Surge in spending reflects Russia-Ukraine war and ‘increasingly insecure world’, according to leading think tank. World military spending reached an all-time high of $2.24 trillion in 2022, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fuelled a sharp jump in military spending across Europe, according to a leading defence think tank. Global spending rose for the eighth consecutive…
Alberto Fernandez says he will ‘hand over the presidential sash’ and not seek a second term in office in October polls. Argentina’s president has said he will not seek re-election when the South American nation goes to the polls later this year, throwing open a race to lead the ruling Peronist coalition at the ballot amid…
A conflict raging in Sudan is rattling its neighbours and other countries for reasons ranging from concern about shared Nile waters and oil pipelines to the shape of a new government and a new humanitarian crisis in the making. Sudan, which relies heavily on foreign aid, is no stranger to conflict. But this time, fighting…
British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab resigned from the government on Friday after an independent report found he had bullied officials, the latest scandal to force out one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s top ministers. The loss of a third senior minister over their personal conduct in six months will damage Sunak’s bid to revive…
U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has begun working in earnest to persuade his fellow Republicans to support a $1.5 trillion increase in the nation’s debt ceiling, amid early indications of a possible revolt in his thin majority. McCarthy faces the toughest test of his young speakership with a bill he hopes to pass in the House of…
President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. labor secretary, Julie Su, was attacked by Republican lawmakers as she testified before a Senate panel on Thursday for allegedly dismantling the gig economy and hurting companies such as Uber and DoorDash Industry groups that represent such companies employing gig labor have launched an aggressive campaign to oppose her nomination. They worry…
A U.S. congressional war game simulating a Chinese invasion of Taiwan showed the need to arm the island “to the teeth,” the chair of a committee on China said on Thursday, after the exercise indicated the U.S. must boost production of long-range missiles and businesses must brace for economic fallout. The House of Representatives’ Select…
A court in India’s western state of Gujarat on Thursday rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s petition seeking a stay of conviction in a defamation case, fuelling doubts over whether he will be able to contest an election due next year. Gandhi was convicted last month in a case brought by a state lawmaker from the…
Brazil’s government announced a package of 13 measures on Thursday to ease consumer access to credit and reduce associated costs in the capital and insurance markets, a move the new leftist administration hopes will boost investment and revitalize a slowing economy. Among the measures is the federal government’s proposal to provide counter-guarantees for public-private partnership…
Western media reports on China’s population being overtaken by India deliberately ignores China’s development, using the topic to “bad mouth” it and advocate decoupling, state broadcaster CCTV said on Thursday. CCTV’s sharply worded commentary said the subtext from Western media in recent years was that China’s development was in “big trouble” and that when China’s…
