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As the clock ticks down towards the next “bitcoin halving” – an event coded into the cryptocurrency’s algorithm to slow down the introduction of new coins into circulation – we take a deep dive into the history of bitcoin and the blockchain technology powering it. Plus, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro remains defiant after the US decision to reimpose sanctions on his country’s oil sector. 

On a visit to steelworkers in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, US President Joe Biden accused China of dumping cheap steel on global markets and called for sharply higher tariffs on Chinese metal products. Plus, former and current Boeing engineers, including whistleblower Sam Salehpour, testify in the US Senate about the planemaker’s safety culture. 

As the US government and its allies mull new sanctions on Iran after Tehran’s missile and drone attack on Israel, we look at whether existing sanctions have been effective at stemming the flow of Iranian oil to global markets. Also in this edition, we see how global oil markets are reacting to the crisis in the Middle East. Plus, the Canadian government unveils a new budget that promises to increase taxes on the rich, while boosting spending on education and housing.

China’s National Bureau of Statistics said on Monday that the country’s economy grew to the tune of 5.3 percent in the first three months of the year, ahead of economists’ expectations. Manufacturing and infrastructure are fuelling that growth, while housing and domestic consumption are still a source of concern. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is on a three-day visit to China, Berlin’s top trading partner.

Crude oil prices subside as traders bet that the worst is over in tensions between Iran and Israel, although fears remain. Meanwhile, investors charge into safe-haven assets like gold, and Chinese market regulators roll out new investor protections.