Bloomberg FirstRand Ltd’s First National Bank (FNB) and a startup financial-technology company in South Africa are partnering to connect informal traders in townships with fast-moving consumer-goods companies. FNB is seeking to tap into a market that it estimates could consist of as many as 1 million enterprises that have largely been ignored and falls into the “unseen economy,” the Johannesburg-based ...

Bloomberg Shoppers will spend an estimated $7.8 billion on Cyber Monday — a record — boosting a strong holiday shopping season. And Wall Street will likely shrug it off. Even a blockbuster holiday won’t divert the market’s attention from the rising interest rates that could hurt car and home sales next year and the escalating trade war between the US ...

Bloomberg A winter storm moving across the Central Plains towards the Great Lakes disrupted air travel in Chicago and other cities on the busiest travel day of the year. The storm has blizzard-like conditions and is bringing gusty winds and 6 to 10 inches of snow that will stretch from Kansas City to Chicago, said Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster ...

Bloomberg Canada Goose Holdings Inc. is pushing ahead with its China expansion, betting its strategy of selling premium coats directly to customers will help overcome a proliferation of knockoffs and the nation’s consumption slowdown. The Toronto, Canada-based company has dealt with counterfeits soon after it started selling globally two decades ago, CEO Dani Reiss said in an interview in Beijing. ...

Bloomberg The Lion Air pilots whose plane nosedived into the Java Sea in October, killing all those aboard, were battling multiple malfunctions almost as soon as the doomed flight began, according to a trove of new data released by Indonesian investigators. They faced a cacophony of warnings that started seconds after takeoff and continued for the remaining 11 minutes before ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM The UAE’s emphasis on ensuring stability in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), region is “very important: and “really needed”, according to Patrizio Fondi, EU Ambassador to the UAE, who also praised the country’s tolerance endeavours, saying diversity of people and cultures at Dubai Mall depicts the bigger picture of the UAE’s tolerance model. “UAE’s ...

Dubai / WAM The Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, President of Zayed University, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, said that the Spirit of the Union will continue to empower the UAE’s citizens, who have contributed greatly to the process of sustainable national development. During the 47th National Day celebrations, held at the Zayed University Dubai Campus, Al Kaabi said ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan inaugurated the ‘Sheikh Zayed and Europe: a Journey’ exhibition at The Founder’s Memorial in Abu Dhabi. Organised by the European Union Delegation to the UAE and the Austrian and Bulgarian Presidencies of the Council of the EU for the year ...

Sharjah / WAM HH Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah on Sunday, inspected the work progress of the Sharjah Mosque Project in Al Tayy Suburb in Sharjah. The visit comes as part of HH’s keenness to review the progress of work of various vital and important projects that serve the citizens and ...

ABU DHABI / WAM On December 2, the UAE marks its 47th National Day, through official and popular celebrations that reflect the significance of the anniversary of the establishment of the Union. The celebration has gained special importance this year, as it will coincide with 2018 being the ‘Year of Zayed’, which was announced by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa ...