DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ IKEA will pay 6 million euros to East German prisoners forced to build their furniture in a landmark move
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-03 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Furniture giant IKEA has agreed to pay 6 million euros ($6.5 million) towards a government fund compensating victims of forced labor under Germany’s communist dictatorship, in a move campaigners hope will pressure other companies to follow. Political as well as criminal prisoners in Germany during the Cold War era were forced to build flatpack furniture for IKEA. IKEA representatives at the time were likely aware that political prisoners were being used to supplement labor, the report found. Sven Hoppe/picture-alliance/dpa/AP“After it became known that the company was involved in forced prison labor, IKEA accepted our invitation to talk. According to UOGK, IKEA is one of many companies that benefitted from forced prison labor in communist Germany.

Persons: Ernst, Young, Andreas Hampel, East Germany’s, Walter Kadner, “, ”, Dieter Dombrowski, UOGK, Sven Hoppe, ” Dombrowski, Rainer Wagner, Evelyn Zupke Organizations: CNN, IKEA, German Democratic, Getty, Union of Victims ’, of Communist, IKEA Germany Locations: Germany, East Germany, Soviet Union, German Democratic Republic, Rothensee, IKEA Germany, GDR, Eching, Bavaria

The Trump campaign and surrogates began filing lawsuits the very same day, challenging the results on a variety of grounds well before the final votes were counted. In Arizona, voters and the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit alleging thousands of people in Maricopa County had their ballots disqualified because of ink-bleed caused by Sharpies. In Wisconsin, Trump filed a lawsuit alleging widespread voter fraud and demanding a recount, which ultimately reaffirmed Joe Biden’s victory in the state. Giuliani has been disbarred in New York and D.C., indicted in Georgia and Arizona and has been ordered to turn over his Manhattan apartment and other property to two Georgia election workers he defamed. And dozens of ethics complaints against local attorneys who filed election challenges are still pending nationwide.

Persons: WASHINGTON —, Donald Trump, Trump, surrogates, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, ” Giuliani, ” Powell, Powell’s, Jack, hadn’t, ”, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, ” Thomas, “, Giuliani, Powell, Ellis Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, Trump, Electoral, U.S, Supreme, White, Sharpies, Clark, Biden, Washington , D.C Locations: Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, In Arizona, Maricopa County, In Nevada, Clark County, Wisconsin, enjoining, Washington ,, Philadelphia, Venezuela, Cuba, China, United States, Texas, Arizona , Georgia, New York, Arizona, Manhattan

☆ Xiaohongshu: How ‘China’s Instagram’ is transforming the travel industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-10 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —Tucked away in a residential neighborhood in the west of Hong Kong, the Kennedy Town Playground’s basketball courts aren’t particularly noteworthy. It’s because the courts, perched on the side of a hilly slope, offer great views of the Hong Kong skyline. Many of them are followers of Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), China’s answer to Instagram, which has also become their travel bible. The 26-year-old relied solely on Xiaohongshu to navigate Hong Kong with his wife during their recent trip to the city. A woman takes pictures at an iconic Xiaohongshu spot in Hong Kong.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, sipping lattes, Xiaohongshu, Hong Kong's, Noemi Cassanelli, CNN Kennedy, Jiao Le, Cassanelli, ” Jiao Le, Jay Chou, ”, Tokyo's, Zhizhao Wu, Giovanni Mereghetti, Mao Zedong, Charlwin Mao, Miranda Qu, it’s, Qian Gua, “, Xia Jiale, Joel Placeres, “ Will, Placeres, Jiao, Hung Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong's Kennedy, CNN, CNN Reading, Getty, Kennedy, CNN Travel, Lobos, “ Lobos, Hong Locations: Hong Kong, China, Seoul, Beijing, Asia, Copenhagen, Tivoli, Norrebro, Central, New York, Japan, Kamakura, Tokyo, Denmark, Xiaohongshu, Kennedy Town, Communist China, Shanghai, Luoyang, Europe, London, Paris, Hong, Noemi

☆ ‘Impossible’ for Communist China to be our motherland as we’re older, Taiwan’s president says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —It is “absolutely impossible” for Communist China to become Taiwan’s motherland because the island’s government is older, Taiwan’s president has said in a carefully timed speech that underscores the intense historical rivalry between the two. Despite having never controlled Taiwan, China’s ruling Communist Party has vowed to “reunify” with the self-governing democracy, by force if necessary. But many people on the island view themselves as distinctly Taiwanese and have no desire to be part of the People’s Republic of China. In Beijing, the CCP took power and founded the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on October 1, 1949. They later joined Taiwan’s evolution into a democracy and have made significant ideological transformations, including favoring closer ties with Communist China.

Persons: Lai Ching, China’s, “, Lai, Mao Zedong’s, Xi, ” Lai, Lai’s, Republic of China ’, ’, Ling Tao, ” Xi, ” Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, CCP, ROC, Nationalist, Kuomintang, KMT, Democratic Progressive Party, Facebook, Nationalists, Communist China, of, People, Xinhua, “ Locations: Communist China, Taiwan, People’s Republic of China, Beijing, Republic of China, ROC, China, Nationalist, Japanese, Imperial Japan, Mao Zedong’s Communist, Taipei, Taiwan’s, Taiwan Strait, “ Taiwan

☆ China National Day: Xi Jinping vows ‘reunification’ with Taiwan on eve of Communist China’s 75th birthday
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated his pledge to achieve “reunification” with Taiwan on the eve of Communist China’s 75th birthday, as Beijing flexed its military might in the run-up to the national holiday. But many people on the island view themselves as distinctly Taiwanese and have no desire to be part of Communist China. He also called for deeper economic and cultural exchanges across the Taiwan Strait and promotion of “spiritual harmony of compatriots on both sides.”“(We must) resolutely oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” Xi said. On Sunday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it was on alert after detecting “multiple waves” of missile firing deep in inland China. The funding will cover defense articles as well as “military education and training,” the White House said in a statement.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, ”, “, ” Xi, Lai Ching, Joe Biden Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, of, People, Xinhua, Communist Party, Taiwan, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, Army’s, Force Locations: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Beijing, People’s Republic, Communist China, People’s Republic of China, Republic of China, Taipei, Taiwan Strait, China, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, United States

☆ Panda pair arrive to VIP welcome in Hong Kong, as Beijing marks 75 years of communist China
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

An An and Ke Ke, both five years old, are expected to land shortly after noon at Hong Kong International Airport, where they will be greeted with a welcoming ceremony. Ke Ke the panda in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. Ke Ke is one of two two giant pandas due to arrive in Hong Kong. An An and Ke Ke arrive from a breeding center in mainland China’s Sichuan province. Ying Ying made headlines in August by giving birth to twins, making her the oldest known first-time panda mother.

Persons: Ke Ke, Ke, acclimatize, John Lee, Le, Ying Ying, ‘, “, ” Lee, Hong, hub’s, Kevin Yeung, ” Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, Hong Kong International Airport, Ocean, Elite, Staff, RTHK, China Daily, Reuters, city’s, Le Le, Hong, People’s Locations: Hong Kong, Chengdu, Sichuan province, China, Ocean, Sichuan, Hong, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

This is not the first time the Republican presidential nominee has posted a fake image in an effort to bolster his campaign. The Harris campaign declined to comment. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a 2020 X post, Harris praised Combs for a town hall he led on the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on Black communities. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump in July, shared a fake Harris ad that uses a manipulated version of the vice president’s voice.

Persons: Sean “ Diddy ” Combs, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Combs, Trump, Harris, Montel Williams, Ashley, Taylor Swift, Cassie’s, Jimmy Kimmel, Kimmel, ”, Walz, Elon Musk Organizations: Republican, Democratic National Convention, Prosecutors, Trump, Microsoft Locations: Chicago

☆ For decades, Chinese workers have retired relatively early. That’s about to change
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —For decades, Chinese workers have wrapped up their working lives at relatively young ages: 60 for men and as early as 50 for women. The announcement sparked immediate widespread discussion – and backlash – across Chinese social media. Some social media users appeared encouraged that the changes weren’t more drastic and included some flexibility. Major protests erupted in France in 2023 in response to a government attempt to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Even for those of working age, employment remains a steep challenge following the pandemic and a raft of government-led industry crackdowns in recent years.

Persons: ”, Yuan Xin, Yuan, Demographers, It’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Xinhua, Communist Party, Weibo, China Population Association, Nankai University, for Economic Co, Development, Social, Communist, Ministry of Civil Affairs, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Employers Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Tianjin, France, Communist China

Beijing/Hong Kong CNN —Married for seven years, Hansen and his wife Momo care for six little ones at their apartment in downtown Beijing. By 2030, the number of pets in urban China alone will almost double the number of young children across the country, according to its projection. The country’s pet ownership rate would be even higher if the number of dogs and cats in rural areas were included. Its birth rate also dipped to 6.39 births per 1,000 people, the lowest rate since the founding of Communist China in 1949. I think it’s just that we love dogs,” Hansen said.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Hansen, Momo, ”, Beijing hasn’t, they’ve, Justin Robertson, Goldman Sachs, Mao Zedong’s, Goldman, It’s, “, Tao, CNN Tao, CNN Stuart Gietel, aren’t, Basten, “ We’re, ” Hansen, Xi Jinping Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Research, CNN, Publishing, Authorities, Communist, Hong Kong University of Science, Technology Locations: China, Beijing, Hong Kong, Australia, France, India, Japan, East China's Jiangsu, Communist China, Basten

☆ Read the Letter to Sullivan & Cromwell
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

A Sullivan & Cromwell Committee? Sullivan & Cromwell should applaud students for exhibiting the courage and sense of justice required to protest Israel's merciless, industrial-scale killings, bombardments, and starvation of hundreds of thousands of totally vulnerable Palestinian infants, children, women, and men with no responsibility for October 7. Does Sullivan & Cromwell prefer lawyers with hearts of stone who subordinate justice to greater anticipated profits, certain demanding clients, and billable hours? Would any of their applications to join your firm Sullivan & Cromwell be rejected for protesting the mass slaughter and starvation of the civilian population in Gaza, most of them women and children? How does Sullivan & Cromwell answer the recent reflections of two surgeons in Gaza during its annihilation by the IDF with United States weapons?

Persons: Sullivan, Cromwell, Biden, Netanyahu, King George III, I've, Feroze Organizations: Cromwell, Hollywood, Sullivan, Foreign Assistance, Control, West Bank, New York Times, U.S, Congress, Independence, International Court of Justice, United Locations: Israel, United States, Gaza

☆ China’s leaders have floated the idea of raising the retirement age. It hasn’t gone down well
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The retirement age for female urban workers is 50 or 55 depending on their occupation. “In accordance with the principles of voluntariness and flexibility, [we] will steadily and orderly advance the reform of progressively delaying the statutory retirement age,” China’s ruling Communist Party said on Sunday. Tingshu Wang/ReutersStruggling with declining birth rate and an ageing population, China’s policymakers have been talking about increasing the retirement age for over a decade. On Weibo, the hashtag “advancing the reform of delaying retirement age” has been a top trending topic since Sunday. On Xiaohongshu, China’s equivalent of Instagram, the hashtag “retirement age” has also attracted about 100 million views by Tuesday morning.

Persons: ” China’s, Ma Qiuhua, Tingshu Wang, ”, “, ’ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist Party, Reuters, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Communist Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Weibo, Communist China, India

☆ Vietnam Communist Party chief hands power to president as he undergoes medical care
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Vietnam’s President To Lam has taken over the duties of Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong who is focusing on an unspecified treatment for his health, the party said on Thursday. The party’s powerful Politburo has tasked him with presiding over “the work of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo and the Secretariat,” according to a statement from the party’s central office. Though Vietnam officially has no paramount ruler, the party chief holds the most powerful position in the Communist-ruled nation. Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the Communist Party of Vietnam Headquarters in Hanoi, Vietnam on September 10, 2023. In a surprise move, the Politburo awarded Trong on Thursday with the Gold Star medal, the country’s highest honor for public officials.

Persons: Reuters —, Lam, Nguyen Phu Trong, Trong, Evelyn Hockstein, “, Lam’s, ” Organizations: Reuters, Communist Party, Party Central Committee, Vietnam's Communist Party General, Communist Party of, Marxist, Gold Locations: Vietnam, Communist, Communist Party of Vietnam, Hanoi , Vietnam, China, Hanoi, Western

☆ Putin arrives in North Korea for first visit in 24 years as anti-West alignment deepens
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Following his visit to North Korea, Putin is scheduled to travel to Hanoi in a display of Communist-governed Vietnam’s ties to Russia that is likely to rankle the United States. Putin’s trip to North Korea will have a “very eventful” agenda, his aide Yuri Ushakov said during a press conference Monday. One image was of a grandstand being constructed on the eastern side of Kim Il Sung Square, the site where all major parades in North Korea are held. Putin arrives in North Korea on Tuesday, June 18. But Russia’s apparent increasing reliance on North Korea and rising frictions with the West appear to have shifted that dynamic.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Putin, Kim, Yuri Ushakov, Ushakov, Kim Il, John Kirby, Biden, wasn’t “, ’ Kim, ” Kim, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin’s, Defense Lloyd Austin, “, ” Putin, Kim Jong Il, Xi Jinping, Michael Mitsanas, Katharina Krebs, Mariya Knight, Yoonjung Seo, Betsy Klein, Paul P, Murphy Organizations: CNN, TASS, Putin, Planet Labs, Maxar Technologies, US, North Korean, North, South Korea’s, Chiefs of Staff, West, Ukrainian, Kyiv, NATO, Ukraine, Defense, Kremlin, United Nations Security, UN Locations: North Korea, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Korean, Korea, Hanoi, Russia, United States, Asia, Moscow, North, Zarubinreporter, South Korea, South, Russia’s, Eurasia, Italy, Kyiv, Russian, Vietnam, Beijing, China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil

☆ Russia’s Putin to visit North Korea in rare trip as anti-West alignment deepens
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Following his visit to North Korea, Putin will travel to Hanoi Wednesday for another two-day trip, in a display of Communist-governed Vietnam’s ties to Russia that is likely to rankle the United States. Both countries have denied North Korean arms exports. The Kremlin has said that Russia hopes to build a partnership with North Korea “in all possible areas,” according to Russian state media. Putin’s move to bolster North Korean ties has also been a boon for Kim, who remains unbowed by years of international sanctions over his illegal nuclear weapons program. But Russia’s apparent increasing reliance on North Korea and rising frictions with the West appear to have shifted that dynamic.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Putin, Kim, ” Kim, Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin’s, Defense Lloyd Austin, “, ”, ” Putin, Kim Jong Il, Xi Jinping Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Putin, North Korean, Pyongyang –, North, North Korea “, Ukrainian, Kyiv, NATO, Ukraine, Defense, United Nations Security, UN Locations: North Korea, Russian, Ukraine, Pyongyang, Hanoi, Russia, United States, South Korea, Moscow, Korean, Russia’s, Italy, Kyiv, Beijing, China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil

☆ Fraud Trial to Begin for Chinese Billionaire Who Allied Himself With America’s Right
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Michael Forsythe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Four years ago, Guo Wengui, a prominent Chinese property developer, announced the imminent end of Communist rule and the formation of the New Federal State of China. The setting wasn’t Beijing, or anywhere close to China, but a boat in New York Harbor. He was joined by Steve Bannon, the right-wing firebrand and former adviser to President Trump. Another Trump aide, Peter Navarro, would be declared the shadow government’s “international ambassador.”“From this day forward, the Communist Party is not the legal government of China!” he shouted in Mandarin. Mr. Guo, also known as Miles Kwok, had completed a remarkable transformation, from exiled Beijing billionaire to a player in America’s right-wing firmament.

Persons: Guo Wengui, Steve Bannon, President Trump, Trump, Peter Navarro, ”, Guo, Miles Kwok Organizations: New Federal, Communist Party Locations: New Federal State of China, Beijing, China, New York, America’s

☆ Slovakia Has Charted Its Own Course Since the Fall of the Soviet Union
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Slovakia, which was left reeling on Wednesday after an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico, is a relatively young country whose history is closely intertwined with that of its central European neighbors. Slovakia is one of two nations born out of the former Czechoslovakia amid the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the waning years of the 20th century. Czechoslovakia was a multiethnic nation established at the end of World War I that endured dismemberment by the Nazis and more than four decades of Communist rule. After several years of economic and political upheaval following its independence, Slovakia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004, and adopted the euro in 2009. As the country navigated the establishment of its national identity, some tensions remained with the Czech Republic, its richer and larger neighbor, which has roughly twice Slovakia’s population of five million.

Persons: Robert Fico Organizations: European Union, NATO Locations: Slovakia, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union, Czech Republic

☆ Vietnam wants to take China's place as a new factory of the world — but a $12 billion financial fraud case is getting in the way
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Vietnamese real-estate tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced to death for her role in a $12.5 billion fraud case. Lan's fraud case is part of Communist Party Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's corruption crackdown. Lan, the chairwoman of real-estate developer Van Thinh Phat Group, was arrested in 2022 over the fraud case. AdvertisementThe high-profile fraud case has scandalized the country and is raising questions about the one-party state. For context on the scale of the Vietnam fraud case, consider the 1MDB case, which rocked Malaysia and the world when it started to unravel in 2015.

Persons: Truong, Lan, Communist Party Secretary Nguyen Phu, —, Van Thinh, Zachary Abuza, Trang Bui, Bui Organizations: Communist Party Secretary, Service, Prosecutors, Vietnamese Communist Party, National War College, Washington DC, Bloomberg, Cushman, Nikkei Locations: Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Malaysian, Hanoi, Washington, Wakefield

☆ StanChart CEO Winters meets China FX regulator, launches investment banking unit
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters met with the head of China's foreign exchange regulator on Monday, a month after the bank suspended new investments by its clients in the country into offshore products via a quota-based channel. "We have confidence in China's continued financial sector opening and economic transition," Winters said. "The inauguration of SCSCL will enhance Standard Chartered's ability to serve clients domestically and internationally, deepening and diversifying our capabilities in China". StanChart started hiring staff in China since 2023 as it geared up to launch the investment banking unit targeting niche bond deals, chairman of the unit said last year. Blackstone's Schwarzman held a meeting on Monday with the chief secretary of Communist Party of China, Cai Qi, a statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows.

Persons: Bill Winters, Winters, Zhu Hexin, StanChart, Zhu, China's, StanChart's Winters, Noel Quinn, Blackstone's Schwarzman, Cai Qi, Cai Organizations: China's, Administration of Foreign Exchange, SAFE, Standard Chartered Securities China, China Development, Communist Party of China, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: London, China, U.S, Los Angeles

☆ Nikolai I. Ryzhkov, Soviet Premier Who Presided Over Economic Chaos, Dies at 94
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Robert D. Mcfadden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Nikolai I. Ryzhkov, a premier of the Soviet Union who in 1990 took the brunt of the blame for economic chaos that engulfed the last years of Communist rule, leading to the nation’s political collapse and the end of the Cold War, has died. His death was confirmed on Wednesday by Valentina Matvienko, the head of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper chamber of Parliament, in a statement on Telegram. Starting as a welder in a factory in the Urals, Mr. Ryzhkov rose as a party loyalist with economic expertise to peaks of success as a protégé of the last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail S. Gorbachev. The general secretary of the Communist Party, Mr. Gorbachev in 1985 named Mr. Ryzhkov as chairman of the Council of Ministers — a title more commonly known as premier — the second-most-powerful post in the Soviet hierarchy.

Persons: Nikolai I, Valentina Matvienko, Ryzhkov, Mikhail S, Gorbachev, Ministers — Organizations: Soviet Union, Federation Council, Communist Party, Ministers Locations: Soviet, Urals, Soviet Union

☆ China is one of world’s most expensive places to raise children, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, China was surpassed by India as the world’s most populous country. And while some women stop working entirely while raising their children, it makes returning to the workforce incredibly difficult. Women who have children may see a 12% to 17% drop in their wages, the report said, citing research from multiple papers. “Because the current social environment in China is not conducive to women’s childbirth, the time cost and opportunity cost for women to have children are too high,” the report said. The report warned that the falling birthrate could deeply impact economic growth, people’s overall happiness and China’s global standing.

Persons: “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Research Institute, Communist, Beijing Locations: Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Australia, France, United States, Japan, Communist China, India

☆ Former Albanian Navy Port to Take in Migrants Sent on From Italy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Floirian GogaSHENGJIN, Albania (Reuters) - An Albanian port that was once home to the country's navy is set to receive African, Asian and Middle East migrants sent on from Italy as part of a deal that has drawn criticism from human rights groups. Migrants who arrive in Italy would be taken by boat to the ex-navy port of Shengjin, now a popular tourist destination on Albania's scenic northern Adriatic seacoast. I feel a spiritual obligation because my children were raised in Italy," said Mhill Marku, an Albanian ex-military officer whose four children live in Italy. The U.N. high commissioner for human rights chief said last week the plan raised concerns about arbitrary detention and living conditions for migrants. The Rwanda scheme was declared unlawful in November by non-EU Britain's Supreme Court and the government has introduced legislation it hopes, when passed, will override human rights concerns.

Persons: Goga, Mhill Marku, Marku, Florian Goga, Ivana Sekularac, Mark Heinrich Organizations: European Union, Migrants, Reuters, European, EU Locations: Goga SHENGJIN, Albania, Albanian, Italy, Balkan, European, EU, Shengjin, Gjader, Brussels, Albania's, British, Rwanda, East Africa, France

☆ U.N. Expert Tells Philippines to Act on Media Killings, Abolish Anti-Communist Task Force
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Irene Khan, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, spent almost two weeks in the Philippines to assess the state of free speech and media rights. "The Philippines remains a dangerous country for journalists," Khan said, adding "much more needs to be done to attack impunity". A U.N. special rapporteur who visited Manila last year had a similar recommendation. The task force has been accused of "red-tagging", the practice of accusing government critics of being rebel sympathisers as a pre-text to silence, arrest or even kill them. The task force will "transition to a different body", given the weakening communist insurgency, Malaya said.

Persons: Irene Khan, Khan, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Jonathan Malaya, Mikhail Flores, Timothy Heritage Organizations: United, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, UNESCO, World Press Locations: MANILA, United Nations, Philippines, Manila, Malaya

☆ Premarket stocks: Why Wall Street should worry about retail
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Consumer spending accounts for about 70% of America’s gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the US economy, so a recession is nearly impossible as long as consumer spending is growing. Wednesday’s report is expected to be a good one — economists polled by FactSet expect that a strong holiday shopping season boosted consumer spending by 0.4% in December from the month prior. But new data from the New York Federal Reserve on Tuesday has soured the mood on Wall Street. The outlook for consumer spending doesn’t look so bright, either. The trend marked the deepening of a demographic challenge set to have significant implications on the world’s second largest economy, report my colleagues Laura He and Simone McCarthy.

Persons: Alicia Wallace, shutdowns, It’s, Brian Moynihan, ”, CNN’s Richard Quest, they’ve, Bob Iger, Samantha Delouya, Walt Disney, Iger’s, Disney, Laura, Simone McCarthy Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, FactSet, New York Federal Reserve, Consumer, Hamas, Federal Reserve, Bank of America, Economic, Disney, National Bureau of Statistics, Communist, NBS Locations: New York, Suez, Iranian, Asia, Europe, United States, Drewry, Davos, Switzerland, China, Communist China

☆ Ukraine's Ally Poland Looking Into How to Make More Ammunition - Foreign Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Antoni SlodkowskiDAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Poland's new government is looking into how it can make more ammunition and military equipment as it works on a new aid package for Ukraine, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in Davos on Wednesday. "We're examining what options we have of making more ammunition and equipment and also what we still have in our stores." Sikorski's remarks indicated Warsaw is looking into ways to produce more ammunition and military hardware to be able to send more military aid to Kyiv. Sikorski acknowledged that Ukraine and Poland, which is a member of both the EU and NATO, must keep working on resolving challenges. Sikorski said Poland was "back from a faraway trip into populism" after eight years of PiS in power.

Persons: Antoni Slodkowski, Radoslaw Sikorski, Sikorski, Sikorski's, Mr Putin, he'd, Polish hauliers, PiS, Alan Charlish, Timothy Heritage Organizations: Wednesday, European Union, Ukrainian hauliers, Kyiv, Reuters, Economic, Law and Justice, TRUCKERS Sikorski, EU, NATO Locations: Antoni Slodkowski DAVOS, Switzerland, Ukraine, Davos, Warsaw, European, Swiss, Polish, Poland, U.S

☆ China’s population declines for second straight year as economy stumbles
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Laura He | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s population shrank for the second year in a row in 2023, marking a deepening of a demographic challenge set to have significant implications on the world’s second largest economy. The population fell in 2023 to 1.409 billion, down some 2.08 million people from the previous year, China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced Wednesday. The NBS confirmed that China’s economy grew by 5.2% last year, compared to a government target of around 5%. While this expansion marks a significant pick-up over 2022, when China’s economy grew by just 3%, it is still one of the country’s worst economic performances in over three decades. China’s birth rate also dropped to a new record low of 6.39 births per 1,000 people, down from 6.77 a year earlier and the lowest level since the founding of Communist China in 1949.

Persons: Mao Zedong’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China’s National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, Communist Locations: China, Hong Kong, Communist China, India, Beijing

Search resuls for: "of Communist"

25 mentions found