Johnson to EU – I want Brexit deal without backstop
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Aug. 19 to EU President Donald Tusk reaffirming his desire to conclude a Brexit deal as well as his opposition to the controversial “backstop” on Ireland. The so-called backstop is a mechanism that would keep the UK in EU customs arrangements to prevent a hard border between the British province of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, an EU member Read more
United States announces new sanctions against Russia over Skripal affair: State dept
A new round of sanctions were imposed on Moscow Saturday by the United States over the 2018 poisoning of former double-agent Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom. Russian spies have been blamed for the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in March last year using the Soviet-developed nerve agent Read more
China, US officials discuss bilateral trade before Trump-Xi meeting
Senior Chinese and US officials have held a phone conversation about bilateral trade ahead of a meeting between China’s President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, slated for later this week and amid a tariff war between the two countries. China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on its website on Tuesday Read more
Facebook’s plans to operate digital currency ‘poses risks to global banking
Facebook’s plan to operate its own digital currency poses risks to the international banking system that should trigger a speedy response from global policymakers, according to the organisation that represents the world’s central banks, The Guardian International reports. Although the move of big tech firms such as Facebook, Amazon and Alibaba into financial services could speed Read more
Trump insults London mayor on UK state visit
US President Donald Trump kicked off a state visit to Britain Monday by branding London’s mayor a “loser” before heading for lunch with Queen Elizabeth II, following delicate comments about Brexit. Trump’s plane had not even touched down when he tweeted that Sadiq Khan, who has been highly critical of the red-carpet welcome laid on Read more
US Visa: Applicants will now submit social media handles when applying
The United States State Department has said applicants will now have to submit their social media usernames when applying for a visa into the country. BBC in its reports said that the new regulations also require that people also submit five years’ worth of email addresses and phone numbers. This is part of the state department’s Read more
Trade War: China accuses US of ‘naked economic terrorism’
China accused the United States of “naked economic terrorism” on Thursday as Beijing ramps up the rhetoric in their trade war. The world’s top two economies are at loggerheads as trade talks have apparently stalled, with US President Donald Trump hiking tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods earlier this month and blacklisting telecoms giant Read more
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives in Russia ahead of Putin summit
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia ahead of his summit with President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders will meet in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok amid tensions surrounding the North Korean leader’s nuclear programme. The leader had a sit down with local officials as well as a Russian deputy Read more
Concrete measures’ on sex abuse needed, pope tells Vatican summit
Pope Francis opened Thursday a landmark summit at the Vatican on fighting child sex abuse, saying that the world expected “concrete measures” on tackling paedophilia in the Catholic Church. The pontiff will dedicate the next three and a half days to discussing the Church’s response to child abuse by members of the clergy with bishops Read more
