Spain needs aid for 'more than just banks'

  • Singaporean filmmaker gets 15-minute standing ovation at Cannes

    Singaporean director Anthony Chen described as “surreal” the 15-minute standing ovation that followed the world premiere of his debut feature film "Ilo Ilo" at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday. Though the ending of the premiere couldn’t have been more perfect, the 29-year-old Chen said the beginning was quite “nerve-wrecking” as it was marred by technical glitches.

  • COE prices up for all cars

    COE prices up for all cars

    COE prices up for all cars

    Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices for small and big cars rose in the latest bidding exercise Wednesday.

  • Shane Todd's family abandoning coroner's inquiry

    Shane Todd's family abandoning coroner's inquiry

    Shane Todd's family abandoning coroner's inquiry

    The family of Shane Todd, a U.S. scientist found hanged dead in Singapore last year, will not participate in the remainder of a coroner’s inquiry into his death.

  • SMRT to conduct full-scale inspection of NSEW rail network

    SMRT to conduct full-scale inspection of NSEW rail network

    SMRT to conduct full-scale inspection of NSEW rail network

    SMRT will embark on a full-scale inspection of the entire North-South and East-West lines to detect any potential rail cracks.

  • AVA stops sale of brand of Taiwan bubble tea pearls

    AVA stops sale of brand of Taiwan bubble tea pearls

    AVA stops sale of brand of Taiwan bubble tea pearls

    The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has stopped the sale of a brand of tapioca balls commonly used to make Taiwan bubble tea in Singapore. In a Facebook post on Monday, the AVA said it had informed the local importers of Sunright brand tapioca balls -- commonly known as "pearls" -- to withdraw them from sale.

European assistance to ailing Spain should target the country's entire economy and not just the banking sector, the head of Germany's central bank said in an interview published on Saturday.

"The banks' balance sheets are a reflection of the overall economy," Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann told newspaper Boersen Zeitung.

"If investors see that the conditions set down for aid to Spain go beyond just the framework of the banking sector, this would also have a positive effect on bond markets."

Weidmann said recent announcements by the Spanish government, financial problems in the country's regions and its high unemployment rate -- a record 24.4 percent in the first quarter of 2012 -- show Spain still has major issues to resolve.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday announced a 65-billion-euro ($80-billion) austerity package demanded by Brussels in exchange for rescuing Spanish banks with bailout loans of up to 100 billion euros.

Eurozone finance ministers agreed this week to release an initial payout of 30 billion euros by the end of the month and a second of around 45 billion euros in mid-November.

Three eurozone countries -- Greece, Portugal and Ireland -- have so far received bailouts from their partners. Spain will be the fourth to do so, but the first to have aid injected into its banking sector rather than the government itself.

Loading...
  • Singaporean filmmaker gets 15-minute standing ovation at Cannes

    Singaporean director Anthony Chen described as “surreal” the 15-minute standing ovation that followed the world premiere of his debut feature film "Ilo Ilo" at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday. Though the ending of the premiere couldn’t have been more perfect, the 29-year-old Chen said the beginning was quite “nerve-wrecking” as it was marred by technical glitches.

  • New bird flu may be capable of human to human spread - study

    New bird flu may be capable of human to human spread - study

    New bird flu may be capable of human to human spread - study

    By Lavinia Mo HONG KONG (Reuters) - The new H7N9 bird flu virus can be transmitted between mammals not only via direct contact but also in airborne droplets, and may be capable of spreading from person to person, Chinese and American researchers have found. A study published in the journal Science and presented at a briefing in Hong Kong on Friday found that three ferrets - an animal often used for research on flu - that were in the same cage as ferrets infected with H7N9 had contracted the disease. ...

  • Germany 'most popular country' in the world: poll

    Germany 'most popular country' in the world: poll

    Germany 'most popular country' in the world: poll

    Germany is the most popular country in the world despite well-publicised protests against its insistence on austerity measures within the European Union, an annual poll for the BBC World Service revealed on Thursday.