JAKARTA – Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday hailed his country’s growing stature on the global stage and reiterated calls for the Southeast Asian nation to be a “bridge of peace” between Russia and Ukraine.

WELLINGTON – The European Union is working to boost its presence in the Pacific through economic ties and new security commitments as geostrategic competition in the region intensifies, the bloc’s ambassador to Pacific Island nations said on Tuesday.

Norway’s exports have reached a record in July that is driven mainly by higher natural gas prices.

China’s central bank has trimmed a key interest rate to shore up sagging economic growth at a politically sensitive time when President Xi Jinping is believed to be trying to extend his hold on power.

Germans are facing a new tax on natural gas use that could cost the average household several hundred euros a year and is aimed at rescuing importers slammed by Russian cutbacks tied to the war in Ukraine.

Japan has reported its economy grew at an annual rate of 2.2% in the last quarter as consumer spending rebounded with an easing of pandemic precautions.

While inflation and recession fears weigh heavily on the minds of voters, another issue is popping up in political campaigns from the U_K_ and Australia to the U_S_ and beyond: the “China threat.”.

PRAGUE — Oil shipments from Russia through a critical pipeline to Czechia resumed Friday after more than a week, the Czech pipeline operator Mero said.

A ship has docked in a Ukrainian Black Sea port to begin loading wheat for hungry people in Ethiopia.

Portugal’s prime minister says European authorities are considering a liquefied natural gas pipeline from Spain to Italy.