December, 2018

• 30 December

  Tropical storm kills 16 in Philippines

  

  Bloomberg Tropical Storm Usman, which entered the Philippines on Christmas Day, has killed at least 16 people as it churned across several provinces, triggering floods and landslides and forcing thousands to flee to safer grounds. The storm has displaced at least 17,000 people in the Bicol region in the southern part of the Philippines’ main Luzon island. Three died in ...

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• 30 December

  Bangladesh’s Hasina seeks 4th term as PM

  

  Bloomberg Bangladesh’s 104 million voters were expected to choose their next government on Sunday. Polling started at 8 am with analysts forecasting that PM Sheikh Hasina is likely to be re-elected, extending her rule as the longest serving premier since the nation became independent in 1971. As of afternoon, nine people had been killed in clashes between the ruling and ...

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• 30 December

  Congo votes for successor to Kabila

  

  Bloomberg The Democratic Republic of Congo started voting on Sunday for a successor to long-serving President Joseph Kabila after a tense campaign the opposition said was marred by crackdowns and disruptions. Kabila’s handpicked successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, is running for the ruling coalition and faces strong challenges from opposition alliances headed by Felix Tshisekedi and Martin Fayulu. The current president, ...

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• 30 December

  Nigerian army urges calm as people flee Borno

  Bloomberg Residents in and near Nigeria’s Borno state are creating panic for no reason, which has led people in the northeast communities of Bama, Dikwa and Monguno to abandon their towns for camps set up for displaced persons, the army said. “The inhabitants of these towns and the general public are urged to discountenance such calls and remain calm,” army ...

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• 30 December

  Brexit may not happen, warns trade secretary Fox

  

  Bloomberg The chances of the UK leaving the European Union are “50-50’’ if Parliament rejects Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement in January, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said in a Sunday Times interview. “If we were not to vote for that, I’m not sure I would give it much more than 50-50,” the veteran campaigner for Brexit told the ...

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• 30 December

  Our unhappy new year

  

  As we enter 2019, the question that looms over America is simple: Can we govern? The answer is no. Unless this changes — truly a long shot — the New Year may be as disappointing as the old. Our society seems handcuffed by unsolvable problems: large and persistent budget deficits; global warming; uncontrolled immigration; an aging population; an underfunded military; ...

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• 30 December

  Inside Xi’s plan to dominate world

  

  Who is the most important and disruptive leader in the world today? Most Americans would probably answer, Donald Trump — with Russia’s Vladimir Putin running a close second. But my choice for the must-read book of 2018, Elizabeth C. Economy’s “The Third Revolution,” makes a strong case that China’s Xi Jinping may deserve the title. Under Xi’s leadership since 2012, ...

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• 30 December

  Will the real leader of Huawei stand up

  In March, Huawei Technologies Co. announced a series of management changes that went almost unnoticed. Four executives were promoted to deputy chair while one, Liang Hua, was elected chairman of the board. Three of those deputy chairs were also given the position of rotating chairman. Founder Ren Zhengfei remained CEO and a board member, the Shenzhen-based company said in its ...

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• 30 December

  Illegal fishing a serious global security threat

  As China, Russia and the US ramp up their naval deployments, there’s no shortage of conflicts waiting to happen in the world’s oceans. Yet the most immediate cause for concern is something more mundane than great-power rivalries. Pay closer attention to fish. Seafood is the main source of protein for 3 billion people worldwide, and the industry employs more than ...

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• 30 December

  Why economics is facing trouble with big problems

  

  Physics is a very powerful and exact science. Physicists can predict how electricity will flow through the microscopic circuits in your computer, they can land a spaceship on the moon, they can even pick up a single atom. But when it comes to the origin of the universe, even the smartest physicists can’t give us definite answers. How did its ...

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