Global Daily Info

By  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS   BRUSSELS — Aug 12, 2016, 7:00 AM ET Belgian police launched several raids overnight in parts of Brussels as part of an anti-terror probe and have taken three people into custody. The federal prosecutor's office said Friday that eight searches were carried out in the Belgian capital. No weapons or explosives were found. Three people were taken in for questioning. They were identified as Wassime A., Asma A. and Malika B. A judge was due to decide later Friday whether to keep them in custody. Federal prosecutors declined to provide further details and did not say which anti-terror probe was concerned. Authorities continue to investigate the March 22 transport attacks in Brussels and Belgian links to the massacres in Paris on Nov. 13, as well as other plots. Source: ABC News

12 August 2016   From the section Business Share Image copyright REUTERS (Close): US markets were mixed on Friday as data on retail spending and producer prices raised questions about the buoyancy of the economy. The  Dow Jones  was down 37.05 points to 18576.47, while the wider  S&P 500  was 1.74 points lower at 2184.05. The tech-based  Nasdaq  climbed 4.5 points to 5232.89. US retail sales in July came in at $457.7bn, an unexpectedly flat figure compared with June, when there had been strong consumer spending. Producers prices took an unexpected drop, suggesting a continuingly weak inflation environment that may make it difficult for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year. The producer price index - the measure of the costs for services and energy products- dropped 0.4% in July. The first drop since March. Elsewhere, economic data showing China's economy slowing down had no marked effect on trading,...

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Bath, Bristol and Cheltenham are seeing low supply, high demand BY KATHRYN HOPKINS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUGUST 12, 2016 | MANSION GLOBAL |   SAVE ARTICLE         The Royal Crescent in Bath. MATT CARDY / GETTY IMAGES While central London’s high-end housing market was hit hard by uncertainty in the run up to the Brexit vote, other U.K. cities have fared much better. According to Knight Frank, Bath, Bristol and Cheltenham are continuing to see price increases as demand outstrips supply. Reportedly the cities have weathered the impact of a 3% additional stamp duty as well as the pre- and post-referendum results. New figures released Friday from the global real estate consultancy showed that annual house price growth for prime properties in the second quarter in Cheltenham, famous for its eponymous horse race, was 8.6%, while in Bristol it was 7.4% and 4.8% in Bath. MORE:  Rock Bottom Not in Our Futu...

Image copyright AFP Image caption A Pakistani woman holds the hand of her grandchild Pakistani police have arrested several hospital workers over a scheme that sold newborn babies in Peshawar. The gang swapped newborn babies with the bodies of dead infants in hospitals and maternity homes, and told their parents the child had died, police told the BBC. The babies were then sold to childless couples for between 70,000-300,000 rupees (£500-2,200; $650-$2,850). Pakistan has seen several high-profile cases of baby abductions recently. Police told the BBC they had received a number of complaints about stolen babies. Some women who had given birth to healthy babies said they were told within hours that their child had died Among those arrested were five women and two men, including a nurse, two health workers and an agent who allegedly struck the deals with childless couples. An abducted baby girl was rescued from the gang's custody. The gang had abducted and sol...

9 hours ago   From the section Europe Share Image copyright GETTY IMAGES Image caption The ban runs until the end of August, and violators risk a fine equivalent to $42 The mayor of Cannes in France has banned full-body swimsuits, or "burkinis", from the French city's beaches. David Lisnar issued the ordinance on the grounds that burkinis, which are popular with Muslim women, "could risk disrupting public order while France was the target of terrorist attacks". He also said burkinis were a "symbol of Islamic extremism" which are "not respectful of [the] good morals and secularism" upon which the French state was founded. Muslim women from around the world have been quick to react to news of the ban. "This is just an Islamophobic attack on Muslim women in Cannes," Aysha Ziauddin, who lives in Norfolk, told the BBC. "The burkini allows me the freedom to swim and go on the beach, and I don't feel I ...

Police in the Thai resort of Hua Hin have arrested two men after bomb attacks there and across the country left four people dead. No further details were given of the detentions in the town, where two people were killed in explosions over the space of 24 hours. Phuket, a top tourist destination, was also targeted in the attacks. No group has said it carried out the attacks but suspicion is likely to fall on Islamist separatists. The timing is sensitive, as Friday is a holiday marking the queen's birthday. At least 10 foreigners were wounded in the attacks: three Germans, three Italians, an Austrian and three Dutch nationals. Blasts across Thailand in pictures The attackers focused on tourist hotspots: Four blasts over 24 hours in  Hua Hin  where two people died Two blasts in  Surat Thani  where one person died Two blasts in the tourist beach town of  Patong  on Phuket island One blast in  Trang  where one person died Blasts i...