July, 2016

• 12 July

  New York said to conditionally approve Aetna deal for Humana

  

    Bloomberg New York’s insurance regulator has conditionally approved Aetna Inc.’s $37 billion takeover of Humana Inc., one of the last state sign-offs needed for the deal, people familiar with the matter said. The transaction is still under review by U.S. officials. State insurance regulators have been conducting their own assessments, which are in some cases required before a transaction ...

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• 12 July

  NBC expects 15 percent increase in ad revenues for Rio Olympics

  

    Bloomberg NBC expects to sell at least 15 percent more advertising for the Rio Olympics next month than it did during the London games in 2012, benefiting from having more live events in prime time. Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal has deals with more than 100 Olympics advertisers, Seth Winter, executive vice president of sales at NBC Sports, said at a ...

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• 12 July

  International tribunal rules against Beijing in South China Sea dispute

  

    The Hague / AFP An international tribunal ruled on Tuesday against China’s claims it had “historical rights” in the South China Sea in a bitter dispute that risks further stoking regional tensions. Manila — which had lodged the suit against Beijing —welcomed the decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration but Beijing reacted furiously, saying it “neither accepts nor ...

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• 12 July

  EU head cautions China to respect int’l system

  

    Beijing / AFP European Union President Donald Tusk on Tuesday cautioned China to respect the international system, as the world’s second-largest economy finds itself locked in disagreements over maritime law and global trade practices. His comments preceded a judgement from a UN-backed tribunal declaring that China had no “historic rights” in the strategically vital South China Sea, a ruling ...

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• 12 July

  Pentagon chief Carter lands in Afghanistan

  

  Afghanistan / AFP US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Afghanistan on Tuesday for talks with President Ashraf Ghani, days after the United States and NATO pledged to keep thousands of troops in the troubled country. Carter flew in to Bagram air base outside Kabul, and was due to meet with Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in the capital later. The ...

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• 12 July

  Syria army presses Aleppo offensive despite truce extension

  

    Damascus / AFP Syria’s army has extended a nationwide truce for another three days, but continued Tuesday to press its campaign against rebels in the battered northern city of Aleppo. In a statement late Monday, the armed forces said it would “extend the freeze on fighting on all Syrian territory for 72 hours beginning at 00:01 on July 12.” ...

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• 12 July

  36,000 people displaced by S Sudan violence since Friday

    Geneva / AFP At least 36,000 people have fled their homes in Juba since heavy fighting erupted in the South Sudanese capital on Friday, the United Nations said on Tuesday. “The latest fighting since Friday has displaced 36,000 people,” Vanessa Huguenin, spokeswoman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said, speaking in French. She added that the number was likely ...

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• 12 July

  Nepal’s Maoists quit coalition govt

    Kathmandu / AFP Nepal’s former rebel Maoists withdrew from the ruling coalition on Tuesday, leaving the government without a majority and threatening to plunge the quake-hit country into a fresh political crisis. The Maoists, who hold 80 out of 575 elected seats in parliament, said they wanted to form a “national consensus government” to implement a divisive new national ...

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• 12 July

  Cameron chairs last cabinet as British Prime Minister

  

    Londres, United Kingdom / AFP David Cameron chaired his final cabinet meeting on Tuesday after six years as Britain’s prime minister, with incoming premier Theresa May preparing to form a new government to deliver Brexit. May led tributes to Cameron at the meeting, which was described by ministers as “emotional”, and posed for photographers on the steps of the ...

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• 12 July

  Stealth candidate Theresa May to be UK’s next leader

  

    London / AP After all of the flamboyant characters and very public backstabbing in the race to become Britain’s next PM, the winner turned out to be an understated workhorse who maintained a low profile throughout the campaign. Home Secretary Theresa May, 59, is not well-known internationally, but she has served for six years in one of Britain’s toughest jobs, ...

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