Tag Archives: economy

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he wants to see his country’s economy in the world’s top five. “The main thing is that we need to get into a new league economically,” Putin told his annual press conference, adding: “We could very well take …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday presented parliament with his government’s 2019 budget plan that he said was to help growth, fight poverty and boost infrastructure. The draft budget, at 8.83 trillion naira ($24.3 billion), was smaller than the 9.12 trillion approved for the previous …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis said Wednesday that Christmas cannot just be about swapping presents and indulging in a massive consumer binge, urging the faithful to remember its original purpose to mark Christ’s birth. “The advertising machine tells us we have to exchange more and more …

Washington, United States | AFP | The International Monetary Fund executive board on Tuesday gave final approval to a new loan package for Ukraine and released $1.4 billion for immediate use. The IMF had agreed on the $4 billion, 14-month loan in mid-October but the board was waiting for the …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | OPEC heavyweight Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced an expansionary budget for 2019 but projected a shortfall for the sixth year in a row due to low oil prices. The new budget comes with the oil-rich kingdom reeling under strong international pressure over the murder …

Vienna, Austria | AFP | OPEC members and 10 other oil producing nations, including Russia, agreed Friday to cut output by 1.2 million barrels a day in a bid to reverse falls in prices in recent months. Energy ministers reached the deal — which takes effect from January 1 but …

Washington, United States | AFP | Job creation slowed unexpectedly in the United States last month as the service sector added fewer workers, but the unemployment rate held steady at a 49-year low, the government reported Friday. The new numbers fell below recent trends and avoided another blow-out result, denying …

Mexico City, Mexico | AFP | Mexico is putting the presidential jet on the auction block, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s team said Sunday, making good on the new president’s campaign pledge on his second day in office. The Boeing 787-8’s last mission took outgoing president Enrique Pena Nieto to the …

Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | An army of humans laid waste to an alien colony as South African video game maker Simon Spreckley enthusiastically controlled the action using his phone’s touch screen. “The penetration of mobile devices in Africa is huge. People often have two or three phones, which …

Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP | A Sino-US showdown on trade loomed Saturday as G20 leaders wrapped up tense summit talks with a rare show of unity over the death of former president George Bush. There was an implicit contrast in some of the tributes offered at the Buenos Aires …