French FinMin "Vigilant" After Economy Unexpectedly Contracts In Q1

Washington and Moscow both enthusiastically celebrated the victory of the Allied “Grand Alliance” over the fascist powers at the end of World War II.  Since then, however, the two capitals have typically been on opposite sides of numerous nasty geostrategic struggles around the world.  They also have relished opportunities to work with foreign countries and […]

Turkey Dumped 58 Tons Of Gold After Iran War Started, Slamming Price There has been much speculation about the mystery seller(s) that sent gold sliding into a bear market from its January high: was it a sovereign seeking to plug holes in their budget from the recent surge in oil, a "market maker" trying to spark stop loss liquidations, or just retail investors taking profit after one of the best years in history for the precious metal? Today we learned the identity of at least one of the sellers: Turkey’s central...

Why Is China's Embassy In D.C. Hardening Security Perimeter With Barbed Wire Washington, D.C.-focused local outlet Popville, short for Prince of Petworth, posted several images showing barbed wire being installed around the security perimeter of the Chinese Embassy. The photos appear to show at least four workers installing the barbed wire atop an already hardened perimeter wall of block and iron fencing.  Embassies in Washington face security risks, but the sudden decision to further harden the Chinese compound raises obvious questions: whether Beijing is responding to a specific threat, anticipating protests or...