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Africa Cup of Nations showcases the continent's finest footballers – and China…

When the Africa Cup of Nations begins on January 13, the opening match between Guinea Bissau and the hosts, Ivory Coast, will be played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan. The state-of-the-art venue is one of six stadiums being used during the football tournament. At a ceremony to mark the beginning of its construction in 2016, the former prime minister of Ivory Coast, Daniel Kablan Duncan, was accompanied by several Chinese embassy officials based in the country. Their presence was no surprise. After all, the stadium was designed by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design and built by the Beijing Construction…

Exact dates interest rates expected to be cut this year in new mortgage boost…

MILLIONS of homeowners are set for a boost to their finances as interest rates are set to be cut this year. The Bank of England (BoE) has increased rates steadily for nearly two years now, with rates currently standing at 5.25%. 1 The Bank of England has increased rates steadily for nearly two years now, with rates currently standing at 5.25% The central bank has opted to hold rates at 5.25% twice in a row. At the beginning of 2023, interest rates stood at 3.5% . And financial markets are now betting that the BoE will launch a deep round of interest rate cuts this year amid the growing risk of a recession. The central bank was…

Most popular jobs for 2024 earning as much as £84k revealed as one million…

THE most in-demand jobs for this year have been revealed as research confirms at least half of workers are looking for a new job. Job hunters will have plenty to choose from as recruitment firm Hays has said the top 10 list will include social workers, quantity surveyors and cyber security managers. 1 The most popular jobs of 2024 have been revealed with an estimated 1 million roles still vacant With the average wage in the UK reaching £33,000 a year, job seekers may have a chance to double their salaries by switching to some of the sectors making the list. The list of the most popular jobs for 2024 is based on demand from…

Ukraine's Strategic Gas Storage Capacity Eases Europe's Winter Worries

European companies have been relying more on Ukrainian storage to hold natural gas and withdraw it from there once winter heating demand rose. Firms based in Europe have been withdrawing larger volumes of gas from Ukraine in recent weeks, per data from Argus Media reported by the Financial Times on Tuesday. if(window.innerWidthADVERTISEMENTfreestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: "oilprice_medrec_atf", slotId: "oilprice_medrec_atf" });';document.write(write_html);} Larger volumes of natural gas stored in Ukraine have helped European natural gas storage levels to keep between 85% and 90% so far this winter, analysts say. …

EU Tightens Restrictions on Russian Oil and Gas Exports

The U.S. and its key allies on the West and the East continue to tighten the noose around Russian exports of oil and gas and with them, the ability to finance its ongoing invasion of Ukraine and to support Iranian attempts to widen the rolling Israel-Hamas War. Several new agreements were made at both the G7 group of countries (comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S.) and European Union (E.U.) levels in December that significantly build on various sanctions deployed on Russian oil and gas following the conflict it initiated in Ukraine on 24 February 2022. On 8 December, the E.U. Council reached a…