Author: Lewis Fletcher

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who received the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to peace in the Middle East and easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula in the 1990s, died Sunday, the Carter Center said. He was 100. Carter, the longest-living former U.S. president in history, who entered hospice care nearly two years ago, died peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family, according to the center. “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and unselfish love,” Chip Carter, the former president’s son, said…

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed optimism that the recent collapse of the Assad regime in Syria could bring positive changes to the country’s humanitarian situation. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, he emphasized the importance of international cooperation in addressing the crisis. Hayashi affirmed Japan’s commitment to working with global partners, including the Group of Seven nations, to find resolutions for the ongoing issues in Syria. He stressed that Japan would continue its active involvement in fostering stability and aid for the affected population. He also noted that, so far, no Japanese nationals have been reported as casualties…

The IMF has stated that Asian economies are robust enough to navigate ongoing global uncertainties. Despite challenges like inflation and geopolitical tensions, the region’s diversified economic base and active policy measures have positioned it well for growth. The IMF anticipates that Asia will remain a critical driver of global economic expansion. Several Asian countries have implemented structural reforms, which, according to the IMF, will further support economic resilience. These reforms are expected to strengthen both the labor markets and the business environments in the region, promoting sustainable long-term growth. In the face of slowing global demand and fluctuating trade conditions,…

Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa go forward after no candidates gained 50% in first round. The Sri Lankan presidential election will be decided in a runoff, the country’s election body has said, after the top two candidates failed to win the mandatory 50% of votes to be declared winner. The Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake garnered the most votes in the first round of voting, with 39.5% of the counted ballots, while the opposition leader, Sajith Premadasa, finished second with 34%. All the remaining candidates, including the incumbent, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who trailed in third with 17%, have been disqualified, the…

As Sri Lanka gears up for the 2024 presidential elections, the political landscape is alive with a peculiar sort of buzz. The National People’s Power (NPP), formerly known as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), is making waves with Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) at the helm. The JVP, sporting a rebranded logo – the Compass – seems to have mastered the art of political chameleonism. But beware, dear voter, for while the façade may change, the essence remains troublingly the same. Let’s first examine the heart of the matter – the economy. Sri Lanka’s economic woes are no secret. The island…

Frankfurt, Paris (18/8 – 62.50) Ukraine has scored a series of victories in more than a week since launching a lightning offensive into Russian territory. Now the stakes are rising as its forces prepare to defend their gains and Russia begins to regain its footing. Last week, Ukraine deployed thousands of troops to the Kursk region in western Russia, removing Russian flags from captured towns and taking the initiative from Moscow for the first time in months. On Wednesday, officials in Kyiv said Ukraine would use seized Russian territory as a “buffer zone” to shield its north from Russian strikes.…

“When I was abroad, I saw them on pretty much every city block. I would love to have the same thing here in the US.” Whenever you visit a new place, there are likely to be aspects of daily life there that feel totally new. And personally, I love discovering international habits or customs I wish I could adopt back home. So Redditor u/danielgmal asked, “What did you experience in another country that you wish you could make a part of your regular life?” Here’s what people said. 1. “The cafe culture that is so common in France. I loved just sitting at an outdoor cafe…

Sanjiva Weerawarana is a Sri Lankan success story. He founded enterprise software firm WSO2 in 2005, got it close to $100 million in ARR as its CEO, then sold it to private equity firm EQT for $600 million in May. He sometimes drives for Uber, too. Sri Lanka isn’t renowned for its startup ecosystem, but one company has been something of an outlier in the South Asian island nation these past two decades. WSO2, an open source enterprise software provider with customers such as Samsung, Axa, and AT&T, recently agreed to be acquired by private equity giant EQT, at a valuation TechCrunch reported at the time…

Rome (9/07 – 66.7) Fortune-telling is now a criminal act in the Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, amidst the teetering economies. The Economist Intelligence Unit, for instance, says “the risk of sovereign default” in Kyrgyzstan is high, while adding that “poverty, unemployment, austerity, power shortages and political oppression are possible sources of destabilization in 2024-25” in Tajikistan. Despite the two countries’ myriad economic challenges, lawmakers and law-enforcers in both Central Asian states are making time to crack down on sorcery and fortune-telling. In Tajikistan, authorities literally went on a witch hunt, resulting in the arrest of more than 50 alleged practitioners…

The European Union announced on Friday that it will begin accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova to join the 27-member political and economic bloc starting next week. All 27 members agreed to the Ukraine and Moldova joining the European Union. Negotiations will begin for both countries on Tuesday in Luxembourg, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union said on X. The move comes at a critical time for both nations with Ukraine in the middle of an invasion by Russia and Moldova facing a Russian-led insurgence by a breakaway state. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the European Union for its “robust political…