Topics Archive

Maduro’s presidency questioned

A dozen Latin American nations including Canada are questioning Nicolas Maduro’s presidency in Venezuela as he is soon to begin his second term in power. These nations are urging him to hand over…

US job surge in December

Amidst volatile stock markets, trade war, a partial government shutdown and signs of economic slowdown, US added 312000 jobs in December 2018 and a total of 2.64m jobs. 2018 was the third best year…

China’s population problem

The Chinese population has shrunk for the first time in 70 years. Experts have warned of a ‘demographic crisis’ that will have a significant impact on the country’s slowing economy. China's…

Hackers target German politicians

Hackers have leaked the personal data of hundreds of German politicians, journalists and celebrities. This is reported to be one of the worst cyber security breaches in Germany. A cyberattack is any…

The Red Sea-Dead Sea conveyance

Israel is ready to move ahead with a multibillion-dollar project with Jordan to pipe water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. The project was initiated in 2013 but its implementation was hampered by…

US warns Iran over satellite launches

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Iran to forfeit its plans for satellite launches that the United States says involve technology that could be used in intercontinental ballistic missiles. ICBMs…

Bermuda is Google’s new Tax Haven

US tech giant Google moved some $23 billion in profits to a Bermuda tax haven in 2017, an increase of $4bn from 2016, newly released filings reveal. Google has exploited the loophole in the EU tax…

Democrats take aim at Trump

Donald Trump sparred with Democrats on Capitol Hill over ways to end the US government shutdown, as the US president invited congressional leaders to the White House for their first meeting since the…

Taiwan and China ‘will be unified’: Xi Jinping

The Chinese President, Xi Jinping asserted that Taiwan “must be unified, will be unified” with China as a rebuke to President Tsai Ing-wen's earlier statement on how her people wanted to maintain…

Somalia expels UN Official

Somalia’s government took the drastic step of expelling the United Nations’ most senior official in the country after he questioned the detention of a former al-Shabab leader contesting the regional…

Chinese factory activity shrinks

As a result of the trade tensions with the US, China’s manufacturing sector contracted in the end of 2018 for the first time in 19 months. It is signalling a renewed deterioration in manufacturers’…

Pompeo assures Israel of continued support

The US 'withdrawal' from Syria might not mean the end of all its Syria-related operations where Israel is concerned, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaffirmed Washington’s ongoing commitment to…

Democrats take control of House

Nancy Pelosi returned as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and was successful in passing a bill to end the partial Federal Government shutdown without allocating any funds for the Border…

Qatar Airways buys stake in China Southern Airlines

Qatar Airways has acquired 5 per cent of China Southern Airlines as part of the carrier’s strategy to invest in robust airlines around the world. The acquisition seeks closer cooperation and a long-…

Washington state enacts new gun controls

Washington state joined a handful of other states that ban anyone under 21 from buying a semi-automatic assault rifle after voters passed a sweeping firearms measure in November that has drawn a…

Robots are not killing jobs

The rise of automation has so far had a negligible impact on jobs at a global scale, the World Bank chief economist Pinelopi Koujianou said, despite common gloomy predictions that humans are set to…

Apple announces decline in sales

Apple has rattled investors with news that its sales have been slowing, blaming economic weakness in China arising from the ongoing trade war. This is the first time in 15 years Apple has to revise…

Saubhagya Scheme misses December target

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has missed its target to electrify every home by the end of 2018. 1.05 Million homes in four states still lack power. The government is likely to achieve its…

India cuts import taxes on Palm Oil

New Delhi has reduced import duties on crude and refined palm oil, an essential import commodity for India’s rapidly growing economy. Malaysia stands to gain significantly from this recent import tax…

Bangladesh elections 2019

Sheikh Hasina’s ruling Awami League returned to power with a landslide victory over Khalida Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in an elected tainted with violence. Modern Bangladesh emerged as…