Stocks rally ahead of crucial central bank meetings

  AFP Global stock markets rallied on Monday, with all eyes on central bankers ahead of key meetings in the United States and Japan later in the week. Concern that years of cheap cash could be coming to an end has roiled markets this month, with conflicting comments from top US Federal Reserve officials over the need for an interest ...

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Qatar pulls back ahead of FTSE inclusion, UAE outperforms peers

  Reuters Stock markets in the Gulf diverged in early trade on Monday, with Qatar’s index pulling back ahead of the inclusion of some companies in FTSE’s secondary emerging market index, while Dubai advanced as global risk sentiment improved. Qatar’s index retreated 1.8 percent, wiping out Sunday’s 0.4 percent gain. Nine-tenth of the shared that were trading declined. Shares in ...

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Syrian army declares ceasefire over

  Damascus / AFP Syria’s armed forces said on Monday that a week-long ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia was over, blaming rebels for the failure of the truce. US Secretary of State John Kerry said meanwhile that the terms had not been met for a key aspect of the deal — US-Russia cooperation against extremists in Syria. ...

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Better integration key to tackling anti-migrant backlash: OECD

  Paris / AFP Western governments need to tackle a growing anti-migrant backlash by helping newcomers integrate faster, the OECD said, following a sharp increase in immigration to its member states. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, a grouping of mostly developed economies, said around 4.8 million people migrated to member countries in 2015 — up 10 percent in ...

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Turkey plans to extend Syria safe zone, push further south

  Istanbul / AFP President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey could create a 5,000-square-kilometre (1,900 square-mile) safe zone in Syria by pushing further south in its military operation in the country. Turkey launched its operation in northern Syria on August 24, sending in tanks and special forces to support opposition fighters in a bid to remove IS ...

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Gas giant Engie’s Luxembourg tax deals under EU scanner

  Brussels / AFP The EU launched an in-depth probe on Monday into alleged sweetheart tax deals between French gas group Engie and Luxembourg, taking on a major European multinational after similar high-profile investigations into US giants. “The Commission has concerns that several tax rulings issued by Luxembourg may have given GDF Suez (now Engie) an unfair advantage over other ...

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Slovak PM says EU will make Brexit painful for Britain

  London / AFP The European Union will make Brexit “very painful” for Britain, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said in an interview published on Monday, adding that London was “bluffing” over its pre-Brexit negotiating power. “The EU will take this opportunity to show the public: ‘Listen guys, now you will see why it is important to stay in the ...

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EU ministers aim to get concerns of trade deal with Canada clarified

Bloomberg European Union trade ministers are expected to clear up details to the EU-Canada trade agreement at a meeting on Sept. 23 in Bratislava, Slovakia, the bloc’s executive said. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem and Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland “understand that some concerns remain that need to be clarified” in the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, between ...

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Self-driving cars coming sooner than you think, says Lyft

  Washington / AFP The move to self-driving cars is coming faster than most people think, says the head of ridesharing giant Lyft. Within five years, autonomous vehicles will account for the majority of Lyft rides, says co-founder and chief executive John Zimmer. Lyft, which has a partnership with General Motors on autonomous vehicles, says he sees a “transportation revolution” ...

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Payday lender ordered to repay customers $44 mn

  Bloomberg CFO Lending Ltd, a U.K. payday lender, must give back 34 million pounds ($44.4 million) to more than 97,000 customers because of unfair practices, including failing to assess the affordability of loans for clients, according to the U.K. markets regulator. CFO Lending was ordered to pay the compensation by the Financial Conduct Authority after an investigation showed the ...

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