Global Slick

UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who earlier pledged to take Britain out of European Union by the end of year 2020, is likely to break his promise as according to European Union Trade Commissioner, Phil Hogan, Brexit transition period would extend beyond 2020. In an interview with the Irish Times, published Monday, Hogan said, “In the past, we saw the way the prime minister promised to die in the ditch rather than extend the deadline for Brexit , only for him to do just that.” Johnson had previously committed to “die in a ditch” rather than extend an earlier deadline of October 31 to exit the bloc. “I don’t believe Prime Minister Johnson will die in the ditch over the timeline for the future relationship either,” Hogan said. The recently appointed EU Trade Commissioner, who playa key role in the EU-UK talks on their future relationship, said that it was ‘ very odd ’ to impose any restriction on the Brexit extension and that it all seemed more like a political stunt.

As Nepal is poised to sign a deal with Malaysia to ensure cost-free recruitment of workers, Qatar has expressed its interest in hiring Nepalis without charging them any money in the process. In Qatar, migrant workers represent about 90 per cent of its resident population, and Nepalis represent a significant number of its migrant workforce. As Nepal is poised to sign a deal with Malaysia to ensure cost-free recruitment of workers, Qatar has expressed its interest in hiring Nepalis without charging them any money in the process. Qatar, which hosts hundreds of thousand Nepalis, has proposed a ‘zero cost’ modality for employing migrant workers in the country. The developments come as another relief for Nepali workers who face a number of hassles before departing for the job destination and while working in a foreign country. Malaysia is due to sign a labour agreement with Nepal this week, sparing workers the huge expenses that they are currentl

Iran is again trying to throttle the power of free expression as it turns to control access of Internet anticipating another outbreak of a mutiny.  The Iranian government has restricted mobile internet in several provinces. This comes as protestors take to the social media to announce a wave of demonstrations for the second time. Apart from this, state media has reported that Iranian intelligence ministry agents have seized a cache of 126 mostly U.S.-made guns smuggled to the central city of Isfahan from abroad. This might be indicative of some kind of violence coming through protests but there is no clarity over this as of now. Apart from control over Internet access, security forces have been on alert for any events that could spark more unrest after 1,500 people were killed in less than two weeks after protests erupted on Nov. 15, according to a Reuters report. Earlier on, protests had started over gasoline price hike. They later took in all the other aspects which has

The interim government of Bolivia has decided to join the Lima Group to help resolve the Venezuelan crisis.   This was announced on Sunday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia announces the entry of Bolivia into the Lima Group," the statement said.  As noted in the foreign ministry, in this way the republic "will contribute to the achievement of a peaceful, democratic and constitutional solution to the crisis in Venezuela." The Lima group was formed on August 8, 2017 in the capital of Peru, where representatives of 12 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Chile) signed a joint declaration on the non-recognition of the Constitutional Assembly    Venezuela convened at the initiative of President Nicolas Maduro without a referendum.   Guyana and Saint Lucia later joined the group. The situation in Venezuela escalate

It all started as a way to get rid of the Syrian rebel forces. But at the worst receiving end right now, are the thousands of civilians that are running for their lives. Syria has become a mass exodus where UN has reported as many as 100,000 people have fled northwestern Syrian region running to the border. The Russian and Syrian government joint strike is leading to a humanitarian catastrophe, as Maarat al-Numan is being bombed repeatedly. Earlier it was Idlib province from where thousands of Syrians were displaced and moved towards the border into Turkey. The new exodus is creating the same situation and Turkey has made it clear that it has no capacity left to handle such a big exodus of civilians. It is now confirmed that 80,000 Syrians are already on the move towards Turkey. Sadly, this seems to be a political pressure game being played by Moscow to get Ankara to buy its terms, a week before both countries meet over a summit.   While Russia jointed hands with Turke

Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill faces its first vote Friday in the House of Commons as the prime minister seeks to drive the legislation through Parliament and take the U.K. out of the European Union on Jan. 31. After Johnson’s Conservatives swept to victory in last week’s general election, the vote at about 2:30 p.m. is largely a formality, because all Tory candidates vowed to back it. The legislation will then be set to progress through the remaining parliamentary steps in January, after a Christmas recess. The Tories’ new 80-seat majority signals an end to the stalemate that’s hobbled the government since the 2016 Brexit referendum. By making progress on the divorce before Parliament breaks up, Johnson aims to show he’s moving quickly to deliver on pledges that swept his party to electoral wins in seats in northern and central England that haven’t voted Conservative in decades. “Today we will deliver on the promise we made to the people

The prosecutor's office of Bolivia issued on Wednesday an arrest warrant for ex-President Evo Morales.   A photograph of the document was posted on Twitter by the Minister of the Interior of the South American Republic, Arturo Murillo.   According to the text of the document, the decision to issue a warrant was taken as part of a criminal investigation into incitement to rebellion, terrorism and the financing of terrorism.   According to the prosecutor’s office, this measure is necessary for the former head of state to “appear for questioning and testify” in the case.   The document also states that the detention of Morales can be carried out by "any competent civil servant."   Presidential elections were held in Bolivia on October 20.   According to the Supreme Electoral Court, Morales, the current head of state, received the majority of the votes.   His main rival, Carlos Mesa, said he did not recognize the opponent’s victory in the first round.   After t

US futures had stocks opening slightly higher on Monday as Washington and Beijing's "phase one" trade deal remained the focus of most traders. As of 1230 GMT, Dow futures were up 0.17%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures were ahead 0.36% and 0.42%, respectively. The Dow closed just 3.33 higher on Friday after Washington and Beijing reached a deal to avoid fresh punitive tariffs planned by the Donald Trump administration. The President said Beijing had agreed to "massive" purchases of US agricultural and other goods but did not give a specific number - leaving market participants cautious moving into the new week. Also weighing on sentiment, Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said on Friday that the United States had seriously damaged the hard-won mutual trust between the countries by criticising Beijing over issues such as Hong Kong and the treatment of Muslim Uighurs. "Such behaviour is almost par

Boris Johnson is a happy confident politician whose win shows that the loyalty of the British people lies with the Conservatives. It is a total win as Laboured held regions are also going to be represented by the Conservatives. This movement has led to the Conservatives securing 80-seat majority and Johnson is all set to greet the new MPs this week. There is confirmed news that he will carry out a mini cabinet reshuffle. But for starters, he will need to appoint the vacant spots of culture and Welsh secretary posts. The candidates holding these positions had stepped down before the general elections. Alun Cairns step down after pressure from the public over the allegation that is former aid sabotaged a rape trial. Nicola Ann Morgan stepped down on the thoughts that British politics had become stingy and the people merciless in categorizing or scrutinizing MPs. The Queen is set to open the Parliament as she sets out the government’s legislative programme. The MPs will firs

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales has applied for refugee status in Argentina instead of political asylum after arriving in the country.  This was announced on Thursday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the South American Republic. "Morales and the ex-Minister of Health of Bolivia Gabriela] Montagno signed the relevant petition upon arrival at Ezeiza airport, and will receive this status in the near future," the statement said. Morales, who was granted political asylum in Mexico after resigning as president, and Montagno arrived in Buenos Aires on Thursday morning.  Prior to their arrival, the Argentine government granted them and three other former members of the Morales administration political asylum. According to Argentinean legislation, refugees have the same rights as any foreign citizen who has received a residence permit in Argentina.  The law does not say that a refugee cannot engage in political activities, but earlier the head of the Foreign M

The European Union and Serbia have opened a new chapter in the negotiations on the entry of this country into the community regarding the free movement of capital.   This assessment was given on Tuesday by the press service of the Council of the EU. "Today in Brussels the eleventh meeting of the Ministerial Accession Conference of Serbia was held, dedicated to the opening of the fourth chapter, which concerns the free movement of capital," the Council said in a statement. Thus, the document emphasizes, the EU and Serbia have opened 18 of the 35 chapters of the negotiation process, two of which are already temporarily closed. Negotiations on Serbia's accession to the European Union began in January 2014.

Despite the hue and cry of the Lebanese public, Saad Hariri is going to be re-elected as the Prime Minister, as promising candidate Samir Khatib withdraws from nomination, reports have confirmed. The Lebanon crisis has deepened more than ever. Khatib was Hariri’s recommendation but the former had not received acceptance from the disgruntled public.   Roads leading to Baabda Palace have been secured as 128 member of Parliament are to get together to name the new Prime Minister under their parliamentary consultation process.   A civil disobedience movement has been ongoing in Lebanon against siphoning of international funds and corruption at the hands of a disloyal government that has not done anything in civic amenities, employment and general upkeep of the city. The civil movement continued in Beirut over the weekend, as activists rejected Khatib as a possible prime minister as “an extension of the ruling political power.” A unanimous cry has been “We reject Hariri’s retu

The current Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is only concentrating in offering an agenda of collaborative effort and thoughts for the betterment of Canada. He is now slated to unveil the agenda for his weakened one is hoping to reach out to the opposition for support on tax cuts, healthcare and fighting climate change. While he has not been able to put together a majority government and will have to do with an alternate version, he is heading the second term as PM that has been met with hot and cold responses from Mr. Donald Trump. In the recently concluded elections, Trudeau won by a narrow margin and could establish a minority government. This means that in his second term, he is depending on the support of the other parties to govern. “We seek hardship for none and prosperity for all, and if we unite around these common goals, I know we can achieve them,” Trudeau told cheering supporters in Montreal. He said Canadians had sent a clear message of support for progressi

Iran is ready to negotiate with the United States within one hour if Washington lifts sanctions on Tehran.  This was stated on Wednesday by the President of the Islamic Republic Hassan Rouhani. "The US president will lift the sanctions, and we will begin negotiations within one hour."  In May 2018, the United States withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal.  She suggested that Tehran renounce nuclear weapons in return for lifting sanctions.  Washington placed additional political demands on the Islamic Republic and introduced stringent restrictive measures to fulfill them.  As a result, Iran has run out of fuel.  Retail gas prices doubled, leading to riots. In late November, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced new sanctions against Iran under the pretext of violating human rights in the republic.

Turkish Foreign Minister MevlutCavusoglu said on Thursday that Ankara does not accept the words of French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the Turkish operation "Source of Peace" in Syria. "The words of Macron do not mean anything, he is the patron of terrorists. As German Chancellor AngelaMerkel has already said, Turkey is a NATO country. Macron must adhere to the position of its allies," said the minister. According to Cavusoglu, Turkey with a new cross-border operation impeded France’s plans to create a terrorist state in Syria.   "Macron wanted to create a terrorist state, and he is upset because of the operation" Source of Peace ", and now does not understand what he is saying," Turkish Foreign Minister said. Relations between Ankara and Paris escalated due to the fact that the French side supports the Syrian Kurdish Popular Self-Defense Forces (SNA), which Turkey considers an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) b

As Turkey prepares a warm bed with the help of Russia, the roof over its head is going to blow off with US sanctions.  Despite repeated indicative dialogues and then stiff warnings, Ankara has recently gone ahead and tested the newly Russian acquired S-400 defense systems. The Turkish choice led to Washington removing it from the multinational manufacturing program for F-35 joint-strike fighter jets and banned the sale of those aircraft to Turkey as well. Turkey didn’t solicit this brute anger and has continued to work on the S-400 systems acquired in May this year.  EU nations have also been weary of this purchase, and are certain this friendship with Russia is not good news for anyone there or in the Middle East as well. The patience threshold has reached its peak and the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is confirmed to be looking at enforcing the 2017 Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) on Turkey.  This is to be followed with banning US

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that the United States received about 20 thousand messages proving the suppression of demonstrations and other human rights violations by the Iranian authorities. "Last week, I asked the courageous Iranian people to send us evidence of the regime’s violent actions during the protests in Iran. At the moment, we have received about 20 thousand messages. The US has already taken measures against the Minister of Disinformation of Iran. Ahead of the new sanctions," Pompeo wrote on   your Twitter page. The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Nov ember 22 that it included Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Mohammad Jawad Azari Jahromi, on its sanctions list, accusing it of restricting Iranian citizens from accessing the Internet. On November 15, a government order to triple gasoline prices came into force in Iran.   After this decision, protests were held in several cities of Iran, and clashe

Israel's Security Cabinet convened Sunday to discuss alleged growing security threats, amid concerns that the authorities are attempting to keep the public busy with the dangers posed by Iran to turn their attention from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to form a new government. Although discussions remained confidential, there have been leaks that Netanyahu confirmed during the meeting the “rising threat of an attack orchestrated by Iran.” Informed political and security sources believe that recent developments in Baghdad reveal Iran's determination to turn Iraq into a base for its domination of the Arab world on one hand, and attacking Israel on the other. A source at the National Security Council indicated that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is suffering due to recent blows, especially after the assassination attempt of Quds Force commander QasemSoleimani, and intends to carry out reprisals against Israel. An opposition lawmaker won

US intelligence officials have confirmed that the whole Ukraine angle into ‘meddling’ with the 2016 US elections was a Russian making.  It seems that the July calls made by Mr. Donald Trump to the Ukrainian PM might just have helped to take the actual focus off the real problem at hand. Official investigations taken on by the FBI have elaborated via a report that it is to be believed that Oleg V. Deripaska, a Russian oligarch that has ties to Mr. Manafort is one of the people that Kremlin relied on upon to spread disinformation about Ukrainian interference. In the last few weeks, more information has been coming to surface over this matter. National intelligence officials have explained to senators and their aides that in fact, Russia has been engaged in a campaign for years to frame Ukraine. They have been wishing to pin the blame of Moscow’s meddling on Ukraine of being responsible for the hacking of the US 2016 presidential elections. This information is actually going in t

The US administration is considering the possibility of starting a new trade investigation against the EU amid the fact that the head of the White House, Donald Trump, has not yet begun to impose duties on European cars. Previously, it was assumed that measures against the automobile industry of the EU will be introduced by November 14 or postponed for six months.  Thus, the publication notes, imported cars, and spare parts will no longer be regarded as a threat to national interests, but goods from the European Union will come under a broader investigation.  "This will create a situation that will give the president leverage over the EU," the source said. The publication doubts that the head of the White House will resort to article 232 of the American law of 1962, which allows duties to adjust imports of goods from other states, based on national interests.  "The investigation under article 301 of the 1974 law on trade will be potentially much wider and will affec

The United States is considering reducing its 28,000th military contingent in the Republic of Korea by 4,000 if Seoul refuses to significantly increase payments for its maintenance.  This was reported on Thursday. "As far as we know, the Pentagon is preparing to withdraw one brigade from South Korea if the negotiations do not go as President Donald Trump would like," the source quoted the publication as saying. The Republic of Korea currently has 28,500 US troops.  One team numbers from 3 to 4 thousand people. Last year, the US side announced the need for a significant increase in South Korea’s spending, as maintaining a 28,000-strong military contingent costs Washington about $ 5 billion a year.  Seoul's spending on maintaining the US contingent in 2019 was increased by 8.2%, to 1.04 trillion won ($ 915 million). The five-year agreement on financing the stay of 28.5 thousand US troops in the Republic of Korea expired on December 31 of last year.  According to hi

The US Treasury Department is continuing to come down heavily on terrorist groups operating worldwide. As the latest move, the USTD has blacklisted two Turkey-based procurement agents working for Daesh and four companies instrumental in facilitating terrorist activity in Syria.  They were helping the terror group operating in Syria, Turkey, across the Gulf and Europe by providing logistical and financial support. According to US officials, the intent is to ensure there is a dry out of any kind of support to such terrorist groups from growing. The targets were identified on lines with US Executive Order 13224, intended to identify terrorists and those who have materially helped or supported them, or offered them financially, material, or technological support. While investigating, it was revealed that Jordon based Sahloul Money Exchange Company had transferred thousands of dollars to Daesh operatives in Turkey in 2016. The two individuals identified are ISIS supporting brothers

The   US   Senate, in a unanimous vote, passed legislation on Tuesday aimed at protecting human rights in Hong Kong amid China's crackdown on a pro-democracy protest movement that has gripped the vital financial centre for months. China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday criticized the U.S.after   the Senate unanimously passed a bill supporting Hong Kong protesters. The   “Hong   Kong   Human Rights and Democracy   Act” interferes in China’s domestic affairs, said foreign ministry spokesperson   Geng   Shuang, according to an online statement in Chinese. That bill now proceeds to the House, which already approved its own version of the bill in October.  The “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act” interferes in China’s domestic affairs, said foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang, according to an online statement in Chinese. China “strongly condemns and resolutely opposes” the act of interference, Geng said hours after the bill was passed. That bill now proceeds

With general elections around the corner, the heads of UK’s three biggest political par-ties gathered in London to woo the country’s business leaders with their plans and to convince them of bringing an end to the country’s economic uncertainty over Brexit. On Monday, leader of the ruling Conservative party Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson ad-dressed delegates at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference. CBI, which represents about 190,000 businesses employing around 7 million people, has been an ardent critic of Brexit and considers it as ‘a tripwire into economic chaos’. Johnson, whose chances of getting back in power seem higher than the rest, in his speech, mentioned several tax cuts for British businesses, though he said that his party would delay a further cut in corporation tax. Johnson while addressing the cause of the UK’s plummeting economy, mentioned that de-lay in Brexit was sabotagin

Got money to spare, travel the world; got more money to spare get a citizenship to another land. A five-star hotel in London hosted a ‘global citizenship conference’, one of a kind event where elite British citizens were introduced with the idea of getting Euro citizenship or a golden passport in a trade-off for about $100,000. The event was said to be attended by about 300 Uber-rich and their advisors.   Among the ones who took to stage offering this lucrative deal at London’s Rosewood hotel were the prime ministers of Albania, St Lucia and Montenegro, a Maltese minister, an ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda, and representatives from Cyprus.   Allen Chastanet, the prime minister of the Caribbean island of St Lucia gave the logic behind the scheme, telling the audience his country’s core economic agenda was “going after high net-worth individuals and giving them a comfortable place to live”. He added that in exchange for the contribution of a $100,000 (£78,000) towards