A Chinese program through which thousands of Africans have learned modern farming techniques will be expanded into Cameroon this year, the company behind the initiative says. The education push, which is being financed by the Chinese government and run by the rice producing giant Long Ping High-Tech Agriculture, is the latest sign that the Hunan company is considering a research or commercial based venture in Cameroon.
Updated 6 Years ago

British Prime Minister David Cameron warned Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin today that the European Union was ready to impose tougher sanctions on Russia after separatists downed a Malaysia Airlines plane with the loss of 298 lives. "Russia needs to know that action will follow if there isn't a radical change in the way they behave," Cameron said. "The EU will be ready to take further steps."
Updated 6 Years ago

The remains of some of the nearly 300 victims of the Malaysia Airlines plane downed over Ukraine were making their way to the Netherlands today as a senior Ukrainian separatist leader handed over the plane's black boxes to Malaysian experts. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a news conference that a train carrying around 200 body bags was on its way to rebel-held Donetsk and then to Kharkiv, which is in Ukrainian government hands, from where the bodies would be taken back to the Netherlands to be identified.
Updated 6 Years ago

São Paulo state water utility Sabesp launched a consultancy tender to carry out environmental impact studies and reports (EIA-RIMA) to prepare for a water supply improvement initiative budgeted at some 504mn reais (US$226mn). The tender, priced at a 4.28mn reais, involves studies to interconnect the Jaguari reservoir in the Paraíba do Sul river basin to the Atibainha reservoir in the PCJ basin (Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí rivers), according to a Sabesp bids call.
Updated 6 Years ago

Trading activity has slumped in Barclays' U.S. share trading venue after New York's attorney general accused the British bank of misleading its customers and giving an unfair edge to high-speed traders. Volume in Barclays' so-called "dark pool" electronic trading venue has slumped by 79 percent in the week and a half after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a lawsuit against the bank, data showed on Monday.
Updated 6 Years ago

President Vladimir Putin’s meddling in Ukraine cost Russia dearly in financial markets. With the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, the toll is only getting worse. The price to protect Russian bonds against default, already the highest among the world’s four largest emerging markets, has surged since the July 17 tragedy in eastern Ukraine. TheMicex Index (INDEXCF) resumed its decline, putting the losses since Putin began his push into Crimea in late February at 4.2 percent and wiping out about $28 billion in market value, even as stock gauges from the U.S. to India jumped to all-time highs.
Updated 6 Years ago

Saudi Arabia will open up its stock market to international investors, giving foreigners greater access to the Arab world’s biggest bourse as the oil-rich kingdom seeks to diversify its economy. The nation’s cabinet authorized overseas financial institutions to trade equities in the Tadawul All Share Index (SASEIDX) and gave the Capital Market Authority scope to determine timing, according to the official news agency, SPA. The $531 billion market is currently limited to domestic investors and foreigners from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.
Updated 6 Years ago

The duty-free trade deal between Russia and Ukraine is coming to an end. Russia says fundamental changes mean that it will invoke Article 62 of the Vienna Declaration to terminate the understanding. The move comes as Russia insists it needs to protect domestic markets after Ukrainesigned the Association Agreement on June 27, which gives Kiev duty-free trade status with the European Union.
Updated 6 Years ago

Yahoo has acquired an app analytics firm, Flurry, to help boost its advertising revenue from smartphones. Flurry helps app developers analyse data about their users and deliver more personalised ads to them.
Updated 6 Years ago

Chinese President Xi Jinping has signed a series of oil and mineral deals with Venezuela. They include a $4bn (£2.34bn) credit line in return for Venezuelan crude and other products. The agreements came on the latest stop of a four-country visit to Latin America. Mr Xi has already signed key deals in Argentina and Brazil. He has now departed from Venezuela and will visit Cuba next.
Updated 6 Years ago