August, 2016

• 31 August

  Geographic equality benefits whole economy

  

    I argued last week that the high cost of housing in cities such as New York and San Francisco has a bright side for the larger U.S. economy: As people who would like to live in these highly desirable but dauntingly expensive areas are priced out, they choose instead to settle in upwardly mobile communities that benefit from the ...

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• 31 August

  A bad ruling for those who want to throttle AT&T

  

    Ma Bell came back from the grave Monday, saving AT&T from the supervision of the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC had sued the company for intentionally “throttling” the mobile internet for its unlimited data customers when they passed a certain usage. A federal appeals court rejected the suit on the ground that as a common carrier, AT&T is exempt ...

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• 31 August

  China’s ‘little green boats’ have Japan on alert

  

    In early August, Japan’s Coast Guard witnessed an unconventional Chinese assault on its territorial waters. According to Japanese officials I met with last week, at least 300 Chinese “fishing vessels” began incursions into the exclusive economic zone around the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, disputed territory administered by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan as well. Japan has seen similar ...

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• 31 August

  European stocks diverge on mixed data

  

  Bloomberg European stock markets diverged on Wednesday with traders reacting to mixed regional data ahead of key US jobs numbers due later in the week. Around 1030 GMT, London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index was 0.3 percent lower. In the eurozone, Frankfurt’s DAX 30 lost 0.2 percent and the Paris CAC 40 gained 0.5 percent compared with the close on Tuesday. ...

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• 31 August

  Qatar takes a breather, Dubai edges higher

    Dubai / Reuters Gulf stock markets diverged in early trade on Wednesday, with Qatar’s edging lower and Dubai’s gaining slightly. Qatar’s index slipped 0.3 percent after closing higher in four of the last five sessions. After the close on Wednesday, FTSE is expected to release a list of Qatari stocks to be included in its emerging market index from ...

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• 31 August

  Oil prices dip before US inventories data

    London / AFP Oil fell further on Wednesday as dealers awaited the latest update on crude reserves in the United States. At around 1145 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in October declined 36 cents at $45.99 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for October lost 54 cents to $47.83 a barrel compared with the close on ...

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• 31 August

  music that heals souls

  

    Buenos Aires / DPA Patients wait in long lines for turns to see physicians, mothers hold their babies close to their bosoms and scores of people walk up and down staircases, some of them carrying the results of medical tests. But none of that seems to bother musicians and singers at the Dr. Cosme Argerich Hospital in Buenos Aires, ...

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• 31 August

  ‘Jungle school’ teaches rescued orangutans return to wild

  

    Ketapang / AFP Ignoring the shrieks of his rowdy, wrestling classmates, baby orangutan Otan practises swinging alone at his “jungle school” on Borneo island, switching hands and hanging upside down as he builds confidence high above the forest floor. The three-year-old is learning to fend for himself since being found wandering a palm oil plantation, alone and suffering smoke inhalation, ...

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• 31 August

  Saudi not to flood crude market before OPEC meet

  

    Bloomberg Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, won’t boost output to capacity and flood the market, the kingdom’s Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said as OPEC members plan to meet this month to discuss ways to stabilize crude prices. Saudi Arabia isn’t concerned about global demand in spite of a drop in prices and a slower economy, Al-Falih said ...

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• 31 August

  Iraq pledges to support OPEC freeze deal, shifting its stance

  Bloomberg Iraq would support a proposal for OPEC and other major oil producers to freeze output at talks in Algeria next month, Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi said in Baghdad. The endorsement marks a slight shift by Al-Abadi, who was quoted by Reuters on Aug. 23 saying that Iraq still hadn’t raised production sufficiently. The country’s deputy oil minister, Fayyad Al-Nima, ...

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