September 3, 2021 PARIS (Reuters) – Former French prime minister Francois Fillon, who is appealing a five-year jail sentence for embezzling public funds, is under investigation again by financial prosecutors over payments to an assistant, his lawyer said on Friday. Lawyer Antonin Levy accused the National Financial Prosecutor’s (PNF) office of a witch hunt and […]
Caribbean tourism recovery punctured by new coronavirus spike
September 3, 2021 By Kate Chappell KINGSTON (Reuters) – Just as tourism was beginning to show signs of recovery, the Caribbean has been hit by a new wave of coronavirus infections that is causing lockdowns and flight cancellations and overwhelming hospitals. Countries including Jamaica, Martinique, The Bahamas, Barbados, St. Lucia, and Dominica have seen a […]
Olympics-Paris 2024 lauds Tokyo for pulling off Games amid pandemic
September 3, 2021 By Chris Gallagher TOKYO (Reuters) – Paris 2024 CEO Etienne Thobois praised Tokyo on Friday for its “remarkable” ability to pull off the Olympics amid the COVID-19 pandemic and said Paris was ready to take the baton as it prepares to stage the Games in three years’ time. Thobois told Reuters in […]
Reeling German CDU leader taps diverse team to reboot campaign
September 3, 2021 BERLIN (Reuters) – The leader of Germany’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) presented a diverse “team of the future” on Friday, turning to the lieutenants to help reboot his flagging campaign ahead of a Sept. 26 national election that he is at growing risk of losing. Armin Laschet, whose conservatives have slipped behind […]
UK economy lost more momentum in August, PMI survey shows
September 3, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic lost more momentum last month than originally estimated as staff shortages and supply chain issues weighed on companies in the country’s huge services sector, a survey showed on Friday. The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 55.0 in […]
Not my pay! Some tech workers bemoan China’s crackdown on compulsory overtime
September 3, 2021 By Yingzhi Yang and Brenda Goh BEIJING (Reuters) – The Chinese government’s campaign to improve conditions for workers has spurred companies, particularly some of its hardest-driving tech giants, to cut down on long hours of compulsory overtime but not all employees are happy about it. Some employees at TikTok-owner ByteDance were shocked […]
Euro zone retail sales weaker than expected in July
September 3, 2021 BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone retail sales, a proxy for consumer demand, were much weaker than expected in July, pulled down mainly by a sharp fall in the number of goods bought online. The European Union’s statistics office Eurostat said on Friday that retail sales in the 19 countries sharing the euro […]
Singapore Exchange’s SPAC rules seen giving market much-needed boost
September 3, 2021 By Anshuman Daga SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore Exchange’s new rules for special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) are likely to help it attract regional funds and fast-growing firms, as it seeks to revitalise a staid market for equity listings, market participants said. Some of them expect Southeast Asian startups, especially from the tech […]
AstraZeneca, EU reach settlement on delivery of COVID-19 vaccines
September 3, 2021 (Reuters) -The European Commission and AstraZeneca said on Friday they had reached a settlement on delivering remaining COVID-19 vaccine doses by the British drugmaker and also ended pending litigation in Brussels https://ift.tt/3DNcROm. The settlement clears a major overhang for AstraZeneca, whose cheap and easily transportable vaccine has faced several setbacks, including the […]
Putin says Russia to offer tax breaks to spur business on Kuril islands
September 3, 2021 VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) – Russia will offer tax breaks to stimulate business on a disputed Pacific island chain and make them available to foreign investors including from Japan, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. A territorial dispute over the islands, known in Russia as the Kurils and in Japan as the Northern […]
Reaction to New Zealand’s supermarket attack by ‘violent extremist’
September 3, 2021 (Reuters) – New Zealand police on Friday shot and killed a “violent extremist” who was known to authorities, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, after he stabbed and wounded at least six people in a supermarket. The attacker, a Sri Lankan national who had been in New Zealand for 10 years, was inspired […]
Islamic State ‘Beatle’ pleads guilty to murdering U.S. hostages
September 3, 2021 By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A British-born man who was a member of a team of Islamic State militants in Syria nicknamed “The Beatles” and accused of beheading American hostages pleaded guilty on Thursday to eight U.S. criminal charges including lethal hostage taking and conspiracy to support terrorists. London-born Alexanda Kotey is […]
UK’s Johnson slams ‘disgraceful’ racist abuse of England players in Hungary
September 3, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on world soccer’s governing body FIFA on Friday to take action over “disgraceful” racist abuse aimed at England players by Hungary fans during a World Cup qualifier. “It is completely unacceptable that England players were racially abused in Hungary last night,” Johnson said […]
German services sector drives growth as recovery persists- PMI
September 3, 2021 BERLIN (Reuters) – Activity in Germany’s services sector expanded at a strong pace in August, albeit slightly weaker than in the previous month, as businesses which had been hit by coronavirus lockdowns catered for pent-up demand, a survey showed on Friday. IHS Markit’s final PMI services index found that activity in the […]
Euro zone business activity strong in Aug but supply issues weighed-PMI
September 3, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – Euro zone business activity remained strong last month, despite fears about the Delta variant of the coronavirus and widespread supply chain issues, according to a survey which suggested the bloc’s economy could be back to pre-COVID-19 levels by year-end. IHS Markit’s final composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), seen as […]
Geely’s Volvo Cars warns on sales as supply woes dent output
September 3, 2021 STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden-based automaker Volvo Car Group warned on Friday that sales volumes in the second half of 2021 could fall year-on-year after it was forced to cut production due to material shortages. The carmaker, owned by China’s Geely Holding, said sales fell 10.6% from a year ago in August, despite […]
China’s SMIC to invest $8.87 billion for new chip plant in Shanghai
September 3, 2021 SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp will invest $8.87 billion to build a chip plant in Shanghai, it said on Friday, expanding capacity amid a global chip shortage as Beijing pushes to boost independence in the sector. The expansion by China’s largest chipmaker comes as the shortage rattled the automotive […]
Spanish services growth kept up strong pace in August: PMI
September 3, 2021 MADRID (Reuters) – Activity in Spain’s service sector expanded for the fifth month in a row in August, though at a slower pace than in the previous months, as more COVID-19 travel restritions were phased out, a survey indicated on Friday. IHS Markit’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of services companies, which account […]
French business boom eases in August as staffing, price pressures bite -PMI
September 3, 2021 PARIS (Reuters) – French business activity grew in August at its slowest rate in four months as staff shortages and costs pressures worsened, a monthly survey showed on Friday. Data compiler IHS Markit said its final Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for France’s dominant services sector fell in August to 56.3 points from […]
Marketmind: Jobs and Japan
September 3, 2021 A look at the day ahead from Karin Strohecker. Today was going to be all about U.S. non-farm payroll numbers – the gauge that might help the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell determine the timing of tapering. That was until Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced he would step down after failing to […]
