Philippine's fourth quarter gross domestic product increased by 6.3% driven mainly by higher private consumption, government expenditure as well as an increase in economic activity.

The Republican Debate is going to be held in Iowa State on Thursday. The fast food workers under the banner of ‘$15 per hour minimum wage movement’ have called strike on the very day apparently due to gain media attraction. The strike has been called demanding immediate implementation of the said minimum wage rate across the country and union rights. However, the demands have already been supported by many Democratic candidates and furnished in their election manifesto.

The British Pound strengthened against major global currencies after a report on UK's GDP growth. The report said that UK's economy speeded up during the fourth quarter of 2015. The rise in consumer demand helped the economy expansion. The British Pound recovered from the two-week low of 1.4338 against the US dollar to at $1.4314.

Anglo American's copper production and from retained operations rose 23 percent for the fourth quarter of 2015. The overall copper equivalent basis production for 2015 rose five percent when compared with 2014. Majority of metals including copper, coal, nickel and iron ore tumbled during the second half of 2015. The copper inventory of Anglo American was at 197,631 tons as on 2015.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles developed a non-invasive electric patch to treat the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The electric patch uses trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) technique to stimulate the nucleus tractus solitaries to produce pain killer compounds in the brain.

The summit will provide a platform for foreign investors, African companies, and regulators to meet, discuss relevant issues, and form relationships. East Africa has a strong potential to develop Islamic Finance because of the high demand for its services and products.

Wendy's, the famous fast-food chain is the latest victim of credit card data breach. The company's banking sources detected unusual patterns on customer credit cards right after they were used at a Wendy's outlet, and informed the company right-away. It immediately hired a cybersecurity firm to investigate the fraudulent activities that seem to have been tracked to Midwest and, lately, the East Coast. The investigation is currently ongoing and Wendy's did not provide any clear information on the findings.

Malaysia has trimmed its growth forecast mainly due to plunging oil prices. A miscalculated assumption has messed up the 2016 budget, which has the government groping for damage-control measures. One of the key outcomes were increasing the household spending of the country, which can give the sluggish economy a much-needed boost.

Boeing has announced reducing production during 2016. The news has caused US Aerospace Share prices to go down by 9% on Wednesday, which has regained a little on Thursday. The production cut is not due to tattering financial condition of the aircraft manufacturer, but it is related to a transforming strategy. Still the manufacturer holds orders for delivery of around 6,000 aircraft, which represents a different tale.

Aedes mosquitoes are the bearer of Zika virus which is available across the US. WHO warns the US for a probable Zika virus induced epidemic. Brazil has appeared as the most Zika affected country. The US and other governments have issued a travel alert for the pregnant women forbidding to visit the Zika prone region. The travel alert has offbeat the organizers of the Rio de Janeiro olympic scheduled to be held in August.