It is the fourth most lucrative illegal trade in the world and Malaysia is among its thriving hubs. The global black market for wildlife and wildlife products is estimated to be about US$20 billion, ranking below drug smuggling, human trafficking and the illegal arms trade. Over the past four decades, more than 50 percent of the world’s wildlife has been …

Donald Trump’s big win in Nevada, with Marco Rubio pulling even with or just ahead of Ted Cruz, fuels the conventional wisdom that the Republican presidential contest is now down to a two-man race. However, this year the conventional wisdom has been consistently wrong. Next Tuesday will test that two-man theory. Ted Cruz, despite third-place finish in South Carolina and …

International attention has once again closed in on the South China Sea over claims that China has deployed HQ-9 surface-to-air missile batteries to Woody Island. Reports suggest that US intelligence sources have confirmed the presence of these mobile batteries, whereas satellite images of Woody Island earlier this month showed no such batteries. China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, has downplayed concerns …

ABU DHABI / EMIRATES BUSINESS The Emirates Securities Market Index has decreased by -1.08% to close at 4255.16 points. Accordingly the Market Capitalization has lost AED 7.56 Billion attaining AED 690.24 Billion. A total of 1.18 Billion Shares were traded with a total value of 1.1 Billion AED during the trading session of 24-02-2016 through 10870 transactions. The number of companies which …

Hong Kong / AFP Asian stocks mostly slumped on Wednesday as sentiment was dragged down by a renewed drop in oil prices and a resurgent yen sucked the air out of the Japanese market. Crude weakened after Iran’s oil minister called a proposal by Saudi Arabia and Russia to freeze production “ridiculous”, as it seeks to boost output after years …

New York / AFP US stocks tumbled, with energy-related equities dropping on lower oil prices and large banks falling on worries over bad energy loans. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 188.88 points (1.14 percent) to 16,431.78. The broad-based S&P 500 fell 24.23 (1.25 percent) to 1,921.27, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 67.02 (1.47 percent) to 4,503.58. Oil …

AFP UK-based construction and support services company Interserve has reported positive results from its construction activities in the GCC region. “Volumes are up, margins are steady, and order book is growing,” says Adrian Ringrose, CEO, Interserve speaking at the company’s half year results briefing on 24 February. “We are busy in in the region,” says Ringrose. “In terms of manpower …

Atlanta / Bloomberg Home Depot Inc. posted fourth-quarter profit that topped analysts’ estimates and projected that its robust sales growth would continue this year, with consumers showing no signs of pulling back on renovations and projects. Profit in the quarter through Jan. 31 rose to $1.17 a share, the Atlanta-based company said Tuesday in a statement. Analysts estimated $1.10, on …

DUBAI / WAM Governments around the world need to urgently remedy the issues of access to finance, education and legal system for women, according to Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Opening the keynote panel discussion at the Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2016 on Tuesday, the IMF chief said, “Rules need to be changed. Three things …

DUBAI / WAM Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation, Empower, has recorded a net profit of AED516 million for fiscal year ended December 2015, representing an impressive 27% increase over 2014. Total revenues for the year reached AED 1.66 billion, a 12% increase YoY. “Empower achieved an annual increase of 6.7% in its cooling capacity, to pass it over 1,115,000 Refrigeration …