October, 2016

• 6 October

  German industrial orders beat expectations in Aug

    Frankfurt / AFP German industrial firms recorded a sharp uptick in orders in August, official data showed on Thursday, outdoing analyst forecasts and reducing fears of an autumn slowdown in Europe’s biggest economy. Firms saw a 1.0-percent increase in their order books in August compared with July, correcting for price, seasonal and calendar effects, the federal statistics office Destatis ...

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• 6 October

  Norway raids more of massive wealth fund to support recovery

    Bloomberg Norway is ratcheting up withdrawals from its $890 billion sovereign wealth fund to support a recovery as it foresees a continued slump for the nation’s petroleum industry. The government is boosting oil wealth spending by 10 percent to 225.6 billion kroner ($28 billion) next year, according to the 2017 budget released in Oslo Thursday. It will withdraw 121.2 ...

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• 6 October

  US unemployment claims point to solid jobs report

    Washington / AFP Another week of low claims for unemployment insurance pointed on Thursday to a likely solid report on the US jobs market this week. The Labor Department said that initial US jobless claims, an indicator of the pace of layoffs, fell again last week to 249,000, down 5,000 from the previous week. “This marks 83 consecutive weeks ...

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• 6 October

  VW brand to add new fastback model above Passat

  

    Bloomberg Volkswagen AG’s namesake car brand plans a four-door fastback model more expensive than its mid-sized Passat but cheaper than the Phaeton luxury sedan that it axed last year, pushing further to revive profit and rebound from its diesel-emissions scandal. The addition to VW’s line-up will be inspired by the Sport Coupe Concept GTE unveiled at the Geneva auto ...

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• 6 October

  Syrian army seizes rebel territory in heart of Aleppo

  

  Beirut / AFP Syrian government forces advanced against rebels inside Aleppo on Thursday, making their biggest gains in the ravaged city in years just hours after announcing they would ease their air bombardment. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said loyalist fighters now controlled around half of the Bustan al-Basha district near the centre of the divided metropolis. “It’s the ...

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• 6 October

  UN Syria envoy urges Al Qaida to leave Aleppo

  

    Beirut / AP The UN envoy for Syria has urged Al Qaida-linked fighters in the rebel-held eastern parts of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo to leave the area. Staffan de Mistura also asked Russian and Syrian forces if they would immediately stop their “aerial bombing” of Aleppo, providing militants from the Fatah Al Sham Front group — formerly ...

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• 6 October

  Turkish troops to stay in Iraq: PM

  

    Ankara / AFP Turkey insisted on Thursday that its troops will remain in Iraq despite Baghdad’s growing anger ahead of a planned operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from IS extremists. Baghdad has accused Ankara of risking a regional war by keeping its forces inside Iraq, with the dispute complicating plans for the ambitious American-backed Mosul operation. ...

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• 6 October

  IS recruits more educated than average: Study

  

    Washington / AFP Recruits into the IS group are better educated than their average countryman, contrary to popular belief, according to a new World Bank study. Moreover, those offering to become suicide bombers ranked on average in the more educated group, said the newly released study titled “Economic and Social Inclusion to Prevent Violent Extremism”. The study, which aimed ...

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• 6 October

  Security Council backs Portugal’s Guterres as UN secretary general

  

    United Nations / AFP The Security Council on Thursday unanimously backed Antonio Guterres, the former prime minister of Portugal who was the UN’s refugee chief for a decade, to be the next secretary-general. During a closed-door meeting, the 15 council members adopted a resolution formally presenting Guterres as their choice to be the world’s diplomat-in-chief. Applause rang out in ...

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• 6 October

  Guterres a ‘superb choice’, says Ban

  

    Rome / AFP Departing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday hailed his likely successor Antonio Guterres as a “superb choice”, ahead of the former Portuguese prime minister’s expected backing by the Security Council. “I know Mr Guterres very well and consider him a superb choice,” Ban, who has served as UN chief since January 2007, said in Rome, ...

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