International

Santos, Rousseff call for regional meeting to combat Zika outbreak

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and his Brazilian counterpart, Dilma Rousseff, on Wednesday (January 27) called for a regional meeting next week to launch a joint battle against the mosquito-borne Zika virus. Brazil and Colombia, so far the worst-affected countries in Latin America, have been grappling with the virus which has been spreading at an alarming rate. Rousseff said a Mercosur meeting with other leaders in the region had been set to take place in […]

Fourth CELAC summit held in Quito, Ecuador

The fourth summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held Wednesday in Quito, capital of Ecuador. Leaders of the CELAC’s 33 member countries gathered at the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations to discuss plans for the region’s development over the next five years. Discussions were made on reducing poverty and inequality across the region during the one-day meeting. Other topics included education, innovation of science and technology, […]

Air strikes in Homs; rebels fight back in Sheikh Maskin

Amateur videos posted to social media websites purported to show air strikes on rebel positions in Homs province of Syria on Wednesday (January 27), as well as intense fighting for control of the strategic town of Sheikh Maskin. Fighting raged as plans to hold the first negotiations to end the civil war in Syria for two years were in doubt. The main Syrian opposition group said on Wednesday that they would not show up for […]

Brazil struggles to contain Zika outbreak

Hilda Venancio da Silva holds nurses her three-month-old son Matheus, born in October with microcephaly, a tragic neurological complication linked to Zika, the mosquito-borne virus sparking a health scare across the Americas. But she is not alone. In the hospital where he was born, dozens of other mothers also gave birth to infants with abnormally small heads. More than 1,000 cases of microcephaly have been reported in just a few months in Pernambuco state, the […]

French cabbies continue strike over “unfair competition” by Uber-like mobile apps

(Reuters) — French taxi drivers started a second day of strikes on Wednesday (January 27) over the competition from private car ride firms like Uber, saying the French government isn’t doing enough to protect their livelihoods. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls told taxi driver representatives in a meeting that more efforts would be made to ensure other car ride services respected rules limiting them to pre-booked trips and returning to base after each one. This […]

Authoritarian governments are running scared in the face of civil society – HRW

    (Reuters) — Russia and China are imposing their biggest clampdown on civil society in a generation and Europe’s efforts to manage its migrant crisis risk undermining its core values, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says in its annual global review. The review of more than 90 countries’ human rights records, released in Istanbul on Wednesday (January 27), highlighted Russia and China but said rights crackdowns are also taking place in countries from Ethiopia to […]

Zika virus could be linked to 4,000 microcephaly cases in Brazil, WHO says

  (Reuters) — The mosquito-borne Zika virus could be linked to 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly in Brazil including 49 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday (January 26). “Now, associated with Zika right now in Brazil, we see close to 4,000 microcephaly cases. Microcephaly again, is the condition with abnormally small heads in infants, in babies born, which normally goes along with a smaller brain development as well. Many, quite some already […]

World Bank lowers 2016 outlook for oil to 37 U.S. dollars per barrel

  THE World Bank cut its 2016 forecast for crude oil prices to 37 U.S. dollars per barrel and foresaw other commodity prices to shed further this year due to weak demands from emerging economies. In its latest Commodity Markets Outlook report, the bank said the lower forecast reflects sooner-than-anticipated resumption of exports by Iran, greater resilience in U.S. production and weak growth prospects in major emerging market economies. Oil prices fell by 47 percent […]

China urges U.S. to play constructive role in dealing with South China Sea

  CHINA urged the United States to play a constructive role in dealing with sensitive issues, referring to the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday. China has been firmly committed to safeguarding peace in the South China Sea, Wang said at a joint press conference with visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Beijing. “The South China Sea has been China’s territory since ancient times. China has the right […]

South Korea suspects North Korea may have attempted cyber attacks

South Korea said on Wednesday (January 27) it suspected North Korea of attempting cyber attacks against targets in the South, following a nuclear test by the North this month that defied United Nations sanctions. South Korea has been on heightened military and cyber alert since the January 6 test, which Pyongyang called a successful hydrogen bomb test, although U.S. officials and experts doubt that it managed such a technological advance. “At this point, we suspect […]

Authorities to review anti-corruption unit after match-fixing scandal

Tennis officials on Wednesday (January 27) launched an independent review into their anti-corruption practices after allegations the sport’s watchdog, the Tennis Integrity unit (TIU), had been ineffective in stamping out corruption in the game. The announcement at the Australian Open came in the wake of media reports on the first day of the tournament that 16 players, who have been ranked in the top 50 had been repeatedly flagged to the TIU over suspicions they […]

Asian stocks struggle as headwinds grow

Japan’s Nikkei average went up 240.29 to 16949.19, while the broader Topix rose 23.08 points to 1383.31. South Korean shares bounded up early on Wednesday, helped by an overnight bounce on Wall Street and in crude oil prices while retail investors scrambled for bargains but gains were capped by weak China stocks and the pending outcome of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) was up 0.7 percent at 1,1884.61 […]