By Pedro Fonseca | RIO DE JANEIRO RIO DE JANEIRO At last 33 inmates have been killed in a new prison riot in the Amazon region of Brazil, officials said on Friday, just five days after 56 inmates were slaughtered in the country’s worst prison massacre in more than two decades. Few details were available about the latest uprising early on Friday in Roraima state’s largest penitentiary, […]
When Donald Trump comes to Washington on January 20, his YouTube supporters Diamond and Silk will be travelling to the capital with him. Then, they will turn round and go home. Over the course of the tycoon’s campaign, Diamond and Silk served as two of the president-elect’s biggest surrogates to the African-American community, talking him up on their hit video blogs, speaking alongside him at rallies and […]
Argentina is looking to sell up to $10bn of debt, taking advantage of calmer conditions across bond markets and a pullback in the US dollar. The year-old government of Mauricio Macri is just one of a host of other emerging markets, including Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, all racing to raise finance soon to mitigate risks stemming from the uncertainty over the direction of US policy, with […]
Dubai Financial Market (DFM) saw its capitalisation rise by more than 12 percent during 2016 to AED337.6 billion ($91.9 billion), it has been announced. DFM’s General Index increased 12.1 percent to 3,531 points at the end of 2016 compared to 3,151 points at the end of 2015. Indices of eight out of the nine sectors featured on the DFM ended the year in the green, with the […]
A prominent Republican lawmaker is taking another shot at tightening U.S. rules for high-skilled worker visas ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president later this month. Rep. Darrell Issa, one of the highest-profile Republicans in Congress and a supporter of Mr. Trump, said Wednesday in a statement on his website that he is reintroducing a bill designed to “stop the outsourcing of American jobs” and ensure laws are not […]
China strengthened the renminbi’s trading range on Friday by the most since it depegged it in 2005, as investors awaited data expected to show Beijing is continuing to burn through its reserves to support the currency. The renminbi’s sudden strength has caught global markets off-guard and wrongfooted investors betting the Chinese currency would start the year by continuing its gradual slide as outflow pressures persisted in spite […]
06 January 2017 MARC has affirmed its AAA(fg) rating on KMCOB Capital Berhad’s (KMCOB) guaranteed serial bonds of up to RM320.0 million with a stable outlook. The rating and outlook reflect the unconditional and irrevocable financial guarantee provided by Danajamin Nasional Berhad (Danajamin), which carries MARC’s insurer financial strength rating of AAA and counterparty credit ratings of AAA/MARC-1. As at end-December 2016, KMCOB has an outstanding amount […]
For the tourists visiting Abu Dhabi from around the world, buying dates is a top priority when searching for a taste of the UAE to take back home as gifts for family and friends. ABU DHABI // Date traders are in their element during the winter months at Mina Dates Market because the influx of tourists means they are doing brisk business. It seems the little fruit […]
Friday 02:30 GMT Overview Asia’s markets were bracing for key US jobs data on Friday, leaving stock indices flat and most currencies higher against a wobbling dollar. Within the region, attention was on the Chinese renminbi, which paused for breath after enjoying its biggest two-day rally against the dollar since the offshore market was created in 2010. Hot topic While currency markets are looking at the renminbi, […]
Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, 05 January 2017 The Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, today began its official 14-day countdown to the highly anticipated launch of the airline’s first flight to Bandaranaike International Airport, in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, which will commence on 19th January 2017 with 5 flights per week. In advance of the route launch Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Maher Salman […]
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi | AMMAN AMMAN The Syrian army and its allies pressed ahead on Friday with a two-week-long offensive to seize a strategic valley where a key spring provides supplies to four million people in the capital, Damascus, residents and rebels said. Aerial bombing and shelling from the army as well as Hezbollah fighters stationed in the mountains that overlook the valley on the northwestern edge […]
Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker, said that its revenues in India had exceeded $1bn last year as it looks abroad for growth amid continuing competitive pressures at home. Chinese-owned technology companies have so far led the smartphone market in India. The subcontinent is seen as the next big untapped market for mobile makers at a time when growth has begun to flag elsewhere. Sales of Xiaomi’s smartphones […]
The United States on Thursday officially listed a son of Osama bin Laden as a “global terrorist,” and warned that the younger man, who has called for attacks around the world, poses a risk to American national security. The son, Hamza bin Laden, who has pledged to take up Osama bin Laden’s violent mantle and avenge his death, is “actively engaged in terrorism,” the State Department said, […]
By James Pearson | SEOUL SEOUL South Korea’s newest celebrity took an unusual route to the nation’s TV screens – years spent working his way up through the ranks of North Korea’s diplomatic corps, followed by months secluded in the custody of the rival South’s spy agency. Since his release Thae Yong Ho, the former North Korean deputy ambassador to London, has spent the first week of […]
BERLIN German trauma surgeons advised the public on Wednesday to walk like penguins to avoid slipping on pavements with freezing temperatures forecast nationwide over the next few days. An advisory published on the website of the German Society of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery said that walking like the aquatic birds involves leaning the torso forward so that the centre of gravity is on the front leg. A […]
After a near double-digit rally in US stocks since Donald Trump’s election victory, the question for investors is whether the outlook for corporate profits can begin to justify investors’ newfound optimism. Much of the rally has been underpinned by hopes that a Trump administration will boost corporate profits through lower corporate taxes, a more accommodative regulatory regime and a more confident US consumer. Corporate chief executives will […]
By Stephen Kalin and Isabel Coles | ERBIL, Iraq ERBIL, Iraq Iraqi forces have retaken around 70 percent of eastern Mosul from Islamic State militants and expect to reach the river bisecting the city in the coming days, Iraq’s joint operations commander told Reuters. Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, who is also head of the elite counter-terrorism service (CTS) spearheading the campaign to retake the northern city, said […]
BAGHDAD Two car bombs in Baghdad killed at least 14 people on Thursday, police and medics said, part of a surge in violence across the capital at a time U.S.-backed forces try to drive Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the first blast which went off in Baghdad’s eastern al-Obeidi area during the morning rush, killing six and wounding 15. […]
President-elect Donald Trump has begun nominating the people who he wants to represent U.S. interests abroad. But even Trump, who despite his “drain the swamp” mantra has been rewarding major campaign donors with prime positions in his cabinet, will find it difficult to match President Barack Obama’s legacy of sending top political patrons to the world’s poshest capital cities, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis. […]
Thursday 15:20 GMT Overview A surge in the Chinese renminbi is contributing to selling of the US dollar, its retreat from 14-year highs rattling the broader market and boosting the price of gold. US and European equities are becalmed following a mixed Asian session, while Treasury yields dip from recent peaks despite what many analysts consider were a relatively hawkish set of minutes from the Federal Reserve. […]
Justin Bieber’s “Let me love you!” blared from giant speakers to greet the arriving audience. Once settled, there were gasps and laughter at the antics of two American magicians before people sat back to savor some opera, mime and dance. The scene could have been from any variety performance on any weekend just about anywhere in the world, at least on the surface. But this is Saudi […]
India is headed for a long and critical election season that will span five states, just as many weeks and 160 million voters. The polls will be seen as a test of whether the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi–who won a landslide election in 2014–endures after his move to remove 86% of bank notes from circulation led to a severe cash shortage. The first ballot will […]
January 4, 2017 by: Joe Rennison and Eric Platt in New York Wall Street’s debt engine started in record form at the start of 2017, as companies sought to lock in borrowing costs shortly before the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president raises hopes for faster growth and higher interest rates. Eleven companies and banks sold $19.9bn of debt in the US as global financial markets […]
It’s fair to say that HappyFresh, one of a number of startups working to make the business of on-demand grocery shopping viable in Southeast Asia, didn’t have a great 2016. The two-year-old company pulled out of two countries to “focus on sustainability and profitability” and raised an ominous ‘undisclosed’ Series B round having previously closed a $12 million Series A a year prior. Now TechCrunch has learnt that it has also […]
