Even in the depths of recession, southern Europe is showing a sneaking regard for the single-minded way that Margaret Thatcher rammed through some of the very policies that are now putting the region on the rack. The free-market principles of the former British prime minister, who died on Monday aged 87, are too radical for
More
Households in many peripheral euro zone countries are on average wealthier than those in the bloc's core, a study published by the European Central Bank on Tuesday showed. The Eurosystem household finance and consumption survey, which included all euro zone countries except Ireland and Estonia, showed that often the households in bailed-out countries have more
More
A powerful earthquake killed four people in southern Iran on Tuesday close to the country's only nuclear power station, state television and agencies reported. A Red Cross official said two villages had been heavily damaged by the magnitude 6.3 quake but the Russian company that built the Bushehr plant said the reactor was undamaged. Offices
More
Austria will join Luxembourg for talks with the European Union on how to crack down on cross-border tax cheats, Chancellor Werner Faymann said on Tuesday, signalling an easing of Vienna's hardline stance on coveted bank secrecy. Faymann, a Social Democrat, stressed that Austrians' domestic bank accounts would remain shielded from the taxman's prying eye, but
More
Current activity clearly indicates that Cyprus will be at the forefront of natural gas resource development in the Eastern Mediterranean region, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has said. In an address at an Eastern Mediterranean Gas Conference in Nicosia, on Tuesday, read on his behalf by Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Nicos Kouyialis, President
More
Natural gas proceeds can give a boost to the economy, according to Noble Energy CEO Charles Davidson. Davidson, who was addressing an Eastern Mediterranean Gas Conference in Nicosia, said that according to an Israeli Central Bank estimate, natural gas proceeds from the Tamar block alone are expected to add 1% to the country’s GDP. On
More
Britain's top share index rose on Tuesday, as heavyweight miners led the index higher following encouraging data out of China and a good start to the U.S. earnings season in the sector. Inflation eased off in China, leaving the door open for a further relaxation in monetary policy in the world's number one metals consumer,
More
Hong Kong shares posted their first gain in four sessions on Tuesday as slower-than-expected inflation in China eased concerns about potential tightening moves in the world's second-largest economy. The Hang Seng Index closed up 0.7% at 21,870.3 on Tuesday, its first gain since April 2. The China Enterprises Index of the top Chinese listings in
More
President Vladimir Putin defended Russia's treatment of homosexuals on Monday in Amsterdam, where 1,000 gay rights activists waved pink and orange balloons and blasted out dance music to press home their protest. Western nations need Russia for energy and as a market for exports but are uneasy about Putin's human rights policies and his treatment
More
Britain and admirers worldwide are mourning Margaret Thatcher, who has died aged 87, as the "Iron Lady" who rolled back the state and faced down her enemies during 11 years as Britain's first woman prime minister. Her impact on the 1980s was such that opponents, including Labour's Tony Blair and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, led
More