June, 2016

• 23 June

  VW owners split for first time on diesel scandal in AGM vote

  

    Bloomberg Volkswagen AG’s typically close-knit owners publicly split for the first time over the diesel crisis after the German state of Lower Saxony withheld support for two executives under investigation for their role in the scandal. Volkswagen’s second-largest shareholder abstained from what is typically a ceremonial vote at the annual meeting, declining to back former CEO Martin Winterkorn and ...

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• 23 June

  USA Democrats fail to force gun control vote in Congress

  

    Washington / AFP US Democrats failed to force Congress to vote on gun safety legislation following the Orlando nightclub massacre as Republican leaders adjourned the House early on Thursday after a dramatic overnight sit-in by Democrats. The scenes on the House floor, unprecedented in recent history, began after Democrats took over the chamber’s proceedings for most of the day, ...

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• 23 June

  Tornadoes hit Illinois; homes, gas station damaged

  CHICAGO / AP Powerful storms packing multiple tornadoes swept through parts of the Midwest on Wednesday night, damaging homes and a gas station in central Illinois and sending tens of thousands of soccer fans seeking shelter during the Copa America semifinal in Chicago. Chuck Schoop, emergency manager for Livingston County in central Illinois, said a tornado destroyed the canopy of ...

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• 23 June

  No July 4 fireworks at US bases in Japan

    TOKYO / AP There will be no Fourth of July fireworks for American troops in Japan this year due to restrictions imposed after a former US Marine was accused of murdering and raping a woman on Okinawa. The US Navy in Japan said Thursday that it had canceled planned annual Independence Day fireworks at its bases as part of ...

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• 23 June

  Amid campaign worries, Trump to check on courses in Scotland

    NEW YORK / AP Facing questions about meager fundraising, slipping poll numbers and campaign instability, Donald Trump is tending to business — in Scotland. In his first international trip since becoming the presumptive Republican nominee, Trump plans to check on a pair of his championship golf resorts. Some Republicans worry that the billionaire’s attention is divided between his businesses ...

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• 23 June

  N Korea leader says new missile can strike US Pacific bases

  

    Seoul/ AP Leader Kim Jong-Un threatened US military bases across the Pacific after North Korea’s test of a powerful new missile triggered emergency UN Security Council talks late Wednesday on curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. Kim, who personally monitored Wednesday’s Musudan missile test, applauded a “great event” that significantly bolstered the North’s pre-emptive nuclear attack capability, the official KCNA news ...

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• 23 June

  New Zealander gets prison time for sending militant videos

    WELLINGTON / AP A New Zealand man was sentenced on Thursday to more than three years in prison for distributing militant videos in the first case of its type in the South Pacific nation. After his sentencing, 26-year-old Imran Patel had to be dragged by security guards from an Auckland courtroom , according to The New Zealand Herald newspaper. ...

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• 23 June

  Cyprus tames deadly wildfire

    Nicosia / AFP Cyprus finally brought a massive wildfire under control on Thursday after a five-day battle that saw two firefighters killed and five foreign governments send aircraft to help, a minister said. Hundreds of firefighters remain on standby to put out any rekindling flames, Agriculture Minister Nicos Kouyialis told reporters. Firefighting aircraft deployed by Britain, France, Greece and ...

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• 22 June

  Solar energy could meet 13% of global power needs by 2030

    ABU DHABI / WAM The share of global electricity generated by solar photovoltaics (PV) could increase from 2 per cent today to as much as 13 per cent by 2030, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Released on Wednesday at InterSolar Europe, Letting in the Light: How Solar Photovoltaics Will Revolutionise the Electricity ...

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• 22 June

  Emirates Islamic celebrates listing of US$750mn Sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai

    DUBAI / WAM Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim, Chairman of Emirates Islamic and Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Emirates NBD Group, rang the market-opening bell on Wednesday to celebrate the listing by the bank of a US$750 million Sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai. The nominal value of Sukuk currently listed on Nasdaq Dubai has reached US$41.81 billion, the largest total ...

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