The European Union (EU) and Singapore have signed a new Digital Trade Agreement to boost online trade, assist small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with digital transformation, and streamline data flows. The deal, announced on July 25 in Brussels by EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and Singapore's Minister for Trade Relations Grace Fu, enhances the current EU-Singapore Free Trade deal from 2019. The agreement, reached after five rounds of negotiations, seeks to decrease administrative and financial burdens on SMEs, enable interoperable systems for e-payments and electronic co
On July 28, US and Japan will hold security talks, the first time they will address "extended deterrence," which refers to the United States' resolve to deploy nuclear weapons to deter attacks against allies. While this difficult matter has been debated at lower levels, it is essential for Japan, the only country to have experienced atomic bomb assaults. In April, Washington and Tokyo declared an upgrade to their alliance, which was founded in 1951, in response to mounting threats from China, Russia, and North Korea. US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink stated, "In the face o
According to Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, the Philippines intends to enter into reciprocal troop access arrangements with Canada, France, New Zealand, and other nations. The recent Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) inked with Japan on July 8 marks the start of these efforts, with plans to engage countries that assist the Philippines in combating Chinese maritime aggression in the West Philippine Sea. RAAs are security pacts that allow troops to train and operate across borders. The pact with Japan, the first involving a Southeast Asian country, is pending ratification in Congress. T
Vice President Kamala Harris raised more than $50 million in less than 24 hours after launching her candidature for president in 2024, according to her campaign. Following President Biden's endorsement of Harris, there was a tremendous fundraising boom, one of the largest in political history. The Democratic Party's online donation platform, ActBlue, was instrumental in the influx of contributions. ActBlue received more than $80 million in donations shortly after Biden announced that he would not run for re-election, with a peak of $11.5 million in a single hour on Sunday evening. As of ea
Taiwanese businesses are shifting their supply chains from China to India as Taipei and New Delhi improve commercial ties amid escalating global trade concerns. According to James Huang, chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Taiwan's foreign direct investment (FDI) in India totalled $665 million between 2018 and 2023. This contrasts with $277 million in FDI from 2006 to 2017. "It is evident that more Taiwanese companies are moving supply chains out of China and are establishing them in India," Huang told reporters. Despite the lack of formal links with Taiwan, India ha
Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, met with counterparts from the United Kingdom, the European Union, and New Zealand during the G7 trade ministers' meeting in Italy, according to an official statement released Wednesday. Goyal welcomed UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds and addressed the progress of India-UK FTA negotiations. He also met with Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, to discuss ways to strengthen India-EU trade and continue FTA negotiations. In conversations with Antonio Tajani, Italy's Depu
On Monday, KP Sharma Oli took the oath as prime minister of Nepal for the fourth time, spearheading a coalition government that would work to stabilise the country's politics. On Sunday, President Ram Chandra Paudel formed a coalition with the Nepali Congress (NC), the biggest party in Parliament, and other smaller parties; he also appointed the head of Nepal's biggest communist party. The 72-year-old Oli assumed his position following Friday's vote of no confidence that forced Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" from office. Since the Nepali Congress was still settling its internal conflicts,
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stated her desire for India to carry out a $1 billion river development project, aimed at easing New Delhi's security concerns. Although China is prepared, she expressed her preference for India to lead the project during a press conference in Dhaka on Sunday. To improve water management along the Teesta River, China and India collaborated on a restoration and comprehensive management project. During her June visit to New Delhi, Hasina focused on the 414-kilometre Teesta River, which flows from India into Bangladesh. The Indian state of West Bengal r
In a significant cabinet reorganisation that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on July 14, Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum of Dubai was named Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister. According to Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Sheikh Hamdan is a leader who loves his people and will considerably contribute to defining the country's future. Along with Sheikh Hamdan, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has been appointed to the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Sarah Al-Amiri, Ahmed Belhoul, Abdul Rahman Al-Awa
Following a series of mistakes made during a NATO conference, European leaders defended President Joe Biden, even though the European media had used these mistakes to paint Biden as unqualified to run against Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election. Biden misspelt the names of Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris and incorrectly called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "President Putin" at the summit. Macron of France and Scholz of Germany both maintained a diplomatic stance in the face of these gaffes, saying that everybody is susceptible to unfortunate slips of the t