BONN (Reuters) – A former banker was handed a 3-1/2 year jail sentence on Wednesday for his part in Germany’s biggest post-war fraud, a scam that involved scores of banks and investors engineering multi-billion-euro trades to make bogus tax claims. The banker, identified as Detlef M., in line with court reporting practices in Germany, is …
Former Warburg banker gets jail term in German fraud trial Read More »
WARSAW (Reuters) – An end to the COVID-19 pandemic is in sight, the Polish health minister said on Wednesday, as he announced a cut to the isolation period for people infected with the coronavirus and looser quarantine rules. Poland saw record daily case numbers as recently as two weeks ago, but with infections falling and …
‘Beginning of the end’: upbeat Poland cuts COVID isolation Read More »
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s King Felipe tested positive for COVID-19 earlier on Wednesday after displaying mild symptoms overnight and will remain in isolation for seven days, the Royal Palace said in a statement. “His Majesty’s general state of health is good and he will keep up his institutional activities from his residence,” it said, adding …
PRAGUE (Reuters) – The Czech Republic’s centre-right government approved a revamped 2022 budget on Wednesday, cutting the proposed deficit to 280 billion crowns ($13.2 billion) as it seeks to rein in record fiscal gaps and take pressure off surging inflation. The country has seen a debt explosion in recent years caused by the coronavirus pandemic …
Czech government approves inflation-fighting budget to cut record deficits Read More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A senior Russian official accused the West on Wednesday of ramping up political pressure on Moscow by supplying weapons and ammunition to support Ukraine during a standoff over a Russian military buildup. Moscow has massed troops near Ukraine, and is set to stage military drills in close ally Belarus to Ukraine’s north, …
Russia accuses West of ramping up pressure with Ukraine arms supplies Read More »
SOFIA (Reuters) – Spain will send four warplanes and 130 troops to Bulgaria this week for air policing tasks amid tensions over the Russian military build-up on the Ukrainian border, the Bulgarian defence ministry said on Wednesday. The first Spanish Eurofighter jets are expected to land in Bulgaria by the end of the week for …
Spain will send four fighter jets and 130 troops to Bulgaria Read More »
By Ludwig Burger (Reuters) – The European Medicines Agency has set up a new centre to collect and mine more public health data from EU member states to improve the review of new drugs and provide them more quickly to patients. So-called Real World Evidence (RWE) from hospitals and physicians’ practices have been used before …
EU ramps up collection of public health data to improve drug reviews Read More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission said on Wednesday it was referring Malta, Poland, Spain, Sweden and former EU member Britain to the European Court of Justice related to different infringements of EU law. The British case refers to a British court ruling that Romania should compensate investors. For Malta and Poland, the issue is …
EU refers Malta, Poland, Spain, Sweden, UK to EU court Read More »
By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved legislation to fund federal government agencies through March 11 and avoid a chaotic shutdown of many of Washington’s operations when existing money expires at midnight on Feb. 18. The House voted 272-162 to approve the stop-gap measure that will give Democratic …
U.S. House passes bill to avert temporary government shutdown Read More »
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The head of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group on Tuesday described as “dictates” a recent Kuwaiti list of proposals aimed at repairing Lebanon’s ties with Gulf Arab nations, strained largely over what the say is Hezbollah’s growing influence. “Lebanon is a sovereign country and should not be sent dictates,” Hassan Nasrallah said in …
Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief describes Kuwaiti proposals to Lebanon as ‘dictates’ Read More »
