January 20, 2014
Madonna apologises for using racial slur on Instagram
Pop star Madonna has apologised for using a racial slur to refer to her son on an Instagram post. The singer uploaded a snapshot of 13-year-old Rocco Ritchie boxing on Friday night, with the offensive epithet used in a hashtag accompanying the…
January 20, 2014
Oscar nominees attend Critics’ Choice Awards
A host of Oscar nominees came together for the Critics' Choice Movie Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday, which saw Gravity win a record seven prizes. The awards are a likely indicator of Oscar success and have predicted many of the winners in recent…
January 20, 2014
Superman v Batman delayed to 2016
Superman and Batman's big screen team-up has been delayed by almost a year, film studio Warner Bros has confirmed. Originally scheduled for July 2015, the superhero set-to will now appear on 6 May, 2016. A sequel to 2013's Man of Steel, the…
January 20, 2014
China economic growth at 14-year low
China's economy, the world's second-largest, grew at its slowest pace in 14 years in 2013, latest figures show. Its gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 7.7% from a year ago, the slowest pace of growth since 1999. The growth rate was better than…
January 20, 2014
Deutsche Bank reports surprise loss as legal costs mount
Deutsche Bank has reported a surprise loss for the fourth quarter of 2013, after releasing its latest results before they were expected. Overall Deutsche said it posted a pre-tax loss of 1.153bn euros for the final quarter of 2013. The bank said…
January 20, 2014
Experts to debate fiscal policy, debt and growth in the Caribbean
The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) says fiscal authorities from central banks as well as economy and finance ministries from the region and Spain will this week debate fiscal policy, debt and growth in the region.…
January 20, 2014
Irish debt upgraded from junk status by Moody’s
The credit rating agency Moody's has upgraded Ireland's debt from junk status to investment grade, saying its economy has growth potential. The news is the latest in a run of positive reports for Ireland and comes as investors start to welcome the…
January 20, 2014
Royal Dutch Shell issues profit warning
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has issued a profit warning after it made less money than expected in the final quarter of 2013. "Fourth-quarter 2013 figures... are expected to be significantly lower than recent levels of profitability," the company…
January 20, 2014
Syria’s Bashar al-Assad: Quitting not up for debate
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is quoted as saying he has no intention of quitting, and the issue is not up for discussion at forthcoming peace talks. "If we wanted to surrender we would have surrendered from the start," Mr Assad told Russian MPs…
January 19, 2014
Egypt’s Morsi Faces New Trial
Ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, already on trial for allegedly inciting violence, also will be tried on charges of insulting the judiciary. Egypt's state-run news agency reported Sunday that just before the military threw him out of power,…