Commonwealth Business Network

04/01/2021

OPEC+ set to meet to decide February production levels

The largest oil-producing countries, along with their exporters are expected to meet virtually on Monday (Jan 4), in order to decide production levels for February.

04/01/2021

14-year-old chess player Leon Mendonca from Goa becomes the 67th Chess Grandmaster of India

Leon Mendonca, 14-year-old chess player from Goa won the third and final criteria in a tournament in Italy and became the 67th Chess Grandmaster of India.

04/01/2021

Canadian government to fix loopholes in the Sickness Benefit

The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit took fire having awarded travelers returning from their holidays and other non-essential travel overseas, who went through quarantine, payments of up to CAD 1000 (USD 790) for being unable to report to work over the two-week quarantine period.

04/01/2021

Coronavirus variant from South Africa ‘could be resistant to any vaccine’, Oxford expert warns

COVID-19 vaccines may be ineffective against the new and more infectious South African variant, an expert on the team which developed the Oxford jab has warned

04/01/2021

NZ Human Rights Commission calls for independent inquiry into Waikeria Prison stand-off

The Human Rights Commission of New Zealand has called for an independent inquiry into the Waikeria Prison stand-off, as the 16 protesters surrendered to authorities on Sunday (Jan 3), following a six-day stand-off.

04/01/2021

Australia concludes its contribution to Middle East maritime security construct

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has concluded its contribution to the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) in the Middle East, the Department of Defence said in a statement issued on Tuesday (Dec 29).

04/01/2021

Sonia Gandhi condemns government’s arrogance against farmers

04/01/2021

Primary Schools re-opening in UK: Teachers rebel against policy

Following the government’s recent ‘U’ turn on its decision to reopen primary schools, trade unions representing teachers and other educationalist urged its members to defy the Conservative government’s decision.

04/01/2021

EU-China agreement finalized despite serious concerns

Over a video conference conducted on the 30th of December 2020, between Chinese President Xi Jingping and European leaders, the two parties hammered out an investment agreement on amid rising tension between China and the US, and concerns for over worsening human rights violations carried out by Chi...

04/01/2021

UK to expect tougher Covid-19 restrictions as cases soar

As England continues to battle the deadly surge in COVID-19 infections, pandemic related restrictions are expected to get tougher, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said

03/01/2021

Zarif claims Israel is attempting to trigger war with US

Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammed Javed Zarif stated yesterday that “Israeli agent-provocateurs [in Iraq] are plotting attacks against Americans” in a bid to provoke an Iran-US war based on false justifications.

03/01/2021

Chinese telecom to be expunged from Wall Street

Three telecom companies, including China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom Hong Kong, with alleged ties to the Chinese military are expected to be delisted from Wall Street in the coming days, as per a decision made by the US government.

03/01/2021

Senators refuse to certify Biden win

Led by Ted Cruz, a group of 11 senators and senators-elect are reportedly refusing to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the US Presidential Elections held last year, and are seeking a 10-day delay to review several uncorroborated allegations.

03/01/2021

Prime Minister Modi’s approval status rises

Morning Consult, an American data firm which regularly tracks public approval ratings of world leaders, claimed that Indian Prime Minister Modi nabbed a net rating of 55 percent in 2020, while maintaining ratings of 75 percent in public approval and 25 percent in disapproval.

03/01/2021

CN-PAK bilateral ties will deepen

Pakistan and China agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations through the Sino-Pakistani all weather strategic cooperative partnership, following a conversation that took place between Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on....

31/12/2020

New Year! New Start!
Happy New Year from Cwbn Live

30/12/2020

Lebanese PM slams move to charge him over Beirut explosion

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister Hassan Diab slammed the move to charge him over the Beirut explosion, claiming that he did his utmost duty during his brief tenure.

30/12/2020

PM of any country should not comment on India’s internal affairs, says Defence Minister on Trudeau’s remarks

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh slammed remarks made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month concerning protest by farmers on several farm laws in the country.

30/12/2020

Singapore, ILO extend agreement to promote decent work in South-east Asia

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and Singapore have extended an agreement to promote decent work in South-east Asia, a joint statement issued on Tuesday (Dec 29) said.

30/12/2020

Buhari assures that food inflation will be tackled

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari said Tuesday that the government would work together to ensure that the nation has adequate food to sustain its people.

30/12/2020

Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in UK

The COVID-19 vaccine designed by the University of Oxford, in collaboration with AstraZeneca has been approved for use in the UK. Health Secretary Matt Hancock noted that the vaccine rollout would begin on January 4, and will accelerate into the first few weeks of next year.

30/12/2020

CBS halts production of five shows amidst Covid-19 Surge in L.A. County

CBS Studios has moved back-to-production schedules for five series coming off the ongoing holiday hiatus, including "NCIS," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "Seal Team,"

30/12/2020

Bangladesh sends more Rohingya refugees to remote island

30/12/2020

Huge increase in overseas demand for New Zealand passports

30/12/2020

Boris Johnson urges MPs to back ‘historic’ post-Brexit trade deal

As parliament is being recalled a day before the UK severs ties with the European Union, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will urge MPs to back his post-Brexit trade deal with the bloc.

30/12/2020

$5m cash and drugs seized in Melbourne police sting

Detectives from the Echo Taskforce of the Victoria State Police seized $5 million in cash, as well as an unspecified quantity of drugs after they pulled over a South Australian truck driver in Southbank.

29/12/2020

Israel government collapse triggers election

On the 22nd of December, Israel’s coalition government collapsed yet again after it failed to implement budgets for both 2020 and 2021, calling for a fourth round of national elections in two years.

29/12/2020

Military police kill Bobi Wine’s guard in hit-and-run

Candidate for the upcoming Uganda presidential election, Bobi Wine, stated on Twitter that a member of his security detail was run down by a military police truck while escorting a journalist, who had been attacked by local police, to a hospital in Rubaga.

29/12/2020

India awaits vaccine approval to begin one of the world’s largest vaccination drives

Indian media reports that officials of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) will most likely meet this week to decide the fate of the Serum Institute of India’s (SII) Emergency Use

29/12/2020

Singapore oil tanker hit by explosion caused by ‘external source’ off Saudi Arabia

A Singapore-flagged oil tanker, BW Rhine, suffered an explosion after being hit by “an external source” off Saudi Arabia, the owner and operator of the tanker, Hafnia, said in a statement.

29/12/2020

Burger King’s India franchise soars 125% on stock market debut

Burger King's Indian franchise soared 125 per cent following its initial public offering. Shares in Burger King India opened at ₹112.5 ($1.53) per share on their first day of trading in Mumbai, which was nearly double the IPO price of ₹60 (about ¢80). Later, the stock shot up even further, clos...

29/12/2020

Australian states forging ahead with climate action call on the federal govt to follow suit

As one of the world's largest known untapped coal reserves is set to produce its first coal in 2021, deep in northeast Australia's outback, states and governments call on the federal government to make stronger and reliable commitments towards climate action.

29/12/2020

Family of Singaporean woman facing ex*****on in China makes a last desperate plea

Two Singaporean women, Siti Aslinda Binte Junaidi and Mohd Yusri Bin Mohd Yussof, were found guilty of drug trafficking and were sentenced to death in July this year.

29/12/2020

Iran to continue spate of questionable ex*****ons

By Kaveesha Fernando

29/12/2020

EU and China re-negotiate bilateral treaties

China and the EU conducted the 35th round of talks on the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) earlier this month. It is expected that a bilateral treaty that will replace the 26 current bilateral investment treaties establishing a uniform legal basis for investment relations between the EU a...

28/12/2020

Person responsible for Nashville bombing revealed to have died in the explosion

In the latest development in the mysterious case of the Christmas Day RV bombing in Nashville, Tennessee, officials have released further details regarding the person they feel was responsible for the incident. Investigators attached to the United States Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) stated o...

28/12/2020

Trump finally gives in; US President signs COVID-19 relief bill after initially refusing

US President Donald Trump placed his signature on the bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill (which Congress agreed upon last week) after initially refusing to do so.

28/12/2020

Recession to stay beyond 2021 says LCCI

In the light of the re-emergence of COVID-19, the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) currently projects that Nigeria will face a further continuation of the current recession if the pandemic continues during the Q1 of 2021

28/12/2020

Bangladeshi PM for strong regional connectivity

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her desire to establish strong connectivity with neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia, by cashing in on the country's geographical location in the region

28/12/2020

Australian vaccine plans ‘ahead of schedule’, Health Minister says

Australia's plans for a COVID-19 vaccine are ahead of schedule, with public distribution expected to commence as early as March, Health Minister Greg Hunt said. He noted that the government's approach was to "under-promise and over-deliver", and therefore, March would be the earliest a vaccine would...