Chemnitz, Germany | AFP | A giant Karl Marx statue towers in the east German city of Chemnitz but, 30 years after the Berlin Wall fell, another political wind is blowing here as the ex-communist city battles the image of a far-right hotbed. Polls suggest that Sunday the region’s voters will deliver …
Read More »UK opposition seek ways to stop no-deal Brexit
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will on Tuesday attempt to bridge deep divisions with other opposition parties on how to avoid Britain crashing out of the EU on October 31. Corbyn said he would “do everything necessary” to stop a no-deal Brexit, following leaked official warnings …
Read More »Why is China’s currency falling?
Shanghai, China | AFP | China’s yuan has sunk by around four percent in August to its lowest point in more than 11 years on Monday, a decline likely to further exacerbate trade tensions with Washington. Here are five things to know about the yuan’s slide: – Why has the …
Read More »Equities, yuan take hit as Trump dials up trade war with China
Hong Kong, China | AFP | Asian equity markets tanked and the yuan hit an 11-year low Monday after US President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war with China by hiking tariffs on more than half-a-trillion dollars worth of imports. However, dealers pared earlier steep losses after the president said …
Read More »Iran foreign minister Zarif makes surprise visit to G7 summit
Biarritz, France | AFP | Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif flew into Biarritz in southwestern France for the G7 summit on Sunday in a surprise attempt to break a diplomatic deadlock over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme. Zarif’s presence had not been announced and represented a gamble by French host …
Read More »Austria’s love of cash in poll campaign spotlight
Vienna, Austria | AFP | It may sound like a strange thing to enshrine in a country’s constitution: the right to pay cash. But a debate on whether to do just that has entered Austria’s election campaign, shining a light on the country’s love of cold, hard currency. The Austrian …
Read More »Johnson seeks to push Trump at fractious G7
Biarritz, France | AFP | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Sunday seek to persuade President Donald Trump to offer flexibility on trade and also win concessions from the EU on Brexit, at a G7 summit hosted by France marked by stark divisions. Johnson was to hold his long-awaited first …
Read More »PM Boris Johnson supports new digital tax
Johnson insists US digital giants must be taxed ‘fairly and properly’ Biarritz, France | AFP | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday said that US digital giants needed to be taxed “fairly and properly” in a growing dispute with the United States over taxing the likes of Amazon, Apple, …
Read More »Cloud gaming faces challenges as Google prepares launch
Cologne, Germany | AFP | Urging fans to plunge into a virtual high-res surround sound universe of extraordinary games, Google hopes its cloud-based Stadia platform will take the world by storm on its November launch. The US digital behemoth unveiled details of its nascent streaming video platform at this week’s Gamescom …
Read More »Trump heads to G7 with potshot at French hosts over taxes
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump threatened his French hosts with taxes on their wines Friday as he headed to a G7 summit in France with a series of parting shots, including another broadside at the Federal Reserve’s chairman. After a day that saw big falls on …
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