when there is excess energy in the grid.

Federal Liberals win all three by-elections to give Prime Minister Mark Carney a majority government. Carney government announces temporary suspension of federal tax on gas and diesel fuel until Labour Day. Ambassadors from Lebanon and Israel expected to hold first direct talks in decades today in Washington. International Monetary Fund lays out 3 global scenarios based on length of the war in Iran... All involve higher energy prices. Alberta's nursing union calls on AB Premier Danielle Smith to speed up plans for weapon detectors in hospitals. Australian actress Ruby Rose accuses Katy Perry of sexual assault, which singer denies. CBC News secret-shoppers uncover Loblaw, Sobeys still overcharging customers for underweight meat.

This week on Face the Nation, Vice President Vance returns to the U.S. empty handed following a marathon session of peace talks with Iranian leaders. What's next in the now 44-day war that has sent gas prices soaring around the world?  Will the fragile two week ceasefire hold? And what exactly is President Trump's goal in the conflict?  We hear from the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee Mark Warner and Republican Congressman Mike Turner. We also take a closer look at the war's impact on the global economy with the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva. Plus, hear the results of our latest CBS News poll.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains at a standstill, sales of used electric vehicles are surging in the US, and the International Monetary Fund is warning that the war's shocks will be felt by the global economy for a while. Plus, the FT's Marton Dunai gives a rundown of the upcoming Hungarian elections. Mentioned in this podcast:OECD urges governments to rapidly unwind costly fuel duty cutsRefineries rush to secure oil cargoes as Iran maintains grip on HormuzSales of used EVs surge in US as petrol prices pass $4 a gallonWho is Péter Magyar, Viktor Orbán's nemesis?Donald Trump and JD Vance back Viktor Orbán ahead of Hungary's electionCredit: AP Archive, C-SPAN, Reuters Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts Today's FT News Briefing was hosted by Victoria Craig, and produced by Saffeya Ahmed and Sonja Hutson. Our show was mixed by Sam Giovinco. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT's Global Head of Audio. The show's theme music is by Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bitcoin is facing pressure with growing calls for potential new lows as macro conditions tighten and banking stress begins to surface across the system. From liquidity issues in private markets to rising concerns around financial stability, cracks are forming just as traditional finance shows signs of strain. But at the same time, a very different story is unfolding—Coinbase is moving deeper into banking with new approvals, and the International Monetary Fund is signaling that digital assets are becoming a core part of the future financial system. With short-term weakness and long-term adoption colliding, the big question is whether Bitcoin is headed for another leg down—or if this is the setup for a much bigger shift. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In February, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted a social media video celebrating new figures from the International Monetary Fund suggesting that the average person in Poland now has slightly more spending power than the average person in Spain, the European Union's fourth largest economy. It's a symbolic milestone for a country that emerged from communism just over three decades ago and once struggled with hyperinflation and economic upheaval. In 2025, Poland's economy also passed the trillion-dollar mark, putting it in an elite group of just 20 countries globally.Investment from across the EU has helped drive growth. But can Poland keep its edge as labour shortages grow and the war in neighbouring Ukraine continues to shape the region? This week on The Inquiry, Tanya Beckett asks: Why is Poland's economy booming?Contributors: Dr Pawel Bukowski, lecturer in economics at University College London and Polish Academy of Sciences, UK Iga Magda, associate professor at the Warsaw School of Economics, Poland Katarzyna Rzentarzewska, chief CEE macro economist at Erste Group Bank AG, Austria Rafal Benecki, chief economist at ING, PolandPresenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Matt Toulson Researcher: Evie Yabsley Editor: Tom Bigwood Technical Producer: Cameron Ward Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey(Photo: A high street in Warsaw. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images)

In this episode of China Decode, Alice Han and James Kynge unpack the International Monetary Fund's blunt warning that China's export-led growth model is nearing its limits — just as the Supreme Court of the United States rolls back sweeping Trump-era emergency tariffs, reshaping the trade war at a pivotal moment. Then, China's hospitals are going viral. From Beijing to Hainan, foreign patients are seeking faster, cheaper treatment as part of Beijing's “Healthy China 2030” push to turn healthcare into a new growth engine — but could that spark domestic backlash? And finally, Seedance 2.0, the powerful new AI video model from ByteDance, is generating hyper-realistic celebrity deepfakes and rattling Hollywood. Is this the future of filmmaking — or the start of a new AI arms race? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices