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☆ India's G20 presidency risks ringing hollow as Ukraine war dashes hopes of consensus
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

US President Joe Biden, right, and Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, at an arrival ceremony during a state visit on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, June 22, 2023. One of the risks is that by elevating India's presidency of the G20 so much, there are now expectations for India to deliver some concrete breakthroughs. Russia-Ukraine impasseIndeed, the specter of Russia's Ukraine invasion has loomed large over G20 meetings for the various tracks that India has convened. He even labeled it the "biggest achievement" of India's G20 presidency so far — despite Russia and China abstaining. This development serves to buttress India's burgeoning economic clout, the basis of its greater confidence and assertiveness geopolitically.

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, India's, haven't, Manjari Chatterjee, Modi, Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Putin, Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Chaudhuri, Sergei Lavrov —, Putin —, CFR's Miller, Eurasia Group's Chaudhuri, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Sumedha Dasgupta, Biden, Taiwan —, assertiveness, It's, Pravin Krishna Johns Organizations: White, Bloomberg, Getty, Indian, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Foreign, Council, Foreign Relations, CNBC, Global, African Union, UN, Group Russia's, West, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, India's, Economist Intelligence Unit, Moscow, . Warming, Apple, Pravin Krishna Johns Hopkins University's School, International Locations: Washington , DC, New Delhi, India, Ukraine, Pakistan, South Asia, Washington ,, Russia, China, Varanasi, Bali, Eurasia, Asia, U.S, . Warming India, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Beijing

☆ Russia's Medvedev: Japan's 'militarisation' complicates Asia-Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS /File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 3 (Reuters) - Japan's "militarisation" complicates the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, the deputy chair of the Russian Security Council and former President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday. "It is regrettable that the Japanese authorities are pursuing a course towards a new militarisation of the country," the Russian TASS news agency quoted Medvedev as saying. "Troop exercises are taking place near the Kuril Islands, which seriously complicates the situation in the Asia-Pacific region." Russia decided this year to declare Sept. 3 - the day after Japan's surrender in World War Two - a "Day of Victory over Militaristic Japan", spurring a protest from Tokyo. Medvedev said Japan, with help from the United States, was expanding its military infrastructure and increasing its arms purchases.

Persons: Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Lidia Kelly, Ekaterina Golubkova, William Mallard Organizations: Russia's, Scientific, Machine, Sputnik, Russian Security Council, Soviet, Russian TASS, Thomson Locations: Reutov, Moscow, Russia, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Russian, Hokkaido, Northern Territories, Soviet Union, Tokyo, United States, China, North Korea, Melbourne

☆ Netanyahu rues his foreign minister's disclosure of meeting with Libyan counterpart
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday appeared to shift blame to his top diplomat for the disclosure of a secret meeting with the Libyan foreign minister that has caused a backlash in Tripoli. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's office on Aug. 26 went public with his having met Najla Mangoush, his Libyan counterpart, in Italy earlier in the month. The statement came on the heels of an Israeli media report about the meeting. The news triggered protests in Libya, which does not recognise Israel and where pro-Palestinian sentiment is strong, and led Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah to fire Mangoush. In the ANT1 interview, Netanyahu called the handling of the Cohen-Magoush meeting "an exception to the rule".

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Eli Cohen's, Najla Mangoush, Abdulhamid, Netanyahu, I've, Cohen, Dan Williams, Michele Kambas, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Libyan, Cypriot TV, Thomson Locations: Tripoli, Israeli, Italy, Libya, Israel, United States

☆ UK's Labour Party has 14-point lead over Conservatives, Opinium poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during the Prime Minister's Statements on the Nato Summit at the House of Commons in London, Britain, July 13, 2023. UK Parliament/Andy Bailey/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour Party has a 14-point lead over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's ruling Conservatives, an opinion poll by market research company Opinium showed on Saturday as lawmakers prepare to return to parliament after the summer break. The Opinium poll, based on a survey of 2,055 British adults carried out between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, showed support for Labour had risen to 42%, up 1 percentage point since the last poll in July, while support for the Conservative Party rose by 2 points to 28%. Lawmakers return to parliament on Monday, with a general election expected to be held next year. Reporting by Sarah Young Editing by Helen PopperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Andy Bailey, Handout, Rishi Sunak's, Sarah Young, Helen Popper Our Organizations: British, Nato, REUTERS, Labour Party, Labour, Conservative Party, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Protester killed, dozen wounded in clashes in Iraq city of Kirkuk, police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAGHDAD, Sept 2 (Reuters) - A protester was shot dead and a dozen wounded on Saturday during clashes between ethnic groups in the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk that broke out after days of tensions, security forces and police said. Security officials and police in the city say they were investigating the circumstances of how a protester - a Kurd - was killed, and who opened fire. People from both protest groups were wounded as stones were thrown and metal bars used to attack, said Kirkuk police. Kurdish forces controlled Kirkuk city after driving Islamic State out in 2014 but were ejected by the Iraqi army in 2017, bringing the city back under Baghdad's control. But Arab residents and minority groups who said they suffered under Kurdish rule, such as the Turkmen, have protested the KDP's return.

Persons: Mohammed al, Sudani, Ahmed Rasheed, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Kurdistan Democratic Party, Security, Iraq's Shi'ite, Thomson Locations: BAGHDAD, Kirkuk, Iraq, State, Iraqi

☆ Finland's Marin, once the world's youngest premier, steps down as party leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Finland's Social Democrats Party Chair, former Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin waves from the stage before her resignation speech at the Party Congress of the Socialdemocrats of Finland in Jyvaskyla, Finland, September 1, 2023. Marin, who had announced her intention to quit soon after the election loss, was the world's youngest prime minister when she took the post in 2019 aged 34, attracting attention around the globe and helping lift Finland's profile. After her election loss, Marin said she looked forward to a quieter life and later also announced a divorce from her husband. Entering the stage on Friday to the beat of Aretha Franklin's "Respect", Marin thanked her party for its support. She was due to formally hand over the reins later on Friday after the Social Democrats elect a new leader.

Persons: Marin, Ulander, Sanna Marin, succesfully, Aretha Franklin's, Essi, Terje Solsvik, Frances Kerry Organizations: Finland's Social, Chair, Party Congress, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Social Democrats, NATO, Vogue, Time, National Coalition, Finns, Thomson Locations: Finland, Jyvaskyla, COVID, Ukraine, Russia, U.S

☆ Italy's bad loan proposal risks damaging crucial market, senior banker says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Sept 1 (Reuters) - A law proposed by the Italian prime minister's party to help those in arrears risks damaging the country's non-performing loan (NPL) market, which played a crucial role in helping banks offload sour debt, a senior banker active in the sector said on Friday. It aims to give borrowers the right to repay the original loan at a price equivalent to the ratio between the loan's gross nominal value and the average portfolio price, plus a 20% premium. Bossi said the measure could prompt foreign operators active in the sector to shift their focus from the Italian market. "This would be a damage for banks because it would reduce demand for their soured debt", the banker said. "We should keep in mind that Italian banks are now sound because the NPLs market helped the system offload some 350 billion euros of debts which went soured", he added.

Persons: Meloni's, Giovanni Bossi, Bossi, Elvira Pollina, David Holmes Organizations: Cherry Bank, Reuters, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Italy

☆ Wallace confirms resignation as UK defence minister in letter to PM Sunak
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace walks on Downing Street on the day of the last cabinet meeting before the summer recess, in London, Britain, July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Anna Gordon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Ben Wallace confirmed his resignation as defence minister on Thursday in a letter to Rishi Sunak, offering the government his continued support while warning the British prime minister not to see defence as a "discretionary spend". In his official resignation letter, Wallace renewed his appeal for the government not to turn to defence to make spending cuts. Sunak praised Wallace for his work, saying in a letter in response: "You have served our country in three of the most demanding posts in government: defence secretary, security minister and Northern Ireland minister." A former captain in the British army, Wallace, 53, was appointed as defence minister in 2019 by his friend and ally, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson after holding junior ministerial roles in earlier governments.

Persons: Defence Ben Wallace, Anna Gordon, Ben Wallace, Rishi Sunak, Wallace, Jens Stoltenberg, hollowing, Sunak, Boris Johnson, Johnson, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Muvija M, Elizabeth Piper, Kate Holton, Alex Richardson Organizations: State, Defence, REUTERS, NATO, Conservative Party, Ministry of Defence, Northern, Twitter, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Ukraine, Norwegian, Northern Ireland, Russia, Kyiv

☆ How much do weddings cost? This one in Las Vegas is just $15
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Quek Jie Ann | Marylou Costa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A picture taken in 1953 of a sign outside the Chapel of the Flowers promoting its $15 wedding packages. The discounted wedding package is part of a celebration commemorating 70 years since Las Vegas was first given that moniker, according to a campaign promoting Las Vegas as the "Wedding Capital of the World." Other inexpensive optionsOther venues in Las Vegas are also discounting wedding packages, according to the campaign. An Elvis impersonator performs a remote vow renewal ceremony during the pandemic at Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesFor $700, couples can exchange vows 900 feet above the city's famous Strip atop The Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower, the tallest structure in Las Vegas.

Persons: Cynthia Sharpe, Sharpe, Elvis, Ethan Miller Organizations: BBC, Las Vegas, CNBC, U.S . News, Getty Locations: United States, Vegas, Las, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S, Las Vegas , Nevada

☆ Savers dash for Belgian bond aimed at pushing banks to raise deposit rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 25 (Reuters) - Belgium saw 4 billion euros of demand from savers for a new bond it launched on Thursday, its debt agency said, a strong start for the sale aimed at pressuring banks to raise their deposit rates. European lenders awash with cash have been resisting raising savings rates despite a surge in market interest rates as central banks fight inflation, prompting withdrawals by households looking for better returns elsewhere. "We want to boost competition and encourage banks to raise interest rates." On Thursday, the first day of the sale, savers bought 2.098 billion euros ($2.27 billion) of the bond, the debt agency said, followed by at least another 1.902 billion euros so far on Friday. But Jean Deboutte, director at Belgium's debt agency, noted some banks in Belgium had already raised their rates following plans for the new bond.

Persons: Jean Deboutte, Yoruk, Sudip Kar, Susan Fenton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Yoruk Bahceli, Gupta, Thomson Locations: Belgium, Amsterdam, Brussels

☆ Malaysia eyes more investments to enlarge EV footprint after landmark Tesla deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Tesla's groundbreaking move with Malaysia is a boost to Southeast Asia's place in the EV supply chain and the first deal under the country's Battery Electric Vehicle Global Leaders initiative. There are also plans for Tesla to embark on EV battery manufacturing in Malaysia. Anwar said Malaysia is open to more EV investments, including from Chinese automakers. Tesla Inc. signage during a launch of company's Model Y electric vehicle in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, July 20, 2023. Building readinessStill, Anwar was hesitant to say a full electric vehicle assembly line is in the pipeline.

Persons: Tesla, Anwar Ibrahim, CNBC's Martin Soong, Anwar, Elon Organizations: country's, Vehicle Global, U.S, EV, Bumiputeras, CNBC, Tesla Inc, Bloomberg, Getty, IT, Zhejiang, Infineon Technologies, Proton Locations: Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, China, Shanghai, Selangor, Malay, Tanjong Malim, Perak, Kedah, Geely

☆ China is furious with Japan's plan to release treated Fukushima water into the ocean
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 destroyed the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which is situated on Japan's east coast, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of the capital Tokyo. Japan's government has repeatedly said the discharge of the treated water is safe and the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has endorsed the move. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (C) speaks during a meeting with representatives of the Inter-Ministerial Council for Contaminated Water, Treated Water and Decommissioning Issues and the Inter-Ministerial Council Concerning the Continuous Implementation of the Basic Policy on Handling of ALPS Treated Water, at Prime Minister's Office, on August 22, 2023, in Tokyo, Japan. Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee, meanwhile, "strongly opposes" the discharge of wastewater from the Fukushima power plant. Hundreds of activists in South Korea had gathered in the capital of Seoul earlier this month to rally against Japan's plan to dispose of the treated water into the ocean.

Persons: Philip Fong, Fumio Kishida, Rodrigo Reyes Marin, Wang Wenbin, Wang, John Lee, Chung Sung Organizations: Afp, Getty, Japan, International Atomic Energy Agency, Inter, Ministerial Council, Minister's, Zuma, Anadolu Agency, Foreign Ministry, Japan's Embassy, CNBC, Hong, Japanese Locations: Shinchi, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Japan's, Tokyo, Japanese, China, London, Hong Kong, Seoul, South Korea, Korea, Fukushima

☆ Oil dips on possible easing of tight supply, China woes hurt demand outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Crude oil struggled to keep its head above water on signs of supply tightness easing," said Brian Martin and Daniel Hynes, analysts from ANZ Bank in a note to clients. Iraq's oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara to discuss several issues including the resumption of oil exports through the Ceyhan oil terminal, a source in the minister's office told Reuters on Monday. Meanwhile, gloom over the economic outlook in China, the world's second biggest oil consumer, continued to pressure oil prices and heighten worries about fuel demand. Putting a floor to oil prices, U.S. crude oil and gasoline inventories were expected to have fallen last week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed, as the American Petroleum Institute industry group is due to release data later on Tuesday. U.S. economic data over recent weeks has bolstered expectations for the Fed to keep rates higher for longer, putting a dampener on the demand outlook for oil and a broad range of consumer goods.

Persons: Lucy Nicholson, Brent, Brian Martin, Daniel Hynes, Hayan Abdel, Ghani, Muyu Xu, Katya Golubkova, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, . West Texas, ANZ Bank, Reuters, International Chamber of Commerce, of, Petroleum, Eurasia Group, American Petroleum Institute, Energy Information Administration, U.S . Department of Energy, PMI, Federal, Jackson, Fed, Thomson Locations: Bakersfield , California, OPEC, Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Iraq, China, Beijing, Eurasia, Singapore, Tokyo

BANGKOK, Aug 22 (Reuters) - When Thailand's deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra went into self-imposed exile in 2008 facing a raft of corruption charges following his ouster in a military coup, he issued a hand-written note. Thaksin has been Thailand's most prominent politician for decades, retaining outsized influence despite the years away. "It closes a crucial chapter in Thailand's politics," Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, said of Thaksin's return. A shrewd operator who rarely minces his words, an increasingly wealthy Thaksin entered politics in the mid-1990s, initially serving as foreign minister and then deputy prime minister. But the brash Thaksin, who called himself Thailand's first "CEO prime minister", faced royalist accusations that he was undermining the revered monarchy, which he denied.

Persons: Thailand's, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin, Thaksin's, Yingluck Shinawatra, Critics, watchdogs, Chalinee, Chiang Mai, Love Thais, Devjyot Ghoshal, Chayut Setboonsarng, Panu, Robert Birsel Organizations: Thaksin, Chulalongkorn University, Thai, REUTERS, Rights, Shin Corporation, Thai Rak Thai, Singapore's Temasek, Premier League, Manchester City, Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, Bangkok, Thailand, Chiang, United States, Thai, Britain

☆ Iraq oil minister in Turkey to discuss resuming northern oil exports -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAGHDAD, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Iraq's oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara to discuss several issues including the resumption of oil exports through the Ceyhan oil terminal, a source in the minister's office told Reuters on Monday. Iraqi oil minister will meet his Turkish counterpart to discuss energy issues, on top of which is the resumption of Iraq's northern oil exports via Turkey's Ceyhan port, said an oil official. Turkey halted Iraq's 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) of exports through the northern Iraq-Turkey pipeline on March 25 after an arbitration ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Turkey wants to negotiate regarding the size of damages it was ordered to pay in the arbitration ruling and also seeks clarification on other open arbitration cases. "Iraq's oil minister is in Turkey to discuss obstacles delaying the resumption of oil exports and how to resolve lingering issues," said an oil ministry official who is close to the Iraqi northern oil exports operations.

Persons: Hayan Abdel, Ghani, Ahmed Rasheed, Ahmed Elimam, Susan Fenton, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Reuters, International Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce, ICC, Kurdistan Regional Government, Thomson Locations: BAGHDAD, Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Iraq, Paris, Iraqi Kurdistan, Baghdad, Ceyhan, Kurdistan

☆ Malaysia PM vows to recover Goldman Sachs 1MDB settlement, warns of possible lawsuits
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesMalaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has vowed to recover the money Malaysians are owed from the 1MDB money laundering scandal, and says he hasn't ruled out the possibility of a lawsuit against Goldman Sachs. Anwar said Malaysian agencies were still in talks with Goldman Sachs, though ongoing discussions are "a bit complex." Asked to comment on Anwar's interview, Goldman Sachs referred CNBC to its second quarter earnings statement. It remains to be seen what would come out of the standoff between Malaysia and Goldman Sachs. "No one can deny the fact that Goldman Sachs was used, and partly used the authorities," Anwar said in his interview.

Persons: Malaysia's, Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's King, hasn't, Goldman Sachs, Anwar, CNBC's Martin Soong, Goldman, Muhyiddin Yassin, I've, —, Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar Malaysia's, Anwar's Pakatan, Najib Razak, Muhyiddin, Islam that's Organizations: Nurphoto, Getty, Malaysia's, 1Malaysia, Malaysia, CNBC, of, Malaysian, Barisan Nasional, Barisan, Perikatan Nasional coalition, Islamic, Malay Locations: Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Malaysia, Malaysian, Anwar Ibrahim Malaysia, U.S, of Malaysia, United States, Malay, Federal

☆ Arab towns in Israel strike in protest at funding freeze
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Arab local councils in Israel held a strike on Monday in protest at the finance minister's freeze earlier this month on hundreds of millions of shekels to their municipalities, a decision that has prompted accusations of racism. That the finance minister was casting Arabs as thieves and criminals was "ridiculous" and "false", the mayor of the Arab city of Umm al-Fahm, Samir Mahameed, told Israeli Army Radio. The ultra-nationalist Smotrich's move drew accusations of racism from Arab and Jewish lawmakers, including opposition leader Yair Lapid, as well as Arab mayors. Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel urged Smotrich to release the funds and voiced support for the municipal strike. Videos circulating on social media showed police pushing some of the demonstrators, including Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh.

Persons: Bezalel Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Samir Mahameed, Netanyahu, Smotrich, Yair Lapid, Moshe Arbel, Ayman Odeh, Henriette Chacar, Maayan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Finance, Israeli Army Radio, Police, Thomson Locations: Israel, Umm

☆ Russian missile attack kills 7 in northern Ukrainian city as Zelenskyy visits NATO candidate Sweden
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A view shows a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 19, 2023. Sweden abandoned its longstanding policy of military nonalignment to support Ukraine with weapons and other aid in the war against Russia. As Zelenskyy arrived in Sweden, a Russian missile strike killed seven people and wounded 90 others in the city center of Chernihiv, the regional capital of the northern Ukrainian province of the same name, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv," he wrote on Telegram. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin visited top military officials in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Ihor Klymenko, Vladimir Putin, Don, Putin, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner, group's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Gerasimov, Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin, Alexander Khodakovsky, Tiurin, Vitalii Bunechko Organizations: Russia, Archer, NATO, Russia's Southern Military District, Russian, Ukraine Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Chernihiv, Sweden, Harpsund, Stockholm, Ukrainian, Russia, Rostov, Urozhaine, Ukraine's, Donetsk, Zhytomyr

☆ Vanuatu opposition boycott parliament after failed bid to remove prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Vanuatu's opposition party boycotted parliament on Thursday and said it would lodge a court challenge to the defeat the previous day of its bid to remove Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau. Loughman drew Vanuatu closer to China as the previous prime minister, before losing a snap election in 2022. Wednesday's no-confidence motion won 26 votes, compared with 23 votes against, but failed to win the absolute majority of 27 needed to remove a prime minister in the 52-seat parliament. Opposition lawmakers boycotted parliament on Thursday and the speaker adjourned the session, saying the chamber could not sit with only 25 members. Kalsakau told broadcaster VBTC the constitution required an absolute majority to change prime minister.

Persons: Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, Eduardo Munoz, Ishmael Kalsakau, Kalsakau, Bob Loughman, Loughman, Wednesday's, Kirsty Needham, Robert Birsel Organizations: United Nations Headquarters, REUTERS, Rights, Vanuatu, Thomson Locations: Vanuatu, New York City, U.S, Australia, China, Pacific, United States, Solomon Islands

By accepting an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report last month that greenlit Japan's Fukushima water release, Yoon could encourage fresh dissent that China will try to amplify, analysts say. On Monday, Park Gu-yeon, vice minister of government policy coordination at the prime minister's office, said both sides have made "substantial progress" on the water release issue. A senior South Korean official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of diplomatic sensitivity, said the government did not see it as a source of friction. "China absolutely will try to exploit Fukushima to drive a wedge between South Korea and Japan," said David Boling, a director at consulting firm Eurasia Group. In July, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Japan had shown selfishness and arrogance, and had not fully consulted the international community about the water release.

Persons: Rafael Mariano Grossi, Kobayakawa, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Biden, David, Yoon, Japan Rahm Emanuel, Moon Jae, Christopher Johnstone, Antony Blinken, they've, David Boling, Joshua Kurlantzick, Wang Wenbin, Hirokazu Matsuno, Tim Kelly, Sakura Murakami, Hyonhee Shin, Josh Smith, David Brunnstrom, Trevor Hunnicutt, Ekaterina Golubkova, Lun Tian, Yoshifumi, Gerry Doyle Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, Tokyo Electric Power Co, Japanese, Reuters, U.S, IAEA, Biden's National Security Council, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Japan, South Korean, South, Gallup, Eurasia Group, Council, Foreign Relations, Global Times, Thomson Locations: Futaba, Japan, TOKYO, SEOUL, South Korea, Tokyo, China, Washington, East Asia, Taiwan, Beijing, Russia, North Korea, United States, Australia, Britain, Seoul, Seoul . U.S, Fukushima, Korean

☆ Vanuatu prime minister to face no confidence vote in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau faces a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, after the opposition accused his government of abandoning a non-aligned foreign policy by signing a security pact with Australia. The petition, lodged a fortnight ago, was signed by 29 lawmakers, enough to topple the prime minister. Loughman drew Vanuatu closer to China as the previous prime minister. Kalsakau has said the constitution requires an absolute majority for the removal of a prime minister. Kalsakau has reshuffled his cabinet in an effort to win support ahead of the vote, with the new deputy prime minister making a show of support for China.

Persons: Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, Eduardo Munoz, Ishmael Kalsakau, Bob Loughman, Loughman, Kalsakau, Matai Seremaiah, Samson Samsen, Kirsty Needham, Miral Organizations: United Nations Headquarters, REUTERS, Rights, Vanuatu, Trade, Thomson Locations: Vanuatu, New York City, U.S, Australia, China, United States, Beijing, Solomon Islands

☆ Pakistan senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar named caretaker PM ahead of vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A general view of the parliament building in Islamabad, Pakistan March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File PhotoKARACHI, Pakistan Aug 12 (Reuters) - Pakistani senator Anwaar-ul-haq Kakar was named as caretaker prime minister to oversee national elections, the prime minister's office said on Saturday following a meeting between outgoing premier Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz. Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Anwaar, haq Kakar, Sharif, Raja Riaz, Gibran Peshimam, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, KARACHI

☆ Pakistan senator picked as caretaker PM to oversee elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KARACHI, Pakistan, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz agreed on Saturday to name Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar as caretaker premier to oversee elections, the Prime Minister's office said. "The prime minister (Sharif) and leader of opposition have jointly signed the advice which will be sent to the president for approval," the statement said. Under Pakistan's constitution, a neutral caretaker government oversees national elections, which must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the parliament's lower house - which in this instance means early November. The choice of caretaker prime minister has assumed heightened importance this time because the candidate will have extra powers to make policy decisions on economic matters, and amid fears the elections may be delayed by as much as six months. Kakar has been serving a six-year term in Pakistan's Senate since 2018.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Raja Riaz, Anwaar, Haq Kakar, Arif Alvi, Kakar, Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mark Potter Organizations: Pakistani, Geo News, Pakistan's Senate, Senate, Balochistan Awami Party, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Balochistan, Pakistan's

☆ New Cambodian cabinet to feature children of the powerful
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hun Manet, son of Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, looks on at the final Cambodian People's Party (CPP) election campaign for the upcoming general election in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Cindy Liu/File PhotoAug 11 (Reuters) - Outgoing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has unveiled a list of people expected to feature in a new cabinet, including several sons and daughters of close allies and serving ministers. The rubber-stamp parliament is set to approve the new prime minister and cabinet on Aug. 22. While giving up the job of prime minister, Hun Sen looks set to remain engaged with government. This week, Hun Sen announced that Khuon Sodary had been designated as president of the National Assembly, the first woman to hold the position.

Persons: Hun Manet, Cambodia's, Hun Sen, Cindy Liu, Cham, Sar Sokha, Sar, Seiha, Tea, Hun Sen's, Khuon Sodary, Kanupriya Kapoor, Robert Birsel Organizations: Cambodian People's Party, REUTERS, Cambodian, World Bank, National Assembly, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

ISLAMABAD, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Pakistan's outgoing prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and the leader of the opposition will on Thursday meet to pick a caretaker leader to oversee a general election due by November, a government official said. Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz will meet in the afternoon, said the official in the prime minister's office, who declined to be identified pending the announcement of the meeting. Under the constitution, the two have three days to reach agreement on a caretaker. If they can't, the decision will go to a parliamentary committee, and if it can't, then the Election Commission of Pakistan will decide. The lower house of parliament was dissolved on Wednesday, three days before the end of its five-year term on Aug. 12.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Sharif, Raja Riaz, Imran Khan, Asif Shahzad, Robert Birsel Organizations: Thomson Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

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