Nicola Sturgeon has backed her demand for another independence referendum with a call for disaffected citizens in the rest of the UK to move to Scotland and a promise of continued immigration from Europe. In a speech closing her Scottish National party’s spring conference, Scotland’s first minister dismissed UK prime minister Theresa May’s rejection of a second referendum, saying that while timing could be discussed, a plebiscite […]
Via Stratfor, In his joint address to Congress, U.S. President Donald Trump touted a $1 trillion infrastructure investment plan as a means to stimulate the economy while constructing, if not rebuilding outright, crucial projects around the country. Trump later met with U.S. business leaders on March 8 seeking support from the private sector for the plan. It is key to implementing the administration’s infrastructure goals, primarily as a way […]
Written by Ritu Sarin | New Delhi | Updated: March 16, 2017 10:32 am Image for representational purposes. Nearly a year after The Indian Express published the Panama Papers, tax authorities have succeeded in obtaining 165 replies — partial or complete — from among 13 jurisdictions where Indian nationals had incorporated offshore companies through the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. According to data made available at the latest […]
Real growth in the non-oil sector of Bahrain’s economy reached an annual rate of 4.7 percent in the third quarter of 2016, according to new official figures. This marked a clear acceleration from the 3.6 percent pace seen during Q2, said the country’s Economic Development Board in its latest research note. Overall, during the first three quarters of 2016 the Bahraini economy expanded by a real 3.6 […]
Brazil’s economy will emerge this quarter from its deepest recession on record and reach a growth rate of up to 3 per cent by the final three months of the year, central bank chief Ilan Goldfajn has said. The recovery would be driven by a combination of easier monetary policy as inflation falls to levels not seen since January 2010, economic reforms that are boosting investor confidence […]
Junk bond funds saw their biggest outflows since December 2014, as investors expressed concern about high prices for speculative debt and falling energy prices put pressure on companies in the sector. Investors withdrew $5.7bn from high-yield bond funds in the week up to Wednesday, according to EPFR Global. It came as West Texas Intermediate, the US crude marker, last week dropped back below $50 a barrel. Oil […]
Hotpack Packaging Industries, a UAE-based producer and wholesaler of disposable food packaging materials, has announced an investment of £50 million to develop a facility in the UK. The facility in Wrexham, Wales will be equipped with the latest in packaging and manufacturing technologies, the company said in a statement. The announcement was made when Lesley Griffiths, Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, and Philip […]
18 March 2017 Manama, Bahrain – GFH Financial Group (“GFH” or “the Group”) announced today that it has convened its first meeting in Abu Dhabi last Thursday for its new Board of Directors, whose appointment was recently confirmed for the 2017-2019. Upon its first meeting the 10 member Board have indorsed the appointment of his Excellency Shaikh Ahmed Bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa as GFH’s new Chairman and Dr. […]
Warren Buffett’s compensation for running Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) edged up 4.0 percent last year to $487,881 reflecting the higher cost of keeping the world’s second-richest person safe. Buffett’s pay was disclosed in a Friday regulatory filing, in which Berkshire also recommended the rejection of three shareholder proposals at its May 6 annual meeting, including that it disclose its political contributions twice a year. Berkshire said Buffett’s […]
Foreign investment capital has surged into Chinese domestic bonds over the past year, intensifying pressure for the inclusion of China’s $9.3tn bond market in dominant market indices that direct some of the world’s biggest fund flows, fund managers and analysts said. A year since China took meaningful steps to further open its bond market to international capital, inflows from foreign institutions rose 53 per cent to Rmb732bn […]
DUBAI Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, who was on an official tour in Asia, has left China to head back to his kingdom, the state news agency SPA reported on Friday. Saudi Arabia’s octogenarian monarch, who has overseen the launch of an ambitious economic reform plan since his accession two years ago, was on a month-long tour of Asia that took him to Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and China. […]
Beijing, China – 16 March 2017 On the sidelines of King Salman bin Abdulaziz visit to China and during the 2017 ‘Saudi-China Investment Forum’, Huawei Tech. Investment Saudi Arabia and Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu have signed a milestone agreement to establish a training academy and a smart city innovation center in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, accelerating smart city deployment in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. […]
Despite another turbulent few days in British politics, the pound is ending the week on a firmer footing. Sterling brushed off the latest bout of Brexit nerves and further worries about a break-up of the UK, closing near $1.24 on Friday. Its revival was aided by a dovish Federal Reserve and a hawkish Bank of England. However, there are still plenty of currency-watchers who see further trouble […]
Brazilian outsourcing firm Stefanini IT Solutions has appointed a new chief executive for its operations in North America and Asia-Pacific. Former IBM head for global technology services Spencer Gracias will be leading the business for both regions, after joining the company as vice president in July 2016. Based at the firm’s Detroit offices, Gracias replaces Antonio Moreira, who had been leading Stefanini’s US presence since its launch […]
Despite the surge in interest and sales of modern data discovery tools like SAP BusinessObjects Lumira and SAP BusinessObjects Cloud, corporations are still really, really interested in reporting. At the recent Gartner Data & Analytics event in Texas, Cindi Howson showed that descriptive analytics remains by far the most common type of analysis that companies do in the real world. Last year, Gartner redefined the BI and […]
UAE-based developer Azizi Developments has announced that the total construction work on its Royal Bay project in Dubai is 80 percent complete. The upcoming 90-unit Azizi Royal Bay serviced apartments will be located on Palm Jumeirah and will offer 58 one-bedroom, 30 two-bedroom, and two penthouses with private beach access. Azizi said in a statement that the project is due to be completed by the end of […]
Bob Diamond, the former Barclays chief executive, has teamed up with the investment vehicle of the Qatari royal family to launch a bid for Panmure Gordon, the lossmaking stock broker and investment bank. Panmure, whose name dates back more than 140 years, is suffering like many mid-cap brokers from a number of structural challenges, including increased regulation, fewer deals and lower corporate retainers. The deal may be […]
Bahrain’s tourism industry is growing rapidly and is expected to reach $1 billion by 2020, according to figures released ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2017. Bahrain witnessed an 8.4 percent increase in inbound traffic in the third quarter of 2016 and a peak of 1.4 million arrivals during the month of August, a statement said. It added that the Gulf kingdom expects to welcome 15.8 million annual […]
By Sijia Jiang | HONG KONG HONG KONG Chinese technology conglomerate LeEco is looking to sell a 49-acre U.S. Silicon Valley property less than a year after buying it from Yahoo Inc, sources said, in what is the latest effort by the firm to ride out a cash crunch. LeEco, one of China’s most ambitious companies that grew from a Netflix-like video website to a business empire […]
Saudi Arabia’s push to boost political and trade ties with the Maldives faces growing resistance as activists in the archipelago oppose plans for an ambitious development project funded by the kingdom. King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who is on a month-long tour of Asia as Saudi Arabia seeks to deepen alliances with predominantly Muslim states in the region, is due to visit the Indian Ocean nation at the […]
Overall, there was a 17% increase in the number of companies in MEA in 2016 compared to 2015, with Johannesburg being the leading destination for Africa JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, March 16, 2017 The Middle East Africa (MEA) region has become increasingly important for the majority of global Fortune 500 countries, according to a new report released by Infomineo (www.Infomineo.com ), a global business research company specialising in […]
QInvest, the Qatari investment bank, has announced the acquisition of a plot of land on South Boulevard in Charlotte, North Carolina, US, in conjunction with a GCC investor. The company said in a statement that the property will be developed into an upscale 200-unit, multifamily apartment complex covering 165,000 square feet. It added that the necessary regulatory approvals have been received and the project is already well […]
ABU DHABI // Tobacco as well as fizzy and energy drinks are expected to be taxed this year, the Minister of State for Financial Affairs announced. Obaid Al Tayer was speaking on Wednesday as the Federal National Council approved a draft law that paves the way for value-added tax (VAT) and excise duties on selected items, by setting up a legal framework for taxation. While the GCC […]
William “Billy” Walters’ stomach for taking risky bets and reading “tells” of opponents made him one of the most successful sports gamblers of all time. It is the same strategy he used to invest in the stock market, his lawyer told a jury as opening statements began in his $40m insider trading trial. Prosecutors have accused Mr Walters of making over $30m in profits and avoiding $10m […]
