Bloomberg An opposition leader who ripped up her passport to stop officials expelling her from Belarus went on trial on Wednesday as President Alexander Lukashenko steps up his campaign to crush dissent ahead of the first anniversary of disputed elections. Maria Kalesnikava, a flute player who became one of the public faces of the effort to defeat Lukashenko at last ...
Read More »Anti-vax protesters have ‘lost their minds’: Macron
Bloomberg French President Emmanuel Macron has stepped up criticism of radical anti-vaccine demonstrators who oppose his push to boost vaccination across the country. “I won’t give in to their radical violence at all,†Macron said in an interview with Paris Match magazine, according to excerpts made available online before the full article is published on Thursday. “Their attitude is a ...
Read More »Commerzbank’s growth plans hit by long series of one-offs
Bloomberg Commerzbank AG saw earnings last quarter hit by a long series of one-time charges, undermining an otherwise solid performance and complicating efforts by Chief Executive Officer Manfred Knof to grow the lender. The shares fell after Commerzbank reported 18% lower revenue and a net loss of 527 million euros, both worse than estimated. However, it reiterated a forecast for ...
Read More »MUFG employees to set ‘personal rhythms’ with hybrid work model
Bloomberg Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc’s new hybrid work model in its EMEA region gives its staff plenty of say over how they will return to the office. The Japanese lender said it will leave it up to employees and their managers to “establish their own personal rhythms of home and office work,†according to a statement. It will continue ...
Read More »Top Singapore banks’ profit beats estimates
Bloomberg Two of Singapore’s largest lenders will increase dividend payouts after profit in the second quarter beat forecasts driven by lower provisions for bad loans. Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp, the city state’s second biggest bank, will pay an interim dividend of 25 cents per share after reporting a 59% jump in net income to S$1.16 billion ($859 million), just ahead of ...
Read More »Banks from HSBC to Citi shrug off China risks, embrace HK
Bloomberg Growing geopolitical tensions and pulled initial public offerings have done little to damp the appetite of Western banks for Hong Kong and China. Standard Chartered Plc Chief Executive Officer Bill Winters was the latest executive in recent weeks to signal a sweeping Chinese government crackdown and rising geopolitical tensions between China and the US won’t derail his lender’s focus ...
Read More »Stocks rise, futures steady as China concerns ease
Bloomberg Stocks in Europe rose on Wednesday as concerns over China’s gaming and technology clampdown eased, countering lingering worries about the spread of the Covid-19 delta strain and its effect on the global recovery. Technology shares led the charge as the Stoxx Europe 600 index climbed for a third day to a fresh record. The travel and leisure sector also ...
Read More »Tech stocks fuel HK reprieve rally as China money returns
Bloomberg The return of Chinese investors and bargain hunters in tech stocks is giving Hong Kong’s equities market a reprieve from weeks of relentless selling. The Hang Seng Index advanced 0.9% on Wednesday, led by a rebound in technology giants including Tencent Holdings Ltd, after Chinese state media moderated its criticism of the sector. BYD Co Ltd jumped 8.3% on ...
Read More »Dubai set to host major business events as Expo 2020 approaches
DUBAI / WAM Dubai’s business events sector continues to build on its momentum as one of the first cities in the world to reopen for international meetings, with a busy calendar of high profile conferences, meetings and incentives on the horizon through the rest of 2021 and into 2022. Following on from the resumption of international tourism to the city ...
Read More »Adnoc, Fertiglobe sell UAE’s first blue ammonia to Japan’s Itochu
ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) announced on Tuesday that, in partnership with Fertiglobe, it has sold its first cargo of blue ammonia to Itochu in Japan, for use in fertiliser production. The sale builds upon recently announced joint efforts to enhance industrial cooperation between the UAE and Japan and support the development of new ...
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