From the business pages

Retail inflation stays around 5% The Times of India

India’s retail inflation is expected to remain just above 5 per cent until May before falling towards 3 per cent in July. Retail inflation in India eased last month to 5.09 per cent from 5.10 per cent due to falling prices in all categories except food. Core inflation dropped to 3.37 per cent, the lowest for 12 months. India’s central bank has raised interest rates to 6.5 per cent to fight inflation.

19.5m watch Oscars on US broadcaster Los Angeles Times

A lively Oscars ceremony helped boost the ABC broadcast to its largest audience since 2020. The Hollywood awards show was watched on ABC by an average audience of 19.5 million viewers, up 4 per cent on 2023, according to Nielsen data. It is the third year running the Oscars has grown since an alltime low of 10.5 million viewers in 2021 during the pandemic.

Bus boss suspected of terror funding The East African

The owner of a bus company that serves the northern parts of Kenya is among 16 bodies and individuals whom the US has sanctioned for allegedly funding Al-Shabaab terrorist group to the tune of Ksh14bn (£80m) annually. The Kenya-based businessman FYD, an Islamist banker, has been red-flagged as a conduit for funding AlShabaab, US officials said.

Inflation slows but still at 30-year high La Nacion

Argentina’s inflation slowed in February for a second consecutive month, as President Javier Milei continues to push austerity and deregulation measures in an effort to revive the country’s struggling economy. Monthly inflation slowed to 13.2 per cent last month, compared with 20.6 per cent in January. On an annual basis, inflation remains the highest in 30 years, topping 276.2 per cent in February.