Is secession looming in Canada? Indeed, on October 19, in the oil-rich province of Alberta, residents will vote on whether to hold a binding referendum on independence. Prime Minister Mark Carney is monitoring the situation with suspicion and warns of "dangerous bluffing".
Since April 1, it has been illegal in France to buy, sell, import, possess or use nicotine products for oral use. And this ban is hitting the Swedish economy firmly because French people were buying these nicotine bags en masse on the Swedish market.
Russia's FSB security service said on Monday it had foiled an attempted "terrorist attack" after agents said they had discovered magnetic explosives attached to the hull of a tanker that had arrived from Belgium and was docked for loading at the northwestern port of Ust-Luga.
The International Energy Agency warns that commercial oil supplies are rapidly being depleted. Rising oil prices now worry consumers as well. As summer approaches, conflicts in the Middle East and Russia could make trips to the sunny south a lot more expensive.
The 2026 World Cup will kick off in the US on June 11. Hotel bookings are falling far short of expectations in almost all host cities, raising doubts about the economic return of the prominent football festival.
Vladimir Putin's visit to Chinese President Xi Jinping was closely followed by the press. The Russian president was welcomed with numerous honors and ceremonies. Honorary salutes, marching soldiers and waving children. The Chinese head of state pulled out all the stops for Putin that occurred just after Trump's visit. At least it seemed that way anyway. The Chinese president did not seem intimidated by his Russian counterpart. After all, after a lot of ceremonial formalities and meetings about possible collaborations, Xi Jinping sent his Russian counterpart home empty-handed.
Chinese automakers are beginning to look across borders for suitable locations to start manufacturing cars. In particular, Latin America and Europe are attracting China's attention.
It took a lot of hard work but after 10 months of negotiations, the European Union has finally found a compromise on the implementation of the trade agreement already reached with the United States last summer.
The US Senate is tentatively putting a stop to $400 million in federal security funding for the majestic White House ballroom.
Between Saturday, May 16 and Friday, June 5, pop star Harry Styles will give ten concerts in the Johan Cruijff Arena. With about 700,000 visitors epxtected, Amsterdam expects a major economic boost.