And for billionaire Richard Branson, it’s no different. Only when the British entrepreneur was met with a cancelled flight in the early 80s, it inspired another response, too: A new business idea. Branson — already a successful businessman, having formed Virgin Records some years earlier — was due to fly to the British Virgin Islands to be reunited with a “lovely lady” on his private Necker Island, when his American Airlines flight was suddenly cancelled. “I was livid because I hadn’t seen her f

Ride-hailing company Grab said Monday it will team up with one of Singapore’s major telecommunication services providers, Singtel, to apply for a digital full bank license in the country. The companies are set to form a consortium where Grab will own a 60% stake and Singtel will hold the remaining 40%, according to a joint statement. Their target market would be digital-first users and small and medium-sized businesses who say they struggle to access credit, Grab and Singtel said. While ride-hai

Major Asia Pacific stocks ended mixed on Monday — the last full trading day of the year for several major markets in the region. Mainland Chinese markets rose at the close of the trading day on Monday. The Shanghai composite gained 1.16% to end at 3,040.02, while the Shenzhen composite was higher by 0.92% and closed at 1,713.51. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was also higher, rising more than 0.3% in its final hour of trade. Meanwhile, Chinese private university operator Shanghai Gench Education Gr

China’s Premier Li Keqiang (center) speaks at a joint press conference at the 8th trilateral leaders’ meeting between China, South Korea and Japan in Chengdu, in southwest China’s Sichuan province on December 24, 2019. Riven by legacies of unimaginable war atrocities, decades of Japanese occupation and colonial rule, Asia’s top three economies — China, Japan and South Korea — held a meeting last week. Apart from that, China and South Korea have running disputes with Japan about unresolved territ

Tesla has started delivering Model 3 electric cars built at its Shanghai factory in just under a year since it began work on the $2 billion plant, a record for global automakers in China, and said it would ramp up deliveries from next month. The China-made Model 3 sedans are priced at 355,800 yuan ($50,000) before subsidies. Imported Model 3 vehicles start at 439,000 yuan for the longer-range version, while the standard range plus model costs under $40,000 in the United States. The Shanghai plan

Zhang Peng | LightRocket | Getty ImagesTechnology and bank stocks in Asia dominated the top picks for analysts in 2019, as shares in the region made strong gains this year. The valuations of Asian stocks, meanwhile, climbed to a new two-year high in November, going by Refinitiv data. Top picksChinese tech giant Alibaba is the most-loved company in Asia, according to Refinitiv data. In tech stocks elsewhere, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics was also a favorite. Refinitiv data showed that there w

2019 has been Disney’s year at the box office. With the total U.S. box office currently hovering around $11.26 billion, Disney-produced films account for about 33% of the total market. In 2008, Disney accounted for only 10.5% of the U.S. box office. Last year, Disney-produced films represented 26.3% of the U.S. industry. Disney packed 2019 with major releases as it prepared the launch of its streaming service, Disney+.

An exterior view of West Freeway Church of Christ where a shooting took place during services on December 29, 2019 in White Settlement, Texas. The gunman was killed by armed members of the church after he opened fire during Sunday services. Congregants shot and killed a man who opened fire in a church near Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday, killing the attacker, police said. It said church members can be heard screaming and crying. It is not the first deadly shooting to take place at a church in Texa

Health misinformation was a big deal this year. To get a sense of the landscape of fake health news this year, NBC News compiled a list of the most viral health misinformation and analyzed the data to see where it spread and how people engaged with it. The most viral health misinformation in 2019 was on the topics of cancer, unproven cures and vaccines, according to NBC’s review. Many of those viral articles have been debunked with official, medically supported explanations that include SIDS, pn

This undated picture released from North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 5, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting the defence detachment on Jangjae Islet and the Hero Defence Detachment on Mu Islet. WASHINGTON — North Korea, the only nation to test nuclear weapons this century, spent most of President Donald Trump’s first year in office tuning up its nuclear arsenal. Under third-generation North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the reclusive state has conducte

The long-time bull believes the record rally will take a breather because valuation multiples are getting back to nosebleed altitudes. “I’ve been shooting for 3,500 for the S&P 500 by the end of next year, and we’re getting closer. I’d like this bull market to continue at a leisurely pace, not in a melt-up fashion.” Since then, the S&P 500 is up almost 7% while the Nasdaq has surged about 9%. His 2020 S&P 500 target is tied for highest on Wall Street.

Twenty20For some couples, this winter holiday will be unforgettable. The average American wedding costs nearly $39,000, and more young couples are covering the tab themselves. Beyond just words, exchange credit reports and tax returns, she advised; then, go over any late payments or other signs of trouble. “It’s important to get actual information and not just an impression of someone’s finances from the lifestyle they lead,” she added. “There are a lot of people who are living and wearing signs

If you’d like 2020 to be another of positive financial steps, don’t just rely on the economy and luck. Instead, craft realistic resolutions that can help motivate and propel you toward even greater financial highs. Knowing where you already stand — what progress you made, and what remains to be done — is essential to making even better progress for 2020. Cover all your basesYou can’t climb the highest peaks without first ensuring you’ve got solid footing, so cover all your financial bases. Still

REUTERS/Tom BrennerThe Taliban’s ruling council agreed Sunday to a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan, providing a window in which a peace agreement with the United States can be signed, officials from the insurgent group said. The U.S. wants any deal to include a promise from the Taliban that Afghanistan would not be used as a base by terrorist groups. Four members of the Taliban negotiating team met for a week with the ruling council before they agreed on the brief cease-fire. The first item

New or higher registration fees go into effect Wednesday for electric vehicle owners in at least eight states. Imposing fees on electric vehicles is one of several societal trends reflected in laws taking effect in 2020. Until now, the federal government and some states have offered incentives to people to buy electric vehicles. “It’s kind of a blanket penalty for anyone who chooses to go electric,” said Neda Deylami, a Tesla owner who founded Chicago for EVs, a group that advocates for electric

The 2019 U.S. box office is headed toward the second-best annual haul in cinematic history. In 2018, the U.S. box office brought in nearly $11.9 billion. The current second-highest box office haul occurred in 2016 when ticket sales rose to $11.38 billion. If ticket sales are weak in the next few days, 2019 could end up as the third-biggest year. If those films are well-received by audiences, 2020 could have a chance of catching 2018′s $11.88 billion ticket sales record.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military carried out “precision defense strikes” in Iraq and Syria against a militia group following a string of attacks on Iraqi bases that host American servicemembers. “Iran and their KH proxy forces must cease their attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, and respect Iraq’s sovereignty, to prevent additional defensive actions by U.S. forces,” Hoffman added. The Pentagon said in a statement that three locations in Iraq and two in Syria were targeted by U.S. forces. The loc

Residents and holidaymakers in part of the Australian state of Victoria were urged to leave on Sunday ahead of what is expected to be a day of extreme fire danger. State Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp told both residents and tens of thousands of holidaymakers in the East Gippsland region to leave no later than Monday morning. “We are asking you to now leave East Gippsland from that area east of Bairnsdale,” Crisp said, referring to a city 280 km (174 miles) east of Melbourne. The

Officials estimate about 200,000 domestic and international tourists cancelled or postponed their trip to the Taj Mahal in the past two weeks, one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions. “There has been a 60% decline in visitor footfalls in December this year,” said Dinesh Kumar, a police inspector overseeing a special tourist police station near the Taj Mahal who has access to visitor data. The Taj Mahal, situated in the town of Agra, attracts over 6.5 million tourists every year, gene

Ukrainian servicemen are seen in the settlement of Odradivka prior to a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels on December 29, 2019. Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have started an all-for-all prisoner swap, after which all remaining prisoners of the five-year conflict should return home, the office of Ukraine’s president said on Sunday. The agreement was concluded by Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zele