The Canadian government awarded three long-term support contracts worth about C$1.5 billion ($1.1 billion) to L3Harris Technologies Inc. and Airbus SE as part of its push to increase defense spending. The agreements provide in-service support for Canada’s new CC-330 Husky fleet , which will be used for air-to-air refueling, passenger transport, medical evacuation and strategic missions. L3Harris’ ...
The Canadian government awarded three long-term support contracts worth about C$1.5 billion ($1.1 billion) to L3Harris Technologies Inc. and Airbus SE as part of its push to increase defense spending. The agreements provide in-service support for Canada’s new CC-330 Husky fleet , which will be used for air-to-air refueling, passenger transport, medical evacuation and strategic missions. L3Harris’ military aircraft solutions unit received two contracts totaling C$1.1 billion for maintenance services, while Airbus’ defense and space unit received a C$374 million contract to supply engineering and airworthiness support, according to a government news release. Canada announced the purchase of nine Husky aircraft in 2023 — four new Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft and five converted A330-200s, for a total cost of C$3.6 billion. The fleet will replace the aging CC-150 Polaris aircraft, with a first delivery expected in 2027. The new support contracts have the potential to create and maintain 720 jobs in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, and will ensure the fleet can “respond to evolving threats, safeguard our sovereignty, and uphold Canada’s enduring commitments to our allies — whenever and wherever required,” Procurement Minister Joel Lightbound said in the statement. Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the government increased defense spending enough in 2025 to reach NATO’s target of allocating 2% of its gross domestic product. Canada has also committed to reaching the alliance’s 5% benchmark by 2035. Read More: Canada Spends 2% of GDP on Defense For First Time in Decades
Watch: EU Parliament Told Continent Is "On Track For Civil War" Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Europe’s ruling class has spent decades importing chaos under the banner of “diversity,” and now the bill is coming due in the most explosive way possible. A major conference held inside the European Parliament has heard stark warnings that the continent is barreling toward civil war as mas...
Watch: EU Parliament Told Continent Is "On Track For Civil War" Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Europe’s ruling class has spent decades importing chaos under the banner of “diversity,” and now the bill is coming due in the most explosive way possible. A major conference held inside the European Parliament has heard stark warnings that the continent is barreling toward civil war as mass migration erodes trust, creates no-go zones, and fractures societies along ethnic lines. Professor David Betz of King’s College London cut straight to the point, telling the assembled lawmakers and experts: “Europe is on track for civil war”. European Parliament Hosts “Civil War? Europe at Risk” Conference Amid Rising Social Tensions MEPs Mikael Weimers and Marion Maréchal convene experts warning that eroding social cohesion from mass immigration could push Europe toward civil conflict, with Prof. David Betz… pic.twitter.com/80RUypdOqB — Washington Eye (@washington_EY) March 25, 2026 The event, titled Civil War: Europe at Risk? , was hosted by French populist-right leader Marion Maréchal and Sweden Democrats MEP Charlie Weimers. It also launched a new report documenting up to a thousand no-go zones across Europe based on public data including crime rates, sexual violence, youth gangs, unemployment, school performance, antisemitism, homophobia, mosque density, attacks on firefighters, and NGO presence. Maréchal opened the conference by reflecting that formerly peaceful and stable societies are “rapidly transforming before our eyes into societies of violence and mistrust”, stating that “the main basis of trust between citizens is cultural homogeneity”, which is now fast eroding. She warned Europe is already under a great strain of “diffuse guerrilla activity”, which takes various forms, including “riots, looting, random attacks, anti-white racism, and terrorist attacks”. Weimers echoed the assessment, noting the impact of mass migration on cultural cohesion. The Swedish MEP...
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. is targeting profits to increase by about a third as it seeks growth without large acquisitions, a shift from its appetite for deals that had driven billion-dollar transactions in recent years. Japan’s second-largest lender is aiming for ¥2 trillion ($12.5 billion) in profit and a 13% return on tangible equity in three years, Chief Executive Officer Toru Nakash...
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. is targeting profits to increase by about a third as it seeks growth without large acquisitions, a shift from its appetite for deals that had driven billion-dollar transactions in recent years. Japan’s second-largest lender is aiming for ¥2 trillion ($12.5 billion) in profit and a 13% return on tangible equity in three years, Chief Executive Officer Toru Nakashima said in an interview. To achieve that, the banking giant that has snapped up targets from India to Vietnam is looking to build on areas such as sales and trading through its tie-up with Jefferies Financial Group Inc. and transaction banking. “Inorganic growth is not high on our mind for the next three years,” Nakashima said. “We are in an environment where we can make solid growth organically.” Sumitomo Mitsui has been one of the most aggressive dealmakers in Asia along with its domestic rivals. The firm and its core banking subsidiary have announced about $10 billion of financial deals since 2020, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It has sought to establish a full range of financial services in four overseas countries including India where it announced a landmark acquisition last year. The bank expects to post a record annual net income of ¥1.5 trillion for the year ending in March, helped by rising interest rates in Japan, and Nakashima said the bank can further boost earnings in coming years. The lender is set to report results in May, when it’ll also unveil a new three-year growth plan. Nakashima said these target figures may change if economic conditions drastically worsen in coming weeks. Japanese shares have been hard hit in recent weeks by the fallout from the Iran war and as the outlook for further rate hikes gets trickier to predict. Nakashima said the lender’s joint venture in Japan with Jefferies will be one of the key growth drivers for its new strategy starting in April. The partnership with the Wall Street firm to run stock research, sales and trad...
(RTTNews) - SUSS MicroTec SE (SESMF, SMHN.F) shares were losing around 3 percent in Germany after the manufacturer of equipment and process solutions for the semiconductor industry on Monday reported lower earnings and orders for fiscal 2025, even though sales were higher. Furthe
(RTTNews) - SUSS MicroTec SE (SESMF, SMHN.F) shares were losing around 3 percent in Germany after the manufacturer of equipment and process solutions for the semiconductor industry on Monday reported lower earnings and orders for fiscal 2025, even though sales were higher. Furthe
Torsten Asmus European equity markets started the week mostly unchanged. Investor caution grew as tensions with Iran continued, and President Trump mentioned potentially seizing Iran’s oil resources, and Houthi militants targeted Israel, contributing to rising oil prices and inflation concerns. Oil prices surged to their highest since 2022. London ( UKX ) +0.74% at 10,042.12 . Germany ( DAX:IND ) ...
Torsten Asmus European equity markets started the week mostly unchanged. Investor caution grew as tensions with Iran continued, and President Trump mentioned potentially seizing Iran’s oil resources, and Houthi militants targeted Israel, contributing to rising oil prices and inflation concerns. Oil prices surged to their highest since 2022. London ( UKX ) +0.74% at 10,042.12 . Germany ( DAX:IND ) +0.04% to 22,324.61 . France ( CAC:IND ) +0.36% to 7,729.84 . In other parts of Europe, in February 2026, retail trade in Spain increased by 2.2% year-on-year, down from 3.8% in January and below analysts' predictions. Sweden's retail sales rose by 2.4%, less than the previous month's 3.9%. Switzerland’s KOF Economic Barometer fell to 96.1 in March, the lowest since June 2025. The pan-European Stoxx 600 ( STOXX) traded 0.42% higher to 577.70 . European natural gas futures rose to €55.5 per MWh on Monday, a 73% surge so far in March, putting it on track for the strongest monthly gain since September 2021. Investors also turned their attention to a wave of key economic data due this week, including March inflation flash estimates from Europe’s major economies. Market sentiment has shifted sharply on ECB policy, with traders now pricing in at least two interest rate hikes this year. In the bond market , the yield on the US 10-year Treasury was slightly changed to 4.388%. The UK's 10-year yield was slightly changed to 4.951%. Germany's 10-year yield was slightly changed to 3.08% Currencies: ( EUR:USD ) ( GBP:USD ) ( CHF:USD ) ETFs: (NYSEARCA: EWG ), (NYSE: GF ), (NYSEARCA: EWI ), (NYSEARCA: EWQ ), (NASDAQ: FGM ), (NASDAQ: DAX ), (NYSEARCA: FLGR ), (NYSEARCA: FXB ), (NYSEARCA: EWU ), (NASDAQ: FKU ), (BATS: EWUS ), (NYSEARCA: FLGB ), (NYSEARCA: GREK ) More on Europe EUR/USD Found Support Above 1.1495, Potential Push Up Towards 'Expanding Wedge' Range Resistance GBP/USD Chart Alert: Bull Flag Pattern In Play Ahead Of Retail Sales Data Logical Skepticism For Peace Pulls The Petrodo...
Veronika Dul/iStock via Getty Images By Joseph V. Amato There will be multiple twists and turns over days, weeks and months, but a de-escalation in the Middle East conflict is more likely than not. March is typically the month when many of us follow college basketball and the “March Madness” of watching exciting men’s and women’s games. Not this year. As we enter the fifth week of the Gulf war, al...
Veronika Dul/iStock via Getty Images By Joseph V. Amato There will be multiple twists and turns over days, weeks and months, but a de-escalation in the Middle East conflict is more likely than not. March is typically the month when many of us follow college basketball and the “March Madness” of watching exciting men’s and women’s games. Not this year. As we enter the fifth week of the Gulf war, all eyes are on energy markets and geopolitical risks. What seems surprising is that risk markets have held up better than expected since the conflict ignited, causing a fissure in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East and forcing the effective closure of the most important energy chokepoint in the world. At the time of writing, the MSCI ACWI index is down about 8% since the conflict began on February 28 and down about 5% year-to-date. The U.S. rates market has also moved about 50 basis points higher, while credit spreads have remained relatively contained during the war. Global markets appear, therefore, to be rationalizing developments across a wide range of outcomes and arriving at a measured conclusion: de-escalation is the most likely path forward. The Strait of Hormuz is simply too important geopolitically and economically for its effective closure to persist. At the same time, the lower oil intensity of the global economy today has helped drive a more measured market response to the war. A Local Chokepoint of Global Importance Despite the lower oil intensity, the commodity is still critical to world economic activity. Approximately 20 million barrels of oil per day (around 20% of global supply) transit through the Strait, with large volumes of helium, liquified natural gas (LNG), refined fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and fertilizers also needing to move through, highlighting the channel's centrality to global industrial supply chains. The duration of this shock and the extent of the energy shortages remain the key variables. Even if a ceasefire is declared in...
Cheng Li-wun. Photo: Zhu He/China News Service/IC photo Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, will lead a delegation to the Chinese mainland in early April at the invitation of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Cheng will visit the province of Jiangsu and the municipalities...
Cheng Li-wun. Photo: Zhu He/China News Service/IC photo Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, will lead a delegation to the Chinese mainland in early April at the invitation of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Cheng will visit the province of Jiangsu and the municipalities of Shanghai and Beijing from April 7 to 12, according to an announcement Monday by Song Tao, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee. As reported by the state-run Xinhua News Agency, Song noted that Cheng had repeatedly expressed a desire to visit the mainland since taking office, adding that both sides will communicate to make proper arrangements.
Guo Xudong A former Chinese securities regulator once dubbed the “Iron Lady” of IPO approvals is facing prosecution for alleged bribery and serious duty-related violations, as Beijing intensifies scrutiny of ties between regulators and the companies they oversee. Guo Xudong, a former official at the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), has been transferred for prosecution, the country’s ...
Guo Xudong A former Chinese securities regulator once dubbed the “Iron Lady” of IPO approvals is facing prosecution for alleged bribery and serious duty-related violations, as Beijing intensifies scrutiny of ties between regulators and the companies they oversee. Guo Xudong, a former official at the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), has been transferred for prosecution, the country’s top anti-graft agency said Friday.
Are you planning to retire around the age of 62? If so, you won't be alone. According to the 2024 MassMutual Retirement Happiness Study, both retirees and pre-retirees see the age of 63 as a perfect retirement age -- and the average actual retirement age is very close to that, at 62. (It's probably not coincidental that 62 is also the earliest age at which you can claim your Social Security benefi...
Are you planning to retire around the age of 62? If so, you won't be alone. According to the 2024 MassMutual Retirement Happiness Study, both retirees and pre-retirees see the age of 63 as a perfect retirement age -- and the average actual retirement age is very close to that, at 62. (It's probably not coincidental that 62 is also the earliest age at which you can claim your Social Security benefits.) But should you join this crowd and retire at or around 62? There are some good reasons to think twice before doing so. Here are some. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Wei Li, global chief investment strategist at BlackRock, discusses her neutral stance on the overall direction of equities and how the conflict in the Middle East is prompting a thematic approach. (Source: Bloomberg)
Wei Li, global chief investment strategist at BlackRock, discusses her neutral stance on the overall direction of equities and how the conflict in the Middle East is prompting a thematic approach. (Source: Bloomberg)