The European Union reached a blockbuster free trade agreement Friday with Brazil, Argentina and the three other South American nations in the Mercosur trade alliance, capping a quarter-century of on-off negotiations even as France vowed to derail the contentious accord. Provided it is ratified, the accord would create one of the world’s largest free trade zones, covering a market of ...
Global stakeholders now have to reckon with the geopolitical impact of a rebel offensive led by an Islamist group in Syria that could potentially threaten President Bashar al-Assad’s hold over the country. Syrian rebels have made a lightning advance in the north of the country, taking two major cities: Aleppo, the second biggest city, and Hama, a strategically important city ...
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has apologized to the nation in his first public comments since his abortive attempt to impose martial law threw the country into political chaos and led to calls for his impeachment. “This emergency martial law declaration stemmed from my desperation as the ultimate responsible party for state affairs,” Yoon said in a two-minute address. ...
Property tycoon Truong My Lan was one of Vietnam’s richest businesswomen. She amassed an eye-wateringly valuable portfolio of luxury homes, hotels and commercial properties all over the country and abroad – allegedly by effectively turning a major bank into her own personal ATM. On Tuesday, the 68-year-old lost her appeal against the death sentence for masterminding one of the biggest ...
A federal judge rejected Boeing’s plea deal tied to a criminal fraud charge stemming from fatal crashes of its 737 Max aircraft. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas expressed concern in his decision on Thursday that a government-appointed monitor, a condition of the plea deal, would include diversity, equity and inclusion policiies. He wrote that ...
Dollar General is testing same-day delivery to customers’ homes as the deep discounter tries to fend off fiercer competition with Walmart. On an earnings call Thursday, Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said the retailer “soft launched” the delivery program in September. Now it offers same-day delivery at about 75 stores, he said. It is offered through a third-party company, which he did ...
The goal of Syria’s rebel coalition, as it wrests another major city from government control this week, is ultimately to overthrow authoritarian President Bashar al-Assad, according to Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the militant leader of the main group driving the country’s armed opposition. “When we talk about objectives, the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this regime. It is ...
The head of South Korea’s ruling party said Friday it is necessary to suspend the president’s constitutional powers and suggested the party would change its earlier opposition to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment over his declaration of martial law. The People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon told reporters on Friday that he had received “credible evidence” that Yoon had attempted ...
Declaring martial law in a stable and boisterous democracy was an audacious gamble – and one that appears to have backfired spectacularly for South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol. Now, the former prosecutor and conservative firebrand’s political career hangs by a thread, with an impeachment motion against him underway and the country’s leader rapidly losing support even within his own ...
A Chinese fishing vessel off the coast of Somalia has come under the control of alleged pirates, a European Union anti-piracy force operating in the area said Thursday. The ship, with up to 18 crew members, had been taken over by the suspected pirates, some of whom were armed with AK-47s and machine guns, the European Union Naval Force Operation ...