DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

"We will continue working to better facilitate high-standard trade that advances workers' rights through strong enforcement of labor standards." Biden was also to take part on Thursday in an event for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a 14-nation group his administration established. Hopes for an IPEF trade deal were dashed this week. Asked how long an IPEF trade agreement could take to conclude, an administration official said most negotiations take years but the White House intended to work on an "accelerated timeline." "A stable relationship between the world's two largest economies is not merely good for those two economies but for the world," Biden said to applause.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, White, Donald Trump, Republican Trump, Fumio Kishida, Xi Jinping, Justin Trudeau, Anthony Albanese, Dina Boluarte, Srettha Thavisin, Hassanal, Gina Raimondo, Xi, Trevor Hunnicutt, David Brunnstrom, Nandita Bose, Katharine Jackson, Andrea Shalal, Heather Timmons, Josie Kao, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: FRANCISCO, Asia, Economic Cooperation, Economic, Democrat, Republican, APEC, IMF, Amazon.com, Delta Air Lines, PepsiCo, Apple, Boeing, Japan's, Canada's, Australia's, Brunei's, Monetary Fund, . Commerce, Trans, Pacific, Trump, U.S, Thomson Locations: Pacific, San Francisco, Asia, ASIA, U.S, Thailand, China, United States

Sanchez's confirmation as premier would end four months of uncertainty since an election in July produced no outright winner. Authorities said 15 people were arrested in a 2,000-person protest on Wednesday night outside the Socialist Party headquarters in Madrid following clashes with police. Feijoo, who accused Sanchez of undermining the rule of law on Wednesday called for mass protests on Saturday Nov 18. Sanchez argued on Wednesday that an amnesty would help to defuse tensions in Catalonia. Reporting by Belen Carreño and Emma Pinedo; Writing by Charlie Devereux; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez applauds, amnesties, Catalonia's, Sanchez, Pedro Sanchez, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Jorge Pueyo, Sumar, Patxi Lopez, Feijoo, Miriam Nogueras, Nogueras, Belen Carreño, Emma Pinedo, Charlie Devereux, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Spain's, Socialist, People's Party, Sanchez's Socialist Party, PSOE, ERC, Socialists, Authorities, Socialist Party, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spain, Catalonia, Basque Country, Galicia, Madrid, Socialist

☆ GM union workers ratify UAW deal following contentious vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

DETROIT – General Motors union workers ratified a record deal with the United Auto Workers after a contentious final few days of voting, according to results posted Thursday morning by the union. Ratification of the deal came under doubt Wednesday morning, after seven of GM's 11 U.S. assembly plants rejected the pact. But a swing in voting results in favor of the deal, specifically at a SUV plant in Texas, gave the agreement a much needed lifeline. According to the UAW's vote tracker, the deal was supported by roughly 54% of the more than 34,700 autoworkers at GM who voted. Results are still outstanding at two smaller GM facilities representing about 1,400 hourly workers, but wouldn't be enough to offset the roughly 2,500-vote margin.

Persons: they've Organizations: DETROIT, General Motors, United Auto Workers, Detroit, GM, UAW, Ford Motor, Chrysler Locations: Texas

☆ Google CEO Sundar Pichai compares AI to climate change at APEC CEO Summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at a panel at the CEO Summit of the Americas hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on June 09, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said artificial intelligence is like climate change in that it will proliferate worldwide, and that people across the globe share a responsibility to create guardrails. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO summit in San Francisco on Thursday, Pichai was asked by Bloomberg's Emily Chang how to get to a global consensus on "smart AI regulation." I think that's true for AI." Pichai said countries have a shared responsibility to build global frameworks — something he's warned about in recent months.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Pichai, Emily Chang, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping Organizations: Americas, U.S . Chamber, Commerce, Google, Economic Cooperation Locations: Los Angeles , California, Asia, San Francisco, Japan

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 16 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will highlight strong U.S. ties to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum economies on Thursday, despite a failure to make progress on key trade provisions sought by regional countries. Biden will also take part in an event with the 14-member Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) that his administration established to bolster economic engagement after former President Donald Trump quit a long-negotiated regional trade pact in 2017. U.S. hopes for an IPEF trade deal were dashed this week, after members could not agree on improving labor and environmental standards or compliance, people briefed on the talks said. U.S. exports to the region have grown 12%, 60% of U.S. exports are sent to a fellow APEC economy, and APEC members have invested $1.7 trillion into the U.S. economy since 2016, the official said. Biden plans to emphasize his administration's efforts to advance workers' rights in remarks on Thursday, the U.S. official said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Gina Raimondo, Xi, David Brunnstrom, Nandita Bose, Katharine Jackson, Doina, Heather Timmons, Josie Kao Organizations: FRANCISCO, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC, Economic, . Commerce, U.S, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, U.S, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, China, United States

☆ Millions of old Toyota Prius hybrids will be recycled for new EV batteries, thanks to a startup run by Tesla cofounder JB Straubel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The agreement will mean Redwood can recycle batteries from millions of old Prius hybrids. Redwood Materials, a battery recycling startup run by Tesla cofounder JB Straubel, unveiled a big new agreement with Toyota. The companies expanded an existing pact so Redwood can recycle batteries from older Toyota vehicles. Redwood Materials wouldn't say how much this Toyota deal is worth. AdvertisementDespite this, Thursday's agreement with Redwood Materials suggests that Toyota is actually pretty committed to EVs.

Persons: —, JB Straubel Organizations: Redwood Materials, Toyota, Service, EV, Materials, Redwood, Panasonic Locations: Redwood, North Carolina, California, Nevada

☆ Several GM Factories Reject UAW Deal, Putting Pact on Shaky Ground
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nora Eckert | Mike Colias | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

United Auto Workers members and supporters on a Michigan picket line in September. Photo: Emily Elconin/Bloomberg NewsA majority of United Auto Workers members at several General Motors factories voted against a proposed labor agreement, jeopardizing a tentative contract that both union leaders and GM have called historic. About 68% of workers at GM’s factory in Spring Hill, Tenn., voted down the tentative deal, the union posted on its website Tuesday. A majority of workers at a GM plant in Flint, Mich., and an engine plant in suburban Detroit rejected it.

Persons: Emily Elconin, jeopardizing Organizations: United Auto Workers, Bloomberg, General Motors, GM Locations: Michigan, GM’s, Spring Hill, Tenn, Flint, Mich, Detroit

UKRAINE DIVERSIONReuters spoke to around a half dozen Czech and Polish defence companies and government officials who described renewed efforts to carve out a bigger share of the African arms market as the Ukraine conflict diverts Russia's attention. Privately-held defence and civil manufacturing company Czechoslovak Group - the biggest Czech defence company - said its ability to maintain and modernize armoured vehicles using Soviet-era standards has helped it win business in Africa. ...in Poland where our stand was visited by numerous delegations from African countries that appeared here for the first time," WB Group spokesman Remigiusz Wilk said. The effort to supply Ukraine has pushed Czech companies to boost production and expand supply lines, something Czech-based independent defence analyst Lukas Visingr said has burnished the region's reputation. "The Czech arms industry is stepping up its efforts towards certain African countries still using Soviet-style equipment but who start to see Russia as a problematic supplier," Visingr said.

Persons: David W Cerny, Jiri Hynek, Filip Kulstrunk, Andrej Cirtek, Pieter Wezeman, Sebastian Chwalek, –, Remigiusz Wilk, Petr Fiala, Tomas Pojar, Tomas Kopecny, Kopecny, Lukas Visingr, Visingr, Michael Kahn, Anna Koper, Alex Richardson Organizations: Aero Vodochody, REUTERS, Western, Central, Russia Czech, Defence, Western NATO, Warsaw, Defence and Security Industry Association of, Reuters, Aero, Privately, Czechoslovak Group, CSG, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, WB Group, WB, Ivory, Thomson Locations: Odolena Voda, Czech Republic, Russia, Africa, PRAGUE, WARSAW, European, Western, Czechoslovakia, Czech, UKRAINE, Polish, Ukraine, Stockholm, China, Saharan Africa, Poland's, Poland, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Prague, Mozambique

☆ Madrid streets barricaded ahead of tense Spanish investiture debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The amnesty deal with Catalan separatists has prompted a wave of protests across Spain. Authorities said 80,000 people gathered in Madrid on Sunday, while tens of thousands also attended demonstrations in Granada and Seville. Thousands have congregated each night for nearly a fortnight outside the Socialist Party (POSE) headquarters in Madrid. "We are Spaniards worried about Spain," said one young protester draped in a Spanish flag. The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an injunction by the far-right party Vox to suspend the investiture vote.

Persons: Sanchez, Pedro Sanchez's, Junts, Vox, Adolf Hitler, Esteban Gonzalez Pons, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Belen Carreno, Miguel Gutierrez, Charlie Devereux, Aislinn Laing, Emelia Organizations: Spain's, Amnesty, Spain MADRID, Police, ERC, Sanchez’s Socialists, People's Party, Authorities, Sunday, Socialist Party, Eastern, European, Sanchez's Socialist Party, PSOE, Junts, Thomson Locations: Spain, Spain's, Madrid, Catalan, Granada, Seville, Spanish, Hungary, Romania

☆ GM-UAW deal in jeopardy as voting goes down to the wire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

United Auto Workers (UAW) members strike at a General Motors assembly plant that builds the U.S. automaker's full-size sport utility vehicles, in another expansion of the strike in Arlington, Texas, October 24, 2023. DETROIT – Voting is going down to the wire on a tentative deal between the United Auto Workers and General Motors after roughly six weeks of labor strikes. A majority of UAW members at several major GM plants have voted against the pact, in most cases with a result of between 55% and 60% against. As of Wednesday morning, the UAW had not updated its vote tracker for GM to reflect several plants that voted against the deal. If the GM deal is voted down, UAW President Shawn Fain and other union leaders will need to decide how to proceed and secure a better deal for GM's union workers.

Persons: It's, Mack Trucks, Shawn Fain, Fain, Stellantis, Joe Biden Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, General Motors, DETROIT, Detroit automakers, Ford Motor, workforces, GM, Buick, Chevrolet, Workers, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, U.S Locations: Arlington , Texas, Michigan, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana

☆ 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

☆ Here's why the UAW's record deals with GM, Ford and Stellantis aren't getting full support
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Workers at Chrysler-owner Stellantis are still in early voting but have so far largely backed the contract. GM's Spring Hill Assembly plant in Tennessee on Monday became the most recent major facility to vote against the contract, with 67.5% of UAW members rejecting it. Reasons behind the disapproval vary, according to industry experts and UAW members who spoke with CNBC. GM has had 52% of workers voting so far in support of ratification. He said these benefits remain a target for future bargaining when the tentative deals, if ratified, expire on April 30, 2028.

Persons: Jim Vondruska, they've, Stellantis, They're, There's, Shawn Fain, Brian Keller, Ford, Fain, we'd, Keller, Ray Curry, Timothy Orner, it's, Orner, China Jones, Wheaton Organizations: UAW, Getty, DETROIT, United Auto Workers, Detroit, Ford Motor, Motors, Workers, Chrysler, Ford, CNBC, GM, U.S, Louisville Assembly Plant, Worker Institute, Cornell University Locations: Chicago , Illinois, Hill, Tennessee, GM's Flint , Michigan, Kentucky, Stellantis, Toledo, China, Louisville

☆ Beijing Bishop Visits Hong Kong Amid Tensions Between China and Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Jessie Pang and Joyce ZhouHONG KONG (Reuters) - China's state-backed Bishop of Beijing visited Hong Kong on Tuesday amid fears among some Catholics that Beijing wants tighter control over religious affairs in Hong Kong. The visit is the first trip by a mainland Chinese bishop since the former British colony was returned to China in 1997 and follows a landmark visit to the Chinese capital by his Hong Kong counterpart in April. Hong Kong has traditionally been seen as a regional Catholic hub on the edge of the Chinese mainland under officially-atheist Communist Party rule. Hong Kong has 600,000 Catholics. Tensions between Beijing and the Vatican over the appointment of bishops saw a confidential pact struck in 2018.

Persons: Jessie Pang, Joyce Zhou HONG, Bishop, Pope, Bishop Joseph Li, Li, of Hong Kong Stephen Chow, Chow, Cardinal Joseph Zen, Zen, Tyrone Siu, Joyce Zhou, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, Hong, Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral, Hong Kong Liaison Office, Communist Party Locations: Joyce Zhou HONG KONG, Beijing, Hong Kong, China, of Hong Kong, Vatican, China . Hong Kong, Asia

SYDNEY/BEIJING Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia scored a significant win for influence in the Pacific Islands region with a trump card that China, seeking to expand security ties, doesn't have: the opportunity of resettlement. "It is something China can't do," said Australian National University Pacific expert Graeme Smith. "China can turn up and offer more infrastructure money... they can't turn up and offer this kind of resettlement relationship. Australia also will be able to block any policing deal between China and Tuvalu - as well as any telecommunications, energy or port deal - under its treaty. "Cooperation in the Pacific region tends to focus on non-traditional security, including maintenance of public security and infrastructure to deal with climate change," he added.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Graeme Smith, Richard Marles, Peter Dean, Smith, Wang Yiwei, Kirsty Needham, Martin Pollard, Miral Organizations: SYDNEY, Pacific, Australian National University Pacific, Pacific Islanders, Defence, United States Studies Centre, Albanese's, Pacific Games, State, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, Renmin University, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Australia, China, Tuvalu, Washington, Beijing, Rarotonga, Sydney, Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Kiribati, U.S, United States, Pacific

The world-first climate "loss and damage" fund is set to be launched during the United Nations COP28 climate summit to be held Nov. 30-Dec. 12 in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. "The Commissioner is ready to announce substantial financial contribution by the EU and its member states to the loss & damage fund at COP28 in the context of an ambitious outcome at COP28," the European Commission and the UAE's incoming COP28 president said in a joint statement, referring to EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. Adnan Amin, CEO of the COP28 summit, said the aim was to secure several hundred million U.S. dollars for it by the end of the event. He said he was "hopeful" that the COP28 host, the UAE, would also make a contribution. Countries agreed at last year's U.N. climate talks to launch the climate damage fund, a deal hailed as a breakthrough by more vulnerable, developing nations that have long demanded support to cope with climate-driven damage from drought, floods and rising seas.

Persons: Stephanie Lecocq, Wopke Hoekstra, Adnan Amin, Amin, John Kerry, Washington, Kate Abnett, Bart Meijer, Gareth Jones, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Environmental, Republique, New Global Financial, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, United, EU, European Commission, Finance, Reuters, Bloomberg, Economy, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Rights BRUSSELS, United Nations, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, COP28, EU, UAE, Singapore

☆ Biden’s Pacific Trade Pact Suffers Setback After Criticism From Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Ana Swanson | More About Ana Swanson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration has pulled back on plans to announce the conclusion of substantial portions of a new Asian-Pacific trade pact at an international meeting in San Francisco this week, after several top Democratic lawmakers threatened to oppose the deal, people familiar with the matter said. The White House had been aiming to announce that the United States and its trading partners had largely settled the terms of its Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, an agreement that aims to strengthen alliances and economic ties among the United States and its allies in East and South Asia. But Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, and other prominent lawmakers have criticized the pact, saying it lacks adequate protections for workers in the countries it covers, among other shortcomings. The Biden administration, facing the possibility of additional critical public statements, has decided not to push to conclude the trade portion of the agreement this week, and has been briefing members of Congress and foreign trading partners in recent days on its decision, the people said.

Persons: Biden, Sherrod Brown Organizations: Democratic, White, Prosperity, Democrat Locations: Pacific, San Francisco, United States, East, South Asia, Ohio

☆ EU sees pragmatist in Brexit vote instigator Cameron on his return
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

As prime minister, Cameron called the referendum on European Union membership in 2016, although he campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU. "Welcome back David Cameron," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, soon after Cameron was appointed as Foreign Secretary in a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Another EU diplomat said Cameroon's absence from politics for seven years meant he was partly an unknown quantity, but felt he was more a pragmatist than not. Cleverly's term as foreign minister, under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, led to a turnaround in post-Brexit EU-UK ties, thawing from stubborn, bitter stand-offs to pragmatic negotiations yielding results. Sefcovic credited his past year working with Cleverly with "putting EU-UK relations back on track", adding that he looked forward to continuing this work with Cameron.

Persons: David Cameron's, Cameron, David Cameron, Mark Rutte, Rishi Sunak, Maros, James, Sefcovic, Philip Blenkinsop, Andreas Rinke, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: European Union, Britain, Twitter, Conservative, EU, European, NATO, Russia, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Britain, EU, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Berlin

☆ Tullow in $400 million debt deal, Ghana oil marketing pact with Glencore
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 13 (Reuters) - Tullow Oil (TLW.L) said on Monday it signed a $400 million five-year debt deal with Glencore (GLEN.L) to help manage its senior notes maturing through 2026 and will see the trading house take over marketing the crude from its flagship Ghana oilfields. The facility "significantly de-risks" Tullow's ability to refinance its 2026 notes, Peel Hunt analysts wrote in a note. Tullow's shares were up 3.6% at 31.5 pence in early trade. The company also signed an oil marketing and offtake contract with Glencore for Tullow's crude oil entitlements in Ghana and Gabon. Tullow reiterated its free cashflow guidance of $800 million between this year and 2025.

Persons: Arnd, Rahul Dhir, Peel, Tullow, Radhika Anilkumar, Shadia Nasralla, Savio D'Souza, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, Glencore Energy UK Ltd, Peel Hunt, Glencore, Thomson Locations: Baar, Switzerland, Ghana, Gabon, Bengaluru, London

☆ Your world in 10 minutes: Pleas for Gaza newborns
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli forces are pushing to enter Gaza’s main al-Shifa hospital, where medics said patients including newborn babies were dying for lack of fuel. Pope Francis makes the rare move of dismissing a conservative US bishop. And how climate change has thrust the tiny Pacific Islands nation of Tuvalu into the spotlight – and a big diplomatic deal with Australia. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Further ReadingIsraeli tank at gate of main Gaza hospital; medics plead for fuel to save babiesAustralia signs security, migration pact with Pacific's TuvaluIn very rare move, Pope dismisses conservative US bishop StricklandOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pope Francis, Pope, Strickland Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Biden, SpaceX, Thomson, Reading, Pacific's Locations: Gaza’s, Tuvalu, Australia, Mars, Gaza, Pacific's Tuvalu

☆ Australia Foreign Minister Touts Tuvalu Security, Migration Pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday that a security and migration pact signed with Tuvalu showed Australia was a "genuine, reliable" regional partner, as it seeks to counter China's influence in the Pacific. Australia announced on Friday the security guarantee to the tiny Pacific Islands nation to respond to military aggression, protect it from climate change and boost migration. Australia, a United States ally, has been working to shore up its Pacific standing amid a rising China, which recently upgraded a security pact with Solomon Islands. Under the treaty, announced in the Cook Islands by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations. Albanese has called the pact Australia's most significant agreement with a Pacific Island nation, giving "a guarantee that upon a request from Tuvalu for any military assistance based upon security issues, Australia will be there."

Persons: Penny Wong, Wong, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Tuvalu, Pacific ., Australian Broadcasting Corp Locations: Australia, Pacific, Pacific . Australia, United States, China, Solomon, Tuvalu, Cook, Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii, Sydney

☆ Australia foreign minister touts Tuvalu security, migration pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday that a security and migration pact signed with Tuvalu showed Australia was a "genuine, reliable" regional partner, as it seeks to counter China's influence in the Pacific. Australia announced on Friday the security guarantee to the tiny Pacific Islands nation to respond to military aggression, protect it from climate change and boost migration. Australia, a United States ally, has been working to shore up its Pacific standing amid a rising China, which recently upgraded a security pact with Solomon Islands. Under the treaty, announced in the Cook Islands by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations.

Persons: Penny Wong, Eduardo Munoz, Wong, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Australia's, General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Tuvalu, Pacific ., Australian Broadcasting Corp, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Australia, Pacific, Pacific . Australia, United States, China, Solomon, Tuvalu, Cook, Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii, Sydney

[1/2] An employee walks past the logo of LG Energy Solution at its office building in Seoul, South Korea, November 23, 2021. The three companies signed a non-binding agreement in February to form a joint venture to create one of Europe's biggest electric vehicle (EV) battery cell facilities near Turkey's capital Ankara. "Considering the current pace of electric vehicle adoption, the timing is not appropriate for a battery cell investment," Koc Holding said in a statement to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP). "Ford and Koc Holding will remain committed to support electric vehicle production at Ford Otosan's (FROTO.IS) Kocaeli Plant and will evaluate potential battery cell investments in the future in line with the dynamics of the electric vehicle market," it said. "LG Energy Solution and Ford are working together on a plan to support battery cell production for this EV from LG Energy Solution’s existing operations, extending the companies’ long-standing business relationship," LGES said in a statement.

Persons: Kim Hong, Koc, Ford, LGES, Ebru Tuncay, Heekyong Yang, Huseyin Hayatsever, Chizu Nomiyama, Diane Craft Organizations: LG Energy, REUTERS, Rights, Turkey's Koc, Ford, Koc Holding, General Motors, LG, EV, EVs, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights ANKARA, SEOUL, Korean, Turkey's, Ankara, China, Europe, United States, Poland, Indonesia, Canada

☆ Australia signs security, migration pact with Pacific's Tuvalu
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A man riding a motorbike is seen reflected in a puddle of water in Funafuti, Tuvalu, August 13, 2019. Under the treaty announced by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations. An Australian government official said this requirement covered any defence, police, port, telecommunications, energy or cyber security arrangements by Tuvalu. Although Australia has defence agreements with other Pacific Islands nations, in a region where China recently struck a security pact with Solomon Islands and is seeking to expand its policing ties and infrastructure projects, the Tuvalu treaty goes much further in positioning Australia as its primary security partner. Australia sees deeper economic and social integration with the Pacific Islands as a way to ensure the security of the region, a government official said.

Persons: Mick Tsikasvia, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Natano, " Albanese, Kirsty Needham, Alasdair Pal, Lewis Jackson, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing, Lincoln, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Australia's, Tuvalu, Pacific, Tuvalu Falepili, Australia, Canberra, Thomson Locations: Funafuti, Tuvalu, Australia, Taiwan, Beijing, Cook, China, Solomon Islands, Hawaii, Washington, Sydney

☆ Australia offers refuge to Pacific island nation threatened by rising sea levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tuvalu's Department of Foreign Affairs describes climate change as "one of the most existential security risks currently threatening" the country. Australia and the South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu are to forge closer ties thanks to a new agreement covering areas including security, migration and climate change. The Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union, a bilateral treaty, sees Australia pledging to create "a special mobility pathway" that will enable Tuvaluans to go to Australia to work, study and live. To start with, the number of Tuvaluans eligible to go to Australia will be capped at 280 a year. "With a population of just over 11,000 people, Tuvalu is extremely vulnerable to the impact of climate change, especially rising sea levels, and is trying to preserve its culture, traditions and land," the Australian government said in a statement.

Persons: Tuvaluans Organizations: Tuvalu's Department of Foreign Affairs, Tuvalu Falepili Locations: Funafuti, Tuvalu, Australia, South Pacific, Tuvalu Falepili Union

☆ Russia Suspends Nuclear Decommissioning Pact With Japan - Document
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russia has suspended a cooperation agreement with Japan on the decommissioning of Russian nuclear weapons, according to a government document made public on Thursday night. The document, posted on the Russian government's official online portal, showed that Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had signed an order suspending the 1993 agreement on Tuesday. It did not give a reason for the decision, but said the Russian foreign ministry would inform Japan about the move. Under the suspended agreement with Japan, Tokyo helped decommission weapons, including dismantling nuclear submarines. But Japanese media reported that the work had stalled as Moscow has stopped sending the necessary data to Tokyo.

Persons: Mikhail Mishustin, Andrew Osborn, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Reuters, Russian, Japan, Tokyo Locations: Russia, Japan, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Western, Vladivostok, Tokyo

Search resuls for: "PACT"

25 mentions found