US

Prices at the gas pump have drifted down a bit in the last month but are still eye-popping. At the same time, Exxon just reported second-quarter profits of $17.9bn, more than three times what it earned a year ago.

President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart, Joe Biden, in a phone call on Thursday against “external interference” in Beijing’s dealings with the island.

More than 150 Chinese companies are currently on the SEC’s provisional line-up of firms up for delisting

The US ignored China’s warning of ‘yao guan’ in 1950 about intervening in the Korean war, resulting in strained relations until the 1970s

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press conference at the US Capitol on July 21, when she said “it’s important for us to show support for Taiwan.”

Rising gas prices have been a major driver of inflation. A government report released last week showed that an increase in energy prices fueled a big jump in inflation in June, when the Consumer Price Index rose 9.1 percent from a year earlier, a new four-decade high. Gas prices soared after demand for oil rebounded from pandemic lows and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drove up oil prices.

If the visit goes ahead, Nancy Pelosi would be the highest-ranked US official to visit Taiwan since 1997.

In his view, Mike Pence could thwart formal congressional certification of Trump’s re-election loss

CIA Director Bill Burns seen here in 2021. Burns said Russia’s experience in Ukraine is affecting Beijing’s calculations on how, not whether, to invade Taiwan

Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions called for more foreign aid to help respond to the disaster.