Author: Fbiz
Juncker to Offer EU ‘Pathways’ to Post-Brexit Unity
28/02/2017
European Union chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker will propose to national leaders next month a handful of options for shoring up unity once Britain launches a withdrawal that some fear could trigger a further unraveling of the bloc. The European Commission president wants some states to be able to deepen cooperation further and faster without the …
FDI Slippage, Trump’s Currency Threats Put Pressure on China
27/02/2017
U.S. President Donald Trump has revived China’s fears by once again calling it a currency manipulator, weeks after many felt the issue had been shelved. Trump reemphasized his stand last week, hours after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin indicated China would not be singled out for adverse treatment on the currency issue. “Well they, I think, they’re …
Kenya Doctors’ Strike Takes Deadly Toll on Poor
27/02/2017
Doctors in Kenya’s public health facilities have refused to work since December. They are demanding the government implement an agreement it signed in 2013 to raise salaries and improve working conditions. However, the strike is taking a deadly toll on the nation’s poor. Jared Ochieng lost his son Lamarck to complications from leukemia. “If it …
Aggressive Cuts to Obama-era Green Rules to Start Soon, EPA Chief Says
26/02/2017
President Donald Trump’s administration will begin rolling back Obama-era environmental regulations in an “aggressive way” as soon as next week, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Saturday — adding that he understood why some Americans wanted to see his agency eliminated. “I think there are some regulations that in the near term need …
French Startups Venture Abroad for Chance at Global Recognition, Investment
25/02/2017
Launching a startup is no easy feat. Launching one outside your native country is even harder. But for certain French startups, the French government is there to help. A government-sponsored competition that began last year offers startups marketing and promotional assistance. The Creative Next Challenge is a series of competitions sponsored by Business France, …
EPA Delays Rule on Funding Mine Pollution Cleanup
25/02/2017
Facing pushback from industry and Republicans in Congress, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency delayed Friday a proposal that would require mining companies to show they have the financial wherewithal to clean up their pollution so taxpayers aren’t stuck footing the bill. Contaminated water from mine sites can flow into rivers and other waterways, harming aquatic …
‘Made in Paraguay’ — a Cheaper Label for Some Brazilian Manufacturers
25/02/2017
When toymaker Estrela decided to move manufacturing capacity back to Latin America from China, it sank $2 million into a new factory not in its native Brazil – the region’s largest economy – but in its tiny southern neighbor Paraguay. The plant, which opened this month in the border town of Hernandarias, stands near a …
Trump: Republican Border Tax Could Boost US Jobs
24/02/2017
President Donald Trump on Thursday spoke favorably about a potentially export-boosting border adjustment tax being pushed by Republicans in the U.S. Congress, but did not specifically endorse it. Trump, who has lashed out at U.S. companies who have moved operations to countries like Mexico, has previously sent mixed signals on the proposal at the heart …
Will US Workers Have Right Skills for Jobs of the Future?
24/02/2017
President Donald Trump told the heads of more than 20 of the largest U.S. manufacturers Thursday that he planned to bring millions of factory jobs back to the United States. Trump said the United States had lost one-third of its manufacturing jobs since the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed, and that 70,000 American …
Mnuchin Says Goal Is to Pass US Tax Reform by August
23/02/2017
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday the administration is committed to getting major tax reform legislation through Congress by August. He predicted that President Donald Trump’s economic proposals will be able to boost growth significantly to annual rates above 3 percent. Mnuchin said that tax reform is the administration’s top economic priority and the goal …
Activists Urge Unilever to Press Myanmar, Help Rohingya
23/02/2017
Activists are urging Unilever, a major investor in Myanmar, to speak out against the country’s treatment of its Rohingya minority, which the U.N. has said may be called “crimes against humanity.” More than 10,000 people have joined the Facebook group for the campaign, known by the #WeAreAllRohingyaNow, and hundreds have signed on. A letter sent …
Company Towns Struggle to Reinvent Themselves After Company Leaves
23/02/2017
Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis planned to open this year’s State of the City speech by thanking Caterpillar Inc. for its longtime commitment to the central Illinois town, declaring “We wouldn’t be Peoria without Caterpillar.” It’s been that way for decades in Peoria and in other company towns across the United States. A major employer provided …
Moody’s Sticks to Initial Assessment of Trump, US Economy
23/02/2017
Before Donald Trump won the November election, many analysts were sharply critical of his economic proposals. Some predicted big declines in financial markets, hiring slowdowns and a heightened risk of recession. But just a little more than a month since Trump became the 45th U.S. president, U.S. stocks have enjoyed the longest winning streak in …
US Home Sales Surge to 10-Year High
22/02/2017
U.S. home resales surged to a nearly 10 year high in January. Wednesday’s report from the National Association of Realtors says existing home sales jumped 3.3 percent to an annual rate of 5.69 million homes. The report says sales are being hampered by the smaller-than-usual number of homes available for sale. The real estate industry …
Deal to Streamline World Trade Takes Effect
22/02/2017
The first multilateral trade agreement reached under the World Trade Organization since it was created over a generation ago has taken force, aiming to streamline cross-border trade to the benefit of the developing world in particular. WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo said Wednesday that the required two-thirds of member states have ratified the accord. He …
US Treasury Chief Tells IMF He Expects ‘Frank and Candid’ Forex Analysis
22/02/2017
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Tuesday that he expects the IMF to provide “frank and candid” analysis of exchange rate policies, a Treasury spokesperson said. In a phone call with Lagarde, the spokesperson said, Mnuchin also “noted the importance that the administration places on boosting economic …
Mexico Says New Tariffs in NAFTA Talks Would be Disastrous
21/02/2017
Any attempt to introduce quotas or tariffs to the North American Free Trade Agreement would be disastrous for the three-nation treaty, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo on Tuesday told a Toronto conference on the future of North America. U.S. President Donald Trump — who says free trade treaties have cost countless thousands of American jobs — wants …
Sticker Shock for Olive Oil Buyers After Bad Italian Harvest
21/02/2017
From specialty shops in Rome to supermarkets around the world, lovers of Italian olive oil are in for some sticker shock this year, with prices due to jump by as much as 20 percent. The combination of bad weather and pests hit the harvest in Southern Europe, most of all in Italy, where production …
ESM Head: Greece Needs ‘Far Less’ Money Than Agreed in Third Bailout
20/02/2017
Greece will need less in emergency loans from international lenders than originally agreed in its third bailout program due to a better-than-expected budgetary developments, the head of the eurozone bailout fund was reported on Monday as saying. Klaus Regling told German newspaper Bild that at the end of Greece’s money-for-reforms package in August 2018, the …
Alibaba Extends Bricks-and mortar Retail Push With Bailian Deal
20/02/2017
Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has formed a strategic partnership with retail conglomerate Bailian Group, extending a push into bricks-and-mortar retail as online growth slows. The move comes on the heels of a recent purchase of a stake in retailer Suning Commerce Group Co Ltd as well as plans to take a controlling …
New Zealand Judge Upholds Kim Dotcom Extradition Ruling
20/02/2017
A New Zealand judge on Monday upheld an earlier court ruling that flamboyant internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom and three of his colleagues can be extradited to the U.S. to face criminal charges. The decision comes five years after U.S. authorities shut down Dotcom’s file-sharing website Megaupload and filed charges of conspiracy, racketeering and money laundering against the men. …
IMF Approves Terms for $5 Billion Loan to Mongolia
19/02/2017
The International Monetary Fund said Sunday that it and other partners have agreed on terms for a more than $5 billion loan package to the Mongolian government to help get the north Asian country’s economy back on track. The deal is subject to approval by the IMF’s executive board, which is expected to consider …
Toyota Unveils improved Prius
19/02/2017
Twenty years ago Japanese carmaker Toyota unveiled the first version of its hybrid gas-electric car called Prius. By the beginning of 2017, counting all subsequent models, Prius became the best-selling hybrid car in the world with close to 4 million sold. Its latest model, with a battery-charging solar roof, was just unveiled in Japan. VOA’s …
California Refinery Damaged By Fire Could Cause Local Gas Prices to Rise
19/02/2017
An explosion and fire at an oil refinery in Torrance, California, on Saturday forced the partial shutdown of the plant, leading oil traders to expect a spike this week in West Coast gasoline prices. Police and the plant owner said no one was hurt in the fire, which was extinguished by local firefighters. Two years …
Iran Needs Billions to Upgrade Gas Fields, But Will Investors Invest?
17/02/2017
Iran sits on what are thought to be the world’s largest gas reserves, yet can barely supply its own domestic demand. Since the United Nations-backed deal over Tehran’s nuclear program spurred the lifting of international sanctions, the country has strived to attract foreign investment in developing oil fields and upgrading its aging infrastructure. The Ministry …
Energy Giants Say Iran Needs $100 Billion for Gas Upgrade
17/02/2017
Iran sits on what are thought to be the world’s largest gas reserves, yet can barely supply its own domestic demand. Since the nuclear deal lifted sanctions, the country has sought foreign investment in exploration and infrastructure. But will the hawkish stance of U.S. President Donald Trump put them off? Henry Ridgwell reports from the …