Masonry Layout

Bangladesh loses US$100mn to Chinese hackers

DHAKA / AFP The Bangladesh central bank says it is working to recover some $100 million allegedly stolen by Chinese hackers from an account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Authorities have given few details about how the money disappeared. But Finance Minister A.M.A. Muhith says authorities are considering suing the U.S. bank over the money’s apparent transfer ...

Read More »

Putin’s ex-PM warns of election crackdown, faces death threats

Bloomberg The Kremlin is putting “unprecedented” pressure on opposition activists as President Vladimir Putin prepares for his toughest electoral test amid Russia’s longest recession in two decades, according to his former prime minister. “The authorities understand that 2016 will be decisive because the economic and political situation is acute,” Mikhail Kasyanov, who was premier from 2000 to 2004 and is ...

Read More »

Suu Kyi nominates close aide for Myanmar president

Naypyidaw / AFP Aung San Suu Kyi was on Thursday finally ruled out of the running to become Myanmar’s next president, as her party nominated one of her most loyal aides to rule the formerly junta-run nation as her proxy. Suu Kyi has vowed to rule “above” the president, despite being barred from top office by the army-scripted constitution, as ...

Read More »

Etihad airways, taste festivals announce global partnership

Emirates Business UAE’s national airline Etihad Airways will showcases its commitment to providing unmatched culinary experiences in the air and on ground, announcing a multi-year partnership with Taste Festivals Ltd — organisers of the world’s leading restaurant events since 2004. The airline, along with many of its Etihad Airways Partners, will have a presence at 15 Taste festivals scheduled in ...

Read More »

Cooling issue: Qatar Airways could halt A320neo deal

Bloomberg Qatar Airways said it could soon give up on Airbus Group SE’s revamped A320neo jetliner if Pratt & Whitney fails to resolve a cooling issue with the plane’s engines, erasing a 2011 order worth a potential $6.4 billion to the manufacturer. Delivery delays requested by Qatar Air because of the hitch, which means planes must sometimes be idled to ...

Read More »

Abu Dhabi Municipality braces for rain bounty

ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi City Municipality (ADM) has completed its Rain Emergency Response Plan preparations for this year’s rainy season in order to avoid any ponds or blockage of the rainwater drainage network. At the same time, the ADM is responding to public requests during the rainy season and addressing emergency conditions in a specific, systematic and ...

Read More »

Suu Kyi’s party mulls rethink on China-backed Myanmar dam

Yangon / AFP Aung San Suu Kyi’s incoming government is considering a rethink of a controversial Chinese-backed dam in Myanmar and looking for ways to end a military conglomerate’s “privileges”, according to her party’s economic advisor. Her new government, which is expected to take office in early April, faces a raft of economic challenges, not least the continued financial clout ...

Read More »

Russia’s predicament: Squeeze oil trade without strangling progress

Bloomberg While the world focuses on Russia’s oil-freeze talks with OPEC, there are discussions behind closed doors in the Kremlin that will have a much more significant impact on the nation’s energy industry. The petrodollars that underpin Russia’s national budget are evaporating. When crude prices were high, increasing revenue simply meant encouraging companies like Rosneft OJSC and Lukoil PJSC to ...

Read More »

Germany plans to move towards electric-car tax break to spur sales

Bloomberg German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is edging towards tax incentives for electric cars after months of bickering over how to boost sales of the vehicles in Europe’s biggest economy, according to a person familiar with the matter. With Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble opposed to plans by Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel to offer consumers a cash rebate of as much ...

Read More »

Clinton’s surprise loss in key primary as Trump triumphs

Washington / AFP Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton suffered a surprise loss to challenger Bernie Sanders in a major state primary, as billionaire Donald Trump notched a trio of easy victories in the Republican presidential nomination race. The former secretary of state slumped to defeat in the industrial rust belt state of Michigan, where Sanders snagged 49.9 percent of the vote ...

Read More »
Send this to a friend