Posts by Amelia Frost
Sudan’s RSF, Allies Sign Charter For Rival Government: Sources
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and its allies have agreed to set up a parallel government, sources said Sunday, despite warnings such a move could further fragment the war-ravaged country. “It’s done,” a source close to the organisers of the signing ceremony in Nairobi told AFP. The signatories said the charter paves the way for…
Read MoreThe ‘New Silent Ones’: Opponents Lie Low In Russia
One feels “buried alive”, another is careful about what he says in public places — opponents of Russia’s campaign in Ukraine are being dubbed the “new silent ones”, like Soviet-era dissidents. Since the start of the offensive three years ago, Moscow has cracked down on any public dissent of what it calls the “special military…
Read MoreHong Kong And Singapore Lead Asia’s Drive To Cash In On Crypto Boom
Hong Kong and Singapore are the front-runners in a push by Asian governments to become cryptocurrency hubs as they look to capitalise on the global resurgence of the sector thanks to the support of US President Donald Trump. Bitcoin recently hit a record of close to $110,000 while others have also rallied on the back…
Read MoreWell-off Hong Kong Daunted By Record Deficits
Hong Kong is facing its toughest fiscal test in three decades following a painful run of mammoth deficits, with experts urging the government to make careful cuts as the economy wobbles. The Chinese finance hub last saw a string of deficits after the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s — but their scale was…
Read MoreGermany May Face Long Wait For New Government After Vote
German voters head to the polls in a winter election on Sunday but may not have a new government for some time. Arduous coalition negotiations tend to drag on for weeks if not months in Germany, spelling long stretches of political paralysis before a new chancellor takes charge. The confident poll frontrunner Friedrich Merz has…
Read MoreRussia Is Wooing Western Energy Companies, but Will They Return?
Kremlin officials are dangling the prospect of lucrative investment deals for American energy companies, apparently seeking to convince President Trump that large economic gains could come from siding with Moscow in ending the war in Ukraine and scrapping economic sanctions on Russia. There is no doubt that Russia has vast troves of oil and natural…
Read MoreAustria, a Longtime Buyer of Russian Gas, Tries to Break the Habit
Just a few minutes’ walk from a metro station in the northeast corner of Vienna, you might think that you were in Texas: A drilling rig more than 130 feet high looms over open land. Instead of oil, though, the wells will pump close to 1.7 million gallons a day of hot water from deep…
Read MoreAttacks, ‘Firewall’ Row, Trump: Rocky Run-up To German Vote
Germany’s rocky path towards Sunday’s early elections began when the outgoing coalition government collapsed in acrimony on November 6, the very day Donald Trump won re-election to the White House. The campaign since then has been shaken by a series of deadly attacks, a heated battle in parliament around the far-right AfD and unprecedented hostility…
Read MoreCheat Sheet On Germany’s Colour-coded Politics
Germany holds elections on Sunday after its three-party “traffic light” coalition collapsed last year and could soon have a “black-red” government while a “Jamaica” or “blackberry” alliance is less likely. Confused? Here is a cheat sheet for Germany’s colour-coded party politics ahead of the pivotal vote in Europe’s most populous country and biggest economy. Every…
Read MoreOfficials Are Fired at Traffic Safety Agency Investigating Musk’s Company
The federal agency responsible for traffic safety, which has been investigating whether self-driving technology in Tesla vehicles played a role in the death of a pedestrian, laid off 4 percent of its employees last week, a Transportation Department spokesperson said Saturday. The traffic safety agency did not say whether any of its fired employees were…
Read MoreTrump Shakes Transatlantic Alliance With Russia Pivot
Donald Trump’s sudden shift on Ukraine has shaken the transatlantic alliance to its core. Now European leaders are crossing that same ocean in a desperate bid to shore it up. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet Trump separately at the White House this week to try to convince him…
Read MoreOscars Favorite Baker Says Indie Film ‘Struggling’ As ‘Anora’ Tops Spirit Awards
Sean Baker, whose low-budget movie “Anora” is the frontrunner for next weekend’s Oscars, delivered an impassioned plea to “keep indie film alive” as he won top prize at the Spirit Awards Saturday. The annual Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony, held in a giant tent at Los Angeles’ Santa Monica beach, only celebrates movies made for…
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