Business and Tech
Asian markets hit by new lockdowns, fresh China-US tensions
AFP - 1m ago
Fears over a spike in coronavirus infections around the world, the reimposition of containment measures and China-US …
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Virus-hit Singapore plunges into recession as economy shrinks 41%
AFP - 32m ago
Singapore's economy shrank more than 40 percent in the second quarter as the coronavirus plunged the Southeast Asian …
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Swatch sales nearly halved due to coronavirus
AFP - 1h ago
Swatch, the world's top watch company, said Tuesday its sales were nearly halved in the first half of the year due to …
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Chinese trade sees surprise bounce as virus recovery picks up
AFP - 1h ago
Chinese trade enjoyed surprise growth in June as the world slowly emerges from economy-strangling lockdowns, though …
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Venezuela's fuel shortages persist despite Iran deliveries
AFP - 2h ago
Long queues at gas stations around the country underscore Venezuela's continuing fuel shortages, despite Iran stepping …
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China's scandal-hit Luckin Coffee ousts chairman
AFP - 4h ago
China's would-be Starbucks rival Luckin Coffee has removed its co-founder and chairman after a scandal involving fake …
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Asian markets hit by new lockdown, fresh China-US tensions
AFP - 4h ago
Fears over a spike in infections around the world, the reimposition of containment measures and China-US tensions pushed …
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Pandemic has silver lining for Iraq: food self-sufficiency
AFP - 4h ago
Unlike in years past, Iraqi farmer Ahmed Mohsen now walks past his local market with a smile on his face. The pale green …
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Emirati 'Hope' probe heads for Mars
AFP - 5h ago
The first Arab space mission to Mars is scheduled to blast off Wednesday on a mission to unravel from above the weather …
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UAE to make history with launch of Mars probe
AFP - 5h ago
The United Arab Emirates plans to make history Wednesday with the scheduled launch of the "Hope" mission, which will …
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Humanity on Mars? Technically possible, but no voyage on horizon
AFP - 6h ago
Robotic landers and rovers have been touching down on Mars since the 1970s, but when will humanity finally set foot on …
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NASA's Perseverance rover will scour Mars for signs of life
AFP - 20m ago
NASA's most advanced Mars rover, Perseverance, launches from Earth on July 30, on a mission to seek out signs of ancient …
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Libya small businesses struggle to rebuild after waves of unrest
AFP - 6h ago
Libyan businessman Mahmud al-Sharkassi surveyed the ruins of his factory on the outskirts of war-scarred capital …
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Washington Redskins confirm name to be changed
AFP - 5h ago
The Washington Redskins confirmed Monday the team is changing its name following pressure from sponsors over a word …
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Austrian politicians trade accusations over Wirecard
AFP - 7h ago
The dramatic collapse of German payment provider Wirecard fuelled a political row in Austria Monday, with former …
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UK unveils post-Brexit border plans and ad campaign
Jul 13 2020
Britain on Monday launched another Brexit advertising blitz and unveiled its first detailed proposals for managing the …
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California rolls back reopening as nations battle resurgent coronavirus
Jul 13 2020
California drastically rolled back its reopening plans Monday as coronavirus cases surged across dozens of US states and …
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American Airlines reaches out to US senator maskless on flight
Jul 13 2020
American Airlines said Monday it had contacted top Republican Senator Ted Cruz about its coronavirus prevention policies …
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Tesla surge lifts Musk higher on billionaire list
Jul 13 2020
Tesla's surging stock value has boosted Elon Musk further up the list of top billionaires as he stands poised for yet …
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Nasdaq falls on weak day for US stocks amid COVID-19 closures
Jul 13 2020
A rally on Wall Street fizzled Monday following more signs of coronavirus troubles in the United States after European …
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US deficit soars to record amid pandemic relief payments
Jul 13 2020
Massive government rescue payments to help businesses and households survive the economic hit from the coronavirus drove …
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Southwest warns of layoffs unless passenger traffic triples
Jul 13 2020
Southwest Airlines on Monday warned employees it may resort to layoffs or furloughs unless passenger traffic triples, as …
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Huawei sales recover from coronavirus slump
Jul 13 2020
Telecom giant Huawei reported double-digit revenue growth for the first half of the year on Monday as it appeared to …
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WHO says no return to 'normal' as Latin America deaths pass US
Jul 13 2020
Too many nations are mismanaging their coronavirus response, placing a return to normality a long way off, the World …
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Huawei reports 13.1 percent sales rise in first half
Jul 13 2020
Chinese telecom giant Huawei on Monday reported a first-half revenue rise of 13.1 percent year-on-year as it appeared to …
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Global stocks rise as US earnings season looms
Jul 13 2020
World stock markets advanced Monday, helped by investor confidence in upcoming US quarterly earnings and the business …
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Deep COVID-19 hit expected in Q2 earnings season
Jul 13 2020
Saddled with the hit from widespread lockdowns, the second-quarter corporate reporting season is expected to be severely …
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Global stocks rise as US earnings season carries hope
Jul 13 2020
World stock markets advanced Monday, helped by investor confidence in upcoming US third-quarter earnings and hopes for …
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'Impossible' to remove Huawei from UK within decade: BT boss
Jul 13 2020
The head of British telecommunications giant BT said Monday that it would be "impossible" to remove controversial …
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IMF predicts worst Mideast downturn in half century
Jul 13 2020
The IMF Monday again sharply lowered its Middle East and North Africa economic forecast, to its lowest level in 50 …
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Global markets rise before US earnings season
Jul 13 2020
World stock markets advanced Monday, spurred higher by investor hopes over upcoming US earnings and a coronavirus …
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Latin America virus deaths pass US as Spain lockdown blocked
Jul 13 2020
Latin America surged past the US and Canada to become the world's second worst-hit region for virus deaths on Monday as …
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Top Trump aide warns of 'strong actions' on TikTok, angering China
Jul 13 2020
A top White House official said he expected President Trump to act firmly against the TikTok and WeChat social media …
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NFL's Redskins to change name after sponsor pressure over racism: reports
Jul 13 2020
The NFL's Washington Redskins will announce Monday they are changing their name, US media reported, following pressure …
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Asian markets rise on fresh vaccine hopes, eyes on earnings
Jul 13 2020
Asian markets rose Monday, recovering some of the losses at the end of last week, as investors followed a strong …
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Kenya wildlife reserves threatened as tourists stay away
Jul 13 2020
In the majestic plains of the Maasai Mara, the coronavirus pandemic spells economic disaster for locals who earn a …
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Virus surge sparks SAfrica curfew and Spain local lockdown
Jul 13 2020
South Africa re-imposed a nationwide curfew on Sunday while Spain's Catalonia region forced hundreds of thousands of …
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Top US aide expects tough action on TikTok, WeChat
Jul 13 2020
White House trade advisor Peter Navarro said Sunday he expected President Donald Trump to act firmly against the TikTok …
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Virus surge sparks SAfrica curfew and Spain local lockdown
Jul 13 2020
South Africa re-imposed a nationwide curfew on Sunday while Spain's Catalonia region forced hundreds of thousands of …
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WeWork says back on track to profits: Financial Times
Jul 13 2020
Troubled office-sharing start-up WeWork is set to have a positive cash flow by next year, its executive chairman told …
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Spain region orders lockdown as global infections gather pace
Jul 12 2020
Hundreds of thousands of Catalonia residents were ordered back into lockdown on Sunday as coronavirus cases spiked in …
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Berlin throws clubs 81,000 euro lifeline
Jul 12 2020
Berlin's clubs and concert halls, closed for four months due to the coronavirus pandemic, have received an average of …
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Trump finally dons mask as global infections gather pace
Jul 12 2020
US President Donald Trump finally yielded to pressure and wore a face mask in public for the first time, as new figures …
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Pro-Haftar forces say will maintain Libya oil blockade
Jul 12 2020
A blockade of Libya's oil production will continue, forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar have warned, despite the …
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Sylvan Adams, Israel's billionaire roving 'ambassador'
Jul 12 2020
He has ridden in a cycle rally in the Emirates, recruited star cyclist Chris Froome to Israel's Tour de France team and …
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China economy rebounds in Q2 after virus hit: AFP poll
Jul 12 2020
China returned to growth in the second quarter after the coronavirus pandemic handed the world's second largest economy …
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Start-up city: Vietnam's young invest ideas in Ho Chi Minh
Jul 12 2020
A tech-savvy population, a fast-growing economy, and the perks of being first in an emerging market -- Vietnamese …
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Wall Street's Big Tech enthusiasm getting stronger
Jul 12 2020
Tech stocks were going strong even before COVID-19, but behavioral shifts during the pandemic have lifted the sector …
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US town grows money from trees during pandemic downturn
Jul 12 2020
Tenino had become a ghost town, and small businesses were struggling to survive amid the coronavirus pandemic, so local …
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Senior staff leave gaming firm Ubisoft in harassment probe
Jul 12 2020
Gaming company Ubisoft's second most powerful executive is among senior staff to have left the firm as it pursues an …
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Motorhomes come of age as Europe relaxes lockdowns
Jul 11 2020
After months of working on the frontline in the battle against COVID-19, Spanish nurse Yone Alberich was absolutely …
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In India-China crisis, an India-US bonanza in view
Jul 11 2020
A border clash has plunged ties between India and China to their lowest point in decades. But one beneficiary looks …
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US unveils tariffs on France over tech tax but delays collection
Jul 11 2020
The United States on Friday unveiled heavy import duties on France in retaliation for the country's tax on American tech …
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Facebook bans content promoting 'conversion therapy'
Jul 11 2020
Facebook on Friday said it is banning content that promotes "conversion therapy," which is based on the unfounded notion …
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EU chief proposes five billion euro Brexit emergency fund
Jul 11 2020
EU Council president Charles Michel on Friday proposed setting up a five billion euro reserve fund for any unforeseen …
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Amazon mistakenly tells workers to take TikTok app off phones
Jul 10 2020
Amazon on Friday said it mistakenly sent workers an email telling them to dump the TikTok mobile application from their …
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Stocks advance on hopes for virus treatment, EU deal
Jul 10 2020
US and European stocks advanced Friday on optimism over the chances of an EU economic stimulus plan and fresh hopes for …
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Amazon tells workers to take TikTok app off phones: report
Jul 10 2020
Amazon workers were given a Friday deadline to dump the TikTok mobile application because of unspecified security …
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IMF warns cutting spending too soon could derail recovery
Jul 10 2020
As governments rushed out funding to prevent an economic collapse amid the coronavirus pandemic, global public debt …
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Spying claims are latest twist in Germany's Wirecard thriller
Jul 10 2020
The plot thickens in the spectacular collapse of payment provider Wirecard: the Austrian man at large over Germany's …
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Canada unemployment drops in June, nearly 1 mn jobs created
Jul 10 2020
Nearly one million jobs were created in Canada in June as coronavirus-linked restrictions were loosened, sending the …
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Without IMF bailout, is Lebanon heading for 'hell'?
Jul 10 2020
Talks between crisis-hit Lebanon and the International Monetary Fund are deadlocked, and leaders reluctant to enact …
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Louis Vuitton quits Paris to show in China and Japan
Jul 10 2020
Louis Vuitton is taking its men's fashion collections on the road for the first time, the luxury brand said Friday, with …
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Facebook repairs bug that prompted brief app outages
Jul 10 2020
Popular smartphone apps including Spotify and Pinterest suffered outages Friday for a few hours due to a bug in …
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Twitter's Dorsey donates $3 mn to test universal basic income
Jul 10 2020
Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey has said he will donate $3 million to a group of US mayors to experiment with the …
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US to impose but suspend tariffs on France over tech tax: official
Jul 10 2020
The United States plans to hit France with punitive tariffs over taxes that target American tech giants, but then will …
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Absence of US tourists hammers Italy's Amalfi coast
Jul 10 2020
With its white and multicoloured houses perched on the mountainside above the crystalline waters of the Mediterranean, …
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Libya oil back online after months-long shutdown
Jul 10 2020
Libya's National Oil Company announced Friday the resumption of crude production and exports after a nearly six-month …
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Stocks in wait-and-see mode ahead of earnings season
Jul 10 2020
Global stocks and oil prices were steady Friday as investors eyed rising coronavirus infection rates and awaited next …
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Outages in smartphone apps appear linked to Facebook bug
Jul 10 2020
Popular smartphone apps including Spotify and Pinterest suffered outages Friday due to an apparent bug in Facebook's …
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Data centre opened in Marseille former German U-Boat base
Jul 10 2020
US-owned data firm Interxion on Friday opened a European data hub in the French port city of Marseille, in the unlikely …
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European stocks firm but oil tanks on virus demand fears
Jul 10 2020
European stock markets held firm Friday, but oil prices sank once more as investors wearily eyed rising coronavirus …
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Hong Kong leaders, tycoons bid farewell to gaming magnate Ho
Jul 10 2020
Hong Kong politicians, tycoons and celebrities joined grieving relatives Friday at the funeral of Stanley Ho, the …
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Asian markets tumble as infection rates jump
Jul 10 2020
Asian markets sank Friday as rising virus infection rates across the world put the brakes on the latest rally.
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Bottom of the barrel: IEA sees oil output recovery
Jul 10 2020
Oil output hit a nine-year low last month as producers reacted to the plunge in demand triggered by the coronavirus …
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Fair and unlovely: India confronts dark-skin bias
Jul 10 2020
When Chandana Hiran was a child, strangers would urge her to lighten her skin. Today the Indian student is leading a …
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Dubai counts on pent-up demand for tourism comeback
Jul 10 2020
After a painful four-month tourism shutdown that ended this week, Dubai is betting pent-up demand will see the industry …
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Asian markets turn lower as infection rates jump
Jul 10 2020
Asian markets fell Friday as rising virus infection rates in the US put the brakes on the latest rally.
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Long road ahead for fully self-driving cars, despite Tesla claim
Jul 10 2020
The road to fully self-driving vehicles remains riddled with obstacles, with years of refinements likely needed, despite …
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California theme parks remain shut but hundreds flock to Disney shops
Jul 09 2020
Disney's California theme park reopening may have been thwarted by coronavirus, but hundreds lined up early Thursday to …
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Global stocks mostly lower as infection numbers rattle investors
Jul 09 2020
European and US stocks finished mostly lower Thursday amid lingering worries over the coronavirus, although the Nasdaq …
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Top US court rejects Trump immunity claim, orders records handed over
Jul 09 2020
The US Supreme Court delivered a blow to President Donald Trump on Thursday, rejecting his claim of immunity from …
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Ireland's Donohoe takes leadership of Eurogroup amid historic recession
Jul 09 2020
Irish finance minister Paschal Donohoe was on Thursday picked as the new president of the Eurogroup, a key role as …
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LATAM secures new financing to help stave off bankruptcy
Jul 09 2020
Latin America's biggest airline LATAM announced on Thursday it has secured $1.3 billion in financing from a US …
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Ireland's Paschal Donohoe takes leadership of Eurogroup
Jul 09 2020
Irish finance minister Paschal Donohoe was on Thursday picked as the new president of the Eurogroup, which brings …
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Paschal Donohoe: prudent penny-pincher of post-crash Ireland
Jul 09 2020
Paschal Donohoe, who was on Thursday named as the new head of the Eurogroup, has been Ireland's finance minister since …
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Washington visit 'very intense': Mexican president
Jul 09 2020
Mexico's president said Thursday his visit to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump was "very intense" and …
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Delta CEO: latest COVID-19 spike crushing travel demand
Jul 09 2020
After a brief uptick in flying interest this spring, the jump in US coronavirus cases has crushed travel demand during …
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US Supreme Court orders release of Trump records but they may stay hidden for now
Jul 09 2020
The US Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that President Donald Trump must hand over his tax returns to New York …
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Brexit disruption 'inevitable' even with deal, EU warns
Jul 09 2020
The EU said Thursday it is planning emergency measures to preserve access to some of Britain's financial services after …
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Another 1.3 mn workers file for US jobless benefits
Jul 09 2020
A spike in coronavirus cases in the United States has forced some states to again close bars and restaurants, but the …
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Eastern EU states slam reform of hauliers' work conditions
Jul 09 2020
Several eastern European states condemned Thursday a new EU reform of hauliers' work conditions, branding the measure …
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Stock markets drop as infection numbers rattle investors
Jul 09 2020
Stock markets broke out of their earlier lethargy on Thursday to take a dive as investors worried about the damage new …
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Supreme Court orders Trump financial records released to NY prosecutors
Jul 09 2020
The US Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump must hand over his tax returns to prosecutors in New …
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Recruitment and reform -- tackling racism in US tech sector
Jul 09 2020
All of a sudden, every tech company wants a diversity consultant.
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Eurozone picks new chief as pandemic recession looms
Jul 09 2020
Eurozone finance ministers, known as the Eurogroup, will elect their new president on Thursday, filling a key job just …
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UK sheds thousands of retail jobs despite state aid
Jul 09 2020
British pharmacy giant Boots and UK department store group John Lewis said Thursday they would axe at least 5,300 jobs, …
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YouTube doesn't need to tattle on film pirates, says top EU Court
Jul 09 2020
YouTube is not obliged to reveal private information on the identity of people posting illegal content on its platform, …
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UK construction looks to cement recovery from virus woes
Jul 09 2020
Cranes whir above the affluent market town of Guildford, southwest of London, as Britain's construction sector cranks …
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Stocks tread water as 'summer lull' saps energy
Jul 09 2020
Stock markets moved mostly sideways on Thursday as investors lacked key news to give them a clear direction, dealers …
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Japan to limit financing of overseas coal power plants
Jul 09 2020
Japan said Thursday it would tighten rules for investment in foreign coal-fired power stations on environmental grounds, …
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AirAsia to emerge stronger from pandemic: Fernandes
Jul 09 2020
AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes insisted Thursday the top budget carrier would emerge "stronger" from the coronavirus …
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