AFP, BUENOS AIRES: With hardship rising due to job cuts and inflation, Argentina has adopted a scheme from Europe’s economic crisis: putting food in outdoor “social fridges” for the needy. “I was sick of seeing how food got thrown away and then shortly afterwards people were…

AFP, LONDON: Oil prices firmed yesterday after the previous day’s rally and as traders awaited official data on the levels of US energy inventories. Around 1130 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in June was 34 cents higher at $45.86 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for July…

AFP, NEW DELHI: India’s top court criticised the government yesterday for failing to set up a disaster fund to help drought-hit farmers and villagers suffering crop losses and severe water shortages. India is in the grip of its worst wate­r crisis in years, with the government saying about…

AFP, RIGA: Latvia yesterday said it had been invited to join the OECD following a crackdown by the Baltic eurozone member on money laundering in its banking sector, which caters to clients from the former Soviet Union. “Latvia is invited to join the OECD!,” Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics…

AFP, BRUSSELS:  The European Commission yesterday shot down Telefonica’s blockbuster sale of British telecom giant O2 to Hong Kong group Hutchison on fears it would inflict higher prices on British consumers. “Today the commision has decided to block Hutchison’s plan to takeover…

Competition between China’s two largest smartphone makers is toughening up, as both scramble for a bigger share of the world’s largest smartphone…

AFP, TOKYO:  Toyota yesterday warned that its annual net profit will fall by about a third as a stronger yen, and a slowdown in Chinese growth and other emerging markets dent its bottom line. The surprise new forecast—which would mark Toyota’s first profit decline in five years—tipped…

AFP, TOKYO:  Mitsubishi Motors said yesterday that its years-long cheating on fuel-economy tests did not affect cars sold overseas, potentially limiting the scope of a scandal that has plunged the automaker into crisis. The company also said it was probing nine more models sold only in Japan, but…

FAO organised a special event on ‘Social Business for Zero Hunger’ to bring together the top executives of food industry to discuss the role social business can play to achieve zero hunger, says a press release. The event which was held on Tuesday was addressed by Director General of FAO…

AFP, LONDON:  Europe’s development bank said yesterday its outlook for the regions it covers had weakened slightly owing to ultra-low oil prices, markets volatility and international tensions. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) gave the assessment for its 36-nation…

AFP, Frankfurt:  E.ON, Germany’s biggest power supplier, yesterday booked a rise in profits in the first three months of this year after the group secured better gas prices from Russian supplier Gazprom. “Our first-quarter results were in line with expectations,” E.ON said in…

AFP, SHANGHAI:   Auto sales in China, the world’s biggest car market and crucial to worldwide manufacturers, grew more slowly in April than the previous month as the economy faltered, data from an industry group showed yesterday. Sales reached 2.12 million units in April, up 6.3 per…

The Emirates Group comprising Emirates Airline, dnata and other subsidiaries yesterday announced its 28th consecutive year of profit, says a press release. In its 2015-16 Annual Report, the Emirates Group posted an US$ 2.2 billion profit for the financial year ending 31 March 2016, up 50 per cent from…

Symphony Mobile launched a new smartphone--Symphony H 300. This handset contains Android 5.1 Lollipop version with 1.4 GHz Octacore Processor, says a press release.   The handset includes a 5-inch IPS HD display, Two GB of RAM and 16 GB of ROM, containing designs from a perfect blend of classic…

Mohammed Ismail Hossain has appointed as deputy managing director (DMD) of Agrani Bank Limited on Tuesday, says a press release. Prior to this, he was a general manager in ICB. He started his career as senior officer with ICB in 1983. During his long service career he held various important position…

Walton is offering six months installment benefits with zero interest on its all products, except mobile phone sets. All Walton Plazas across the country have been providing the interest-free six months installment facility to the customers from May 8, says a press release. This new offer is announced…