Casablanca Finance City Ranks 51th in 2014 Global Financial Centers Index
Casablanca – Casablanca Finance city (CFC) has moved up by eleven positions in the 16th Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI 16) to rank 51st.Casablanca and Johannesburg, the two African centers in the GFCI, both did very well, climbing 11 and 12 places respectively, the Z/Yen Group notes in a report published Monday.According to GFCI 16, Casablanca is ranked second among African financial centers, behind Johannesburg and ahead of Mauritius. In the reputational advantage, Casablanca topped the ranking, ahead of Wellington, Busan, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo.Stability and rising economic power, Morocco has ambitions to be the leading business and financial gateway to Africa, offering unique access to the continent’s untapped potential, the report says.The report added that the kingdom holds a strong position as a hub thanks to intrinsic advantages: political stability, solid macroeconomic fundamentals (it is an investment grade country), unshaken commitment to reforms, ambitious sectorial strategies, privileged historical ties with African countries, unique geography at the crossroads of the continents, unparalleled air connectivity, world-class infrastructureAccording to the report, the second financial hub in Africa capitalizes on the kingdom’s robust financial sector which is considered a benchmark in the region, and relies on Moroccan companies with their sound presence and leadership.Casablanca Finance City (CFC), a flagship initiative launched in 2010 is instrumental in accomplishing this vision, notes the report, adding that by offering openness to trade and investments, streamlined administrative procedures, strengthened legal and regulatory frameworks, attractive corporate and income tax incentives, skilled talent pool and premier real-estate offer, CFC answers the need for an entry point to Africa.
Yesterday Google formerly revealed the Google Glasses project in a future-looking promotional video that had us all looking forward to wearing glasses full of tech linked to its services. We also got a new name for this tech project: Project Glass.The video painted a very rosy picture of wearing Project Glass specs to help us through our day. They look so useful due to always being connected to the web, and offering instant access to Google Maps navigation, the weather, reminders from your calendar, what time it is, your text messages, and of course video chat.The reality of Project Glass is ultimately going to be very different, though. Google is, after all, a company that relies on adverts for most of its revenue. When was the last time you used a Google service that didn’t have adverts injected into it?Ultimately, Google will include adverts from Adwords with Project Glass, and the remixed video above gives us a more realistic idea of what we can expect to see (quite literally) every time we put our glasses on. Of course, they may not be that intrusive, but then neither were the YouTube adverts that popped up when the service first introduced them. Now they appear all the time, multiple times, and even interrupt the video depending on what you choose to watch. Surely Project Glass will face a similar fate?Project Glass is an exciting combination of hardware tech and proven, established services. But we can’t forget which company is spearheading the project, and that their ultimate aim is to make money from everything they do. Advertising will be a major part of Project Glass, we guarantee it.
Poll: Do you support the strike by Bus Éireann workers? An all-out strike began at midnight. No interest/No opinion (1212) Image: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie Mar 24th 2017, 8:16 AM Share809 Tweet Email1 184 Comments Yes (8817) Image: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie Friday 24 Mar 2017, 8:16 AM By Sean Murray
YesNoNo interest/No opinionVote Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article No (15818) Poll Results: http://jrnl.ie/3304085 FROM MIDNIGHT, AN immediate, all-out strike Bus Éireann strike began.The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) said in a statement that all five unions representing workers had met in relation to a letter sent by Bus Éireann workers detailing cost-cutting measures that were to be implemented immediately.They decided they had no alternative but to strike.The state-owned transport company faced losses of €10 million last year. Bus Éireann says it needs to make changes to employee contracts to keep the company viable.These include job losses, changes to bus routes, cuts in overtime and a range of other measures.So, today we’re asking you: Do you support the strike by Bus Éireann workers? Short URL 48,989 Views 
LAS VEGAS — Rob Ledbetter’s battlefield instincts kicked in quickly as bullets rained overhead.The 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran who served as a sniper in Iraq immediately began tending to the wounded, one of several heroes to emerge from the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Amid the massacre in Las Vegas, which left 59 people dead and more than 500 injured, there were acts of compassion and countless heroics that officials say saved many lives.There was a man one survivor knows only as Zach who herded people to a safe place. There was a registered nurse from Tennessee who died shielding his wife.Like many people in the crowd of some 22,000 country music fans Sunday night, Ledbetter heard the pop-pop-popping noise and figured it was fireworks. Then he saw people dropping to the ground. When more booms echoed in the night air, he recognized the sound of automatic weapons fire.The gunman, identified as Stephen Craig Paddock, a 64-year-old retired accountant from Mesquite, Nevada, created his own sniper’s perch inside the 32nd floor room at the Mandalay Bay casino hotel, across from the concert grounds. He appeared to fire unhindered for more than 10 minutes, according to radio traffic, and then killed himself before officers stormed in and found 23 firearms.“The echo, it sounded like it was coming from everywhere and you didn’t know which way to run,” said Ledbetter, who was at the concert with seven people including his brother, who was shot and injured, and his wife. They found cover in a VIP area of the concert. Once out of harm’s way, he turned to injured strangers.
Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor is expecting a tough fixture list in December and has urged his teammates to “put the foot to the floor”.Celtic have five more Scottish Premiership games before the end of the year and McGregor says they must battle through the fixture schedule if they want to remain top spot in the new year.“The fixtures have been pretty grueling and the boys have been playing games every couple of days at high intensity,” McGregor told Sky Sports.“Another positive is we went through on Thursday night [in the Europa League]. We have to pick ourselves up again and Easter Road is a tough place to go.
Johnston is disappointed after being injured Manuel R. Medina – September 11, 2019 Celtic winger Mikey Johnston was disappointed to miss Scotland Under 21 national team’s victories over San Marino and Croatia, and he hopes he can return to play soon.“We have had tough games against them as well there so we need to be fully ready for that. We need to recover and be flying for Sunday.“November and December are a big couple of months in the fixtures and if you get through them and come out the other side well you are in a pretty good place.“We have the cup in the bag, we have five games left so we have to put the foot to the floor and get as many points as we can.”
Sonos ended its most recent quarter with much narrower losses than Wall Street had anticipated, with solid revenue growth across its core product categories, and some added revenue from its new cooperation with Ikea.In its fiscal third quarter, which ended on June 29, Sonos generated revenue of $260.2 million compared to $208.4 million during the same quarter a year ago. Net losses for the quarter were $14 million, or $0.13 per share, compared to losses of $27 million in fiscal Q3 of 2018.Analysts had expected losses per share of $0.23.Sonos officially rolled out its partnership with Ikea at the beginning of this month, with the furniture giant selling 2 Sonos-powered and co-branded speaker models in around 300 stores worldwide.Sonos generates revenues by selling Ikea a hardware module necessary for multi-room audio streaming. The company’s Q3 2019 earnings report listed that added revenue in an “other” product category, which grew from $5.5 million in fiscal Q3 of 2018 to $17.7 million for this past quarter. Popular on Variety Related U.S. Delays Tariffs on Smart Phones, Game Consoles, Set-top Boxes Sonos Narrows Losses as Ikea Revenues Start to Roll In ×Actors Reveal Their Favorite Disney PrincessesSeveral actors, like Daisy Ridley, Awkwafina, Jeff Goldblum and Gina Rodriguez, reveal their favorite Disney princesses. Rapunzel, Mulan, Ariel,Tiana, Sleeping Beauty and Jasmine all got some love from the Disney stars.More VideosVolume 0%Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcutsKeyboard Shortcutsplay/pauseincrease volumedecrease volumeseek forwardsseek backwardstoggle captionstoggle fullscreenmute/unmuteseek to %SPACE↑↓→←cfm0-9Next UpJennifer Lopez Shares How She Became a Mogul04:350.5x1x1.25×1.5x2xLive00:0002:1502:15 Granted, that’s still peanuts when compared to the company’s core revenue drivers. During the quarter, wireless speakers were responsible for $104.6 million of revenue, with home theater speakers accounting for close to $89.7 million.However, Sonos clearly believes that the Ikea partnership won’t just add some incremental revenues in the form of hardware module sales. “The IKEA partnership represents an innovative way to bring the Sonos experience to new potential customers at a global scale,” wrote CEO Patrick Spence in his letter to investors.“We believe it has the potential to significantly expand our audience by bringing the Sonos experience into millions of new homes that our current portfolio does not address,” he added. “Once introduced to the simplicity of the Sonos experience, we anticipate that many customers will consider adding additional Sonos products to their homes to augment their home sound systems.”On Wednesday’s earnings call, Sonos CFO Brittany Bagley said that the company was prepared for the 10% tariffs that the Trump administration said it would impose on imports from China starting on September 1. “We are focusing on managing that impact,” she said. “We have been moving towards diversifying our supply chain outside of China.”Spence also used the earnings call to once again hint at plans to release products in new categories. “We see a lot of opportunity in a variety of markets,” Spence said, adding that the company was looking to share “something new we know customers will love” later this quarter.
Get the biggest Daily stories by emailSubscribeSee our privacy noticeThank you for subscribingSee our privacy noticeCould not subscribe, try again laterInvalid EmailHeavy rainfall in Stoke-on-Trent has led to the Environment Agency issuing a flood alert for the city and surrounding areas – as roads are closed due to the weather. The heavy rain has already caused delays on the M6 as slip-roads have had to close and on the A500 while other trunk roads across the region – including Knypersley Road in Smallthorne have seen issues with flooding. There has also been a collision on the A531, Main Road , in Madeley Heath, where the highways team are now dealing with the excess surface water on the carriageway which is currently closed. The picture above shows flooding on Silverdale Road, in Newcastle. Elsewhere in the region, there is queuing traffic on the A50 near to Blythe Bridge and in Upper Hulme there are hazardous driving conditions on the A53 Leek Road. High Lane and Smallthorne roundabouts as well as Victoria Road in Fenton, Bradwell Lane, in Bradwell and Milehouse in Newcastle are also flooded. Eaves Lane in Bucknall also has flooding problems. The Environment Agency has now warned of more issues as the heavy rain persists this morning. A spokesman said: “River levels have risen at the Liverpool Road river gauge as a result of overnight persistent rain and localised heavy showers. “Flooding is affecting low-lying land and roads adjacent to the River Trent between Norton Green and Darlaston including Stoke on Trent, Lyme Brook between Newcastle under Lyme and Hanford, Fowlea Brook at Stoke on Trent and Ford Green Brook. Punter found hiding in bushes Flooding in Tunstall Road, Knypersley. (Image: Stoke Sentinel) “Further heavy rainfall is forecast over the next few hours. We are closely monitoring the situation.” Read MoreTop stories on StokeonTrentLive Driver named following fatal collision
Police search for missing woman Dad slams ‘disgusting’ hospital window The Met Office predicts heavy rainfall in Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire Moorlands up to 2pm. The Met Office has also issued a yellow weather warning for strong winds for our region from now until 7pm tonight and from 1am to 10am tomorrow. Want to tell us about something going on where you live? Let us know – Tweet us @SOTLive or message us on our Facebook page . And if you have pictures to share, tag us on Instagram at StokeonTrentLive .
ATLANTA, Georgia – Twelve Pacific rim countries sealed aTrans-Pacific Partnership deal early Monday on creating the world’s largest free trade area, delivering U.S. President Barack Obama a major policy triumph.Working around the clock for days past their deadline, haggard trade ministers announced they reached agreement on the ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership just before dawn, capping five years of difficult talks led by the United States.The deal aims to set the rules for 21st century trade and investment and press China, not among the 12, to shape its behavior in commerce, investment and business regulation to the TPP standards.“After five years of intensive negotiations, we have come to an agreement that will create jobs, drive sustainable growth, foster inclusive development, and promote innovation across the Asia Pacific Region,” said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.The hard-won deal to create the world’s largest free-trade area, encompassing 40 percent of the global economy, came after five days of round-the-clock talks in an Atlanta hotel.President Obama, who made the TPP a priority of his second term, said the accord reached in Georgia “reflects America’s values and gives our workers the fair shot at success they deserve.”“When more than 95 percent of our potential customers live outside our borders, we can’t let countries like China write the rules of the global economy,” Obama said in a statement. “We should write those rules, opening new markets to American products while setting high standards for protecting workers and preserving our environment.” A dairy farmer protests the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on Sept. 29, 2015 in Ottawa, Ontario. A cow and hundreds of dairy farmers driving tractors blocked road access to Canada’s parliament to protest agricultural concessions in trade talks with other Pacific Rim countries. Michel Comte/AFP‘Trade deal for 21st century’The accord involves significant market openings from Canada, the United States and Japan for farm products from sugar and rice to cheese and beef.Japan has made major concessions to lower tariffs and reduce non-tariff barriers on food imports, long a challenging domestic political issue and a chronic sore point with major food exporters like Australia, New Zealand and the United States.The United States agreed to lower its tariffs on Japanese car parts from non-TPP locations like China and Thailand, even though that hurts the privileged position in the U.S. market that the 1994 NAFTA trade pact gave Canada and Mexico — both in the TPP deal.But more broadly, the agreement establishes mechanisms to handle disputes between foreign investors and governments; requires governments to not discriminate between their own state companies and foreign investors in major contracts; and demands countries like Vietnam, Mexico and Malaysia improve labor standards.It also addresses new issues like data trade and intellectual property that have not been covered in multilateral trade pacts of the past.Canada Trade Minister Ed Fast called the deal “truly transformational.”“The magnitude and importance of rules for 21st century issues can’t be underscored enough. … It will shape the future for many trade agreements in this 21st century,” he said.The talks went four days past deadline to resolve conflicts over Canada and Japan opening up their dairy markets to New Zealand exports, and objections from Australia, Peru and Chile to the U.S. push for longer biologic patent protections.New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser said his side of the talks worked to 5 a.m. Monday morning before an agreement was set.The deal is “profoundly important and beneficial to the generations of people in our respective countries,” he said.The negotiators, including from Singapore and Brunei, also part of the agreement, said everyone had given in some areas and gained in others to reach a deal.“We are satisfied with the result. We’ve defended all our country’s most sensitive issues,” said Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz.Concretely, Fast said, the deal will result in significant reductions of bureaucratic and tariff barriers to trade and investment among the 12 countries.“Red tape is consuming so much world activity, … this is a massive achievement in reducing that red tape,” he said. TPP “is going to lead to far more seamless trade.” A file photo taken on Nov. 10, 2014 shows U.S. President Barack Obama taking part in a meeting with leaders from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Mandel Ngan/AFPRatification challengeThe accord still must be signed and ratified by the respective countries. But that could be a challenge in a number of countries.Many of the details of the deal were negotiated in deep secret, drawing persistent criticism that business interests dominated the talks and that the public interest in many countries was being thrown aside.Once made public, the details of the TPP could spur a backlash, especially in Canada, facing a national election in two weeks, and in the United States, with elections coming in one year.U.S. members of Congress have already warned that they will not ratify any deal that gives up too much in U.S. interests.Powerful U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch warned Monday that he will scour the deal “to determine whether our trade negotiators have diligently followed the law so that this trade agreement meets Congress’s criteria and increases opportunity for American businesses and workers.”Read more free trade stories here Facebook Comments Related posts:Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiators push hard for deal A look at the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which rewrites rules on trade in autos, patented drugs Ex-trade minister Anabel González: TPP, like CAFTA, will help Costa Rica in long run US lawmakers ease Obama’s path to Pacific trade deal
The 5: Takeaways from the Coyotes’ introduction of Alex Meruelo Top Stories Former Arizona Cardinal Michael Floyd spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since his arrest on DUI charges in Scottsdale on Dec. 12.After being cut by the team and picked up by the New England Patriots, Floyd is looking to move on from the situation.“I understand what happened last week was last week and I’m excited about my opportunity here, being a Patriot with a great group of guys, a great group of coaches and an organization that treats people well,” Floyd said in some opening remarks with media members. “I love that organization. Mr. Bidwill treated me very well,” Floyd said. “I really don’t have too big of a comment [about him] saying that. Right now, like I said, I’m glad I’m here. I’m in a good place right now – mentally. These guys brought me in as family and I’m excited to be here.”The Patriots currently have the best record in the AFC at 12-2. BREAKING: New #Patriots WR Michael Floyd addresses media for 1st time since his DUI arrest last week in Arizona.#wbz @LevanReid @WBZPhotog pic.twitter.com/wSqCYgRTOO— Scott Sullivan (@SullyBunz) December 22, 2016He was asked about the remarks of president Michael Bidwill and his disappointment with how the situation was handled in the hours immediately following the arrest. Former Cardinals kicker Phil Dawson retires Derrick Hall satisfied with D-backs’ buying and selling New England Patriots wide receiver Michael Floyd catches a pass as Matthew Slater (18) looks on during an NFL football team practice Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) Comments Share Patriots WR Michael Floyd’s opening remarks before taking questions from reporters. pic.twitter.com/jeUZyy8aph— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 22, 2016Picked up by the Patriots a day after the Cardinals released him last week, Floyd was inactive on Sunday in Denver but could play this Saturday against the New York Jets.On Tuesday, video of his arrest was released and on Wednesday, the official investigation report said his blood alcohol content was .21.Floyd also told the Boston media that he made a mistake and he wants to learn from it.“I think in life everyone makes mistakes,” Floyd said. “I think right now it’s about learning from that mistake. I couldn’t be in a better position with this team, the guys they have around here, just keeping me focused and working hard.” Grace expects Greinke trade to have emotional impact
Saudi Arabia bans many video games after children’s deaths by The Associated Press Posted Jul 16, 2018 7:06 am PDT Last Updated Jul 16, 2018 at 7:40 am PDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia says it’s banning a long list of popular video games after allegations surfaced that two children killed themselves after being encouraged to do so in an online game.The Saudi General Commission for Audio-Visual Media said Monday it was banning 47 games, including Grand Theft Auto V, Assassins Creed 2 and Witcher, for unspecified violations of rules and regulations.The ban was in response to the deaths of a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy who reportedly killed themselves after playing the so-called “Blue Whale” social media game, though the agency did not say what the connection was.Also known as the Blue Whale Challenge, participants are said to be given a series of tasks to complete, capped with killing themselves at the end.