Dhaka /Â AFP A Bangladeshi radical party allied to the opposition has elected a new chief untainted by war crime allegations, seeking to turn the page after the execution of several of its top leaders. Jamaat-e-Islami said in a statement late Monday it had sworn in former school teacher Maqbul Ahmed as its leader after a secret ballot of party ...
Read More »Blog Layout
UN announces truce in fresh attempt to end Yemen war
Aden / AFP The United Nations has announced a new ceasefire in war-ravaged Yemen from early Thursday, after a week of escalated fighting sparked new international calls to end the conflict. While President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s government and its Saudi backers said they would support the truce, there has been no word from the Iran-backed rebels who control the ...
Read More »Splits plunge S Africa’s liberation party into turmoil
Johannesburg /Â AFP South Africa’s government has descended into open warfare as a clash between President Jacob Zuma and his finance minister unveils rivalries that could tip the country into instability. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party looks set for worsening strife as its divided leadership struggles with falling popular support, a weakening economy and violent student protests. Finance ...
Read More »UK must fulfil duty to Calais migrant kids, says France
Paris / AFP Britain must fulfil its duties towards unaccompanied migrant children in the Calais “Jungle” camp, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in an article published on Tuesday, just a day after more than a dozen teenagers were transferred to the UK. “(The) French government has now decided to dismantle the Calais camp for good,” Cazeneuve said in ...
Read More »Oil at $50-60 ensures adequate supply: Saudi
Bloomberg & Reuters Officials from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, key protagonists in shaping OPEC policy, said oil at $50 to $60 a barrel would ensure adequate global supply, setting out a potential price band for the producer club before its meeting in Vienna next month. “A $50, $60 oil price — absent a supply accident — is sufficient to ...
Read More »Iran October oil exports hold near 5-year, pre-sanctions level high
Reuters Iran’s October crude and condensate exports are set to hold near five-year highs hit in September, a source with knowledge of its preliminary tanker schedule said, reflecting Tehran’s success in boosting shipments after Western sanctions were lifted. The No. 3 OPEC producer is producing around 4.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude and ultra light oil condensate, ...
Read More »Oil gains above $50 amid OPEC output cut plans
Bloomberg Oil rose as the dollar weakened, edging back above the $50 level where prices have hovered since rallying on OPEC’s decision to cut output last month. West Texas Intermediate futures advanced 1 percent in New York, erasing Monday’s 0.8 percent slide. The dollar sank, increasing the appeal of commodities denominated in the currency, on speculation that a pick-up ...
Read More »Egypt to raise additional $6bn required for IMF deal soon
Bloomberg Egyptian Finance Minister Amr El Garhy said his country would gather an additional $6 billion in bilateral funding required to secure a $12 billion International Monetary Fund loan within one or two weeks. The IMF in August agreed in principle to grant Egypt a $12 billion, three-year loan facility to support a government reform programme aimed at plugging ...
Read More »Vodafone enters Iranian market
Reuters Vodafone has agreed a partnership with Iranian internet firm HiWeb to help modernise its network, the companies said on Tuesday, making the British company the latest Western firm to enter Iran after sanctions were lifted. Vodafone, the world’s second-largest mobile phone company, said the agreement to help modernise HiWEB’s network and IT infrastructure would also benefit its multinational ...
Read More »India mulls $3.1bn boost for solar panel sector
Bloomberg Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is planning a 210 billion-rupee ($3.1 billion) package of state aid for India’s solar panel manufacturing industry, according to two officials. The so-called Prayas initiative, short for for “ Pradhan Mantri Yojana for Augmenting Solar Manufacturing,†a central-government plan designed to lift India’s installed photovoltaic capacity as well as to create an export ...
Read More »