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☆ Hong Kong's golfers gird up for battle as housing policy threatens famed course
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Miguel Angel Jimenez from Spain hits a shot on the 18th fairway during the final day of the Hong Kong Open Championship at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Hong Kong, China November 18, 2012. The rare measure drew criticism from NGOs who questioned whether the golf course would be redeveloped as planned by 2029. Three of these courses are in the Fanling golf course located close to the border with mainland China. "If you see the aggressiveness of the branding by other countries, Hong Kong is really under the gun. "The (Hong Kong) government absolutely should not allow populism and antagonism against the wealthy to spread," Tong said.

Persons: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Tyrone Siu, Hong Kong's, John Lee, Lee, Simon Yau, Sze Lai Shan, LIV Golf, Amr El Henawy, El Henawy, Ronny Tong, Tong, Clare Jim, Justin Fung, Anne Marie Roantree Organizations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong Golf Club, REUTERS, Hong, Urban Studies, Lingnan University of Hong, Development Bureau, Reuters, Town, Society of Community Organization, HIT, HONG, UNESCO, Pacific Cultural Heritage, Team, Thomson Locations: Spain, Hong Kong, China, Tyrone Siu HONG KONG, Lingnan University of Hong Kong, HONG KONG, Asia, Saudi

☆ Take Five: School's (not) out for summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - The peak holiday season is gearing up, but school's not quite out for summer in financial markets. Also in focus are earnings from some of the massive tech and growth stocks that have led markets higher this year. Reuters Graphics2/ SUMMER READINGBefore they go on their summer break, ECB policymakers have a well-flagged rate hike to deliver. Rate-setters' summer reading list just got longer. Second-quarter earnings are expected to decrease 9.2% from a year earlier, according to I/B/E/S data from Refinitiv, with aggregate earnings likely to be weighed down by poor performance from energy companies.

Persons: school's, Ira Iosebashvili, Kevin Buckland, Naomi Rovnick, Alun John, Dhara, Jerome Powell, Christine Lagarde, Kazuo Ueda's, Shinichi Uchida, Uchida, Ueda, Stocks, it's, Dhara Ranasinghe, Muralikumar Organizations: U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of Japan, Reserve, Microsoft, Reuters, ECB, Bank of Japan, Barclays, People's Party, Socialist Workers ' Party, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Ira, New York, Tokyo, London, Europe, SPAIN, Spain

NEW DELHI, July 21 (Reuters) - Tiger Global, Peak XV and Steadview Capital are among 30 foreign and domestic investors asking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review a 28% gaming tax, saying the levy would adversely impact $4 billion in prospective investments, a letter showed. India last week announced the tax on the funds that online gaming companies collect from their customers. Games such as fantasy cricket have become increasingly popular in recent years, but have also raised concerns about addiction among players. Tiger Global and Peak XV, previously known as Sequoia Capital India, have invested in Indian gaming companies such as Dream11 and Mobile Premier League. Over 100 gaming firms wrote a letter recently to the finance ministry with a similar request, saying the tax will stifle foreign investment and put $2.5 billion already invested in the sector at risk.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Aditya Kalra, Chris Thomas, Tanvi Mehta, Savio D'Souza, Kim Coghill, Muralikumar Organizations: Tiger, Steadview, Indian, Reuters, Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, Mobile Premier League, Thomson Locations: DELHI, India, Sequoia Capital India, New Delhi

☆ A day after landslide likely trapped more than 100, Indian rescuers look for survivors
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Members of rescue teams prepare graves to bury the victims after a landslide following heavy rains in Raigad district in the western state of Maharashtra, India, July 20, 2023. REUTERS/Francis MascarenhasMUMBAI, July 21 (Reuters) - Rescue teams resumed a search on Friday for possible survivors of a massive landslide in western India that killed 16 people and was suspected to have trapped more than a 100. Thick fog and heavy rain hampered already difficult rescue efforts even further on Friday, Indian television news channels said, more than a day after the incident occurred at midnight on Thursday. On Friday, news channels showed visuals of rescue teams, wearing bright orange raincoats and carrying digging tools, trekking up the mountain to the site of the landslide. More than 100 people were feared trapped in the debris, media said.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas MUMBAI, Atul Karwal, Devendra Fadnavis, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Muralikumar Organizations: REUTERS, Rescue, Response Force, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Raigad district, Maharashtra, India, Irshalwadi, Mumbai

STOCKHOLM, July 20 (Reuters) - Sweden-based automaker Volvo Cars (VOLCARb.ST) reported a 54% fall in second-quarter operating earnings on Thursday as the year-ago period's profit was boosted by a one-off gain, and it forecast healthy demand for its vehicles despite pricing pressures. Volvo Cars, majority-owned by China's Geely Holding (GEELY.UL), said earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) fell to 5.0 billion Swedish crowns ($488.62 million) from a year-ago 10.8 billion. Volvo said its sales performance was driven by improved production output and that it expected supply and demand to continue to normalise in the wider markets. The company added that the normalisation would bring some additional pricing pressures, but that demand for its cars were expected to be healthy despite high interest rates squeezing its customers and overall market. Volvo reiterated its guidance of solid double-digit growth in retail sales for the full year.

Persons: China's Geely, Refinitiv, Marie Mannes, Anna Ringstrom, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Volvo, China's, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Sweden, China, Gothenburg

☆ AT&T does not intend to immediately remove lead cables from Lake Tahoe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoJuly 18 (Reuters) - AT&T (T.N) said on Tuesday it does not intend to immediately remove lead cables from Lake Tahoe pending further analysis, according to its court filing. AT&T on Tuesday harshly criticized the newspaper's reporting and testing, saying it "differs dramatically from the expert testing commissioned by AT&T." In Tuesday's court filing, AT&T argued that lead-clad cables "make up a small part" of its network. EDF's goal was to use scientifically sound principles to determine the extent that lead-clad cables may pose health risks. We did not pick the lab - the Wall Street Journal did that."

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Tom Neltner, Neltner, David Shepardson, Chris Reese, Matthew Lewis, Muralikumar Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Journal, AT, Wall, EPA, . Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Defense, Safer Chemicals, Reuters, EDF, Marine Taxonomic Services, Street, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Tahoe, California, Nevada, Washington

☆ Morning Bid: Britain's CPI the next frontier
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A tentative rally in gilts is poised to extend and sterling could probably say goodbye to the strong side of $1.30. Forecasts put Britain's annual CPI falling to 8.2% in June and core holding at 7.1%. New Zealand sounded a warning in the Asia session, with food prices keeping annual headline inflation higher than expected at 6%. Netflix (NFLX.O), Tesla (TSLA.O) and Goldman Sachs (GS.N) report results later in the day. Key developments that could influence markets on Wednesday:Data: British CPI, Euro zone final CPI, U.S. housing startsSpeakers: Bank of England's Dave RamsdenEarnings: Netflix, Tesla, Goldman SachsReporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tom Westbrook, BoE, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of England's Dave Ramsden, Muralikumar Organizations: Bank of, Traders, U.S, Netflix, Microsoft, CPI, Bank of England's, Tesla, Thomson Locations: U.S, Canada, gilts, New Zealand, Asia

☆ Ghosn says Nissan, Renault are going for mini alliance with rebalancing deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, July 18 (Reuters) - Former Nissan Motor (7201.T) chairman Carlos Ghosn said on Tuesday the Japanese automaker and Renault (RENA.PA) are trying to go for "very small and reduced" cooperation between them with a deal to overhaul their long-standing alliance. "With the latest agreement, they're trying to go for a mini alliance with a very reduced scope of cooperation," Ghosn told reporters in Tokyo via video stream. Nissan and Renault are holding discussions about a final agreement to overhaul their alliance, after announcing in January that the deal will see Renault bring down its stake in Nissan to 15% from about 43% to put them on an equal level. Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carlos Ghosn, Ghosn, Daniel Leussink, Muralikumar Organizations: Nissan, Renault, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Tokyo

[1/5] U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi shake hands before a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/PoolBEIJING, July 18 (Reuters) - China and the United States could use climate cooperation to redefine their troubled diplomatic relationship and lead the way in tackling global warming, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry told China's top diplomat Wang Yi on Tuesday. Kerry told Wang at Beijing's Great Hall of the People that talks could provide a fresh start for the world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, which have been mired in disputes over Taiwan and trade. Kerry's third visit to China as U.S. climate envoy marks the formal resumption in top-level climate diplomacy between the two countries. The former Secretary of State is the third top U.S. official to visit Beijing in the past month.

Persons: John Kerry, Wang Yi, Florence Lo, China's, Kerry, Wang, Xie Zhenhua, Xie, Valerie Volcovici, Ryan Woo, David Stanway, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: of, People, REUTERS, . State, State, U.S, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, United States, U.S, Taiwan, Iran

☆ Dutch e-bike maker VanMoof bankrupt, administrators may sell assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, July 18 (Reuters) - Dutch e-bike maker VanMoof has been declared bankrupt and curators are researching whether it can sell assets and restructure, the company said on Tuesday. VanMoof, which raised 100 million euros ($112.56 million) to expand internationally as sales boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, had filed for protection from creditors last week. The company said in a statement that a judge at the Amsterdam District Court had declared Dutch entities VanMoof Global Holding BV, VanMoof BV and Van Moof Global Support BV bankrupt on July 17. VanMoof bikes feature a sleek, simplistic design with the battery built into the frame, and have become commonplace on the streets of Amsterdam, where the company was founded in 2009. ($1 = 0.8890 euros)Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Van Moof, Toby Sterling, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Louise Heavens Organizations: VanMoof, Van, NOS, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Amsterdam, VanMoof, Dutch

☆ Magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes southern Argentina - GFZ
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

July 17 (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck the southern Argentine province of Neuquen during the early hours on Monday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said. The quake was at a depth of 161 km (100 miles), GFZ said. Reporting by Gokul Pisharody in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: GFZ, Gokul, Muralikumar Organizations: German Research Centre, Geosciences, Thomson Locations: Argentine, Neuquen, Bengaluru

[1/2] Cars are shown lined up at the valet parking area outside the Creative Artists Agency building in Los Angeles, California, September 24, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan AlcornJuly 14 (Reuters) - Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is in advanced talks to sell a majority stake to French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault in a deal that could value the Hollywood talent agency at over $7 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. CAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and spokespeople for Pinault and for TPG declined to comment. In 2021, CAA announced a deal to buy major Hollywood rival ICM Partners. Bloomberg first reported the talks between Pinault and CAA.

Persons: Jonathan Alcorn, Francois, Henri Pinault, Pinault, Kering, Salma Hayek, Tom Hanks, Zendaya, Steven Spielberg, Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Gursimran Kaur, Jyoti Narayan, Rishabh, Muralikumar Anantharaman, John Stonestreet Organizations: Creative Artists Agency, REUTERS, Hollywood, Gucci, TPG, CAA, ICM Partners, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, Los Angeles, Pinault, Bengaluru

Both Brent crude futures and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures , were trading slightly lower. Separately, Shell has suspended loadings of Nigeria's Forcados crude oil due to a potential leak at a terminal. Protests in Libya alone could take away more than 250,000 barrels of oil per day from the market, ANZ Research said. Saudi Arabia and Russia, the world's biggest oil exporters, agreed this month to deepen oil cuts in place since November last year, providing further support to crude prices. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Thursday upgraded its oil demand forecast for 2023, adding it expected demand to grow 2.2% in 2024.

Persons: Brent, Edward Moya, Sudarshan Varadhan, Katya Golubkova, Jamie Freed, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Kim Coghill Organizations: Shell, Brent, . West Texas, ANZ Research, OANDA, of, Petroleum, National Australia Bank, U.S ., U.S . Federal, Thomson Locations: Libya, Nigeria, SINGAPORE, Saudi Arabia, Russia, TOKYO

Separately, Shell has suspended loadings of Nigeria's Forcados crude oil due to a potential leak at a terminal. Protests in Libya alone could take away more than 250,000 barrels of oil per day from the market, ANZ Research said. Saudi Arabia and Russia, the world's biggest oil exporters, agreed this month to deepen oil cuts in place since November last year, providing further support to crude prices. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Thursday upgraded its oil demand forecast for 2023, adding it expected demand to grow 2.2% in 2024. U.S. consumer prices rose modestly in June at the smallest annual increase rate in more than two years as inflation continued to subside.

Persons: Edward Moya, Katya Golubkova, Jamie Freed, Muralikumar Organizations: Shell, Brent, . West Texas, ANZ Research, OANDA, of, Petroleum, National Bank of Australia, U.S ., U.S . Federal, Thomson Locations: Libya, Nigeria, SINGAPORE, Saudi Arabia, Russia, TOKYO

☆ Divisive China, Taiwan bids to join Pacific trade pact in focus at meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Britain will become the 12th member to join the pact that cuts trade barriers, as it looks to deepen ties in the Pacific. In support of its application, Britain has said that CPTPP countries will have a combined GDP of 11 trillion pounds ($13.6 trillion) once Britain joins, or 15% of global GDP. "There’s a large gap between the high standards and binding commitments that are demanded of CPTPP members, and where China is currently at," he added. The other countries' applications also provide opportunities. "After modernising the Canada-Ukraine FTA this year, Canada knows that Ukraine is capable of meeting the high standards of the CPTPP," she said.

Persons: Charles Finny, CPTPP, Chris Hipkins, Shu Jueting, Penny Wong, Aidan Arasasingham, Joanne Ou, Roy Lee, Mary Ng, Lucy Craymer, Ben Blanchard, Joe Cash, Praveen Menon, Muralikumar Organizations: WELLINGTON, Trans, Pacific, New Zealand, Reuters, Centre, Strategic, International Studies, Washington DC, Thomson Locations: Pacific, Auckland, China, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, Britain, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Ecuador, Ukraine, New, Beijing, Zealand, Jakarta, Taipei, CPTPP, Wellington

☆ Big companies toughen banking partner screening after crisis - survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Laura Matthews | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, July 13 (Reuters) - Large companies are spreading out their counterparty risk and increasing screening of their banking partners in response to the recent banking crisis that has been a "wake-up call", according to an industry survey to be released on Thursday. Multinational companies and those with sales overseas use banks, or counterparties to the transactions, to trade foreign exchange and hedge currency risk. "All of a sudden there's a wake-up call," said Eric Huttman, CEO at MillTechFX, the specialist currency arm of Millennium Global. Huttman said his firm has added dozens of clients since the banking crisis and all of them have spent more time asking about its counterparty selection process. "The broad questions that companies are asking are, is my banking partner sound and will they be there when I need them," said Dhargalkar.

Persons: Eric Huttman, Huttman, Amol Dhargalkar, Banks, Laura Matthews, Megan Davies, Muralikumar Organizations: YORK, MillTechFX, Millennium, UBS, Credit Suisse, Chatham Financial, Thomson Locations: North America, Europe, Swiss

Still, any outstanding regulatory hurdle makes it more likely that the agreement between Microsoft and Activision will expire on July 18 without the deal having been completed. The FTC's court filing about the appeal gave no details, which will go before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the West Coast. The FTC may request a stay from the appeals court stopping the deal from closing. When U.S. antitrust agencies lose merger challenges in court, appeals are rare. The agency settled with the companies before the appeals court made a decision.

Persons: We’re, Brad Smith, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Corley, Diane Bartz, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision, Microsoft's, Ninth Circuit, FTC, Biden, Markets Authority, Japan's Nintendo, Foods, Oats, Thomson Locations: West Coast, San Francisco

The filing had no details on the appeal, which will go to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the West Coast. In her 53-page order, Corley said it was not enough for the FTC to argue that "a merger might lessen competition - the FTC must show the merger will probably substantially lessen competition." Legal scholars questioned that standard, saying that the U.S. antitrust law required the FTC to prove the proposed deal "may" harm competition, not that it "will." The deal is Microsoft's biggest ever, and the largest in the videogame industry's history. To address the agency's concerns, Microsoft agreed to license "Call of Duty" to rivals, including a 10-year contract with Nintendo, contingent on the merger closing.

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, Biden, Judge Corley, Corley, Diane Bartz, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision, Ninth Circuit, U.S, FTC, Nintendo, Thomson Locations: West Coast, San Francisco

July 13 (Reuters) - Qingdao city in China's debt-laden Shandong province has set up a company to bail out its cash-strapped local government financing vehicles (LGFVs), sources said, as regional governments rush to reduce debt risks in a wobbly economy. The government of Qingdao and the China Development Bank did not reply to Reuters' requests for comment. While no LGFV in China has defaulted in the public markets, cases of delinquencies in the private debt market are increasing, worrying Beijing. Tianjin LGFV bonds yield more than 514 bps over government bonds, compared with 200 bps for Shandong bonds, reflecting the elevated risks. Fund manager Zhou said although he is bullish on LGFV bonds, "the first priority is to be absolutely diversified in investment.

Persons: Qingdao's, Xi Jinping, LGFVs, Goldman Sachs, Zhai Jianye, Zhai, It's, Zhou Tingzuo, Ning Yong, Zhou, Samuel Shen, Jason Xue, Tom Westbrook, Vidya Ranganathan Organizations: Dongdin Industrial Group, China Development Bank, Southwest Securities, Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Commercial Bank of China, SS, Shoupu Fund Management Co, Ning Yong Fu Fund Management, Thomson Locations: Qingdao, China's, Shandong, China, Shandong LGFVs, Beijing, Big, Jinan, Weifang, Liaoning, Hunan, Shanghai, Tianjin, Singapore

☆ Morning Bid: Stocks rise, dollar slips as all eyes on US inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Economists polled by Reuters expect the consumer price index to have risen by 3.1% in June, after May's 4% rise. The core rate is expected to have dropped for a third straight month to 5% from 5.3%. ING economists think the core rate would need to come in well below the forecast for a July rate hike to look doubtful. Markets are pricing in a 92.4% chance of a 25 bps hike in July, CME FedWatch tool showed. Elsewhere, the spotlight will also be on the Bank of Canada's policy decision, with the central bank likely heading toward a second consecutive quarter-point interest rate hike.

Persons: Ankur Banerjee, it's, Muralikumar Organizations: Ankur, Federal, Reuters, ING, Microsoft, Activision, Sony, Bank of, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Asia, Pacific, Japan, U.S, British, Spain, Portugal, Singapore

The timing of the listing was still unclear as money-losing PayPay needs to first demonstrate a clear path to profitability, the source said. SoftBank has previously set a PayPay listing as a goal, with one executive saying in November it was worth just under 1 trillion yen ($7.17 billion). Representatives for PayPay and SoftBank Group's (9984.T) domestic telecoms business, SoftBank Corp (9434.T), said they would not comment on speculation. PayPay is owned by SoftBank Corp, its internet business, Z Holdings (4689.T), and the group's second Vision Fund. PayPay booked a loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of 11.9 billion yen in the year ended March, compared to a loss of 43.2 billion yen a year earlier.

Persons: SoftBank, SoftBank Group's, Kirk Boodry, Son, PayPay, Sam Nussey, Miho Uranaka, Scott Murdoch, David Dolan, Muralikumar Organizations: Companies, Z Holdings, PayPay, SoftBank Corp, Vision Fund, SoftBank, Syla Technologies, Rakuten Bank, SBI Sumishin, Bank, Astris Advisory, Mobile Marketing, Cambridge, Thomson Locations: . New York, Tokyo, New York, U.S, Astris Advisory Japan, Japan, England

☆ Nvidia in talks to become anchor investor in Arm IPO - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 12 (Reuters) - Chip designer Arm is in talks to bring in Nvidia (NVDA.O) as an anchor investor as it presses ahead with plans for a New York listing as soon as September, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Nvidia is the latest company to hold talks with SoftBank-owned Arm to take a long-term stake in the company at its initial public offering. In June Reuters reported that Arm was talking to more than 10 companies, including existing partners such as Intel (INTC.O). Nvidia and Arm declined to comment to Reuters. Last year regulators struck down Nvidia's planned acquisition of Arm worth $66 billion on competition grounds.

Persons: Rishabh, Savio D'Souza, Kim Coghill, Muralikumar Organizations: Nvidia, Financial Times, SoftBank, Reuters, Intel, Thomson Locations: York, Bengaluru, Anton, Tokyo

☆ RBA's Lowe says it remains to be seen if more tightening needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Speaking in Brisbane, Lowe said there has been a "significant and rapid" tightening and the rate-setting policy board is very conscious that policy operates with a lag, with the full effects yet to be felt. "It takes time for households and businesses to adjust their spending and investment plans, and there are still significant resets of low fixed-rate loans to come," said Lowe. Markets expect that the central bank may have to hike two more times to tame inflation. "Whether or not this (further tightening) is required will depend on how the economy and inflation evolve," Lowe said. From 2024, the RBA will meet eight times a year, compared with 11 times currently, with meetings set to last longer than currently, Lowe said.

Persons: Philip Lowe, Lowe, Jim Chalmers, Stella Qiu, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Edmund Klamann Organizations: SYDNEY, The Reserve Bank of Australia, SEA, Thomson Locations: Brisbane

Activision shares surged 10% on the day, as the U.S. and Britain have been the two countries opposed to what would be Microsoft's biggest deal ever and the largest transaction in the videogame industry's history. Microsoft shares rose 64 cents to $332.47. Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard's games characters in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. "It does seem like the Microsoft and the CMA could work out a deal within the next couple of weeks," said D.A. The FTC's complaint had cited concerns about loss of competition in console gaming, as well as subscriptions and cloud gaming.

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, ”, Joost Van Dreunen, University's, Corley, Douglas Farrar, we'll, Dado Ruvic, Biden, Brad Smith, Franco Granda, Satya Nadella, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Jaspreet Singh, Aditya Soni, Chris Sanders, Caitlin Webber, Matthew Lewis David Gregorio, Muralikumar Organizations: Activision, Microsoft, Biden, U.S, Markets Authority, University's Stern School of Business, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Nintendo, Sony Group, FTC, Sony PlayStation, REUTERS, FOCUS Gaming, CMA, Davidson &, PlayStation, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, U.S, British, Britain, San Francisco, New, Washington, Bengaluru

☆ China's Xia Baolong heads top office overseeing Hong Kong, Macau
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, July 11 (Reuters) - Xia Baolong is the head of China's recently created Central Office for Hong Kong and Macau Affairs, according to an official statement that showed him as chair of a meeting in that capacity on Tuesday. Separately, Zhou Ji, Zheng Yanxiong, Zheng Xincong were named as deputy directors of the state council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office, state media Xinhua reported. The Beijing-based Central Office for Hong Kong and Macau Affairs - created earlier this year as part of broad institutional reforms - reports directly to the ruling Communist Party and not to the State Council, or cabinet. The top office was formed based on the long-existing Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office under the State Council. Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Baolong, Zhou Ji, Zheng Yanxiong, Zheng Xincong, Ryan Woo, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Ed Osmond Organizations: Macau Affairs, Xinhua, Office, Communist Party, State Council, Macau Affairs Office, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Hong Kong, Macau, Beijing

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