Catalans are going to the polls Thursday with politicians assessing not only their parties’ chances of success but how to rebuild the divided and polarized region after the vote. The vote looks set to be roughly split between pro-independence and unionist parties, but is unlikely to settle Catalan’s independence question, according to Enea Desideri, an […]
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Catalan separatists poised to take regional leadership — and serious challenges lie ahead
Catalonia’s separatist leader Carles Puigdemont looked likely to regain the leadership of Spain’s northeastern region after preliminary results showed secessionist parties taking a majority in regional elections. The results marked a serious rebuke to Spain’s central government and the European Union, likely prolonging a crisis that has hurt the Spanish economy and prompted many companies […]
Read moreA Philippine ferry with 251 people on board capsized during bad weather on Thursday off an island near the capital, Manila, a coastguard spokesman said, and media reported four people had been killed and 140 rescued. Coastguard boats and army helicopters headed to the vicinity of Polillo island, trying to take advantage of daylight, coastguard […]
Read moreInitial coin offerings (ICOs) may have been called a bubble and attracted regulatory scrutiny, but a crowdfunding site is hoping to improve things for legitimate start-ups. ICOs have become a popular way for cryptocurrency start-ups to raise money by issuing their own digital tokens in exchange for a virtual currency like ether or bitcoin. Investors […]
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European markets set for choppy open as investors digest US tax overhaul
European markets are set to open to mixed trade on Thursday after the U.S. Congress approved an overhaul of the U.S. tax code that will cut corporate tax rates. London’s FTSE is expected to open 9 points higher at 7,526, the German DAX up 20 points at 13,074 and the French CAC down 3 points […]
Read moreChina‘s ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing has raised over $4 billion in its latest round of funding, the company said on Thursday, posing a challenge to its U.S. rival Uber in its efforts to branch out overseas. The latest investment values Didi at over $50 billion, according to Reuters, and equips it with the cash needed […]
Read moreWhen it comes to territorial disputes in Asia, the South China Sea typically commands the bulk of attention. But the East China Sea, a lesser-known hotbed of tensions, might be more likely to trigger an international conflict. “Despite the lower profile, the dispute in the East China Sea may carry greater risk of drawing the […]
Read moreThe Bank of Japan said Thursday it is holding its monetary policy steady. The central bank said it is maintaining its short-term interest rate at minus 0.1 percent and the target for the 10-year government bond yield at zero percent. BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda will hold a news conference at 3:30 p.m. local time (0630 […]
Read moreSouth Korean troops reportedly fired warning shots as North Korean troops searched for a suspected defector along the heavily-militarized ceasefire line between the two countries, Reuters reported Thursday, citing South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. In mid-November, a soldier from the North was shot multiple times after running across the demilitarized zone that separates North and […]
Read moreFacebook says employment ads that target younger users are not discriminatory if they’re part of a broader recruitment campaign aimed at multiple age groups. In a post written by Rob Goldman, the company’s vice president of ads, Facebook hit back at a report published jointly by the New York Times and ProPublica, a public interest […]
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