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Libya foreign minister suspended after Israel meeting
Libya's internationally recognized prime minister has suspended his top diplomat after she met her Israeli counterpart, with news of the encounter triggering demonstrations in a country that does not recognize Israel. Oil-rich Libya, which plunged into chaos after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in 2011, has been divided since 2014 between the UN-supported government of Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah in Tripoli and a rival administration based in the country's east. Angry protesters took to the streets of the capital and other western cities on Sunday night, blocking roads with burning tires and waving Palestinian flags, after it emerged that Najla al-Mangoush had met with her Israeli counterpart in Rome last week. Mangoush was "provisionally suspended and subject to an 'administrative investigation'", Dbeibah's government said, hours after Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the "unprecedented" meeting had taken place. On Monday, Libya's Internal Security Agency (ISA) said Mangoush had not been authorized to leave the North African country after reports on social media that she had flown to Turkey overnight as the protests flared. Internet users had posted the tracking details from the FlightRadar website of a flight said to be carrying Mangoush from Mitiga airport in Tripoli to Istanbul. "Surveillance cameras will prove this" is false, the ISA said in a statement. Mangoush "is on the travel ban list until she submits to the investigation", said the security agency. Turkey's Anadolu news agency, citing security sources, said Mangoush had already left for Istanbul following the diplomatic furor. There was no official confirmation of the flight from Ankara or Tripoli, however. 'Chance and unofficial encounter' The Libyan foreign ministry had in a statement defended the meeting with Cohen as a "chance and unofficial encounter". The minister had reiterated "in a clear and unambiguous manner Libya's position regarding the Palestinian cause", it said, while accusing Israel of trying to "present this incident" as a "meeting or talks". The Israel foreign ministry statement had quoted Cohen as saying that the two had discussed "the importance of preserving the heritage of Libyan Jews, which includes renovating synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in the country". "Libya's size and strategic location offer a huge opportunity for the State of Israel," he added. The statement said the meeting in Rome had been hosted by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. But on Monday the Israeli foreign ministry appeared to backtrack on Cohen's statement, saying that neither it nor the minister had anything to do with the "leak" about his meeting with Mangoush. The ministry did not offer details or clarify who was behind the so-called leak. "Contrary to what has been published, the leak regarding the meeting with Libya's foreign minister did not come from the foreign ministry or the foreign minister's office," the ministry said in a statement released to journalists. Tajani's office on Monday referred all questions to the Libyan and Israeli authorities. However, an Italian diplomatic source said the Italian minister had not himself been present at the meeting. In recent years, Israel has pushed for normalizing ties with some Arab countries as part of US-backed deals known as the Abraham Accords. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hardline government has come under intense criticism from Arab states because of surging violence in the West Bank and for backing the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied territory. The post Libya foreign minister suspended after Israel meeting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rioting costs France damages worth over 1B euros
Days of violent protests in France cost more than one billion euros in damage to businesses ransacked by rioters. The government had by Tuesday counted attacks on 10 shopping malls, 200 supermarkets, 60 sporting goods shops, almost 440 tobacconists and 370 bank branches since 27 June. Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux, head of employers’ organization Medef, said in an interview with the Parisien daily on Monday that the figure excludes cost to tourism. President Emmanuel Macron suggested Tuesday that the “peak” of rioting “has passed” but Abdelhamid Faddeoui, head of Aetos Private Security based near Paris, said “everyone is afraid that this is just a false calm” and “most of my clients are keeping up a high level of security.” Joseph Guret, whose tobacco shop outside Paris was gutted, complained that he has nothing left. The 30-year-old shop owner said his tobacconist in Neuilly-sur-Marne was attacked by 10 people on Thursday night who “took everything they could” and then “burned everything.” With some shop owners talking about going out of business in the wake of attacks, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has vowed government aid and pushed insurers and banks to help out. “When your shop has been totally burned down, when your whole life’s work is turned to ash, the state has to be there by your side,” he said Tuesday, promising “case-by-case cancellations of tax and social charges for the worst-affected shopkeepers.” France Assureurs president Florence Lustman told broadcaster Franceinfo that 5,800 claims had reached insurers, worth “at least 280 million euros” — significantly higher than France’s three-week riots in 2005, which totalled 204 million. Daniel Baal, general manager of cooperative bank Credit Mutuel Alliance Federale, said his firm would offer affected businesses holidays from loan payments or short-term overdrafts to get through the toughest times. The rioting, sparked by the killing of 17-year-old Nahel during a police traffic stop in a Paris suburb on 27 July, saw the interior ministry deploy 45,000 officers overnight backed by light armored vehicles and crack police units to quell the violence. WITH AFP The post Rioting costs France damages worth over 1B euros appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
ANZ raises Philippine inflation forecast to 3.8% this year
ANZ Research hiked its inflation forecast for the Philippines to 3.8 percent this year, from 3.5 percent previously, as risks may drive inflation up to above the central bank’s two to four percent target in the coming months......»»
Girl, 4, dies after being hit by SUV
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DOF: GFIs can seek extended relief after Maharlika infusion
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LIST: Bank schedules for Holy Week 2024
Bookmark and refresh this page for the Holy Week schedules released by banks.....»»
UnionDigital Bank revenue grows to over P5 billion
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Bank loans used as RRR compliance hit P6.4 billion
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Philippine bond market hits $217 billion in Q4
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BPI unit targets to onboard more wealthy clients
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BPI sells shares in GoTyme Bank
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GSIS taps Maya for payments
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BDO funds 28 green projects from P52.7 billion bond proceeds
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PBCom eyes P2 billion from new bond issue
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BPI to sell its entire 15% GoTyme Bank stake back to the Gokongweis
Zobel Family banking unit BPI disclosed that its board of directors has approved the sale of BPI’s stake in GoTyme Bank to a subsidiary of JG Summit and a company called Giga Investment Holdings Pte. Ltd. at a price of P1.20/share......»»
ADB approves USD 100 mln loan to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Sri Lanka
Manila [Philippines], March 19 (ANI): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 100 million loan to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka more access to finance and build their resilience to external shocks, such as the economic crisis and climate change. SMEs play a critical role in Sri Lanka's economy, contributing 52 per cent to the country's gross domestic product and employ 45 per c.....»»
Philippines posts 196 mln USD deficit in February
MANILA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' overall balance of payments (BOP) posted a 196-million-U.S. dollar deficit in February, significantly lower from the 895-million-dollar BOP deficit recorded a year ago, the country's central bank said on Tuesday. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the BOP deficit in February reflected outflows arising mainly from the national government's foreign currency deb.....»»
Annual Stockholders Meeting of UnionBank slated on April 26
The annual stockholders' meeting of Union Bank of the Philippines will be held virtually on April 26, 2024 at 1:00 p.m......»»
BSP prodded to build up forex reserves
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas should continue rebuilding its gross international reserves amid the wide current account deficit and heavy reliance on debt funding, according to Bank of America Global Research......»»
BPI raises $400 million from offshore debt market
Bank of the Philippine Islands has raised $400 million after successfully tapping into the offshore debt market for the first time since 2019......»»