Topics Archive

RBI policy

On 06 Mar 17, noted economist Dr. Surjit Bhalla launched a scathing attack on RBI and the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). He questioning why policy interest rates (repo rates) were not reduced, in…

A great game

On 06 Mar 17, the Pakistan government announced its’ decision to build a 'CPEC Tower' in Islamabad, after the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The 'CPEC Tower', touted as 'iconic' by Minister…

Turkey’s Referendum

On Sunday, 16 April 17, Turkey will hold a constitutional referendum. Voters shall vote on 18 proposed amendments, to the Constitution of Turkey. The amendments have been proposed by the ruling AK…

North Korea fires missiles

On Monday, 6th March, 2017 North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. They were fired from Tongchang-ri region, adjacent to the China border. The missiles travelled…

BITCOIN surpass gold

A unit of the digital crypto-currency and payment system, BITCOIN has exceeded the value of an ounce of Gold, for the first time. The value of BITCOIN closed at $1,268 on Thursday (02 Mar 17), while…

Jeff Sessions and Russia

On the 3rd of March 2017, Attorney General of the United States, Jeff Sessions made a statement to the nation saying, he would recuse himself from all investigations into the Trump administration and…

Emerging Global Challenges 2017-20

Do our Global Challenges need a New Approach?
Cyber Crime. In 2016, cyber criminals successfully used SWIFT, the banks financial transfer system, to steal US$ 101 million from the Bangladesh Central…

Indian editor arrested for fake news

On March 29th 2018 Mahesh Vikram Hegde, Editor was arrested in southern Karnataka state on charges of fake report that Muslims had attacked a monk from the ..

Challenges to Journalism

We live in the Information Age and in the middle of the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) revolution. While all established professions are challenged by the changes, perhaps the…

Merger of LSE & Deutsche Borse

On 27 Feb 17, London Stock Exchange (LSE) announced that their US$ 31 billion merger with Deutsche Borse, was unlikely to be approved by the European Union (EU). The merger was announced last year,…

Refugees who sheltered Snowden

According to reports on February 23, 2017, two refugees of Sri Lankan (SL) origin in Hong Kong (HK) are being sought by the Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The reason is their…

Netherlands approves cannabis cultivation

On the 21 Feb 17, Dutch parliamentarians passed a bill that legalizes the cultivation of Cannabis. The move was put forth by the left wing- progressive D66 Party. The bill, will allow large-scale…

Russian envoy suddenly dies

On Monday, February 20, 2017, Mr. Vitaly Churkin, Russian envoy to the UN suddenly died at the Russian Mission in New York. While the reason behind his death is as yet unclear, it is reported that he…

Global arms trade

On 21 Feb 2017, data released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), shed fresh light on the international arms market. SIPRI examines arms trade in five-year increments;…

Hanjin Shipping bankruptcy

On February 17, 2017 Seoul Central District Court declared Hanjin Shipping Co. bankrupt. It was the 7th largest global container shipping firm with almost 3% global market share. It had been…

Cambodia's amended law

On 20 Feb 17, Cambodia’s Parliament approved legal changes that effectively bars the main opposition leader from participating in politics. The legislation prevents politicians with convictions from…

Assault on Mosul

On 19th February 2017, Iraqi forces launched an offensive on Jihadists defending Mosul's west bank. They swiftly retook five villages and set their sights on Mosul airport, marking a new phase in…

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong arrested

On 16 February 2017, the heir of South Korean company Samsung has been arrested as part of an investigation into corruption and influence-peddling that caused President Park Geun-hye to be impeached…

Zuckerberg on globalization

In an interview with the BBC, the Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg said that fake news, polarised views and "filter bubbles" were damaging common understanding. Mr Zuckerberg's interview comes…

Donald Trump and the two-state solution

On 16 Feb 2017, President Donald Trump met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the White House. The new President had been perceived as a strong supporter of Israel and after his election, Israel…