March, 2016

• 6 March

  Mexico’s central bank lowers GDP forecast to 2-3%

  

  Mexico / AP Mexico’s central bank has lowered its economic growth forecast for 2016 to between 2 percent and 3 percent. That range was down from 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent in the last quarterly report. The report released covers the final quarter of 2015. The bank now predicts lower external demand due to less dynamic industrial activity in the ...

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• 6 March

  Brazil’s graft scam anger spills onto street

  

  Sao Paulo / AFP Supporters of Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva rallied in their hundreds outside his Sao Paulo house a day after his dramatic detention in a corruption probe. The show of resolve was the latest sign a mounting political crisis over the investigation into alleged embezzlement and bribery at the state oil giant Petrobras was ...

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• 6 March

  Indigo’s Frontier said to hire Barclays, Deutsche for IPO

  Bloomberg Frontier Airlines Inc., the no-frills U.S. carrier owned by private-equity firm Indigo Partners, hired underwriters for an initial public offering, people with knowledge of the matter said. Barclays Plc, Deutsche Bank AG and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are working on the IPO, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. Citigroup Inc. also ...

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• 6 March

  OPEC of maple syrup under fire as farmers turn to black market

  

  Bloomberg It’s boom time for Canadian maple-syrup producer Ray Bonenberg, who is expanding sap output from his tree farm near Pembroke, Ontario. About three hours away in the province of Quebec — the Saudi Arabia of syrup — producers like Jim Dempsey can only watch in frustration. Dempsey’s output is capped by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, a ...

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• 6 March

  Trump, Clinton win Louisiana

  

  Washington / AFP Senators Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders scored key victories in their White House quests, but it was Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton who outperformed their rivals to remain the race’s undisputed frontrunners. Republican Trump and Democrat Clinton did what they needed to do—dominating in the delegate-rich state of Louisiana in performance that keep them on top at ...

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• 6 March

  Trump a threat to peace: German leader

  Berlin / AFP Germany’s Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday that US billionaire Donald Trump, frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, poses a threat to peace, social cohesion and prosperity. Gabriel labelled the brash real estate mogul a “right-wing populist” who, like Marine Le Pen of France and Geert Wilders of the Netherlands, promises voters unsettled by globalisation a ...

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• 6 March

  Hundreds join funeral of Tibetan ‘schoolboy’

  Dharamsala / AFP Hundreds of grieving Tibetans on Sunday joined the funeral procession for a 16-year-old schoolboy who died after setting himself on fire to protest against Chinese rule. Dorje Tsering died from cardiac arrest on Thursday after setting himself ablaze at a housing settlement for Tibetan refugees in India’s northern city of Dehradun. Tsering’s body was Saturday brought to ...

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• 6 March

  Slovakia’s Fico loses majority amid extreme right poll gains

  

  Bratislava / AFP Slovakia’s leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Sunday he would begin difficult coalition talks after he won elections on a anti-refugee platform but lost his parliamentary majority as smaller parties, including the extreme right, scored first-time seats. A conservative party leader described the outcome as a “big earthquake” in Slovak politics, as analysts cautioned that Fico ...

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• 6 March

  Xi vows to contain moves for Taiwan independence

  

  Beijing / AP China’s President Xi Jinping has pledged to contain any moves by Taiwan toward formal independence in his first public remarks on the issue since the self-governing island democracy elected a president and legislature from the independence-leaning party in January. Speaking to delegates to the annual meeting of China’s ceremonial parliament, Xi said China won’t budge in its ...

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• 6 March

  For Trump brand, record doesn’t match the luster

  

  Consider Donald Trump for a moment as a purveyor of men’s cologne. I quote from the merchandise section of trump.com, the website for his portfolio of “great” companies. “‘Empire by Trump’ is the perfect accessory for the confident man determined to make his mark with passion, perseverance and drive. … Bold notes of peppermint, spicy chai and a hint of ...

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