With characteristic bravado, Donald Trump has vowed that if voters return him to the White House, “inflation will vanish completely." It’s a message tailored for Americans who are still exasperated by the jump in consumer prices that began 3 1/2 years ago. Yet most mainstream economists say Trump’s policy proposals wouldn`t vanquish inflation. They’d make it worse.

China employed a record 125 aircraft, as well as its Liaoning aircraft carrier and ships, in large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan and its outlying islands Monday, simulating the sealing off of key ports in a move that underscores the tense situation in the Taiwan Strait, officials said. China made clear it was to punish Taiwan`s president for rejecting Beijing`s claim of sovereignty over the self-governed island.

The European Union imposed sanctions Monday against prominent Iranian officials and entities, including airlines, accused of taking part in the transfer of missiles and drones for Russia to use against Ukraine. EU foreign ministers approved the sanctions on seven entities, including Iran Air, and seven individuals, including deputy defence minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari and senior officials of the Revolutionary Guards` Quds Force, the bloc said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un convened a top national security meeting to direct a plan of "immediate military action" in a dispute with the South over drone flights, state media reported Tuesday. The nuclear-armed North has accused Seoul of flying drones over its capital to drop anti-regime propaganda leaflets, with Pyongyang ordering troops on its border to be prepared to fire, and South Korea saying Monday it was "fully ready" to respond.