British Prime Minister Theresa May‘s Conservative minority government secured lawmakers’ backing for its legislative plans by a narrow margin Thursday, but only after making a sudden concession on abortion funding to stave off defeat. The House of Commons voted by 323 to 309 to approve last week’s Queen’s Speech, which laid out the government’s agenda […]
Read moreThe search for yield has turned many investors’ attention to emerging Asia, with China, India and Indonesia often featured as preferred investment picks. But Amundi Asset Management has thrown a surprising name into the hat: Singapore. Equities in the Southeast Asian city-state have outperformed many of their regional peers in the first half of 2017, […]
Read moreU.S. President Donald Trump‘s administration reversed a decision late on Thursday as its revised travel ban took effect and said fiancés would be considered close family members and therefore allowed to travel to the United States. The U.S. State Department concluded “upon further review, fiancés will now be included as close family members,” said a […]
Read moreQatar‘s central bank said on Friday it will guarantee all exchange transactions for customers inside and outside Qatar without delay, adding that all banks and foreign exchange companies are committed to trading the riyal as usual. The statement came after media reports said some exchange companies have stopped buying the Qatari riyal, which the central […]
Read moreThe United States plans to sell Taiwan $1.42 billion in arms, the first such sale under the administration of Donald Trump and a move sure to anger China, whose help the president has been seeking to rein in North Korea. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters the administration had told Congress of the […]
Read moreChinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed on Thursday Beijing’s commitment to “one country, two systems,” even as Hong Kong democracy advocates grow increasingly skeptical of the mainland’s intentions. Xi’s visit, tied to the 20th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from British rule, has renewed protests from those who claim Beijing has no interest in […]
Read moreChina’s manufacturing activity accelerated more than expected in June, suggesting the world’s second-largest economy continues to confound expectations for a slowdown. The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 51.7 in June, accelerating from May’s 51.2 and beating a Reuters poll forecast for 51.0. Levels above 50 indicate expansion, while levels below signal contraction. In […]
Read moreDALIAN, China — Terrorists have used technology to their advantage, but now it’s time for the industry to band together to combat that, said David Scharia from the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate. These days, terrorists use technology “from radicalization, to incitement, to recruitment, to training … even the perpetration of the attack […]
Read moreJapan’s industrial output fell 3.3 percent in May from the previous month due to lower production of cars and construction equipment, preliminary government data showed on Friday, in a sign of a temporary lull in manufacturing activity. The result compared with the median estimate of a 3.2 percent decline in a Reuters poll of economists. […]
Read moreJapan’s core consumer prices rose 0.4 percent in May from a year earlier, marking the fifth straight month of gains and offering the central bank some hope a strengthening economy will gradually lift inflation toward its ambitious 2 percent target. But recent declines in oil costs and stubbornly slow wage growth could cloud the outlook […]
Read more