IBT Staff Reporter

Winds of up to 135 kilometres per hour (84 mph) battered Madagascar early on Wednesday as Cyclone Emnati made landfall, becoming the fourth major storm to hit the Indian Ocean island in a month.

Ahmad, a 30-year-old Afghan who worked for the German military, is now in hiding in Kabul in fear of his life.

Hong Kong unveils $22 bn budget for virus plagued economy

The new year is proving unkind to the global investor consensus yet again and low visibility now becomes a major problem.

Stellantis made a fast start in its first year after the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA, with the world's No.4 carmaker reporting profitability and benefits from the combination both ahead of target.

Stellantis beat its profitability target in the first year following its creation from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA, boosting hopes the automaker can cope with rising raw material costs and a shortage of semiconductor chips.

Fashion retailer Ted Baker is "cautiously optimistic" about the outlook for the current year after a 35% year-on-year jump in sales in the fourth quarter, a period when pandemic-related restrictions were still in place, boosting its shares.

Baidoa: Crossroads of despair in drought-ravaged Somalia

Barclays reported a record annual profit for 2021 and returned 2.5 billion pounds to shareholders via dividends and buybacks, as bad loan charges plunged and its investment bank continued its strong recent performance.

Telecom Italia (TIM) is considering selling its stake in mobile tower group INWIT to French investment fund Ardian as part of its efforts to shore up its finances, a source close to the matter said on Wednesday.

German utility Uniper is assessing whether the suspension of Gazprom's Nord Stream 2 will trigger impairments on its 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) exposure to the gas pipeline, the company said on Wednesday, sending its shares to a 7-month low.

Danone on Wednesday pledged further productivity gains and price increases this year to offset cost inflation after the French food maker beat fourth-quarter sales forecasts, driving its shares up nearly 4%.

World must brace for more extreme wildfires: UN

The United States is poised to unleash a wider array of sanctions against Russia if Moscow escalates the conflict in Ukraine, denying key Russian financial institutions and companies access to U.S.

Indonesia's peatlands, California's forests, and, now, vast swathes of Argentine wetland have all been ravaged by extreme wildfires, heralding a fiery future and the dire need to prevent it.

Rio Tinto posted on Wednesday its best ever annual profit and a record full-year dividend of $16.8 billion, boosted by higher iron ore prices and strong demand from top consumer China.

The cost of raising a child in China stands at nearly seven times its per capita GDP, far more than the United States and Japan, highlighting the challenges facing Chinese policymakers as they try to tackle rapidly declining birth rates, new research showed.

The cost of raising a child in China stands at nearly seven times its per capita GDP, far more than in the United States and Japan, highlighting the challenges facing Chinese policymakers as they try to tackle rapidly declining birth rates, new research showed.

Brazil's Bolsonaro turns to Telegram as vote nears

Taiwan is nervous that Beijing may take advantage of a distracted West to ramp up pressure on the island amid the crisis in Ukraine, but there have been no unusual manoeuvres by Chinese forces in recent days, officials in Taipei say.

Third-quarter profit jumped 62% to an all-time high of $640 million at China's Lenovo Group, the world's biggest maker of personal computers said on Wednesday, as the growing popularity of hybrid work arrangements boosts demand for PCs.

Dozens of migrants clashed with police in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula on Tuesday, as frustration boiled over due to authorities keeping them waiting for months to be granted approval for free passage across Mexico to the U.S.

Hong Kong will offer tax breaks, handouts and subsidies to small businesses and residents, to mitigate the impact of a new wave of social restrictions to curb COVID-19 infections, Finance Secretary Paul Chan said in his 2022/23 budget speech.

Hong Kong will offer tax breaks, handouts and subsidies to small businesses and residents, to mitigate the impact of the most stringent social restrictions imposed in the city to curb the spread of COVID-19, Finance Secretary Paul Chan said.

Hong Kong will offer tax breaks, handouts and subsidies to small businesses and residents, to mitigate the impact of the most stringent social restrictions imposed in the city to curb the spread of COVID-19, Finance Secretary Paul Chan said.

Hong Kong parents decry child separations during virus surge

Thailand's economy would continue to recover in 2022, but a rebound would remain fragile and uneven, as an Omicron outbreak puts less pressure on activity than earlier COVID-19 waves, according to minutes of the central bank's last policy meeting.

Asian stocks steadied on Wednesday and demand for safe-havens waned a little as investors regarded Russian troop movements near Ukraine and initial Western sanctions as leaving room to avoid a war, while a rate hike lifted New Zealand's dollar.

Global stocks broke a four-day slide on Wednesday and demand for safe-haven assets waned, with investors waiting to see Russian President Vladimir Putin's next move after he sent troops into separatist regions of Ukraine.