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☆ South African rand weakens ahead of anti-government protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 20 (Reuters) - The South African rand weakened against the dollar on Monday ahead of planned protests by the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party. At 0743 GMT the rand traded at 18.4350 against the dollar, 0.16% weaker than its previous close. South African security forces on Monday said 87 people had been arrested over the past 12 hours over public violence. The Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party has called for a national shutdown to protest crippling power cuts and demand the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa. "This constitutes a risk event for the country and could harm sentiment on South African markets if the outcome is bad," ETM Analytics said in a note.

☆ South African authorities arrest 87 ahead of anti-government protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 20 (Reuters) - South African security forces said on Monday that 87 people had been arrested in the last 12 hours across the country over public violence ahead of planned protests by the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party. The EFF has called for a national shutdown to protest crippling power cuts and demand the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa. The party's main constituency are the poor and working class Black South Africans who feel left out of the country's prosperity since the governing African National Congress (ANC) ended white minority rule in 1994. Parliament said in a statement on Sunday that the South African military would deploy 3,474 troops for a month until April 17 to prevent and combat crime in cooperation with the police. "Law enforcement officers are on high alert and will continue to prevent and combat any acts of criminality," NatJOINTS said.

☆ China to import 27 new video games, including Tencent, NetEase titles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, March 20 - China's online gaming regulator on Monday granted licences to 27 foreign games in March, including titles to be published by Tencent Holdings (0700.HK), NetEase Inc (9999.HK) and Bilibili Inc (9626.HK) . NetEase secured approval for at least one mobile game named Audition: Everybody Party, while Bilibili received a licence for a game called Shanyao! The crackdown by China on online gaming had halted the approval process for foreign video games for 18 months between 2021 and 2022. XD Inc (2400.HK) received licences for two mobile games named Gorogoa and Wizard of Legend respectively. Other notable titles approved by China via this batch include a mobile game called Fairy Tale: Fighting and a console game named Yo-kai Watch 4.

☆ No conditions for Polish rate cuts until end of 2025, says c.banker Kotecki
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"Today there are not conditions (for rate cuts) until the end of the projection period, so until the end of 2025," he told private broadcaster TOK FM. Glapinski has said he expects inflation to fall to single digits at the turn of August and September. However, Kotecki said that inflation did not show signs of weakening and that prospects of it reaching single digits by the end of the year were receding. "What worries me is that inflation still does not show significant, lasting signs of weakening," he said. Reporting by Alan Charlish and Marek Strzelecki; Editing by Toby Chopra and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwanese financial sector has low exposure to Credit Suisse -regulator
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI, March 16 (Reuters) - The Taiwanese financial sector's exposure to Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) is low and "controllable", the island's financial regulator said on Thursday. Taiwanese insurers - large investors on global bond markets - have the highest exposure at T$108.2 billion ($3.54 billion), the regulator said, which is only around 0.35% of their total overseas assets. The overall level of exposure is "within a controllable range", it said. Credit Suisse on Thursday said it would borrow up to $54 billion from the Swiss central bank to shore up liquidity and investor confidence after a slump in its shares intensified fears about a global financial crisis. ($1 = 30.6080 Taiwan dollars)Reporting by Emily Chan; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - In a rare move, the Pentagon on Thursday released a de-classified video showing Russia's intercept of a U.S. military surveillance drone downed over the Black Sea two days ago. It was the first direct U.S.-Russian incident since the Ukraine war began, worsening already tense relations between Washington and Moscow. It also shows the loss of the video feed after another close Russian maneuver, which the Pentagon says resulted from the Russian jet's collision with the drone. It ends with images of the drone's damaged propeller, which the Pentagon says resulted from the collision, making the aircraft inoperable. [1/4] A Russian Su-27 aircraft dumps fuel while flying upon a U.S. Air Force intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance unmanned MQ-9 aircraft over the Black Sea, March 14, 2023 in this still image taken from a handout video.

☆ Poland to send Ukraine four MiG-29 jets in coming days
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Polish Air Force MiG-29 aircraft fires flares during a performance at the Radom Air Show at an airport in Radom August 24, 2013. REUTERS/Kacper PempelWARSAW, March 16 (Reuters) - Poland will send Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets in coming days, the president said on Thursday, making it the first of Kyiv's allies to provide such aircraft. One of Ukraine's staunchest supporters, Warsaw has taken a leading role in persuading sometimes hesitant allies to provide Kyiv with heavy weaponry. NATO allies in the former communist east such as Poland and Slovakia have been particularly vocal supporters of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Slovakia has also been considering whether to send MiG-29s to Ukraine but has yet to reach a decision.

☆ China renews pledge for wider market access for foreign investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, March 16 (Reuters) - China's commerce ministry said on Wednesday it will continue to push for the relaxation of market access for foreign investors, renewing efforts to lure foreign capital as the world's second-largest economy emerges from three years of COVID disruptions. As China reopens after dropping its zero tolerance policy for COVID-19 in December, convincing foreign investors to return to China will help reinvigorate an economy that grew at its slowest rates last year in half a century. China will "help foreign companies seize the opportunity to deepen their presence in China," Shu Jueting, a commerce ministry spokesperson, told reporters. Shu told reporters that China will also "steadily expand institutional openness." China's fresh efforts to court foreign investors and businesses also came as global uncertainties, from wars to bank crises, push them to search for new safe havens.

Sberbank, which boasts around 107 million active retail clients, was releasing results under international reporting standards for the first time in over a year. Russian authorities had ordered banks to limit disclosures and dividend payments last year as Moscow tried to maintain financial stability. Net interest income rose 6.6% year-on-year to 1.87 trillion roubles, the bank said, while net commission income rose 15.4% to 697.1 billion roubles. Sberbank's annual profit came around 30 billion roubles lower than what it reported last month under Russian accounting standards. February profit under Russian standards stood at 115 billion roubles.

"Credit Suisse remains committed to our investment banking & capital markets clients throughout the APAC (Asia Pacific) region," the company told Reuters in response to a query. Credit Suisse's restructuring plan includes creating a separate unit for its investment bank under the CS First Boston brand. Reuters was not immediately able to ascertain whether the few remaining staff at Credit Suisse's Japanese investment banking division would be shifted to the new unit. Credit Suisse also runs wealth management, equity research, securities trading and asset management businesses in Japan. Some of the major deals that Credit Suisse advised on in Japan included Hitachi Ltd's (6501.T) $9.6 billion acquisition of U.S. software company GlobalLogic Inc.

☆ Three Los Angeles officers stable after confrontation, gunman dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 9 (Reuters) - Three Los Angeles police officers were in stable condition on Thursday after they were shot during a confrontation with a suspect who was later found dead at the scene, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said. After the officers called for K9 units, the suspect barricaded himself in a garage, the Los Angeles Times reported. The three officers, who were not identified by police, were rushed to hospital where they were in stable condition, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, noting she had spoken to two of them. "Every day, the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department put themselves in harm's way. The unidentified suspect was found unresponsive and pronounced deceased at the scene, the Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter.

☆ Brazil airline Gol's shares soar after unexpected Q4 net profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Gabriel Araujo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The surprisingly strong figures sent shares in the company soaring more than 12% in Sao Paulo morning trading, with analysts highlighting improving operating figures and strong revenue trends. The firm's shares had already jumped roughly 30% in the previous two sessions after rival carrier Azul SA predicted bluer skies ahead, driving travel-related stocks in Brazil up. Analysts polled by Refinitiv had forecast a net loss of 484.75 million reais. Quarterly net revenue totaled 4.7 billion reais, up 61.7% and above analysts' forecasts of 4.46 billion. Full-year net revenue expectations were reduced by 500 million reais to about 19.5 billion reais, but diluted earnings per share in the full year were kept at 0.3 real, the airline added.

☆ Volkswagen pauses on Europe battery plants, awaits EU response to IRA
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Jan Schwartz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"De facto it is the case that we are getting ahead far faster in North America," a person close to the matter said to Reuters, declining to be named. Asked about the report, a Volkswagen spokesperson said the carmaker was "still evaluating suitable locations for our next cell factories in Eastern Europe and North America. The company said in October last year it planned to firmly settle on a location for a plant in eastern Europe in the first six months of 2023. Schmall said he participated in a discussion with EU officials via the European Battery Alliance last week on what conditions were needed in Europe for battery production. These included state aid in line with China and North America, a raw materials strategy and affordable renewable energy, he said.

☆ China's Jan-Feb passenger cars sales down 20% - CPCA
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, March 8 (Reuters) - China's passenger vehicle sales fell 20% in the first two months of this year, industry data showed on Wednesday, underscoring weak demand in the world's biggest auto market even as some car manufacturers offer reduced prices to revive demand. Sales in February, 1.42 million units, were 10.4% higher than a year earlier, a low base period when a week-long Lunar New Year holiday reduced business activity, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said. Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs), which include pure battery electric cars and plug-in hybrids, grew faster than the overall market, up 61% in February on a year earlier. NEVs accounted for more than 30% of new car sales. Tesla accounted for 11.5% of China's battery electric car sales in February, little changed from 11.3% a year before, indicating a waning effect of price cuts it implemented in early January.

On Tuesday, a nationwide day of industrial action brought record numbers of people onto the streets against the policy change. But Olivier Gantois, the head of the French Association of Petroleum Industry (UFIP), said there was little impact on consumers for now. The logo of French oil and gas company TotalEnergies is seen at TotalEnergies fuel depot in Mardyck, near Dunkerque, as France faces the sixth nationwide day of strike and protests against French government's pension reform plan, France, March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal RossignolThe four French LNG terminals and all of the gas storage facilities also remained blocked, FNME-CGT representative Fabrice Coudour said. The next nationwide day of strikes and protests is set for Saturday.

☆ Nigerian woman who ran prostitution ring extradited to Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, March 8 (Reuters) - A Nigerian woman who has been wanted in Italy since 2010 has been flown from Abuja back to Rome where she has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for crimes including running a prostitution ring, Italian police said on Wednesday. The extradition was facilitated by a treaty signed by Nigeria and Italy in 2020. She was arrested in Nigeria on June 4, 2022, on an international warrant issued by Italy, the statement said. Italian investigators in the eastern city of Ancona said Jeff played a leading role in trafficking women to Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, where they were forced into prostitution by violence and threats. Video released by the Italian police showed the woman being flown from the Nigerian capital Abuja to Ciampino airport in Rome where she was taken away in a wheelchair by police.

☆ EU court annuls sanctions against mother of Russia mercenary boss
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The annulment was rare amid EU sanctions against Russia, many of which were imposed promptly, that cover nearly 1,700 individuals and entities, as well as trade restrictions worth tens of billions of dollars. "The General Court annuls the restrictive measures applied to Ms Violetta Prigozhina... in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine," the bloc's second highest court said. The ruling can be appealed to the bloc's top court, the Court of Justice of the EU. Back in January, Prigozhin reacted with sarcasm to new sanctions against Wagner imposed by the United States. The EU also has sanctions in place against Prigozhin, his wife and son, some senior Wagner figures and the group's collaborators in Syria.

☆ Oil falls 3% on U.S. rate hike expectations, strong U.S. dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Laila Kearney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Brent crude futures shed $2.35, or 2.7%, to $83.83 a barrel by 1:05 p.m. EST (1805 GMT) . U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped by $2.48 a barrel, or 3%, at $77.98. Prices sank after Powell told Congress the Fed would likely need to increase rates more than expected in light of recent strong economic data. More pressure came from a contraction in China's exports and imports in January and February, including crude oil imports, despite a lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. The American Petroleum Institute's weekly report is due at 2130 GMT on Tuesday, with U.S. Energy Information Administration data following at 1530 GMT on Wednesday.

☆ Oil falls 2% on U.S. rate hike expectations, stronger U.S. dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Laila Kearney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Brent crude futures shed $1.46, or 1.7%, to $84.72 a barrel by 11:06 a.m. EST (1606 GMT). Prices declined after Powell told Congress the Fed would likely need to increase rates more than expected in light of recent strong economic data. The remarks pushed up the U.S. dollar , which rose 0.70% on the day at 104.97. A stronger dollar typically reduces demand for dollar-denominated oil from buyers paying with other currencies. Further pressure came from a contraction in China's exports and imports in January and February, including crude oil imports, despite a lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

SINGAPORE/LONDON, March 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar held steady on Tuesday ahead of testimony before Congress by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, while the Aussie slid after the Reserve Bank of Australia hinted it might nearly be done with monetary tightening. Elsewhere, the euro, sterling and yen were all broadly steady with the common currency at $1.0671 , the pound at $1.20245 , and one dollar worth 135.7 yen . That meant U.S. dollar index , which measures the unit against six major rivals, was also flat at 104.3, having slipped 0.26% a day earlier. "If (he) remains cautious ... that could trigger the dollar index to fall further below the 105.00-level ahead of the release of the NFP report on Friday." Investors are also awaiting the final policy meeting for Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda on Thursday and Friday, when the central bank is set to stick to its ultra-loose monetary path.

Under the plan, South Korea would compensate former forced labourers through an existing public foundation funded by private-sector companies, South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin told a briefing. SOUTH KOREAN FUNDSRelations plunged to their lowest point in decades after South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Japanese firms to pay reparations to former forced labourers. Overall there are fewer than 1,300 living victims of forced labour in South Korea, according to media estimates. The South Korean companies include KT&G (033780.KS), Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) (015760.KS) and other companies that benefited from a 1965 treaty between South Korea and Japan. Asked whether Japanese companies would pitch in to compensate, Park said both Japanese and South Korean businesses were considering a plan to contribute.

☆ Swiss National Bank reports annual loss of 132.5 bln Swiss francs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ZURICH, March 6 (Reuters) - The Swiss National Bank (SNBN.S) reported on Monday an annual loss of 132.5 billion Swiss francs ($141.54 billion), in line with the provisional calculations it announced in January. A strengthening of the Swiss franc also had a negative effect, reducing the SNB's holdings and returns from foreign investments when they were converted back into Swiss francs. Most of last year's shortfall could be attributed to the 131.5 billion francs lost on foreign currency positions, with its bond holdings losing 72 billion francs in value and its share portfolio worth 41 billion francs less. The reported loss wiped out the SNB's distribution reserve of 102.5 billion francs, meaning the central bank posted a net loss of 39.5 billion francs after an allocation for provisions was taken into account. Analysts did not think it would influence the matter, with the SNB having 66 billion francs in equity despite the massive losses.

☆ Pakistani police serve arrest warrants to former PM Imran Khan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Mubasher Bukhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAHORE, Pakistan, March 5 (Reuters) - Pakistani police on Sunday served arrest warrants to former prime minister Imran Khan to ensure his appearance in court on charges of misusing his office to sell state gifts, authorities said, after Khan's supporters tried to prevent police entry into his home. The Federal Investigation Agency then filed charges against him in an anti-graft court, which last week issued the arrest warrants after Khan failed to appear in court despite repeated summons. He led countrywide protest campaigns to press for an early vote last year and was shot at and wounded at one of the rallies. Chaudhry said the government wanted to sow political chaos and avoid an early election by arresting the former premier, who was still popular among the country's youth and urban voters. Islamabad police said in a statement that when Khan wasn't found at his residence in Lahore, they served the arrest warrants.

☆ Tunisian opposition defies protest ban with rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Supporters of Tunisia's Salvation Front opposition coalition react during a protest over the arrest of some of its leaders and other prominent critics of the president, in Tunis, Tunisia March 5, 2023. REUTERS/Zoubeir SouissiTUNIS, March 5 (Reuters) - Hundreds of opposition supporters in Tunisia defied an official ban on their protest against the president on Sunday after some of their leaders were arrested, breaking through a police barrier in central Tunis to rally in the city's main street. The National Salvation Front coalition combines Tunisia's biggest party, the Islamist Ennahda, the Stop the Coup protest movement and some other political parties, demanding that President Kais Saied step down. However, opposition to Saied is fragmented along ideological and political lines that were drawn during a period of democratic government after the 2011 revolution which triggered the Arab spring. Reporting by Tarek Amara, writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Stop human traffickers, Pope Francis says after Italy's migrant shipwreck
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, March 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called on authorities to stop human traffickers operating in the Mediterranean, as he expressed his sorrow over last week's migrant boat disaster off Italy's Calabrian coast, in which dozens of people were killed. May traffickers of human beings be stopped," the pope said in his weekly address to crowds in St. Peter's Square. Three alleged traffickers were arrested this week and prosecutors began looking into the way emergency services responded to the disaster, after accusations that authorities were slow to react. "I pray for the many victims of the shipwreck, for their families and for those who survived," the pope said. The government was "continuing to deploy all necessary forces to combat human traffickers and stop deaths at sea," she said in a post on Facebook.

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