Trying where Barack Obama failed a week ago, a trio of top European Union policymakers troops to China this weekend to press the case for a stronger yuan. Their chances of success are as dim as those of the U.S. president. China regards a firmer currency as part of the strategy for eventually withdrawing policy

The negative outlook on the Portuguese banking system is based on the expected continuation of the adverse impact of the weak macroeconomic environment on the country's banks, Moody's Investors Service said in its latest banking System Outlook on Portugal. "The weak macroeconomic environment, characterised by contracting GDP and rising unemployment, will adversely affect Portuguese banks'

The Ministry of Health launched Monday the first phase of the free vaccination programme against the H1N1 flu, but only a small number of Cypriots visited the vaccination centers. “The number of people who came to the 19 vaccination centers around the island was very small. But it was the first day”, Minister of Health

Cyprus had, by the end of 2008, one of the best performances in the EU in the field of employment and fulfilled the aims set for 2010 within the framework of the Lisbon Strategy. The figures are included in the Commission report entitled “Employment in Europe” that was published on Monday which shows that the

Financial markets did a quick about-face from the previous session's patterns on Tuesday with stocks falling, the dollar recovering some losses and gold dropping back a bit from record highs. Investors were generally taking profits from Monday's stock rally, which saw U.S. blue chips gain 1.3 percent and European shares 2 percent. There was also

Police in Cyprus detained dozens of elderly women for gambling, a popular but banned past-time on the east Mediterranean island. Police alerted by neighbours found 42 women playing poker and gin rummy at a venue in the coastal town of Limassol. Most were aged between 75 and 85, with the eldest 95. "They were charged

President Barack Obama assured Americans on Monday that boosting jobs was a top priority, but gave no specifics about how to meet this goal that some economists say warrants more government spending. The White House said separately that all "sensible and reasonable measures" would be considered to encourage employment, but also stressed that it must

Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Antonis Paschalides and Israeli Minister of Tourism Stas Misejnikov have held a meeting in Tel Aviv during which they agreed that there is great potential for further cooperation of the two countries in the field of tourism. According to an official press release issued in Nicosia Monday, Paschalides invited

Japan's Nikkei average hit its lowest close in four months on Tuesday as banking shares were sold on persistent worries that more financial firms would tap the market for equity financing and as a stronger yen hurt shares of exporters. Japan Airlines Corp plunged to a record low on worries about a possible bankruptcy, while

The dollar stabilised in early trade on Tuesday after losing ground in New York, while Asian shares slipped as investors shrugged off upbeat U.S. home sale data and took a breather after recent gains. The dollar recovered ground as investors in Asia grew more cautious ahead of a string of U.S. economic data this week