BIZ BRIEFS

Camps for teens

LONDON: British teenagers are to be given the chance to start their own business careers by attending summer camps organised by local firms, a newspaper reported. The scheme, thought up by finance minister Gordon Brown and inspired by Alan Sugar, founder of the electronics and computer company Amstrad, is expected to launch in 2007. — AFP

Putin to meet tycoons

ST PETERSBURG: Top German business executives were to meet with president Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Sunday, one day after similar meetings with the leaders of about a dozen US corporations. Like their American counterparts, the heads of 10 German companies — including E.On, Siemens, and BASF — were expected to seek clarity on the rules for investing in the Russian economy as well as reassurances on property rights and the rule of law. — AP

Business confidence

BRUSSELS: Eurozone data to be published will confirm the slight upturn in business confidence signalled by German and Belgian surveys in the past few days. “We hope to see modest recoveries in these indicators, in line with the German ZEW and Belgian lead indicator this week,”economist Philip Shaw said. — AFP

China for ‘stable’ yuan

TIANJIN: Premier Wen Jiabao insisted that China should maintain a ‘stable’ yuan, arguing that the time was not right for revaluing it despite growing pressure from the US. “Keeping the yuan exchange rate basically stable at a reasonable and balanced level is in the interest of economic development not only in China but also in neighboring countries,” he said. — AFP