BusinessReutersRupee inches up on last day of fiscal, runs into "usual" importer orders
The Indian rupee was trading higher versus the U.S. currency on Friday, helped by the dollar's struggles and the positive risk mood. The rupee's level on the last day of the fiscal year could potentially impact the RBI's dividend payout to the government, according to economists.
NewsAFP NewsThree years after giant protests, Bulgarians' hopes dashed
Bulgarians took to the streets in 2020 in the biggest protests since the end of communism, aiming to push out longtime premier Boyko Borisov who was mired in corruption claims.She has pinned her hopes on a new coalition of anti-corruption parties, We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria, to bring out voters against Borisov's GERB. Vasilev said the couple would continue to push for change no matter the result.
NewsAFP NewsDeath toll in India temple collapse rises to 35
The death toll after a floor collapsed at a Hindu temple in India had risen to 35 on Friday, with rescue operations underway to find one person still missing, a local official told AFP. Dozens of worshippers celebrating a major religious holiday plunged into the stepwell –- a stair-lined communal water source -- on Thursday after the floor covering it collapsed in the central city of Indore.Rescue operations are on," Indore district magistrate Ilayaraja T. told AFP by phone.
PoliticsHuffPostMaggie Haberman Delivers Frightening Warning On Trump: 'He Can't Control This'
"[An arrest] is going to be much more jarring for him than I think people realize," said the CNN analyst about the former president.
NewsAFP NewsAlvin Bragg, the Manhattan DA who is prosecuting Trump
Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg became the first prosecutor in US history to charge a former or sitting president when he filed his indictment against Donald Trump. The former president has repeatedly lashed out at Bragg, calling him a "racist" and a "radical left" district attorney.
NewsAFP NewsFive things to know about Finland
Finland votes Sunday in a nail-biting election with Prime Minister Sanna Marin's centre-left government fighting to hold on to power.When Marin came to power in 2019 -- Finland's third female prime minister -- pictures of her five-party coalition, all headed by women, made headlines around the world.
NewsAFP NewsDivided over Ukraine, Bulgaria votes for fifth time in two years
Bulgarians head to the polls on Sunday for the fifth time in two years, with the EU's poorest member -- traditionally close to Moscow -- divided over the invasion of Ukraine.The ultra-nationalist Vazrazhdane party, which is rising in the polls, and the Socialist BSP, heir of the former communists, have defended the Kremlin since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
NewsAFP NewsFinland's far right aims to oust 'rock star' PM
Finnish politics could see a dramatic shift to the far right in elections on Sunday as an anti-immigration party aims to replace "rock star" Prime Minister Sanna Marin's Social Democrats.But the latest polls on Thursday put her centre-left Social Democratic Party (SDP) in third place, behind the anti-immigration and nationalist Finns Party and the centre-right National Coalition, which held on to a thin lead.
NewsAFP NewsCambodia should halt 'forced evictions' at Angkor Wat: Amnesty
Rights group Amnesty International on Friday urged Cambodia to immediately stop the ongoing "mass forced evictions" of 10,000 families from the Angkor Wat temple complex."These are forced evictions in disguise and on a mass scale.
NewsReutersJapan edges closer toward issuing digital yen with plans for new panel
Japan is stepping up efforts toward issuing a digital yen with the creation of a government advisory panel and the launch of a pilot programme, joining a growing number of countries exploring a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The finance ministry will set up a panel of experts as early as April to discuss the feasibility of issuing a digital yen, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The step will come after the central bank's decision to start in April a pilot programme to test the use of a digital yen, moving Japan closer to issuing a CBDC in several years.
NewsAFP NewsJapan unveils export control plans for chip equipment
Japan on Friday unveiled planned export controls on 23 items used to make semiconductors, following US pressure for countries to restrict Chinese access to the technology.Still, Washington has been clear that it wants to see allies join it in limiting Chinese access to the technology.
PoliticsHuffPostEric Trump Fumes Over A Pharmacy Chain In The Wake Of Dad's Indictment
The son of former President Donald Trump described New York City as "falling apart" before complaining about CVS shelving on Fox News.
BusinessReutersFactbox-The Japanese chipmaking equipment manufacturers navigating export curbs
Japan has seen its share of the semiconductor market fall from 50% in the late 1980s to about 10% but still hosts some of the most advanced chipmaking equipment manufacturers, making it relevant to U.S. attempts to curb technology exports to China. The United States in October imposed restrictions on shipments of chipmaking tools to China to slow advances in its chip industry and ultimately its military, and has been seeking the cooperation of major chipmaking peers Netherlands and Japan. On Friday, Japan said it would restrict exports of 23 types of chipmaking gear, though without specifying any country.
BusinessAFP NewsChina manufacturing slows in March, services growth hits 12-yr high
China's manufacturing activity slowed in March, official figures showed Friday, while growth in the services and construction sectors surged to a 12-year high.The official non-manufacturing PMI, which measures growth in the services and construction sectors, rose to 58.2 in March -- the highest since May 2011 -- and up from 56.3 in February.
BusinessReutersGold set for best month since July 2020 on banking turbulence
Gold prices edged up on Friday, en route to their best monthly performance since July 2020, as the recent banking system crisis led to expectations of a less-aggressive U.S. Federal Reserve, making bullion an attractive bet. Spot gold was up 0.1% at $1,981.59 per ounce, as of 0321 GMT. U.S. gold futures rose 0.1% to $1,982.00.
NewsAFP NewsN.Ireland to mark 25 years since Good Friday Agreement
Northern Ireland will in the coming month mark the 25th anniversary of peace accords which largely ended three decades of devastating sectarian conflict amid mounting political tensions and security concerns. Over the coming weeks, Belfast is due to host a series of events with serving and former international heads of state and government to mark the formal end of the conflict which claimed the lives of 3,500 people.
NewsAFP NewsUK claims post-Brexit win by sealing trans-Pacific trade pact membership
The UK will join 11 other countries in a major Asia-Pacific trade partnership, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Friday, in the country's biggest post-Brexit trade deal following nearly two years of talks."We are at our heart an open and free-trading nation, and this deal demonstrates the real economic benefits of our post-Brexit freedoms," Sunak said in a statement announcing the deal.
PoliticsHuffPostPence Says Of Trump Indictment, 'No One Is Above The Law,' But Calls It 'Outrageous'
The ex-president was indicted in Manhattan after an investigation of his role in a $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
BusinessReutersChina to boost regulatory oversight of digital economy -central bank official
BOAO, China (Reuters) -China will beef up its regulatory oversight of the digital economy, as new technologies, especially new forms of finance, should not be blindly accepted and recognised, a deputy governor of the central bank said on Friday. Digital currencies and newly invented cryptocurrencies, rather than solving problems in finance, can in fact create new challenges, Xuan Changneng, a deputy governor of the People's Bank of China, said at the annual Boao Forum in Hainan province. "The digital economy has changed the format of financial services, but it has not changed the financial model itself," Xuan said.
BusinessAFP NewsChina's JD to spin-off two units, list in Hong Kong
E-commerce giant JD.com will spin off its industrial and property units and take both of them public, the company said, in the latest reorganisation of a major Chinese tech firm.The company said in filings with the Hong Kong stock exchange Thursday that its property and industrial arms will be spun-off and taken public, though the parent company will retain a controlling stake in both.
BusinessAFP NewsMarkets build on gains as bank, rate concerns ease
Most Asian markets built on a global rally Friday as worries about the banking sector fade and traders grow optimistic central banks are near the end of their interest rate hiking cycle.Investors are now awaiting the release of US and eurozone inflation data later in the day, which should provide a better insight into how much impact rate hikes are having in taming prices.
PoliticsAFP NewsTrump indicted, first US president to face criminal charges
A New York grand jury on Thursday indicted Donald Trump over hush money payments made to a porn star during his 2016 campaign, making him the first former US president to face criminal charges.His statement set New York on edge for possible protests but the prospect of a quick indictment appeared to recede as the grand jury panel continued to hear witnesses -- until Thursday.
NewsAFP NewsJapan FM to visit China, first time in over 3 years
Japan's top diplomat Yoshimasa Hayashi will visit China this weekend, the first such visit in over three years, the foreign ministry in Tokyo announced Friday.The April 1-2 trip will include talks with Hayashi's Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, the ministry said, and will be the first time a Japanese foreign minister has visited since December 2019.
NewsAFP NewsBeijing kids with autism get help from horses
On a crisp spring day at a Beijing equestrian club, 14-year-old Victor Liu climbs into the saddle of a dark-haired horse, starting the latest session of a sport that has changed his life.Victor, who also suffers from visual impairment, has been riding horses at HOPE's centre for over eight years.
NewsAFP NewsUkraine's Bucha rebuilds, seeks justice for war killings
A year after its liberation by Ukrainian forces, Bucha and its people are still confronted by the atrocities blamed on Russian forces during their occupation of the city.It was on the arterial road that a column of Russian armoured vehicles was destroyed by Ukrainian forces in the battle to recapture the area.
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