MONTEREY PARK, US:  Californians filling up their cars on Friday winced at the spiraling cost of gasoline, but largely shrugged as residents of the state that has long had the highest gas prices in the United States. 

WASHINGTON: Russia’s blocking of Facebook is a symptom of its broader effort to cut itself off from sources of information that could imperil its internationally condemned invasion of Ukraine, experts say. 

BEIJING: An isolated Russia could be driven further into China’s arms economically in the wake of sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine, but Beijing appears wary of offering a warm embrace. 

GENEVA: Switzerland’s newly-adopted tough stance on Russia has forced the Swiss economy to readjust to sanctions, blowing a wind of panic through the raw materials market in particular. 

HONG KONG, China: Stocks rose yesterday after Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell said the bank would hike interest rates gradually to fight inflation, though oil marched towards $120 as the Ukraine conflict continues to roil energy markets. 

BERLIN: The invasion of Ukraine has thrown Germany’s problematic dependence on Russian gas into stark relief, forcing Europe’s largest economy to urgently reshape its energy mix. 

BEIJING: A property downturn, slowing economy and war in Ukraine loom large over this week’s annual convening of China’s legislature, with policymakers expected to focus on shoring up faltering growth. 

LONDON: World oil prices rallied and European equities sank yesterday with investors unnerved by key crude producer Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

HONG KONG: Hong Kongers stripped shop shelves bare yesterday as panic buying set in following mixed messaging from the government over whether it plans a China-style hard lockdown this month.