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Kuwait City / AFP A Kuwaiti court on Wednesday said a government decision to increase petrol prices was unlawful nearly one month after it took effect in the oil-rich Gulf country. The court said the decision “breached the law” because of procedural flaws, according to a copy of the verdict obtained by AFP. It said the price hike should have ...

  Rome / AFP Italy has slashed its growth forecasts for this year and next, nine weeks before a referendum shaping up as make-or-break vote on the centre-left government’s record that could send shockwaves across Europe. Speaking after a cabinet meeting on updated budget plans for 2017, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he was now making a “prudent” prediction of ...

  Athens / AFP The Greek parliament has adopted fresh austerity measures sought by its international creditors, including expediting privatisation of utility companies. The reforms were passed by 152 of the 293 parliamentary deputies present, deputy speaker Yorgos Varemenos announced after the debate. The vote opens the way for 2.8 billion euros ($3.1 billion) in loans, which have been blocked ...

  Paris / AFP The French government defended its 2017 budget on Wednesday, seven months ahead of the presidential election, after a top watchdog said it doubted it could hit its fiscal targets. France, which has repeatedly broken the European Union’s fiscal rules, is targeting a deficit of 2.7 percent of GDP for 2017, the lowest in a decade and ...

  Bloomberg The Nordic members of the European Union have vowed to work closer together to make up for the potential loss of a key ally, the U.K. Meeting Wednesday in the Finnish island of Aaland, the leaders of Sweden, Denmark and Finland agreed to explore ways of cooperating on some of the crucial battles they will face in Brussels. ...

  AFP A major US health insurance company has said it will help buy Apple smartwatches for customers as part of a move to integrate the gadgets into wellness management programs. Aetna announced that, in the coming open enrollment period, it will make Apple Watch buys an option for large employers and individual customers, becoming the first major health care ...

  Sofia / AFP Bulgaria on Wednesday switched its candidate to be the next head of the United Nations, shaking up the race to succeed Ban Ki-moon when he steps down on December 31. Sofia is now throwing its weight behind European Commission Vice President Kristalina Georgieva, dumping UNESCO chief Irina Bokova after she came a lowly sixth in the ...

  New Delhi / AFP A key South Asian summit was in doubt on Wednesday after India and three other countries pulled out following a deadly attack on an army base that New Delhi blames on a Pakistan-based group. India has sought to isolate Pakistan in the wake of the raid on its base in the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

  Brussels / AFP The EU said on Wednesday it hopes to move the remaining 30,000 eligible refugees out of Greece by the end of next year, but appears set to fall far short of its plan to share 160,000 migrants around the bloc. The European Commission insisted there had been “important progress” despite so far only 5,651 refugees having been ...

  Jalalabad / AFP Civilians were among at least 18 people killed in a US air strike against IS extremists in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, officials said, with conflicting claims about the number of civilian deaths. The attack happened in Achin district, a hotbed of IS insurgents in Nangarhar province near the border with Pakistan, as local residents gathered to welcome ...