Japan posts fifth straight current account surplus in November

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan posted a current account surplus for the fifth consecutive month in November as a weaker yen helped boost repatriated returns on foreign investment, official data showed yesterday.

Japan logged a surplus of 433.0 billion yen (US$3.7 billion) in the current account, reversing a deficit of 596.9 billion yen a year earlier, the finance ministry said.

The current account is the broadest measure of the country’s trade with the rest of the world, measuring not only trade in goods but also services, tourism and returns on foreign investment.

In November, Japan’s deficit in merchandise trade shrank sharply, helped by higher exports and falling oil bills.

Overall income, meanwhile, improved with higher gains from equity and other direct investment, as well as from investment in financial items, data showed.

The rise was inflated by a weaker yen, the consequence of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s pro-spending policy and the Bank of Japan’s massive monetary easing.

“On the back of the weak yen and the steady global economy, Japan’s investment income overseas is expanding remarkably,” said Daiki Takahashi, economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute in Tokyo.

“The nation’s trade deficit is also shrinking partially, thanks to a drop in oil prices,” Takahashi said. “Japan is likely to continue enjoying a current account surplus for now.”

View the original article here

Japan posts fifth straight current account surplus in November

US swimmer on fifth Cuba-Florida bid

1 September 2013 Last updated at 04:11 ET Diana Nyad has battled jellyfish, sharks and storms on her previous attempts

US endurance swimmer Diana Nyad is again trying to become the first person to swim from the Cuban capital, Havana, to Florida without a shark cage.

Her last attempt, a year ago, was hampered by rough seas and jellyfish stings.

The 64-year-old says this will be her fifth and last try to cross the 166km-wide (103 mile-wide) Florida Straits.

She is wearing a special silicone mask to protect her face from the jellyfish.

In an update posted on her website shortly before midnight on Saturday local time (04:00 GMT on Sunday), members of her support team said she was doing “remarkably well” and that she was swimming at her expected pace.

“I think I have some luck in my favour with Mother Nature. And I’m ready and the jellyfish protection that we’ve spoken about [is] better than it’s ever been,” she said as she prepared to jump into the water in Havana on Saturday.

Lifetime ambition

Ms Nyad said the specially-made mask makes it more difficult to breathe and would slow her down but would help her “get through those animals”.

She said it could take her up to three days to complete the crossing. She has a team of 35 people to help her keep her course and giver her food and water.

On her 2012 attempt, Diana Nyad’s face swelled up after being stung by jellyfish

During her last attempt in August 2012, she had to be pulled out of the water after 41 hours when a squall and repeated stings by poisonous jellyfish made it impossible for her to continue.

She first tried to complete the crossing in 1978 with a shark cage.

A second attempt – without a cage – in 2011 had to be called off because of shoulder pain and an asthma attack. Later the same year, jellyfish stings ended her third bid at the crossing.

Speaking at a news conference in Cuba on Friday she said this would be her last attempt.

“It’s been thrilling for me – it was 35 years ago, and it still is – to do something no-one else has done. It’s all been worthwhile,” she said.

“But this time if I don’t make it, I will stand tall and I say: ‘I have nothing more to bring’.”

In June, Australian endurance swimmer Chloe McCardle tried to make the crossing without a shark cage but had to give up after also being stung by jellyfish.

View the original article here

US swimmer on fifth Cuba-Florida bid

Jamaica fifth in Hoerman Cup

AFTER a tenacious hold on the lead, the Puerto Rican team has captured the coveted Hoerman Cup with a total of 1,162.

The team had all but one round in the seventies. The Dominican Republic finished second with 1,180, and the OECS third with 1,216. Trinidad and Tobago (1,221) placed fourth.Jamaica’s Hoerman Cup team comprising Christopher Clarke (319), Ian Facey (293), William Knibbs (320), Jonathan Newnham (310), and Paul Thompson (307) finished with a total of 1,226, which gave them a fifth-place finish in the tournament.Sean Morris and first-timer Lindell Bartley bounced back Friday with a final-round score of 73 in the Ramon Beaz competition, however, the two-man team finished the tournament on 291 (68,71, 79, 73), 20 strokes behind the Dominican Republic. Trinidad and Tobago (280) finished second, ahead of the US Virgin Islands (283).The senior team of Greg Chong and Radcliff Knibbs picked up seven strokes more than Thursday’s impressive round of 67. However, Friday’s score of 74 ushered them into third position in the Francis & Steele-Perkins competition.The US Virgin Islands team, on Friday, captured the Francis & Steele-Perkins Championship Cup for the first time with 283 strokes. Puerto Rico finished a strong second on 286.Despite their challenges, Hamar Dayes and Phillip Wilson, who is representing Jamaica at the regional championships for the first time, improved Thursday’s score by three shots and ended the Higgs & Higgs Championship event in sixth position.The experienced Puerto Rican team of Carlos Matos and Israel Ortiz won this segment of the competition with rounds of 71, 69, 69, 69. Trinidad & Tobago were nine strokes behind on 287, and the Bahamian team took third place with 291.All the Jamaican ladies shaved shots off the third round. Rochell Prince improved her round by one shot. Jodi Munn-Barrow took off four shots, and Michele Gabay shot 87, her lowest round of the championship.Their combined total of 704 left them with the same total as the Bahamians. The Trinidadian ladies team copped the George Teale Memorial Trophy, 16 shots ahead of the Puerto Rican team. The US Virgin Islands ladies team placed third.

HOUSE RULES

1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper – email addresses will not be published.

2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.

4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.

5. Please don’t use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed:mailto:advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.

6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.

7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

comments powered by

View the original article here

Jamaica fifth in Hoerman Cup