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  AFP Internet mogul Kim Dotcom launched his appeal on Monday against extradition to face video piracy charges in the United States, arguing for his case in New Zealand to be live-streamed to ensure a fair hearing. The German national and founder of the Megaupload file-sharing service, who has permanent residency in New Zealand, faces up to 20 years in ...

  Bloomberg US consumers spent at a solid pace in July while the key PCE index of inflation slowed, the Commerce Department reported on Monday. Consumer spending rose by 0.3 percent from June, with the gain underpinned mainly by automobile purchases while spending on non-durable goods and services declined. That followed an 0.4 percent gain in June, suggesting the consumer ...

  AFP The start this week of the first regularly scheduled commercial flights from the United States augurs the likely demise of Cuba’s “mules” — suppliers of last resort for scarce consumer goods on the island. For more than half a century, commercial air travel between Cuba and the United States was all but non-existent, a victim of frosty Cold ...

  Bloomberg Alarmed by a collapse in private investment in China and a surge in state spending? Calm down, say three analysts, who argue that data problems are exaggerating the trend. Investment numbers this year aren’t completely comparable with 2015 because they include firms that recently migrated from the private to the state sector, says Nicholas Lardy, a senior fellow ...

  Bloomberg Wage growth is the key to escaping deflation and realizing the promise of Abenomics, according to regional economy minister Kozo Yamamoto, a recent appointee to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet. “If you consistently raise wages every year, people will start to consume and invest,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg News on Aug. 26. Yamamoto stressed the ...

  Bloomberg Indian Oil Corp., the nation’s biggest refiner that’s also boosting its liquefied natural gas business, is lifting purchases of the fuel to take advantage of a price plunge amid a glut. The state-run company plans to buy two LNG shipments per month in the spot market for six months from October, according to Debasis Sen, director of planning ...

  Bloomberg Japan’s biggest-trading house has had its fill of commodities. After posting the first annual loss in its post-World War II history amid the collapse in commodity prices, Mitsubishi Corp. is shifting away from raw materials to make sure it never happens again. That process is going to take at least three years, according to Chief Financial Officer Kazuyuki ...

  Sharjah / Emirates Business Expo Centre Sharjah, the region’s premier exhibition organiser & events venue, has reported strong performance in the first half of 2016, registering an impressive rise in the number of events held and increase in visitor turnout. According to H1 2016 figures, Expo Centre Sharjah (ECS) hosted 15 consumer & trade exhibitions and conferences as against ...

  Emirates Business Abu Dhabi Summer Season (ADSS) will be taken to new heights into September after organisers Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) teamed up with Abu Dhabi Airports to promote the emirate-wide entertainment extravaganza. ADSS has already brought some fantastic shows and activities to venues across the emirate, including master illusionist Jamie Raven, a Dinosaur ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business The French Tech pavilion, a Business France initiative, will be hosting 22 French exhibitors and start-ups that specialize in digital technology at this year’s GITEX in DWTC’s Hall 4 and the new Zabeel Hall from 16 – 20 October. With the help of Business France, the exhibitors will be amongst an estimated 500 start-ups attending ...