SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook said it was “back at 100 percent” Wednesday evening after an outage on all of its services affected users in various parts of the world. Online monitoring service DownDetector reported earlier the outage began around 1200 GMT and affected Facebook as well as its Instagram and WhatsApp
WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday approved a $6 billion, three-year loan for Pakistan to help right the South Asian nation’s economy. With the IMF board’s approval, the fund released $1 billion to Pakistan immediately and will unlock from other international partners around $38 billion over the program period.
SYDNEY: Australian retail titan Woolworths will offload its booze and gaming operations, following in the footsteps of rival Coles and after a campaign by anti-gambling groups. The firm said it would combine its Endeavour Drinks business with the hotels and gambling-focused Australian Leisure & Hospitality Group, forming a Aus$10 billion
LONDON: Former British finance minister George Osborne is lining up a bid to replace Christine Lagarde as head of the International Monetary Fund, UK newspapers reported Thursday. Making his interest known to friends, Osborne said the job required a “skilled political communicator and operator… not a technocrat”, the Financial Times
NEW YORK: Boeing, under scrutiny after two crashes that claimed 346 lives, announced Wednesday it would give $100 million to communities and families affected by the 737 Max disasters. Describing the sum as an “initial investment” over multiple years, the company said it would work with local governments and non-profit
PARIS: French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier said Wednesday he could go back to using fur if he could be sure it was entirely traceable. The flamboyant creator announced in November he was renouncing fur, a move hailed as a major victory by animal rights groups like Peta who have
SHANGHAI: Shares related to a Chinese property tycoon plunged for a second day on Thursday after his arrest for suspected child molestation, in a case that sparked anger over an apparently botched attempt to censor the affair. Police in Shanghai announced Wednesday that a man had been arrested on suspicion
Madagascar, renowned for its unique wildlife and vanilla production, has a new claim to fame — the island nation is Africa’s first and only source of caviar. The business is an unlikely project in a country beset by grinding poverty, but its owners are determined that luxury foods can play
BELO HORIZONTE (Brazil): Lionel Messi vowed to extend his international career after yet another bid to win a major title with Argentina ended in failure at the Copa America on Tuesday. The 32-year-old Barcelona star, who infamously quit international football after Argentina’s defeat in the 2016 Copa America Centenario final,
PORTO ALEGRE (Brazil): Chile’s ageing players are like fine wine, coach Reinaldo Rueda said ahead of their Copa America semi-final against Peru. “As they get older, with more maturity, they get better,” the Colombian said about Chilean players. Eleven of the reigning two-time champions’ 23-man squad are over 30, including
