At least 26 people were killed and some 70 injured in a huge explosion at an open-air fireworks market in Mexico as shoppers stocked up on bangers and rockets for the holidays. The blasts ripped through the San Pablito fireworks market in the manner of a chain reaction on Tuesday afternoon. With about 300 stalls, the fireworks market, in the town of Tultepec in the central State […]
Italian bank shares are on track for their best month in more than seven years as signs the government may intervene to support its financial sector gave fresh momentum to a rally. The FTSE Italia All-Share banks climbed 2.3 per cent in afternoon trading, leaving it up more than 22 per cent so far in December. The index is now on course for its best monthly showing […]
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 […]
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 […]
Turkey’s lira, the second-worst performing currency of 2016, reverted to type with a bout of volatile trading after the country’s central bank kept interest rates unchanged. After strengthening by nearly 1 per cent ahead of the meeting, the lira came back under pressure and was trading at around TL3.54 to the dollar, although another bout of volatility subsequently pushed it higher in late London trading. Concerned about […]
By Maria Tsvetkova and Peter Hobson | MOSCOW MOSCOW Russia, Iran and Turkey said they were ready to help broker a Syrian peace deal after the three countries held talks in Moscow on Tuesday and adopted a declaration which set out the principles any agreement should adhere to. The countries made the announcement after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hosted talks with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts […]
Facebook faces a potential fine after the European Commission accused the social network of being misleading during the approval process of its $19bn takeover of WhatsApp. In a “statement of objections” on Tuesday, the European Commission charged the Silicon Valley giant with inaccurately claiming during the 2014 takeover that it was technically impossible to combine automatically user information from Facebook and WhatsApp. Facebook surprised its users this […]
The Turkish lira is climbing off its weekly lows this morning in the wake of the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara on Monday and ahead of another key interest rate decision later today. At publication time, the lira has gained 0.35 per cent against the dollar to TRY3.5180 per dollar, having slumped to as low as TRY3.5340 in the aftermath of the shooting of Andrei […]
First preliminary investigation into the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and fellow inmate Raul Yap filed by the National Bureau of Investigation. TETCH TORRES-TUPAS Two of the police officers accused in the death of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and fellow inmate Raul Yap were at a loss as to why they were included as respondents while another police officer was already AWOL prior to the […]
Italy’s bruised bank stocks are getting a welcome kick higher this morning after the country’s government asked the Italian parliament to authorise up to €20bn to help prop up its most troubled lenders last night. The request comes after long-standing concerns about the health of the Italian banking system, which lumbers under the highest bad loan pile in the eurozone. Rome’s finance minister Pier Carlo Padoan said […]
The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy on hold and turned optimistic on the growth outlook as a slide in the yen sharply improves the outlook for Japan in 2017. Japan’s economy is “likely to turn to a moderate expansion” with rising domestic demand, large-scale fiscal stimulus and growing exports, the central bank said. Its comments highlight the dramatic turnround from September — when despairing analysts said the […]
Tuesday 02:20 GMT Overview Stock markets across Asia were largely on the back foot, with investors in the Japanese market treading particularly cautiously despite the yen weakening and the Bank of Japan keeping monetary policy meeting steady, as expected. Hot topic Global financial markets were beginning to quiet down in the lead-up to Christmas. Despite attacks in Germany and Turkey on Monday that added to geopolitical unease, […]
By Tim Cocks and Aaron Ross | KINSHASA KINSHASA Gunfire could be heard in several districts of Kinshasa early on Tuesday as demonstrators demanded that President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired at midnight, and measures to curb dissent fanned fears of more violence. Reuters witnesses in various parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital city heard repeated gunshots, and one saw youths burning […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. Imagine if Snopes, PolitiFact and The Associated Press fact-checked our holiday cards and letters — or many of our daily declarations — for the truth. Facebook, of course, just announced it would team with PolitiFact, FactCheck.org, the Associated Press, ABC […]
December 19, 2016 by: Guy Chazan in Berlin and Ralph Atkins in Zürich A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital Berlin on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring up to 50 others, in what police described as a deliberate attack. The incident occurred near the fashionable Kurfürstendamm, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, one of Berlin’s most iconic landmarks. German […]
Our annual collection of media corrections is, undoubtedly, an excuse to chuckle at our industry’s missteps. But it’s also a recognition of an honorable practice that not everyone follows. Outlets that mark their corrected articles clearly or collect them in one easily searchable section (for example, The Guardian) may be over-represented in this list, but they should be commended. A note on selection: This is a list of media […]
U.S. stocks were higher on Monday in light trading, with the three major indexes hovering near record levels, driven by a rise in technology shares. The S&P technology index .SPLRCT rose 0.94 percent, leading the 11 major sectors. Microsoft (MSFT.O), Amazon (AMZN.O) and Apple (AAPL.O) were up between 1-1.8 percent, providing the biggest boost to the Nasdaq and the S&P 500. “Traditionally, as you head into the […]
As we celebrate the completion of another trip around the sun, and prepare to start the next one, the festive television season is shifting into high gear. Grab your remote – we’ve got more than enough TV treats to enjoy as you relax on the sofa after all the preparation and socialising. Pop that gourmet corn, rip open a box of chocolate and enjoy a wide range […]
A last-ditch attempt by Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the struggling Italian bank, to raise up to €5bn in capital was thrown into doubt after the country’s private bank rescue fund expressed “strong reservations” over the terms of a bridge loan that is key to the deal. On Monday, MPS said in a statement that it was “in contact” with Quaestio Capital Management — which manages the […]
German short-term interest rates dropped to a fresh record low on Monday as traders anticipated the effect of New Year policy changes announced by the European Central Bank this month, at a time when market activity begins to ebb in the final days of the year. The yield on two-year Bunds fell to as low as minus 0.82 per cent on Monday, in a sign of demand […]
By Angus McDowall and Ellen Francis | BEIRUT BEIRUT Thousands were evacuated from the last rebel-held enclave of the city of Aleppo on Monday after a deal was reached to allow people to leave two besieged pro-government villages in nearby Idlib province. Convoys of buses from eastern Aleppo reached rebel-held areas of countryside to the west of the city in cold winter weather, according to a U.N. […]
We’ve heard a lot about Microsoft’s plan to compete with Amazon Echo and Google Home without ever having to create and sell a device. Apparently, the company is planning to transform every Windows 10 device into what is called a Home Hub, but what about those who are not interested in Windows 10? That’s an easy question to answer. You see, Microsoft is planning to release the SDK […]
Bank supervision and anti-money laundering standards need to be toughened in global geopolitical hotspots as a way of tackling the recent decline in so-called correspondent banking, a global group of policymakers has said. The Financial Stability Board, the group of policymakers and regulators that makes recommendations to the G20 nations, said on Monday that its members should assist other countries in drafting legislation and training supervisors to […]
Soaring price growth in China’s top cities has slowed almost to a standstill, as government measures to cool the overheated property market take hold. Price growth of newly built homes in China’s “first tier” cities of Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou slowed to 0.1 per cent in November compared with the previous month, the National Statistics Bureau said on Monday — well below month-on-month growth of 3-4 […]
