Why raise minimum wage is bad

The newly elected co-leaders of Germany's SPD party have been given a mandated to seek more concessions from their CDU coalition partners AFP/John MACDOUGALL "It's bad for Germany when every important decision depends on how the SPD is feeling at that moment," Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, leader of Merkel's CDU conservatives, told the Bild am Sonntag daily. At a crunch party congress this weekend, the ailing SPD voted against an immediate exit from the government. But new leadership duo Norbert Walter-Borjans and Saskia Esken won the party's backing to steer a more leftwing course. The party backed them to open "discussions" with Merkel's CDU/CSU bloc on demands including a higher minimum wage, more public investment and more climate action. No timeframe has been given but talks could start as early as this week, according to German media. If no progress is made, the SPD could call it quits - potentially upending Merkel's plan to complete her fourth term before retiring from politics … [Read more...] about Merkel allies wary as coalition partner seeks concessions

Saudi Arabia will develop nuclear weapons if its arch-rival Iran does so, the kingdom's crown prince said in remarks released on Thursday, raising the prospect of a nuclear arms race in a region already riven with conflict. "Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible," Prince Mohammed bin Salman told CBS in an interview that will air in full on Sunday. The Sunni Muslim kingdom has been at loggerheads with revolutionary Shi'ite Iran for decades. The countries have fought a long-running proxy war in the Middle East and beyond, backing rival sides in armed conflicts and political crises including in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. He downplayed Iran's power during the interview, saying that Iran was far from being a rival to Saudi Arabia. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi reacted harshly, saying the Saudi crown prince was a "delusional naive person" who has no idea of … [Read more...] about Saudi crown prince says will develop nuclear bomb if Iran does: CBS TV

All bets placed on Phu Quoc casino, illustration photo source AFP Key points of Vietnam’s casino legislation Casino operation - Casino operators must open registers or issue electronic cards to monitor visitors leaving and ­entering their premises. These registers or electronic cards must be kept for a minimum of two years for inspections by local authorities if required, or five years for operators which are permitted to allow Vietnamese citizens. - Dossiers for Vietnamese citizens to present their financial abilities to play in casinos according to Article 12 of Decree 03 need to contain one of the following documents: - Documents proving taxable incomes of Level 3 or higher as prescribed in the Law on Personal ­Income Tax: A certified copy of the personal income tax declaration already finalised or finalised by the tax office, or a confirmation of tax obligations by tax authorities proving that players have had taxable incomes of Level 3 or higher for one year … [Read more...] about All bets placed on Phu Quoc casino