Business

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 1 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Friday termed the union budget 2019-20 as "disappointing" and criticised the Centre for not providing enough funds for the flood-hit state.

Even if the BJP-led NDA government presented the interim budget eyeing the upcoming Parliament elections, Kerala was not given enough consideration, he said in a Facebook post.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Friday announced cash handouts for small farmers, a pension scheme for informal workers and a doubling of tax relief for the lower middle class in an interim budget designed to shore up its popularity ahead of national elections due before May.

LONDON (AP) — Nearly a third of U.K. firms may shift operations abroad because of Britain’s pending departure from the European Union, a survey of 1,200 company directors suggested Friday, as political stalemate over a Brexit deal heightened jitters among businesses.

The survey by employers’ group the Institute of Directors found that 16 percent of businesses already had relocation plans while a further 13 percent were “actively considering” a move.

31 Jan 2019; AFP: Growth in the eurozone slowed sharply to 1.8 percent in 2018, data showed Thursday, as a recovery ran out of steam on worries over the US-China trade war and Brexit.

The economy expanded by a comparatively booming 2.4 percent in 2017.

The dampened outlook is a huge disappointment to policy-makers as growth in the eurozone had until recently been regarded as one of the strongest engines of the global economy.

01 Feb 2019; AFP: There were 161 jobs for every 100 jobseekers on average last year in Japan, the highest ratio since 1973, highlighting the labour shortage in the world's third-largest economy and its ageing society.

According to labour ministry data released on Friday, the ratio was even higher in December, at 163 jobs available for every 100 people looking for work.

01 Feb 2019; DW: A free trade agreement between Japan and the EU entered into force on February 1, covering 635 million people and almost one-third of the world's economy.

Dubbed the world's largest free trade agreement, the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement removes duties on almost all agricultural and industrial products and opens up the service sector and procurement. It also moves to eliminate non-tariff barriers to trade.

31 Jan 2019; DW: European aircraft maker Airbus on Thursday said it is "in discussions" with Dubai-based airline Emirates about a make-or-break deal for the future of the superjumbo Airbus A380.

Secured last year, the Emirates deal was hailed as a lifeline for the iconic double-decker aircraft and the program's roughly 3,000 workers.

How the deal fell through:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The latest round of China-U.S. trade talks made important progress for the current stage, and the two sides had candid, specific and constructive discussions, the visiting Chinese delegation said here on Thursday.

SHANGHAI, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- A special court to handle bankruptcy cases was set up in Shanghai on Friday, according to local authorities.

The newly established Shanghai court will handle company bankruptcies, compulsory liquidation cases and cross-border bankruptcy cases.

Shenzhen set up a bankruptcy court, the first of its kind in the country, on Jan. 14. Beijing set up the country's second on Wednesday.

BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday said China was ready to tap more cooperative potentials and enhance all-round cooperation with Qatar to benefit the two peoples.

The remark came as Li met with visiting Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Hailing Qatar as China's important cooperation partner in the Middle East and the Gulf, Li said relations between the two countries had enjoyed healthy and stable development, with cooperation in trade, investment and other fields growing rapidly.