US activists worry about ‘losing major asset’ TikTok as potential ban looms | Social Media

US activists worry about ‘losing major asset’ TikTok as potential ban looms | Social Media

Michael Mezzatesta is a climate educator based in Los Angeles, California. For the last two years, he’s used TikTok and Instagram as a means to spread the word about climate marches and real-life ways people can get involved and fight to take on climate change. In September 2023, he helped…

Russia plans higher taxes for rich, companies as cost of Ukraine war mounts | Tax News

Russia plans higher taxes for rich, companies as cost of Ukraine war mounts | Tax News

New tax thresholds and hike in corporation tax are expected to raise about 2.6 trillion rubles ($29bn) a year. Russia has announced plans to raise taxes on businesses and the wealthy as it scrambles for additional revenue to fund its invasion of Ukraine. Government spending has exceeded revenue by tens…

UK’s Sunak pledges tax cuts for pensioners as Tories face election wipeout | Business and Economy

UK’s Sunak pledges tax cuts for pensioners as Tories face election wipeout | Business and Economy

Opposition Labour Party slams election pledge as latest ‘desperate move’ by governing party. United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to cut taxes for millions of pensioners as he seeks to turn around his Conservative Party’s dismal poll numbers ahead of general elections in July. Under the plans announced…

Russia to build nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan | Energy News

Russia to build nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan | Energy News

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev says Uzbekistan also interested in buying more oil and gas from Russia. Russia will build a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan, the first such project in post-Soviet Central Asia, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said as he met visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin said on…

China urges South Korea, Japan to uphold free trade at three-way summit | Business and Economy

China urges South Korea, Japan to uphold free trade at three-way summit | Business and Economy

Chinese Premier Li Qiang says the three countries should view each other as ‘partners and opportunities for development’. China’s No 2 official has urged Japan and South Korea to reject protectionism and uphold globalisation as the countries kicked off their first trilateral summit in almost five years. Chinese Premier Li…

Why is Biden ratcheting up the trade war with China? | Business and Economy

Why is Biden ratcheting up the trade war with China? | Business and Economy

US slaps tariffs on Chinese goods, and Beijing launches an anti-dumping inquiry in response. Chinese imports have helped push down the cost of products like video games, T-shirts and home appliances in the United States. But many American factories say these imports have driven them out of business and cost…

Ivorian cocoa farmers ‘barely survive’ while chocolate company profits soar | Agriculture

Ivorian cocoa farmers ‘barely survive’ while chocolate company profits soar | Agriculture

Aboude, Ivory Coast – It’s 11am in Aboude, a village in southern Ivory Coast, and Magne Akoua has already been working on his cacao farm for several hours. The 65-year-old moves slowly and methodically from one tree to the next, scrupulously shunning the scorching sun. “We have to check on…

‘We love Taiwan’: Domestic workers hope for more from new President Lai | Workers’ Rights News

‘We love Taiwan’: Domestic workers hope for more from new President Lai | Workers’ Rights News

Taipei, Taiwan – As Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te begins his four-year term, the democratic island’s legions of Southeast Asian migrant domestic workers are hoping he will push ahead with labour reforms that might improve their working lives. According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Labour, there were more than 760,000 foreign…

California farmworkers cheer new housing in town scarred by mass shooting | Housing News

California farmworkers cheer new housing in town scarred by mass shooting | Housing News

Half Moon Bay, California – Almost a year and a half after a mass shooting took the lives of seven farmworkers in the town of Half Moon Bay, California, a new project is seeking to address the poor living conditions experienced by many of the area’s agricultural workers. On Tuesday,…

India’s income inequality widens, should wealth be redistributed? | Business and Economy

India’s income inequality widens, should wealth be redistributed? | Business and Economy

Rising income inequality is a hot topic dominating the national elections. India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world. But, the benefits of India’s growth are not trickling down to poor people. The richest 1 percent of the population owns 40 percent of the country’s wealth. The inequality gap…