Fighting in Aleppo displaces 50K
The Red Cross says that fighting in Aleppo has displaced 50-thousand people. The Syrian regime began an offensive there earlier this month, backed by Russian air strikes. In the UK, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 500 people had been killed in Aleppo, while The Guardian has reported Syria’s near-five-year war has killed 470-thousand people. The Syrian Centre for Policy Research says 11 and a half percent of the population have been killed or injured since the conflict started.
Hong Kong shares drop
Shares in Hong Kong have dropped four percent at the open on the first day back from a break for the Lunar New Year. South Korean shares also opened lower, down 2.7 percent. Meanwhile, Australian shares were up 0.3 percent. Markets in mainland China are still closed and Japanese markets are closed for a national holiday. Investors have been worried about low oil prices, a spike in the US federal interest rate and the slowdown in the Chinese economy.
2 Republican candidates drop out
Two contenders have dropped out of the race for the Republican candidate in this year’s US presidential election. Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina have ended their campaigns for nomination, after Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primaries on Tuesday. The next step in the race comes later this month in the state of South Carolina, when the parties hold their primaries on different days. The official candidates will be chosen in July when national conventions are held.
No growth for Twitter in fourth quarter
Twitter has revealed its fourth quarter was the first time it’s failed to achieve growth since going public. The company’s shares have fallen 50 percent since its founder, Jack Dorsey, returned as CEO last July. The company’s plans to change its format to attract new users have been controversial. Alterations to customise users’ timelines led to the hashtag RIP Twitter trending. And many people have criticised Dorsey’s proposal to remove the platform's 140 character limit.
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