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The Tree at Panmunjom vividly revisits 1976 tensions

16 October 2026 at 21:07

Jeffrey Miller’s newest novel, The Tree at Panmunjom, begins in the summer of 1976, as a soldier fresh out of basic training named Bill Davis arrives in South Korea and finds himself assigned to Camp Kitty Hawk just before serving a tense 24-hour shift at the nearby Demilitarized Zone’s Joint Security Area.  On arrival at […]

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Welcome to Israel, Trump’s country

16 October 2026 at 19:55

TEL AVIV — There is one country on earth where Donald Trump could plausibly win a national election, and he knows it. “I could run for Prime Minister,” he joked in May, claiming 99% approval here. No poll has ever shown that. But the joke landed because it is only half a joke. Thirteen days before […]

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Wars and the oil blockades may be waiting for Xi’s party congress

16 October 2026 at 19:54

Just as Vladimir and Estragon waited for Godot in Beckett’s famous play, the world may now be waiting for Xi Jinping in the present political drama. America is stuck in two wars. In Ukraine, it would like to reach a compromise with Russia. In the Middle East, it is trying to bring down Tehran’s regime, […]

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TSMC’s global buildout faces crucial capital efficiency test

16 October 2026 at 13:38

TSMC expects overseas manufacturing to reduce its consolidated gross margin by nearly two percentage points in 2026, with the impact widening to three to four points later in its expansion program. The company plans to spend $60 billion to $64 billion on capital expenditure this year. Its latest outlook calls for fourth-quarter revenue of up […]

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Jio’s IPO seeks a tech multiple for old-school mobile business

16 October 2026 at 12:27

India’s largest initial public offering (IPO) opens October 21, and investors in Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong are being asked a simple question: What is a Jio customer’s monthly bill worth? Jio Platforms, the Reliance-owned mobile carrier with some 524 million India-based customers, is selling 270 million new shares at 1,065 to 1,119 rupees each […]

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Hot US inflation singes Asia as higher-for-longer Fed rates loom

16 October 2026 at 10:54

TOKYO — An unwelcome blast of US inflation is blowing across Asia’s markets. September’s hotter-than-expected price data revived concerns that the Federal Reserve will keep rates higher for longer, threatening fresh pressure on currencies, capital flows and economic growth across the region.

Last month’s 3.7% year-on-year increase in consumer prices didn’t just exceed forecasts. It ensured the Fed is on an even bigger collision course with both the bond market and US President Donald Trump’s White House. It’s arguably the last thing both Trump and US Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh wanted to see less than three weeks ahead of the mid-term elections.

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Trump’s Ukraine policy swings back toward Moscow

16 October 2026 at 09:00

Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. China’s industrial rise fuels Japan’s machine tool boom Scott Foster reports that surging Chinese industrial demand is helping drive a record boom in Japanese machine tool orders, particularly at the high end where China still […]

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China previews a world where the algorithm is switched off

16 October 2026 at 07:34

The Australian government has introduced its digital duty of care legislation to parliament today. The bill includes an “off switch” to allow social media users to opt out of recommender algorithms. If passed, Australians could choose to switch off their algorithmic recommendation and consume a news feed populated by the accounts they subscribe to. It’s […]

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Don’t let Musk and the billionaires buy America’s elections

16 October 2026 at 07:01

On a recent episode of the Bulwark podcast, journalist Ron Brownstein described the election as a contest between “the wave versus the wall.” The wave being voter anger and President Donald Trump’s plummeting popularity. The wall being structural impediments to voters’ voices, such as gerrymanders and the Republican Party’s stark spending advantage. Now we know […]

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The inflation conflagration is back and here to stay

16 October 2026 at 06:11

Two years ago, central bankers on three continents all but declared victory over inflation. Markets took them at their word, and plenty of investors built their portfolios on the assumption that the price surge of 2022 was behind us. That assumption was wrong, and the consequences are now showing up in almost every major economy […]

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What do North Korea’s sub missile tests really prove?

16 October 2026 at 04:19

North Korea’s recent underwater launch of strategic cruise missiles underscores its accelerating drive to field a survivable, sea-based nuclear deterrent, even as significant engineering hurdles and platform limitations continue to constrain its naval ambitions. North Korea test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles into the Sea of Japan, marking its first public underwater cruise […]

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Attacking Trump, Zelensky showed lack of judgment

15 October 2026 at 22:23

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s harsh words about US President Donald Trump were an emotional response after Zelensky deliberately thwarted Trump’s request that Ukraine not strike Russian refineries. Unfortunately Zelensky is making matters worse, and Ukraine’s future is now in doubt. Ukraine targeted two Russian oil refineries, according to Russian Deputy Prime minister Aleksandr Novak. The […]

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