POLITICS

Sweden Recognises Palestine. Will Others Follow?

One of the first foreign policy announcements made by Stefan Lofven upon taking over as Prime Minister of Sweden early this month was that Sweden would be the first country in European Union (EU) to recognise Palestine. On Thursday, Sweden officially recognised the state of Palestine, a move welcomed by Palestinians but roundly derided by […]

WORLD

Singapore is the best country in the world to do business: World Bank

Singapore is the most business-friendly economy in the world, according to the latest annual study by the World Bank, “Doing Business 2015: Going Beyond Efficiency”. This is the ninth consecutive year the Southeast Asian country has been ranked the best country to do business. The top 10 countries in terms of business business-friendly regulatory environments […]

INDIA

India to supply naval vessels to Vietnam

In a subtle message to China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that India would supply naval vessels to Vietnam. This would be India’s first significant military transfer to Hanoi. The development is notable as it comes at a time when Vietnam is tied in a territorial dispute with China on the south […]

WORLD

Dilma’s Dilemma

Having won the tightly-contested the Presidential election, albeit by a narrow margin, Dilma Rousseff has her task cut out. In her second term as Brazilian president, Dilma has the tough job of perking up the country’s stagnant economy in her four-year term. Acknowledging the challenge ahead, Dilma said she should take measures to combat inflation […]

POLITICS

US disrupting world order: Putin

Squarely blaming the US for disrupting the world order by seeking to impose its will on other nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned that new wars will break out if Washington doesn’t learn to respect the interests of other countries. Putin was speaking on “The World Order: New Rules or a Game without […]

INDIA

India re-elected to UNHRC

In a notable victory, India has been re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the term 2015-17, receiving the highest number of votes – 162 – in the Asia-Pacific group. India is already a member of the 47-nation UNHRC and its term is due to end on 31 December, 2014. Along with […]