Gold prices continued higher on Thursday with the spread of coronavirus still capping risk appetite in the Asia Pacific region and across the world. The US Federal Reserve left its monetary policy settings on hold on Wednesday but acknowledged the disease as a new risk. Anything likely to deter the …
Read More »Singapore Leading the world in broadband internet: Reports
Australia is a wealthy, advanced country, yet its broadband internet is curiously slow. After previously being ranked below Kenya, a new global internet index by Speedtest has Australia ranked 68th in the world. According to the index, Australia’s internet is more sluggish than Kazakhstan’s (64th), Kosovo’s (61st) and Montenegro’s (60th). …
Read More »Coronavirus: WHO sets the record straight on facts and misinformation.
There’s no shortage of information when it comes to the novel coronavirus that was first reported among infected individuals in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. But the amount of information — and the speed in which it’s produced — is outpacing investigations and what authorities truly know about the virus. Over …
Read More »Death toll from new coronavirus rises to 106 in China as outbreak spreads
The death toll from the novel coronavirus has continued to climb in China as the outbreak spreads, with now at least 106 people dead and over 4,500 confirmed cases. The number of dead from the new viral disease includes the first death in the Chinese capital, Beijing, along with two …
Read More »Euro Adoption Breakthrough Is Near, Bulgarian Central Bank Says.
Bulgaria’s efforts to set itself on a firm path to adopt the euro single currency have entered the “final stretch,” its central bank chief said. “Bulgaria is really very close to a strategic breakthrough on its path of European integration,” Bulgarian National Bank Governor Dimitar Radev said Tuesday at a …
Read More »UK will allow Huawei to supply 5G — with ‘tight restrictions
The UK government will allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to play a limited role in supplying the country’s 5G networks, it has been announced today. The government said the package of restrictions being announced on “high risk” 5G vendors will allow it to “mitigate the potential risk posed by the …
Read More »Coronavirus: First European Cases as Beijing Cracks Down, Locking Down 56 Million People
Three cases of the deadly Chinese Coronavirus have been confirmed in France, the first in Europe, as the Chinese government moves to lockdown whole cities impacted by the disease, where an estimated 56 million people are now subjected to travel restrictions. The first cases in Europe have been confirmed in …
Read More »$6 Million Bribes Helped to Win Iraq Oil Deals, UK Prosecutors Say
Iraqi oil bosses were wooed by shopping trips, cash and offers of new TVs from businessmen seeking lucrative contracts to rebuild export infrastructure after the U.S. invasion that brought down former ruler Saddam Hussein, British prosecutors told a London jury. Michael Brompton, a prosecutor for the U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office, …
Read More »China extends lockdown to 10 cities as death toll rises to 26
China has locked down nine more cities in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus which has now claimed the lives of at least 26 people. The city of Wuhan, where the virus started, had been effectively quarantined for days, with all train and bus stations closed and …
Read More »Resisting US; British officials propose limited 5G role for China’s Huawei
British officials have proposed granting Huawei a limited role in the UK’s future 5G network, resisting U.S. calls for a complete ban over fears of Chinese spying, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The recommendation, made at a meeting of officials from senior government departments on Wednesday, comes …
Read More »European shares drop from a record high on the threat of US auto tariffs
European shares reversed course and edged lower on Wednesday as US President Donald Trump threatened to impose high tariffs on imports of cars from the European Union, pushing automobile stocks to a three-month low. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump warned of the tariffs if the …
Read More »See the Israeli spyware Device that hacked Amazon’s Bezos
The billion-dollar Israeli spyware company accused of helping hack Jeff Bezos A bombshell UN report published Wednesday accuses Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of hacking Jeff Bezos’ phone in 2018. The UN report indicates that Mohammed carried out the hack using technology from the NSO Group, a billion-dollar Israeli …
Read More »EU, UK Bracing for Tough Post-Brexit Trade Talks
The European Union is bracing for a stormy opening to post-Brexit trade talks as it puts the finishing touches to a negotiating mandate that will offer Britain worse trading terms than it has given Canada. Senior EU figures expect a series of early rows over the conditions attached to market …
Read More »E-cigarettes: A mixed blessing?
E-cigarettes were barely heard of ten years ago and yet they are now the most widely used tobacco product within the US. E-cigarettes have been shown to be helpful in assisting adult smokers in quitting. Regarded as 95 percent less harmful than conventional smoking, e-cigarettes have equally drawn praise and …
Read More »Billionaires richer than 60 percent of the world’s population: Oxfam
The world’s billionaires have doubled in the past decade and are richer than 60 percent of the global population, the charity Oxfam said Monday. It said poor women and girls were at the bottom of the scale, putting in “12.5 billion hours of unpaid care work each and every day,” …
Read More »Asia steps up defenses as China virus hits 291 people, kills six
Asian countries on Tuesday ramped up measures to block the spread of a new virus as the death toll in China rose to six and the number of cases jumped to almost 300, raising concerns in the middle of a major holiday travel rush. From Australia to Thailand and as …
Read More »Ronaldo returns to form helps Juventus rise to the top again
Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to form has coincided with Juventus taking a firm grip on Serie A. Ronaldo did not score at all in November, but he scored twice as Juventus beat Parma 2-1 on Sunday to take his tally to 11 in his last seven league matches. The win also …
Read More »Google CEO Calls for Regulation of Artificial Intelligence
Google’s chief executive called Monday for a balanced approach to regulating artificial intelligence, telling a European audience that the technology brings benefits but also “negative consequences.” Sundar Pichai’s comments come as lawmakers and governments seriously consider putting limits on how artificial intelligence is used. “There is no question in my …
Read More »US sanctions threat will limit global economic recovery: IMF
The global economy has come under pressure from the threat of further trade sanctions by the US, social unrest and the climate emergency, limiting its recovery over the next two years, the International Monetary Fund has warned. In its half-yearly update, the Washington-based lender of last resort said the global …
Read More »Confirmed new coronavirus cases now over 200, China reports third death
There are now 205 people confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV as it is being referred to after Chinese officials confirmed a spike in new cases over the weekend. This included one case in Shenzhen and two cases in Beijing, according to WHO China. South Korea …
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