This week: The U.S. FOMC chairs a two-day policy meeting; Greece implements a temporary tax cut on food and services to boost consumption levels; EU embargo against the supply of arms to Syria is partially lifted; The new Iranian president Hassan Rohani takes office.
Monday, July 29
The International Monetary Fund on Thursday warned that eurozone recovery remains highly elusive and called on its governments to do more to end the region’s crisis, adding that further cuts to interest rates by the European Central Bank may be necessary to boost growth.
Whether you’re a hardcore fanatic or simply a fan of action movies, this infographic is a collection of interesting facts about comic books and the movies based on them – from the top-selling comic book in recent years, to a comparison of lone-wolf superheroes and superhero teams.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly rejected a proposal to drastically restrict the National Security Agency’s ability to collect electronic information of millions of Americans, after a tense debate on the balance between privacy and national security.
In a 205-217 vote that created unusual political alliances in Washington, the U.S. House rejected an amendment to the defence appropriations bill, which would have blocked funding for the NSA’s programme to collect electronic information, including details of every call made by or to a U.S. phone.
Tackling crime and drugs must be part of a developing global agenda, said a top United Nations official on Wednesday, who warned that contemporary organised crime is becoming increasingly sophisticated and highly adaptive.
The world’s third largest economy is showing signs of recovery and reversing a 15-year deflationary trend as a result of its unconventional use of monetary policy, dubbed Abenomics, according to an annual government report published on Tuesday.
In its July report, the Cabinet Office said Japan’s economy “started to pick up from the beginning of 2013 and there are some indications it is turning around from its prolonged deflation.”
China has banned the construction of new government buildings for the next five years as it seeks to cut down on wasteful spending and address public anger at corruption, according to state media.
U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday pledged to unveil “big and bold” ideas to help America’s struggling middle class, focusing on job creation and the economy, as he attempts to shift the debate to what he deems as more substantive matters impacting the livelihood and long-term interests of tens of millions of families.
Leaders of the Group of 20 endorsed a new standard on tax transparency over the weekend, warning that governments risked “global tax chaos” chasing dwindling revenues from multinationals unless the international tax regime is radically overhauled.
The endorsement, issued at the end of a two-day G20 meeting in Moscow, builds on an action plan drawn up by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development to stop firms moving their profits across borders to avoid taxes.
For the past decade, Africa’s economy has been growing, on average, by 5.3% per year. But that’s not the full measure of a continent. A recent study looked at four different pillars derived from 88 different indicators to help determine which African countries are succeeding and which ones are still struggling.
According to a recent study by the African Development Bank, Africa’s economy is growing faster than any other continent, with more than a third of its economies experiencing growth rates of more than 6 percent.
