内容摘要：Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the agreement with Italy was a “one off” and that Tirana had turned down several requests for similar deals with other countries, ruling out the possibility that the U.K. would send rejected asylum-seekers there.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the agreement with Italy was a “one off” and that Tirana had turned down several requests for similar deals with other countries, ruling out the possibility that the U.K. would send rejected asylum-seekers there.

The dish the ambassadors were judged on has its own story.It’s made with what are known as “road runner” chickens — hardy free-range birds whose tough, flavorful meat is deemed by many to be tastier than that of commercially bred chickens. Known for scavenging and surviving in harsh rural conditions, the chickens are a staple of Zimbabwe village cuisine and often command high prices in urban restaurants.

The cookoff organized by Zimbabwe’s popular online foodie community TeamFulo encouraged the foreign envoys to do more than just cook a good meal.They visited rural and township markets to source their ingredients, learned local cooking practices and immersed themselves in Zimbabwean food, humor and culture. From bargaining at the markets in the local Shona language to cooking on open fires with clay or iron pots, and even tossing in some Zimbabwean slang for flair, the contestants dived in and posted their progress on social media.For Zimbabweans following online, it provided a rare chance to see foreign diplomats embrace local life with seemingly genuine interest and humility. Followers cheered the ambassadors on and assigned them Shona totems — symbols of kinship and respect.

Australian Ambassador Minoli Perera, whose dish took second place, knelt on a reed mat, blowing into a fire. She stirred a huge iron pot similar to those usually used for big rural feasts. Fans dubbed her “Chihera,” a revered totem associated with a lineage of assertive, independent women.One gushed: “Ambassador, you are truly a daughter-in-law of Africa. I love it, I love it!”

British Ambassador Pete Vowles was a fan favorite. Video of him roasting and pounding peanuts and preparing other ingredients was accompanied by his best Shona commentary for each step. His experience riding home in a packed public minibus while cradling a live road runner chicken like a trophy was a hilarious highlight.

“Send us videos when you cook!” women shouted to him at the market. He even prompted nostalgic comments from online followers like “now you make me miss my rural home!”Such expectations — which basically measure whether Americans are worried inflation will get worse — are important because they can become self-fulfilling. If businesses and consumers expect higher costs, they may take steps that push up inflation, like demanding higher wages, which in turn can force companies to raise prices to offset higher labor costs.

Some economists caution that the University of Michigan’s survey is preliminary and for now based on only about 400 responses. (The final version to be released later this month typically includes about 800.) And financial market measures of inflation expectations, based on bond prices, have actually declined in recent weeks.The most recent inflation readings have been mixed. The consumer price index

for the first time in five months to 2.8% from 3%, an encouraging change. But the Fed’s preferred price gauge, to be released later this month, is likely to be unchanged.The jump in inflation expectations is also a problem for the Fed because officials, including Powell, have said they are willing to let inflation gradually return to their 2% target in 2027, because expectations have generally been low. If other measures show inflation worries rising, the Fed could come under more pressure to get inflation down more quickly.