Myanmar’s Committee for Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), which represents the civilian government ousted in the country's military coup, announced the formal launch of a new "National Unity Government,” the Financial Times reported April 16.
A Chinese foreign ministry official warned countries against imposing more Hong Kong-related sanctions, noting "countermeasures and useful legal tools" were in the works to safeguard Chinese interests, the South China Morning Post reported April 15.
The Syrian government announced that it was officially devaluing the price of the country’s local currency as the Syrian pound’s black-market valuation against the U.S. dollar slid further, the AP reported April 16.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s semi-annual report on foreign exchange practices of major U.S. trading partners declined to name any country as manipulating its currency to achieve unfair trade advantage, citing uncertainties associated with global economic conditions and capital flows arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the South China Morning Post reported April 16.
The Colombian government presented tax reforms to Congress that includes raising the value-added tax (VAT) to 19% on gasoline and other basic services in upper-income areas, as well as new income tax from those earning more than $656 dollars per month, El Espectador reported April 16.
China’s GDP rose by 18.3% in the first quarter of 2021 compared with a year earlier, but the change from the fourth quarter of 2020 showed a deceleration in growth from 2.6% to 0.6%, Bloomberg reported April 15, citing data released by the Chinese government.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in nominated six new cabinet members and a new prime minister, Kim Boo-yun, The Korea Times reported April 16.
Turkey’s Central Bank announced that it would ban the use of cryptocurrencies as a form of payment from April 30, according to a decree published in the official Turkish gazette on April 16 and a statement published on the bank’s website.
Russia will restrict the navigation of ships in parts of the Black Sea until the end of October, state-run RIA Novosti announced April 16.
U.K. and EU representatives have agreed to continue negotiations on de-escalating tensions over the implementation of customs controls in Northern Ireland, the Financial Times reported April 15.
