AT FIRST glance, the entire greater Middle East appears to be sliding into chaos. Civil war continues to rage in Syria, while its neighbours — particularly Jordan and Lebanon — strain under the weight of more than 2m refugees.

GENDER equality is shrewd economics as well as a human right, the World Bank said yesterday, in a report that showed countries with better opportunities for women can boost productivity and development.

The European Union will not be the “sole banker” of a world trade deal, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso warned this afternoon.

AIB has announced its plans to purchase mortgage finance business of the Baltic-American Enterprise Fund AmCredit, which operates in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

A special panel has found that World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz broke bank rules in arranging a pay package and promotion for his girlfriend, it was claimed.

Based in Washington DC, it was founded in 1944 as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz is facing calls to quit today after he admitted he made a mistake in helping his girlfriend get transferred to a high-paying job.