Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has won a third straight term.Her win in Sunday’s general election follows a decade in power in which she has been credited with improving the economy and promoting development. But she has also been accused of rights abuses, a crackdown on media and suppressing dissent. The opposition rejected the result as rigged and called for a fresh vote.
Commentary: Expect 2019 to test global stability.Expect 2019 to be a crucial testing ground for global stability, writes columnist John Lloyd. The EU parliamentary elections in May are likely to see a large influx of populists; India is becoming more authoritarian; Vladimir Putin is trying to create a new Slav empire and "as the United States under Trump retreats to Fortress America, China under Xi Jinping retreats behind that version of Marxism which brooks no competitor on the political or ideological levels."
World share and commodity prices rose on Monday as hints of progress on the Sino-U.S. trade standoff provided a rare glimmer of optimism in what has been a punishing end of year for markets globally. Survey data out of China, however, proved mixed with manufacturing activity contracting for the first time in two years even as the service sector improved.
Crude oil prices look likely to trade below $70 per barrel in 2019, a Reuters poll has shown. Surplus production, much of it from the United States, and slowing economic growth look set to undermine OPEC-led efforts to shore up the market. The poll forecast U.S. light crude would average $61.05 per barrel in 2019, versus $67.45 projected in a previous poll. It has averaged $64.98 in 2018.
