WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said stock exchanges in the United States will likely pick up more business after his administration ended Hong Kong’s special economic status in a dispute over the territory’s new security law. “For freedom, we gave them tremendous incentives … they took massive business away from the […]
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s banks took a gloomier view than almost all their European peers in their second quarter earnings, as coronavirus fears, Brexit and low interest rates caused them to bake tougher “worst-case” scenarios into their risk models. Investors had expected a torrid set of half-year results, but Barclays (BARC.L), Standard Chartered (STAN.L), […]
SYDNEY (REUTERS) – Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday (Aug 5) that building an Indo-Pacific alliance with like-minded nations will be a “critical priority”for his government, warning the pace of militarisation in the region was unprecedented. “Today, the Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of strategic competition,” Morrison told the Aspen Security Forum, which brings […]
SYDNEY (AFP) – An Australian was killed and the country’s embassy damaged in massive explosions that devastated Beirut’s port on Tuesday (Aug 4), Canberra said. “It’s my deep regret to inform you that one Australian has been killed in this horrific blast,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told The Today Show without providing further details. Two […]
LONDON, August 5 (Reuters) – The dollar remained weak on Wednesday as a U.S. coronavirus relief package stalled in Congress and U.S. bond yields sank, with investors weighing prospects of further monetary easing to support the economy. White House negotiators and congressional Democrats are trying to reach a deal on a package by the end […]
SINGAPORE – A part-time security officer was killed last year after he fell into a 4m-deep pit near the 1-Altitude rooftop bar at One Raffles Place. A coroner’s inquiry into Mr Shaun Tung Mun Hon’s death revealed that the opening had been left uncovered by workers who were tasked with cleaning the building’s facade. On […]
HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) – Artist. Propagandist. Urban planning enthusiast. Traditional Chinese medicine student. Zheng Yanxiong doesn’t fit the usual mould of a top Communist Party security agent. Zheng’s eclectic background suggests someone who will bring a broad approach to running the Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong, the powerful and secretive agency China […]
LONDON (Reuters) – British businesses in the services and manufacturing sectors grew at the fastest rate in more than five years last month as they began to recover from the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown, a survey showed on Wednesday. The IHS Markit/CIPS final composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 57.0 from 47.7 in […]
The Philippines reported another record single-day jump in infections yesterday as new restrictions took hold and people stocked up on food and cash. Yesterday marked the first day of a new lockdown that will confine about 27 million people to their homes for two weeks and further strain the economy. The Health Ministry tallied 6,352 […]
(Reuters) – European shares rose on Wednesday as positive earnings and the huge quantities of stimulus coursing through the financial system again overshadowed concerns about the surge in coronavirus cases in Europe and the United States. Sectors considered most exposed to an economic downturn such as travel & leisure .SXTP, mining .SXPP, oil & gas […]