IBT Staff Reporter

Global demand for gold surged 34% year-on-year in the first quarter to the highest in over three years, driven by investors worried about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and rising inflation, the World Gold Council (WGC) said in a report on Thursday.

Japanese factories saw output rise for the second straight month in March as strong global demand for high-tech chips helped to ease some doubts that are weighing on the country's economic outlook.

Paula Garcia does not know how far she will have to flee after a wildfire tore through her drought-hit mountain community in northern New Mexico.

Samsung Electronics Q1 net profit up almost 60 percent

The dollar rose past the psychological level of 130 yen on Thursday for the first time since 2002, after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) doubled-down on its super-low yield policy, while the euro briefly fell below another symbolic mark of $1.05.

The dollar hit a 20-year high against rivals on Thursday as the Bank of Japan doubled-down on its dovish policy, sending the yen to its weakest level since 2002, while the euro hit a five-year low on growth concerns for the region.

Elon Musk's criticism of Twitter Inc sparked a barrage of abusive tweets against the company's top lawyer on Wednesday, raising questions about his compliance with a non-disparagement agreement and the tone that the social media platform's incoming owner will set for its users.

The global economy will expand more slowly than predicted three months ago, according to Reuters polls of over 500 economists, who said higher commodity prices and an escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war could prompt another downgrade.

Some 6 million residents of Southern California are being ordered to water their lawns and gardens no more than once a week, the Metropolitan Water District said on Wednesday, citing the state's historic drought.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd reported a 51% rise in quarterly profit on Thursday, posting its highest first-quarter profit since 2018 as robust data centre demand for high-margin memory chips underpinned chip prices.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Thursday it expects firm data centre demand for high-margin memory chips to continue in the second half, but warned component shortages will likely persist as well.

Families of victims of extrajudicial executions committed by Colombian soldiers asked perpetrators to reveal who ordered the murders, during the latest public hearing of the country's transitional justice court on Wednesday.

Facebook parent Meta calms investors with strong profit

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders asked lawmakers to delete language from a bill that would fund development of a new lunar lander for NASA, a move seen as part of the senator's effort to nix federal funds that could go to companies owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos.

Fortescue Metals Group raised its full-year iron ore shipments forecast on Thursday helped by a production ramp-up at Eliwana operations, while increasing capital estimate for its key Iron Bridge Magnetite project in Western Australia.

Australian grocer Coles Group expects raw material inflation to continue through to fiscal 2023 and likely benefit its earnings, with eased COVID-19 curbs further boosting sales.

Australia's No. 2 grocer Coles Group said on Thursday it hopes improved stock availability will curtail racing inflation as it met analysts' third-quarter sales forecasts, but warned soaring supply costs would dog the economy for another year.

Canada's economy is overheating, creating domestic inflationary pressures, and higher interest rates are needed to cool things down, the head of the Bank of Canada said on Wednesday.

Liverpool roll over Villarreal to close in on Champions League final

Investors speculating over whether Elon Musk will complete his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc sent the social media company's shares on Wednesday to their lowest level since the deal was announced two days ago.

An inquiry prompted by the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a white police officer found a pattern of unlawful, "discriminatory policing" in Minneapolis and little accountability for offenders, a state report released on Wednesday said.

U.S. data due out Thursday is expected to show slower economic growth in the first quarter, mainly due to a less robust jump in business inventories, but the overall economy remains strong, a senior Biden administration official told Reuters on Wednesday.

An unknown and highly contagious disease has killed 67 wild horses in less than a week at a federal corral in Colorado, officials said on Wednesday.

An unknown and highly contagious disease has killed 85 wild horses in less than a week at a federal corral in Colorado, officials said on Wednesday, revising the number upward from the previously announced death toll of 67.

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged Archegos Capital Management founder Bill Hwang with 11 criminal counts and the private investment firm's former chief financial officer, Patrick Halligan, with three counts over Archegos' collapse a year ago.

Canadian lawmakers voted unanimously on Wednesday to call Russia's attacks in Ukraine a "genocide", with members of parliament saying there was "ample evidence of systemic and massive war crimes against humanity" being committed by Moscow.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Wednesday warned China that failure to play by global rules would cut short its rise as a superpower, and said the West should ensure that Taiwan can defend itself.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned China that failure to play by global rules would cut short its rise as a superpower, and said the West should ensure that Taiwan can defend itself.

Argentina, battling a deep and costly energy deficit, is looking to attract some $10 billion in private investment to help it jump start exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2027, economy minister Martin Guzman said on Wednesday.