nations

Taiwan said it has not been informed about a so-called "Chip 4" meeting that would include it, the United States, South Korea and Japan, but added the island has always cooperated closely with the United States on supply chains. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin this week said Seoul expects to attend a preliminary meeting of the four chip manufacturing nations, describing the gathering as US-led. He did not elaborate on what would be discussed. A meeting would come amid a global chip crunch that began two years ago…

Over seven per cent of India's population owns digital currency, according to the UN, which said that the use of cryptocurrency rose globally at an unprecedented rate during the Covid-19 pandemic. The UN trade and development body UNCTAD said that in 2021, developing countries accounted for 15 of the top 20 economies when it comes to the share of the population that owns cryptocurrencies. Ukraine topped the list with 12.%, followed by Russia (11.9%), Venezuela (10.3%), Singapore (9.4&), Kenya (8.5%) and the US (8.3%).…

The nation’s top auto-safety regulator is losing its top administrator Steven Cliff, less than three months after lawmakers confirmed his appointment to the job. In a statement on Friday, Mr. Cliff said he was leaving the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to rejoin the California Air Resources Board, where he’d worked previously and will become its executive officer. Mr. Cliff, who was confirmed in late May by Congress, was…

Climate-vulnerable nations, already footing the global bill of a changing climate, face rising borrowing costs and economic challenges that further impair their ability to adapt. Due to their geographical location and size, the Caribbean islands have long been among the most vulnerable to climate change: rising sea levels,…

Last November, Simon Kofe, the foreign minister of Tuvalu – a nation formed out of a series of low-lying atolls in the South Pacific – addressed the Glasgow climate conference from a wooden lectern. Exactly what you’d expect at an international summit. Except that the lectern, and Kofe in his suit and tie, were part-submerged by several feet of ocean. In his speech, which had been pre-recorded on location in Tuvalu, he told delegates that his nation was “living the reality” of climate change. “When the sea is rising…

EU countries must take urgent action to diversify their 5G suppliers, the European Commission said on Friday, a move set to shrink Huawei's presence in Europe as the United States pressured the bloc to follow Britain and ban the Chinese company from 5G networks.In November last year, the European Union agreed to take a tough line on 5G suppliers to reduce cybersecurity risks to next-generation mobile networks, seen as key to boosting economic growth and competitiveness.The strategy included reducing countries' and…

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation joined forces with the United Justice Coalition on Saturday to host the inaugural social justice summit in New York City.The event, which took place in Midtown Manhattan at Center415, featured appearances from a star-studded group that included CMG founder Yo Gotti, former San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich, Philadelphia Sixers partner Michael Rubin, Charlamagne tha God, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Dr. Bernice A. King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Eric Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr,…

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Monday for new rules covering the use of autonomous weapons as a key meeting on the issue opened in Geneva. Negotiators at the UN talks have for eight years been discussing limits on lethal autonomous weapons, or LAWS, which are fully machine-controlled and rely on new technology such as artificial intelligence and facial recognition. But pressure has increased in part due to a UN panel report in March that said the first autonomous drone attack may have already…

ISLAMABAD—The war in Ukraine is depriving far-away developing countries of electricity, as the world’s supply of liquefied natural gas used to produce power is swallowed up by European nations as an alternative to Russian gas. A tender from Pakistan for around $1 billion of liquefied natural gas attracted no offers Thursday , Pakistani officials said. Each day, businesses and homes are suffering hours of government-imposed electricity shutdowns because the country can’t import enough natural gas to fuel power plants. The…

Digital banking platform Revolut said it was launching a streamlined version of its app in Sri Lanka, Chile, Ecuador, Azerbaijan, and Oman in the next few months, allowing customers to transfer money to over 50 countries using more than 30 currencies. The London-based company said there would be no fee for customers transferring to other Revolut customers, while transfers to non-Revolut accounts would incur a 1 percent fee, with a $1 minimum, in the five new countries. Revolut, which has grown its range of products to…