REFILE-Lebanon receives Interpol arrest warrant for Ghosn – Lebanese judicial source

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BEIRUT, Jan 2 (Reuters) – Lebanon received an Interpol arrest warrant on Thursday for ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, a Lebanese judicial source told Reuters.

The request, an Interpol red notice that calls on authorities to arrest a wanted person, was received by Lebanon’s internal security forces and has yet to be referred to the judiciary, the source said.

Ghosn arrived in Beirut from Japan, where he faces trial for alleged financial misconduct. (Reporting by Laila Bassam Writing by Eric Knecht; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Fed accepts $27.668 bln at 14-day repo operation

Jan 2 (Reuters) – The New York Federal Reserve on Thursday accepted all $27.668 billion in bids from primary dealers at a 14-day repurchase agreement (repo) operation. For more details, see: here (Reporting By Karen Brettell)

Singapore Economy Logs Slowest Growth In A Decade

The Singapore economy grew at the slowest pace in a decade in 2019 as global slowdown and trade wars weighed on the manufacturing sector, flash data from the Ministry of Trade and Industry showed on Thursday.

Gross domestic product grew 0.7 percent in 2019, much slower than the 3.1 percent expansion seen in 2018. This was also the weakest annual growth since 2009. Economists had forecast an expansion of 0.6 percent for 2019.

In the fourth quarter, the city-state economy grew 0.8 percent on a year-on-year basis, extending the 0.7 percent expansion in the previous quarter.

The manufacturing sector contracted 2.1 percent due to output declines in electronics, chemicals and transport engineering clusters. Meanwhile, construction grew 2.1 percent and service producing industries advanced 1.4 percent.

On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted annualized basis, the economy grew only 0.1 percent compared to the 2.4 percent growth in the third quarter.

The MTI releases revised GDP estimates for the fourth quarter and the whole year of 2019 in February.

In the New Year message, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, “The global economic slowdown has already affected us. This year we avoided a recession.”

“Our economy is still growing, but less vigorously than we would like. In the upcoming Budget, we will support businesses to raise their productivity and build new capabilities,” Lee added.

Fed accepts $29.05 bln at overnight repo operation

Jan 2 (Reuters) – The New York Federal Reserve on Thursday accepted all $29.05 billion in bids from primary dealers at an overnight repurchase agreement (repo) operation. For more details, see: here (Reporting By Karen Brettell; editing by John Stonestreet)

Dell to Let Apple Users Control iPhones From Their Laptop

Dell Technologies Inc. is trying to make its laptops more attractive to iPhone users.

The Round Rock, Texas-based computer maker said on Thursday it is releasing software that will let users mirror their iPhone’s screen on Dell laptops.

The feature will roll out in coming months as an update to Dell’s Mobile Connect software, which added similar functionality for Android handsets in 2018. The update, will also let Dell users drag photos, videos and other files from their iPhone to their PC. The software requires the download of an iPhone app and works with Dell XPS, Inspiron, Vostro and Alienware laptops running Windows 10.

People using Mobile Connect with an iPhone were previously able to get notifications and send texts. Dell said more than 150 million calls and texts have been sent via the software, with half of those happening via Apple Inc. devices.

Dell, the third-largest PC maker, sees the software as a way to get more people to buy its products. Apple has offered deep integration between its Mac computers and iPhones for years, including easy file transfers, messaging and calls, but does not offer a screen mirroring feature.

Durect’s stock tumbles after failed psoriasis trial

Shares of Durect Corp. DRRX, -25.03% tumbled 34% on Thursday morning after the biopharmaceutical company said it would stop development of DUR-928 as a treatment for psoriasis. Durect said that a mid-stage clinical trial for patients with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis found that the investigational therapy did not benefit patients more than the placebo. The company plans to continue developing DUR-928 as a treatment for alcoholic hepatitis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which is commonly referred to as NASH. Durect’s stock has gained 111% over the last three months, while the S&P 500 SPX, +0.21% is up 8% over the last quarter.

Michigan server gets $2,020 tip before new year

ALPENA, Mich. (AP) — The restaurant bill was $23. But the tip at a small-town restaurant in Michigan was much larger: $2,020.

“Things like this don’t happen to people like me,” server Danielle Franzoni told The Alpena News.

Franzoni, 31, got the tip while working Sunday at Thunder Bay River Restaurant in Alpena. The credit card receipt said “Happy New Year. 2020 Tip Challenge.”

Franzoni, a single mother, couldn’t believe the number, but her manager assured her the tip was legitimate.

She said she was living in a homeless shelter a year ago. Franzoni plans to use the money to reinstate her driver’s license and build savings.

“They don’t know nothing about my story. They don’t know where I’ve come from. They don’t know how hard it’s been,” Franzoni said of the couple who left the tip. “They’re really just doing this out of the kindness of their heart.”

Franzoni later went to a restaurant and left a $20.20 tip.

“That was my pay-it-forward,” she said, smiling. “I couldn’t do the other one.”