South Africa's Absa PMI falls further in January

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 3 (Reuters) – South Africa’s seasonally-adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) slipped deeper into contraction territory in January as employment and inventories fell despite a recovery in new sales orders, the survey showed on Monday.

The index, which gauges manufacturing activity in Africa’s most industrialised economy, fell to 45.2 points in January from 47.1 in December, remaining below the 50-point mark separating contraction from expansion for a sixth straight month. (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana Editing by Alexander Winning)

Sophy Ridge on Sunday podcast: Diverging views: Dominic Raab & Arlene Foster

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says the government will prioritise freeing the UK from EU rules in trade negotiations with Brussels.

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster says that these plans to diverge could lead to a further weakening of Northern Ireland’s place in the union.

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Dubai Aerospace signs $300 million five-year dual tranche loan

DUBAI (Reuters) – Dubai Aerospace Enterprise said on Monday it had signed a $300 million five-year dual tranche loan with Emirates Islamic EIB.DU and Emirates NBD Capital (ENBD.DU) to support business financing needs.

The unsecured financing facility included a conventional and an Islamic tranche and can be increased to $600 million, the company said in a statement.

John Kerry Drops F-Bomb Over Report He’d Run For President To Stop Bernie Sanders

Former Secretary of State John Kerry denied a report that he was considering a run for president to stop Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) from winning the Democratic nomination.

And he dropped an F-bomb just to make it clear. 

In a tweet he later deleted, Kerry wrote: 

Kerry was responding to an NBC News report that he was overheard speaking on the phone in Iowa about “the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party — down whole.” The network said Kerry also went into some specifics, about how he’d have to step down from the Bank of America board to run and who could help raise funds. 

But Kerry told NBC the reporter misinterpreted the call, and he was actually explaining to a friend “who watches too much cable” why he could not and would not run “under any circumstances.” Kerry later replaced the f-bomb post with a more diplomatically worded message: 

Kerry, who served in the U.S. Senate for Massachusetts for nearly three decades before becoming secretary of state, won the Democratic nomination in 2004. He lost the election to President George W. Bush.  

Organization of Islamic Cooperation rejects Trump peace plan: statement

DUBAI (Reuters) – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation said on Monday it rejects U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan.

The 57-member organization which held a summit to discuss the plan in Jeddah said it “calls on all member states not to engage with this plan or to cooperate with the U.S. administration in implementing it in any form”.

Latest on the coronavirus spreading in China and beyond

(Reuters) – The number of deaths in China from the newly identified virus, which emerged in Wuhan city in the central province of Hubei in December, has risen to 361, as of Sunday, up 57 from the previous day, the National Health Commission said.

Here are the latest developments:

Fees, contributions in focus as submissions to retirement review close

A lobby group for private capital has urged the government to move away from using fees as a yardstick for superannuation fund performance, in a submission to the Treasury's retirement income review.

The Australian Investment Council claimed a "narrow focus" on fees and costs is likely to lead to lower super balances for retirees, as it pushed for a change to disclosure settings that allow for a greater focus on returns, rather than fees.

RCMP investigating after human remains found in Yarmouth, N.S.

RCMP say human remains have been discovered near the waterfront in Yarmouth, N.S.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday, police say a person was walking near the waterfront when they spotted human remains in the harbour on the rocks by the shore.

The person immediately called 911 to report it to police.

The Mounties say they are working with the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service to investigate the incident.

Weekly survey: What are your feelings about the return of 90s alt-rock?