* Cyprus moves up 4 places in World Bank ranking, but is it enough? * ‘+’ Faster property registration ‘-’ Paying taxes, construction permits Cyprus has moved up four places in the World Bank’s annual Doing Business report, ranking 36th in the 2013 benchmark report, from 40th last year, but has failed to impress as
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British singer Adele notched another accolade on Thursday as iTunes announced that her Grammy-winning album "21" was the top-selling record of 2012 in its U.S. store, extending the disc's successful run almost two years after it was released. Adele, 24, who last year became the first artist to secure three iTunes milestones with top-selling album,
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Asian shares were mixed on Friday with a pick-up in China's manufacturing sector lending support but worries over the progress of U.S. budget talks to avert the "fiscal cliff" weighing on investor sentiment. European shares were expected to start higher, with financial spreadbetters predicting London's FTSE 100, Paris's CAC-40 and Frankfurt's DAX will open as
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European leaders agreed to press on with further steps to shore up their finances and sustain momentum in tackling the debt crisis on Friday, a day af ter clinching a deal on banking su pervision and approving lon g-delayed aid to Greece. After more than eight hours of late-night talks at a summit in Brussels,
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With the pressure off after finance ministers clinched a significant agreement on a single banking supervisor, European Union leaders differed widely at a summit on Thursday over the next steps for their troubled currency union. Before tucking into marinated salmon with fromage blanc and pan-fried turbot with boiled pumpkin, the 27 leaders argued along well-worn
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The EU needs to quickly push through the next phase of its banking union, following a landmark agreement on the first stage towards a more pooled sovereignty, ECB President Mario Draghi said in the Financial Times on Thursday. EU finance ministers agreed on Thursday, after marathon overnight talks, to create a single banking mechanism (SSM)
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The China release of its iPhone 5 on Friday should win Apple Inc some respite from a recent slide in its share of what is likely already the world's biggest smartphone market, but its longer-term hopes may depend on new technology being tested by China's top telecoms carrier. Cupertino, California-based Apple has been in talks
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More than a million migrant workers in Thailand, most of them from Myanmar, face being deported after a deadline for getting work permits passes on Friday, a potential threat to industry and a situation activists say could lead to rights abuses. "After today, those who work in Thailand illegally will have to travel back to
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President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias has expressed disappointment with the stance of the International Monetery Fund and the Eurogroup. Invited to comment on the IMF and the Eurogroup, President Christofias said “I am frustrated and disappointed”. The President was replying at a question on his arrival to the Justus Lipsius building where
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PIMCO preliminary assessment results will be instrumental in determining the financing of a potential Cyprus program, IMF Spokesman Gerry Rice has said. Rice was replying to a question on the progress achieved in talks with the Cyprus government on an international rescue agreement. “The discussion between the Cypriot authorities and the IMF and our partners
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