DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Thailand decriminalized cannabis 2 years ago. Its prime minister wants to ban it again.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Thailand's prime minister has called for a ban on recreational cannabis in a major U-turn. Thailand was the first Asian country to decriminalize cannabis for recreational use in 2022. AdvertisementThailand's prime minister wants to ban cannabis just two years after his country decriminalized it for recreational use. AdvertisementThailand was the first Southeast Asian country to legalize medical cannabis in 2018, and the first Asian country to decriminalize recreational cannabis in 2022, according to Forbes. Other countries have legalized or decriminalized cannabis for recreational use in recent years, including Canada, Germany, Mexico, and South Africa.

Persons: Thailand's, Srettha Thavisin, —, Thavisin, Anutin Charnvirakul Organizations: Service, country's Ministry of Public Health, Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, District of Columbia, Prohibition Partners, Thailand's Center, Addiction Locations: Thailand, Thai, Canada, Germany, Mexico, South Africa

☆ Hundreds of thousands of fish died in a single reservoir in Vietnam, another sign of how climate change is strangling the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A prolonged drought in southeast Asia contributed to massive fish deaths in southern Vietnam. The climate crisis and human development threaten the Mekong Delta, a key global agricultural center. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In Vietnam, the maze of wetlands that comprise the Mekong Delta is called the country's "rice bowl" because of the vast agriculture it supports. Related storiesMeanwhile, in southern Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of fish died in a reservoir last month as temperatures peaked over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and no rain fell for weeks, the AFP reported.

Persons: —, El Niño, they're, Ksor Phung, VnExpress Organizations: Service, Mekong Delta, country's Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, World Bank, AFP, Residents, Business, Getty, Commission Locations: Asia, Vietnam, Delta, El, Mekong

☆ Companies in Japan are offering workers with bad allergies subsidized trips to low-pollen destinations
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementSome employers in Japan are offering "tropical escape" programs, where workers with bad seasonal allergies get subsidized trips to regions with lower pollen counts, according to The Washington Post. Such programs are seen as a way to enhance worker productivity in Japan, where hay fever is much more prevalent than in the US. It started in 2022 because its CEO has bad hay fever. In Japan, hay fever is not only a public health concern but also a challenge to the economy. In February, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described hay fever as a "national disease" that negatively impacts productivity.

Persons: —, Naoki Shigihara, Aisaac, Fumio Kishida, Mitsuhiro, Okano Organizations: Washington Post, Service, The Washington Post, Post, Business, The Japan, country's Ministry of Environment, Centers for Disease Control, Japan Times, Japan's, Chiba Prefecture's International University of Health, Welfare Narita Hospital, Nikkei Locations: Hay, Japan, Okinawa, Hawaii, Guam, Tokyo, Chiba, Nikkei Asia

☆ Saudi Arabia, Russia and several OPEC+ producers extend voluntary crude supply cuts until end of June
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman al-Saud gesture upon his arrival at the 8th OPEC International Seminar in Vienna on July 5, 2023Heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Russia, alongside several other key OPEC+ producers, will extend their voluntary crude supply cuts until the end of the second quarter. Saudi Arabia will stretch out its voluntary crude production cut of 1 million barrels per day until the end of the second quarter, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency said Sunday, citing an official source from the country's Ministry of Energy. Riyadh's crude production will be approximately 9 million barrels per day until the end of June, the announcement said. Back in November, OPEC+ countries had held a formal policy of collectively reducing their output by 2 million barrels per day until the end of 2024. Unlike formal policy changes, voluntary cuts do not require the group's unanimous consent during an official meeting and bypass the need to distribute production cuts or increases among OPEC+ members.

Persons: Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman al, Saud, Alexander Novak, —, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Organizations: Saudi, Energy, OPEC, Organization for, Petroleum, Saudi Press Agency, country's Ministry of Energy, Tass, Moscow, Google, INA, Hamas, Saudi Energy Locations: Vienna, Saudi Arabia, Russia, OPEC, Riyadh, Moscow, Russian, Iraq, UAE, Iran, Gaza, China, Aramco

☆ Elon Musk's X suspends some India accounts after order from Modi government
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | In Charmainemariajacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's social media platform X said Thursday it will block certain accounts and posts from India in response to executive orders by the government. X said it did not agree with the order but failure to comply would subject the company to "potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment." Tens of thousands of Indian farmers — mostly from the northern state of Punjab — have been protesting since mid-February in renewed calls for better crop prices which were promised to them in 2021. In October, the Modi government warned Musk that X would have to comply to country's new and upcoming IT rules. However, it has written an appeal challenging the Indian government with accounts that are pending to be blocked, the company said.

Persons: Elon, X, Jack Dorsey —, Musk —, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Musk, Naman Tandon Organizations: Global Government Affairs, CNBC, country's Ministry of Information, Broadcasting, Reuters, Twitter Locations: Punjab, Haryana, Ambala, India, New Delhi, Delhi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

☆ China Lunar New Year travel spending surpasses pre-Covid levels — is consumption revival in sight?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

China's travel activity and spending jumped above pre-pandemic levels during the Lunar New year holiday, in a sign that consumption was improving in the world's second-largest economy. Tourists spent nearly 632.7 billion yuan ($87.95 billion) on domestic holiday trips, a 47.3% year-over-year jump, data showed. State broadcaster China Central Television said citing the ministry that domestic trips represented a 19% rise over the same period in 2019 while spending rose 7.7%. The Chinese mainland saw 3.6 million tourist departures and 3.23 million tourist arrivals during the holidays, according to the ministry, as mutual visa-free travel with certain countries hastened the recovery in both outbound and inbound travel during the holidays. However, sustainability of the bump in travel remains uncertain as tourism revenue per trip still remained below the pre-pandemic level.

Persons: Nomura Organizations: country's Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Tourists, China Central Television Locations: Sunday, State, China

☆ Big Tech’s next key market is India. Here’s how four Club portfolio names are playing it
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Just days after delivering a stellar quarter, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was on a whirlwind speaking tour throughout India. The Indian market also represents a largely untapped market that will diversify revenue streams. Over the summer, India became Amazon's first market in Asia to launch its dedicated virtual cargo airline , dubbed Amazon Air. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Morgan Stanley, Chetan Ahya, Ahya, Bernstein, Nadella, Zev Fima, Fima, Tim Cook, Amazon, Sundar Pichai, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim Organizations: Microsoft, Apple, country's Ministry, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Club, Foxconn Technology, Media, Amazon, Walmart, Web Services, Google, CNBC Locations: India, Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi, China, Asia, United States, Chennai, Puna, Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, India's, Gujarat

☆ A shorter workweek is gaining ground as another major pilot program prepares to kick off
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Allie Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The four-day workweek has been successful elsewhereThe Dominican Republic will be the first Caribbean country to test a shorter workweek, according to the country's Ministry of Labor. Other lawmakers, like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, have also voiced support for a shorter workweek. AdvertisementMost four-day workweek programs are voluntary for companies, and many countries have no legislation that requires a shorter workweek. With continued positive data, it's possible that the US and other countries could see the shorter workweek implemented into law. Have you been a part of a four-day workweek pilot program or do you work at a company adopting the schedule?

Persons: —, What's, Mark Takano, Vermont Sen, Bernie Sanders Organizations: Employees, Service, International Labor Organization, country's Ministry of Labor, Economic, Revenue, Democratic, Education, Workforce, Labor Locations: Dominican Republic, Latin America, Claro, Caribbean, Australia, United Kingdom, Zealand, Chile, Colombia, Mexico's, Vermont

☆ A Ukrainian refugee fled to Israel to escape violence only to find herself in another war. This time she says she won't leave.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A woman from Bucha, Ukraine fled to Israel last year to escape Russian occupation. Viktoria Druzhenko told Radio Free Europe that the Hamas attack reminds her of the war in Ukraine. She said she will not leave this time around because she is "tired of fleeing from war." AdvertisementAdvertisementA Ukrainian refugee who escaped to Israel told Radio Free Europe that she's not going to evacuate this time because she's "tired of fleeing from war." Druzhenko told Radio Free Europe that she experienced "déjà vu" after seeing footage of the Palestinian militant group Hamas attack Israel over the weekend.

Persons: Viktoria Druzhenko, —, she's, Druzhenko, Israel, Israel Druzhenko, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Radio Free, Service, International Criminal, Hamas, country's Ministry of Aliyah Locations: Bucha, Ukraine, Israel, Radio Free Europe, Russian, Belarusian, Kyiv, Gaza

☆ More trouble for the Russian economy ahead: It just significantly raised its inflation forecast, despite Putin saying price hikes are hurting businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's economy ministry has raised the country's 2023 inflation forecast from 5.3% to 7.5%, per TASS. Russia's economy and the ruble's value have been hit by the war in Ukraine, driving up inflation. Russian President Putin said on Tuesday high inflation is making it "practically impossible" for businesses to make plans. Russian inflation accelerated 5.15% year-over-year in August, well above the central bank's 4% annual inflation target. Analysts polled by Reuters are largely expecting Russia's central bank to hike rates again later this week to support the ruble and tame inflation.

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin isn't Organizations: Service, TASS, Ukraine, Moscow, Eastern Economic, Reuters, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Vladivostok

☆ Indonesia is moving its capital from Jakarta to Nusantara. Here's why it won't be so easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Adek Berry | Afp | Getty ImagesIndonesia has ambitious plans to relocate its capital from Jakarta to Nusantara in East Kalimantan. Nusantara National Capital Authority, a government agency charged with planning and constructing the new capital, did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. The new Presidential Palace under construction at the country's new capital Nusantara. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA lack of demand for service-led jobs is another challenge Archer predicted. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Persons: Adek Berry, Joko Widodo's, Melinda Martinus, Martinus, Ju Ye Lee, Bagus Saragih, Agung Wicaksono, it's, Wicaksono, Bruno Lanvin, Joko Widodo, Diane Archer, Archer, Lanvin, Maybank's Lee Organizations: Nusantara, Afp, Getty, Indonesia, Cultural Affairs, Yusof, CNBC, Nusantara National Capital Authority, country's Ministry, Public, Agung Wicaksono Nusantara National Capital Authority, Maybank Investment Banking Group, Smart, IMD Business School, Bloomberg, Ciputra, Stockholm Environment Institute, Nusantara . Bloomberg Locations: Jakarta, Nusantara, East Kalimantan, Indonesian, Indonesia, Singapore, Agung Wicaksono, Asia, Pacific, Nusantara ., Stockholm, Diane Archer Stockholm, Kalimantan

☆ Global onion prices could be set to rise with India slapping an export tax on domestic production
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A labourer sorting out onions at a vegetable market in New Delhi on May 30, 2023. The new levy announced Saturday acts to ensure domestic availability and cool inflation, and is effective immediately until December 31, according to the country's Ministry of Finance. Global onion prices are likely to get a positive price cue on account of India's decision. India's government in July also banned the exports of non-basmati white rice in a bid to ensure sufficient domestic supplies. "The government would like to rein [in] prices and ensure sufficient availability in the domestic market.

Persons: Arun SANKAR, ARUN SANKAR, Arun Sankar, Pushan Sharma, Samarendu Mohanty Organizations: Getty, Afp, country's Ministry of Finance, India's Department of Consumer Affairs, CRISIL Market Intelligence, P, Indian Meteorological Department, Pushan Sharma CRISIL, Intelligence, Potato Center, CNBC Locations: New Delhi, AFP, India, Maharashtra, Karnataka, oversupply, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka

☆ Ukraine unveils military uniforms for women after complaints that ill-fitting men's clothes hindered them on the frontline
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has approved a summer field uniform for female soldiers. It said on Saturday that summer service uniforms for female soldiers were "officially" in service. The ministry said on Saturday that it had approved summer service uniforms for female soldiers and that they were now "officially" in service. The defense ministry said that there were around 42,000 women serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including around 5,000 on the front line. Despite this, there had previously been no standard uniform for the nation's female soldiers, and women had for years been given men's jackets, pants, and even underwear, CBS News reported.

Persons: Oleksii Reznikov, Olga Ushakov Organizations: Ministry of Defense, Service, Ukraine, country's Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian Armed Forces, CBS News, Daily Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian

REUTERS/David BrunnstromWASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Mongolia will deepen cooperation with Washington to mine rare earths, the country's Prime Minister L. Oyun-Erdene said on a visit to Washington on Wednesday, but he warned that a "new Cold War" between the U.S. and China would harm the global economy. Mongolia has extensive deposits of rare earths and copper, which are vital for high tech applications including defense equipment and for President Joe Biden's efforts to electrify the auto market to help stave off climate change. "We have discussed our potential cooperation in mining rare earths, critical minerals, including copper," said Oyun-Erdene, who spoke through a translator. "I fear that the new Cold War will be very different and (more) difficult from the first Cold War," he said, pointing to rapid technological change and global problems like climate change. "We cannot bear a new Cold War situation."

Persons: Genghis Khan, Simon Lewis, David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON, Erdene, Joe Biden's, Kamala Harris, Tesla, Elon Musk, Antony Blinken, Biden, David Brunnstrom, Sonali Paul Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, country's, U.S, U.S . State Department, Mr, NASA, Polar Star, Thomson Locations: Mongolian, Washington , U.S, Mongolia, Washington, China, United States, U.S, Russia, California, Ukraine, Asia, Beijing, Moscow

☆ How Russia is evading sanctions to keep $10 billion worth of seized Boeing and Airbus planes flying
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia seized some 500 leased Boeing and Airbus airliners after invading Ukraine. Western sanctions against Russia have taken a toll on the country's aviation sector — forcing the country to get creative to keep its planes flying. This included closing US, EU, and other allied airspace, preventing planemakers like Boeing and Airbus from sending spare parts to Russia, and stopping countries like Turkey from refueling Russian planes. But, the illegal import schemes are not the only methods keeping Russia's airlines alive. Buying off seized jets using rainy-day moneyAn Aeroflot Boeing 777-300ER parked at the gate at Los Angeles International Airport before the war.

Persons: It's, Vladimir Putin, Denis Kabelev, lessors, Fabrizio Gandolfo, —, Igor Chalik, Russia's NWF Organizations: Boeing, Airbus, Russia, Reuters, Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, Aeroflot Boeing, Los Angeles International Airport, Getty, TASS, Wealth Fund, lessors . Leasing, Airlines, Ural Airlines, Aerotime, country's Ministry of Finance Locations: Russia, Ukraine, EU, Turkey, Iran, China, Russia's, Kremlin, lessors, Russian

☆ Americans are moving to Japan for its safety and affordability
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"My children had to do active shooter drills," Hanson told Insider. Hanson and her family are a few of the 6,642 Americans who moved to Japan in 2022, according to the country's Ministry of Justice. "I was very concerned about gun violence, which is almost non-existent in Japan," Evans told Insider. Along with the safety of Japan, Evans was also pleasantly surprised by the affordability. Bethany NakamuraNakamura, 35, started the process of moving to Japan from her studio in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 2020.

Persons: Veronica Hanson, Hanson, let's, " Hanson, expats, Hanson —, —, didn't, flack, Veronica Hanson Hanson, Alex Evans, Evans, Anne Sutherland, Smith, wanderlust, Sutherland, Smith Sutherland, Austin . Sutherland, Bitsii, Nakamura, Bethany, Bethany Nakamura Nakamura Organizations: Service, country's Ministry of Justice Locations: Japan, Wall, Silicon, Lake Oswego , Oregon, American, Mexico, Canada, An Oregon, Dominican Republic, Nara, Oregon, Tokyo, Mukaishima, Hiroshima, Australia, Austin , Texas, Kyoto, Asakusa, Austin ., America Bethany, Jersey City , New Jersey, Shikoku, Osaka

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Tesla booms in a quiet market
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Tuesday. [PRO] Weight loss, stock gainA new class of weight loss drugs will be hitting the U.S. soon. With more than two-thirds of adults in the U.S. having obesity, that's a potentially large market for pharmaceutical companies.

Organizations: CNBC, U.S, country's Ministry of Commerce Locations: Asia, Pacific, China, U.S

☆ Greece boat disaster: A Pakistani father's anguish over his missing son
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Now, the father fears his son was among those lost in a disastrous boat capsize off Greece on Wednesday in which hundreds of people are thought to have died, among them Pakistanis. Mehmood, 60, said a local travel agent had charged 2.2 million Pakistani rupees ($7,653) for his son's trip, with the promise he would earn well in Europe. He said he last heard from his son when Sultan got on a boat, which he believes was the doomed vessel. "He sent a (text) message saying that he was sitting in a boat with around 400- 500 people. Most of the people on board the capsized boat were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan, Greek government officials have said.

Persons: Shahid Mehmood, Sultan, Mehmood, Adnan Iftikhar, Shahbaz Sharif, Ariba Shahid, Frances Kerry Organizations: country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Pakistani, Europe, Greece, Faisalabad, Dubai, Egypt, Libya, Tripoli, Pylos, Syria, Karachi

☆ Chinese organisations launched 79 AI large language models since 2020 - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, May 30 (Reuters) - Chinese organisations launched 79 large-language models (LLMs) in the country over the past three years as they doubled down on efforts to develop artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, a report by state-run research institutes said. In 2020, Chinese organisations released 2 LLMs, compared with 11 in the United States, but in 2021 there was a total of 30 LLMs released in each country, said the report published on Sunday. U.S. organisations in total released 37 LLMs the following year, to China's 28, according to figures compiled in the report, whose co-authors include the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China. "The United States has always ranked first in the world in terms of the number of large-language models." The report comes when the country's AI industry faces significant challenges as U.S.-led export controls restrict Chinese organisations from accessing semiconductors used to train LLMs, among other advanced computing tasks.

☆ China's youth unemployment hits a record high, deepening its economic scars
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In this article GSBDGS Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTChina's young face the prospect of dimmer economic gains amid record youth unemployment in the world's second-largest economy. "The expansion of college education in the late 1990s created this huge influx of college graduates, but there is a misalignment between demand and supply of high skilled workers. "Increasingly, college graduates are taking up positions that are not commensurate with their training and credentials to avoid unemployment," Lu told CNBC. China's young face the prospect of dimmer economic gains amid record youth unemployment in the world's second-largest economy. "But the plan was for China's economy to transform from labor-intensive industry to more technological, with a strong service-oriented, knowledge economy," Yeung added.

☆ Spain's drought has pushed olive oil prices to a 26-year high — and they're expected to stick
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

When renowned Spanish-American chef José Andrés tweeted that eggs should be fried in olive oil a finger deep, one user commented: "Olive oil can be expensive at a finger deep. "Aldi olive oil spread used to 99p. According to data from the International Monetary Fund, global olive oil prices have hit $5,989.8 per metric ton, marking a 26-year high. The outbreak of war in Ukraine, which created a global shortage in sunflower oil, pushed up the demand for olive oil even more. "The outbreak of war in Ukraine, which created a global shortage in sunflower oil, pushed up the demand for olive oil even more," he added.

☆ Wagner is 'desperate for manpower' and trying to poach regular Russian soldiers while feuding with their commanders, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Wagner Group is trying to recruit from Russia's military, the Institute for the Study of War said. It's "increasingly desperate for manpower" after heavy losses in Ukraine, the think tank said. The group has feuded with the military, but now seems desperate for its troops, per the ISW. The Wagner group, which has thousands of mercenaries and recruited prisoners fighting in Ukraine, has, in recent months, been leading Russia's assault on the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The Institute for the Study of War noted that Wagner and regular Russian military forces have recently started working more closely together in their bid to take Bakhmut.

☆ UK says Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems win nearly $200 mln contract, to create 140 jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 4 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and BAE Systems Plc (BAES.L) won a F-35 jet maintenance support contract worth 161 million pounds ($200 million), creating 140 jobs in Britain, the country's Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday. The contract was signed by the U.S. Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin as F-35 prime contractor, with BAE Systems to carry out the work as a sub-contractor, the government said in a statement. Of the 140 jobs, 130 jobs will be based at the Norfolk base and around 10 jobs more would be created through the supply chain, the statement added. ($1 = 0.8053 pounds)Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Default-stricken Zambia's debts creep higher
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - Default-stricken Zambia published figures on Wednesday showing that its total public debt stock climbed to $32.8 billion, including interest arrears at the end of last year, of which $18.6 billion was external. At the end of June 2022 its total debt including interest arrears was $32.5 billion, with $17.5 billion external. "Zambia urgently needs a significant reduction in its debt burden," the country's Ministry of Finance said in an accompanying statement. "Zambia enjoys productive and positive relationships with all its creditors and is hopeful that an agreement on debt restructuring can be reached swiftly." Reporting by Marc Jones and Rachel Savage; Editing by Karin Strohecker and Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan plans to raise the age of consent from 13 years old in an overhaul of sex crime legislation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Japanese government has proposed changing its consent age from 13 to 16 years old. If passed, the country will no longer have the lowest age of consent of all G7 nations. The overhaul of Japan's sex crime legislation comes after multiple acquittals in sexual abuse cases. The overhaul of the country's sex crime legislation proposed last week comes after multiple acquittals in sexual abuse cases and high-profile allegations that led to protests and public outrage in 2019. The age of consent is 16 years old in the UK and most states in the US.

Search resuls for: "country's Ministry"

25 mentions found