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Washington – The International Monetary Fund will forecast steady global growth and continuing disinflation when it releases an updated World Economic Outlook on Jan. 17, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told reporters Friday. Georgieva said the U.S. economy was doing “quite a bit better” than expected, although there was high uncertainty around the trade policies of the administration of President-elect Donald Trump that was adding to headwinds facing the global economy and driving long-term interest rates higher. With inflation moving closer to the U.S. Federal Reserve’s target, and data showing a stable labor market, the Fed could afford to wait for more data before undertaking further interest rate cuts, she said. Overall, interest rates were expected to stay “somewhat higher for quite some time,” she said. Source link

More modern than you may think, filled ‘dorayaki’ pancakes have a past almost as sweet as the treat itself. Source link

“Wafu Cooking: Everyday Recipes with Japanese Style” coins the term “wafuing” — shorthand for bringing Japanese flavors into anything and everything. Source link

Caracas – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a third term Friday in a ceremony decried as illegitimate by the opposition and internationally, with Washington offering a $25 million reward for his arrest. A defiant Maduro, 62, adorned with an oversized yellow, blue and red presidential sash, shrugged off the outcry over his unproven claim to have won another six-year term, saying that his investiture was a “great victory for Venezuelan democracy.” His challenger in July’s election, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, recognized by the United States and much of Latin America as the legitimate winner, said Maduro had “crowned himself a dictator” and staged a “coup.” Source link

Outstanding bank lending in Japan stood at a record high of ¥605.8 trillion at the end of 2024, up 4.4% from a year before, according to industry data. The increase reflected strong corporate demand for working capital amid rising raw materials prices and the yen’s weakening, as well as brisk capital investment mainly by large companies. The data, released Friday, covered 110 member banks of the Japanese Bankers Association. The pace of overall lending growth was faster than the 3.3% recorded at the end of 2023, when the growth of financing demand slowed somewhat after a post-pandemic spike. Five major banks boosted lending by 6.3% in 2024. Loans extended by regional and second-tier regional banks rose 3.7% and 2.1%, respectively. Trust banks, whose loan business is shrinking, reduced lending by 4%. “With interest rates expected to rise in the future, companies may be moving to secure funds while interest rates are low,” an association official said. Deposits excluding checks and bills at the 110 member banks grew 2.4% to ¥933.9 trillion. Source link

Eight students at a Tokyo university attacked by a hammer-wielding woman in a classroom are recuperating and none required hospitalization, their school has said. A 22-year-old student who identified herself as South Korean was arrested on the spot Friday on suspicion of assault, a Tokyo police spokesman said. Several reports had said people were seen bleeding from the head after the attack, which had been motivated by frustration over bullying. Source link

BEIRUT/DAMASCUS – U.S., French and German envoys have warned Syria’s new Islamist rulers that their appointment of foreign jihadis to senior military posts is a security concern and bad for their image as they try to forge ties with foreign states, two sources familiar with the matter said. The warning from the U.S., part of Western efforts to get Syria’s new leaders to reconsider the move, was delivered in a meeting between U.S. envoy Daniel Rubinstein and Syria’s de facto ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa, on Wednesday at the presidential palace overlooking Damascus, a U.S. official said. “These appointments will not help them with their reputation in the U.S.,” the official said. Source link

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson received 30 first-place votes to lead the 2024 NFL All-Pro Team, the Associated Press announced Friday. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen trailed Jackson with 18 first-place votes, with Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow nabbing two, as chosen by a national panel of 50 media voters. This is Jackson’s third All-Pro nod, having earned the honors in 2019 and 2023, both years in which he was also named NFL MVP. The only quarterbacks with more All-Pro nominations in the Super Bowl era are Peyton Manning (7) and Aaron Rodgers (4). Source link

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is looking to get more than $1 billion a year from its next media-rights deal, according to people with knowledge of the matter, more than double what the current contract holder ESPN pays. The UFC’s deal with Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN expires at the end of 2025, and the two sides are entering an exclusive negotiating window later this month. The mixed-martial-arts league had already begun informal conversations, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private talks. TKO Group Holdings, which owns the UFC, is looking to take advantage of a strong market for sports rights. Most of the major U.S. leagues already have long-term deals, making the UFC one of the biggest sports packages on the market for the next few years. Source link

Indonesia and Japan’s leaders pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation on several fronts including defense, energy and food security at a meeting Saturday, as Tokyo seeks to boost its influence in Southeast Asia. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba became the first foreign leader to visit Indonesia this year, meeting President Prabowo Subianto a day after visiting neighboring Malaysia. Japan aims to collaborate with Indonesia on boosting renewable energy, and to boost defense ties in areas such as maritime security and technology transfer, Ishiba said after the meeting. Prabowo called on Japan to collaborate on its priorities, which include a free lunch program for schools and the downstreaming of natural resources. Source link