World economy
Sri Lanka under emergency as police hunt for bomb blast plotters
22 Apr 2019
Police had received a tip-off of a possible attack on churches by a little-known domestic Islamist group, the National Thawheed Jama’ut, some 10 days ago, but Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the authorities decided to ignore it
Sri Lanka terror attack toll mounts to 290, over 500 wounded
22 Apr 2019
While the terrorists are yet to be identified and an official explanation of the terror attack may take some time, the attack had all the trappings of the 2008 Mumbai terror strike
Indonesian President Joko Widodo looks set for another term
18 Apr 2019
While multiple quick counts showed Widodo leading at 55 to 45 per cent, rival presidential candidate Prabowo said his team had evidence of cheating and claimed to have won 62 per cent of the popular vote based on internal polling
UN ended 2018 with a $323 million cash deficit: Guterras
16 Apr 2019
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world body owed nations millions of dollars for peacekeeping, the highest amount being the $38 million it owed India
Major fire guts Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris
16 Apr 2019
Firefighters barely managed to save the shell of the stone structure and its two main bell towers from collapse, even as they battled to rescue some of Notre-Dame’s treasures, including artwork
European Union agrees to 6-month delay for Brexit
11 Apr 2019
If the British parliament accepts the extension and London remains in the European Union after 22 May, British voters will have to take part in European parliamentary elections, which most EU members oppose
Israel's Netanyahu set for a fifth term as prime minister
10 Apr 2019
Netanyahu had pledged to annex Jewish settlements in West Bank if re-elected, which is likely to further hinder Israel-Palestine peace talks that have been stalled since 2014
WTO sees global trade growth decelerating to 2.6% in 2019
03 Apr 2019
In a worst case scenario in which international cooperation on tariffs breaks down completely and countries set tariffs unilaterally, WTO expects a reduction in world GDP in 2022 of about 2 per cent and a reduction in global trade of about 17 per cent compared to baseline projections
Cyclone Idai claims over 700, displaces millions in Southern Africa
25 Mar 2019
While almost 110,000 people have been saved, according to the National Institute of Disaster Management, at least 600,000 people have been displaced, the WFP said
Mueller report sees no Trump role in Russian meddling in US elections
25 Mar 2019
Attorney General William Barr said the investigation by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller into the alleged Russian meddling in US elections failed to prove any Russian connection to Trump and that there was insufficient evidence that Trump had attempted to obstruct justice
US Fed pauses on interest rate hike
22 Mar 2019
The Federal Open Markets Committee said the decision to leave the target range for the federal funds rate at 2.25 per cent to 2.5 per cent was based on labour market conditions, inflation indicators and readings on financial and international developments
Over 2 million sign no-Brexit petition
22 Mar 2019
EU sets 12 April Brexit date if May’s deal fails in parliament
22 Mar 2019
If Prime Minister Theresa May wins the 29 March parliament vote, Britain will get time until 22 May to leave the Union, so as to avoid legal wrangling and smoothen the process
No-deal Brexit looms as Parliament dumps May’s new deal
13 Mar 2019
Lawmakers will now vote on whether Britain should quit the European Union without a deal, even as business leaders caution against such a move that would disrupt markets and supply chains, causing shortages of food and medicines
EU, Britain hammer out new Brexit plan
12 Mar 2019
While the new wording “will guarantee that the EU cannot act with the intent of applying the backstop indefinitely,” the changes fall well short of Brexiteers’ demands for a unilateral British exit from backstop – a mechanism that ties Britain to the EU customs union
ECB keeps rates unchanged; plans boost to stimulus
08 Mar 2019
ECB President Mario Draghi said the package of assistance from new loans for banks to a longer pledge on record-low rates is intended to expand existing stimulus as growth in the euro-zone economy is forecast to drop 0.6 percentage points to 1.1 per cent this year