Magnitude 5.1 quake hits Japan’s Tokara Islands, no tsunami or damage
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Japan’s Tokara Islands early Wednesday with no tsunami warning or damage reported....
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he has ordered U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt production of the one-cent penny, citing excessive costs.
“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful! I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies,” Trump wrote. “Let’s rip the waste out of our great nation’s budget, even if it’s a penny at a time.”
The penny, first issued in 1793, has featured President Abraham Lincoln since 1909 and is composed of zinc and copper.
The Longstanding Penny Debate
The debate over eliminating the penny has been ongoing for years. In 2013, economist Henry Aaron from the Brookings Institution argued for scrapping both pennies and nickels, calling them “monetary detritus.”
Supporters of the penny claim it helps keep consumer prices lower and benefits charities, while critics argue it is mostly discarded and unnecessary in modern transactions.
What’s Next?
If the penny is phased out, one proposal is to round prices to the nearest zero, simplifying transactions. The decision marks another step in Trump’s cost-cutting agenda.
The U.S. economy faces a 40% risk of recession in the second half of 2025, JP Morgan analysts said on Wednesday, citing rising tariffs and stagflation concerns.
China has ramped up efforts to protect communities impacted by flood control measures, introducing stronger compensation policies and direct aid from the central government.
Severe rain in Venezuela has caused rivers to overflow and triggered landslides, sweeping away homes and collapsing a highway bridge, with five states affected and no casualties reported so far.
A malfunction in the radar transmission system at the Area Control Center in Milan suspended more than 300 flights at the weekend, across northwest Italy since Saturday evening according to Italy's air traffic controller Enav (National Agency for Flight Assistance).
Thousands of protesters rallied in Bangkok on Saturday, demanding Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra resign as political and economic tensions mount.
Oil prices plunged more than 12% last week, ending a three-week rally, with experts expecting them to stabilize around $60 if the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Arab Fund have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to formalize a strategic partnership focused on advancing sustainable infrastructure in shared priority regions.
Tesla’s new car registrations plunged sharply in June, dropping 64.4% in Sweden and 61.6% in Denmark compared to last year, highlighting growing challenges for the U.S. electric vehicle maker in these Nordic markets.
More than $2.5 billion in new deals and commitments between the United States and African partners were announced at the 17th summit, underscoring the U.S. commitment to prioritizing trade over aid by engaging Africans as equal partners in investment-driven growth, the State Department announced.
Gold prices edged higher on Monday after slipping to their lowest level in more than a month, supported by a weakening U.S. dollar and easing geopolitical tensions that have tempered safe-haven demand.
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