BEIJING China’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday it welcomed an announcement from the small west African country of Sao Tome to end diplomatic relations with self-ruled Taiwan. “We have noted the statement from the government of Sao Tome and Principe on the 20th to break so-called ‘diplomat’ ties with Taiwan. China expresses appreciation of this, and welcomes Sao Tome back onto the correct path of the ‘one […]
By Henning Gloystein | SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Oil prices nudged higher on Wednesday on expectations of a U.S. crude inventory draw, although trading activity was muted as markets start to wind down ahead of the Christmas weekend. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures CLc1 were trading at $53.58 per barrel at 0105 GMT, up 28 cents from their last settlement. International Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 […]
Reviews on Nintendo’s Super Mario Run, have started coming in, describing the game as an elegantly designed platformer and one of the best mobile runners available with high replay value due to its unlockables. However, Super Mario Run was only launched on the iOS on Dec. 15, leaving Android device owners on the outside looking in. How soon will Nintendo release the game on Google’s mobile operating system? Super […]
By David Alire Garcia and Lizbeth Diaz | MEXICO CITY MEXICO CITY At least 27 people died and at least 70 were injured in an explosion at a fireworks market outside the Mexican capital on Tuesday, local authorities said. The blast was the third to strike the popular San Pablito marketplace in Tultepec, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Mexico City, in just over a decade. […]
Friction between the two countries and their proxies is rising alarmingly at a time that mutual trust has reached a nadir. Tehran interprets Turkey’s Syria policy as primarily a product of a neo-Ottoman ambition to regain clout and empower pro-Turkey Sunnis in territories ruled by its progenitor. “What changed in Syria” after the civil war began “was neither the government’s nature nor Iran’s ties with it, but […]
By Kieran Guilbert DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The failure of European jewellery firms to scrutinise their supply chains and a flawed diamond certification scheme are fuelling child labour and sexual abuse in artisanal mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a campaign group said on Thursday. Thousands of children work illegally in diamond mines in Congo’s diamond-rich Kasai region – mainly to pay for food and […]
A merger of German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd and United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) is likely to take months to complete, partly due to financing issues blamed on a deep industry downturn, sources familiar with the deal say. Hapag-Lloyd signed a binding agreement with UASC in July to form the world’s fifth-largest line, valued at about 7 to 8 billion euros ($7.2-$8.3 billion), by the end of […]
BUENOS AIRES Argentina and Britain agreed on a framework to identify the bodies of dozens of unknown Argentine soldiers buried on the disputed Falkland Islands, Argentina’s Foreign Ministry said in on Tuesday. The two countries, which went to war over the islands in 1982 and have had strained relations for decades, also agreed to try to increase the number of flights to the remote islands. Britain has […]
It’s still hard to believe Orlando is home to the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Even six months later, it’s surreal to think 49 people were killed at a club I pass every day on my way to work. The shooting changed Central Florida forever and with it, transformed our newsroom and reporters. The news was unbelievable. It made no sense. Even veteran journalists were in […]
By Melissa Fares and David Lawder | WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON U.S. President-elect Donald Trump plans to put his pick for Commerce Secretary, billionaire investor Wilbur Ross, in charge of his get-tough trade policy, a transition team spokesman said on Tuesday. It is a signal of how Trump, who is also interviewing candidates to be the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), plans to elevate […]
Nike Inc (NKE.N), the world’s No. 1 footwear maker, reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue, helped by higher demand from Western Europe, Greater China and emerging markets. The company’s shares were up 4 percent at $53.89 in after-market trading on Tuesday. Nike’s net income rose to $842 million, or 50 cents per share, in the second quarter ended Nov. 30, from $785 million, or 45 cents per share, a […]
VATICAN CITY The Vatican said on Tuesday it hoped China’s communist government would give Catholics there “positive signs” that would help them have faith in a push by Pope Francis to heal a decades-old rift with Beijing. Chinese Catholics are divided between those who are loyal to the pope and those who are members of a government-controlled official church. The Vatican has been seeking a compromise with […]
Tuesday 19:45 GMT Overview A robust session for US equities saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average climb to within a whisker of the 20,000 milestone as participants shrugged off geopolitical concerns and focused on the prospect of stronger growth under the presidency of Donald Trump. The “risk-on” mood in the markets left US Treasury prices and gold lower while the yen — viewed by many as a […]
The “animal spirits” that Donald Trump’s incoming US administration may unleash would have more far-reaching consequences on the economy and financial markets than any specific stimulus package he delivers, according to Bridgewater’s Ray Dalio. Mr Dalio, the founder of the world’s largest hedge fund group, wrote that “if this administration can spark a virtuous cycle in which people can make money, the move out of cash (that […]
By Yeganeh Torbati | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The United States on Tuesday blacklisted seven Russian businessmen and eight companies and government enterprises over Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement, moves Moscow called “hostile acts.” The sanctions come a month before U.S. President Barack Obama hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin […]
BERLIN A man arrested on suspicion of killing 12 people by mowing through a Berlin Christmas market in a truck has been released, the Chief Federal Prosecutor’s Office said on Tuesday. “The investigation up to now did not yield any urgent suspicion against the accused,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. The prosecutor’s office said the suspect had made extensive statements during a police hearing, but […]
BLOOVO.COM identifies key areas of regulatory focus to help SMEs take on job creation and national economic expansion role Dubai December 20th, 2016 With the oil price slump creating a USD 275 billion export shortfall for GCC countries, regional governments are prioritising economic diversification. Accelerating SME sector growth is an integral element of this economic strategy, says a new report by WWW.BLOOVO.COM . www.BLOOVO.COM’s research shows that SMEs […]
By Angus McDowall and Maria Tsvetkova | BEIRUT/MOSCOW BEIRUT/MOSCOW As President Bashar al-Assad’s army closed in on the last rebel enclave in Aleppo on Tuesday, Russia, Iran and Turkey said they were ready to help broker a Syrian peace deal. The Syrian army used loudspeakers to broadcast warnings to insurgents that it was poised to enter their rapidly diminishing area during the day and told them to […]
Talent acquisition will continue to be a key focus for Middle East-based companies in 2017 with recruiters focusing on quality of hiring, according to a new LinkedIn report. Jobs pertaining to operations, sales and engineering will be the highest priority roles to fill in the region in 2017, said its MENA Recruiting Trends 2017 report. According to the report, over 81 percent of regional talent leaders feel […]
The Dow and the Nasdaq hit record highs on Tuesday, with the blue-chip index just 13 points shy of the 20,000 mark, a level it has never scaled. Goldman Sachs (GS.N), which was up about 1 percent, gave the biggest boost to the Dow. U.S. stocks have been on a tear since the Nov. 8 presidential election, with the Dow up 9 percent and S&P more than […]
The Star Wars universe has some of the most iconic looking planets ever to be seen on the big screen. From arid planets such as Jakku and Tatooine to watery worlds such as Kamino and Scarif, the places shown in the movies have captured the imaginations of moviegoers for decades. Now, NASA plans to use these colorful Star Wars worlds as inspiration in its hunt for other […]
Scientists have witnessed the birth of atmospheric ice clouds, creating ice cloud crystals in the laboratory and then taking images of the process through a microscope, essentially documenting the very first steps of cloud formation. (via WSJ)
By Patricia Reaney | NEW YORK NEW YORK The United States lost some literal and figurative pioneers in 2016 with the deaths of famed sons and daughters from John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, to Gwen Ifill, the first black woman to co-anchor a major U.S. television newscast. The year also saw the deaths of stars of sports, the arts and politics, including former heavyweight […]
Germany was braced for a possible manhunt on Tuesday after doubts emerged as to whether the man arrested after an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin was indeed the perpetrator. Thomas de Maizière, Germany’s interior minister, said he was in “no doubt” that the attack, in which a truck was driven at speed into a crowded market in the heart of the German capital, was an […]
