Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Tue, May 26, 2026 09:40 PM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

William Watkin

Professor of Contemporary Philosophy and Literature, Brunel University London

I am one of the leading experts on contemporary, continental philosophy in particular as regards how it relates to contemporary political situations. I specialise in the work of Agamben, Badiou, Derrida, Foucault, and Deleuze. I also work extensively on violence, conflict, terrorism, world politics and technology.

I teach a course on violence at Brunel University specialising in issues of capital punishment, technology, terrorism, surveillance and control. I have recently published articles in the media on ISIS decapitations and on the crisis in capital punishment in the US.

I have also published academic work on violence, for example: “Agamben, Benjamin and the Indifference of Violence” in Towards a Critique of Violence: Benjamin and Agamben. London: Bloomsbury, July 2015.

I am currently working with my agent on a book about the way digital technology has changed our relationship towards violence and death. Provisionally entitled "Snuff" it stretches from the use of social media to develop an intimate digital relationship with images of extreme violence, to the way digital technologies such as drones distances us from acts of war making them seem no more real than video games.

Briferendum Series

Referendum petition hack shows even democracy can be trolled

Jun 30, 2016 13:09 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The electronic petition submitted to parliament calling for a second referendum on Britains exit from the European Union is a notable development in digital democracy. The number of signatories has passed 4m how many will...

Tracking criminals' biodata is another step towards constant surveillance for us all

Jun 16, 2016 15:42 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

For some convicted criminals, punishment doesnt end when theyre released from prison. Thanks to new electronic tags, parole officers in the US can monitor recently released prisoners 24 hours a day. These dont just check...

Lethal injections and the tragedy of America's execution addiction

Jun 03, 2016 08:19 am UTC| Insights & Views Life Law

It began in Utah back in 1977. On January 17 of that year, Gary Gilmore became the first man to be executed in the US for more than a decade, ending a national moratorium on the death penalty. Gilmore, guilty of murdering...

Economy

U.S.-Iran Talks May Take Days as Oil Prices React to Strait of Hormuz Tensions

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiations with Iran could take several more days, cooling expectations for a quick resolution to the ongoing Middle East conflict. His remarks came after U.S. forces launched...

Sri Lanka Central Bank Surprises Markets With 100 Basis Point Rate Hike Amid Inflation and Currency Pressure

Sri Lankas central bank unexpectedly raised its benchmark interest rate by 100 basis points on Tuesday, increasing the overnight policy rate to 8.75% from 7.75% as the country battles rising inflation, a weakening...

Asian Stocks Slip as U.S.-Iran Tensions Weigh on Markets; South Korea’s KOSPI Hits Record High

Asian stock markets traded mostly lower on Tuesday as renewed U.S. military strikes in Iran weakened investor confidence and reduced optimism surrounding a potential Middle East peace agreement. Despite the cautious...

ASX Shares Plunge as Rising Tech Upgrade Costs Shake Investor Confidence

Shares of ASX Ltd (ASX: ASX) tumbled more than 10% on Tuesday after the Australian stock exchange operator warned investors about a significant increase in future spending tied to major technology upgrades and regulatory...

Huawei Chip Breakthrough Sparks Rally in Hong Kong AI and Semiconductor Stocks

Hong Kong-listed semiconductor and artificial intelligence stocks surged on Tuesday after Huawei Technologies revealed a major breakthrough in chip design, fueling optimism about Chinas push to reduce dependence on U.S....

Politics

DOJ Pushes to Resume Trump White House Ballroom Project After Security Incident

The U.S. Justice Department has renewed its request for a federal judge to remove an injunction blocking progress on President Donald Trumps proposed White House ballroom project, arguing that a recent shooting near the...

Rubio Says Strait of Hormuz Must Stay Open Amid Rising Iran Tensions

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open following recent U.S. strikes on Iran, stressing that global shipping routes are critical for international stability and energy...

Cambodia King Pardons Opposition Leader Kem Sokha After Treason Conviction

Cambodias King Norodom Sihamoni has officially pardoned former opposition leader Kem Sokha following his controversial treason conviction, according to a royal decree released Monday. The move comes only weeks after a...

Putin Offers Debt Relief to New Russian Recruits Fighting in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new decree granting debt relief to citizens who join the military campaign in Ukraine, according to a statement released by the Kremlin. The measure is part of Russias broader...

Senegal Appoints Economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo as Prime Minister Amid IMF Debt Crisis

Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has appointed veteran economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo as the countrys new prime minister following the dismissal of Ousmane Sonko and his cabinet. The move comes as Senegal faces...

Science

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

Samsung Union Dispute Escalates Over Semiconductor Bonus Vote

A labor dispute at Samsung Electronics is intensifying after a union representing employees outside the semiconductor business filed a court injunction to halt an ongoing vote tied to bonus increases for chip division...

EU Antitrust Probe Could Lead to Massive Google Fine Under DMA Rules

Alphabets Google could face a major antitrust fine from the European Union as regulators intensify enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). According to a report from Germanys Handelsblatt newspaper, the European...

SpaceX IPO Hype Raises Questions as Many Major Stock Debuts Underperform Market

Wall Street investors are eagerly awaiting the expected SpaceX IPO next month, but history suggests that buying into highly valued stock market debuts may not always deliver strong returns. According to a Reuters analysis...

Morgan Stanley Names Top AI Security and Data Center Stocks for 2026

Morgan Stanley has identified five leading companies in the growing Security, Identity, and Data Centers for AI Agents sector, highlighting firms expected to benefit from rising enterprise demand for secure artificial...

Macquarie Names Five Taiwan AI Stocks Set to Benefit From Data Center Growth in 2026

Macquarie has highlighted five major Taiwanese electronics stocks that it believes are well positioned to benefit from rising artificial intelligence infrastructure spending, data center upgrades, and next-generation...