December, 2018

• 30 December

  UK poised to spend $137 million for no-deal ferry routes

  

  Bloomberg The UK has awarded contracts worth 108 million pounds ($137.2 million) to charter extra ferries for freight shipments between southern England and the rest of Europe in the event that a no-deal Brexit creates bottlenecks at Dover’s port, the BBC said. Department for Transport officials hired Brittany Ferries of France, Danish shipping firm DFDS and UK-based Seaborne Freight for ...

  Read More »
• 30 December

  US pending home sales drop

  

  Bloomberg Contract signings to purchase previously owned US homes unexpectedly fell for a second month in November, offering yet another sign that the housing market is struggling. The index of pending home sales decreased 0.7 percent, according to data by the National Association of Realtors in Washington. The gauge slumped 7.7 percent from a year earlier on an unadjusted basis, ...

  Read More »
• 30 December

  No grain in the rain as Vancouver export ships unable to load

  

  Bloomberg As Canadian grain companies spend millions to upgrade and build new export terminals in Vancouver, a new problem is threatening to cause transportation bottlenecks at the nation’s largest port: vessels can’t load grain in the rain. And it rains a lot in Vancouver. In Canada’s wettest major city, the practice of loading ocean-bound vessels with grain in rainy weather ...

  Read More »
• 30 December

  Kim seeks more summits with Moon to tackle N-issues

  

  Bloomberg Kim Jong-un is intent on resolving the nuclear impasse that has stalled negotiations with the US and wants to hold more meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Moon’s office said. The North Korean leader sent Moon a personal letter of well wishes on Sunday, expressing a willingness to meet often in 2019 to advance peace talks and achieve ...

  Read More »
• 30 December

  Tropical storm kills 16 in Philippines

  

  Bloomberg Tropical Storm Usman, which entered the Philippines on Christmas Day, has killed at least 16 people as it churned across several provinces, triggering floods and landslides and forcing thousands to flee to safer grounds. The storm has displaced at least 17,000 people in the Bicol region in the southern part of the Philippines’ main Luzon island. Three died in ...

  Read More »
• 30 December

  Bangladesh’s Hasina seeks 4th term as PM

  

  Bloomberg Bangladesh’s 104 million voters were expected to choose their next government on Sunday. Polling started at 8 am with analysts forecasting that PM Sheikh Hasina is likely to be re-elected, extending her rule as the longest serving premier since the nation became independent in 1971. As of afternoon, nine people had been killed in clashes between the ruling and ...

  Read More »
• 30 December

  Congo votes for successor to Kabila

  

  Bloomberg The Democratic Republic of Congo started voting on Sunday for a successor to long-serving President Joseph Kabila after a tense campaign the opposition said was marred by crackdowns and disruptions. Kabila’s handpicked successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, is running for the ruling coalition and faces strong challenges from opposition alliances headed by Felix Tshisekedi and Martin Fayulu. The current president, ...

  Read More »
• 30 December

  Nigerian army urges calm as people flee Borno

  Bloomberg Residents in and near Nigeria’s Borno state are creating panic for no reason, which has led people in the northeast communities of Bama, Dikwa and Monguno to abandon their towns for camps set up for displaced persons, the army said. “The inhabitants of these towns and the general public are urged to discountenance such calls and remain calm,” army ...

  Read More »
• 30 December

  Brexit may not happen, warns trade secretary Fox

  

  Bloomberg The chances of the UK leaving the European Union are “50-50’’ if Parliament rejects Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement in January, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said in a Sunday Times interview. “If we were not to vote for that, I’m not sure I would give it much more than 50-50,” the veteran campaigner for Brexit told the ...

  Read More »
• 30 December

  Our unhappy new year

  

  As we enter 2019, the question that looms over America is simple: Can we govern? The answer is no. Unless this changes — truly a long shot — the New Year may be as disappointing as the old. Our society seems handcuffed by unsolvable problems: large and persistent budget deficits; global warming; uncontrolled immigration; an aging population; an underfunded military; ...

  Read More »