LGBTQ+ Identity Dips In 2025 (But Doubled Over Last Decade)

Hong Kong And The Quiet Rewiring Of The Dollar System Authored by Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, Hong Kong’s decision to move forward with its first stablecoin issuer licenses may prove to be about far more than digital payments. With HSBC and a Standard Chartered-led venture among the first approved issuers under the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s new framework, the city is placing major regulated banks at the center of the next phase of monetary technology. Stablecoins remain overwhelmingly USD- and US Treasury-denominated, with more than 90 percent of the market’s roughly...

A New Iran (Military?) Base Case By Michael Every of Rabobank Our central assumption for the Iran war had been that by end the third week of April at latest, the Iranian regime faction willing to make a deal in line with Trump’s tweets would have asserted itself over those who won’t, Hormuz would slowly reopen, and energy markets gradually normalise. As neither the Iranian nor US negotiating teams traveled to Pakistan for the second round of peace talks yesterday, that cannot happen. Our new geopolitical base case is of an extended...

Oil Nears War-Highs As Iran-Israel Strikes Intensify After Trump Speech Set No Off-Ramp Timeline Summary Oil prices surge after no mention of ceasefire while vowing to keep hitting Iran 'extremely hard' in Wed. night Trump speech. Surge in tit-for-tat overnight strikes. US intelligence assessments say Iran is not ready to negotiate given it believes it has the strategic upper-hand, and doesn't believe Trump is 'serious' about talks: NYT Highest bridge in Iran, connecting Tehran and Karaj, destroyed - amid reports of expanding attacks on civilian infrastructure UK's Starmer chairs virtual summit of over 30 countries...