News Archive - 18 June 2016

>While Europe grapples with an influx of people desperate to escape fighting in Syria, asylum seekers from Asian nations such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Vietnam are flocking to Hong Kong, along with a sprinkling from Africa.But human rights activists and non-government bodies accuse authorities in the Chinese-ruled city...

>According to an account of the call posted on the Chinese foreign ministry website, Kerry reaffirmed that there was no change in the U.S. policy that Tibet is a part of China and that the U.S. does not support Tibetan independence.The phone call follows on from President...

>Local media reported that a worker fell into a sewer ditch and when two others attempted a rescue, they also fell and all three were badly injured.The factory is located just outside the industrial city of Monterrey in the town of Pesqueria. A local spokesman for the South Korean...

>The source from the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, which includes the powerful Kurdish YPG militia and Arab fighters, told Reuters their troops were now almost two kilometers from the city center. Since the start of the offensive on May 31, the SDF has taken dozens of villages and farms...

>In a long-term report on the Qatari economy, the ministry forecast a fiscal deficit of 7.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year, which would be the first deficit in 15 years and bigger than the deficit of 4.8 percent predicted for 2016 in the ministry's last...

>Under a legally binding agreement with Al Khair National for Stocks and Real Estate, controlled by the Kharafis, all of Al Khair's Americana shares will be bought at 2.650 dinars each, the group, named Adeptio, said on Saturday.That represents a 26 percent premium over their last market price.

>"We are now in the final week of the referendum campaign and the swing back towards the status quo appears to be in full force," Anthony Wells, a YouGov director, said in a blog post. Separately, another poll published on Saturday and conducted by Survation, another polling firm, showed the...

>Volkswagen (VW) said on Thursday it would invest billions of euros in electric cars, ride-hailing and automated driving to become a world leader in green transport by 2025 as it reshapes its business following a diesel emissions scandal.Citing company sources, Handelsblatt said the overhaul would also involve ceasing production...

>His comments reflect growing divisions within Germany's ruling right-left coalition over policy toward Moscow. Steinmeier's Social Democrats (SPD) generally back a more conciliatory stance toward Russia than Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc."What we shouldn't do now is to inflame the situation by loud saber-rattling and shrill war cries," Steinmeier...

>BRUSSELS Belgian police arrested 12 suspects in a major anti-terror operation overnight amid security alerts in Belgium and France around the Euro 2016 soccer tournament and just three months after Islamist bombers wrought carnage in Brussels.Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel chaired a meeting of the government's security council -...

>ALBANY, NEW YORK Fantasy sports moved a step closer to being legal in New York on Saturday when lawmakers approved the daily and season-long games, clearing a path for FanDuel, DraftKings and others to offer them to millions of players in the state.The multibillion-dollar industry, where players draft fantasy...

>WASHINGTON Democrats pushing for gun curbs after the latest mass shooting in the United States are co-opting a Republican mantra to build public support and defang opposition: it's time to get tough on national security.Shoring up national security has long been a pillar of Republican orthodoxy, as has staunch...

>Alipay (Hong Kong) Holding Limited, part of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's Ant Financial Services Group, is also seeking an option to increase its stake in Ascend to 30 percent at a later date.No further details on the dollar value of the deal, the approval process or a timeframe were...

>OKINAWA, Japan The United States Marine Corps in Okinawa may hand back a 10,000 acre (40.5 square km) tract of land to Japan early next year, its commander said on Saturday, as Washington confronts a surge in opposition to U.S. military bases there following the murder of a...

>More than 40 people were also wounded in the attack on the Sheikh Maqsoud area, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, a district next to the only way in and out of rebel-held parts of the northern city, the Castello road. Hundreds of people have been killed in...

>The prospect of the closely-contested vote, which will help determine Britain's future in trade and world affairs and also shape the EU, has rattled markets around the world."A British vote in favor of leaving the European Union is the risk that worries us the most at the moment," Ignazio...

>MUMBAI Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan said on Saturday he will leave the central bank when his term ends on Sept. 4 and plans to return to academia.Rajan, a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has been popular with foreign investors who cheered...

>The controls, which restricted the amount of cash that can be withdrawn from banks to 420 euros a week, were imposed last June to halt a flight of deposits that threatened to wreck the banking system as Greece was embroiled in acrimonious bailout talks with its international lenders.More than...

>Cox, 41-year-old member of the opposition Labour Party who supported Britain staying in the EU, was shot and stabbed to death in the street in her own electoral district in northern England on Thursday. Mair appeared in Westminster Magistrates' Court after being charged by police with murder, causing grievous bodily...

>The final purchase price came at the lower end of the 40 billion yuan to 60 billion yuan guidance under a preliminary accord in March as Vanke's management fought to retain control of the company in a battle with its major shareholder, financial conglomerate Baoneng.Vanke said in a statement...