‘We need you’: Solomon Islands’ support for US agency’s return revealed | Business and Economy

‘We need you’: Solomon Islands’ support for US agency’s return revealed | Business and Economy

A United States development aid agency whose return to the Solomon Islands has been delayed for years without explanation found “overwhelming support and enthusiasm” for its work, with the Pacific island nation’s leader telling officials “We need you”, a previously unreleased report shows. The Peace Corps’ findings bring into focus…

US House approves aid package worth billions for Ukraine, Israel | Politics News

US House approves aid package worth billions for Ukraine, Israel | Politics News

The Democratic-majority Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week, sending it to President Joe Biden to sign into law. The United States House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support has passed a $95bn legislative package providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, despite bitter objections from…

Ecuador weighs security, international arbitration in latest referendum | Elections News

Ecuador weighs security, international arbitration in latest referendum | Elections News

Quito, Ecuador – He was elected president at a time of crisis, as Ecuador’s murder rate skyrocketed and gang violence seeped across the country. Now, Ecuadorian leader Daniel Noboa is taking a plan of action to the voters, with an 11-part referendum on Sunday. The referendum includes a wide range…

‘Triple spending’: Zimbabweans bear cost of changing to new ZiG currency | Business and Economy News

‘Triple spending’: Zimbabweans bear cost of changing to new ZiG currency | Business and Economy News

Harare, Zimbabwe – At a shopping centre in Glenview, a busy working-class suburb of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, carpenter Arnold Mutiri stopped to buy a 2-litre (half-gallon) Mazoe Raspberry drink. The price tag said US$3.70. With Zimbabwe’s volatile currency and years of economic crisis, most goods are priced in more stable…

US imposes new sanctions on Iran after attack on Israel | Israel War on Gaza News

US imposes new sanctions on Iran after attack on Israel | Israel War on Gaza News

Sanctions against Iran’s missile and drone programmes come as fears mount over the possibility of greater regional escalation. The administration of United States President Joe Biden has imposed new sanctions on Iran in response to its missile and drone attack on Israel, as tensions mount over the possibility of further…

Behind India’s Manipur conflict, a tale of drugs, armed groups and politics | Business and Economy

Behind India’s Manipur conflict, a tale of drugs, armed groups and politics | Business and Economy

Sugnu, India – Ratan Kumar Singh, a 58-year-old high school teacher, never imagined he would be happy to see armed fighters, or “revolutionaries” as he called them. But on May 28 last year, Singh welcomed them to his town of Sugnu in Manipur, a state in India’s northeast corner bordering…

Manipur’s BJP CM inflamed conflict: Assam Rifles report on India violence | India Election 2024

Manipur’s BJP CM inflamed conflict: Assam Rifles report on India violence | India Election 2024

Kangpokpi/Imphal, India – On Christmas Eve, it was eerily calm inside a makeshift bunker with piles of gunny bags and a tin roof. Hunkered inside and clutching their single-barrelled rifles, 19-year-old Chonminlal Kipgen and 26-year-old Paolal Kipgen from the predominantly Christian Kuki-Zo community looked out and scoured the hills of…

Marcos Jr treads fine line with China as Philippines deepens US, Japan ties | Business and Economy News

Marcos Jr treads fine line with China as Philippines deepens US, Japan ties | Business and Economy News

Manila, Philippines – Against a backdrop of rising tension in the South China Sea between Beijing and Manila, the leaders of Japan, the Philippines and the United States have forged an unprecedented level of cooperation to counter China. But while US President Joe Biden and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida…

Singapore’s economy misses forecasts with 2.7 percent growth | Business and Economy

Singapore’s economy misses forecasts with 2.7 percent growth | Business and Economy

City-state’s performance is closely watched as a barometer of global economic conditions. Singapore’s economy grew slower than expected in the first quarter, as a struggling manufacturing sector weighed on tourism spending from events including Taylor Swift’s concerts. The city-state’s economic performance is often seen as a barometer of the global…

Singapore ‘tightens screws’ on Myanmar generals with arms trade crackdown | Conflict News

Singapore ‘tightens screws’ on Myanmar generals with arms trade crackdown | Conflict News

Bangkok, Thailand – Singapore has responded to United Nations pressure by cracking down on sales of weapons through its territory to Myanmar, delivering a serious blow to the embattled generals, who seized power in a coup more than three years ago. Thomas Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the human…