Allianz Warns Pimco Flows ‘Shaky’ as Investors Assess Rates
Allianz SE Chief Executive Officer Oliver Baete plans to push deeper into alternative asset classes such as real
2023-06-30 15:29
European shares climb on China stimulus hopes; inflation data in focus
European shares rose on Friday as lacklustre data on China's factory activity spurred hopes of more policy stimulus,
2023-06-30 15:23
Tourist who carved name into Colosseum identified as British fitness trainer
The tourist who caused outrage in Italy after carving names into a wall of the Colosseum has been identified as a British fitness trainer. The man has been identified as a fitness trainer who lives in Bristol but originally from Bulgaria, reported The Telegraph. The tourist was filmed by an onlooker etching his and his girlfriend’s name into a wall of the 2,000-year-old monument last Friday. Wearing a blue floral print shirt, he used a key to write “Ivan + Hayley 23” in full view of the public. He turned around and grinned as an angry bystander asked: “Are you serious, man?” The video titled “A*****e tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome” was uploaded to YouTube on Friday by the man who filmed the scenes. It went viral across social media, garnering international headlines as people roundly condemned him. Police have not named the suspect but the Carabinieri – military police for the Italian armed forces – said the man has been identified and they were “a couple who are resident in England”. In an official statement, it said they identified them “through traditional investigations and photographic comparisons the person accused of etching their name and that of his girlfriend on the walls of the Colosseum”. The man could face a fine of up to €15,000 (£12,850) and a prison sentence of up to five years if convicted for defacing the historical monument under Italian laws. Rome’s Colosseum is a Unesco world heritage site where gladiators fought with one another and also battelled wild animals including lions, leopards, bulls and ostriches. Its construction began under the reign of the emperor Vespasian in the first century AD. Italian police will send a note to the suspect’s residence in England to inform him that he is under investigation, according to Il Messaggero. The woman is, however, not being investigated. The Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano thanked the police for identifying the alleged suspect of the “uncivilised and absurd act committed at the Colosseum”. “It was an act that offended those around the world who appreciate the value of archaeology, monuments and history,” he said. “Now I hope justice will take its course by rigorously applying the laws.” The minister said that the government was considering a law that would impose stringent punishment on those found guilty of defacing or damaging the country’s historical and cultural heritage sites. “Those who cause damage will pay,” he said. It is not the first time tourists were investigated and punished for defacing a historical site. In 2014, a Russian tourist was fined €20,000 (£17,000) for engraving a “K” on a wall, and given a suspended four-year jail sentence. The following year, two American tourists were also cited for aggravated damage after they carved their names in the monument. Italian tourism lobby Federturismo, backed by statistics bureau ISTAT, has said 2023 is shaping up as a record for visitors to Italy, surpassing even pre-pandemic levels that hit a high in 2019. Read More Outrage in Rome after tourist filmed carving his and girlfriend’s names into Colosseum Italy looks for man seen in viral video carving names into Rome's almost 2,000-year-old Colosseum Watch: Couple carve names into Italy’s ancient Colosseum as hunt for vandals is launched Italian police say the man filmed carving his name on the Colosseum is a tourist living in Britain Tourist filmed carving his and girlfriend’s names into Colosseum in Rome Italy looks for man seen in viral video carving names into Rome's almost 2,000-year-old Colosseum
2023-06-30 15:00
Brexiteer Farage Says His UK Bank Accounts Are Being Closed
Nigel Farage, the former leader of the pro-Brexit UK Independence Party, said his bank accounts are being closed
2023-06-30 14:57
Violence rocks Paris for third night over teen’s killing as police arrest nearly 700 people
At least 667 people across France were arrested till Friday as Paris and other parts of the country burned for the third consecutive night over the killing of a 17-year-old boy. Riots broke out in and around the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the teen of North African descent, identified as Nahel M, 17, was shot during a traffic check. Police and firefighters struggled to contain protesters and extinguish numerous blazes that damaged schools, police stations and town halls or other public buildings, the national police said. The police officer accused of shooting the teenager reportedly sought forgiveness from the boy’s family, his lawyer has said. Laurent-Franck Lienard told BFMTV: "The first words he pronounced were to say sorry and the last words he said were to say sorry to the family. "He is devastated, he doesn't get up in the morning to kill people. He didn't want to kill him." Mr Lienard said the officer had aimed down towards the driver’s leg but was bumped, which caused him to shoot towards his chest. “He had to be stopped, but obviously [the officer] didn’t want to kill the driver,” he said. The lawyer added that his client’s detention was being used to try to calm rioters. The officer was handed a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide after prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude "the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met". The prosecutor said Nahel died from a single shot through his left arm and chest while driving off after being stopped by police. The officer alleged that he opened fire as he feared that he and his colleague or someone else could be hit by the car. Mr Prache confirmed that two motorcycle police noticed a Mercedes, with one young driver and two passengers travelling quickly in a bus lane at 7:55am on Tuesday. Police twice attempted to indicate to the car to pull over and park, but the driver continued driving and the two police pursued the vehicle. The Mercedes had to stop at a traffic light, at which point the police asked the driver to turn off engine and exit the vehicle. The police officers said they drew their weapons and aimed them at the driver to stop him from taking off in the vehicle. However, the driver did pull away at which point the police decided to shoot. A bullet hit the driver through arm and chest, and the car crashed. One of the passengers fled. Firefighters were called to the scene at 8:21am. They provided first aid to the driver which was unsuccessful. The shooting, which was caught on video, triggered clashes between police and young people in housing projects and other disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The teenager’s family and their lawyers have not said the police shooting was race-related and they did not release his surname or details about him. French president Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to hold an emergency government meeting later on Friday. “These acts are totally unjustifiable,” Mr Macron said at the beginning of Thursday’s emergency security meeting, which aimed at securing hot spots and planning for the coming days “so full peace can return”. Vehicles were set on fire in Toulouse and a tramway train was torched in a suburb of Lyon, police said. Bus and tram services in the Paris area were shut down before sunset as a precaution to safeguard transportation workers and passengers. A similar curfew was announced in Neuilly-sur-Marne. The unrest reportedly extended even to Brussels, the EU administrative home and Belgian capital city, where about a dozen people were detained during scuffles. Read More ‘This is war’: France burns amid angry protests after teenager shot dead by police in Paris suburb Who is Nahel? The teen shot dead by police in France French suburbs are burning. How a teen's killing is focusing anger over police tactics Where are the French riots and why are they happening? Who is Nahel M? The teen shot dead by police in France France burns for third night as cars torched over police shooting - live
2023-06-30 14:53
France riots - latest: Paris burns for third night as cars torched and streets barricaded over teen shooting
More than 600 people were arrested overnight across France during a third night of violent protests over the police killing of a teenager earlier this week. The boy, identified as Nahel M, of North African descent, was shot dead by an officer following a traffic stop in Nanterre, about 11km northwest of Paris city centre, on Tuesday. The officer has been charged with voluntary homocide and apologised to the boy’s family. Some 40,000 officers were deployed across the country on Thursday in a bid to attempt to quell further clashes but a total of 667 were detained by police. French president Emmanuel Macron will hold a new government emergency meeting later on Friday to discuss the crisis with ministers and officials. In Nanterre, protesters torched cars, barricaded streets and hurled projectiles at police following an earlier peaceful vigil held to pay tribute to the youth. In central Paris, a Nike shoe store was broken into, and several people were arrested after store windows were smashed along the Rue de Rivoli shopping street, Paris police said. Read More Who is Nahel? The teen shot dead by police in France Is it safe to travel to Paris right now? ‘This is war’: France burns amid angry protests after teenager shot dead by police in Paris suburb
2023-06-30 14:47
South Korea Passes Inaugural Standalone Crypto Bill After Spate of Scandals
South Korea approved its first standalone digital-asset bill to boost investor protection just over a year after the
2023-06-30 14:29
Volkswagen Picks Insider to Lead Audi After Tesla Pulls Ahead
Volkswagen AG replaced the chief executive officer of its flagging premium brand Audi as Europe’s biggest carmaker seeks
2023-06-30 14:20
Ukraine Russia – live: Wagner still in war near Bakhmut despite Putin’s ban and mutiny, says Pentagon
The Pentagon has said Russian mercenary Wagner Group is still in Ukraine despite pulling out of the war-hit nation and claiming to hand over control to Russian defence ministry fighters last month. “...on Wagner Group and its disposition, what I would tell you is, right now, we continue to see some elements of the Wagner Group in Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine,” Pentagon press secretary brigadier general Pat Ryder said. He added: “...they have been conducting operations in Ukraine for a while now. And so you know, most recently near Bakhmut, and so elements of those units are still in Ukraine.” He was answering a question in press briefing on a new home for Wagner Group in southern Belarus as per the satellite image from a former military base. Mutinous Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was told his mercenaries would no longer be fighting in Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine after he snubbed Russian defence ministry contracts for his fighters, a senior Moscow politician has said. Read More Ukraine holds drills in Zaporizhzhia to prepare for radiation leaks from Russian-held nuclear plant Ukraine’s push to smash Russian defences on the battlefield: ‘Small advances have colossal meaning’ Pence makes a surprise trip to Ukraine and meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Mystery surrounds fate of Russia’s ‘General Armageddon’ in wake of Wagner mutiny
2023-06-30 13:15
Marketmind: Markets await euro zone inflation; wary of yen
A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Ankur Banerjee After German inflation bucked the trend
2023-06-30 12:52
Last Taboo for Hit Obesity Drug Is Asking When to Stop
Two years and more than a million prescriptions after Wegovy first went on sale, there’s one taboo question
2023-06-30 12:29
UK Seeks to Ease Inflation Hit From Planned Brexit Border Checks
The UK is weighing options to blunt the cost of post-Brexit border checks on European food imports due
2023-06-30 12:22