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☆ India rules out joining world’s largest trade deal, accuses China of 'very opaque' trade practices
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesIndia's commerce minister rejected the idea of joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world's largest trade deal, maintaining that it is not in the country's interest to be part of a free trade agreement with China. Negotiations for the RCEP started in 2013 and initially included India, which some members viewed as a counterbalance to China. However, in 2019, India chose not to join RCEP, citing unresolved "core interest" issues. Goyal noted that at that time, India already had a free trade agreement with ASEAN, Japan and Korea, as well as a bilateral trade with New Zealand worth $300 million. "It was not in our farmers' interest, RCEP did not reflect the aspirations of our small and micro medium industries and sector, and in some form, was nothing but a free trade agreement with China," he said.

Persons: Industry Piyush Goyal, CNBC's Tanvir Gill, Goyal, RCEP Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Regional Comprehensive Economic, ASEAN, Commerce, Industry, —, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, RCEP, New Zealand, Trade, Semiconductor Locations: China, India, Asia, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Korea

☆ CNBC's Inside India newsletter: Can India's hot deal-making season extend to a free trade agreement?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Customers browse the S1 Pro electric scooter of Ola Electric Mobility Pvt. SoftBank -backed Ola Electric is set to raise nearly three quarters of a billion dollars with a stock market listing. India and four European nations — Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland — struck a free trade agreement (FTA) earlier this year. "Our Free Trade Agreement negotiations is the floor not the ceiling of our ambitions to unlock our shared potential and deliver growth, from Bengaluru to Birmingham," Lammy said last week before his visit. India and the U.K. also have high rankings on the World Bank's Trade Complementarity Index, which indicates whether countries are natural trade partners.

Persons: Ola, Samyukta Lakshmi, Bharat, Switzerland —, David Lammy, Lammy, Chietigj Bajpaee, Narendra Modi's, Aastha Gudwani, Murugesh Organizations: Ola Electric Mobility, Ola Experience, Ola, Bloomberg, Getty, Mankind, Vaccines, South, House, India, Indian, Bank of America's, NYSE Locations: Bengaluru, India, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, New Delhi, Birmingham, South Asia, Bank of America's India, Singapore, Japan

☆ Why buy now, pay later debt could become a problem for the U.S. economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Charlotte Morabito | In Charlottemorabito | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Buy now, pay later options are becoming more accessible to consumers. A quarter of Americans surveyed in April 2024 said they used buy now, pay later services in the past 12 months, according to a recent report from NerdWallet. The number of buy now, pay later loans increased nearly 1,100% between 2019 and 2021, according to data compiled by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The rapid growth has some analysts concerned because where there are loans, there is debt — but exactly how much debt is still unclear. The FTA is a trade group that represents four of the largest buy now, pay later providers: Klarna, Afterpay, Zip and PayPal.

Persons: Shannon Grein, Penny Lee Organizations: Consumer Financial, Bureau, CNBC, Financial Technology Association, PayPal Locations: NerdWallet, Wells

☆ Harvard fellow: CFPB's 'buy now, pay later' regulation isn't enough — nothing 'substantively changes'
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Last month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau declared that buy now, pay later customers should have the same federal protections as users of credit cards. However, Marshall Lux, a fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School who studies BNPL, says the government's latest guidance is already a few steps behind. In fact, major buy now, pay later providers already provide such safeguards for users. "We've got an industry that's moving at light speed and a regulatory process that takes time," Lux said. More from Personal Finance:25% of consumers recently used a buy now, pay later loanCould buy now, pay later loans affect your credit score?

Persons: Marshall Lux, BNPL, —, PayPal —, We've, Lux, Penny Lee Organizations: Consumer Financial, Bureau, Rahmani Center for Business, Government, Harvard Kennedy School, PayPal, Finance, Financial Technology Association, Zip

☆ China and New Zealand pledge deeper trade and economic cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

China and New Zealand are working toward implementing an upgraded version of the free trade agreement between the two countries. Wang met New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay during an official visit to New Zealand. New Zealand was the first developed country to sign a bilateral free trade deal with China in 2008. China's door to the world will open even wider, Wang said, pledging to forge closer cooperation with New Zealand in the next decade and emphasizing on the need to safeguard free trade. He will be holding the seventh China-Australia Foreign and Strategic Dialogue with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in his visit to Australia.

Persons: Wang Yi, Wang, Todd McClay, McClay, Winston Peters, China's, Peters, Penny Wong Organizations: Xinhua, New Zealand Trade, New Zealand, Foreign Affairs, Australian Foreign Locations: China, New Zealand, New, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Tibet, Zealand, South, Sea, Taiwan Strait, Taiwan, Beijing, Philippines, Wang, Australia, Mar

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Conflicting signals on U.S. jobs market
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. China warns property developersChina's housing minister signaled real estate developers must go bankrupt if required and won't get a major bailout. Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong also warned that those who "harm the interests of the masses" will be punished. India's 'watershed' FTAIndia signed a 'watershed' $100 billion free trade deal that will remove most tariffs with four non-EU nations.

Persons: Hong, Piyush Goyal, Tony Fernandes, Tasha Keeney Organizations: CNBC, Nikkei, CSI, Nasdaq, Dow, Housing, India, EU, Commerce, Industry, AirAsia Locations: Asia, Japan, China, Malaysian

China, the world's second-largest economy, is already a major investor in South America and has offered tariff-free access to its huge consumer market to four countries. But Uruguay faces opposition from other members of the Mercosur bloc who want to settle an FTA with Europe instead. By comparison, other major beef exporters Australia and New Zealand, which have FTAs with China, pay tariffs at 3.3% and 0%. The elevation of ties with Uruguay to the level of Brazil and Argentina also pushes the remaining Mercosur member Paraguay further outside China's global trade and investment network. Agriculture-dependent Paraguay, whose main exports include beef and soybeans, is the last South American nation that has ties with democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, and not with Beijing.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Luis Lacalle Pou, Florence Lo, Lacalle Pou, Xi, Joe Cash, Ryan Woo, Ella Cao, Toby Chopra, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Chizu Nomiyama, Alexander Smith Organizations: Uruguayan, of, People, REUTERS, New Development Bank BEIJING, Mercosur, South, Nations, New Development Bank, China, United, Mercosur CET, National Meat Institute of, China's National Bureau of Statistics, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil Mercosur, American, Brazil, South America, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Shanghai, United States, MERCOSUR Uruguay, Brussels, Montevideo, Mercosur, National Meat Institute of Uruguay, Paraguay, Taiwan

☆ Britain to Launch South Korea Trade Talks During Yoon Visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain and South Korea will launch negotiations on a new free trade agreement (FTA) and sign a new diplomatic accord during a state visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol this week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's office said on Monday. The Downing Street accord will see the countries agree to work closely on areas such as semiconductors - which South Korea is a major producer of - and artificial intelligence. Speaking to members of the South Korean community, Yoon said South Korea and Britain are partners that share universal values of freedom, human rights and rule of law, and form an economic community through trade, Yonhap news reported. The talks on a new trade deal will aim to replace the carry-over trade deal from when Britain left the European Union, which was based on replicating a deal with the EU from 2011 and reduced tariffs in a range of areas. Britain said it hoped a new trade deal would pave the way for increased digital trade and streamline currently complex procedures, and have a new rules of origin chapter.

Persons: Yoon Suk, Rishi Sunak's, Yoon's, King Charles, Charles, Yoon, Sunak, Alistair Smout, Josh Smith, Alistair Bell, Stephen Coates Organizations: South, Britain, Accord, European Union, Trans, Pacific Partnership Locations: Britain, South Korea, Downing, Korea, London, cybersecurity, United States, China, Japan, Seoul

☆ Britain to launch South Korea trade talks as president visits
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

King Charles greeted President Yoon Suk Yeol with a royal guard of honour following his arrival in London, and then rode with him by carriage to Buckingham Palace. He will hold talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday, and sign an accord on closer diplomatic ties. Under the accord, the countries will agree to work closely on areas such as semiconductors - of which South Korea is an important producer - and artificial intelligence. [1/4]Members of the Royal Air Force (RAF) welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee, as they arrive at Stansted Airport, near London, Britain, November 20, 2023. "REFRESHED, MODERNISED DEAL"Under Yoon, South Korea has focused on strengthening economic, political, and military ties with the U.S. while seeking to maintain trade with China and working to overcome historical disputes with Japan.

Persons: Yoon, King Charles Yoon, King Charles, Yoon Suk, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Keon Hee, Toby Melville, David Beckham, Son Heung Min, Kemi Badenoch, Alistair Smout, Kylie MacLellan, Sarah Young, Josh Smith, Alistair Bell, Stephen Coates, Timothy Heritage, David Gregorio Our Organizations: LONDON, British, Accord, Trade, Downing, North, Royal Air Force, South, Stansted Airport, REUTERS, Trans, Pacific Partnership, European Union, Thomson Locations: Britain, Korea, London, Buckingham, United Kingdom, Downing, South Korea, North Korea, U.S, China, Japan, Seoul

Now Widodo also needs a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States for Indonesian materials to qualify for the generous EV subsidies available under the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). What it got after last week's bilateral meeting was a commitment "to develop a critical minerals action plan (...) with a view toward establishing the foundation to launch future negotiations on a critical minerals agreement". The joint statement included some pointers as to what the United States expects from that action plan in terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. A limited trade agreement on critical minerals could become an even more restricted deal if it were to apply only to non-Chinese material streams. South Korea has the advantage of having had an FTA with the United States since 2012.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Tesla, Widodo, Washington, Biden, Joe Manchin, Janet Yellen, Manchin, Trafigura, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Vale Tbk, U.S, Biden, GREEN, Benchmark Minerals, Australia, Greenpeace, of, Group, Minerals, Korea, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Sorowako, Indonesia's, Asian, United States, Indonesia, United, GREEN Indonesia, Philippines, Ulsan, South Korea, Morocco, South

☆ US appeals court scraps Sempra's Port Arthur LNG emissions permit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Curtis Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHOUSTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. court has removed an emissions permit for Sempra's (SRE.N) Port Arthur LNG export terminal in Texas, but the company said construction of the facility will continue for now. The approximately 13.5 million-metric-tons-per-annum (mtpa) Port Arthur plant has approval to export LNG to both Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and non-FTA countries, including Europe, and is part of the U.S. LNG expansion to meet growing global demand for the superchilled gas. The decision sends the Port Arthur LNG permit application back to the TCEQ for new evaluation. Investment firm KKR (KKR.N) owns a 20% stake in Sempra Infrastructure while Sempra Energy owns 70% and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority owns 10%. John Beard, executive director of the Port Arthur Community Action Network, which brought the lawsuit challenging TCEQ, said of the ruling: “We’ve won by standing up for Port Arthur communities of color to breathe free from toxic pollution.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Port Arthur, Sempra, John Beard, “ We’ve, –, Biden, Alex Munton, Munton, Curtis Williams, Deepa Babington, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Port Arthur, Free, U.S, U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Texas Commission, Environmental, Rio, Rio Grande LNG, Port, Sempra Infrastructure, ConocoPhillips, Investment, KKR, Sempra Energy, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Port Arthur Community Action Network, Global Gas & LNG Research, Rapidan Energy, Thomson Locations: Port, Texas, Europe, Rio Grande, Port Arthur, Abu Dhabi, Houston

☆ UK Minister to Sign Trade Pact With Florida Governor DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Andrea Shalal and Alistair SmoutWASHINGTON (Reuters) - British Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said she will sign a memorandum of understanding with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday to boost trade and investment with the fourth largest U.S. state. Badenoch said the Florida deal was Britain's seventh with U.S. states, and Britain was also making progress in talks with the U.S. federal government on a broader trade agreement. Badenoch and DeSantis, a Republican presidential hopeful, will sign the deal in the Port of Jacksonville around midday (1700 GMT) Tuesday. Trade between Britain and Florida is already worth more than 5 billion pounds ($6.14 billion) a year, but could expand under the new memorandum. Together with Florida, they account for a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of 3.3 trillion pounds ($4 trillion).

Persons: Andrea Shalal, Alistair Smout WASHINGTON, Kemi Badenoch, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Badenoch, Katherine Tai, Rishi Sunak, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, DeSantis, Trump, Alistair Smout, Edwina Gibbs, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Business, Trade, Florida Governor, U.S, Reuters, . Trade, British, Britain, Republican, Trump, NASA Kennedy Space Center Locations: Florida, Britain, China, Badenoch, DeSantis, Port of Jacksonville, London, Indiana , North Carolina, South Carolina , Oklahoma , Utah, Washington, Texas , New York , California, Colorado, Illinois

☆ UAE and South Korea complete talks for bilateral trade deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Rachna Uppal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Trade and investment ties between the Gulf state and South Korea have been steadily advancing; in the first half of 2023, bilateral non-oil trade reached $3 billion, similar to the same period last year, but up 21% over 2021, a statement said. South Korea was one of the first countries with which the Gulf state launched talks for a CEPA in 2021. Three months later however, the Asian state revived dormant Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks with the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council bloc, of which the UAE is a member. "We resumed talks with Korea earlier this year as we were both keen to conclude a deal and advance our respective economic agendas," Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE minister of foreign trade, told Reuters, adding the GCC FTA talks remained ongoing. It has said it does not mix politics with trade, when asked whether the Israel-Gaza conflict would have an impact on the Gulf state's trade deal with Israel.

Persons: Yeo Han, koo, Zeyoudi, Rachna Uppal, Sharon Singleton Organizations: South Korean Trade, United Arab Emirates Minister, State for Foreign Trade, United Arab, . Trade, Korea Electric Power Corporation, Gulf Cooperation Council, Reuters, Israel, Thomson Locations: State for Foreign Trade Thani, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, DUBAI, South Korea, Gulf, Abu Dhabi, Korea, UAE, Thani, Zeyoudi, Israel, Turkey, India, Indonesia, Gaza

☆ Exclusive: Self-driving startup Plus splits US and China operations amid tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SHANGHAI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Self-driving truck startup Plus has split its Chinese and U.S. operations and struck a deal in which a key shareholder, China's Full Truck Alliance (FTA) (YMM.N), will focus on the China unit, Plus said on Wednesday. Plus, which had headquarters in Suzhou, China, and California, separated its operations into two independent companies. FTA increased its stake in Zhijia Technology via a stock swap arrangement that reduced its ownership in Plus, the company said. Plus declined to comment on the size of FTA's shareholding in Zhijia Technology. The stake in Zhijia Technology will help the company's work to develop autonomous trucking fleets - a potentially lucrative market amid a truck driver shortage in China.

Persons: Uber, Zhang Yan, Roxanne Liu, Brenda Goh Organizations: Alliance, Reuters, U.S, Sequoia, GGV, Zhijia Technology, Technology, New York Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China, Beijing, U.S, Suzhou, California, Huochebang, United States

☆ Britain signs state-level trade accord with Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Britain had hoped for a sweeping bilateral trade deal with the United States after splitting from the European Union, but with President Joe Biden putting all talks on free trade agreements on hold, the British government has pursued state-level agreements instead. The British trade ministry said aerospace would be a priority sector under the Washington MoU, with Boeing (BA.N) being based in the state. The MoU with Washington is the sixth such agreement with a U.S. state. Washington state is also the home of Amazon (AMZN.O), Starbucks (SBUX.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O), and is the state with the 11th highest gross domestic product (GDP). The six U.S. states covered by MoUs with Britain have a combined GDP of over 2 trillion pounds ($2.4 trillion), Britain said.

Persons: Nusrat Ghani, Kirsty Wigglesworth, Britain, Joe Biden, Ghani, Alistair Smout, William James Our Organizations: Britain's, State Department for Business, Conference, U.S, European Union, Boeing, Starbucks, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, London, Britain, U.S ., Washington, Florida , Texas, California, United States, British, U.S

☆ Indian winemaker Sula not losing sleep over foreign rivals - CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Biplob Kumar Das | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Sept 15 (Reuters) - India's largest winemaker, Sula Vineyards (SULA.NS), is expanding its production capacity and counting on a pricing sweet spot to fend off foreign rivals in its home turf. Last year, the Indian government slashed import duties for some Australian winemakers as part of a foreign trade agreement (FTA) between the two nations. But among all the Indian wine companies, Sula has the least to fear," Chief Executive Officer Rajeev Samant told Reuters. He is counting on Sula's pricing strategy to thwart rivals. Wine consumers are getting "turned on" by the 800 rupee-plus category, he said, adding that the rise in demand for premium wines was largely limited to India's big cities.

Persons: Rajeev Samant, Samant, Grover Zampa, Biplob Kumar Das, Dhanya Skariachan, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters, Grover, Diageo, Spirits, Heineken, United Breweries, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, Sula, India, Mumbai, Bengaluru

☆ Energy Transfer seeks new LNG export license after extension denied
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Curtis Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The department in May had refused a three-year extension to Energy Transfer's earlier license saying the request did not meet criteria for a second extension. Several other companies including Commonwealth LNG have been waiting years for their non-FTA license to be approved by the DOE. Energy Transfer has been pursuing the multi-billion-dollar Lake Charles LNG project since 2012 and in its latest filing said it could not finish the plant before the existing license's 2025 deadline. Rival Commonwealth LNG told Reuters it would not object to Energy Transfer's application being expedited. "We are advancing our project and whatever happens between the DOE and Energy Transfer has nothing to do with us", Hanna said.

Persons: Kelcy Warren, Lyle Hanna, Hanna, Curtis Williams, Grant McCool Organizations: HOUSTON, Energy, U.S . Department of Energy, DOE, Commonwealth LNG, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Charles , Louisiana, Charles, Dallas, Japan, South Korea, Houston

☆ Britain's richest man says Brexit was 'not good for the UK,' backs PM Sunak's economic plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Britain's wealthiest man, Gopichand Hinduja, condemned the U.K.'s departure from the European Union, but threw his backing behind Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's ability to revive the country's ailing economy. "The step taken of Brexit was not good for the U.K.," Hinduja told CNBC's Tanvir Gill in London on Monday. Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016 and formally exited the bloc at the end of Jan. 2020. None of those partnerships will be more valuable to the U.K. than its forthcoming free trade arrangement (FTA) with India, according to Hinduja. "The biggest help the U.K. can get is from India, because India's economy, by 2027, will be the third largest in the world," he said.

Persons: Gopichand Hinduja, Rishi Sunak's, Brexit, Hinduja, CNBC's Tanvir Gill, — Organizations: U.K, European Union, Hinduja, Trans, Pacific Locations: Britain, London, India

☆ They climbed mountains to escape Nazis. Now their great grandchildren are making the same journey
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Oliver Briscoe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Over the ridge of the mountain, across the border was the promised land, the neutral territory Spain – an escape, a second chance, a future. During World War II, a perilous route through the Pyrenees mountains provided a means for hundreds of thousands of resistance fighters, civilians, Jews, allied soldiers and escaped prisoners of war to evade Nazi pursuers. Sitting down with them, Tim reflected on how this human drama played out against the backdrop of America’s role in bringing an end to World War II. Born July 9, 1923, he made his escape over the Pyrenees in July of 1944. Although Franco was sympathetic to Germany, Spain remained neutral during World War II, largely because of its dependence on US imports.

Persons: ”, Paul Williams, Richard Christenson, Ruth, Marie Janiszewski, Oliver Briscoe Formally, Luke Janiszewski, “, ’, Kathryn, Marie, Luke, Jake, “ I’d, Tim, Christenson, Oliver Briscoe, Paul Broué, Broué, Guy Seris, ” Seris, Franco’s, Franco, Frank McNichol, Joseph McNichol, ” McNichol, ” Joseph McNichol, Joseph McNichol McNichol Organizations: CNN, SS, Freedom Trail Association, Joseph McNichol US Air Force, Floridian Locations: Spain, Nazi, France, Europe, France’s Ariege, Baltimore, England, French, Seix, Germany, Spanish, Isaba

☆ 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

☆ New Zealand, EU ink trade deal that likely goes into effect in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - New Zealand and the European Union signed a free trade agreement overnight Sunday after negotiations were completed in 2022, with expectations it will come into force in the first half of 2024. New Zealand's Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor said the trade deal will cut costs and support exporters to grow and diversify their trade. The agreement was signed in Brussels by O’Connor and the EU Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. The statement added it is anticipated that the NZ-EU FTA will enter into force in the first half of 2024, once both parties complete the final required legal steps. ($1 = 1.6108 New Zealand dollars)Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Damien O’Connor, Cyclone Gabrielle, ”, Valdis Dombrovskis, Lucy Craymer, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: WELLINGTON, European Union, New, Trade, Export, O’Connor, EU, NZ, Zealand, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Brussels

☆ US advances $6.88 billion grant for key New York tunnel project
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - The Biden administration advanced a key $6.88 billion grant to help build a long-delayed new railway tunnel between New York City and New Jersey, which would be the largest ever federal transportation grant for a single project. The $17.2 billion Hudson Tunnel Project will repair an existing tunnel and build a new one for passenger railroad Amtrak and state commuter lines between New Jersey and Manhattan. The 112-year-old rail tunnel carries 200,000 passenger trips per day on New Jersey Transit and Amtrak along the Northeast Corridor. In 2010, then-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie pulled state funding for the tunnel project. Amtrak said on Thursday acceptance of the tunnel project into the engineering phase "has been years in the making, and we are thrilled to be even closer to the start of major construction on this critical Gateway Program project."

Persons: Sandy, Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker, Chris Christie, Donald Trump, Schumer, Trump, David Shepardson, Richard Chang Organizations: Biden, Amtrak, Federal Transit, Capital Investment, Gateway Development Commission, Federal Railroad Administration, New Jersey Democratic, New Jersey Transit, Democrats, Thomson Locations: New York City, New Jersey, Manhattan, New York, Washington, New, Jersey, Newark , New Jersey, Boston

CORPORATE DROPBOXESFTA, GoAnywhere MFT, and MOVEit Transfer are corporate versions of file sharing programs consumers use all the time, like Dropbox or WeTransfer. MFT software often promises the ability to automate the movement of data, transfer documents at scale and provide fine-grained control over who can access what. MFT PROGRAMS CAN BE TEMPTING TARGETSRunning an extortion operation against a well-defended corporation is reasonably difficult, said Recorded Future analyst Allan Liska. "If you can get to one of these file transfer points, all the data is right there. HACKER TACTICS ARE SHIFTINGScooping up data that way is becoming an increasingly important part of the way hackers operate.

Persons: Ransom, GoAnywhere MFT, James Lewis, WeTransfer, Allan Liska, Bam, Liska, Joe Slowik, Huntress, Raphael Satter, Grant McCool Organizations: Software, GoAnywhere, Thomson

☆ GCC-China free trade deal must protect emerging Gulf industries, Saudi minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

RIYADH, June 11 (Reuters) - The free trade deal being negotiated between China and the Saudi Arabia-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council needs to protect emerging Gulf industries, the Saudi investment minister said on Sunday, adding he hoped it would be finalised soon. "We need to enable and empower our industries to export, so we hope all countries that negotiate with us for free trade deals know we need to protect our new, emerging industries," Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih said. Talks on a China-GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) began in 2004 but have repeatedly stalled, most recently in 2016 after a ninth round. The Gulf's two biggest economies, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have launched new industrial strategies to boost domestic economic growth and non-oil exports. Saudi Arabia is developing sectors including domestic manufacturing, mining and minerals, and advanced technology.

Persons: Khalid al, Falih, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Lisa Barrington, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Gulf Cooperation Council, Investment, China Business Conference, GCC, Trade, United Arab Emirates, United Arab, Thomson Locations: RIYADH, China, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Gulf, United Arab Emirates

☆ CFPB warns about storing funds in payment apps like PayPal, Venmo
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Some consumers are using services like PayPal, Venmo, Cash App and Apple Pay for direct deposit of paychecks, or simply storing lots of cash in them. Payment apps, however, are not federally insured on the institution level. PayPal Holdings (PYPL), which owns both PayPal and Venmo, did not reply to a request for comment Friday. “Tens of millions of American consumers and small businesses rely on payment apps to better spend, manage, and send their money. The agency also noted the payment apps make money by investing funds their customers store on the apps, similar to how banks invest their customers deposits.

Persons: Rohit Chopra, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, PayPal, Financial, Bureau, Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Bank, PayPal Holdings, Financial Technology Association Locations: New York

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