The European Parliament has voted to approve the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), as part of a whole range of proposals, including the new CBAM carbon border tariff. The new rules create new trade barriers and bureaucracy for wood imports, and have angered trading partners in South East Asia. 🌳Deforestation Parliament adopts new regulation to fight climate […]
Commenting on the entry into BRICS of Saudi Arabia, an editorial by Al-Monitor, authored by its foreign affairs correspondent Sabena Siddiqui, argues that concerns about the U.S. dollar’s dominance are not justified. She notes: Oil transactions between China and the Gulf may be settled in Chinese currency, but experts do not foresee an end to
“Concerns about the U.S. dollar’s dominance are not justified” Read More »
In 2013, Malaysia suffered an armed incursion from the Philippines by a group claiming to be the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu, part of the resource-rich Malaysian province of Sabah. Malaysia was able to make an end to it, but as a result, it no longer paid the heirs an annual stipend of $5,300, stemming from a historical obligation
Dr. Samuel Ramani, a researcher in international relations at Oxford University, RUSI associate fellow and author of “Russia in Africa” discusses whether Saudi Arabia is abandoning the West. In particular, he comments how “Saudi Arabia is set to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization”, as this means that “the most immediate consequence is tighter cooperation between
Tighter cooperation emerges between China and Saudi Arabia Read More »
The Financial Times reports that The United Kingdom is “poised” to join the Asia-Pacific trade deal CPTPP, according to people involved in the talks. UK looks to ‘imminently’ join the trans-Pacific trading block https://t.co/hMi8Ivgii5 via @EllenAMilligan pic.twitter.com/GlKxcRJ0cj — Zoe Schneeweiss (@ZSchneeweiss) March 23, 2023 Part of the deal is reportedly that the UK will eliminate
UK poised to join Asia Pacific trade deal Read More »
The EU’s Deforestation Regulation, which passed on Dec. 6 last year, aims to prevent goods selling in the EU from contributing to deforestation and forest degradation after Dec. 31, 2020. Under the new regulation, all companies involved in the trade of palm oil, cattle, soy, coffee, cocoa, timber, rubber and their byproducts must adhere to
Importing timber into the EU remains a challenge for emerging economies Read More »
At the end of February, the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo agreed a provisional deal to normalise relations, without however signing it. More talks are planned, with the two leaders, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, schedulded to meet in North Macedonia’s lakeside city of Ohrid on March 18, under EU
Lars Patrick Berg MEP urges not to forget Kosovo Read More »
Kazakhstan has seized the property of the Center for the Operation of Terrestrial Space Infrastructure operating in Baikonur, a subsidiary of Roscosmos, and intends to recover from it a debt of 13.5 billion tenge ($26.3 million), AKI Press reports, adding that the head of the company is forbidden to leave the country. 🇰🇿⚡🇷🇺 Russian pro-Kremlin
Kazakhstan seizes Russian space flight infrastructure in Baikonur Read More »
This month, ambassadors of seven European Union member states have been meeting with the Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Anisul Huq of Bangladesh in its capital, Dhaka, to discuss the upcoming elections in the country, which will be held in January 2024. This follows a high-profile meeting at the G20 summit in India
EU turns the focus on upcoming elections in Bangladesh Read More »
In a new analysis, leading rating agency S&P Global warns that the EU’s external climate tariff CBAM, which stands for “Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism” will hit developing economies the hardest. It explains: “Phasing in from 2026, CBAM will levy a carbon tax on imports of selected energy intensive materials and products into the EU, removing
“Developing economies hit hardest by EU’s carbon border tax” Read More »