Kabul / AFP At least 24 people were killed and 91 wounded on Monday in a Taliban double suicide bombing in central Kabul during late afternoon rush hour, the latest assault on the Afghan capital. The carnage near the defence ministry came as the Taliban ramp up their nationwide summer offensive against the US-backed government. The two bombers on ...
Read More »Hong Kong anti-China activists celebrate vote poll victory
Hong Kong /Â AFP A new generation of young Hong Kong politicians advocating a break from Beijing became lawmakers for the first time on Monday in a result likely to rattle China. It was the biggest poll since mass pro-democracy rallies in 2014 failed to win concessions on political reform, leading to the emergence of a slew of new parties ...
Read More »India’s central bank chief warns against low rates worldwide
Mumbai / AFP India’s outgoing central bank chief Raghuram Rajan warned countries against a rush to low interest rates as his tenure as governor of the Reserve Bank of India came to an end. Rajan, who famously predicted the 2008 global financial crisis, told the New York Times that central banks across the world would find it hard to ...
Read More »Iran banks to set up in Germany
Tehran/ AFP Two private Iranian banks will open branches in Munich, officials confirmed on Monday, as the Islamic republic looks for ways around ongoing barriers to international financing. The central bank announced late on Sunday that Middle East Bank and Sina Bank would set up in Germany’s Bavaria state, following a visit by local economy minister Ilse Aigner to ...
Read More »India’s cenbank opens door to Islamic finance
Reuters India’s central bank has proposed working with the government to introduce interest-free banking to tackle financial exclusion for religious reasons, potentially opening Islamic finance to the largest Muslim minority population in the world. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) made the proposal in its annual report last week, as departing central bank governor Raghuram Rajan hands over the ...
Read More »Axa mulls 650 insurance job cuts in Belgium
Bloomberg Axa SA is considering cutting 650 jobs in Belgium over the next two years, as Europe’s second-largest insurer overhauls its range of products sold in the country. Axa Belgium has presented the plan to unions Monday, Jef Van In, head of the unit, said in a statement Monday. The reductions would represent 15 percent of its insurance employees ...
Read More »Barclays to name new man to run investment bank
Bloomberg Barclays Plc is close to naming JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Tim Throsby to run the corporate and international division, including overseeing the investment bank, which will fill the final vacancy on Chief Executive Officer Jes Staley’s top management team, according to two people with knowledge of the talks. Barclays may announce the appointment over coming days, said one ...
Read More »Carney’s stimulus questioned as BOE faces pro-Brexit lawmakers
Bloomberg Mark Carney had better have made the most of his summer break, because he’s about to meet his critics again. In his first public appearance since the central bank unleashed a barrage of stimulus, the Bank of England governor will answer to a panel of lawmakers, including those who campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union. As ...
Read More »ANA Holdings to ask Rolls-Royce for 787 engine compensation
Bloomberg ANA Holdings Inc. plans to claim compensation from engine-maker Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc following its cancellation of more than a dozen flights last month after finding broken turbines on three 787 aircraft, according to two people familiar with the plan. The form of compensation hasn’t been decided yet but it may be for discounts on future purchases or free ...
Read More »McDonald’s in danger of going cold as Yum snags Alibaba
Bloomberg Hong Kong KFC’s partnership with an Alibaba affiliate puts the pressure on the Golden Arches in China more than ever. By allying with a backer of the country’s top food delivery website, KFC owner Yum Brands has taken a step toward solving the dilemma of slowing growth in its biggest market outside the US. It’s a deal that ...
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