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☆ Taliban militants in Pakistan end ceasefire with government - spokesman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Taliban militants in Pakistan will no longer abide by a months-long ceasefire with the Pakistani government, a spokesman for the militant group said on Monday. The Afghan Taliban have been facilitating peace talks between local militants and the government since late last year. The end of the ceasefire comes ahead of a visit by a Pakistani delegation, led by state minister for foreign affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, to Kabul on Tuesday. Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for the militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) told Reuters in a text message that its leadership had decided to end the ceasefire with Pakistan. The Pakistani military has carried out several offensives against the militants in their strongholds in remote lawless districts bordering Afghanistan.

☆ Irish privacy regulator fines Facebook 265 mln euros
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Ireland's data privacy regulator imposed a 265 million euro ($277 million) fine on social media giant Facebook on Monday, bringing the total it has fined parent group Meta (META.O) to almost 1 billion euros. It is Meta's lead privacy regulator within the European Union, and has 13 more inquiries into the social media group outstanding. In September the watchdog hit its Instagram subsidiary with a record fine of 405 million euros, which Meta plans to appeal. The DPC said mitigating factors in Monday's decision - which had been approved by all other relevant EU regulators - included the actions Facebook had taken. "We'll keep going until the behaviour does change," Ireland's Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC) Helen Dixon told Irish national broadcaster RTE on Monday.

☆ Twitter lacks transparency in misinformation fight -French regulator
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A spokesperson for Twitter in France did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The spokesperson has not responded to queries since Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter last month. Arcom has no power to sanction online platforms for the spread of false information. The 12 online platforms include Alphabet's YouTube, online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, Meta's Facebook and -- for the first time -- the fast-growing short-video platform TikTok, owned by China-based firm ByteDance. French laws also compel large online platforms to provide means to its users to report false information that could alter the potential outcome of an election.

☆ China's lockdown protests spread to campuses and cities abroad
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Jessie Pang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Expatriate dissidents and students staged small-scale vigils and protests in cities around the world including London, Paris, Tokyo and Sydney, according to a Reuters tally. In most cases, dozens of people attended the protests, though a few drew more than 100, the tally showed. The protests on the mainland were triggered by a fire in China's Xinjiang region last week that killed 10 people who were trapped in their apartments. On Monday evening, dozens of protesters gathered in Hong Kong's Central business district, the scene of sometimes-violent anti-government demonstrations in 2019. BLAME, SLOGANSIt has been common in recent years for overseas Chinese students to rally in support of their government against its critics, but anti-government protests have been rare.

☆ Twitter answering privacy concerns 'so far' - lead EU regulator
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The lead privacy regulator for Twitter in the European Union said it was concerned about the potential impact of layoffs at the social media company on its ability to meet privacy obligations, but said it was so far getting answers to its questions. Twitter has fired top executives and enforced steep job cuts with little warning following billionaire Elon Musk's tumultuous takeover of the company last month. Prior to the cuts, Twitter employed around 500 people at its European headquarters in Dublin where - like many other tech giants - Ireland's Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC) is the social media platform's lead privacy regulator within the EU. So far we're getting answers to our questions," DPC head Helen Dixon told Irish national broadcaster RTE on Monday. The watchdog said it had also been able to continue with six investigations into Twitter relating to potential privacy breaches that pre-date Musk's acquisition.

☆ Global regulators to target crypto platforms after FTX crash
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The crash of FTX exchange has injected greater urgency into regulating the crypto sector and targeting such 'conglomerate' platforms will be the focus for 2023, the new chair of global securities watchdog IOSCO said in an interview. Jean-Paul Servais said regulating crypto platforms could draw on principles from other sectors which handle conflicts of interest, such as at credit rating agencies and compilers of market benchmarks, without having to start from scratch. Cryptoassets like bitcoin have been around for years but regulators have resisted jumping in to write new rules. "Is it the case for the crypto market? "For investor protection reasons, there is a need to provide additional clarity to these crypto markets markets through targeted guidance in applying IOSCO’s principles to crypto assets," Servais said.

☆ Shares rise, U.S. Treasury yields drop as Fed minutes suggest slower rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Chibuike Oguh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A "substantial majority" of Fed policymakers agreed it would "likely soon be appropriate" to slow the pace of interest rate hikes, the meeting minutes showed. Traders had expected the Fed minutes would affirm officials' softening stance after recent data showed a moderation in economic conditions. U.S. Treasury yields traded lower after the Fed minutes. The U.S. dollar fell across the board after the Fed minutes. Gold prices climbed as the U.S. dollar fell.

☆ Twin blasts in Jerusalem kill one in suspected Palestinian attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"There has not been such a coordinated attack in Jerusalem for many years," police spokesman Eli Levi told Army Radio. [1/6] A damaged bus is seen following an explosion at a bus stop in Jerusalem November 23, 2022. In Gaza, a spokesman for Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the Jerusalem explosions but stopped short of claiming responsibility. The coordinated blasts appeared to be a step up from a string of mostly Palestinian lone-wolf stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks this year. But families of slain Palestinian militants whose remains are in Israeli custody called for an exchange of corpses.

A source familiar with the situation in Zhengzhou said production at the plant was unaffected by the worker unrest and output remained "normal". It makes most of the phones at the Zhengzhou plant, though it has other smaller production sites in India and southern China. Shares of Foxconn have slipped 2% since the unrest emerged in late October. Before the unrest, the Zhengzhou plant employed some 200,000 people. To retain staff and lure more workers Foxconn has had to offer bonuses and higher salaries.

☆ European Parliament declares Russia a state sponsor of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Parliament on Wednesday designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, arguing Moscow's military strikes on civilian targets such as energy infrastructure, hospitals, schools and shelters violated international law. European lawmakers voted in favour of a resolution calling Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged the United States and other countries to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, accusing its forces of targeting civilians, which Moscow denies. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has so far refused to list Russia despite resolutions in both chambers of Congress urging him to do so. In the EU, the parliaments of four countries have so far designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, according to the European Parliamentary Research Service: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland.

REUTERS/Yves HermanSummary Attack followed EU declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorismBRUSSELS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Parliament's website was unavailable for several hours on Wednesday due to a denial-of-service attack by "Pro-Kremlin" hackers, after its lawmakers designated Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, the institute's president said. The parliament's website was up again shortly after 1700 GMT, around two hours after the institution had reported the outage. "The European Parliament is under a sophisticated cyberattack. A pro-Kremlin group has claimed responsibility," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in a tweet shortly after the website went down. The move is largely symbolic, as the European Union does not have a legal framework in place to back it up.

☆ Shares brush off China COVID curbs, dollar retreats
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The dollar pulled back from strong overnight gains while oil edged up after Monday's volatile sell-off. The MSCI All-World index of shares (.MIWD00000PUS) rose 0.2%, putting it on course for a second month of increases - its longest stretch of gains since late 2021. The dollar of the gains that took it to a 10-day high on Monday, when investors ditched risk assets over China's COVID flare-ups and was last down 0.2%. The dollar came under pressure in particular against the euro and the yen , which rose by 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively. Oil rose on Tuesday, a day after Saudi Arabia denied a media report that it was discussing an increase in oil supply with OPEC and its allies.

☆ Air defences activated in Crimea, two drones shot down - Russian-installed official
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Russian air defences were activated on Tuesday in the city of Sevastopol in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and two drones were shot down, the regional governor said in a statement, urging people to keep calm. Sevastopol is the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet. "Our air defence forces are working right now," the Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhaev, said on social media. "There is an attack by drones. According to preliminary information, two UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) have already been shot down.

☆ Explainer: Who is Malaysia's king and why is he picking the prime minister?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

King Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah ascended the throne in 2019 at the age of 59, becoming Malaysia's 16th monarch since it gained independence from Britain in 1957. The silver-haired, bespectacled Al-Sultan Abdullah became king after the surprise abdication of the previous king. The king appointed Muhyiddin prime minister in February 2020 when then-premier Mahathir Mohamad resigned due to coalition infighting. The king has summoned 30 lawmakers from the Barisan Nasional alliance for a meeting on Wednesday to determine who becomes prime minister. Whoever is eventually named prime minister is likely to face more political turbulence of the kind that has plagued the country in recent years.

☆ Venice kept dry as dam system wards off exceptional high tide
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A view of St. Mark's Square during exceptional high tide as the flood barriers known as Mose are raised, in Venice, Italy, November 22, 2022. REUTERS/Manuel SilvestriVENICE, Italy, Nov 22 (Reuters) - A dam system built to protect Venice and its famous Piazza San Marco from flooding withstood the challenge of an exceptionally high tide on Tuesday as heavy rains swept across Italy. However, the Mose, a system of 78 flood gates rising from the Venetian lagoon floor, was activated in advance overnight, shielding the city from the high waters seen at sea. "If the Mose barriers had not been there, Venice would have been catastrophically under water," Italy's Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said. High tides are expected to last well into Wednesday and Thursday, with a tide of up to 140 cm forecast for both days.

☆ Updated COVID vaccines offer better protection than original -U.S. study
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 22 (Reuters) - Updated COVID-19 boosters offer increased protection against new variants in people who have previously received up to four doses of the older vaccine, a real-world study in the United States showed. The study of over 360,000 people, published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, offers the first evidence that the new vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N)(22UAy.DE) and Moderna (MRNA.O) provide better protection compared to the original shots. Since their introduction in September, the vaccine boosters, which contain both original and Omicron BA.4/5 coronavirus strain, provided greater benefit to younger adults aged 18-49 years that those in the older age group. The variation in effectiveness was lower, in the range of 28-31%, when the boosters were given 2-3 months apart. The authors warned that the study may not be generalizable to future variants, as the dominant variants keep changing.

He will replace Bob Chapek, who took over as Disney CEO in February 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic led to park closures and visitor restrictions. Disney disappointed investors this month with an earnings report that showed mounting losses at its streaming media unit that includes Disney+. [1/2] Executive Chairman of the Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger arrives at the world premiere for the film 'The King's Man' at Leicester Square in London, Britain December 6, 2021. Disney did not respond to a request for comment on Trian and Trian did not respond to a request for comment. During his tenure, Disney made several key acquisitions, including Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Entertainment and 21st Century Fox, and boosted its market capitalization five-fold.

☆ New desalination plant points towards Morocco's drought response
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Ahmed Eljechtimi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/6] A view shows a desalination plant in south of Agadir, Morocco, in this handout picture obtained by Reuters on November 21, 2022. IRRIGATIONSome of the worst effects of Morocco's drought have been felt in Agadir, an Atlantic coast city of 1 million people, several hours' drive south of Casablanca. The most important one -- to supply Morocco's biggest city Casablanca -- is due to start construction next year and come on stream in 2026. All the new desalination plants, including Agadir, were meant to be powered by renewable energy. But, the Agadir plant is so far being powered directly from the national grid.

☆ Macron hosts European CEOs to counter US move temptation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European leaders have been alarmed by massive anti-inflation measures passed by Joe Biden's administration, which make tax breaks conditional on U.S-manufactured content and which EU industries say make investment in Europe less competitive. Macron, who has called on the European Union to launch its own 'European Buy Act' to subsidise European production, has encountered resistance from the more anti-protectionist members of the bloc. It was unclear what Macron would tell the executives to convince them not to move to the U.S. But France has unveiled a number of measures over the weekend to cushion the impact of high energy bills for French companies. Reporting by Michel Rose Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Washington's envoy for war crimes said on Monday the United States was monitoring allegations of Ukrainian forces summarily executing Russian troops, and said all parties should face consequences if they commit abuses in the conflict. Russia's defense ministry on Friday cited videos circulating on social media that allegedly showed Ukrainian soldiers executing Russian prisoners of war. The country's commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said the videos appeared to show "a staged capture" where Russian forces were not truly surrendering. Russia has denied the allegations and accused Ukraine and its backers in the West of fabricating the claims. Van Schaack said the scale of criminality exhibited by Russian forces was "enormous" compared to the allegations against Ukrainian troops, and noted that the two sides responded differently when allegations of atrocities surface.

WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Two Estonian citizens were arrested in Tallinn, Estonia, on an 18-count indictment for their alleged involvement in a $575 million cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering conspiracy, the U.S. Justice Department said on Monday. They also made victims invest in a virtual currency bank called Polybius Bank, which in reality was not a bank and never paid out the promised dividends, the Justice Department said. "The size and scope of the alleged scheme is truly astounding," said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr of the Justice Department's criminal division. "U.S. and Estonian authorities are working to seize and restrain these assets and take the profit out of these crimes." The money laundering conspiracy allegedly involved at least 75 real properties, six luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency wallets, and thousands of cryptocurrency mining machines, according to the department, which said the case was probed by the FBI.

He will replace Bob Chapek, who took over as Disney CEO in February 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, leading to park closures and restrictions on visitors globally. Disney disappointed investors this month with an earnings report that showed mounting losses at its streaming media unit that includes Disney+. [1/2] Executive Chairman of the Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger arrives at the world premiere for the film 'The King's Man' at Leicester Square in London, Britain December 6, 2021. IGER'S RETURNSIger exited Disney on a high note as the company led the battle against Netflix in the streaming wars. During his tenure, Disney made several key acquisitions, including Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Entertainment and 21st Century Fox, and boosted its market capitalization five-fold.

☆ India's Essar Group is debt-free after repaying $25 bln
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Nov 21 (Reuters) - India's Essar Group has become debt-free, having settled the remainder of its $25 billion debt after the sale of two ports and a power plant to ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel Ltd (AM/NS), the group said on Monday. Essar, built by brothers Shashi and Ravi Ruia, has sold some of its assets in sectors such as telecom, oil refining and steel over the years to settle its $25 billion debt. "Essar has concluded its asset monetisation programme and completed the debt repayment of $25 billion effectively making the group debt-free from Indian banks and financial institutions," Prashant Ruia, director, Essar Capital, said in a statement. AM/NS, which agreed to buy some infrastructure assets from Essar group for $2.4 billion, in a statement said that the ports and the power plant are captive to its India's operations and are expected to generate operation synergies for the company. Acquisition of these assets will help move raw materials and finished goods between the company's manufacturing facilities in western, eastern and southern India.

LONDON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Oil prices were hit by an abrupt reversal of sentiment last week, with investors selling at the fastest rate for four months, as the economic outlook worsened and fears eased that the G7 price cap on Russian crude would disrupt its exports. The most recent week saw sales concentrated in Brent (-30 million barrels) and NYMEX and ICE WTI (-19 million) with lighter sales in European gas oil (-5 million), U.S. gasoline (-4 million) and U.S. diesel (-4 million). As a result, Brent futures prices and calendar spreads retreated as traders prepared for a relatively hard landing for the global economy which will likely cut oil consumption absolutely or at least relative to the previous trend. Related columns:- Oil investors set for supply fall to offset weak economy (Reuters, Nov. 15)- Hedge funds tempted back into crude oil market by limited supply (Reuters, Nov. 7)- Oil funds trapped between low inventories and slowing economy (Reuters, Oct. 31)- Oil investors on defensive as recession forces intensify(Reuters, Oct. 24)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

The greenback has been falling in recent weeks as inflation data and Federal Reserve commentary implied that it could soon slow the pace of its interest rate hikes. "We had a short covering euro rally and dollar sell off that's probably run its course now. The euro was last down 0.56% against the dollar at $1.0337 after falling as much as 0.86% earlier in the session. It was last down 0.95% at $1.18 after earlier falling as much as 1.25% in a move that one analyst said was largely driven by sentiment about the dollar. The greenback was last up 0.68% against the Japanese yen on Thursday to 140.4950 after falling earlier in the day.

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