March, 2016

• 23 March

  Deutsche cautions management not to pay too much for LSE

  

  Bloomberg Some of the biggest shareholders of Deutsche Boerse AG are cautioning management not to overpay for London Stock Exchange Group Plc if a counteroffer emerges, according to people familiar with the matter. Intercontinental Exchange Inc. is contemplating a bid for LSE, which last week agreed to a deal with Frankfurt-based Deutsche Boerse. The German exchange would get 54 percent ...

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• 23 March

  German ‘five wise men’ trim 2016 growth forecast

  Frankfurt / AFP Global uncertainties will shave around 0.1 percentage point off growth in Germany this year, but Europe’s economic powerhouse remains in a moderate uptrend, an expert panel said on Wednesday. The German Council of Economic Experts, known as the five “wise men”, said it is forecasting gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 1.5 percent this year — fractionally ...

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• 23 March

  Finance industry would flourish outside EU, says London Mayor

  

  Bloomberg London’s finance industry would “flourish mightily” if Britain votes to leave the European Union in the referendum on June 23, London Mayor Boris Johnson told lawmakers. Citing discussions with unidentified senior bankers, Johnson, a leading opponent of Prime Minister David Cameron’s campaign to keep the U.K. in the 28-nation bloc, said support for staying in the EU is “shallow” ...

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• 23 March

  Merkel seeks defence boost in German budget

  

  Bloomberg Chancellor Angela Merkel is poised to back increases in German spending on defense and infrastructure in a budget plan that seeks to address global risks and the refugee crisis that’s her biggest domestic challenge. The blueprint, set for approval by Merkel’s Cabinet, foresees a 2.7 percent increase in spending next year and balanced federal budgets through 2020, according to ...

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• 23 March

  France’s Hermes bags luxurious profits

  Paris / AFP French luxury goods group Hermes said on Wednesday that net profit rose to skim the billion-euro mark last year despite an economic slowdown in China, the Paris terror attacks and currency fluctuations. Hermes, known for its leather handbags such as the Birkin named for the British singer and its silk square scarves, posted growth across the regions ...

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• 23 March

  ‘Bomber brothers’ identified as Belgium intensifies manhunt

  

  Brussels / AFP Two suicide bombers who struck Brussels were identified on Wednesday as brothers linked to the prime suspect in the November 13 Paris attacks, as a manhunt for a third assailant in Belgium’s bloodiest terror assault gained pace. A day after the triple blasts that killed some 35 people and left around 250 injured, in an operation claimed ...

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• 23 March

  Europe let security slip, says Australia

  

  Sydney / AFP Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Wednesday that Europe had “allowed security to slip”, as he questioned the EU’s Schengen passport-free zone in the wake of the Brussels attacks. Turnbull’s comments came as Belgium’s neighbours France, Germany and the Netherlands tightened border security after some 35 people were killed in Belgium’s worst extremist assault. Security at ...

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• 23 March

  ‘Urgent’ need to bolster EU external border controls: French PM

  Paris / AFP France’s prime minister on Wednesday said there was an “urgent need” to tighten controls on the European Union’s external borders after deadly bombings in Brussels claimed by the IS group. “There is an urgent need to strengthen the external borders of the European Union,” Manuel Valls told French radio. Heightened vigilance was required to stop people crossing ...

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• 23 March

  Brussels airport remains closed amid investigation

  Brussels / Bloomberg Brussels Airport will remain closed on Wednesday as terrorism investigators sift through the site seeking evidence in the twin bombing attacks a day ago that killed at least 31 people. “Because the forensic investigation is still under way, we currently have no access to the building,” the airport said in a statement on its website. “It is ...

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• 23 March

  Lavrov urges Europe to drop ‘geopolitical games’

  Moscow / AFP Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday called for Europe to drop its “geopolitical games” and unite behind efforts to fight terrorism, a day after attacks in Brussels killed around 30 people. “I really hope that Europeans, in the face of the terrible threat of terrorism that occurred yesterday in Brussels, will put aside their geopolitical games ...

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