分类： 未分类

Union says US bailout of Spirit Airlines must protect employees

2026-04-24T13:46:30.775Z / Reuters

By David Shepardson

April 24, 2026 1:46 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

April 24 (Reuters) – A union representing workers at Spirit Airlines said on Friday any U.S. bailout of ​the bankrupt low-cost carrier must protect employees.

The Trump administration has made ‌a financing offer to help the airline exit bankruptcy that was being reviewed by its major creditors, Marshall Huebner, an outside lawyer for Spirit, said on Thursday.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

The International Association of ​Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents Spirit’s ramp service employees, said any ​bailout must require “no furloughs, no layoffs, and no shifting the burden ⁠onto the very people who keep this airline running.”

Spirit’s problems predate the ​Iran war, but spiking fuel prices since it began in late February have made ​its situation worse.

The liquidation of Spirit would eliminate more than 17,000 jobs and generate billions of dollars in claims, Huebner said.

The union cited a pandemic-era government rescue program for airlines that ​included limits on executive compensation and restrictions on stock buybacks and dividends.

A lawyer ​for some Spirit creditors said in court on Thursday they had reviewed a term sheet ‌of ⁠the government’s offer that sources say includes $500 million in financing and a condition the government receive warrants equal to 90% of Spirit’s equity.

The senior debtor-in-possession financing would help Spirit exit its second bankruptcy restructuring since 2025.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday ​his administration was ​looking at buying ⁠the embattled airline at the “right price.” “When the price of oil goes down, we would sell it for a profit,” he ​told reporters at the White House.

The Florida-based budget carrier is ​running short ⁠on time. Huebner has said Spirit needs new financing or access to $240 million of its funds by the end of next week.

While a deal would keep Spirit afloat ⁠at ​a time when higher fuel prices eat into ​carriers’ profits, the prospect of a U.S. government-funded bailout has led to pushback from within the airline ​industry and among members of Trump’s Republican Party.

Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Rod Nickel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

日本靖国神社春季大祭结束 高市未参拜

2026年4月24日 18:52 / 联合早报

日本靖国神社春季大祭结束 高市未参拜

位于东京千代田区靖国神社供奉着二战甲级战犯，高市早苗并未在春季大祭期间前去参拜。 （法新社）

据日本媒体报道，日本首相高市早苗并未在靖国神社春季例行大祭期间前去参拜。

位于东京九段北的靖国神社春季例行大祭星期四（4月23日）晚间结束，高市早苗在此次大祭期间未参拜。高市在首日21日供奉了称为“真榊”的供品，22日自费献上“玉串料”（祭祀费）。

日本共同社引述分析说，高市可能是顾及双边关系趋冷的中国和关系持续改善的韩国。此次例行大祭期间，高市内阁的阁僚中经济财政担当相城内实进行参拜。

靖国神社内供奉着包括东条英机在内的14名二战甲级战犯。高市在担任阁僚期间也曾配合终战日和春秋例行大祭前往参拜，但在即将就任首相的去年10月秋季例行大祭时放弃了参拜。

10 cartel members linked to brother of drug lord “El Chapo” captured in Mexico in operation aided by U.S. intelligence

April 24, 2026 / 6:35 AM EDT / CBS/AFP

Mexican soldiers captured three of the closest allies of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s brother in an operation backed by U.S. intelligence, the military said Thursday.

Ten members of the faction of the Sinaloa cartel led by Aureliano Guzman Loera, known as “El Guano,” were captured in the operation.

The raid was carried out with intelligence provided by the U.S., the military said.

The detentions took place in Tamazula, a mountainous village near the border between the states of Durango and Sinaloa where “El Guano” exercised his greatest influence.

Among the detained were Aureliano’s Guzman’s “right-hand man,” chief bodyguard, and financial and logistical aide, the defense secretary said in a statement.

Mexican marines supported by helicopters had deployed in December to the same region on another operation to try and capture Aureliano Guzman, according to local journalists. The U.S. State Department has offered a reward of $5 million for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Aureliano Guzman Loera, alias “El Guano.” U.S. Department of State

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is carrying out a life sentence in the United States, where two of his sons are also awaiting trial.

His associates have unleashed a war over control of the Sinaloa cartel against factions tied to Ismael Zambada, the cofounder of the group who is also awaiting trial in the United States.

The military raid in the mountainous sierra where “El Chapo” used to hide took place amid tensions between Mexico and the United States over the presence of two U.S. agents in an anti-narcotics operation carried out without the apparent approval of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration. The U.S. agents were killed alongside two Mexican officials in a car crash following a raid on a clandestine drug lab.

The two Americans who died in the crash were employees of the Central Intelligence Agency, multiple people familiar with the matter told CBS News. The CIA declined to comment.

Sheinbaum has repeatedly rejected military aid offered by President Donald Trump to combat cartels.

The Mexican leader said that support from Washington should be limited to intelligence sharing, while prohibiting on-the-ground actions with foreign agents without authorization from the federal government.

Sheinbaum said Wednesday that she is considering possible sanctions against the government of Chihuahua — a state bordering Texas — for allowing the CIA agents to participate in the operation.

The U.S. agents killed were “instructor officers” who “were carrying out training tasks” as part of binational anti-drug cooperation, state prosecutor Cesar Jauregui told reporters. Jauregui called the targeted labs “one of the largest sites found in the country where chemical drugs were produced.”

U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson expressed his condolences on social media but he and other officials provided few details of the incident.

Mexico has announced the dismantling of numerous drug labs in recent months after Mr. Trump threatened possible military action to curb drug trafficking. In February, Mexican naval personnel discovered a hidden drug laboratory in the country’s Durango region and “neutralized” over 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine.

金融机构加大核武投资 反核组织：或推高核军备竞赛

2026年4月24日 19:02 / 联合早报

美俄的《新削减战略武器条约》已于今年2月5日到期失效，这引发了核军备竞赛将加速的担忧。图为2018年3月26日，一枚未携带弹头的“三叉”导弹，从美国海军俄亥俄级弹道导弹潜艇上在加州近海进行试射。 （路透社档案照片）

（日内瓦综合电）反核团体指出，金融机构正加大对核武器生产的投资，并警告在全球冲突日益增多之际，这一趋势可能进一步推高本已飙升的军费开支，助推新核军备竞赛。

美国和俄罗斯的《新削减战略武器条约》（New START）已在今年2月5日到期失效。专家一直警告，随着核武国家卷入欧洲、亚洲和中东冲突之际，而长期以来为裁军和防止核武器扩散所做的努力似乎正在瓦解，一场新的核军备竞赛正在酝酿之中。

在星期五（4月24日）发布的一份新报告中，诺贝尔和平奖得主“国际废除核武器运动”（ICAN）和另一个反核武组织PAX指出，越来越多金融机构正在对参与核武器生产的公司进行投资，帮助全球九个拥核国扩充和现代化它们的核武库。

根据这份年度报告，截至2025年9月，共有301家银行、养老基金、保险公司和其他金融机构对参与核武器生产的公司进行融资或投资。与去年同期相比，这一数字增长15%，扭转多年来的下滑趋势。

ICAN项目主管斯奈德在声明中指出：“多年来，试图从军备竞赛中获利的投资者数量首次出现上升趋势。”

也是报告共同作者的斯奈德警告，这是一种短期且高风险的策略，只会加剧危险的局势升级，而“要从中获利，就不可能不助长军备竞赛”。

拥核国对核武库进行现代化 推高核武器需求

根据报告，俄罗斯、美国、中国、法国、英国、巴基斯坦、印度、以色列和朝鲜这九个拥核国目前正在对它们的核武库进行现代化改造，当中还有许多在扩充规模，“从而推动了对这些武器的需求”。

报告列出25家参与核武器生产的公司，其中霍尼韦尔国际（Honeywell International）、通用动力（General Dynamics）和诺斯洛普·格鲁曼（Northrop Grumman）获利最多。其他主要生产商包括英国航空航天系统公司（BAE）、贝克特尔（Bechtel）和洛克希德·马丁（Lockheed Martin）。

不过报告也强调，一些金融机构已证明，放弃与核武器相关的投资仍可获得可观利润。

反核组织说，截至2025年底，明确避免投资核武公司的机构所管理的资产总规模已超过4万亿美元（约5.1万亿新元）。

中东战事耗美军弹药库存 美前官员吁台强化自身战备

2026年4月24日 19:09 / 联合早报

美国国防部前官员胡振东（图）星期五（4月24日）在一场台北座谈会警告，美军在中东消耗的是美国本土战备库存，而这同样是未来印太战事后续增援所需来源，对台湾安全形成间接风险。 （缪宗翰摄）

美以伊战争持续消耗美军精准弹药，加上台湾军购特别条例持续搁置，引发美国内部对台湾防卫能力的讨论。美国前国防部官员胡振东星期五（4月24日）在台北一场座谈会警告，美军在中东消耗的是美国本土战备库存，而这同样是未来印太战事后续增援所需来源，对台湾安全形成间接风险。

台海安全议题近期同时受美国弹药供应链压力，以及台湾内部军购政治拉扯牵动。赖清德政府推动国防特别条例，希望以特别预算强化防空、反导、无人机等战力，但在野党要求厘清采购清单、交付期程与产业合作，朝野协商迟迟未能突破；另一方面，中东战事扩大后，美国是否有足够弹药同时支应欧洲、中东与印太需求，也成为华盛顿评估防卫台湾计划时必须面对的新变数。

《华尔街日报》星期四（23日）引述美国官员透露，自对伊朗开战以来，美军已发射超过1000枚长程战斧巡航导弹，并动用1500至2000枚关键防空导弹，包括萨德、爱国者与标准导弹拦截弹。完全补充相关库存可能需要长达六年，若北京短期内对台动武，恐影响美国防卫台湾的作战计划。

不过，美国印太司令部司令帕帕罗星期二（21日）在国会作证时表示，伊朗战争让美军获得宝贵实战经验，“目前为止，我看不到这对我们吓阻中国的能力造成任何实质成本”。

白宫新闻秘书莱维特也称，相关报道的整体前提错误，美军具备充足武器与弹药，可防卫本土并执行总统下令的军事行动。

然而，美国国防部前官员胡振东星期五在台北出席国策研究院座谈会发言时研判，伊朗战争虽属有限区域冲突，但华盛顿过去50天采取的部分决策与行动，已给美国应对另一场重大突发事态的能力带来风险。

胡振东在美国空军服役长达27年，担任过美国国防部中国大陆与台湾事务官员，也曾任职于美国在台协会及大型国防企业。

他特别点名AGM-158-ER增程型空对地距外导弹（JASSM-ER）与战斧导弹的消耗，指这类昂贵的长程匿踪导弹，更需要用于应对俄罗斯或中国等不同性质的对手。但美国今年仅采购396枚，却在四星期内使用超过1000枚；战斧导弹方面，今年也只采购150枚，却在伊朗战争最初30天使用850枚，约占库存四分之一。

胡振东认为，中国正利用伊朗消耗美国战备库存，并在停火期间通过巴基斯坦陆路及运-20运输机，向伊朗提供防空与反舰武器；美国必须避免落入这一陷阱。

不过，他研判美国印太司令与五角大厦参谋长联席会议，不会允许动用太平洋地区战备物资，因为中国仍是唯一能威胁美国国家生存的国家。但支援欧洲和中东需求的战备物资来自美国本土，而这也是印太地区一旦发生战争时，印太司令部后续增援所需的同一来源，因此会对台湾安全形成间接影响。

胡振东认为，台湾应建立能源韧性、降低对外部能源供应的依赖、增加能源储备，并认为近期检视重启核电厂是必要之举；同时也须增加弹药库存，并兴建强化弹药掩体，因为一旦战争爆发，弹药消耗速度可能超过预期。

在美国方面忧心中东战事影响对台军事协助的同时，台湾立法院朝野党团星期四历时三小时，协商卡关已久的国防特别条例草案，对采购项目、匡列金额等深水区课题仍无共识。

据台湾媒体报道，就在同一天，美国在台协会邀请多名在野党立委与美台军工产业座谈，讨论重点放在台湾无人机、AI与军工产业合作。

受邀的国民党立委徐巧芯星期五受访时说，美方过去可能较常直接与国防部或民进党沟通，现在也明白在野党力量重要， “在野党的重要性现在已经被高度重视且提升到较高的位阶”。

她并强调，会中没有讨论军购数字或立法院协商内容。

Conservative super PAC threatens to unseat Republicans over immigration bill

2026-04-24 10:04:49 UTC / Reuters

By David Hood-Nuño

April 24, 2026 10:04 AM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

U.S. Rep Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) speaks during a news conference to recognize Cuban Independence Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Homeland PAC targets Republicans backing DIGNIDAD Act
• Act divides party, balancing border security funding with limited legal status for immigrants
• Latino voters’ shifting priorities and influence could impact control of Congress

April 24 (Reuters) – House Republicans are facing a fresh challenge in the 2026 midterms: the Homeland Political Action Committee, a new conservative super PAC targeting Republican members of Congress who support immigration reform legislation.

The group’s initial ​goal is to unseat Republicans who support the bipartisan DIGNIDAD Act, a comprehensive immigration reform bill authored by Florida Republican Representative María Elvira Salazar, according to the ‌PAC’s founder Ryan Girdusky.

Jumpstart your morning with the latest legal news delivered straight to your inbox from The Daily Docket newsletter. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

He said the bill is a betrayal of the president and the party’s values. And while he’d like to target every Republican who supports it, that strategy isn’t feasible with the party’s razor-thin majority in the House.

“We’re not here to burn the party down,” he said. “It’s to challenge pro-amnesty Republicans in safe Republican seats and to defend Republicans in challenging seats or in swing districts that need support.”

The DIGNIDAD Act, which has ​19 Republican co-sponsors, would allow immigrants without legal status to stay, work and live in the country unless they have a criminal record. It does impose an annual fine ​on people here illegally and does not provide a pathway to citizenship. The bill also provides the Department of Homeland Security with billions in ⁠funding for securing the border with advanced technology.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Girdusky founded the 1776 Project PAC, which has raised more than $5 million largely from small donors since early 2025 to back conservative local school board candidates ​across the country, according to federal filings.

He hosts a political podcast called “It’s a Numbers Game with Ryan Girdusky.” In 2024, he was banned from CNN for telling Muslim journalist Mehdi Hasan “I hope ​your beeper doesn’t go off,” a reference to fatal Israeli attacks on Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon in 2024 that Girdusky calls a joke.

Girdusky is looking to place House Republicans in a bind: defend Trump’s immigration policy or potentially face a primary contest from a Homeland PAC-endorsed candidate.

In addition to Salazar, Girdusky’s hit list includes Republicans in safe GOP districts who back the DIGNIDAD Act, including Representatives Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania, Marlin Stutzman and Jim Baird of Indiana.

All ​four face primary opponents in their respective races. Girdusky hasn’t endorsed or supported any challenger in those races yet, but plans to if their values align.

Other Republicans who support the DIGNIDAD ​Act are either retiring, like Reps. Dan Newhouse of Washington and Neal Dunn of Florida, or running in tight races like Reps. Young Kim and David Valadao of California.

Representatives for each Republican did not respond to ‌a request ⁠for comment.

Girdusky said he believes Homeland PAC will appeal to conservative voters who listed immigration enforcement or border security as their top issue.

The campaign against the bill highlights a strategic tension for the Republican Party, which is caught between Trump and his supporters who want an aggressive immigration policy and alienating Latino voters.

Homeland PAC has not received the blessing of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is facing a tough fight to retain control of the chamber in November, Girdusky said, in conversations with Johnson and his political team.

A spokesperson for Johnson’s political operations did not respond to a request for ​comment.

Latino voters swung heavily for Trump in 2024 ​on pocketbook issues like inflation and high ⁠cost of living. Trump won an estimated 48% of the Latino vote in 2024, up 12 percentage points from 36% in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.

But a majority of Latinos said it has become harder to afford everyday expenses than just a few years ago, according ​to a nationwide poll of 2,413 Latinos by the civic participation group Voto Latino in late March and early April this year.

And a Reuters/Ipsos poll ​found this week that Trump’s ⁠aggressive campaign to deport immigrants could weigh on Republicans in November’s elections. Some 52% of Americans said they were less likely to support a candidate who backs Trump’s approach to deportations.

Salazar isn’t worried about fractures in her alliance, which includes 20 Democrats, but she is worried about Republicans losing control of the House in November.

“There is a very important coalition of Hispanics, the largest and fastest growing minority in ⁠the country, ​Salazar said. “These people feel targeted, and they feel that they are not welcome in the Republican Party and that ​concerns me.”

Latinos have never voted in one, uniform way in the U.S., said Daniel Alegre, CEO of the Spanish-language media company TelevisaUnivision. But in recent election cycles, Latinos have prioritized economic issues over party loyalty.

“Ignore the Hispanic vote at your ​own peril,” Alegre said. “It’s the Hispanic vote in so many of the key races that will determine the control of Congress.”

Reporting by David Hood-Nuño; Editing by Michael Learmonth, Kat Stafford and Alistair Bell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

60-foot octopus prowled seas as apex predator during age of dinosaurs, fossilized jaws show

April 24, 2026 / 7:39 AM EDT / CBS/AP

The top predator prowling the seas during the age of the dinosaurs 100 million years ago may have been the octopus.

New analyses of fossilized jaws reveal that massive, kraken-like octopuses once hunted alongside other marine predators. They boasted eight arms and long bodies that extended more than 60 feet, rivaling other carnivorous marine reptiles.

“These krakens must have been a fearsome sight to behold,” University of Alabama paleontologist Adiel Klompmaker said in an email. He had no role in the new research.

Dinosaur fans know that late Cretaceous-era waters were ruled by sharp-toothed sharks and sea reptiles known as mosasaurs and plesiosaurs.

Why do octopuses get left out of the mix? Scientists have studied giant octopus relatives that roamed when dinosaurs were around, and researched some small octopuses that drilled into clams. But since their soft bodies don’t preserve well, it’s hard to figure out exactly how big the creatures got.

There’s also a perception that squishy invertebrates — creatures without backbones — weren’t formidable enough to join the ranks of top predators. But octopus’ beaks made of stiffened chitin are tough enough to crush shelled and bony critters.

In the new study, researchers studied the jaws of 15 ancient octopus fossils that were previously found in Japan and Canada’s Vancouver Island. They also identified 12 more jaws from Japan using a technique they created called digital fossil mining, which closely scans rocks in cross-sections to reveal fossils hiding inside.

They compared the jaws to that of modern-day octopuses to estimate how large the creatures may have been, and determined that the ancient octopuses ranged from 23 to 62 feet in length. The largest jaw was substantially bigger than that of any modern octopus, said co-author and paleontologist Yasuhiro Iba with Hokkaido University in an email.

Iba told Reuters that the predator is one of the largest invertebrates on record.

“Until now, the largest-known invertebrate has been the modern giant squid, which can reach about 12 meters (39 feet) in total length,” Iba said.

An artist’s reconstruction of a finned octopus of the species Nanaimoteuthis haggarti that reached a length estimated at up to 18.6 meters (61.02 feet) and lived about 86 to 72 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, released on April 23, 2026. Yohei Utsuki/Hokkaido University/Handout via REUTERS

The researchers also found that the largest creatures’ jaws had significant wear and tear including scratches, chips and rounded edges, suggesting that “the animals repeatedly crushed hard prey such as shells and bones,” said Iba.

Without access to the octopuses’ stomach contents, it’s hard to know for sure what they were eating or whether they truly competed with other top predators for their meals. They could have snacked on fish or snails, snatching prey with flexible arms and breaking it apart with their beaks.

“Our findings show that powerful jaws, and the loss of superficial skeletons, convergently transformed cephalopods and marine vertebrates into huge, intelligent predators,” the researchers said about the findings were published Thursday in the journal Science.

Looking for octopus fossils in other places might help scientists get a clearer idea of how they factor into ancient food webs, said paleontologist Neil Landman with the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

“It’s a big old planet,” said Landman, who wasn’t involved with the new research. “So we have lots to look at to piece together the marine ecosystem through time.”

Earlier this month, a prehistoric fossil previously thought to belong to the world’s oldest octopus was reclassified as something else, after scientists discovered the remains actually belonged to a different type of sea creature. It turned out the fossilized remains listed by Guinness World Records as the earliest known octopus belong instead to a relative of a nautilus, a cephalopod with both tentacles and a shell.

伊朗战事冲击亚洲聚酯供应链 或推高全球快时尚成本

2026年4月24日 19:12 / 联合早报

伊朗战事冲击亚洲聚酯供应链 或推高全球快时尚成本

印度服装制造业者说，伊朗战争导致的能源危机大幅推高化学品和染料成本，波及整个服装供应链。图为印度苏拉特的宾达尔丝绸厂内，工人正在包装印花聚酯纤维布匹。 （路透社）

（苏拉特路透电）自伊朗战争爆发以来，飙升的化石燃料价格不断挤压印度和孟加拉国的聚酯纤维（polyester）供应和服装制造业，可能推高Zara和H&M等快时尚零售商的成本。

亚洲是服装供应链领的主导力量，但近来受中东战事冲击，印度、孟加拉和中国的聚酯纤维价格都在上涨，给生产商带来压力。

印度聚酯纱线生产巨头菲拉泰克斯（Filatex）的董事总经理巴格里亚说，由于中国供应商提价且中东供应中断，公司用于生产纱线的石油衍生原料——精对苯二甲酸（PTA）和单乙二醇（MEG）的采购成本已上涨近30%。

位于印度西部纺织业中心苏拉特的宾达尔丝绸厂（Bindal Silk Mills），向H&M、Zara母公司Inditex、塔吉特（Target）、沃尔玛和宜家等零售商提供染色和印花聚酯纤维面料，现在却难以满足全球订单需求。

苏拉特纺织商协会联合会主席哈基姆说，由于成本上涨，苏拉特的纺织印染厂现在被迫每周停工两天，此前仅为一天。“如果这种情况持续下去，原材料会出现短缺，工厂就不得不停产。”

由石油衍生品制成的聚酯纤维是纺织业的关键材料。霍尔木兹海峡封锁后，精炼石油产品供应紧缩，直接冲击供应链依赖聚酯纤维的零售商。

Zara和H&M等零售商已转而主要使用由废弃塑料瓶制成的再生聚酯纤维。这或能缓解部分由油价上涨带来的成本压力，但全球范围内，再生聚酯纤维仅占聚酯总产量的12%。

行业消息人士称，H&M预计，未来几周孟加拉供应商就会提价，不过目前还未发现生产出现重大中断或供应商因能源成本而要求调整订单的明显迹象。

中国外交部长王毅（左）星期五（4月24日）在泰国政府大楼内与泰国首相阿努廷会面时，跟对方交谈。 （路透社）

中国外交部长王毅在与泰国首相阿努廷会面时表示，希望泰方加大打击网赌电诈力度，为中泰关系营造良好环境。

据中国外交部官网消息，王毅星期五（4月24日）在曼谷与阿努廷会面。

王毅说，面对变乱交织国际形势，中方愿同泰方相互尊重、相互信任、相互支持，弘扬传统友谊，加强战略协作，拓展新能源、基础设施建设、农业等领域合作，推动构建更为稳定、更加繁荣、更可持续的中泰命运共同体，不断为地区稳定与发展作出新贡献。

王毅表示，中方将支持首相阿努廷带领泰国新一届政府加快发展经济，改善民生福祉。希望泰方加大打击网赌电诈力度，为中泰关系营造良好环境。作为泰柬共同朋友，中方愿继续为双方接触对话、重建互信、改善关系搭建平台。

据路透社报道，泰国政府在声明中说，王毅在与阿努廷会面时表明，希望泰国和柬埔寨在去年发生两轮军事冲突后，能够改善两国关系。

声明也指出，泰中两国都对打击网络诈骗活动给予高度重视。

日本3月核心消费者价格加速上涨 高油价恐加剧通胀

2026年4月24日 16:15 / 联合早报

日本3月剔除生鲜食品的核心消费者价格同比上涨1.8%。图为爱知县阿玛市的罗宾汉商店。 （彭博社）

日本核心消费者价格五个月来首次加速上涨，表明即便在高油价影响尚未全面传导至经济之前，通货膨胀压力已在积聚。

彭博社引述日本总务省星期五（4月24月）公布的数据说，3月剔除生鲜食品的核心消费者价格同比上涨1.8%。这一升幅高于经济学家预估中值1.7%，也高于前一个月的1.6%。汽油价格跌幅收窄对通胀指标形成支撑。

3月份剔除生鲜食品和能源的消费者价格同比上涨2.4%，继续高于央行2%的目标。整体消费者价格涨幅则加快至1.5%。

在最新通胀数据出炉之际，国际油价居高不下并且日元持续疲弱，推高了进口成本。不过，知情人士此前透露，由于中东冲突带来的不确定性，日本央行倾向于下周议息时维持基准利率不变。

目前原油价格较伊朗战争爆发前的水平高出约50%，令日本面临压力。日本几乎全部石油依赖进口，超过90%的原油通常经由霍尔木兹海峡运输。