Indonesia’s dwindling middle class seen dimming economic outlook
KARAWANG, Indonesia — Rahmat Hidayat lost his job when the shoe factory he worked for closed down last year in the industrial town of Karawang in Indonesia’s West Java. The 44-year-old now earns less than half of what he used…
African nations boost gold reserves amid economic uncertainty
Nairobi, Kenya — Central banks in Africa are turning to gold to protect themselves from economic and geopolitical instability and to diversify their financial portfolios. In September 2023, the price of gold per ounce was $1,900. A year later, it…
Google loses final EU court appeal against $2.7 billion fine in antitrust shopping case
London — Google lost its final legal challenge on Tuesday against a European Union penalty for giving its own shopping recommendations an illegal advantage over rivals in search results, ending a long-running antitrust case that came with a whopping fine….
China’s Xi, Spain’s Sanchez seek to ease EU-China trade disputes
beijing — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday urged visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to play a “constructive role” in improving strained ties between Bejing and the European Union. Sanchez for his part said he hoped the EU could…
Black creatives band together to navigate fashion industry barriers
A lack of opportunities has resulted in underrepresentation of Black designers, stylists and other creatives in the fashion industry. It’s also created a new wave of Black entrepreneurs who are passing on lessons of the business. Tina Trinh reports. (Camera…
Greece to tax cruise ships to protect popular islands from overtourism
Athens — Greece plans to impose a 20-euro ($22) levy on cruise ship visitors to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos during the peak summer season, in a bid to avert overtourism, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Sunday. Greece relies…
As Volkswagen weighs its first closure of a German auto plant, workers aren’t the only ones worried
FRANKFURT, Germany — Volkswagen is considering closing some factories in its home country for the first time in the German automaker’s 87-year history, saying it otherwise won’t meet the cost-cutting goals it needs to remain competitive. CEO Oliver Blume also…
Boeing Seattle workers reach tentative pay deal, avert strike
Boeing said on Sunday it had reached a pay agreement with the union representing its Seattle workers, bringing weeks of negotiations to a close and averting a strike threat. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) had been…
Drought forces Kenya’s Maasai, other cattle herders to consider fish, camels
KAJIADO, Kenya — The blood, milk and meat of cattle have long been staple foods for Maasai pastoralists in Kenya, perhaps the country’s most recognizable community. But climate change is forcing the Maasai to contemplate a very different dish: fish….
China’s new pledges reflect concern over its competition in Africa
Johannesburg — After pledging $51 billion in financial support for Africa over the next three years and positioning China as a fellow developing country in contrast to the West’s colonialist past, President Xi Jinping told dozens of African leaders gathered…