WORLD

Chicago, United States | AFP |  A refugee from Myanmar’s tyrannized Rohingya minority, Lila Mubarak embodies perfectly the “poor, huddled masses” welcomed to the United States for more than a century by a bronze plaque at the foot of the Statue of Liberty. The 27-year-old beams as she recounts her difficult …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Donald Trump replaced his intelligence chief Thursday as reports emerged that the US president was furious with the official over a briefing given to lawmakers about Russian interference in the 2020 election campaign. Trump erupted in anger at acting director of national intelligence (DNI) Joseph …

The World Bank has just warned that a fourth debt wave could dwarf previous ones and hit emerging economies hard COMMENT | KAUSHIK BASU | Over the last decade, the world economy has experienced a steady build-up of debt, now amounting to 230% of global GDP. The last three waves …

Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump’s longtime aide Roger Stone will be sentenced Thursday in a case that has caused a stir in Washington following meddling by the US president and his attorney general. Stone, one of the Republican leader’s allies and “oldest friends,” was convicted in November of …

  Beijing, China | AFP | China on Thursday announced it would cut interest rates in a bid to boost the economy, as it battles the economic fallout of the new coronavirus outbreak. The reduction in the loan prime rate (LPR) — one of the preferential rates commercial banks give to …

✳ Foreign worker to earn 70 points to be eligible ✳ A maximum 20 points are awarded for prospective migrants who will earn at least £25,600 ($33,325 or 30,820 euros) ✳ Twenty points also go to people with an “appropriate skill level” ✳ 20 points for those who speak English …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | From translation apps to facial recognition, artificial intelligence is becoming a major part of everyday life and the European Union is eager to bring order to this digital “wild west” where the US and China dominate. On Wednesday, key Brussels officials will unveil ideas to regulate …

Houston, United States | AFP |  Washington has the right to block US federal agencies from buying products by Huawei on cybersecurity grounds, a judge ruled Tuesday, dismissing the Chinese telecom giant’s legal challenge to a purchase ban. Huawei filed the suit last year and claimed Congress had failed to provide …

Sanguil, Senegal | AFP |  Large peanut orders from Chinese traders have cut Senegal’s traditional selling season short this year, rewarding farmers with fat profits but leaving local buyers with slim pickings. Peanuts are an important export in the West African state of Senegal, with the area around the central city …

Paris, France | AFP |  Opponents of Iran’s theocratic leadership are urging an outright boycott of its parliamentary elections, arguing that it is anything but democratic and that casting a ballot serves only to bolster the country’s Islamic rulers. The country’s supreme leader has urged Iranians to “disappoint the enemy” by …