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London's FTSE 100 (^FTSE) declined by around 1.2%, while Germany's DAX (^GDAXI) was down by around 1%. France's CAC 40 (^FCHI) was 1.1% in the red."After 16 hours of discussions we came close to a deal but we are not there yet," Centeno said in a tweet on Wednesday morning.
^GSPC) was up by more than 1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) also climbed by 1%, while shares on the Nasdaq (^IXIC) rose by more than 0.9%.." data-reactid="29">The S&P 500 (^GSPC) was up by more than 1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) also climbed by 1%, while shares on the Nasdaq (^IXIC) rose by more than 0.9%..European leaders were unable to agree on the conditions for new lending from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the common currency area's bailout fund.
Professor Mauro Ferrari submitted his resignation to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, effective immediately. His four-year term ended abruptly just months after starting on January 1. Ferrari said he was "extremely disappointed by the European response to Covid-19."
Ferrari headed the European Research Council (ERC), a body established in 2007 with a multibillion-euro budget with the goal of supporting scientific discovery in the EU. The ERC's 'bottom-up' approach to distributing grants clashed with Ferrari's suggestion of launching a large-scale effort to fight the pandemic.
"I thought that at a time like this, the very best scientists in the world should be provided with resources and opportunities to fight the pandemic, with new drugs, new vaccines, new diagnostic tools, new behavioral dynamic approaches based on science, to replace the oft-improvised intuitions of political leaders."
The proposal was rejected by ERC's Scientific Council. Ferrari said he tried to get his ideas implemented through von der Leyen, but the very fact of him working directly with the Commission head "created an internal political thunderstorm. The proposal was passed on to different layers of European Commission administration, where I believe it disintegrated upon impact."
Ferrari is a US-Italian nanomedicine pioneer focusing on developing new cancer treatments.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government and the Central Bank to develop an additional business support program amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The program should be realized within five days, he said. It should allow companies"to preserve employment and salaries" at a maximum rate."mitigate the downturn, soften the blow for businesses, whose losses are already rather substantial and may get even worse.Putin earlier declared the whole of April a non-working month with paid leave.
"restructure such debts. They can be repaid smoothly, monthly, in equal installments during at least one year after expiry of the deferral.
"ensure an option of repayment extensions on consumer and mortgage loans for citizens. I am asking the government to consider expanding this support measure so that it becomes available to a larger number of people."
Comment: RT reports: See also: US hopes sanctions & Covid-19 in Iran will force regime change - but it's a mass murder that will only strengthen Tehran govt