David Barret

September 9, 2021 HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong police on Thursday raided the premises of the closed June 4th Museum, dedicated to the victims of China’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The raid came hours after a dozen pro-democracy activists pleaded guilty of knowingly participating in an unauthorised […]

September 9, 2021 By Steve Keating NEW YORK (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic again fought back from a set down to beat Matteo Berrettini 5-7 6-2 6-2 6-3 and move into the U.S. Open semi-finals on Wednesday, the Serb now just two wins away from a 21st major that would complete a calendar-year Grand Slam. Djokovic, […]

September 9, 2021 BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s new yuan loans are expected to rebound in August from the nine-month low seen in the previous month, a Reuters poll showed, as the central bank seeks to support the country’s economic recovery. Banks are estimated to have issued 1.30 trillion yuan ($201.21 billion) in net new yuan […]

September 9, 2021 By Lawrence White, Iain Withers and Rachel Armstrong LONDON (Reuters) – There’s no free lunch in finance – except when banks are wooing workers back to the office. London’s financial sector, keen to return to a semblance of normality after the worst of the pandemic, is leading the charge to encourage employees […]

September 9, 2021 By Shashwat Awasthi (Reuters) – Bearish bets on Thailand’s baht hit a more than six-month low, while investors turned bullish on some emerging Asian currencies after months, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday, as worries around COVID-19 ease and vaccinations pick up pace. Countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, have seen a […]

September 9, 2021 BERLIN (Reuters) – Reinsurer Swiss Re said it expected non-life insurance premiums to rise 10% above pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021 and increase further the following year, driven in part by a growing need for protection against the impact of climate change. The company’s research arm said it expected non-life […]

September 9, 2021 (Reuters) – Oscar-winning American actress Jennifer Lawrence is pregnant with her first child with husband Cooke Maroney, People magazine reported late on Wednesday. The magazine said Lawrence’s representative had confirmed the pregnancy, after news spread on Twitter on Wednesday evening. The 31-year-old Hunger Games star married Maroney, a New York art dealer, […]

September 9, 2021 By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan’s first female ambassador to the United States who left her post in July, is clearly horrified by the Taliban takeover of her country. But she is not surprised. In an interview, Rahmani accused the former U.S.-backed government in Kabul of a failure to […]

September 9, 2021 TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese vaccine minister Taro Kono will formally announce on Friday that he is joining the race to lead the ruling party, Kyodo news agency said. That will make Kono the third candidate to replace Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who last week threw into disarray the contest for leadership of […]

The creator economy loves merch which is great news for on-demand custom printing startups such as Latvia-based Printify — today it’s announcing a $45 million Series A round, led by Index Ventures, off the back of rising demand for its services. The mission: To keep growing its global marketplace of print shops to meet rising […]

September 9, 2021 (Reuters) – Taliban authorities have agreed to let 200 American civilians and third country nationals who remained in Afghanistan after the end of the U.S. evacuation operation to depart on charter flights from Kabul airport, a U.S. official said. The Taliban were pressed to allow the departures by U.S. Special Representative Zalmay […]

September 9, 2021 NEW YORK (Reuters) – An Olympic champion and two former Grand Slam winners have been no match for teenagers Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez, who are both one win away from reaching the U.S. Open final. Briton Raducanu, 18, became the first qualifier to reach the final four at Flushing Meadows after […]

September 9, 2021 TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan said on Thursday it planned to issue “stimulus coupons” again to boost consumer spending by T$200 billion ($7.22 billion) and support its coronavirus-hit economy, as the island worked to counter a small outbreak of the Delta variant. While a relatively small outbreak is well under control in Taiwan, […]

September 9, 2021 SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Indebted China Evergrande Group’s shares and bonds were under fresh pressure on Thursday after media reports that the company would suspend interest payments due on loans to two banks later this month and also all payments to its wealth management products. Investors are factoring in an increasing likelihood […]

September 9, 2021 By Scott Murdoch and Anshuman Daga HONG KONG (Reuters) – Sea Ltd, a Southeast Asian e-commerce and gaming company, plans to raise $6.3 billion in a share and convertible bond sale in one of the region’s largest ever capital raisings, according to the firm’s regulatory filing. The Singapore-headquartered company is looking to […]

September 9, 2021 SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese gaming and media stocks including Tencent Holdings and NetEase fell on Thursday a day after authorities summoned them and other gaming firms to ensure they implemented new rules for the sector. Tencent shares shed 4% in Asia trade. NetEase’s Hong Kong-listed shares dropped 6.45% after a 5% decline […]

September 9, 2021 TOKYO (Reuters) -Disruptions to parts and components suppliers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could force fresh production cuts at Japanese automakers in October, Akio Toyoda, the head of the auto industry lobby group, said on Thursday. Japanese car companies have already had to cut production this month because of difficulties finding semiconductors […]

September 9, 2021 By Uriel Sanchez ACAPULCO, Mexico (Reuters) -Shaken residents slept in cars and on the streets of Mexico’s famed Acapulco beach resort early on Wednesday, as a series of strong aftershocks rippled through the city after a powerful earthquake that killed one man. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit 11 miles (17.7 km) northeast […]

September 9, 2021 (Reuters) – Foreign countries greeted the makeup of the new government in Afghanistan with caution and dismay on Wednesday after the Taliban appointed hardline veteran figures to an all-male cabinet, including several with a U.S. bounty on their heads. As the newly appointed ministers and their deputies set to work after they […]

The Roomba is easily among the most ubiquitous robots in the world — but it has never been one of the smartest. On the whole, that’s not a major issue. The top-selling vacuum is good at what it does: cleaning floors. But a roboticist’s work is never done; iRobot has turned the vast majority of […]