Author: Press Room

London CNN  —  Liz Truss will become the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, after announcing her intention to resign just six weeks into a disastrous term that pitched Britain deep into political and economic turmoil. Truss said Thursday that she would step aside for a new leader to be chosen within the next week, after a growing number of her own Conservative Party’s lawmakers said they could not support her any longer. “Given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty The King to…

A Pennsylvania man was indicted for allegedly threatening President Biden, a member of Congress and a federal judge, officials said.Robert Maverick Vargo, 25, of Berwick, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday for allegedly mailing a letter to U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson’s office containing threatening language, according to the Department of Justice.Vargo is formally charged with threatening the president, sending interstate communications with a threat and influencing a federal official by threat. The letter included threats to kill Biden, Thompson and his family, and U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani. Thompson is the chairman of the House…

N26 Crypto will let users buy and sell 100 tokens including bitcoin and ether.N26European digital bank N26 announced Thursday it is launching a crypto trading service, starting with Austria as the first market for the product.The service, called N26 Crypto, is set to become available to N26’s Austrian clients in the coming weeks and will initially include 100 tokens including bitcoin and ether. N26 plans to roll out the feature to users in other markets over the next six months and eventually expand its token offering to include a total 194 coins.Gilles BianRosa, N26’s chief product officer, told CNBC the…

Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech Sunday that outlined the Communist Party of China’s priorities for the next five years.China News Service | China News Service | Getty ImagesBEIJING — The twice-a-decade Chinese leadership meeting this week has significant implications for which parts of the economy will receive support or continued pressure, Natixis analysts said Thursday.Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech Sunday that outlined the Communist Party of China’s priorities for the next five years. An official version of that report is set to be published after the party’s 20th National Congress ends on Saturday.The congress’ implications for…

THE MAIN PARTIES No single political party has ever formed a government on its own, and the multi-ethnic make-up of Malaysia’s society has a major influence on the composition of coalitions. There are two main coalitions vying to form the government – Barisan Nasional (BN), which is the current ruling coalition, and the opposition Pakatan Harapan. Barisan Nasional is led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a Malay nationalist party that prioritises the interests of the ethnic-Malay majority. The alliance, which includes smaller parties representing ethnic-Chinese and Indian minorities, governed Malaysia for six decades before it was toppled by…

The Japanese yen weakened past 150 against the U.S. dollar Thursday, hitting a key psychological level that hasn’t been seen since August 1990.The Bank of Japan’s two-day meeting is slated for next week. Policymakers have ruled out a rate hike in order to defend against further weakening of the currency.On Thursday, Japan’s 10-year government debt yields breached the 0.25% ceiling that the central bank vowed to defend – last standing at 0.252%. The yield on the 20-year bond also rose to its highest since September 2015.The Bank of Japan also announced emergency bond-buying operations Thursday. It offered to buy 100…

Announcing the dissolution of parliament, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said political instability has had a negative impact on the economy and expressed a need to return the mandate to the people. Analysts also expect the instability to hurt voter turnout, especially among those who traditionally vote for the opposition, due to disillusionment. CORRUPTION Graft was a key reason for UMNO’s defeat in 2018, and some critics say a convincing UMNO win in the upcoming election could worsen corruption and see the return of graft-tainted politicians to power. Several of the party’s top leaders were charged after the election loss,…

“IT IS VERY HURTFUL” Refugees acknowledge that violence and criminal activity exist within the Kutupalong camp network – though it is the Rohingya themselves who are its chief victims. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an Islamist militant group that has clashed with Myanmar’s army in the past, has sought to entrench its control over the camps – even murdering civil society leaders that could challenge its authority. Southern Bangladesh is also a hotspot for the regional methamphetamine trade originating in Myanmar, and Rohingya are often recruited as drug couriers for the influential local kingpins who control distribution networks. The…

China is considering shortening the duration of quarantine for inbound visitors from 10 to seven days, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday (Oct 20), citing people familiar with the matter. Officials are targetting a cut in the quarantine period to two days in a hotel and then five days at home, the report said. There is, however, no clarity on how the new restrictions around home quarantine would apply to foreigners and other visitors without a residence in China, the report added. Currently, China requires travellers to isolate for 10 days on entry into the country, with seven days in a…

Thu, Oct 20 20225:53 PM EDTBlinken discusses humanitarian crisis in Ukraine with UN chiefUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about US policy towards China during an event hosted by the Asia Society Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington, DC, on May 26, 2022.Jim Watson | AFP | Getty ImagesSecretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on continued coordination to address the urgent security and humanitarian crises in Ukraine.”Secretary Blinken and Secretary-General Guterres emphasized the importance of safeguarding UN principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, especially in light of Russia’s illegal attempted annexation of…