March, 2016

• 2 March

  Demolition at French ‘camp’ enters 3rd day

  Calais / AFP French demolition workers set about razing makeshift shelters in the “Jungle” migrant camp for a third day Wednesday under close watch of dozens of police officers equipped with water cannon. The destruction of the southern half of the sprawling shantytown in the northern port city of Calais, where thousands of migrants and refugees have gathered in the ...

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• 2 March

  Philippines spots suspected Chinese ships at disputed atoll

  

  Manila / AP A Philippine official said on Wednesday that he recently spotted five suspected Chinese coast guard and navy ships at a disputed atoll in the South China Sea and fears Beijing will take control of another area frequented by Filipino, Vietnamese and Malaysian fishermen. Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon Jr., who heads a Philippine-claimed region in the disputed Spratly Islands, ...

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• 2 March

  UN: Myanmar’s Rohingya left behind by poll gains

  

  Yangon / AFP Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya continue to languish in “dreadful conditions” with children dying because they are refused healthcare, the UN has warned, adding that the Muslim minority risked being forgotten in the afterglow of recent elections. The comments were made by a senior UN official following a visit to western Rakhine state, where the Rohingya have been targeted ...

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• 2 March

  Most confusing Super Tuesday ever

  

  We’re going to need some time to digest what happened on Tuesday night on the Republican side. Donald Trump won the most votes. He won the most states. He won the most delegates. But did he move closer to winning the nomination? That isn’t so clear. FiveThirtyEight’s delegate maven, David Wasserman, said going in that “a disappointing night for Trump ...

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• 2 March

  The way American were (in 1915!)

  By 1915, the United States was the world’s richest nation — and yet, most Americans were dirt poor by today’s standards. Adjusted for inflation, men’s average wages were about a third of what full-time workers now earn. The average work week in manufacturing hovered around 50 hours, and many employees worked a half day on Saturday. Less than a third ...

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• 2 March

  Brexit: It’s Catch-22 for UK

  Controversy is raging in the UK over whether to ‘stay’ or ‘leave’ the European Union (EU) membership, with each camp stuck to its own guns. The ‘stay’ campaign received a significant boost from G20 finance chiefs who warned last week that the departure of the UK from the EU could harm the global economy. And as the debate spirals, it ...

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• 2 March

  Can Singapore Smooth China-ASEAN Relations?

  Singapore’s minister for foreign affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, spent two days in China this week, meeting with Chinese officials to set a positive tone for both the bilateral relationship and the China-ASEAN relationship. It was Balakrishnan’s first visit to China since assuming his post in October 2015. In an op-ed for China Daily, Balakrishnan cited Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime ...

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• 2 March

  Shaw Foundation said to buy $376mn London office building

  

  LONDON / Bloomberg A company controlled by the Shaw Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the late Hong Kong movie mogul Run Run Shaw’s empire, agreed to acquire an office building in London’s main financial district from Malaysia’s second-largest pension fund, according to three people familiar with the matter. The foundation, which is being advised by Knight Frank, will pay Kumpulan ...

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• 2 March

  China’s real estate frenzy is back as Shenzhen prices surge 50%

  BEIJING / Bloomberg After getting burned by the bursting of China’s stock-market bubble, Liu Yihui is seeking salvation from the country’s latest investment mania: big-city properties. The 35-year-old civil engineer dumped his equity holdings after losing 40 percent last year, using the proceeds to buy a 5 million yuan ($763,464) apartment in Shenzhen. Prices in the southern business hub have ...

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• 2 March

  Real estate market in Dubai looks promising

  

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business While reports from developers and analysts indicate Dubai’s real estate market is down, experts on the ground are confirming transactions are up and the state of the market is in line with expectations. Figures released by Allsopp & Allsopp, one of the UAE’s leading property agents, show transactions for 2016 are up 18 per cent ...

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