World & Politics
WSJ: China's boycott of Walmart sends a message to US companies - 12/30/2021
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) cautions that US businesses risk reducing their investment in China or possibly exiting the sector entirely. According to the newspaper, Walmart's boycott in China might serve as a model for similar company activities. According to the newspaper's interviewees, American businesses are currently in a terrible situation. Political boycotts aggravate the problem, but so...
Japan approves programme to combat loneliness - 12/29/2021
An initiative to combat loneliness has been approved by the Japanese government. To address the issue, a 24-hour counseling system will be established. There are also plans to establish a number of sites where lonely people can socialize and look for work. The Japanese government will conduct a nationwide census as part of the new effort to determine the actual number of lonely citizens. A...
Over 7,000 flights cancelled worldwide on Christmas due to Omicron and bad weather - 12/27/2021
According to FlightAware, almost 7,000 flights have been canceled worldwide in the last three days. Around 2,400 flights were canceled on Christmas Eve, December 24. Another 11,000 flights were rescheduled. Another 2,856 flights were canceled on Saturday, Catholic Christmas Day, while passengers on 9,400 planes had to wait longer than expected for their aircraft to depart. Finally, the number...
Japanese government approves record budget for next fiscal year - 12/24/2021
Japan's government approved a record-breaking 107.596 trillion yen ($935.62 billion) budget for the coming fiscal year, April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, at a meeting on Friday, NHK television reported. The country's budget exceeds 100 trillion yen for the fourth consecutive year. It is noted that due to the country's aging population, the financial burden on the health and social insurance system...
Venezuela: British court ruling on Venezuelan gold poses serious risks to investors - 12/21/2021
The UK Supreme Court ruling on Venezuela's gold poses serious risks to investors who have entrusted their funds to the UK financial system, says the Latin American country's Foreign Office. Britain's Supreme Court returned legal proceedings over Venezuela's gold reserves held at the Bank of England to the Court of Arbitration after partially satisfying Venezuela's self-proclaimed president Juan...
Trump: China owes $60T to the world because of COVID-19 - 12/20/2021
Former US president Donald Trump said China should pay reparations to at least partially compensate for the damage from the coronavirus pandemic, which he estimated at $60 trillion. "They have to pay reparations, but China doesn't have the money for those reparations. I believe, and it's not just about the US, it's about the whole world, that the damage is $60 trillion. China doesn't have $60...
ECB to roll back anti-crisis programme by the end of March 2022 - 12/17/2021
By the end of March next year, the European Central Bank will have completed its asset purchase program as part of its anti-crisis quantitative easing initiative. At the same time, the authority will expand asset purchases under the baseline program to €40 billion per month in the second quarter and €30 billion in the third quarter of 2022. Experts refer to the ECB's shift in policy as "soft...
EU to hold summit to discuss rising energy prices - 12/15/2021
The EU summit in Germany will discuss rising energy prices; there is no evidence of market manipulation, a source in the German chancellor's office told reporters in Berlin. "The EU summit on Thursday will also discuss energy prices. This is a very acute and urgent problem. Rising energy prices have become a problem for many EU countries... From our point of view, the European Commission has done...
Omicron strain found in 63 countries - 12/13/2021
The omicron strain has been identified in 63 countries and is expected to surpass the delta strain in the rate of spread worldwide, indicates the World Health Organization's technical information related to the new variant of the coronavirus. "As of 9 December 2021, human cases of infection with this variant have been identified in 63 countries in all six WHO regions," the circulated document...
Inflation in Mexico reaches its highest since early 2001 - 12/10/2021
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, yearly inflation in Mexico hit 7.37 percent in November. Local newspaper Milenio reports that this is the country's highest consumer price level since January 2001. In November, Mexico's inflation rate was nearly 2.5 times the central bank's target of 3%. Consumer prices increased by 1.14 percent in November compared to October....
