The U.S. and European Union imposed sanctions against Belarus officials on Friday, part of a coordinated effort by Western allies to censure the authoritarian regime over accusations of political repression and rigging elections. The EU reached an early morning deal to advance a sanctions package against more than three dozen Belarusian individuals deemed responsible for … Read more
A high-level meeting between officials from the U.S. and Qatar this week offers a chance for the Middle Eastern country to work toward healing a rift with its neighbors, as well as helping Washington solidify a key relationship in the volatile region. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary … Read more
The Trump administration on Tuesday blacklisted two former Lebanese government ministers it says have aided Iran-backed Hezbollah and are part of systemic corruption that the U.S. says is contributing to the country’s economic and political crises. The Trump administration said the action against Yusuf Finyanus, a former minister of transportation and public works, and Ali … Read more
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman RS Sharma has backed India’s older operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, saying 2G technology is still popular, especially in the farflung and rural areas of the country. Speaking to Muntazir Abbas, Sharma said the government should promote local manufacturing of telecom equipment, especially due to strategic interest. … Read more
By Omkar GoswamiLast week has seen a surfeit of news on the compensation cess involving the goods and services tax (GST). It is an extremely important issue that needs explaining in digestible prose. Here is an attempt. A nationwide GST creates a common market where the rates of indirect tax are the same across all … Read more
Mumbai: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday warned banks that being overly risk averse will be “self-defeating” and that lenders will not be able to “win their bread” if they do not carry out their basic task. Speaking at a webinar organised by financial daily Business Standard, Das said, rather than becoming averse to lending, … Read more
WASHINGTON—Hackers tied to the North Korean government are trying to rob banks across the globe by draining ATMs and initiating fraudulent money transfers, in an effort by the cash-strapped Pyongyang regime to fund its nuclear weapons program, multiple federal government agencies warned Wednesday. The campaign includes so-called spearphishing attacks—which use fraudulent email to infect a … Read more
OTTAWA—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday named his deputy, Chrystia Freeland, as the country’s new finance minister and said he would suspend parliament until Sept. 23 as he attempts to turn the page on conflict-of-interest allegations that have weighed heavily on his support this summer. Mr. Trudeau said the suspension would allow his government … Read more