Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma has made his first appearance since Chinese regulators cracked down on his business empire. His absence had fuelled speculation over his whereabouts amid increasing official scrutiny of his businesses. The billionaire met 100 rural teachers in China via a video meeting on Wednesday, according to local government media. Alibaba shares […]
By Kevin Peachey Personal finance correspondent Coronavirus pandemic A refusal to accept cash is “creeping into the wider UK economy”, an expert has said, after a survey suggested coronavirus had hastened a shift towards a cashless society. Consumer group Which? said that 34% of people asked said they had been unable to pay with cash […]
By Reuters Staff BENGALURU (Reuters) – Indian shares ended at a more than one-week low on Monday, weighed down by non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) on fears over possible tighter rules for the sector, although gains in heavyweights HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries capped losses. The blue-chip NSE Nifty 50 index fell 1.06% to close at 14,281.3, […]
By Gabriel Crossley, Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s economy picked up speed in the fourth quarter, with growth beating expectations as it ended a rough coronavirus-striken 2020 in remarkably good shape and remained poised to expand further this year even as the global pandemic rages unabated. Gross domestic product grew 2.3% in 2020, official data […]
By William James LONDON (Reuters) – Britain announced plans to hold the first in-person meeting of the G7 for nearly two years in June, inviting the leaders of major developed economies to a picturesque seaside village to discuss rebuilding from the pandemic and climate change. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants to use Britain’s […]
The UK economy shrank by 2.6% in November as fresh lockdown restrictions in England reduced economic activity, official figures show. The Office for National Statistics said UK gross domestic product at the end of November was 8.5% below its pre-pandemic peak. November’s decline came after sixth consecutive months of growth, with a 0.6% improvement in […]
By Zoe Kleinman Technology reporter Message platforms Signal and Telegram have both seen a huge surge in downloads around the world following a controversial update to WhatsApp’s terms and conditions. WhatsApp has told its two billion users they must allow it to share data with its parent company Facebook if they wish to continue using […]
Soutik Biswas India correspondent Indian farmers protest 2020 After more than 45 days of protests and eight rounds of talks with the government, India’s farmers have refused to budge. Nothing short of a repeal of three market-friendly farm laws – designed to loosen rules around the sale, pricing and storage of farm produce – will make the […]
Indian farmers protest 2020 India’s Supreme Court has put on hold three contentious farm laws that have sparked weeks of protests. Farmers have been camped at the borders of capital Delhi since 26 November to protest against laws that will further open up agriculture to the free market. At least four farmers at the protest […]
Billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, whose gambling and hotel businesses turned him into a major political power broker in the US and Israel, has died. He was 87. The founder of the Las Vegas Sands casino company, Mr Adelson was known for his support of conservative causes and Israel. He was a significant backer of […]
