Editor Brian Harrod Provides Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, with aggregated news from sources all over the world from the Roundup Newswires Network
Autocratic rule, increased media restrictions and use of mass surveillance affect almost half global population, researchers find
Nearly half the world’s people are living in countries where their freedom of speech and right to privacy are being eroded, researchers have found.
“Strongman” regimes seeking to squash voices of dissent and solidify political power are increasingly monitoring citizens through technology, cracking down on protests and jailing journalists, according to a ranking of 198 countries on issues including mass surveillance and data privacy.
The pound is declining again today and is trading close to two-year lows versus the dollar and the euro. It is down 0.21% against the dollar at $1.2145, not far from the 31-month low of $1.2080 reached last week. Against the euro, sterling is 0.12% lower at €1.0855, not far from the 23-month low hit yesterday.
The risk of a no-deal Brexit has increased markedly under Boris Johnson’s government. When he became prime minister a fortnight ago, he said he would take Britain out of the EU at the end of October “do or die”. Investors are also fretting about the possibility of a no-confidence vote in the new Conservative government after the summer recess, or an early general election.
There are many key dates ahead for sterling, but the passing of 5 September without a successful of no confidence in the government will in our view be a further important step along the road of a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.
The mood in financial markets is still fragile. Oil prices have hit a fresh seven-month low as traders worried about the impact of the US-China trade war on the global economy.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell nearly 2% to $58.57 a barrel earlier this morning and is now trading down 0.2% at $58.82 a barrel. Prices have tumbled more than 20% since hitting their 2019 peak in April.
Australia tells tourists there is a risk of violence between protesters and police or ‘criminally linked individuals’
Australians travelling to Hong Kong have been warned to exercise a “high degree of caution” as China said Hong Kong was facing its worst crisis since the former British colony was handed back in 1997.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) said: “There is a risk of violent confrontation between protesters and police, or criminally linked individuals, particularly at unauthorised protests.” Ireland, the UK, and Japan have all issued Hong Kong travel warnings since July.
Tweet in support of US farmers suggests dispute with Beijing could extend well into 2020
Donald Trump has dropped the broadest possible hint that he is ready to dig in for the long term in the Washington’s trade war with China, after the latest escalation in the long-running dispute between the world’s two largest economies.
The US president said he was ready to provide support for US farmers in 2020 should they face pressure from China, as economists at Goldman Sachs said the standoff could continue until after the US presidential election in November 2020.
Pledge follows announcement by India that it intends to revoke territory’s special status
Pakistan has vowed to take any measure necessary to “stand by” people in Kashmir, where an unprecedented communications blackout continues a day after the Indian government said it would revoke the territory’s special status and divide it in two.
Landline connections, internet and mobile coverage in the territory were all suspended on Tuesday, while prominent political leaders who oppose the Indian government’s move were reportedly arrested.
As protests intensify it is hard to see how deadlock can end without death or serious injury
Over the last few weeks, protesters in Hong Kong have taken to spraypainting traffic barriers, bridges, police stations and more with the words: “If we burn, you burn with us.”
Gold has hit a fresh six-year high, rising above $1,473 this morning, after Beijing hit back at Washington’s branding of the country as a currency manipulator.
Asian stock markets were painted red overnight but shares in Europe have stabilised, no doubt helped by the strong factory orders data from Germany this morning. Germany’s Dax has risen 0.46%, France’s CAC is up 0.67%, Spain’s Ibex has edged 0.09% higher and Italy’s FTSE MiB is 0.25% ahead.
UBS, the Swiss investment bank, has sent us its analysis of the impact of the 10% tariff on $300bn of US imports from China threatened by Donald Trump last Friday.
The direct impact of the new tariffs, if implemented, would reduce US GDP by 0.15%, and we estimate Chinese GDP growth in the next 12 months could fall by 0.25–0.5 percentage points as a result, which would push the country’s growth rate below 6% into 2020.
China’s response to recent trade escalations has been relatively measured and we expect a similar reaction this time, with retaliation involving a mix of more tariffs and non-tariff measures. Potential non-tariff measures include a managed depreciation of the yuan to mitigate the trade impact from higher tariffs, penalising select US companies operating in China, and imposing export restrictions on rare earth metals.
There is still time to find a compromise, trade talks between the US and China scheduled for September have not been called off, and investors should also consider potential offsetting factors such as rate cuts by central banks and stimulus in China. Our base case assumes a long, drawn-out negotiation process, during which tensions can occasionally flare up.
An environment of a) rising trade tensions and b) potential stimulus, including falling interest rates, is tricky for investors to navigate. While we ultimately believe that US–China tradetensions will be resolved through negotiations, we think equities may struggle to move markedly higher until there is greater certainty.
Trade war rhetoric ratchets up as Beijing responds to US claim of being ‘a currency manipulator’
China stepped up the trade war rhetoric on Tuesday, accusing the US of “deliberately destroying international order” with “unilateralism and protectionism”.
A day after Washington branded China a currency manipulator in a rapidly escalating trade dispute, China’s central bank said it “deeply regretted” the move by the US and said such behaviour “seriously undermined international rules” and damaged the global economy.
Masked Hongkongers have staged their first press conference, calling for the return of power to the people. 'We are Hong Kong citizens from different positions from the movement,' one masked man said. 'This is the first civil press conference of Hong Kong – by the people, for the people.' The city's chief executive, Carrie Lam, had announced this week that the police force would be holding daily press conferences. In response, a group of protesters have 'initiated a citizens' press conference to bring the people’s unheard voice to the public'.
Hongkongers stage first press conference to challenge government’s ‘empty rhetoric’ on protests after fresh clashes
Masked Hongkongers have staged their first press conference, calling for the return of power to the people and the pursuit of democracy, as protest groups and authorities attempt to control the narrative of the events that have shaken the city for more than two months.
“Netizens have initiated the citizens’ press conference, to bring the people’s unheard voice to the public and to highlight the repeated condemnations and empty rhetoric presented by the HKSAR [Hong Kong special administrative region] government,” said an unidentified speaker wearing a yellow hard hat, which has become a symbol of the protest movement, accompanied by a sign language translator.
Citywide general strike descends into chaos as officers fire teargas and rubber bullets
Hong Kong protesters have clashed with police and fought off a group of men armed with poles as political unrest continues to roil the city.
A citywide strike accompanied by rallies in seven districts devolved into chaos on Monday evening as thousands of protesters fanned out across the city, occupying roads, disrupting traffic, and vandalising police stations and other public buildings.
Chaos erupted on the streets of Hong Kong on Monday as the city entered its ninth consecutive week of anti-government protests. In North Point, protesters clashed with a group of men carrying sticks, while riot police deployed teargas in various parts of the city to disperse demonstrators
Mass demonstrations continue ahead of city-wide strike and protests in seven districts
Protesters have taken to the streets of Hong Kong for another round of mass anti-government demonstrations as political unrest continues to roil the city.
Ahead of a city-wide strike and simultaneous protests in seven districts, on Sunday night protesters evaded and frustrated the police by holding flashmob demonstrations. Groups of protesters scattered, switching locations at the last minute and disappearing before riot police were able to arrive en masse.
US secretary of state dismisses warning by top security analyst, arguing ‘you can sell your soul for a pile of soy beans or you can protect your people’
The US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has declared “you can sell your soul for a pile of soy beans, or you can protect your people”, dismissing a warning from prominent Australian security analyst Hugh White that Australia should avoid following Donald Trump into a confrontation with Beijing that America probably can’t win.
Pompeo issued the provocative declaration during a question-and-answer session at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney on Sunday.
Mike Pompeo hails ‘unbreakable’ relationship between Washington and Canberra as he urges Australia to join coalition to protect shipping in the Gulf
Australia’s defence minister Linda Reynolds says the Morrison government is giving “very serious consideration” to a formal request from the Trump administration to join a US-led coalition to protect shipping in the Gulf from Iranian military forces.
Reynolds told journalists on Sunday after annual security talks between the Australian and American foreign affairs and defence ministers that the Morrison government was deeply concerned by the heightened tensions in the region, and strongly condemned the attacks on shipping in the Gulf.
Thousands gather in Kowloon as tension mounts in former British colony
Thousands of demonstrators marched in Hong Kong on Saturday, facing the threat of arrest and increasingly severe warnings from Beijing.
Protesters clad head to toe in black, carrying umbrellas and orange helmets, deviated from the route approved by police and took over a major road of the normally busy shopping district of Mongkok. One group held a black banner with the words: “The police have overstepped”, while others chanted for the release of protesters who have been arrested over the last two months of demonstrations.
Ablikim Yusuf, who had been living in Pakistan, faces detention and torture if he is sent to China, say supporters
Human rights activists are scrambling to prevent the imminent deportation of a Uighur man to China, where they say he faces torture.
Ablikim Yusuf, 53, who has been living in Pakistan, posted a desperate video on Facebook asking for help from the overseas Uighur community. He says in the video, translated and circulated by activists on Saturday: “I am currently being held in Doha airport, about to be deported to Beijing, China. I need the world’s help. I am originally from Hotan.”
Researchers reprogrammed human cells before injecting them in the monkey embryo
Efforts to create human-animal chimeras have rebooted an ethical debate after reports emerged that scientists have produced monkey embryos containing human cells.
A chimera is an organism whose cells come from two or more “individuals”, with recent work looking at combinations from different species. The word comes from a beast from Greek mythology which was said to be part lion, part goat and part snake.
Markets fell sharply as Trump threatens fresh tariffs; US non-farm payrolls matched economists’ expectations in July, while June figures were revised down
The Bank of Finland governor Olli Rehn has confirmed that he has withdrawn from the race to become the next managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
EU is about to vote on Europe’s candidate for IMF managing director. It is an exceptionally meaningful and motivating job. However, at this stage I withdraw my name from the ballot, so that we can achieve a broad-based consensus for the European candidate, and world-wide support.