Economy & Politics
Venezuela: United Socialist Party holds first congress since Hugo Chavez’s death
Venezuela's key party - United Socialist Party (PSUV) - has begun its first congress since President Hugo Chavez died in March 2013. Party leaders have...
Indonesia elections 2014: Joko Widodo wins presidential race
Joko Widodo has been declared the winner of Indonesia's highly contested presidential election. The election commission said Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo - widely known as...
Indonesia elections 2014: Election Commission to name next president despite controversy
Indonesia will name its new president, following a hotly-contested election that saw both candidates claiming victory. Most "quick counts" after the July 9 election placed...
Bolivia lowers age of legal child workers to 10
Bolivia has passed a law allowing children to work from the age of 10 as long as they also attend school and are self-employed. The...
Australia becomes first nation to abolish carbon tax
The Australian Senate has voted to repeal the carbon tax, a levy on the biggest polluters passed by the previous Labor government. PM Tony Abbott,...
Barack Obama’s Austin speech interrupted by Hispanic hecklers
President Barack Obama was interrupted by two people while delivering a speech on the economy on Thursday at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas. The...
Afghanistan elections 2014: Ashraf Ghani calls for vote audit
Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani has called for an "extensive audit" of votes. Ashraf Ghani made the appeal before meeting US Secretary of State John...
China’s trade surplus narrows to $32 billion in June 2014
China's trade surplus narrowed to $32 billion in June 2014 after export growth slowed and imports increased, showing the economy is still stabilizing after...
John Kerry arrives in Beijing for China-US annual dialogue
Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Beijing for the annual China-US dialogue. China’s President Xi Jinping has called for mutual respect between the...
Afghanistan elections 2014: Abdullah Abdullah claims victory in presidential run-off
Abdullah Abdullah has claimed victory in the second round of Afghanistan’s presidential race, despite results giving a lead to his rival, Ashraf Ghani. Addressing supporters...
Germany to charge foreign drivers for using its roads
Germany is planning to tax the millions of foreign drivers who use its roads, including the famous autobahn highway, from 2016 onwards. Transport Minister Alexander...
Afghanistan elections 2014: Ashraf Ghani leads presidential race in early vote count
Ashraf Ghani is leading the Afghan presidential race, according to preliminary results. The former finance minister won 56.44% of votes cast in the June 14...
Angela Merkel begins three-day visit to China
German leader Angela Merkel has begun a three-day visit to China with trade issues high on the agenda. Germany and China are important trading partners...
Senegal elections 2014: PM Aminata Toure sacked after ruling party’s poor results
Senegal’s PM Aminata Toure has been sacked after her ruling party's poor results in local elections last Sunday. Local officials said President Macky Sall had...
Russia: State Duma passes law requiring internet companies to store citizens’ personal data inside country
Russia's State Duma (lower house of parliament) has passed a law requiring internet companies to store Russian citizens' personal data inside the country. The Kremlin...
Is Mitt Romney considering another try for presidency 2016?
According to a recent Quinnipiac University survey, 44% of Americans think the US "would be better off than it is today" if Mitt Romney...
German parliament approves first national minimum wage
Germany has approved its first minimum wage, in a vote in the Bundestag on Thursday. The wage will be set at 8.50 euros ($11.50) per...
US employers added 288,000 jobs in June 2014
According to latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US economy added 288,000 jobs in June 2014. The unemployment rate dropped to 6.1%,...
Nicolas Sarkozy released from custody and placed under formal investigation
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been placed under formal investigation over alleged influence peddling. Nicolas Sarkozy, 59, appeared before a judge in Paris late...
Turkey elections 2014: Recep Tayyip Erdogan to run for presidency
Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan will run for president in the first direct election in August, his governing AK Party has confirmed. Recep Tayyip Erdogan...
Rob Ford returns to work after two months into rehab
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is back to work after spending two months into rehab for drug and alcohol abuse, which he described as life-saving. In...
Hillary Clinton criticizes Supreme Court decision in Hobby Lobby case
Hillary Clinton criticized the Supreme Court for ruling that an employer can refuse to provide women with contraception on religious grounds. Hillary Clinton said when...
Nicolas Sarkozy detained for questioning over influence claims
Former President Nicolas Sarkozy has been held in France for questioning over alleged influence peddling. The decision to detain Nicolas Sarkozy at Nanterre, near Paris,...
Xu Caihou: China’s top military official accused of accepting bribes
China’s top military official, General Xu Caihou, has been accused of accepting bribes and expelled from the Communist Party, state media report. Gen. Xu Caihou...
Bulgaria set to dissolve parliament amid concerns over its banking system
Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev has announced he will dissolve parliament and appoint an interim government, amid concerns over the country's banking system. Rosen Plevneliev's comments...
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