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☆ With Government Relocated, Egypt Set to Unveil Overhaul of Downtown Cairo
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The area, modelled on Paris in the 1860s, is filled with elegant but crumbling buildings constructed over the subsequent seven decades. The Sovereign Fund has already taken control of three prime properties in central Cairo, and received ownership of 11 former ministry buildings in a decree published this week in the official gazette. "Some of the buildings are already evacuated, but there is a mobilisation plan for relocating into concentrated locations for whoever is staying and not moving to the new capital," Soliman said. Work on the ground would begin "probably within the first half of this year," Soliman said. It would include a three-star Moxy hotel by Marriott, the first in Egypt, Soliman said.

Persons: Patrick Werr CAIRO, Ayman Soliman, Soliman, We're, Patrick Werr, Aidan Lewis, Alex Richardson Organizations: Sovereign Fund, Misr Insurance, Reuters, European Bank for Reconstruction, National Democratic Party, NDP, Marriott Locations: Paris, Cairo, Egypt

☆ German government unveils budget fixes as way out of crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Christian Kraemer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The government said the spillover effects from the energy crisis that hit in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and caused rocketing prices had created an emergency situation that justified suspending the debt brake. The leader of Scholz's SPD urged the government to consider suspending the debt brake next year, a move rejected in particular by the fiscally hawkish Free Democrats (FDP). "The debt brake must remain." The debt brake, introduced after the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, was first suspended in 2020 to help the government support firms and health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday he stressed the need to give companies, which have been worried by the uncertainty caused by the budget crisis, clarity as quickly as possible.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Olaf Scholz's, finalising, Scholz's, Christian Duerr, Bijan Djir, Christian Kraemer, Riham Alkousaa, Amir Orusov, Rachel More, Matthias Williams, Thomas Escritt, Alison Williams, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, Free Democrats, ZDF, Greens, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, Ukraine, Sarai, East Germany

Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the retreat session of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 5, 2023. The document, known as Resource Mobilisation Plan, has to be agreed with investors ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) which begins on Thursday in Dubai. Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend the COP28 from Nov 30 to Dec 3, the government portal said, raising expectations that the plan could be announced there. A second foreign official said there was no major issue pending, and approval of the final version "is very nearly there." There is no certainty that Vietnam would actually take the loans on offer, and the communist government has been reluctant to take foreign loans in the past.

Persons: Pham Minh Chinh, Mast, Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio, Khanh Vu, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Vietnam's, 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Rights, Change, Reuters, of, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Rights HANOI, Vietnam, Dubai, Hanoi

☆ German government to agree budget fixes as way out of crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Christian Kraemer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks next to Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck during a hearing at Germany’s lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, November 15, 2023. The budget would see Germany suspend its constitutionally enshrined debt brake for a fourth year in a row as Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government fights its way out of a crisis that has triggered warnings about growth and an industry exodus. "The debt brake must remain." The debt brake, introduced after the global financial crisis of 2008-09, was first suspended in 2020 to help the government support firms and health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday he stressed the need to give companies, who have been worried by the uncertainty caused by the budget crisis, clarity as quickly as possible.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Olaf Scholz's, finalising, Christian Duerr, Bijan Djir, Christian Kraemer, Riham, Matthias Williams, Alison Williams Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, Rights, Free Democrats, ZDF, Greens, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Sarai, East Germany

REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCOLOMBO, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka will likely approve on Monday a proposal from Chinese state refiner Sinopec to build a $4.5-billion-dollar refinery, the South Asian island nation's energy minister said on Saturday. Sri Lanka, trying to recover from its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years, is hungry for new investment and local fuel supplies. The investment will add to Sinopec's recently started fuel retailing business, the third international company with a foothold in Sri Lanka, with a license to operates 150 petrol stations. Sinopec's fuel oil division, which runs the retail business there, began in 2019 supplying marine bunker fuel at Hambantota, another Sinopec official said. Sri Lanka's refinery at Sapugaskanda, commissioned in 1969, can process 38,000 barrels of oil a day.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Kanchana Wijesekera, Wijesekera, Vitol, Uditha Jayasinghe, Chen Aizhu, Krishn Kaushik, William Mallard Organizations: China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, REUTERS, Rights, and Energy, Reuters, Sri, China Merchant Port Holdings, Initiative, China Merchants, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Sri Lanka, China's, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Colombo, Sinopec, Hambantota, Europe, Asia, Lanka's, Sapugaskanda

☆ Panasonic plans to sell stake in autos business to Apollo Global funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A logo of Panasonic Corp is pictured at the CEATEC JAPAN 2017 (Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies) at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, October 2, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Japan's Panasonic Holdings (6752.T) said on Friday it plans to sell a stake in its automotive systems business to funds managed by U.S. private equity firm Apollo Global Management, and has signed a memorandum of understanding with an Apollo affiliate. Continued investment in the automotive systems business would be necessary to achieve sustained growth for the company amid a rapid shift to electric cars and changes to vehicle architecture, Panasonic said. The automotive unit makes cockpit and electronics systems. It is separate from Panasonic's energy unit that makes batteries for electric vehicles, including those from Tesla (TSLA.O).

Persons: Toru Hanai, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Panasonic Corp, Advanced Technologies, Makuhari, REUTERS, Rights, Japan's Panasonic Holdings, U.S, Apollo Global Management, Apollo, Panasonic, Thomson Locations: JAPAN, Chiba, Japan, Tokyo

☆ Indonesia says Exxon Mobil plans to invest up to $15 bln in the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Exxon Mobil Corp FollowJAKARTA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) is planning to invest up to $15 billion in a petrochemical project and carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities in Indonesia, President Joko Widodo said in a presidential palace statement on Thursday. The planned CCS facilities would be the biggest in Southeast Asia. Earlier this week, Indonesia signed an initial deal with an Exxon unit to explore investment in a petrochemical project in Indonesia to produce polymers. Exxon and Indonesian state energy company Pertamina also agreed to evaluate $2 billion in investments in CCS facilities using two underground basins in the Java Sea. "These large-scale opportunities could substantially boost industrial growth and decarbonisation in Indonesia, as well as the Asia Pacific region," said Carole Gall, president of Exxon Mobil Indonesia.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Joko Widodo, Darren Woods, Pertamina, Carole Gall, Joe Biden, Fransiska Nangoy, Bernadette Christina, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Tom Hogue Organizations: ExxonMobil, REUTERS, Companies Exxon Mobil Corp, Exxon Mobil, Exxon, Asia, Economic Cooperation, Exxon Mobil Indonesia, CCS, U.S, APEC, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, San Francisco, Asia, Washington

☆ Russia's weaker hand undermines case for Power of Siberia 2 gas link to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Vladimir Soldatkin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Russia currently exports gas to China through the Power of Siberia 1 pipeline, which began operating in 2019 and runs through eastern Siberia into China's northeastern Heilongjiang province. Moscow has not said how much the 2,600 km (1,616 miles) Power of Siberia-2 would cost or how it would be financed. Russia aims to increase supplies via Power of Siberia 1 to 38 bcm annually by 2025. If the plans for Power of Siberia 2 and another link from Russia's far eastern island of Sakhalin come to fruition, Russia's pipeline gas exports to China would rise to almost 100 bcm per year by 2030. "This fact will require CNPC to build on its own all the necessary gas transportation infrastructure in China," Kondratov wrote.

Persons: Maxim, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Kondratov, Kondratov, Sergey Vakulenko, Vakulenko, Viktoria Abramchenko, Andrew Hayley, Chen Aizhu, Oksana Kobzeva, Mark Trevelyan, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Russia, East, Power, Gazprom, Economics, Russian Academy of Science, Carnegie Endowment, International, Soyuz, Thomson Locations: Siberia, Svobodny, Amur, Russia, East Power, Turkmenistan, MOSCOW, China, Europe, Yamal, Mongolia, Baltic, Moscow, Ukraine, Beijing, China's, Heilongjiang, Russian, Power, Russia's, Sakhalin, That's, Nord, Turkey, Japan, United States, Qatar, Australia, Singapore

☆ At least 21 dead, more missing after ArcelorMittal mine fire in Kazakhstan
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ALMATY, Oct 28 (Reuters) - At least 21 people have died in a mine fire in Kazakhstan, ArcelorMittal Temirtau (MT.LU), the local unit of the Luxembourg-based steelmaker which operates the mine, said on Saturday. Of the 252 people at the Kostenko mine, 208 had been evacuated, with 18 seeking medical help, the company said in a statement. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who expressed condolences to victims' families, ordered his cabinet to stop investment cooperation with ArcelorMittal Temirtau. The government said in a statement that it was finalising a deal to nationalise the company, which operates the country's biggest steel mill. Last month First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar told reporters that Kazakhstan was in talks with potential investors who could take over the mill.

Persons: ArcelorMittal, Kassym, Tokayev, ArcelorMittal Temirtau, Roman Sklyar, Olzhas, William Mallard, Jason Neely Organizations: Thomson Locations: ALMATY, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg

☆ Computer parts maker Logitech's second-quarter sales fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsOct 24 (Reuters) - Logitech International (LOGN.S) suffered a drop in sales in the second quarter, it said on Tuesday, as the computer peripherals maker struggled to hold on to the gains made during the pandemic. Sales fell 8% to $1.06 billion for the quarter ended September, it said in an exchange filing. However, it reported sales of $2.03 billion in the first half, beating its own forecast of $1.875-$1.975 billion. Non-GAAP operating income rose 17% to $183 million in the second quarter, the Swiss-U.S. company said. It expects sales this fiscal year to be in the range of $4-$4.15 billion and non GAAP operating income between $525 million and $575 million.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Bracken Darrell, Daniel Borel, Borel, Wendy Becker's, John Revill, Maria Ponnezhath, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Logitech, REUTERS, U.S, Thomson Locations: Swiss

A general view of Chevron's Wheatstone LNG facility in Pilbara coast, Western Australia, as seen in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on September 8, 2023. Workers called off strikes less than two weeks ago after unions and Chevron accepted proposals on pay and conditions proposed by the country's industrial arbitrator, the Fair Work Commission. However, the Offshore Alliance, a coalition of two unions, on Thursday said Chevron had "reneged" on its commitments. A union representative who declined to be named said they would recommend workers serve Chevron notice of intent to resume strikes. Chevron and unions had made progress drafting the agreement, but differences remained over issues like reimbursement for meals or travel for training, according to a second union representative involved in the negotiations.

Persons: Weeks, Lewis Jackson, Urvi, Kim Coghill, Sonali Paul Organizations: Reuters, Chevron, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Companies Chevron Corp, Workers, Offshore Alliance, Commission, Thomson Locations: Wheatstone, Western Australia, U.S, Sydney, Bengaluru

☆ Exclusive: Timor president says China military cooperation 'never discussed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The agreement also provided scope for funding from China including government and commercial loans to East Timor, he said. Some Australian politicians expressed concern after China's state media reported on Saturday that Beijing's agreement with East Timor, around 700km (450 miles) north-west of Australia, also covered military exchanges. "It was never discussed in terms of military cooperation, never discussed, and the Chinese side also never raised this issue," Ramos-Horta said. East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, aims to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN by 2025 as it seeks to reduce high poverty rates. Australia has appointed an envoy to speed up negotiations between East Timor and Woodside; Gusmao's government wants gas to be piped to East Timor and not Australia.

Persons: Jose Ramos, Caitlin Ochs, Horta, Xanana Gusmao, Xi Jinping, heightening, Ramos, Kirsty Needham, Lincoln, 私 Organizations: Sustainable, United Nations, REUTERS, Rights, East, Reuters, Southeast, ASEAN, Canberra, Woodside Energy, Greater Sunrise, Greater, Australia, UN's, Fund for Agricultural Development, Global Citizen, Pacific Locations: Horta, Timor, New York City , New York, U.S, East Timor, China, Australia, Indonesia, Canberra, Solomon Islands, 2,000km, Timor Leste, ASEAN, Singapore, Malaysia, East Timor's, Dili, Greater Sunrise, Southeast Asia, Woodside, United States, New York

☆ Exclusive: East Timor president says China military cooperation was 'never discussed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The agreement also provided scope for funding from China including government and commercial loans to East Timor, he said. "It was never discussed in terms of military cooperation, never discussed, and the Chinese side also never raised this issue," Ramos-Horta said. East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, aims to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN by 2025 as it seeks to reduce high poverty rates. Australia has appointed an envoy to speed up negotiations between East Timor and Woodside; Gusmao's government wants gas to be piped to East Timor and not Australia. Australia's relationship with East Timor is "stronger than at any time in the last decade", Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Persons: Jose Ramos, Caitlin Ochs, Horta, Xanana Gusmao, Xi Jinping, heightening, Ramos, Kirsty Needham, Lincoln Organizations: Sustainable, United Nations, REUTERS, Rights, East, Reuters, Southeast, ASEAN, Canberra, Woodside Energy, Greater Sunrise, Greater, Australia, UN's, Fund for Agricultural Development, Global Citizen, Pacific, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: Horta, Timor, New York City , New York, U.S, East Timor, China, Australia, Indonesia, Canberra, Solomon Islands, 2,000km, Timor Leste, ASEAN, Singapore, Malaysia, East Timor's, Dili, Greater Sunrise, Southeast Asia, Woodside, New York

We are growing but nowhere near fast enough," said Ben Blackwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council. In June, Siemens Gamesa said quality problems at its two most recent onshore wind turbines would cost 1.6 billion euros ($1.7 billion) to fix. "The ratio between risk and reward is out of line in the offshore wind market in many jurisdictions. You can see this from investors not showing up," the Global Wind Energy Council's Blackwell told Reuters. "The situation in U.S. offshore wind is severe," Orsted CEO Mads Nipper said last month.

Persons: Pascal, Jon Wallace, WindEurope, Markus Krebber, Germany's, Ben Blackwell, Rob West, Siemens Gamesa, Fraser McLachlan, McLachlan, Jochen Eickholt, Wallace, Energy Council's Blackwell, Denmark's Orsted, RWE's Krebber, Joe Biden's, Mads Nipper, Nina Chestney, Nichola Groom, Christoph Steitz, Nora Buli, Francesca Landini, Toby Sterling, David Clarke Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European, Jupiter Asset Management, EU, Shell, Siemens, LinkedIn, Wind Energy, Thunder Said Energy, GCube Insurance, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Energy, Reuters, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Le Havre, Normandy, France, European Union, Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Ukraine, Jupiter, U.S, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, Milan, Amsterdam

In a statement to Reuters, Mobile World said it would announce the information once the deal was concluded. The sources said the deal could value Bach Hoa Xanh, Vietnam's third largest grocery chain, at around $1.5-$1.7 billion. Founded in 2015, Bach Hoa Xanh, backed by Vietnam's retail giant Mobile World Investment (MWG.HM), is running more than 1,700 stores in Vietnam's southern and south-central provinces. The Ho Chi Minh City-headquartered company had first planned the sale of a stake of up to 20% in Bach Hoa Xanh last year. Bach Hoa Xanh was expected to be profitable from next year, its managing director told investors last month.

Persons: GIC, Bach, Xanh, Yantoultra Ngui, Chayut, Kane Wu, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Investment, Mobile, Revenue, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, HANOI, Thailand, Vietnam, China, United States, Chi Minh City, Bach Hoa, Singapore, Phuong Nguyen, Hanoi, Bangkok

☆ EU states consider easing post-Brexit derivatives clearing plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But the Spanish EU presidency wants to water this down. Under the draft law, EU securities watchdog ESMA would determine minimum clearing thresholds. The European Parliament is also finalising its own position, before it meets with EU states to thrash out a final text. EU clearing customers "shall clear at least proportions" of euro derivatives in an active account, the compromises say, specifying no minimum clearing figure from the outset. If not enough clearing is being done in the EU within 18 months, ESMA should specify the proportion of clearing that each customer must undertake through their EU accounts, the compromises say.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Lawmakers, Huw Jones, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, European Commission, European Union, EU, London Stock Exchange, Deutsche Boerse's Eurex, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Britain, London, Frankfurt, Spanish, EU

☆ EU's von der Leyen pledges more support for wind industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers the State of the European Union address to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, September 13, 2023. We will focus on skills, access to finance and stable supply chains," von der Leyen said in a speech to the European Parliament on Wednesday. But Europe's offshore wind power industry has warned governments it is not big enough to deliver green power goals and requires a jump in policy support to get on track - particularly if new wind farms are to be manufactured in Europe. "The future of our clean tech industry has to be made in Europe," von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen vowed to "stay the course" on Europe's green agenda, promising talks with industries - including agriculture - concerned about their role in the green transition.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Yves Herman Acquire, von der Leyen, Eurelectric, von der, Von der Leyen, Kate Abnett, Gabriela Baczynska, Louise Heavens Organizations: European, European Union, REUTERS, Renewables, Energy, Thomson Locations: Strasbourg, France, Europe, BRUSSELS, EU

☆ Partnership With China More Important Than Belt and Road-Italy's Tajani
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ROME (Reuters) - A strategic partnership between Italy and China would be more valuable than a deal such as the Belt and Road initiative, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday addressing Parliament. "A strategic partnership involves all sectors, so it is more important than single bilateral agreements such as the Silk Road (Belt and Road), which so far is unsatisfactory in terms of exports and investment," Tajani said. An Italian official close to the matter said that during his visit to China Tajani signalled the possibility for Italy to pull out from the BRI deal while stressing the desire to keep strong ties with Beijing. On Wednesday Tajani repeated that the Italian government would consult parliament before finalising its position on the issue. After meeting Tajani in Beijing this week, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said cooperation with Italy had been fruitful despite Italian scepticism.

Persons: Antonio Tajani, Tajani, Xi Jinping, China Tajani, Wang Yi, Francesca Piscioneri, Keith Weir, Federico Maccioni, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Italian, Tajani, China's Locations: ROME, Italy, China, China's, Beijing

☆ Partnership with China more important than Belt and Road-Italy's Tajani
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO-Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani addresses the opening session on the first day of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, Britain June 21, 2023. Henry Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Sept 6 (Reuters) - A strategic partnership between Italy and China would be more valuable than a deal such as the Belt and Road initiative, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday addressing Parliament. "A strategic partnership involves all sectors, so it is more important than single bilateral agreements such as the Silk Road (Belt and Road), which so far is unsatisfactory in terms of exports and investment," Tajani said. On Wednesday Tajani repeated that the Italian government would consult parliament before finalising its position on the issue. After meeting Tajani in Beijing this week, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said cooperation with Italy had been fruitful despite Italian scepticism.

Persons: Antonio Tajani, Henry Nicholls, Tajani, Xi Jinping, China Tajani, Wang Yi, Francesca Piscioneri, Keith Weir, Federico Maccioni, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Conference, Rights, Italian, Tajani, China's, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, London, Britain, Italy, China, China's, Beijing

☆ HMV owner finalising deal to buy most of collapsed UK retailer Wilko -Sky News
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A branch of the discount retail homeware store Wilko is seen in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Canadian businessman Doug Putman is finalising a deal to buy the majority of collapsed British homeware retailer Wilko from its administrators in a deal which could save up to 9,000 jobs, Sky News reported on Thursday. The administrators are consulting Wilko's biggest creditors about the deal, Sky News said, adding that there was still some uncertainty around whether it would go ahead. Poundland's parent company and B&M European Value Retail (BMEB.L) have also shown interest in acquiring a smaller portion of Wilko stores. Wilko's administrators PwC said earlier on Thursday that there were parties interested in buying the retailer but none of them wanted the whole group.

Persons: Toby Melville, Doug Putman, Putman, PwC, Sarah Young, Muvija, Elizabeth Piper, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: REUTERS, Sky News, HMV, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Canadian, British, Wilko

☆ France's Le Maire vows to keep lowering taxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire attends the China-France Economic and Financial Dialogue at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, July 29, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 24 (Reuters) - France will accelerate the reduction of its debt while sticking to its policy of lowering taxes for households and businesses, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday. The French state must reduce public spending, he added, confirming that gas and electricity price caps would end. Inflation has started to slow and "we will stick to our fiscal policy", Le Maire said during a visit to the Haute-Savoie department in the French Alps. Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, editing by Tassilo Hummel and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bruno Le Maire, Thomas Peter, Le Maire, Fitch, Elisabeth Borne, Dominique Vidalon, Tassilo Hummel, Devika Organizations: Finance, France Economic, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: China, France, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Haute, Savoie, French

☆ India’s space startups are ready to blast off too
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Amit Dave Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Aug 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Nearly seven million people watched India’s space program make history on Wednesday. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) became the first to land near the moon’s unexplored south pole. Peak XV Partners, formerly Sequoia India and Southeast Asia, in June led a $10 million investment in Digantara, which maps space debris. At $74 million, the bill for India’s moon mission was less than the cost of producing 2013 Hollywood space thriller "Gravity". New Delhi is finalising new foreign direct investment rules, and that will likely turbocharge India’s space startups.

Persons: Amit Dave, Elon Musk, Singapore’s GIC, Pranav Kiran, Coinbase’s, Una Galani, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, SpaceX, XV Partners, Sequoia, Skyroot Aerospace, Hollywood, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Gujarat Science City, Ahmedabad, India, Sequoia India, Southeast Asia, Digantara, New Delhi

Brent crude was down 36 cents at $84.10 a barrel by 11:45 a.m. EDT (1545 GMT). China, the world's second-largest economy, is considered crucial to shoring up oil demand over the rest of the year. Amplifying demand concerns, U.S. central bank officials have not ruled out further interest rate hikes to contain inflation. A preliminary Reuters poll showed that crude oil and gasoline inventories were expected to have fallen last week, with data from American Petroleum Institute due later on Tuesday. Separately on Monday, Shell (SHEL.L) said it was investigating a possible leak on the 180,000 bpd Trans Niger oil pipeline, though no force majeure has been declared.

Persons: Lucy Nicholson, Brent, Jim Ritterbusch, majeure, Natalie Grover, Paul Carsten, Muyu Xu, Katya Golubkova, Tomasz Janowski, David Evans, David Goodman, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Companies Shell, West Texas Intermediate, Saudi, Ritterbusch, Associates, American Petroleum Institute, of Commerce, Shell, Thomson Locations: Bakersfield , California, China, Russian, Galena , Illinois, U.S, Iraqi, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi, Niger, London, Singapore, Tokyo

Leading the round alongside BlackRock, the world's biggest asset manager, were Canada Pension Plan, Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System and, as previously reported, pension investor Investment Management Corporation of Ontario. The fresh funds will help the firm expand its factory footprint, Hartman said. Separately, Northvolt has assembled its first energy storage system products in Poland and expects to start customer deliveries from later this year. "We have a business plan... we always want to make sure we have access to the markets," Hartman said. Reuters has previously reported, citing sources, that Northvolt was preparing for an initial public offering that could value the company at more than $20 billion.

Persons: Helena Soderpalm, IMCO, Northvolt, Alexander Hartman, Goldman Sachs, Baillie Gifford, Swedbank, Singapore's, Chow, Hartman, Supantha Mukherjee, Simon Jessop, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, BlackRock, Reuters, Management Corporation of Ontario, Volkswagen, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, BMW, Volvo, Thomson Locations: Vasteras, Sweden, BlackRock, Canada, STOCKHOLM, LONDON, Swedish, Europe, North America, Ontario, Hong Kong, Germany, United States, Scania, Poland, Stockholm, London

☆ Ukraine may use new Black Sea route for grain shipments - producers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Ukraine is considering using its newly-tested wartime Black Sea export corridor for grain shipments after other cargo ships follow the first successful evacuation of a vessel on the route last week, a senior agricultural official said on Monday. Russia has blockaded Ukrainian ports since it invaded its neighbour in Feb. 2022 and threatened to treat all vessels as potential military targets after pulling out of a U.N.-backed safe passage deal last month. A Hong Kong-flagged container ship stuck in Odesa port since the invasion travelled the route last week without being fired upon. The Financial Times said Kyiv was finalising a scheme with global insurers to cover grain ships travelling to and from its Black Sea ports, citing Ukraine's Deputy Economy Minister Oleksandr Gryban. To attract ship owners to Ukrainian ports which have come under fire from Russian forces, Marchuk said Ukraine had already allocated 20 billion hryvnias ($547 million) for ship insurance.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Denys Marchuk, Oleksandr Gryban, Marchuk, Pavel Polityuk, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Agrarian Council, Financial Times, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Romania, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, Odesa, Mykolaiv

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