Bloomberg British households received a $497 boost in the last financial year as a booming labour market lifted real incomes to a record high. The median income after inflation rose by 1.4 percent in the year through March to 29,400 pounds, the Office for National Statistics said. It followed a year in which living standards failed to grow for the ...
Read More »Aluminum giant sees trade war impact on use
Bloomberg The trade war between the US and China that’s clouded the global growth outlook will have a lasting negative effect on aluminum demand, Norsk Hydro ASA Chief Executive Officer Hilde Merete Aasheim said. The Oslo-based company pared its demand growth forecast for a second time this year, echoing the dimming outlook painted by top US producer Alcoa Corp. Russian ...
Read More »Trump, Guatemala sign deal to limit asylum claims in US
Bloomberg The US reached a deal with Guatemala to stop migrants from other parts of Central America from claiming asylum in the US, President Donald Trump said, and will instead force them to file a claim in Guatemala, a nation that one refugee advocacy group said is neither safe nor able to handle the task. Trump told reporters during a ...
Read More »Russian police detain opposition politician ahead of new protest
Bloomberg Russian authorities detained prominent opposition politician Ilya Yashin overnight and moved him to a Moscow suburb before a planned protest in the capital. Ten masked police officers transported him from his apartment to the city of Troitsk, Yashin said on his Facebook page. The move follows a series of raids on the homes of activists involved in promoting the ...
Read More »US to Russia: Release jailed Ukrainian sailors
Bloomberg The US called on Russia to release jailed Ukrainian sailors and enable a prisoner exchange, US State Department Special Representative Kurt Volker told reporters in Kiev. Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and imprisoned their two dozen crew members in November, accusing them of violating its territorial waters. The incident occurred off the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from ...
Read More »New clashes in Hong Kong near site of Sunday’s battles
Bloomberg Hong Kong police and protesters fought pitched battles in the northern district of Yuen Long where demonstrators converged for a march after stick-wielding mobs attacked train commuters and demonstrators on Sunday. Riot police fired tear gas and pepper spray as demonstrators hurled projectiles at them and vandalised a vehicle. The protesters, mostly clad in black and some wearing protective ...
Read More »Mystery terrorist attacks rattle Chile
Bloomberg Chilean police are scratching their heads over who sent two sophisticated package bombs without claiming responsibility or making any demands. The first bomb exploded at a police station in northern Santiago, leaving five policemen hospitalised. The second was intercepted at the headquarters of Quinenco SA, one of the holding companies through which Chile’s richest family controls Banco de Chile. ...
Read More »Spy chief says Australia faces espionage threat
Bloomberg Australia is facing an “unprecedented†wave of espionage, including cyber-attacks and traditional spy craft, The Australian newspaper reported. The country is facing daily threats of foreign interference, the paper reported, citing outgoing spy chief Duncan Lewis, who is director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). The unprecedented level of attempted interference was a direct result of globalisation, ...
Read More »America flexes its military muscle in the Persian Gulf
Aboard the USS Boxer in the Persian Gulf — Capt. Ronald Dowdell was on the starboard side of the bridge, looking towards Iran, as his vessel passed through the Strait of Hormuz on July 18. He’d been monitored by Iranian helicopters and speedboats, but now a drone was closing fast. Dowdell ordered his crew to disable the drone because it ...
Read More »Floods a boon for China hydropower
Look at the coal yards surrounding China’s power plants and you’ll notice something strange happening. Typically at this time of year, stockpiles of the fuel that provides about two-thirds of the country’s power should be shrinking. Peak season for thermal power generation is July and August when cities switch on their air conditioning, along with the coldest months of winter. ...
Read More »