By EMILY SCHAUER On Thursday, US President Barack Obama announced his plan to act unilaterally on the hot-button immigration issue by issuing an Executive Order. Opponents, primarily members of the Republican Party, decry his action as unlawful, and to some, it is an impeachable offence. In his speech announcing the reforms, Obama was less than […]
WORLD
Rajapaksa seeks third term as Sri Lankan president
Seeking a third term, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday announced presidential elections ahead of schedule. The decision to hold presidential polls, expected in January next year, comes two years before the expiry of 69-year-old Rajapaksa’s current six-year term. “I am declaring a secret today. I have signed the proclamation calling for the election, […]
G20 leaders commit to reviving global economy
Ebola and climate change were among the non-economic topics mentioned in a joint statement by the Group of Twenty (G20) after their two-day summit in Brisbane, Australia that ended on Sunday, Nov. 16. On the economic front, the leaders of the G20 committed to reviving the subdued global economy with a $2 trillion, or 2.1 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Geopolitics of the Syrian Civil War
By Reva Bhalla International diplomats will gather on January 22 in the Swiss town of Montreux to hammer out a settlement designed to end Syria’s three-year civil war. The conference, however, will be far removed from the reality on the Syrian battleground. Only days before the conference was scheduled to begin, a controversy threatened to […]
Will Israel flare up Syria conflict?
Keeping in line with its policy on such incidents, Israel has chosen to “neither confirm nor deny” its role in the bombing of the neighbouring Syrian capital. According to media reports, Israel did a ‘pre-emptive’ strike on Syrian army facilities in the capital city of Damascus on Sunday. Israeli sources reportedly said that Iranian weapons […]
Multiple explosions shake Iraq
More than 20 people have lost their lives in the latest spate of bomb attacks in Iraq on Monday. About five bombs went off in the majority Shia Muslim areas, bringing the national death toll over the past week to 200. There has been a steady spike in sectarian violence following clashes at a Sunni […]
Blast Rocks Prague
A powerful explosion ripped through an office building in Prague, the Czech capital, at 9.56 am local time. Initial reports quote Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda as saying it’s a gas explosion and not a terrorist attack. About 40 people have been reportedly injured and some people could be trapped under the rubble. The building is on […]
Denmark Smiles
After 10 years of central-right rule, Denmark has swiftly swung to the left. In the process, it has got a new face. Literally, a good looking face. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, leader of the Danish Social Democrats, is slated to take over as the next Prime Minister of Denmark. In the recently-concluded elections, she defeated the incumbent […]