EU to deliver Є500 million to Afghan people

Special representative of European Union for Afghanistan Thomas Niklasson said that they remain committed to Afghan people adding that the Union will deliver up to Є500 million to address the humanitarian situation of the Afghan people. Thomas Kilasson in a Twitter post on Tuesday, February...

South Korea may punish Tesla

© AFP / Jung Yeon-Je EV maker accused of exaggerating distance that some of its cars can travel The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) is weighing imposing penalties against US automaker Tesla, after the regulator found out that the company had embellished the specifications of its batteries. The...

Central bank calls on India to ban cryptocurrency

© Getty Images / Westend61 The deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India compared digital currencies to a Ponzi scheme T Rabi Sankar, the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), advised the Indian government to ban cryptocurrencies on Monday - comparing digital currencies to Ponzi...

Imran Khan pledges more development help to Afghanistan

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan paid tribute to Afghan students studying in Pakistan and said they would play a crucial role in rebuilding their country. In a series of tweets on Monday night, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistan�s envoy to Kabul, said after having chaired the 4th meeting of the Apex Committee...

Afghanistan�s Central Bank slates US plan for frozen funds

Afghanistan�s central bank on Saturday criticized Washington�s plan to use half the bank�s $7 billion in frozen assets soil for humanitarian aid and the rest to compensate victims of the 9/11 attacks. Calls have continued to mount for the US to release the frozen assets in order stop the freefall...

India, WFP signs MoU to distribute food grains in Afghanistan

The Indian embassy in the Italian capital Rome said that the Indian government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations World Food Program based on which the both will distribute food grains inside Afghanistan. The agreement comes days after India supplied three tonnes of medicines...

Central Bank: UN Provided $3.1M Cash Aid in Past 3 Months

The Afghanistan Central Bank (Da Afghanistan Bank) said that the UN�s $3.13 million cash assistance to Afghanistan over the past three months has increased the value of the Afghani against foreign currencies, especially the dollar. "Afghanistan Bank welcomes UN humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan...

UK house prices rise at slowest pace as purchase power at historic low, report

Estate agent boards are displayed outside a property in London, Britain. (Photo by Reuters) Housing prices in the UK in January rose at their slowest monthly pace since June last year, while the affordability remained at its historically low level, according to the UK-based banking company Halifax. In...

Mujahid Denies Claim of Central Bank�s Inability to Convert USD

The Islamic Emirate has denied allegations by the head of the UN Development Program (UNDP) in Afghanistan that Afghanistan�s central bank is unable to convert dollars into Afghan currency. Earlier, Reuters quoted a senior UNDP official as saying that although the organization had $135 million in...

Iran increases gas supply to Turkey, pipeline repairs postponed: Report

Iran increases gas supply to Turkey as industry sources say repairs on pipelines are postponed. Iran�s flow of gas to Turkey has increased after a major reduction reported last month as industry sources say full supplies will be restored in early spring when Iran is planned to carry out repairs on...

BoE raises interest rates as inflation soars across UK

People walk past the Bank of England during morning rush hour, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in London, Britain, July 29, 2021. (Bank of England) The Bank of England has doubled the interest rates, raising it from 0.25 to 0.5 percent in an attempt to tackle the soaring inflation...

Millions of Britons set to face soaring energy bills from April

Millions of UK households are set to experience a sharp rise of more than 50 percent in their gas and electricity bills in April. Millions of UK households are set to experience a sharp rise of more than 50 percent in their gas and electricity bills in April, after energy regulator announced a record-breaking...

UK vital industries �on cliff edge� as workers shun jobs over low pay and poor conditions

Workers assemble cars at the plant for the Mini range of cars in Cowley, near Oxford, Britain June 20, 2016. (Reuters photo) The UK�s crucial industries are threatened by a shortage of workers because of poor conditions and low pay, a factor that is putting off potential new recruits, research shows. Construction,...

U.S. advice to banks: OK to transfer aid money to Afghanistan

International banks can transfer money to Afghanistan for humanitarian purposes, and aid groups are allowed to pay teachers and healthcare workers at state-run institutions without fear of breaching sanctions on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban), the United States said on Wednesday. The...

Record euro zone inflation piles pressure on ECB

Euro zone inflation rose to a new record high in January, defying expectations for a big drop and piling pressure on the European Central Bank. (AFP file photo) Euro zone inflation rose to a new record high last month, defying expectations for a big drop and piling pressure on the European Central...

Germany contributes US$140 million to support UNICEF in Afghanistan

United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has announced that Germany Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation has announced US$140 million to their programs for children and women in Afghanistan. UNICEF representative to Afghanistan Alice Akunga expressed gratitude to Germany�s...

UK businesses scale back pay plans despite higher inflation, Lloyds

View of Canary Wharf business district at dusk in London, Britain March 9, 2021. (Reuters photo) British businesses are scaling back plans for pay rises and hiring, but almost half intend to increase the prices they charge customers as they seek to manage rapidly rising costs, a survey showed on Monday. The...

Iran offers rare glimmer of hope as $100 oil looms

Earlier this month, JP Morgan warned that Brent could rise to $125 per barrel. Oil prices are on track for their biggest monthly gain in almost a year following a series of retaliatory attacks by Yemeni forces in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. On Moday, Brent crude rose 66 cents, or 0.7%, to $90.69 a...

Guterres calls for urgent cash injection into Afghan economy

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres says liquidity must be injected quickly into Afghanistan�s economy in order to prevent it from collapsing. In a tweet on Sunday, Guterres said that Afghanistan�s economy is on a downward spiral and on the brink of collapse. Emphasizing the need to...

China January factory activity growth slows, demand wanes as COVID surges

China reports continued growth in manufacturing but at a slower pace amid COVID surge in January. Growth in China�s factory activity slowed in January as a resurgence of COVID-19 cases and tough lockdowns hit production and demand, but the slight expansion offered some signs of resilience as the world�s...

EU threatens to halt Nord Stream 2 & cut Russia off from SWIFT

© Getty Images / iantfoto Russia could be disconnected from SWIFT and Nord Stream 2, says senior Eurocrat The EU is discussing the possibility of excluding Russia from the SWIFT international bank payment system and completely putting a halt on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Moscow launches...

Iran says March-December imports included $70mln worth of shipments from US

Figures show US exported nearly $70 mln worth of goods to Iran in the three quarters to late December. Figures published by the Iranian trade and customs bodies show that imports into the country in the three quarters to December 21 included nearly $70 million worth of shipments from the United States. A...

Iran, Russia to ditch dollar in bilateral trade

Ebrahim Rezaei, Chairman of the Iran-Russia parliamentary friendship group Chairman of the Iran-Russia parliamentary friendship group says that Tehran and Moscow have reached good agreements in various fields. Ebrahim Rezaei told local media on Sunday that in the field of energy, the two sides agreed...

2 Weeks to Decide Fate of Frozen Afghan Funds: US Judge

The Islamic Emirate takeover of Afghanistan and the ensuing humanitarian crisis has kicked off an international debate about what to do with billions of dollars of frozen Afghan government assets held abroad, predominantly in the United States. US judge Sarah Netburn gave the US Justice Department...

US state may make bitcoin legal tender

© Getty Images / alicemoi Arizona Senator pitched a bill to legalize the token, in breach of Constitution US Senator Wendy Rogers has introduced a bill to make bitcoin legal tender in Arizona this week. With the bill, SB 1341, the Senator is seeking to amend the list of currently accepted legal...

Low-income, well-off Britons face similar inflation rates, data shows

People walk at Oxford Street, as COVID-19 restrictions ease, in London, Britain, on April 12, 2021. (Photo by Reuters) ll Britons, including both low- and high-income households, have experienced "similar annual inflation rates" since 2014 despite different spending patterns, a new study has found. An...

Biden administration briefs US banks on Russian sanctions: Report

Senior Biden administration officials talked to Citigroup, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs about possible sanctions against Russia amid Washington�s claims that Moscow is preparing to invade Ukraine, according to reports. The administration of US President Joe Biden has spoken with...

US economy grows 6.9 pct annually in Q4 with dim outlook for Q1 /Video

The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 6.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the first estimation of the U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday, putting the annual growth for 2021 at 5.7 percent, the highest since 1984. Analysts pointed out that the better-than-expected growth...

EU & UK planning massive sanctions against Russian gas

FILE PHOTO. © AFP / TOBIAS SCHWARZ The measures would come into effect if Russia invades Ukraine Sweeping sanctions are reportedly being developed which would hit the Russian energy sector if Moscow orders an invasion of neighboring Ukraine, with the EU and the UK said to be drawing up plans...

US bans telecom giant over spying concerns

© Getty Images / Darren Robb China Unicom has been forbidden from providing services in the US US telecom regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on Thursday that it had voted unanimously to revoke authorization for China Unicom�s American unit to operate in the United...