AP The International Monetary Fund has warned of weak growth prospects in Central Asia and the Caucasus and called for active reforms to energize the post-Soviet economies. In a report, the 189-nation IMF forecast economic growth in the region in 2016 at just 1.3 percent, the lowest estimate since 1998. The slowdown is mostly due to low commodity prices ...
Read More »Data breach may hinder India’s quest to go cashless
Bloomberg India’s quest to become a cashless economy has been dealt a blow by a data breach that compromised as many as 3.2 million debit cards. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians in a radio address in May to use cashless payments to discourage corruption and keep track of money. Convincing them may get harder after India’s national card ...
Read More »Aussie pipeline king gets plaints over monopoly prices
Bloomberg  After a decade of unrivaled expansion, Australia’s largest gas-pipeline owner is facing growing pains. Complaints from industrial gas users, frustrated by supply shortages and hefty price spikes following the start of Queensland’s liquefied natural gas export plants, sparked a regulatory review last year aimed at boosting competition in the eastern seaboard market. APA Group Ltd. is now looming ...
Read More »India launches app to monitor pollution
AP  India’s capital, laboring under the label of being the world’s most polluted city, is trying something new to help clean up its air. A smartphone application that allows residents to report the presence of construction dust or the burning of leaves and garbage in New Delhi’s public parks to authorities was launched on Friday. The “Hawa Badlo,†or ...
Read More »EU’s Schulz ‘optimistic’ trade pact with Canada can be saved
Bloomberg European Parliament President Martin Schulz said he’s optimistic he can salvage a trade deal between Europe and Canada after talks broke down on Friday amid opposition from the Belgian region of Wallonia. Schulz met Canada’s International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland in Brussels on Saturday and had separate talks with Wallonia’s Minister-President Paul Magnette. Negotiations to rescue the Comprehensive ...
Read More »GE cuts sales outlook amid oil woes
Bloomberg General Electric Co. may not grow this year as low oil prices, a strong dollar and a sluggish economy crimp demand for oilfield equipment and locomotive parts, a setback for Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt as he pursues a sharpened focus on manufacturing. The stock fell after GE cut its outlook for organic sales growth, projecting the figure ...
Read More »Germany’s long-suffering savers fear inflation
Bloomberg In Germany, fretting about inflation is a political currency that never seems to lose its value. In the past week, for example, at least three national newspapers have run prominent articles telling the populace that their savings — denied the magic of compound interest by the European Central Bank’s low-rate policies — are in for a renewed onslaught ...
Read More »Canadian economy hit as deal collapses
Bloomberg Canada’s listing export sector took another blow as talks to seal a trade deal with the European Union broke down, adding to questions about what will drive the economy forward. The country is already facing three straight years of growth below 2 percent, the weakest stretch since at least the 1960s. Business spending is still hurting from the ...
Read More »China to surpass USA as world’s largest aviation market by 2024
Bloomberg China is set to overtake the US to become the world’s largest aviation market by passengers by 2024 as more people take to the skies domestically and internationally, according to the International Air Transport Association. The number of people flying to, from and within China will almost double to 927 million annually by 2025, from 487 million last year, ...
Read More »Lufthansa ups forecast on premium-class bookings
Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG raised its 2016 profit forecast after premium-class bookings beat the airline’s expectations and as fuel costs decline. The stock rose the most in eight years. Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes this year will about match the 2015 figure, bolstered by a projected decrease of 140 million euros ($154 million) in fourth-quarter fuel expenses, the ...
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