BEIRUT / AP An al-Qaida-linked group in Syria says a nearly week-old cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey is “humiliating” and that those who agreed to it made a “big mistake.” The cease-fire, which excludes the Al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front as well as the IS group, has largely held, except for intense fighting in the Barada Valley outside Damascus, ...
Read More »IS group-inspired Filipino militant killed, reprisals feared
BEIRUT / AP A leader of suspected sympathizers of the IS group was killed on Thursday in a clash with Philippine police in the south, raising fears that his brutal group may retaliate by attacking a huge Catholic procession in Manila next week. Senior Supt. Leonardo Suan and other officials said Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, leader of a small but ...
Read More »Car bomb kills 9 at Baghdad market
BAGHDAD /Â AFP A car bomb tore through a Baghdad market on Thursday, killing at least nine people in what appeared to be the latest in a series of deadly attacks by the IS group. Elsewhere, four attacks in and around Baghdad killed at least seven people, bringing the day’s overall death toll to at least 16. Those attacks, mostly by ...
Read More »10 killed as large explosion hits Syria regime-held town
BEIRUT /Â AP A large explosion hit a Syrian government-held coastal town on Thursday, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens, according to Syria’s state TV. The attack was a major blow to the nearly week-old and already shaky cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey. First videos that emerged from the scene in the town of Jableh show charred ...
Read More »At impeachment trial, Park accused of violating constitution
SEOUL /Â AP Prosecuting lawmakers accused South Korean President Park Geun-hye of “broadly and gravely” violating the constitution as the Constitutional Court began hearing oral arguments on Thursday in her impeachment trial. While the lawmakers, functioning as prosecutors in the trial, argued Park should be removed from the presidency, her lawyers said the accusations lacked evidence. Park is accused of ...
Read More »China’s Sogou targets $5bn IPO to chase rival Baidu
Bloomberg China’s third-biggest search engine expects to hold a US initial public offering at a valuation of as much as $5 billion as it raises cash to close the gap with leader Baidu Inc. in the mobile market. Sogou, whose name means “search dog,†plans to sell about 10 percent of its shares in an IPO that will probably ...
Read More »Toyota plans years of building cars ‘controlled by humans’
Bloomberg Toyota Motor Corp. plans to spend years designing cars in which humans retain a large measure of control, since the goal of turning all driving decisions over to computers seems too dangerous for now. The problem, Toyota said, is that society has come to accept 39,000 traffic fatalities a year in the US, mostly due to human ...
Read More »Global Logistic Properties to seek offers by next month
Bloomberg Global Logistic Properties Ltd. has begun formally reaching out to potential bidders for the $7.8 billion industrial property owner, people with knowledge of the matter said. The Singapore-based company sent out an information letter to targeted bidders at the end of last month and has asked for first-round offers by early February, according to the people. GLP attracted ...
Read More »Chinese businessman taps used mobile phone market in country
Bloomberg Millions of toxic smartphones end up in landfills around the world each year. Kerry Chen — founder and chief executive officer of Shanghai Yueyi Network Co — thinks he can change that, starting with China — one of the worst offenders. With Chinese consumers hardly the biggest proponents of recycling, whether it’s cars or banquet leftovers, Chen reckons ...
Read More »Singapore to deliver new growth map with economy under strain
Bloomberg Singapore is due to deliver a blueprint outlining strategies to boost the economy as the export-dependent nation seeks new growth engines. The Committee on the Future Economy will publish its recommendations in a few weeks time, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his New Year Message, days before the government reported that growth slumped to a seven-year ...
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