UN postal union reaches deal to avert US exit
29 September 2019 |
2:51 pm
The US was threatening to pull out of the UN postal agency if reforms weren't implemented. The spat centered on the US effectively subsidizing mail and parcels delivered from China.
Related
18 Dec
A new report by Amnesty International details China's systematic persecution of the Uyghur minority. It shows how Beijing has carried out a campaign of repression against the predominantly Muslim minority, incarcerating millions in so-called "reeducation" camps. Will this report finally make the international community act? Phil Gayle asked Joanne Mariner from Amnesty International.
18 Dec
July 12 marks the fifth anniversary of a landmark ruling by the independent Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague that rejected China's claims to contested islands in the South China Sea. Despite the 2016 ruling, Beijing has deployed forces to prevent fishers from the Philippines from accessing the waters.
17 Dec
The US said it was seeking "security and prosperity" for Palestinians. The dialogue had not been convened since before the election of former President Donald Trump.
16 Dec
Lawmakers in the United States have voted to raise the government's borrowing limit by $2.5 trillion, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic default. The Senate passed the measure 50-49. The new debt ceiling will give the US government enough space to borrow until 2023, after the midterm elections. Focus in Washington will now return to whether President Joe Biden can get his $1.75 trillion social spending plan, "Build Back Better", passed by the end of the year.
16 Dec
The Federal Reserve is paving the way for possible interest rate hikes next year, in an effort to contain stubbornly high inflation.
At the conclusion of a two-day policy meeting Wednesday, the central bank announced plans to phase out its large-scale bond-buying program faster than initially planned. The Fed started purchasing bonds during the pandemic as a way to keep borrowing costs across the economy low and to prevent any market disruptions.
19 Dec
Government officials in Bangladesh denounced US sanctions but activists hailed them as a step forward for human rights in the country. The measures were implemented over rights abuses and extrajudicial killings.
19 Dec
The US Commerce Department sanctioned Chinese surveillance and biotechnology companies over rights abuses. The Biden administration expressed concern that US technology could be used in abusing Uyghur people.
18 Dec
China wants to become carbon neutral by 2060, but is currently suffering the most severe electricity shortage in more than a decade. Experts are worried that China will fall back on coal and other fossil fuels.
20 Dec
Nobody was ever held responsible for strikes that killed thousands of civilians in Afghanistan and the Middle East, a New York Times report has found. A US strike cell routinely sidestepped safety procedures, it found.
21 Dec
US President Joe Biden has unveiled a new plan to tackle his country's COVID-19 emergency. Announcing the measures on his first full day in power, he said drastic action is needed.
20 Dec
A case of whether to uphold a Mississippi law that bans terminations of pregnancy after 15 weeks has made it to the country's highest court. A ruling could see the landmark 1973 'Roe versus Wade' case that legalized abortion overturned.
Latest
16 mins ago
Italians poured into the streets and squares of Rome in massive numbers on Wednesday as the A.S. Roma soccer team defeated Feyenoord to win the Europa conference league final.
1 hour ago
Olaf Scholz signed deals that will see Germany help African nations build their infrastructure to extract and export oil and gas to Europe. He also promised to keep German troops in the Sahel.
1 hour ago
Poland has long been the poster boy among EU economies, but behind its remarkable growth story is a widening inequality gap. This may help explain why Poles vote for parties that promise redistribution.
3 hours ago
"Senior leadership" in the UK should bear responsibility for the culture which led to officials partying during COVID-19 lockdowns, according to an internal report.
3 hours ago
An Italian factory that works in conjunction with the Ukrainian steelworks Azovstal is currently at a standstill, as steel from Ukraine is no longer arriving. But just down the road, a factory partially owned by a Russian oligarch is operating at full capacity, using Russian steel. Our correspondents report from northern Italy. But first, the United States has cut off the last remaining financial route for Russia to pay off its debts to US bondholders by allowing a waiver to expire.
3 hours ago
According to a recent report by CDC News, a Canadian news channel, some of the cars that go missing in Canada end up in Nigeria, Lagos precisely. GuardianTV picked up the report and unveils steps to know you are buying none stollen cars.