UK’s Cameron Seen as Desperate for China Investment Cash

China’s sudden announcement on Nov. 23 that it is establishing an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea is a landmark development in the world security system. It changes the existing geopolitical ethos, alliance patterns and military balance in a region where the world’s top three economies – the United States, China and Japan – are intrinsically linked.

CYBER WAR

Are hackers tapping into your car, your refrigerator, and your smart TV? Wirelessly connected devices already in use range from coffee pots to pacemakers. Evidence is surfacing of devices being used to spy on unwitting owners, a trend certain to accelerate.

Special Economic Analysis
by Peter Warburton, PhD

Janet Yellen takes over as chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve at a tricky time. In the eyes of financial markets, she represents continuity with the policies and sentiments of Ben Bernanke. However, the outgoing chairman has left numerous loose ends for her to tidy up, not least the timing of the removal of large-scale purchasing of bonds by the central bank. Other members of the Open Market Committee, worried about financial stability and an exuberant stock market, are pushing for a harder line.

The strength of the Anglo-American “special relationship” has been tested by a series of recent developments, including British Prime Minister David Cameron’s failure to muster support for airstrikes in Syria and the revelations that the National Security Agency and “Five Eyes” group of English-speaking nations spy on world leaders and ordinary citizens.

After a period of blistering growth and major foreign exploration deals, Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft (LSE: ROSN) is now primed to expand even further into natural gas exports and oil drilling to fuel Asia’s fast-growing economies. As the favored energy company of Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin, Rosneft is likely to muscle out its domestic competition and pose a serious challenge to international oil companies in the years to come.