SUSTAINING the stock market s momentum this week could be challenging, analysts said, as reduced hopes for US Federal Reserve rate cuts and escalating tensions in the Middle East may weigh down sentiment.
Taiwan election: William Lai of the DPP leads in presidential election. If the Progressive Party wins, it will be its third consecutive victory in presidential elections. The current president, Tsai Ing-wen, is not allowed to run again after two terms in office. Beijing counts the island republic as part of China's territory, although Taiwan has had an independent and democratically elected government for decades. China wants a "reunification" of the island with the mainland, if necessary with military force.
Turkey carries out airstrikes in Syria and Iraq. In a military offensive in northern Iraq, 20 PKK fighters were killed, according to the Turkish government. President Erdoğan sees the offensive as a retaliatory action. The PKK has been fighting against the Turkish state since 1984 and wants to achieve autonomy for the Kurdish settlement areas. Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives since the beginning of the conflict.. The group is classified as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU. The YPG had played an important role in the US-led fight against the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS)
Hunter Biden appeared in federal court in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday. The former lawyer, lobbyist and businessman was indicted in December. He is accused in nine counts, among other things, of evading federal taxes over several years. If convicted, Biden faces – at least theoretically – a long prison sentence. The allegations are at the heart of impeachment proceedings against the president sought by the opposition party. But they have so far not been able to present any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Joe Biden.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns of "pauses" in the defense of his country. In Estonia, he once again campaigned for Western support – and NATO membership. A ceasefire would also give Russia the chance to reposition itself and regroup, he said. Russia has a "large deficit" in drones, artillery and missiles and could then continue to arm, he added. "It can overwhelm us, and we're not going to risk that," he said in Tallinn.