Business

European shares hit highs as markets upbeat about recovery prospects

The London Stock Exchange Group offices are seen in the City of London, Britain, December 29, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville By Elizabeth Howcroft World shares traded near record highs on Monday, as markets were generally upbeat about the prospects for a global economic recovery from COVID-19, ahead of a busy week for earnings. Europe’s STOXX 600

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Israel, Greece sign $1.65bn defense deal

Agreement includes establishing training center to train Greek Air Force Israel and Greece have signed a defense deal worth $1.65 billion, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry on Sunday. As part of the agreement, Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems will establish an international training center in Greece to train the Greek Air Force over a

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Turkish Central Bank to ban use of cryptos in payments

Payment, electronic money institutions not to mediate platforms that offer trading, custody, transfer, crypto asset issuance The Turkish Central Bank will ban the use of crypto assets in payments as they entail significant risks for the parties to the transactions. Payment and electronic money institutions will not be able to mediate platforms that offer trading,

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Saudi crown prince asked Boris Johnson to intervene in Newcastle United bid

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Photograph: Reuters By Patrick Wintour Mohammed bin Salman warned of damage to Saudi-UK relations if Premier League refusal not ‘corrected’ The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, warned Boris Johnson in a text message that UK-Saudi Arabian relations would be damaged if the British government failed to intervene

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Kenya to auction Lamu oil blocks within a year

A section of Lamu Island. By BRIAN NGUGI Kenya will auction new oil and gas exploration blocks in the Lamu Basin on the Indian Ocean territory within a year as the country looks to attract new investment in the petroleum sector. Petroleum and Mining Principal Secretary Andrew Kamau said the offshore blocks will be put

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Kenya: Mortgage, car loan defaults cross Sh100bn

A construction site in Nairobi. By CONSTANT MUNDA Default on mortgages and loans advanced to the transport sector has crossed the Sh100 billion mark in the wake of layoffs, business closures and travel restrictions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. The transport and real estate sectors topped loan defaults over the nine months to December last

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Kenya in new search for oil off Lamu coast

A section of Lamu Island. By BRIAN NGUGI Kenya has launched a fresh search for oil and gas in its Indian Ocean territory by tapping an American firm to conduct seismic surveys to detail petroleum prospects within Lamu County. Houston-based ION Geophysical Corp will carry out two seismic surveys in the offshore Lamu basin under

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Canada cancels weapons sales to Turkey over Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attend military parade for Azerbaijan’s victory against Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, 10 December 2020 (AFP) By Ragip Soylu Investigation by Ottawa concluded that Turkey deployed drones to Nagorno-Karabakh that used Canadian technology, foreign affairs minister says. Canada cancelled all defense exports to Turkey on Monday

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How U.S. ‘Risk-Takers’ Took a Gamble on Somalia’s Oil — Then Vanished

By Phoebe Cooke and Abdalle Ahmed Mumin Two fossil fuel exploration companies bet big on one of oil’s final frontiers, and found out how volatile it could be. A few days into the New Year, armed Somali intelligence officials were seen escorting guests into three bullet-proof cars at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International airport. An unusual

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China fines Alibaba record $2.75 billion for anti-monopoly violations

The logo of Alibaba Group is seen at its office in Beijing, China January 5, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo/File Photo By Reuters Chinese regulators have fined Alibaba Group Holding Ltd 18 billion yuan ($2.75 billion) for violating anti-monopoly rules and abusing its dominant market position, marking the highest ever antitrust fine to be imposed in

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