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☆ Far-right parties eye gains in next year's EU parliament elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ROME, Dec 3 (Reuters) - European far-right parties met in Italy on Sunday vowing to reshape the European Union after next year's European Parliament elections, toughening the bloc's approach on immigration and softening its climate policies to protect jobs and industry. Parties from around a dozen countries gathered in Florence, galvanised by last month's general elections in the Netherlands, which handed a surprise win to Geert Wilders' anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV). The far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group is now the sixth-largest in the EU assembly, also behind liberal, green and conservative groups, but current polling data place it in fourth position. Salvini, who has failed to include in his alliance Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her poll-leading Brothers of Italy party, fronted a previous unsuccessful push in 2019 for a far-right breakthrough in EU elections. Wilders hailed Salvini, leader of the League party, as an inspiration and his "number one Italian friend."

Persons: Geert Wilders, Matteo Salvini, Salvini, Giorgia Meloni, Wilders, Tino Chrupalla, Jordan Bardella, righters, Chrupalla, Harald Vilimsky, Vladimir Putin, Chizu Organizations: European Union, Party, League, Marine, Austrian Freedom Party, Thomson Locations: Italy, European, Florence, galvanised, Netherlands, Europe, Germany, Africa, Austrian, Russia, Ukraine, Israel

☆ McLaren can be a real threat to Red Bull next season, says Brawn
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Ross Brawn is tipping a resurgent McLaren to take the fight to dominant Red Bull and triple world champion Max Verstappen next season. So, I think with that improvement going into next season they can be a real threat. Brawn was also optimistic Ferrari would improve under Fred Vasseur's guidance but recognised Red Bull would not be standing still and had the added benefit of being able to switch attention early to next year's car. Red Bull have so far won 19 of 20 races, with Verstappen triumphant 17 times -- a record for a single season that he can extend in Las Vegas this weekend -- and team mate Sergio Perez twice. I think sometimes when you get a team dominating you'd hope that both drivers would be fighting each other and that hasn't happened with Red Bull, which is a shame," said Brawn.

Persons: Jean Todt, Motorsports Ross Brawn, Chase Carey, Niki Lauda's, Leonhard Foeger, Ross Brawn, Red, Max Verstappen, Brawn, Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, McLaren, Andrea Stella, I'm, They’ve, Britain's Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Norris, Fred Vasseur's, Red Bull, Bull, Verstappen, Sergio Perez, It's, Alan Baldwin, Christian Radnedge Organizations: de, Formula, Motorsports, REUTERS, McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, Disney, Qatar, Thomson Locations: Stephen's, Vienna, Austria, Las Vegas

☆ Mohamed Salah breaks 17-year record as Liverpool thrashes Toulouse in Europa League
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —It was a near perfect night for Liverpool in the Europa League on Thursday, with the Reds producing an exciting 5-1 win against French side Toulouse. Salah now holds the record for most goals scored for a single English club in major European competitions. Jurgen Klopp happyThe Toulouse keeper was kept very busy throughout the match and was given no rest in the final moments. “Result good, performance good and especially a lot of really good individual performances, which is nice because it is important for development,” Klopp told reporters after the game. I would say the right players scored the goals, all of them were really, really good.

Persons: Mohamed Salah, Salah, Theirry Henry, Frenchman, Henry’s, Diogo Jota, Thijs Dallinga, Wataru Endo, Darwin Nunez, James Gill, Caoimhin Kelleher’s, Toulouse’s Gabriel Suazo, Trent Alexander, Arnold, Ryan, Nunez, Guillaume Restes, Gravenberch, Jurgen Klopp, ” Klopp, ” Jurgen Klopp, Klopp, ” Organizations: CNN, Liverpool, Europa League, Reds, French, Arsenal, Gunners, Toulouse, Anfield, English Premier League, Getty, MB, Nottingham Forest Locations: Toulouse, Europe, Liverpool

Zinc's relative under-performance is down to a build-up of excess metal as the global market shifts from supply shortfall to widening surplus. It now thinks zinc supply will exceed usage by a hefty 248,000 tonnes with the surplus growing to 367,000 in 2024. Zinc market balance forecasts by the ILZSGSHIFT TO SURPLUSThe zinc market's shift to surplus after two years of supply deficit is down to weaker-than-expected demand and higher-than-expected production. European demand is expected to contract by 1.8% this year due to slowing activity in the construction sector, which accounts for around half of zinc demand in the form of galvanised steel. LME zinc price, stocks and cash-3s spreadNOW YOU SEE IT...

Persons: LME, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, OZ Minerals, London Metal Exchange, Citi, Thomson Locations: Lawn Hill, Queensland, Europe, China, New Orleans, United States, Singapore, Malaysia's Port Klang

☆ Meloni’s Italian job is a lesson for EU’s right
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

This is particularly true of Meloni’s surprise decision in August to tax what she called “unjust profits” by domestic banks. Ill-fated tax credits for building renovations introduced by a previous executive are expected to balloon to up to 150 billion euros, UniCredit analysts reckon. That’s 30 billion euros higher than what the current government predicted in April, or around 1.5% of GDP. That’s Meloni’s biggest Italian lesson for parties like Vox and AfD. CONTEXT NEWSThe Italian Treasury will present new economic targets on Sept. 28, which will be the framework for the country’s 2024 budget.

Persons: Spain’s, Benito Mussolini’s “, Rome ”, Ursula von der Leyen, Meloni, Vladimir Putin, –, Silvio Berlusconi, Matteo Salvini – Meloni, ”, Mario Draghi’s, it’s, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Liz Truss, Meloni’s, Vox, Giorgia Meloni, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, NATO, European Union, EU, Commission, Economy, Italian Treasury, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Ukraine, Kyiv, China, Greece, Brussels, British, Italian

After the Supreme Court's ruling, the lower house of parliament should now formally reinstate Gandhi. Lower courts and the high court in Gujarat, where the BJP holds power, had rejected appeals by Gandhi to suspend the conviction, prompting the appeal to the Supreme Court. Besides seeking suspension of the conviction, Gandhi has also sought to overturn it. That challenge has yet to be heard by the lower court in Gujarat. Gavai said the lower court had not given any reasons for handing down the maximum sentence of two years' jail which led to his disqualification from parliament.

Persons: Rahul Gandhi, Anushree, Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi's, Narendra Modi, Modi, B.R, Gavai, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Chowdhury, Purnesh Modi, YP Rajesh, Arpan Chaturvedi, Shivam Patel, Sakshi Dayal, Kim Coghill, Simon Cameron, Moore, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Supreme, Developmental, YP, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Gujarat, Manipur

☆ Bruce Lee's legacy squares up to modern life in Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Tyrone Siu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Filed: July 17, 2023, 11 p.m. GMTFifty years after the death of Bruce Lee, who galvanised the imaginations of generations of young people worldwide with feats of kung fu immortalised on screen, it sometimes seems as if his legacy of the martial art he practiced is fading in Hong Kong. Born in San Francisco but brought up in the Asian financial hub which would make him famous, Lee died of brain edema aged 32 on July 20, 1973, just six days before the release of “Enter the Dragon”, his most popular film. “He was exceptionally talented and it’s a shame he passed away at such a young age,” said 60-year-old Dorothy Tam, whose hair is now graying, as she punched a sandbag in a small martial arts school covered with bamboo scaffolding in western Kowloon.

Persons: Bruce Lee, Lee, ”, Dorothy Tam Locations: Hong Kong, San Francisco, Kowloon

☆ Weaker China offers opportunities to US and allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

It is also a setback for his most important ally, Chinese President Xi Jinping. So the United States and its allies can’t let their guard down. In 2021 the United States chaotically pulled out of Afghanistan and its alliance of rich democracies was in disarray. It seemed only a matter of time before China would overtake the United States as the world’s largest economy. At some point, the Chinese president may conclude that the Russian president is such a loser that he should do just that.

Persons: Vladimir Putin hasn’t, Xi Jinping, can’t, United States chaotically, Xi’s, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, George Magnus, Antony Blinken, Biden can’t, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, PUTIN, Russia, U.S, Shanghai Stock, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Russian, China, Taiwan, United States, Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Pacific, India, America, U.S, Kyiv

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - The closure of the Tara zinc mine in Ireland tells you how far the price of the galvanising metal has fallen over the last year. The closure is unlikely to alleviate the immediate over-supply of zinc concentrates but it is a sharp reminder for the market that the zinc price is teetering on the edge of the mining production cost curve. LME zinc price, stocks and spreadsTARA'S PERFECT STORMTara Mines, based in County Meath, is "currently cash flow negative due to a combination of factors including operational challenges, a decline in the price of zinc, high energy prices and general cost inflation", Boliden said. "The zinc market seems to be very volatile at the moment," Nystrom said, which is an understatement given the scale of the price collapse over the last 15 months. But Tara's suspension is a wake-up call that after a year of worrying about smelters, zinc traders need to start worrying about zinc mines as well.

Persons: Tara, Boliden, Mines, Gunnar Nystrom, Ireland's, " Nystrom, Morgan Stanley, Barbara Lewis Organizations: London Metal Exchange, Ireland's RTE, Shanghai Metal Markets, Fastmarkets, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ireland, County Meath, Europe, China, Shanghai, London

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu gets his turn as president, familiar problems await
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Macdonald Dzirutwe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Buhari, a taciturn former military ruler, leaves Africa's biggest economy and most populous nation deeply divided. But what authorities promised would be the country's freest and fairest election yet ended in frustration for many. Buhari defends his record, saying new infrastructure such as roads, bridges and airports, and the protectionist policies have laid the foundations for future growth. Separatist and gang violence plague the southeast, and clashes between farmers and herders persist in hinterland states known as Nigeria's Middle Belt. A former Lagos state governor, Tinubu has promised to be a better steward of the economy.

SummarySummary Companies Tinubu succeeds former military leader BuhariNigeria divided after disputed electionAfrica's biggest economy faces headwindsInsecurity spread under BuhariABUJA, May 29 (Reuters) - Bola Tinubu was sworn in as Nigeria's president on Monday, facing mounting calls to improve economic and security conditions which many complain worsened under his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari. Tinubu, the former Lagos state governor and a member of Buhari's party, has promised to be a better steward of Africa's biggest economy and most populous nation. A raft of protectionist economic policies and foreign currency interventions have also spooked investors. Buhari defended his record on Sunday, saying new infrastructure such as roads, bridges and airports, and the protectionist policies have laid the foundations for future growth. Separatist and gang violence plague the southeast, and clashes between farmers and herders persist in hinterland states known as Nigeria's Middle Belt.

LONDON, April 12 (Reuters) - The zinc market was defined by smelter woes last year with global refined metal production dropping by 4.1% relative to 2021, according to the International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG). But the smelter bottleneck was severe enough to generate a global supply shortfall of more than 300,000 tonnes, according to ILZSG. A sharp rise in the annual benchmark smelter processing fee should incentivise a turnaround in metal production. Annual "benchmark" zinc smelter processing feesOUT-OF-SYNCH SUPPLY CHAINThis year's benchmark treatment charge, the fee a smelter earns for converting mined concentrates into metal, has been set at $274 per tonne, up from $230 in 2022 and $159 in 2021. Global mined and refined zinc production annual changeSMELTER RECOVERY?

☆ Investors cheer after UniCredit lifts payout goal by 40%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

However, the receding chances of a recession in the bloc as energy prices ease have boosted banking shares, with investors less wary of regulators hindering generous capital distribution plans. Shareholders, who have been promised more than 16 billion euros in dividends and buybacks by 2024, received 3.75 billion euros from 2021 earnings. Analysts calculate UniCredit could have at least 6 billion euros to spare after delivering on the 16 billion euro payout goal. STRONG PROFIT BEATUniCredit's net profit of 2.46 billion euros for the quarter to Dec. 31 was more than twice the 1.10 billion euros expected by analysts polled by the bank. The tax boost more than offset an increase in generic provisions against future loan losses, known as overlays, to 1.8 billion euros from 1.3 billion.

[1/2] South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attends the 55th National Conference of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg. REUTERS/Sumaya HishamJOHANNESBURG, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Party allies, and even some rivals, of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday condemned opponents who disrupted his opening speech with chants and shouting at a conference of the ruling ANC on Friday. Ramaphosa, who was speaking at a five-day gathering of the African National Congress (ANC) to elect candidates for 2024 national elections, is seeking a second term and is widely seen as the party's strongest candidate. We are all interested to emerge here with a very solid, strong leadership," ANC deputy presidential hopeful and Eastern Cape ANC Chairperson Oscar Mabuyane told reporters. What they did yesterday soiled (their) campaign," Zamani Saul, Northern Cape ANC chairperson told SABC news.

"I think the best answer (can be seen) in Israel ... developing their national industry for their armed forces. But they also signal how the Russian invasion has galvanised Ukraine into radically hardening its security posture. "We have an idea to also have Ukrainian 155mm systems," Reznikov said, referring to a standard calibre of NATO artillery. Many of the largest producers then lost their biggest customers, Russian defence firms, after relations between Kyiv and Moscow became openly hostile after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. In his interview, Reznikov said the takeover of stakes in key strategic companies was part of Kyiv's broader defence push.

☆ Queiroz's return gives Iran hope of World Cup history
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Michael Church | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Carlos Queiroz's return as Iran coach threatened to throw the country's preparations for a third straight World Cup appearance into turmoil but instead the re-hiring of the Portuguese has galvanised an ageing squad for one last crack at history. In five previous World Cup campaigns, Iran have never progressed beyond the group phase but after being drawn in a group alongside England, Wales and the United States hopes are growing that their disappointing record might be broken. For their September friendlies against Uruguay and Senegal, Queiroz picked 16 of the 23-man squad he selected for the finals in Russia in 2018, when Iran recorded their best-ever result at a World Cup with four points from three games. The meetings with England and the United States will be politically charged domestically while protests over women's rights in Iran have had a psychological impact on a squad that was fractured by the controversy over Queiroz's re-hiring. Former Brighton & Hove Albion winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh will also be keen to prove English football fans did not see the best of his talents during his three-season stint in the Premier League as Iran look to break new ground at the World Cup.

☆ Cate Blanchett on film 'TÁR': 'We were standing on the edge of a cliff every day'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-04 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Acclaimed Australian actor Cate Blanchett says the themes of her new drama "TÁR" galvanised its cast and crew, making the film shoot “the most stimulating” she had ever been on. Blanchett plays Lydia Tár, a world-renowned gay conductor of a Berlin orchestra whose high-flying career comes tumbling down with an abuse scandal. Blanchett credited the film's writer and director Todd Field for drawing the best out of his cast with often unscripted, spur-of-the-moment ideas. "And I felt like I was having a hard time finding that language from other people.”1/3 The 79th Venice Film Festival - Premiere screening of the film "TAR" in competition - Red Carpet Arrivals - Venice, Italy, September 1, 2022. Blanchett's performance has garnered early Oscar buzz after she won the best actress award at this year's Venice Film Festival, where "TÁR" had its world premiere.

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