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Joe Biden has been urged by foreign policy experts to secure an arms control agreement with Kim Jong Un, a potentially radical change after decades of unsuccessful US diplomacy. Successive administrations from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump have failed to stop North Korea developing nuclear and missile technology. Washington has tried sweeteners such as US

Peter Wells in New York California Governor Gavin Newsom said hospital capacity and demand would become a more important factor in determining restriction levels for counties and that a worsening of these metrics could result in the potential introduction of a stay-at-home order. Mr Newsom said that without any intervention that meaningfully changes current trends,

Janet Yellen, the former chair of the Federal Reserve, is President-Elect Biden’s pick to be the Treasury secretary. Yellen will still have to be confirmed by the Senate, but this is likely to happen, as many of the current senators confirmed her for her role at the Fed and she garnered bipartisan praise over her

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE For most of the eight months since the Covid crash culminated, the stock market’s recovery has fed off rampant doubt, disbelief and cognitive dissonance toward resurgent asset prices set against a severely damaged economy. No more. Wall Street’s rally has now entered the

The writer is president of South Africa and chair of the African Union The G20 summit ended last weekend with a call for “immediate and vigorous measures” to address the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Among these is a looming sovereign debt crisis, particularly in Africa. Urgent and collective action is needed there to stave

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), or simply the Dow, hit a historical high of 30,000 points last week. While the number is a psychological barrier at best, the most important point of this milestone is how rapidly the blue-chip index has recovered from March lows, going on a run of over 60% in 2020.

Canberra has accused Beijing of sharing a “repugnant” and fake image of an Australian soldier holding a bloodstained knife to the throat of an Afghan child in a considerable escalation of diplomatic tensions. Scott Morrison, Australia’s prime minister, said on Monday that his government had protested to Beijing over the “deeply offensive” post on Twitter

A succession of defaults has rattled China’s $15tn bond market and is raising concerns about the country’s financial health following a sharp slowdown in economic growth this year. For foreign investors who have snapped up Chinese paper in 2020, the burning question is whether the liquidity crunch will spread. For more general observers, the risk

There are a growing number of financial websites offering a plethora of expert advice on investing. Although there are many common characteristics, each website has its unique appeal. Two websites that have particularly high visibility are The Motley Fool and TheStreet. Key Takeaways Among the growing number of financial websites that offer expert advice on investing, two websites that have

US president-elect Joe Biden has given top positions to female former aides to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as he announced senior appointments to his economic and communications team on Sunday. Mr Biden announced that Jennifer Psaki, the former White House communications director and State department spokesperson under Mr Obama, would serve as White House

A health worker draws a dose of the Russian-made Gam-Covid-Vac vaccine, also known as Sputnik V, during a trial at the No 2 City Clinic in Moscow Russia’s tally of coronavirus cases has risen as much in the past seven days as in all of September, state media calculated on Sunday. There were 179,987 cases

Hong Kong vs. Mainland China: An Overview “The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China.” – Article 1, Basic Law “The National People’s Congress authorizes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to exercise a high degree of autonomy and enjoy executive, legislative and independent judicial power, including that

Frank Calderoni, CEO of Anaplan. Adam Jeffery | CNBC In the final leg of 2020, stocks have delivered a record-breaking rally. The Dow Jones Industrial Average recently closed above 30,000 for the first time, with the other major U.S. stock indexes hovering close to record highs. Encouraging updates on the advancement of a coronavirus vaccine

Pressure is growing on President Emmanuel Macron’s government to abandon a provision in a draft bill curtailing the ability to publish photos or video of police, after big protests across France on Saturday. Demonstrators came out en masse in cities from Paris to Lyon, despite a month-old Covid-19 lockdown, in opposition to the government’s “general

The Scottish National party is to discuss “alternative routes” to a second referendum on independence, as tensions rise among members about what to do if Boris Johnson’s government refuses to approve such a vote. Delegates to the SNP virtual annual conference on Sunday overwhelming backed a motion welcoming plans for a “national assembly” in January,

PayPal has been around since 1998 when it emerged as a safe and secure way to pay for purchases on eBay. If PayPal wasn’t as safe or safer to use than a credit card, cash, or a check, it would have been consigned to the rubbish heap of dead websites long ago. In fact, it

Hong Kong’s leader has said she is being forced to receive her salary in cash because of US sanctions, saying she has no access to banking services despite the prevalence of mainland Chinese institutions in the city. Carrie Lam, on whom the US imposed sanctions alongside 14 other Chinese and Hong Kong officials over Beijing’s

Friday’s closely watched non-farm payrolls report will provide a glimpse of how much damage the second wave of coronavirus infections is inflicting on the US workforce. A consensus forecast from economists polled by Reuters points to US employers adding 500,000 posts in November, compared to 638,000 in the previous month’s report, reflecting a slowing pace of

The living and death benefit riders available in most variable annuity contracts can provide many types of protection for contract owners and beneficiaries. Living and death benefit riders are optional add-ons to an annuity contract. The guarantees they offer come at a cost that you should weigh carefully to decide if they’re justified. Not all

Ethiopia’s military took control of the capital of the rebel region of Tigray on Saturday, ending the “final phase” of a month-long armed conflict, prime minister Abiy Ahmed said. Since November 3, the national government has been engaged in a military offensive against the northern region, which is led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF. Mr

About half the usual number of shoppers visited US retailers on Black Friday — what should be one of their busiest days of the year — deepening the crisis at bricks and mortar chains already ravaged by the pandemic. The figures, which show the decline in foot traffic accelerated from previous weeks, lay bare the scale of

An investor is issued a share certificate, also known as a stock certificate, when they buy shares of a publicly-traded company. The share certificate serves as a receipt for the stock purchase. The certificate includes important details about the investor’s stock ownership such as the number of shares purchased. But exactly how important is it

Cuban artists and activists staged a rare public protest in front of the culture ministry in Havana, demanding the release of a dissident rapper and an end to censorship and political repression in the country. The 200-strong demonstration started on Friday and continued into the night after police broke up an opposition hunger strike. It

The Scottish National party has promised to provide all primary pupils with year-round free breakfasts and lunches if it remains in government after May elections, a move aimed at polishing its progressive credentials ahead of a renewed push for independence from the UK. With polls suggesting Scottish voters would now back independence and the SNP

Impact investing is a major topic on investors’ radar screen, boasting huge growth, and widespread acceptance among those seeking to align their portfolios with their personal values. But impact investing has always been more than a fad. Key Takeaways Socially responsible investing’s origins in the United States began in the 18th century with Methodism, a

Bitcoin is set for a crucial few weeks to determine whether its record-breaking rally this year marks a rerun of the cryptocurrency bubble that burst in 2017 or the first leg of a long-term ascent. The notoriously divisive cryptocurrency has surged more than 300 per cent since its low point of the year in March,

One thing to start: while we focus on business matters at Scoreboard, we must begin with reflections on a sporting giant: Argentina’s Diego Maradona, who died aged 60 this week. Simon Kuper wrote a superlative obituary about the greatest footballer of his generation. Janan Ganesh used his weekend column to produce a paean on the

Investing vs. Speculating: An Overview Investors and traders take on calculated risk as they attempt to profit from transactions they make in the markets. The level of risk undertaken in the transactions is the main difference between investing and speculating. Whenever a person spends money with the expectation that the endeavor will return a profit,

There’s an old joke about a man who goes to confession and asks forgiveness for stealing £300. When did you steal it, asks the priest. “One hundred pounds last week, £100 the week before – and £100 next week,” comes the reply. Charles Koch is like that man with his regrets. The US chemicals billionaire