Shanghai is slowly emerging from a gruelling COVID lockdown that has all but immobilised the city since March. Although Shanghai’s port, which handles one-fifth of China’s shipping volumes, has been operating throughout, it has been running at severely reduced capacity.Continue Reading
The UK local elections in May saw gains for nationalists in Scotland and Northern Ireland, raising the prospect of increased debates over the future make-up of the country. In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, is hoping to hold a secondContinue Reading
Shutterstock/photocritical Food prices, like almost everything else, are rising fast. There have recently been warnings of “apocalyptic” costs, and a declaration that the “era of cheap food” is over. Such announcements have been linked to creaking economies trying to recoverContinue Reading
Shutterstock/SpeedKingz Inflation rates have become almost impossible to ignore. In the UK, inflation has soared in recent months, now reaching 9% – the highest rate for 40 years. The Bank of England expects it to rise to 10% this yearContinue Reading
For the first time since records began, there are more job vacancies in the UK than unemployed people, according to the latest monthly labour market figures. This has been driven mainly by a near-fourfold surge in job vacancies to aroundContinue Reading
Kavitha, 18, earns a living at a clothing factory in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Like many of her colleagues, she lives in accommodation provided by the factory, where she shares a dimly lit hostel room with 16Continue Reading
Blockchain bailout? 4K_Heaven The European Central Bank and its counterparts in the UK, US, China and India are exploring a new form of state-backed money built on similar online ledger technology to cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum. So-called centralContinue Reading
It can be difficult to see a way out of the current cost of living crisis. Prices continue to rise, and there are fears that if nothing changes, many families will face serious financial hardship. The effects of this willContinue Reading
Shutterstock/WHYFRAME If you had invested £100 (US£122) in the cryptocurrency Luna a month ago, you might have been quietly confident you’d made a sensible bet. But Luna’s value has since fallen drastically – at the time of writing, that £100Continue Reading
Shutterstock/David Sandron Some cryptocurrencies have always been fairly volatile, with values soaring or plunging within a short space of time. So for the more cautious investor, “stablecoins” were considered the sensible place to go. As the name implies, they areContinue Reading
