Tag Archives: facebook
European Union inks landmark deal with Ukraine
European Union inks landmark deal with Ukraine (Reuters) / 22 March 2014 With Crimea lost to Russia, Ukraine takes step towards West The European Union and Ukraine signed a landmark political cooperation accord on Friday, committing to the same deal former president Viktor Yanukovich rejected last November, a decision that led to his overthrow. Herman Van Rompuy, right, looks at his papers as, from second right, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico applaud during a signing ceremony at an EU summit in Brussels on Friday. — AP Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, EU presidents Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, and the leaders of the bloc’s 28 nations signed the core chapters of the Association Agreement during an EU summit in Brussels. Soon afterwards, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation completing the process of absorbing Crimea into Russia, defying Western leaders who say the Black Sea peninsula remains part of Ukraine. The deal commits Ukraine and the EU to closer political and economic cooperation, although its more substantial parts concerning free trade will be signed only after Ukraine has held a presidential election on May 25. Van Rompuy, the European Council president, said the agreement would bring Ukraine and its 46 million people closer to the heart of Europe and a “European way of life”. “(This) recognises the aspirations of the people of Ukraine to live in a country governed by values, by democracy and the rule of law, where all citizens have a stake in national prosperity,” he said. Two sets of the documents were passed around the table for the EU’s leaders and Yatseniuk to sign in a solemn atmosphere. Van Rompuy and Yatseniuk then shook hands and exchanged the documents to applause, witnesses said. Yanukovich turned his back on signing the EU agreement last November in favour of closer ties with Moscow, triggering months of street protests that eventually led to his flight from the country. Soon afterwards, Russian forces occupied Crimea, a Russian-majority region in the far southeast of the country, drawing outrage and sanctions from the United States and EU. Yatseniuk urged European leaders to move decisively to contain Putin with economic pressure or risk the conflict – the most bitter East-West confrontation since the Cold war – spilling elsewhere into Europe. “The best way to contain Russia is to impose real economic leverage on them,” he told reporters after the signing ceremony. “I strongly believe … the EU will speak in one single strong voice, defending the territorial integrity of Ukraine and protecting the EU itself because God knows what is the final destination, is it Ukraine or is it EU?” For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Rents in England and Wales rise for first time since October
Rents across England and Wales increased by 1.6% in the 12 months to February, the first month on month rise since October 2013, taking the average rent to £743 a month. Overall seven in 10 regions saw higher rents in February than January when the rate of increase was 1.4%, according to the latest Buy to Let Index from LSL Property Services. The firm, which owns the UK’s largest lettings agents network including Your Move and Reed Rains, also pointed out that February was the second best month on record for tenant finances as proportion of late rent falls to 6.9%. Landlords have earned an average annual return of 9.7%, or over £16,000, over the last 12 months. ‘Property to rent remains in high demand. Despite great improvements in the prospects of many first time buyers, there are still millions of households who rely on a healthy private rented sector for their homes,’ said David Newnes, director of LSL Property Services. ‘February’s annual increase remains below the rate of wider inflation. However, this latest uptick and the high level of demand in the lettings market emphasise the importance of ongoing investment. Landlords have invested heavily in expanding their portfolios and need to continue to do so to keep pace with demand from tenants,’ he added. The sharpest monthly rises were seen in Yorkshire and the Humber and the West Midlands, where in both regions rents rose by 1.2% on a monthly basis. The next fastest monthly rise was in Wales with a 1% increase, while the East Midlands saw rents rise 0.6% between January and February. Of the three regions to see a monthly fall in rents, the fastest drop was in the South East, down by 1.5% since January. Meanwhile rents fell by 0.6% on a monthly basis in the East of England, and by 0.1% in the North West. A majority of regions also saw higher rents on an annual basis. The South West saw the quickest rise, up 4.7% from February 2013. This was followed by 3.3% in London and annual rent increase of 2.2% in the North West. By contrast, rents in the East of England now average 3.1% less than a year ago, followed by a 2.3% annual drop for Wales and a 1.9% annual fall in the West Midlands. ‘Across the UK there has always been a huge level of variation between different local markets. But in the last year some of these differences have become more apparent as the property market has witnessed such a rapid shake up and improvement,’ explained Newnes. ‘Those looking to rent, or to let a property should look into the intricacies of their local market, which can have at least as much bearing on the level of rent as the property itself,’ he pointed out. The index also shows that gross yields on a typical rental property remained steady on a monthly basis, standing at 5.2% in February, the same as in January 2014. However, yields have fallen… Continue reading
President Obama orders new round of sanctions on Russia
President Obama orders new round of sanctions on Russia (AP) / 21 March 2014 Obama said the latest penalties were the result of “choices the Russian government has made, choices that have been rejected by the international community.” President Barack Obama on Thursday expanded US economic sanctions against Moscow over its actions in Ukraine, targeting President Vladimir Putin’s chief of staff and 19 other individuals as well as a Russian bank that provides them support. Obama, warning of more costs to come for the Kremlin if the situation worsens, said he also signed an executive order that would allow the US to penalize key sectors of the Russian economy. Officials said Obama could act on that authority if Russian forces press into other areas of Ukraine, an escalation of the crisis in Crimea. The president said the latest penalties were the result of “choices the Russian government has made, choices that have been rejected by the international community.” “Russia must know that further escalation will only isolate it further from the international community,” Obama said, speaking from the South Lawn of the White House. European Union leaders, too, said they would expand the number of people targeted with various sanctions and indicated they would cancel an EU-Russia summit. Chancellor Angela Merkel told the German parliament that if the crisis deepens in Crimea and Ukraine, the EU is prepared to move to economic sanctions on a higher level. Those named in the sanctions Thursday include Sergei Ivanov, Putin’s chief of staff and a longtime associate, as well as Arkady Rotenberg and Gennady Timchenko, both lifelong Putin friends whose companies have amassed billions of dollars in government contracts. Also sanctioned: Bank Rossiya, a private bank that is owned by Yuri Kovalchuk, who is considered to be Putin’s banker. The U.S. sanctions followed a first round of U.S. economic penalties ordered earlier in the week on 11 people the U.S. said were involved in the dispute in Ukraine. Russia moved its military into Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula three weeks ago and has since formally annexed the strategically important region into its borders. The U.S. has declared Russia’s incursion into Crimea a violation of international law and does not recognize its annexation of the peninsula. Still, U.S. officials privately acknowledge that Russia is unlikely to give up Crimea. Instead, their top priority is keeping Russia from moving into other areas of Ukraine with pro-Russian populations. “The world is watching with grave concern as Russia has positioned its military in a way that could lead to further incursions into southern and eastern Ukraine,” Obama said. Senior administration officials said the individuals targeted by Thursday’s sanctions will have assets frozen in the United States, will be barred from doing any business in the U.S. and will be unable to make transactions in American dollars. The officials said some of those sanctioned are close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin has not been personally targeted by the first two rounds of U.S. sanctions. American sanctions on heads of state are rare, largely reserved for instances where the U.S. is seeking a change in government leadership. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
