Bank of Japan ends negative rates, bids farewells to the era of radical policy
In a widely expected decision, the Bank of Japan ditched a policy put in place since 2016 that applied a 0.1per cent charge on some excess reserves financial institutions parked with the central bank.
PM Modi’s government announces start of India’s enactment of citizenship law that excludes Muslims
The National Register of Citizens is part of Modi government’s effort to identify and weed out people it claims came to India illegally. The register has only been implemented in the northeastern state of Assam, and the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party has promised to roll out a similar citizenship verification programme nationwide.
UN says number of women circumcised aged between infancy and adolescence rose by 30m to 230m since 2016
The practice, incorrectly believed to control women’s sexuality, can cause serious bleeding and even death. Girls are subjected to the procedure at ages ranging from infancy to adolescence. Long term, it can lead to urinary tract infections, menstrual problems, pain, decreased sexual satisfaction and childbirth complications, as well as depression, low self-esteem and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Legislature: Women worldwide registered ‘slow and mixed’ progress towards equal representation
Rwanda once again led the world ranking with women accounting for 61.3 per cent of seats in the Chamber of Deputies, followed by Cuba and Nicaragua with 55.7 per cent and 53.9 per cent, respectively.
China unveils plan to drive economic growth above 5 per cent annually, IMF forecasts 3.5 per cent shrink
China started the year with a stock market rout and deflation at levels unseen since the global financial crisis of 2008-09. The property crisis and local government debt woes persisted, increasing pressure on China’s leaders to come up with new economic policies.
Kenyan Kipruto and Ethiopian Kebede win Tokyo Marathon in course record times
Eliud Kipchoge was struggling at halfway with the pace under the course record time of 2:02:40 he had set in 2022, and the double Olympic champion had slipped two minutes behind the leaders by the 30-km mark. He finished 10th.
India’s ruling Janata Party bets on women voters with sewing machines, piped water and cooking gas
Traditionally Indian women were more inclined to vote for Congress, the main opposition party, in part because it gave a country short of female role models its first woman prime minister, Indira Gandhi.
With world’s lowest fertility rate already South Korean women prefer career growth to having babies
Since 2018, South Korea has been the only Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) member with a rate below 1, defying the billions of dollars spent by the country to try to reverse the trend that led the population to decline for a fourth straight year in 2023.
Under Taliban rule Afghan women say there has been drastic erosion of their rights
The women also outlined the intergenerational and gendered impact of the de facto authorities’ restrictions and the accompanying conservative shifts in social attitudes towards children. Some respondents said boys appeared to be internalising the social and political subordination of their mothers and sisters.
Japan’s unexpected slip into recession elevates Germany to world’s third biggest economy
While many analysts still expect the Bank of Japan to phase out its massive monetary stimulus this year, the weak data may cast doubt on its forecast that rising wages will underpin consumption and keep inflation durably around its 2 per cent target.