World & Politics
Head of German Finance Ministry: Germany has no funds to pay to EU - 06/19/2023
German Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner told Die Welt that it is impossible for Germany to make additional payments to the EU budget due to Germany's extensive assistance to Ukraine. He also asked that Berlin not be bothered any longer by requests for payments to the EU, calling instead for Berlin to look for alternative sources of funding. The minister claims that because of the...
EU to fund Barcelona-Marseille hydrogen corridor project - 06/19/2023
According to the news agency Europapress, which cited anonymous officials in the Spanish government, a project to build a hydrogen pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille (H2Med) has achieved the first favorable technical certification from the European Commission and can now apply for finance from the EU. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the extension of the hydrogen pipeline (H2Med)...
IMF urges US to resolve debt ceiling issue - 06/16/2023
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) management urged the United States to find a long-term solution to the nation's debt ceiling issue. The fund said in a published analysis of the US economy that "(Executive) Directors have called for a long-term solution (to the issue) of the state debt ceiling." In order to achieve the national debt's downward trajectory, the U.S. authorities will also...
Spanish Labor Minister calls for permanent tax on the rich - 06/15/2023
Yolanda Diaz, Spain's second vice president and labor minister, argued that taxation of the wealthy should be permanent rather than transitory. "It is unfair that a huge corporation only pays 3.9 percent in taxes but a barbershop pays 17.5 percent. Spain needs a thorough overhaul of its tax structure, which should include a substantial corporate tax reform as well as a permanent tax on large...
JPMorgan to pay $290M to Jeffrey Epstein’s victims - 06/14/2023
JPMorgan Chase Bank has agreed to pay $290 million to resolve a class action lawsuit brought by Jeffrey Epstein's sexual assault victims. This information was provided by victims' attorneys to The Wall Street Journal. In a complaint filed last November, victims of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein charged JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank with aiding the American financier's illegal actions. The...
ICAN: Global nuclear spending reaches $82.9B in 2022 - 06/13/2023
According to a research by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), global spending on nuclear weapons increased to $82.9 billion in 2022, with the United States spending more than all other nuclear countries combined. Nine nations (with nuclear weapons) spent $82.9 billion on nuclear weapons, at least $29 billion of which was made by the private sector in 2022. With $43.7...
Iran sets up paramilitary patrol to combat abortions - 06/08/2023
A pregnancy can only be legally ended in Iran if the mother's life is in danger or if the fetus is found to have genetic problems, according to the country's Ministry of Health, which has announced formation of a special paramilitary patrol to combat unlawful abortions. A special "abortion patrol" made up of paramilitary Basij volunteers has been established in Iran to combat unauthorized...
Smoke from wildfires in Canada engulfs the US east coast - 06/08/2023
Much of the US east coast now has significantly worse air quality due to wildfires raging in Canada. The US National Weather Service has issued warnings about the danger of such air to vulnerable persons. Yesterday, New York was recognized as having the second-worst air quality in the entire globe. Earlier this week, the city was ranked top by the IQAir service, surpassing even the established...
World Bank improves global economy forecast 2023 - 06/07/2023
The World Bank increased its forecast for GDP growth in 2023 from the 1.7 percent anticipated in January to 2.1 percent. The World Bank (WB) has slightly increased its forecast for global economic growth in 2023, now anticipating a 2.1% growth in GDP rather than the 1.7% predicted in January. This is in line with the organization's most recent report on the state of the world economy. According...
WWF: Earth has exceeded "planetary limit" for plastic waste - 06/06/2023
According to a report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) released on Monday in honor of World Environment Day, the Earth has reached the "planetary limit" on chemical pollution and plastic waste. The report urges swift action to increase separate garbage collection in order to recycle consumer plastic waste more thoroughly. "With a global recycling rate of less than 10%, plastic recycling...