Hong Kong /AFP Hong Kong’s leader said on Monday he would “fully implement” a landmark ruling by Beijing which effectively bars two pro-independence lawmakers from the city’s legislature, in a crisis that heightens fears the rule of law is under threat. It is the latest chapter of political turmoil for the semi-autonomous city as fears grow that China is ...
Read More »Germany probes Facebook hate incitement claim
Berlin/ AFP German prosecutors said on Monday they have launched a probe after receiving a complaint alleging that top Facebook bosses including founder Mark Zuckerberg are condoning hate speech, as pressure grows on the social network to clamp down on racist content. The probe comes as top politicians are ratcheting up warnings against the US group, with the German ...
Read More »Russia may be wounded but it can still bite
Whoever wins Tuesday’s presidential election will face an assertive, aggrieved Russia whose risk-taking behavior under President Vladimir Putin is increasingly worrisome to American experts. Today’s pushy, headstrong Russia presents a paradox: By most measures, it’s a country in decline, with a sagging economy, an underdeveloped technology base and a shrinking population. Corruption pervades nearly every sector. The collapse of ...
Read More »How markets will react to American elections
As Americans prepare to go to the polls after one of the most bizarre election campaigns, here are the main things that investors should keep in mind. Although the presidential race tightened in the last 10 days, many prognosticators and betting sites still predict that Hillary Clinton will win. If her victory is combined with down-ballot results that prolong ...
Read More »Parliament must do its job and vote on Brexit
If it’s upheld on appeal, last Thursday’s ruling on Brexit from the U.K. High Court gives members of parliament a responsibility some might prefer to shirk — namely, to offer the voters they represent their best judgment on Britain’s future in Europe. When the time comes, they need to stand up and do what they’re paid for. The judges ...
Read More »Climate talk progress hinges on US polls
Even as the 12-day UN meeting in Marrakesh that has been tasked with finishing the rulebook for the Paris Agreement got underway on Monday, all eyes are on the crucial US presidential elections. The fate of the climate talks largely hinges on the US polls. Climate negotiators are rooting for Republican Donald Trump’s defeat. His win could throw cold water ...
Read More »Financial risk may be China’s gift to next US president
Back in 2008, incoming President Barack Obama inherited a U.S. financial crisis that was to some degree made in China. The next U.S. president may well confront a Chinese financial crunch with its origins in the U.S., as China unwinds the credit imbalances built up over the last eight years to defend against that global slump. China’s Debt Bomb ...
Read More »Question authority but trust science
The results of a new Pew Research Center poll on politics and climate change surprised even some of those who study public attitudes toward science. Forty-five percent of respondents who identified as conservative Republicans said they had little or no trust in climate scientists, compared with 6 percent of self-described liberal Democrats. Only 15 percent of conservatives said they ...
Read More »India is on the verge of turning its good tax bad
Mihir Sharma India’s tax system is among the most complex of the world — 157th, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, with about 33 different payments required. It’s a consistent barrier to entrepreneurship and to investment. That’s why so many people were eagerly anticipating the rollout of the Indian government’s first real attempt at systemic reform in recent years: a nationwide ...
Read More »Ryanair to buy back shares as passenger record lifts profit
Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc plans to buy back as much as 550 million euros ($609 million) of stock after record passenger numbers over the summer helped second-quarter profit beat analyst estimates. The shares rose. Profit after tax increased 8.2 percent to 912 million euros in the three months through September, Dublin-based Ryanair said on Monday. Analysts predicted earnings of ...
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