Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s seven-year fight against sodomy charges ended on 10 February 2015. His five-year prison sentence was widely seen as a victory for his political opponents in using the law to silence him (again). The opposition coalition will struggle to overcome the loss of its leader. But Prime Minister Najib Razak is expected to face minimal international pressure on the verdict.
A recent report has found that homebuilders have lost confidence in the American housing market in March 2015. The drop has surprised many analysts who see the market on a long-term growth trend.
The euro rose from its lowest point over a decade against the dollar as oil prices continued to fall.
For the second day straight, the euro rose slightly against the U.S. dollar even as analysts await news from the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee about its plans to change its Federal funds rate target. Many economists expect the FOMC to remove the word “patient” from its statement, hinting to the market that a rate hike is set to come as early as June.
Australia’s foreign policy has been a mix of positives and negatives under the Liberal-National Coalition government, as was true of the previous Labor government. Former Prime Ministers Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke recognised the need for Australia to think strategically about future regional developments, and John Howard’s thinking gradually moved in that direction. There is an urgent need for such long-term strategic thinking, centred on Australia’s geographic realities and its evolving regional relationships.
The House of Commons has voted in favour of compulsory, standardised and logo-free packaging for cigarettes. If also approved by the House of Lords, the new law will enter into force in England in 2016. This will mean trademarks, graphics and logos will be removed from packs, except for the brand name, which will be displayed in a standard font identical for all brands in the market. Large graphic health-warning images will also dominate on the front. A dark colour such as olive green will permeate the pack.
ISIS has exploded on the scene of Islamic extremist terrorism in an unprecedented way. Seemingly emerging from obscurity, ISIS has jumped to the front of the line of threats in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Middle East. This rise to infamy has largely been due to the incredible amount of money flowing through the coffers of the terrorist organization. But, where does all of this money come from?
The most important event next week is the FOMC meeting followed by a press conference by Yellen. In order to maximize its room to maneuver, we expect the FOMC statement will drop the patience that has characterized its forward guidance since last December.
Women had stood shoulder to shoulder with men in the Russian Revolution of 1917, according to its leader Vladimir Lenin, and were said to be at the vanguard of the drive to build an equal society in the world’s first communist state; the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
From Moscow in European Russia to Tashkent in central Asia, Soviet leaders embarked with revolutionary zeal on a mission to liberate downtrodden women – and by 1930, Joseph Stalin, Lenin’s successor in the Kremlin, declared the job done.
The greatest threat to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ambitious agenda is political instability in Tokyo. The spectre of such instability is re-emerging after a remarkable period of quiet as cabinet ministers in Abe’s government are being tarred with political funding scandals. Individually, the offences are insignificant. But, cumulatively, they are a distraction from the important work at hand and a regrettable return to politics as usual in Japan — at least before Abe took office.
Under the Dome, a documentary released on 28 February 2015, has the potential to become a turning point in China’s long march against the ever-worsening environmental crisis.
When Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring in 1962, it brought environmental concerns home to tens of millions of ordinary Americans. It led to an overhaul of the national pesticide policy, resulting in the banning of DTT and other forms of synthetic pesticides.
