Prashant Rao

Prashant Rao is the Senior Editor at Semafor, responsible for Flagship, Net Zero, and the Breaking News team.

Prior to joining Semafor, he was International Editor at The Atlantic, Deputy Europe Business Editor at The New York Times, and Iraq Bureau Chief at AFP.

France mulls public holiday cuts to tackle deficit

French PM also wants to freeze increases to benefits and pensions, raise taxes on the wealthy, and reduce health care subsidies.

Trump threatens tariffs on pharmaceuticals and chips

The latest levies would come on top of duties on cars, aluminum, and steel, as well as universal tariffs on all countries’ exports to the US.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs

Mastercard reports lower emissions alongside 2024 revenue growth

The figures encapsulate a growing trend among major companies successfully “decoupling” emissions from revenues.

Nvidia resumes sale of AI chips to China

The approvals apply only to Nvidia’s H20 chip; restrictions on the company’s most cutting-edge technology remain in place.

Dado Ruvic/Reuters

China’s economy performs better than expected

The 5.2% annual growth rate puts the world’s second-biggest economy on track to meet Beijing’s 2025 target.

US, Australia, Japan carry out anti-China drills

The drills followed a naval logistics deal and a partnership with India to reduce reliance on China for critical minerals.

US allies join forces against Washington on trade

Donald Trump threatened 30% tariffs against the European Union and Mexico over the weekend.

Trump ramps up pressure on Russia with tariff threat and plan to arm Ukraine

The president announced a plan in which European nations would pay for US weapons that are then sent to Ukraine.

Turkey arrests four opposition mayors

Ankara said the hundreds of detentions were owed to a wide-ranging effort to battle corruption, but the vast majority of those targeted belong to the opposition.

US turns hawkish on Russia

The shift marked a sharp contrast to early Trump administration efforts to coax Russia into a ceasefire and broader rapprochement.

Trump threatens fresh tariffs on Canada

US President Donald Trump also suggested a universal rate of up to 20% in an NBC interview.

Matcha prices surge as rising temperatures hit production

Matcha’s antioxidant properties and higher caffeine content relative to other green teas has helped it gain a huge customer base worldwide.

Chinese premier courts Egypt on two-day visit

Li Qiang’s trip comes two months after Cairo and Beijing carried out their first joint military exercises, notably with Chinese aircraft taking part.

Chinese experts sound alarm over the economy

Chinas housing market crisis and flagging consumer spending pose serious long-term risks.

Prospective US-EU trade deal buoys markets

The agreement would largely leave American import duties at 10%, Politico said, lower than US President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs.

Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

On a trip to Washington, Netanyahu said Trump was ‘forging peace… in one region after another.’

OPEC+ boosts output by more than expected

The OPEC bloc and its partners have kept increasing oil production — this time by 550,000 barrels per day — even with prices mired near multi-year lows.

China retaliates against EU trade restrictions

Beijing and Europe’s tit-for-tat trade restrictions are largely symbolic but demonstrate the worsening of their ties ahead of a joint summit.