How the world sees Greece
The Greek ambassador to Brazil has been found dead in a burned-out rental car. Police suspect he was murdered. Ambassador Kyriakos Amiridis was last seen Monday in Rio de Janeiro, where he was on vacation. His body was found Thursday in the trunk of the ...
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A Rio de Janeiro police officer has admitted killing Greece's ambassador to Brazil possibly at the behest of the diplomat’s Brazilian wife with whom he was having an affair, Reuters reported Friday, citing a Brazilian TV station. Kyriakos Amiridis was ...
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A charred body discovered in a burned-out car is believed to be that of missing GREEK ambassador to Brazil, Kyriakos Amiridis. Amiridis, 59 ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT metro.co.uk |
Brazilian police suspect Greek Ambassador Kyriakos Amiridis was killed in a "crime of passion," a source close to the investigation said Friday, as detectives interrogated his wife and a policeman who was reportedly her lover.
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A Rio de Janeiro police officer confessed to murdering Greece’s ambassador to Brazil, possibly at the direction of the diplomat’s Brazilian wife with whom the policeman was romantically involved, Globo TV reported on Friday, citing police sources.
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A burnt car in which a body was found during searches for the Greek Ambassador for Brazil Kyriakos Amiridis, is pictured at a police station in Belford Roxo, Brazil December 30, 2016. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes Rio de Janeiro investigators suspect that Greece ...
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… officer has confessed to murdering Greece's ambassador to Brazil … Greek embassy in Brasilia declined to comment, as well. In Athens, Greek …
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… burned-out rental car of missing Greek ambassador to Brazil Kyriakos Amiridis … part in the investigation, while Greece's ambassador in Argentina … said. Amiridis had served as Greece's ambassador to Libya …
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… police officer confessed to murdering Greece's ambassador to Brazil … . The Greek embassy in Brasilia declined to comment. In Athens, Greek foreign … no comment. Amiridis served as Greece's consul general in …
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The Greek ambassador to Brazil, Kyriakos Amiridis, age 59, had been missing since Monday night. Police investigate disappearance of Greek ambassador in Rio. Authorities analyzing corpse found inside what is believed to be missing diplomat’s rental car ...
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[Donald Trump] This year, we learned the limits of no-choice politics: Telling voters they have to do something they don't like, or else. Establishment political parties have been playing a dangerous game — contriving situations in which the only acceptable choice happens to be one favored by elites, and hoping that voters will choose it under duress. Voters have been revolting against no-choice politics by choosing the unthinkable: Brexit, fringe political parties, rejecting the Italian reform referendum, Trump. You should be mad at voters for the alarming choices they are making. I certainly am. But you should also be mad at the establishment leaders and political parties who put voters in the position of choosing between the unpalatable and the absurd. AN EVER-CLOSER UNION, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT For decades, the European Union has been officially committed to "ever closer union" — integration that increases over time. But integration in all areas is not necessarily popular with voters. In particular, there has been resistance to fiscal interdependence — the sort of taxes and transfers that hold the United States together. Residents of rich countries in Europe suspect (correctly) that fiscal interdependence would mean ongoing transfers of tax revenue toward poorer countries. And residents of poorer countries suspect (correctly) that Germany and other rich countries will seek to tie policy conditions to fiscal integration. Because of this skepticism of fiscal integration, the EU collects little centralized revenue and has little ability to use fiscal policy to stabilize economies that face asymmetric economic shocks. THE EURO IS A DEVICE OF NO-CHOICE POLITICS Without fiscal transfers to prop up places where the economy is weak, the way countries usually deal with economic imbalances is through exchange rates: The currency of the country in recession weakens, which reduces real wages and prices and makes the country more competitive. The Euro makes exchange-rate adjustments within the eurozone impossible, meaning that asymmetric economic shocks cannot be addressed with exchange rates or with fiscal policy. With no good way to adjust, countries of southern Europe have been immiserated since the 2008 economic crash, which hit them harder than it hit countries like Germany. This was a foreseeable problem. And the elites that foresaw it had a solution in mind: Ever closer union. That is, the euro without fiscal transfers would prove unworkable, and unwinding the euro would prove unworkable, and therefore Europeans would have no choice but to agree to greater fiscal integration. NO-CHOICE POLITICS HAVE WORKED POORLY FOR THE EUROZONE Unsurprisingly, wealthier countries have resisted the creation of the sorts of fiscal transfers that would make the eurozone workable. I call this the "What's in it for the Dutch?" problem. That said, richer eurozone members have sometimes agreed to one-off support to struggling countries when it really seemed like they had no choice but to give it. For example, banks in northern Europe hold a lot of debt issued by the government of Greece, so the members of the eurozone had to bail Greece out if they wished to avoid a catastrophic banking crisis. This did not endear Greece to other eurozone countries. But it's not just the richer countries in the zone suffering from no-choice politics. Germany and others have attached stringent terms to their financial assistance, insisting that the laggard countries engage in fiscal austerity and economic reform. In 2011, Italy and Greece had no choice but to install technocratic governments acceptable to German creditors if they wished to retain access to the credit markets — a situation that surely did not feel terribly democratic to the people of Italy or Greece. Is it any surprise people all over Europe are pissed off, and feel like they do not have a choice in how they are governed? Should they trust the establishment parties that created the situations in which they had no choice but to do things they didn't want to do? Is it a surprise that European voters are resorting to desperate measures to regain control over their countries' public policy? [Matteo Renzi] AMERICAN IMMIGRATION POLICY IS DRIVEN BY NO-CHOICE POLITICS In the United States, elites in both political parties favor liberal immigration policies that admit large numbers of low-skilled workers. Liberal politicians favor these policies for a combination of humanitarian, constituency politics and demographic reasons. Conservative politicians want to ensure a plentiful supply of low-skilled labor so businesses can pay low wages. For decades, the federal government has implemented a de-facto liberalization of immigration by failing to effectively enforce immigration laws — not just by letting people cross the border undetected, but also by failing to track who overstays visas and by failing to hold businesses accountable for employing people not authorized to work in the United States. As a result, approximately 12 million people now live in the United States without legal authorization to be here. Advocates of immigration reform point out, accurately, that deporting these people en masse would be both impractical and a humanitarian disaster, and that many of them have formed deep ties to the United States. We have no choice but to let a large fraction of them stay. But we ended up in this no-choice situation by the willful action of political elites who wanted Americans to choose high immigration levels. Effective enforcement on the front end would have left American voters with a choice about what immigration policy to have. Given this history, why would voters trust the parameters of comprehensive immigration reform, which is built on a promise that next time immigration laws will be enforced for real? VOTERS ARE REVOLTING AGAINST NO-CHOICE POLITICS The main argument against Brexit centered not so much on the European Union being a good thing, but on the idea that withdrawal would lead to grave economic damage. The main argument for electing Hillary Clinton, the second-most unpopular major party presidential nominee in the history of American political polling, was that Donald Trump was too unacceptable to be president. Italy's failed reform referendum was supposed to be necessary to prevent another banking crisis. Voters have repeatedly insisted that they do, in fact, have a choice in these supposed no-choice matters. They have called the establishment's bluff. I think we are about to learn the establishment was not bluffing about how unacceptable some of these options were, especially Trump. Voters may be about to learn a painful lesson. But establishment politicians should learn a painful lesson, too: If you want to be sure to beat a terrible option, offer people something they actually like. Don't them they have no choice but to do what you want. SEE ALSO: AN IDEA THAT SHOULD DIE AFTER 2016: THE UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This is what it's really like at Trump Tower — which is disrupting life in New York
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BRUSSELS—Belgian bank KBC Group on Friday said it was buying United Bulgarian Bank and leasing-services provider Interlease in a move that will create the largest bank-insurance group in Bulgaria. KBC said it was buying the companies for 610 million ...
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An entertainment company in Greece canceled a game in which players use clues to escape from a room themed around the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. The Rubicon agency, which is located in the northern Athens suburb of Galatsi, in recent weeks advertised ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.timesofisrael.com |
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A Rio de Janeiro police officer confessed to murdering Greece’s ambassador to Brazil, possibly at the direction of the diplomat’s Brazilian wife with whom the policeman was romantically involved, Globo TV reported on Friday, citing police sources.
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A military police officer who is believed to have had an affair with the wife of Greece's ambassador to Brazil has been detained after he confessed to the diplomat's murder, Brazilian media report. The wife and a second man have also been detained.
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The Greek Orthodox Parish of Loudoun County is celebrating more than its 10 th anniversary—it has a new name, as well. His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey bestowed the community with the name of the Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church.
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Even at the beginning of November, we were able to catch a direct flight on Niki airlines from Vienna to Heraklion, the capital of Greece’s largest island, Crete. As we have family in Heraklion, we caught up with them over delicious meals and they toured ...
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Rio de Janeiro // Investigators on Friday said they believe the Greek ambassador, who has been missing since Monday, was killed at the home his wife kept in the Rio de Janeiro area. The discovery of a burnt-out car on Thursday with a body in it sparked ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenational.ae |
Okay, I know it’s the middle of winter here… but between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I just need a nice colorful salad already. My pants thinks so, and my taste buds agree. Time to switch things up a little bit. Although don’t get me wrong, cheese is ...
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… DE JANEIRO — Authorities believe that Greece’s ambassador to Brazil was … identified the dead person. The Greek Embassy website in Brazil says … Greece’s top diplomat in Brazil in 2016. He earlier was Greece …
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… de Janeiro have detained the Greek ambassador's wife and …
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Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President of the New Democracy Party, released his New Year’s wishes for Hellenes around the world. The leader of the opposition party encourages all the Greeks of the... The post Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Year’s Message to Hellenes Abroad appeared first on The National Herald.
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A Rio de Janeiro police officer confessed to murdering Greece's ambassador to Brazil, possibly at the direction of the diplomat's Brazilian wife with whom the policeman was romantically involved, Globo TV reported, citing police sources. Greek Ambassador ...
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The latest team to declare it’s involvement in the competitive gaming scene is the Greek Football Club, Panathinaikos. The club based in the capital city of Athens have pledged to support a number of different titles, with their agenda set on CS:GO, DOTA ...
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National Bank of Greece S.A. ('NBG') today entered into a definitive agreement with KBC Group ('KBC') for the divestment to KBC of its 99.91% stake in its Bulgarian subsidiary United Bulgarian Bank A.D. ('UBB') and its 100% stake in Interlease E.A.D ...
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Rio de Janeiro's Police Department believes that Françoise Amiridis, the Brazilian wife of the GREEK Ambassador in Brazil, is responsible for his death.
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Police in Brazil confirmed the death of the Ambassador of Greece to Brazil Kyriakos Amiridis. According to the examination, the body found in burned car belonged to the Greek Ambassador. It was reported by the Russian BBC Service. The authorities believe ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT 112.international |
Officers question Françoise Oliveira as local media say body found in burnt-out car identified as envoy Kyriakos Amiridis Authorities in Brazil believe that the Greek ambassador, who went missing last week, has been killed, and have named his Brazilian ...
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While Athens has been bearing the brunt of the Greek crisis, it has also undergone an evident revival as a tourism destination. Downtown Syntagma has become a hub of exciting restaurants, sophisticated wine bars and award-winning mixologists, alternative ...
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ATHENS Dec 30 Greece's National Bank agreed to sell a 99.1 pct stake in its Bulgarian unit United Bulgarian Bank (UBB) and its fully-owned leasing subsidiary Interlease EAD to Belgian bank insurer KBC group, National Bank said on Friday. National Bank will ...
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The 15th annual Greece Invitational High School Bowling Tournament was recently held at Dewey Garden Lanes. The tournament consisted of boys and girls divisions, a team event and a single elimination tournament. Over 110 bowlers participated at the ...
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A court in Greece has given bail to two Spanish activists who were arrested for allegedly trying to take a group of refugees out of the country. The Greek court on Friday ordered authorities to free the members of the Basque group Ongi etorri Errefuxiatuak ...
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(JTA) — A recreational agency in Greece canceled a game in which players use clues to escape from a room themed around the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. The Rubicon agency, which is located in the northern Athens suburb of Galatsi, in recent weeks ...
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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades on Friday agreed on specific joint actions on an international and European level on the Cyprus issue. The two leaders met in Athens ahead of the crucial peace talks in Geneva on January 12. The meeting lasted three hours. Cypriot government spokesperson Nikos Christodoulides said […]
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Unexpected developments in the case of Greece’s ambassador to Brazil, Kyriakos Amoiridis, who was first reported missing and then found dead in a burnt-out car under a highway bridge in Rio de Janeiro. Citing Brazilian O Globo news network, Greek media report that the wife of ambassador Kyriakos Amoiridis and […]
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… officer over the disappearance of Greece's ambassador to Brazil … questioned for several hours regarding Greek Ambassador Kyriakos Amiridis. The ambassador … that Amiridis had rented. Meanwhile, Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Stratos Efthymiou …
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… Janeiro is that of the Greek envoy to Brazil, local media …
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The two members of the Basque group Ongi etorri Errefuxiatuak ("Refugees welcome"), had been detained at the northwestern port of Igoumenitsa on Tuesday. A Greek court on Friday ordered the conditional release of two Spanish self-styled activists arrested ...
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The Greek ambassador to Brazil whose body was found in a burnt-out car in Rio de Janeiro was murdered after discovering his wife in bed with another man, police claim. The charred remains of Kyriakos Amiridis, 59, were found yesterday afternoon ...
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On the other hand, some areas within the EU remain weak. In particular, Greece and Italy have offset some of Philip Morris' growth in shipment volume. Even so, Philip Morris doesn't seem particularly concerned, and the company routinely has to deal with ...
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The GREEK ambassador to Brazil whose body was found in a burnt-out car in Rio de Janeiro was murdered after finding his wife in bed with another ...
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This May, 25, 2016 photo released by Brazil’s presidential press office shows Greece’s ambassador to Brazil, Kyriakos Amiridis, after a government ceremony in Brasilia, Brazil. Authorities believe Amiridis was killed at the home his wife kept in the ...
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[Beijing forbidden4]Wikipedia Commons Like paintings and sculptures, buildings can be beautiful works of art. We asked architects to tell us the one building that's a game-changer for building design, inspired them to become architects, or that they simply find stunning. Here are 22 of the most breathtaking buildings in the world, according to people who build them for a living. THE PARTHENON IN ATHENS, GREECE. Wikimedia Commons "It's the quintessential beautiful architectural form," Tara Imani says. "The Corinthian columns, the use of entasis [a slight curve in columns] to make sure the columns didn't look spindly from a distance...the siting on a hilltop — it gave us our initial ABCs of architecture that we keep trying to use and improve upon today." _Imani is the founding architect of Tara Imani Designs._ THE NATIONAL CONGRESS OF BRAZIL IN BRASÍLIA. Wikipedia Commons "In 1974, my father, a scientist took our family to see the new city of Brasília. It captured the imagination of the world," Julia Donoho says. "Planned in the shape of an airplane, Corbusian [the modern architectural style of Le Corbusier] housing blocks lined the wings like feathers, the body was filled with embassies, government buildings, cultural institutions, and a house of God." _Donoho is the principal and project lead at Equinox Design and Development._ THE SÃO PAULO MUSEUM OF ART IN SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL. Wikipedia Commons "It is daring," Damaris Hollingsworth says. "Designed in 1968, it is made of concrete and glass. The main body is hung from the two beams and it barely touches the columns on the side. I also love the fact that it was designed by a woman." _Hollingsworth is the project manager for DLR Group._ SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER
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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Authorities believe that GREECE'S ambassador to Brazil was killed at the home his wife kept in the Rio de Janeiro area, ...
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Heavy snow has covered the streets of the Greek capital since Wednesday, sparking a flurry of responses on social media. Despite traffic in the capital ...
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The body of a man found in a burnt-out car north of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro is that of the Greek envoy to Brazil, local media reports say. Police suspect 59-year-old Kyriakos Amiridis was the victim of a "crime of passion", Rio news programme ...
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London stock market hits its third record high in a row, on the final trading day of the year * Breaking: FTSE 100 ends 2016 at record levels * Blue-chip index has posted its best year since 2013 * Weak pound drove shares up * Analysts predict turbulence in 2017 * Introduction: It’s the final trading day of 2016 3.22pm GMT The City of London has officially shut down for another year. The FTSE 100 has ended a tumultuous year at an all-time high, boosted by a surge in mining companies and dollar earners and hopes of a spending spree by US president-elect Donald Trump. Britain’s blue chip index closed a shortened trading day at 7,142.83, up 22.57 points, beating the previous peak of 7,129.82 set in October. The record came as the index hit a closing high for the third day in a row. Related: FTSE 100 ends 2016 at all-time high after surge in dollar earners 3.07pm GMT Over in Greece, 2016 is closing with the standoff between Athens and its creditors seemingly put to rest...but with no certainty that 2017 will finally resolve the country’s great economic crisis. 2.48pm GMT EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS ARE ENDING 2016 WITH SOMETHING OF A WHIMPER. The Stoxx 600 index, which tracks the 600 biggest listed companies in Europe, has lost around 1% this year. 2.46pm GMT Another way of looking at things.... The FTSE is up for 2016, but not as much as the pound is down. The FTSE's expected profits are worth less as a claim on global resources. 2.10pm GMT UK SHARE PRICES HAVE ALSO BENEFITTED FROM THE LARGELY ROBUST ECONOMIC DATA SINCE THE BREXIT VOTE ON JUNE 23RD. Britain’s economy grew by 0.6% in July-September, matching the growth rate in the three month’s before the referendum. This refusal to buckle under the uncertainty created by Brexit has encouraged the City to pile into shares. “The latest GDP figures point to a strong UK economy which has probably accounted for some of the pick-up in equity prices overall since the referendum.” 1.39pm GMT I DON’T WANT TO SOUND ALARMIST, BUT THE LAST TIME THE FTSE 100 HIT A RECORD HIGH ON THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR WAS 1999. That was swiftly followed by the dot-com crash, and a major slump in shares - with the FTSE 100 not recovering its losses until 2015. @KatieAllenGdn @graemewearden @guardian anyone else remember last time ftse100 hit all time highs on last day of year??? Wasn't a pretty Q1 The FTSE 100 closing the year at all-time high.. at the least pension funds will recoup some returns. What does 2017 have for us? With Obama’s foot already out the door, it is clear that he is happy to speak out against the likes of Israel and Russia without fear of dealing with the repercussions. What is not clear is how things will pan out once the pro-Russian Trump comes into power. Should Trump immediately reverse this week’s measures, it would not only say that he places little confidence in his own security services, but also shows that Russia can essentially do what they want without the chance of being reprimanded. US futures have edged off overnight highs..... It looks like a quiet end to a very busy year, but 2017 certainly promises to be just as eventful. 1.27pm GMT The pound and the FTSE 100 have largely moved in opposite directions since Britain voted to leave the EU: The FTSE 100 has ended the year up almost 13% since the referendum - while the pound has slumped by more than 17%. pic.twitter.com/6qC07hdPeE 1.07pm GMT THE PRESS ASSOCIATION also point out that the slump in sterling since the Brexit vote has driven shares up: The pound’s fall, triggered by Britain’s decision to quit the EU, has proved beneficial for multinational companies listed on the index as many tend to benefit from earnings in currencies - such as the US dollar - which are stronger than sterling. On Friday, sterling slumped further against the euro, falling 0.1% to 1.16 euro. The pound was up 0.5% against the dollar at 1.23. I did a 'splainer pic.twitter.com/qsm8hPtu7X 1.02pm GMT MINING COMPANIES HAD A GREAT YEAR. Share prices across the sector doubled in 2016, as the prices of commodities such as iron ore, copper and nickel rallied. One of the major reasons for the surging FTSE has been mining firms: Anglo American up 286% this year, BHP up 71%, Rio Tinto 59% 12.58pm GMT THE FTSE 250, WHICH INCLUDES SMALLER UK-FOCUSED COMPANIES, ENDED 2016 UP 3.7% FOR THE YEAR. The FTSE 250 is seen as a better gauge of the UK economy than the international giants that make up the FTSE 100. 12.46pm GMT NEWSFLASH: THE FTSE 100 HAS CLOSED FOR 2016 AT A NEW RECORD HIGH, AFTER SUDDEN LAST-MINUTE RALLY. #Breaking The FTSE 100 Index has closed at a new all-time high of 7,142.83 pic.twitter.com/BBdnIeYX9k 12.23pm GMT BOOM! THE FTSE 100 JUST HIT A NEW ALL-TIME HIGH. It touched 7132 points, as City traders make one final push before the close of trading. 12.20pm GMT WITH 10 MINUTES TO GO UNTIL THE CLOSING BELL, THE FTSE 100 IS RECOVERING ITS EARLY LOSSES! The blue-chip index is now UP 2 points on the day, at 7122. If it ends over 7121, it will be a new closing high - the third in as many days... 12.14pm GMT THE BOND VIGILANTE TEAM AT M&G RECKON 2017 WILL BE A TESTING TIME FOR EUROPE, AS PUBLIC ANGER ABOUT AUSTERITY BUBBLES AWAY. They write: Nowhere have the subjects of fiscal austerity and rising inequality been as relevant as in Europe today. Stubbornly high unemployment rates combined with declining living standards have contributed to rising levels of civil and political instability over the past year. Populist and nationalist parties have been able to capitalise on this phenomenon and raise massive amounts of support from exasperated European citizens. In Spain, for example, a caretaker government had to be put in place after two consecutive presidential elections failed to designate a clear winner. France will also face an important political test when it holds its presidential election in spring 2017. National Front leader Marine Le Pen will be trying to take advantage of the positive momentum she has built up to sweep her party to its first victory. While this would require a vast – and unlikely – swing from voters, recent events remind us that the rise of anti-establishment parties globally is not one to be underestimated. Equally, traditional polling methods seem to struggle to capture the swing to the hard right that is underway. The extra difficulty for Europe is that its capacity to boost growth and employment via increased public and infrastructure spending and tax cuts is more limited than other economies, for two main reasons. First of all, high levels of debt (Europe has an average debt-to-GDP ratio of 90% versus the 60% target of the Stability and Growth Pact) are forcing most European countries to rein in spending rather than increase it. Second, not having the ability to print money at an individual country level in the European Union (EU) requires each member to demonstrate even more fiscal discipline for the union to remain viable. For those mainstream European political parties wishing to claw back votes from their more extreme rivals, the challenge is therefore as follows: to improve the living standards of hundreds of millions of Europeans, while preserving the EU’s balance sheet. This can only be achieved by implementing the right mix of pro-growth structural reforms, but some tough times could still lie ahead. There are a few hours left in the 2016 work year. Why not have a quick look at our 2017 outlook? https://t.co/qeOsyjW34b 11.39am GMT INVESTORS WILL BE TOASTING THEIR SUCCESSES THIS WEEKEND, OR GRUMBLING BITTERLY ABOUT HAVING BACKED THE WRONG HORSES. London’s stock market wasn’t the best place to put your money this year, despite the FTSE 100’s 13% leap. 11.10am GMT RICHARD STONE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF STOCKBROKING FIRM THE SHARE CENTRE, HAS STUCK HIS NECK OUT WITH THREE PREDICTIONS FOR 2017. He reckons that the UK economy will outperform expectations, leading to the first interest rate rise since the financial crisis. Unemployment remains low and employment is at near record levels. The boost from Sterling’s devaluation will continue to feed through – particularly for exporters to the EU who still have unfettered access to the single market but with substantially lower pricing in Euro terms. Inflation will rise, in part as a function of the impact of weaker Sterling, but also as a result of the relatively tight labour market. Without substantial changes in productivity this will likely start to feed through into higher wages. “The level of disaffection in Europe is just as strong as it is elsewhere in the world, but the political and voting systems are very different. This means that those expressions of discontent are less likely to have the same success as they did in the binary choices that were presented by the Brexit and US Presidential Election votes. In particular the coalition nature of politics in the Netherlands and Germany, along with the run-off process for the French Presidential election, mean that although extremist politicians may make advances their ability to gain power is limited – so I would not expect any great surprises. “January will see the inauguration of President Donald Trump and we will then start to see how his policy pronouncements play out. In the US the power of the President is constrained by the checks and balances inherent in the system, particularly in Congress. However, the President still has significant sway on foreign policy and trade. “Relations with China – if the current mood music is to be believed – may become more difficult. This in turn could impact trade. Conversely relations with Russia may soften which might alleviate some of the political tensions currently on the global stage. 10.37am GMT THE FTSE 100’S MERRY UPWARD ROMP HAS BEEN WELCOMED BY EUROSCEPTICS AS A SIGN THAT THE ECONOMY IS IN GOOD SHAPE FOLLOWING JUNE’S REFERENDUM. Conservative MP Michael Gove (who campaigned for Vote Leave, and was rewarded with demotion to the back benches), tweeted last night that the Footsie had hit a record high “despite Brexit”. Despite Brexit https://t.co/pQAH5BP6LU my chart of the year pic.twitter.com/olBIVeXXZF 10.11am GMT 2016 HAS BEEN A VINTAGE YEAR FOR THE OIL PRICE. 9.32am GMT THE YEAR IS ENDING ON A SUBDUED NOTE, WITH THE MAIN EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS ALL IN THE RED. The FTSE 100 is down 20 points from last night’s record close, at 7100 points, in extremely light trading. Related: Russia plans immediate 'counter-measures' after US ejects 35 diplomats Fresh geopolitical fun and games are taking centre stage with Obama taking a final swipe at Russia before he leaves office. 9.14am GMT CHINA’S STOCK MARKET HAS JUST CLOSED FOR THE YEAR, DOWN 12%. That’s actually quite a recovery since the wild plunges in early January, which forced regulators to suspend trading altogether a few times. Ouch! Shanghai Composite ends the year down 12.3% for 2016 after +9.4% in 2015. 2016 is worst year since 2011. Is the worst over for #China? pic.twitter.com/uHdP1Hp3OH 9.03am GMT THE OTHER EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS HAVE LAGGED BEHIND THE FTSE 100 THIS YEAR. Italy’s FTSE MIB has lost 10% during a year dominated by worries over its banks, and a political crisis. Britain's FTSE 100 set to win this year's race, while Italy's FTSE MIB slumps. The year looks like this. #FTSE #STOXX #equity pic.twitter.com/PeM8IPRx4N 8.57am GMT Apologies, I might have forgotten to turn comments on the blog this morning (or they turned themselves off!). Anyway, they’re on now. 8.41am GMT WE SHOULDN’T FORGET THAT THE FTSE 100 HAS ALSO BENEFITTED FROM THE SLUMP IN STERLING THIS YEAR SINCE THE BREXIT VOTE. The Footsie is packed with internationally focused companies; a cheap pound makes UK exports more competitive, and also raises the value of overseas earnings. I did a 'splainer pic.twitter.com/qsm8hPtu7X 8.35am GMT MINING STOCKS HAVE PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN DRIVING THE FTSE 100 UP THIS YEAR. 8.26am GMT BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 INDEX IS ON TRACK TO POST ITS BIGGEST ANNUAL GAIN IN THREE YEARS. Despite the political shocks that rocked markets this year, the blue-chip index has gained 13.8% since January 1st. That’s its best performance since 2013, when it gained 14.4%, and follows two years of losses. 8.09am GMT WE’VE NEARLY MADE IT! After a turbulent 12 months, there’s just one more trading session to go until we can consign 2016 to history and face the worst that the new year can throw at us. As ftse gets set to open for its last trading day of the year, all time session highs are a whisker away #markets #brexit FTSE 100 called to open -5pts at 7115 pic.twitter.com/1GX1n4LyVE Continue reading...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com |
The discovery of a body in a burned-out car in Rio de Janeiro has sparked fears that it might be that of the Greek ambassador to Brazil, it has been reported.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.foxnews.com |
Brazilian authorities said Friday they detained two people in connection with the suspicious disappearance of the Greek ambassador to Brazil, including the diplomat's wife, after a body was found in a burned car rented by the envoy's wife in Rio de Janeiro ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ibtimes.com |