Havana, Cuba / AFP Starwood Hotels took over management of a luxury hotel in central Havana, becoming the first big American hospitality chain with a presence on the island since the Cuban Revolution a half-century ago. The newly-rechristened Cuba Four Points by Sheraton on Havana’s Quinta Avenida — a hotel owned by the Cuban military — now will be managed ...

  Bloomberg Brazil’s new central bank chief Ilan Goldfajn suggested it’s too early to think about cutting rates as inflation remains above target and the government has yet to implement budget cuts. Short-dated swap rates rose. Consumer prices will increase 4.7 percent next year, still above the target set by the government, the central bank said in its quarterly inflation ...

  Bloomberg The widening rich-poor divide in America has robbed the economy of a year’s worth of consumption, according to the International Monetary Fund. Middle-class households declined as a share of the population between 1970 and 2014, while the proportion in high- and low-income brackets expanded, according to new research by IMF economists Ali Alichi, Kory Kantenga and Juan Sole. ...

  “See that little stream? We could walk to it in two minutes. It took the British a month to walk to it — a whole empire walking very slowly, dying in front and pushing forward behind.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Tender Is The Night” WASHINGTON The walk began at 7:30 a.m., July 1, 1916, when British infantry advanced towards German ...

  Adam Minter A new list of the world’s 500 fastest supercomputers suggests that China might be speeding past the U.S. in the race for technological supremacy. China now holds the two top spots, and placed a total of 167 machines on the list. The U.S. had only 165 on the list, with its fastest placing a very distant third. ...

  Grant Wyeth SPECIAL TO EMIRATES BUSINESS As it seems that Brexit was primarily driven by an anti-immigration sentiment, and the rise of Donald Trump in the United States is fueled by similar concerns, it could be reasonable to suspect that these countries’ southern cousin Australia may succumb to similar forces within its current election campaign. However, thankfully, this is ...

  Singapore / bloomberg Turkey’s aviation stocks fell after coordinated terror attacks at one of Europe’s busiest airports threatened to deal another blow to the nation’s struggling tourism industry. Turkish Airlines and airport operator TAV Havalimanlari Holding AS were the biggest drag on the Borsa Istanbul 100 Index after three suicide bombers killed at least 40 people and wounded more ...

  Tokyo / Bloomberg Air Canada firmed up an order for at least 45 Bombardier Inc. C Series jets, giving the much-delayed aircraft programme a boost as the plane nears its commercial debut. The sale of CS300 narrow-body jetliners is valued at $3.8 billion based on list prices, Bombardier said in a statement. Air Canada also has options for 30 ...

  New York / AFP Airbnb is in talks to secure a new round of investment that would value the company at around $30 billion, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. If it succeeds in securing the new funds, the short-term home rental company will have tripled its valuation in two years, the Times said citing anonymous sources. The daily ...

  New York / AFP Sports equipment giant Nike’s shares have skidded in disappointment over its sales performance in the face of strong emerging competitors in North America. Nike, sponsor of leading world sports names including Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo, revealed a rise in quarterly sales — but it was not as large as investors had anticipated. “A lot ...