Author: LoveWorld UK

The European Central Bank cut its growth forecasts for this year and next on Thursday, and its president declined to rule out the currency bloc slipping into recession as the coronavirus epidemic weighs heavily on economic activity. Christine Lagarde said the ECB now expected the euro zone economy to grow by 0.8% this year, a significant drop from the expansion of 1.1% it had forecast in December. Asked at a news conference if a recession beckoned, she said the outturn for the economy would “clearly depend on the speed and strength” of the collective response to the epidemic, which had…

Slovenia plans to close all schools and kindergartens for two weeks from Monday in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Marjan Sarec said on Thursday. He also told a news conference that Slovenia would start rejecting cargo traffic from Italy, as neighbouring Croatia was rejecting some trucks and Slovenia does not want the trucks to be stuck in the country. He did not say what trucks would be rejected and from what date. Later on Thursday prime minister designate Janez Jansa, who is expected to take over late on Friday or on Saturday after his cabinet…

The Bank of England must tread carefully to avoid financial stability dangers if it creates a digital equivalent to its existing banknotes, Governor Mark Carney said on Thursday. Cash usage is falling in Britain, making shoppers and businesses more reliant on electronic money held with banks and payment companies rather than banknotes issued by the BoE. The BoE said it was seeking the public’s views on how it might design a digital currency of its own to operate alongside physical cash — though a decision on whether to go ahead would need government approval. “While CBDC (central bank digital currency)…

The Czech Republic will close its borders to travellers crossing from Germany and Austria and also ban the entry of foreigners coming from other risky countries to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Thursday. Czechs will also be barred from travelling to those countries, and to and from and other countries deemed risky, effective from Saturday (2300 GMT on Friday). The full list includes other EU members Italy, Sweden, Norway, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Denmark, and also Britain, Switzerland, China, Korea and Iran. International public transport vehicles with more than nine seats will also be…

Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it plans to boost oil production capacity for the first time in more than a decade, a day after it announced a record high hike in crude supply in a battle for market share that has hammered global prices this week. Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry has directed oil producer Saudi Aramco (2222.SE) to raise its output capacity to 13 million from 12 million barrels per day (bpd), CEO Amin Nasser said in a statement on Wednesday. “The company is exerting its maximum efforts to implement this directive as soon as possible,” Nasser added. No timeframe…

The Bank of England slashed interest rates by half a percentage point on Wednesday and announced support for bank lending just hours before the unveiling of a budget splurge designed to stave off a recession triggered by the coronavirus outbreak. In what amounts to a choreographed double-barrelled stimulus programme, the BoE announced its unanimous emergency rate cut as London markets were opening and before Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government sets out its spending plans after midday. Mark Carney’s parting shot as governor, which returns the main interest rate to a record low of 0.25%, comes as COVID-19, the flu-like infection…

LoveWorld President inaugurates the Dr. Chris Oyakhilome Faculty of Engineering at the dedication of Benson Idahosa University’s Legacy Campus. Today, Tuesday March 10th, the President, LoveWorld Inc., Reverend (Dr.) Chris Oyakhilome, commissioned the newly constructed Faculty of Engineering, which he donated to the Benson Idahosa University in Edo State, Nigeria. In 2018, Pastor Chris donated the sum of 1 billion Naira for the construction of the state-of-the-art faculty building. The grand occasion was graced by high profile dignitaries from across Nigeria, including ministers of the Gospel, top government functionaries, the Oba of Benin Kingdom (Oba Ewuare 2), other royal fathers…

London stocks climbed on Wednesday after the Bank of England joined other major central banks in cutting interest rates to buffer the economy from the fast-spreading coronavirus. Housebuilders – particularly sensitive to the domestic economy – led gains on the STOXX 600, with Taylor Wimpey (TW.L), Berkeley (BKGH.L) and Persimmon (PSN.L) all up about 4%. The banking index .FTNMX8350 rose 2.4%, with shares in Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), Barclays (BARC.L) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) adding between 1% and 2%. The central bank cut rates by 50 basis points to 0.25%, following a similar move from the U.S. Federal…

– Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday defeated his first party rebellion over a government decision to allow China’s Huawei [HWT.UL] to have a role in building Britain’s 5G phone network. Huawei, the world’s biggest producer of telecoms equipment, has been caught in a stand-off between Washington and Beijing after the United States accused it of spying on Western secrets, allegations which the company has denied. Britain decided in January to allow Huawei into what the government said were non-sensitive parts of the country’s 5G network, capping its involvement at 35%. This angered the United States, which wants to exclude…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday opened the door to constitutional changes that would allow him to remain in power until 2036, but said he favoured term limits once the country became politically “mature”. Putin, who in January unveiled a major shake-up of Russian politics and a constitutional overhaul, is required by the constitution to step down in 2024 when his second sequential and fourth presidential term ends. But addressing the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, he gave his qualified blessing to a proposed change to the constitution that would formally reset his presidential term tally to zero.…