World & Politics
The Swiss army: a truly effective oddity - 10/27/2021
It is almost as if modern military trends don’t apply to Switzerland: as Western armies tend to follow the same strategic bearings, in terms of strategies and equipment, the Swiss have their own thing going. A truly domestically brewed mix of military doctrine and approach to military equipment, the Swiss way of defending its sovereignty goes against most modern military tendencies, and yet makes the homeland one of the best-defended nations on earth.
European trade unions accuse EU leaders of ignoring citizens' wages - 10/25/2021
One of the main reasons why families in the European Union have been hit so hard by rising energy prices is low wages, but EU leaders at the summit sidestepped the issue, said Luca Visentini, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). "One of the main reasons why families have been hit so hard by rising energy prices is low wages, but this topic seems to be completely...
G7 countries agree on common position on digital trade - 10/25/2021
The Group of Seven (G7) member states have agreed on a common position on digital trade. This was stated in a joint communiqué published on the UK government website. "We oppose digital protectionism and authoritarianism, and today we adopted the G7 Digital Trade Principles, which will define the G7 approach to digital trade," the document said. At the three-day summit of G7 leaders in...
UN believes situation in Myanmar will escalate into full-scale military conflict - 10/22/2021
More than 1,180 people have been killed in Myanmar since the military seized power, UN Special Envoy for Myanmar Christine Schraner-Burgener has said. She believes the situation in the country may escalate into a full-scale military conflict. Ms. Schraner-Burgener spoke at a briefing to mark the end of her tenure. She said the situation in Myanmar had deteriorated since the military came to...
Study: Young people are more likely to die from COVID-19 in poor countries - 10/20/2021
The age structure of COVID-related deaths at the end of 2020 differs between middle- and high-income countries. This was the conclusion reached by a World Bank expert team examining the relationship between age, number of deaths and national income during a pandemic. The study drew on information on the coronavirus-related deaths from the worldwide database COVerAGE-DB, as well as on excess...
US ports and logistics companies switch to around-the-clock operations - 10/15/2021
The Port of Los Angeles, one of the largest ports in the US, is moving to a 24/7 operation. This should help to cope with the flow of cargo that the port has no time to receive and process. In addition to the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach, California, as well as logistics companies FedEx, UPS and retailer Walmart are also moving to 24/7 operations. The decision was taken on...
14 EU countries accuse the UK of violating fishing treaty - 10/13/2021
14 EU countries have prepared a joint statement accusing the UK authorities of causing "significant economic and social damage" to their fishing industries and violating the Brexit deal. It was reported by The Guardian, which received a prepared statement of the EU member states. Belgium, France, Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Malta, Cyprus, Lithuania, Sweden and...
WSJ: Chinese government launches sweeping audit of financial firms - 10/12/2021
China's anti-corruption agency will inspect 25 major state-owned banks and investment funds, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing its sources familiar with the inspection plan. Particular scrutiny will include ties to construction giant China Evergrande Group, taxi service Didi Global Inc. and financial technology company Ant Group. According to the publication's sources, the scrutiny...
US and China agree on additional consultations on trade relations - 10/11/2021
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He held talks via video link. They agreed to hold further consultations on trade relations. Ms Tai said the US was concerned about China's "non-market policies and practices". "Tai and Vice Premier Liu He reviewed the progress of the US-China economic and trade agreement and agreed that both sides would consult on some...
Ten EU countries advocate nuclear power because of gas prices - 10/11/2021
Government representatives from 10 EU countries have written an article on the importance of developing nuclear energy. They linked the argument to the volatility of gas prices and the fight against climate change. The article was published by Le Figaro. It was authored by French Finance and Reconstruction Minister Bruno Le Maire, as well as the prime ministers, economy ministers and energy...
