NEWSLETTER
Thursday / September 29Sep 29
Wednesday / March 16
North Korea test
North Korea fired an "unknown projectile" on Wednesday which appeared to fail immediately after launch, South Korea's military said. Japanese media reported a suspected missile launch by the nuclear-armed North.
The launch comes after the United States and South Korea warned that North Korea may be preparing to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at full range for the first time since 2017.
NATO visit
US President Joe Biden plans to travel to Brussels next week to meet with NATO allies about bolstering support for Ukraine as it fights to fend off Russia’s unprovoked attack.
“He will also join a scheduled European Council summit, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
The alliance is expected to call on its military commanders Wednesday to send more troops and missile defenses to eastern Europe, Reuters reported.
Ukraine talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday peace talks were sounding more realistic but more time was needed.
Ukrainian officials have raised hopes the war could end sooner than expected, possibly by May, saying Moscow may be coming to terms with its failure to impose a new government by force and running out of fresh troops.
"The meetings continue, and, I am informed, the positions during the negotiations already sound more realistic. But time is still needed for the decisions to be in the interests of Ukraine," Zelenskiy said in a video address on Wednesday, ahead of the next round of talks.
Fed meeting
The US Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates by a quarter point Wednesday, a major step in reversing the extraordinary easing it put in place two years ago to help the economy through the pandemic.
Fed watchers expect the central bank will also provide a new quarterly forecast that could show as many as five or six more quarter-point hikes this year, and possibly three or four more in 2023. The central bank’s tone may also sound hawkish, meaning it will emphasize that it intends to keep boosting rates to combat high inflation.
China-Russia ties
China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, says Beijing wants to avoid being impacted by U.S. sanctions over Russia’s war with Ukraine.
“China is not a party to the crisis, nor does it want the sanctions to affect China,” Wang said Monday during a call with Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares to discuss the crisis in Ukraine.
“China has the right to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”
Fed nomination
Sarah Bloom Raskin, President Joe Biden’s embattled nominee to the Federal Reserve, on Tuesday withdrew her candidacy to serve at the central bank.
Raskin’s withdrawal comes a day after Sen. Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat from West Virginia, said he could not support the 60-year-old’s nomination to be the Federal Reserve’s vice chair for supervision.
North Korea fired an "unknown projectile" on Wednesday which appeared to fail immediately after launch, South Korea's military said. Japanese media reported a suspected missile launch by the nuclear-armed North.
The launch comes after the United States and South Korea warned that North Korea may be preparing to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at full range for the first time since 2017.
NATO visit
US President Joe Biden plans to travel to Brussels next week to meet with NATO allies about bolstering support for Ukraine as it fights to fend off Russia’s unprovoked attack.
“He will also join a scheduled European Council summit, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
The alliance is expected to call on its military commanders Wednesday to send more troops and missile defenses to eastern Europe, Reuters reported.
Ukraine talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday peace talks were sounding more realistic but more time was needed.
Ukrainian officials have raised hopes the war could end sooner than expected, possibly by May, saying Moscow may be coming to terms with its failure to impose a new government by force and running out of fresh troops.
"The meetings continue, and, I am informed, the positions during the negotiations already sound more realistic. But time is still needed for the decisions to be in the interests of Ukraine," Zelenskiy said in a video address on Wednesday, ahead of the next round of talks.
Fed meeting
The US Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates by a quarter point Wednesday, a major step in reversing the extraordinary easing it put in place two years ago to help the economy through the pandemic.
Fed watchers expect the central bank will also provide a new quarterly forecast that could show as many as five or six more quarter-point hikes this year, and possibly three or four more in 2023. The central bank’s tone may also sound hawkish, meaning it will emphasize that it intends to keep boosting rates to combat high inflation.
China-Russia ties
China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, says Beijing wants to avoid being impacted by U.S. sanctions over Russia’s war with Ukraine.
“China is not a party to the crisis, nor does it want the sanctions to affect China,” Wang said Monday during a call with Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares to discuss the crisis in Ukraine.
“China has the right to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”
Fed nomination
Sarah Bloom Raskin, President Joe Biden’s embattled nominee to the Federal Reserve, on Tuesday withdrew her candidacy to serve at the central bank.
Raskin’s withdrawal comes a day after Sen. Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat from West Virginia, said he could not support the 60-year-old’s nomination to be the Federal Reserve’s vice chair for supervision.
