Financial news

• Congo orders mining and oil companies to pay taxes in U.S. dollars

  19-03-2016 21:39
  
  KINSHASA, March 19 (Reuters) - Mining and oil firms in Democratic Republic of Congo must pay taxes and import duties in U.S. dollars from Saturday rather than in the national currency, the Central Bank of the Congo said.
  
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• UPDATE 1-Bangladesh seeks FBI's help in investigating central bank heist

  19-03-2016 18:40
  
  DHAKA, March 19 (Reuters) - Bangladesh has formally sought assistance from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to track down the cyber crooks who stole $81 million from its central bank's U.S. account, the interior minister said on Saturday.
  
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• Greek bailout review to be interrupted for Catholic Easter

  19-03-2016 17:34
  
  ATHENS, March 18 (Reuters) - EU and IMF inspectors assessing Greece's bailout progress will leave Athens on Sunday and return after Catholic Easter, sources close to the talks said, dashing Greek hopes that the review could be concluded as early as the end of March.
  
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• UPDATE 1-Italy's Banco Popolare says BPM deal closer, cash call possible

  19-03-2016 16:54
  
  LODI, Italy, March 19 (Reuters) - Banco Popolare's chief executive said on Saturday that the Italian bank and Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM) are getting closer to meeting the European Central Bank's merger conditions and a capital increase still cannot be ruled out.
  
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• Tanzania court jails two Chinese men for ivory smuggling - media

  19-03-2016 16:04
  
  DAR ES SALAAM, March 19 (Reuters) - Tanzania has sentenced two Chinese men to 35 years each in jail for ivory smuggling, local media reported on Saturday, the latest conviction of Chinese nationals in a drive to stamp out poaching.
  
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• CORRECTED-UPDATE 1-Russian econ minister sees rouble staying weaker than 60 per dlr

  19-03-2016 15:22
  
  MOSCOW, March 19 (Reuters) - The rouble will probably be stronger than previously expected but is likely to remain weaker than 60 roubles per dollar, Russia's Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said on Saturday.
  
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• Iain Duncan Smith quit due to Treasury refusal to consider pensioner cuts

  19-03-2016 12:41
  
  IDS tired of being asked to cut disabled benefits, but critics say resignation partly due to opposing Cameron on EUIain Duncan Smith resigned from the cabinet because he was frustrated that Downing Street and the Treasury refused to consider controversial cuts to universal pensioner benefits, it has been claimed.Friends of the former work and pensions secretary said he was fed up of being asked “again and again” for cuts to working age benefits and those for disabled people, while th
  
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• Bangladesh seeks FBI's help in investigating central bank heist

  19-03-2016 12:41
  
  DHAKA, March 19 (Reuters) - Bangladesh has formally sought assistance from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to track down the cyber crooks who stole $81 million from its central bank's U.S. account, the interior minister said on Saturday.
  
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• Russian econ minister says expects rouble to remain weaker than 60 roubles/dollar

  19-03-2016 11:13
  
  MOSCOW, March 19 (Reuters) - The rouble will probably be stronger than previously expected but is likely to remain weaker than 60 roubles per dollar, Russia's Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said on Saturday.
  
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• UPDATE 1-'Helicopter money' is not manna from heaven, Bundesbank chief says

  19-03-2016 11:03
  
  BERLIN, March 19 (Reuters) - "Helicopter money", or free cash dished out to citizens in a bid to stimulate spending and inflation, would end up costing euro zone states and therefore taxpayers, the head of Germany's central bank said in an interview with German newspapers.
  
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• There are clear divisions in the UK's financial services sector over a Brexit - EUROPP - European Politics and Policy (blog)

  19-03-2016 08:34
  EUROPP - European Politics and Policy (blog)
  There are clear divisions in the UK's financial services sector over a Brexit
  EUROPP - European Politics and Policy (blog)
  Until recently the City has sought to maintain a low profile on Brexit. For an industry still very much in the public gaze, there is little incentive to stick their head above the parapet as long as the outcome of the referendum result remains shrouded ...en meer »
  

• There’s a tax the chancellor doesn’t mention: it’s national insurance

  19-03-2016 08:01
  
  For every extra £1 George Osborne has taken in income tax since becoming chancellor, he has grabbed £2 more in NIEvery chancellor talks about tax-cutting, George Osborne more than most. Each of his budget speeches has been laced with claims about how many people he has taken out of paying tax by raising the personal allowance. And it’s largely true: the total amount paid in income tax in the UK was £132.2bn when Osborne became chancellor in 2010-11. By 2014-15 it had rise
  
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• Four reasons to take out a lifetime Isa – and two why you shouldn’t

  19-03-2016 08:01
  
  The savings account, introduced in the budget, will help first-time buyers and the self-employed – but a workplace pension is still the most tax-efficient way to saveA free handout of up to £32,000 in cash from the government is, it has to be said, the sort of offer that grabs your attention. That’s the carrot George Osborne held out to younger people this week - presumably in an attempt to placate Generation Y’s anger about never being able to afford to buy a house and h
  
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• I’m 70 and would like a smartphone, but don’t want to spend a fortune

  19-03-2016 08:00
  
  I need email, internet and a few useful apps – which phone should I buy?Every week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.This week’s question: Continue reading...
  
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• Dud tickets from Get Me In! left us out of concert

  19-03-2016 08:00
  
  After a three-hour journey to see Halsey at the Birmingham O2 we had to buy replacement tickets as ours had already been usedI recently bought two tickets from Get Me In! to see Halsey in concert at the O2 in Birmingham. They were e-tickets, which we’d printed out, but when my husband and daughter arrived they were refused entry as apparently they had already been used. The venue was helpful and sold them two tickets (£20 each) so they could still go, even though it was officially so
  
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• Brush up on the price of paint if you plan to have a DIY Easter

  19-03-2016 08:00
  
  Reckon there’s little difference between the superstores? We checked them out – and found a surprising disparityNext weekend is the busiest of the year for DIY-ers, with Easter Saturday frequently racking up the highest sales at Britain’s hardware superstores. But a Guardian Money price check has found huge disparities between the prices of branded goods such as paints and brushes, with Homebase the most expensive in our snapshot survey.White spirit is twice the price at Homeba
  
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• Looking for ethical investments? Here are a few that could be worth your energy

  19-03-2016 07:59
  
  Green schemes have their risks, but can hopefully generate bank-beating returns of 9% a year – and a couple of them have illustrious connectionsEthically minded individuals looking for potential returns of as much as 9.9% a year, and who are prepared to take some risks with their money, are being offered the chance to invest in a range of “green” schemes – one of which has been praised by David Cameron, no less.They include a £4.4m solar scheme just a few miles down
  
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• 'Helicopter money' is not manna from heaven, Bundesbank chief says

  19-03-2016 05:00
  
  BERLIN, March 19 (Reuters) - "Helicopter money", or free cash dished out to citizens in a bid to stimulate spending and inflation, would end up costing euro zone states and therefore also cost taxpayers, the head of Germany's central bank said in an interview with a group of regional German newspapers.
  
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• UPDATE 4-Soccer-FIFA announces new sponsorship deal, says more on the way

  19-03-2016 04:38
  
  ZURICH, March 19 (Reuters) - FIFA president Gianni Infantino said a wind of change was blowing through soccer's scandal-plagued world governing body after announcing a sponsorship deal with China's Wanda Group on Friday.
  
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• Anbang's Starwood bid is major Chinese prize for Taubman's PJT

  19-03-2016 01:00
  
  March 18 (Reuters) - When Anbang Insurance Group acquired New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel last year, the Chinese company gained more than one of the city's most iconic buildings. It got a base on Park Avenue across from the office of veteran dealmaker Paul Taubman.
  
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• REFILE-Activist hedge funds wounded by market turmoil

  19-03-2016 00:59
  
  March 18 (Reuters) - Hedge funds wounded by recent stock market gyrations may struggle to pressure companies and reap the benefits of their activist campaigns, lawyers and bankers at Tulane Law School's corporate law conference in New Orleans said this week.
  
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• Heroes face consequences as 'Batman v Superman' clash for justice

  19-03-2016 00:48
  
  LOS ANGELES, March 18 (Reuters) - Superheroes have long existed in a world of their own, but as two iconic caped heroes battle in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," both are brought crashing down to reality as the ramifications of their actions catch up with them.
  
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• Homes in converted office blocks – in pictures

  19-03-2016 00:45
  
  It will be hard work choosing one of these properties, from York to north-west LondonContinue reading...
  
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