Rome / AFP Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has compared Europe’s recent economic policies to administering drugs to artificially prolong the life of a terminally ill patient. A regular critic of EU’s budget deficit rules, Renzi said in an open letter published by La Repubblica on Thursday that austerity economics had resulted in Europe being left behind by the United …

Zika is a rarity in Brazil: a crisis that isn’t widely blamed on Dilma Rousseff ’s government. And a mobilization against mosquitoes may even help the president climb out of a political hole. In the northeastern town of Limoeiro, corruption scandals and a deepening recession have eroded support for Rousseff ’s Workers’ Party. But the town in Pernambuco state is …

Dubai / Emirates Business The UAE’s Emaar Properties, the developer of the world’s tallest tower, has bought a stake in a South African project development and management consultancy, an Emaar spokesperson has confirmed. The consultancy has delivered an estimated $6.43bn-worth of schemes across the African, Indian Ocean and Middle Eastern regions. “Emaar has acquired a stake in Mirage Leisure & …