ECB not answerable to any parliamentary control on May 15, 2016FRANKFURT: German economic adviser Isabel Schnabel has said that the European Central Bank (ECB) has become too powerful, but largely because politicians have foisted an increasingly political role onto it. “The ECB has gained enormous power, even though it is not answerable to any parliamentary control. I take a critical view of this,” The adviser […]
UN envoy to Yemen says optimistic about peace deal on May 15, 2016KUWAIT CITY: UN special envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has said that he is optimistic about achieving a peaceful settlement in the war-torn country, but admitted difficult matters remain unresolved. He said that some progress had been achieved in the talks which began on April 21. Now, “we have an opportunity to reach […]
Italy set to double baby bonus to fight birth rate apocalypse on May 15, 2016ROME: Italy’s Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin has proposed to double ‘baby bonus’ incentive for couples to have more children to combat what she calls a catastrophic decline in the country’s birth rate. “If we carry on as we are and fail to reverse the trend, there will be fewer than 350,000 births a year in […]
Maduro declares 3-month emergency in Venezuela on May 14, 2016CARACAS: Embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared a three-month state of emergency late Friday to face threats from abroad, as his emboldened opposition geared for a vote to oust him from office. In an address to the nation, Maduro said that he had signed a new state of emergency decree to neutralise and defeat foreign […]
Trade at Tunisia-Libya crossing to resume very soon: officials on May 14, 2016ZARZIS: Tunisian and Libyan authorities have reached a deal to lift a trade blockade at their main border crossing on Saturday, officials said. According to Tunisian Governor Tahar Matmati, the breakthrough came after an agreement related to customs duties for goods passing through Ras Edir was reached on late Friday. Libyan border officials halted all […]
Two reporters shot dead in India within 24 hours on May 14, 2016NEW DELHI: In the latest media killing in Asia’s deadliest country for reporters, gunmen shot dead two journalists in 24 hours in separate incidents in eastern India on Saturday, police and local reports said. Rajdeo Ranjan, the local bureau chief for Daily Hindustan, was travelling on his motorcycle late on Friday in Bihar state when […]
Temer vows to get Brazil back on rails on May 14, 2016BRASILIA: Brazil’s Acting President Michel Temer vowed to get Latin America’s largest economy back on track after a cascade of crises-finally put an end to 13 years of leftist rule. He presided over the first meeting of his new business-friendly cabinet and set out its priorities including; creating a leaner government, balancing finances to address […]
France, Nigeria sign letter of intent ahead of defence agreement on May 14, 2016ABUJA: French President Francois Hollande and his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday signed a “letter of intent” to pave the way for a defence agreement between the two countries. Hollande, who met Buhari at the presidential villa in the Nigerian capital, also signed several accords strengthening existing cooperation, including through France’s main development agency, […]
Deutsche Post set to deliver on 2016 targets after strong Q1 on May 11, 2016FRANKFURT – German postal services and logistics giant Deutsche Post, owner of express delivery specialist DHL, on Wednesday said it was on track to meet its full-year targets after a strong first three months. “We’ve had a good start to the current year,” said chief executive Frank Appel. “The efforts we made in 2015 to […]
Trump rolls unrivaled, Sanders takes West Virginia on May 11, 2016WASHINGTON: Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump cruised to victory in two more states, while Bernie Sanders beat rival Democrat Hillary Clinton in West Virginia to bolster his argument for remaining in the race. The substantial wins in West Virginia and Nebraska according to early results put Trump ever closer to clinching the 1,237 delegates […]