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German growth upgraded on pre-tariff export surge
German growth upgraded on pre-tariff export surge
by  AFP

Germany's economy grew more than previously thought at the start of the year, as its exports surged before US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs, official data showed Friday. Germany's unexpectedly strong first-quarter growth contrasts with the performance of the US economy, which contracted at the start of the year amid an import surge triggered by Trump's tariff plans.

Fears for crops as drought hits northern Europe
Fears for crops as drought hits northern Europe
by  AFP

Parts of northern Europe have seen their worst drought in decades in recent weeks, with farmers from Scotland to the Netherlands fearing the dry spell will dent harvests if it continues. The dry spell in northern Europe contrasts with southern Europe, including Spain and Portugal, where rainfall has been up to twice the usual amount for the time of year. abe-bur/ico/fec/js

Japan PM presses Trump on tariffs ahead of new talks
Japan PM presses Trump on tariffs ahead of new talks
by  AFP

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday that he had again pressed US President Donald Trump on tariffs, in a phone call ahead of fresh talks on easing the levies. The comments came as Japan's tariffs envoy, economic revitalisation minister Ryosei Akazawa, left for Washington for a third round of talks.

Asian stocks bounce back after Treasury-led sell-off
Asian stocks bounce back after Treasury-led sell-off
by  AFP

Asian equities stabilised Friday following the previous day's US bond-fuelled sell-off with traders tracking a slight pullback in Treasury yields as Donald Trump's signature tax-cutting budget passed a key congressional vote.

Anthropic touts improved Claude AI models
Anthropic touts improved Claude AI models
by  AFP

Anthropic unveiled its latest Claude generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) models on Thursday, claiming to set new standards for reasoning, coding, and digital agent capabilities. "Claude Opus 4 is our most powerful model yet, and the best coding model in the world," Anthropic co-founder and chief executive Dario Amodei said as he opened the event.

Trump hosts gala for memecoin buyers despite corruption concerns
Trump hosts gala for memecoin buyers despite corruption concerns
by  AFP

US President Donald Trump on Thursday will host a private event for hundreds of top investors in his crypto memecoin, with leaders of the Democratic opposition blasting it as "an orgy of corruption." The top 25 investors, according to an event website, will get a private session with Trump beforehand and a White House tour.

State Dept says Chevron must leave Venezuela, even as American freed
State Dept says Chevron must leave Venezuela, even as American freed
by  AFP

The US State Department said Thursday that Chevron must wrap up operations in Venezuela next week as scheduled, contradicting an envoy who told a podcast differently after Caracas freed an American. Asked about the contradicting messages, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Rubio was "making it clear that that license is going to expire."