Bloomberg Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group in the Horn of Africa, attacked a US military base near Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, and detonated a car bomb targeting a European Union military convoy. “We are aware that the al-Shabaab militants detonated two car bombs at the US army base in Balidoogle area,†Abdirahman Muse Ali, a Somalia army officer, said by phone. ...
Read More »Admin
Johnson’s foes may try to get Queen to fire him
Bloomberg Politicians determined to stop Boris Johnson leaving the European Union without a deal are trying to work out how to force the prime minister from office. They have hit upon an arcane constitutional trick that relies on Queen Elizabeth II to fire him, according to a person familiar with the matter. A so-called Humble Address could be used to ...
Read More »Hong Kong braces for more protests
Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed national unity and said relations between Hong Kong and the mainland would improve, even as pro-democracy protesters planned several rallies to coincide with anniversary of Communist rule. “Hong Kong and Macau will be able to develop together with the motherland’s interior,†Xi said in a brief speech to a banquet in Beijing ahead of ...
Read More »Kurz headed for tough talks after historic win
Bloomberg Sebastian Kurz is on track to return as Austria’s chancellor after a historic election victory, but the road to a new government is fraught with hazards. Austrian voters made his People’s Party and the Greens the clear winners in snap elections triggered by the collapse of his alliance with the nationalist Freedom Party. If the conservative and environmentalist groups ...
Read More »Pelosi to Trump: Cooperate with impeachment inquiry
Bloomberg House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is telling the White House to be honest and cooperate with an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, saying “don’t make this any worse than it already is.†“Speak the truth. Honor your oath of office to the Constitution of the United States,†Pelosi said in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes†when asked what ...
Read More »Yes Bank sparks selloff in lenders as ‘investors’ exit
Bloomberg Yes Bank Ltd slumped to the lowest level in a decade, leading a selloff in Indian lenders. IDFC Securities Ltd says the blood-letting in the stock isn’t done yet. The brokerage slashed the bank’s target price to 35 rupees, implying a 15 percent drop from Monday’s close of 41.4 rupees. The stock plunged 15 percent to the lowest price ...
Read More »Zimbabwe clamps down on ‘Ecocash’
Bloomberg Zimbabwe’s central bank has clamped down on mobile money, banning the purchase and sale of cash through the services, in the latest directive aimed at gaining control of a monetary system that’s spiraling out of control. The directive, which the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe said was necessary because of commissions charged by agents, follows an earlier announcement enforcing the ...
Read More »Down Under bonds return on property, banking rebound
Bloomberg The $125 billion US dollar bond market Down Under is making a comeback, boosted by the recovering housing and banking sectors. US-currency notes issued by Australian REITs and mortgage asset firms are returning 9.1 percent this year compared with a 0.1 percent drop in 2018 as a rebound in property prices has gathered pace since June. Dollar bonds from ...
Read More »Seoul sold net $3.8b to intervene in currency
Bloomberg South Korean authorities sold a net $3.8 billion in the first six months of the year to intervene in the currency market, compared with $187 million in the second half of 2018, according to central bank data. “It is now confirmed that the authorities constantly conducted smoothing operations during the second quarter when the won weakened rapidly,†said Min ...
Read More »BNP Paribas prop-trading arm lost $30m
Bloomberg A BNP Paribas SA division created to make speculative bets for the bank’s own account lost tens of millions of dollars last year as trading revenue slumped amid volatile markets, leading executives to shutter the business. Opera Trading Capital, which ceased trading in January, posted a loss of $30 million for 2018, filings show. Net banking income before operating ...
Read More »