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Parents are able to sit and observe their children play with the cats through a glass partition as they sip their coffee. "The idea came from my childhood passion for cats since and I wanted to pass it on to people," said Mea'bed. The cafe is home mainly to Persian cats, but also Turkish angora and hybrid felines. For Hala Abu Maghaseeb, 14, who has so far not convinced her parents to get her a pet cat, the cafe was a pleasant and welcome surprise during her summer school break. Some Gazans were less impressed, arguing on social media that most residents were too impoverished to welcome such a project.

Persons: Naeema Mea'bed, Hala Abu Maghaseeb, Rewa Abdel, Hadi, Nidal al, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Thomson Locations: GAZA, Gaza, Turkish, Rewa

WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Eight top Republican presidential contenders will take part on Wednesday in the first debate of the 2024 primary election cycle. All major Republican candidates will be present with one major exception: former President Donald Trump. They are also required to sign a pledge certifying that they will support the eventual Republican nominee. In some cases, during previous primary campaigns, poor performances have sunk candidacies, while strong performances have launched minor candidates into the top tier. Several more are likely, with an October debate likely to occur in Alabama, according to a person familiar with the operations of the Republican National Committee.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, Kim Reynolds, Evelyn Hockstein, Martha MacCallum, Bret Baier, Trump, Gram Slattery, Susan Heavey, Ross Colvin, Alistair Bell, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Fox News, Democratic, WHO, Republican, Trump, Florida, New, North Dakota, Iowa, Fair, REUTERS, Republican National Committee, Thomson Locations: Milwaukee, Fox News . Wisconsin, U.S, Tim Scott , Arkansas, New Jersey, North, Iowa, Des Moines , Iowa, California, Alabama

☆ Chandrayaan-3: what to know about India’s moon landing mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Nivedita Bhattacharjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 from India's main space port in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Here are key facts about the Indian Space Research Agency's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 mission. Rough terrain is one of the complications for a south pole landing. Russia's first moon mission in 47 years failed over the weekend when its Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon. Modi said when the moon mission launched that ISRO was writing "a new chapter in India's space odyssey" and elevating "the dreams and ambitions of every Indian."

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Russia's, Bill Nelson, India's, Luna, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Kevin Krolicki, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Indian Space Research, Reuters, ISRO, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Andhra Pradesh, Chandrayaan, USSR, United States, China

The PayPal logo is seen at an office building in Berlin, Germany, March 5, 2019. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies PayPal Holdings Inc FollowLONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Payments giant PayPal (PYPL.O) will stop allowing UK customers to buy cryptocurrencies through its platform from October as it works to comply with new rules on crypto promotions. Britain's financial regulator is due to bring in tougher rules to limit how crypto is advertised to British consumers, including requiring crypto firms to carry warnings about the risk and scrapping "refer a friend" bonuses. PayPal first launched crypto buying and selling in the UK in 2021. Regulators around the world are increasingly seeking to regulate crypto assets, after the collapse of several crypto firms including FTX last year left amateur investors with large losses.

Persons: Fabrizio Bensch, FTX, bitcoin, PayPal's, Elizabeth Howcroft, Bernadette Baum Organizations: PayPal, REUTERS, PayPal Holdings, Reuters, Regulators, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany

☆ Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft enters lunar orbit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Soyuz-2.1b rocket booster with a Fregat upper stage and the lunar landing spacecraft Luna-25 blasts off from a launchpad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, August 11, 2023. The Luna-25 entered the moon's orbit at 11:57 a.m. (0857 GMT), Russia's space corporate Roskosmos said. India's Chandrayaan-3 entered the moon's orbit earlier this month ahead of a planned touchdown on the south pole of the moon later this month. No Russian spacecraft has entered lunar orbit since Luna-24, the Soviet Union's 1976 moon mission, according to Anatoly Zak, the creator and publisher of www.RussianSpaceWeb.com which tracks Russian space programmes. "Entering lunar orbit is absolutely critical for the success of this project," Zak told Reuters.

Persons: Luna, India's, Anatoly Zak, Zak, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Cawthorne, Bernadette Baum Organizations: 2.1b, Vostochny, REUTERS, Rights, NASA, Thomson Locations: Amur, Russia, Soviet

☆ Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft enters lunar orbit -space agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Roscosmos/Vostochny Space Centre/Handout via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Russia's lunar spacecraft entered the moon's orbit on Wednesday, a major step towards the country's ambition of being the first to land on the moon's south pole in the search for frozen water. The Luna-25 entered the moon's orbit at 11:57 a.m. (0857 GMT), Russia's space corporate Roskosmos said. India's Chandrayaan-3 entered the moon's orbit earlier this month ahead of a planned touchdown on the south pole of the moon later this month. No Russian spacecraft has entered lunar orbit since Luna-24, the Soviet Union's 1976 moon mission, according to Anatoly Zak, the creator and publisher of www.RussianSpaceWeb.com which tracks Russian space programmes. "Entering lunar orbit is absolutely critical for the success of this project," Zak told Reuters.

The new legislation will limit the amount of cannabis young adults can buy to 30 grams a month, compared to 50 grams for older adults. Scholz's government had already watered down original plans to allow the widespread sale of cannabis in licensed shops after consultations with Brussels. Instead, it said would launch a pilot project for a small number of licensed shops in some regions to test the effects of a commercial supply chain of recreational cannabis over five years. Malta became the first European country to allow limited cultivation and possession of cannabis for personal use in late 2021. The legislation presented on Wednesday includes strict rules for growing weed - cannabis clubs of up to 500 associates must have burglar-proof doors and windows, with greenhouses fenced off.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Karl Lauterbach, Lauterbach, Armin Schuster, Kristine Luetke, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Scholz's Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Thomson Locations: Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany, Europe, Saxony, Brussels, Netherlands, Switzerland, Malta

☆ Migrant boat capsizes off Cape Verde, over 60 feared dead, Senegal ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAKAR, Aug 16 (Reuters) - More than 60 people are feared dead after a boat carrying mostly Senegalese migrants capsized off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean. The boat left Senegal on July 10 with 101 passengers on board, and 38 people were rescued on Tuesday, Senegal's foreign ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday. The survivors were on the Cape Verde island of Sal, where Senegal is liaising with authorities for their repatriation, the ministry said. At least 15 people drowned when a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Senegal's capital Dakar in late July. Reporting by Ngouda Dione; Additional reporting and writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Safa, Ngouda Dione, Nellie Peyton, Bernadette Baum Organizations: International Organization for Migration, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Cape Verde, Senegal, Sal, Guinea, Bissau, West Africa, Canary, Spain, Senegal's, Dakar

Former Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon poses for a photograph in front of a building in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Raphael Satter/File PhotoLaw Firms Dechert LLP FollowWASHINGTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Former Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon has ended his lawsuit against Dechert LLP and two of its former partners, saying in a filing made public late on Monday that he was voluntarily dismissing his claims against the law firm. Dechert and its lawyers didn't return messages. Representatives for the other defendants in the suit, which is still active, didn't return messages. Dechert still faces other claims connected to the hiring of Indian hackers to win cases, including a lawsuit filed in New York last year by Solomon's former source, the aviation tycoon Farhad Azima.

Persons: Jay Solomon, Raphael Satter, Dechert, Solomon, Neil Gerrard, Farhad Azima, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Wall Street, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Thomson Locations: Bethesda , Maryland, U.S, Philadelphia, India, Dechert, New York

Alchemation, known for the international hit "SIX," is among an increasingly established presence of musical theatre at the Fringe, which takes over the Scottish capital for the month of August. The company's "Hello Kitty Must Die," based on the novel by Hong Kong-born, U.S.-based writer Kate Kamen (formerly Angela S. Choi) is playing at Edinburgh's Pleasance until Aug. 27. It transferred to London's West End, where it was spotted by Alchemation, which took it to Broadway and beyond. It is the first time one of its diversity grants has supported a musical as the genre cements its presence. The Pleasance alone has 16 musicals this year, its most yet, it said, out of roughly 140 across the Fringe as a whole.

Persons: Lucas McMahon, Kitty, Kate Kamen, Angela S, Choi, Edinburgh's Pleasance, Anthony Alderson, Henry VIII, Alderson, Levi Roots, Ray Shell, Barbara Lewis, Sarah Mills, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Edinburgh Fringe, SIX, Scottish, Reuters, Edinburgh's, Pleasance Theatre Trust, Broadway, Thomson Locations: York, Hong Kong, U.S, Edinburgh, Cambridge, New York, London

Chevron and Woodside negotiated with unions on Tuesday to avert potential industrial action over pay and conditions at Australian facilities that supply about 10% of the LNG market. Meanwhile, workers at three Chevron facilities, Gorgon, Wheatstone platform and Wheatstone downstream, will vote on potential industrial action after the industrial umpire approved the ballots. Even if members vote for industrial action, the unions will still have discretion over whether to call for any. Possible industrial action could range from 30-minute work stoppages all the way to complete strikes. Employers must be given seven days' notice before industrial action.

Persons: Florence Tan, Saul Kavonic, Lewis Jackson, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Woodside Energy, World Gas, REUTERS, Chevron, Woodside Energy Group, Woodside, Reuters, Workers, West Shelf, Offshore Alliance, Credit Suisse, Thomson Locations: Daegu, South Korea, Woodside

☆ Death toll after landslides in Indian Himalayas rises to 57; 10 still missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A damaged portion of Shimla-Kalka heritage rail track is pictured following torrential rain in Shimla in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, India, August 15, 2023. REUTERS/StringerNEW DELHI, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Rescuers pulled out more bodies on Tuesday after landslides in India's Himayalas over the weekend buried homes and buildings, killing at least 57 people and leaving 10 still trapped or missing, officials said. The destruction from the landslides was severe in India's Himachal Pradesh, where structures were swept away under rocks and falling trees, roads had caved in, and power and the railway network disrupted. Two people also died in neighbouring Uttarakhand state in rain-related incidents. Heavy rain is forecast to continue until Wednesday in parts of Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring Uttarakhand.

Persons: Stringer, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Praveen Bhardwaj, Bhardwaj, P.L, Sharma, Lata, Shivam Patel, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, India's Himayalas, Pakistan, Nepal, India's Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, New Delhi

A general view of the facade of Banco de la Nacion Argentina (Bank of the Argentine Nation), in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 7, 2021. The official FX rate will be fixed at 350 pesos per dollar until the October elections, the central bank said. The country's sovereign dollar bonds fell as much as 2 cents on the dollar, with the 2038 note leading the slide, according to MarketAxess data. Latin America's third-largest economy has been grappling with a severe economic crisis with sky-high inflation and falling central bank reserves. A candidate needs 45% of the Oct. 22 vote to win outright or 40% and a 10-point lead over second place.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Javier Milei, William Jackson, overvalued, Sunday's, Goldman Sachs, Patricia Bullrich, Sergio Massa, Ricardo Delgado, Eliana Raszewski, Rodrigo Campos, Jorge Otaola, Medha Singh, Adam Jourdan, Bernadette Baum, John Stonestreet, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: de la Nacion Argentina, Bank of, Argentine, REUTERS, LONDON, Capital Economics, Investment, JPMorgan, Gross, Milei, Peronist, Economy, Analytica, Reuters Graphics Reuters, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Qatar, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Agustin Marcarian BUENOS AIRES, MERV, Argentine, refinance, Washington, Rosario

A general view of the facade of Banco de la Nacion Argentina (Bank of the Argentine Nation), in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 7, 2021. REUTERS/Agustin MarcarianBUENOS AIRES/LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Argentina's markets face an election hangover on Monday after a shock primary vote win for far-right libertarian Javier Milei - who wants to axe the central bank and dollarize the economy - shook up the race towards presidential elections in October. Rock-singing, wild-haired economist and lawmaker Milei far outperformed forecasts to win some 30% of the vote, the largest share with over 90% of ballots counted. Latin America's third-biggest economy has been grappling with a severe economic crisis with sky-high inflation and falling central bank reserves. A candidate needs 45% of the Oct. 22 vote to win outright or 40% and a 10-point lead over second place.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Javier Milei, Milei, Diego Pereira, Milei's, Goldman Sachs, Patricia Bullrich, Sergio Massa, Ricardo Delgado, Eliana Raszewski, Jorge Otaola, Adam Jourdan, Stephen Coates, Bernadette Baum Organizations: de la Nacion Argentina, Bank of, Argentine, REUTERS, LONDON, Investment, JPMorgan, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Gross, Peronist, Economy, Analytica, International Monetary Fund, Qatar, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Agustin Marcarian BUENOS AIRES, U.S, Argentine, refinance, Washington, Rosario

☆ Italy PM Meloni takes 'full responsibility' for bank tax
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoMILAN, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday took "full responsibility" for last week's shock decision to impose a one-off bank tax that has been blamed for causing lasting damage to her government's credibility with financial markets. In comments to Italian newspapers Corriere della Sera, la Repubblica and La Stampa, Meloni said the 40% levy had no punitive intent. The new tax targets a rise in profits banks have derived from higher rates. Sources told Reuters when the measure was announced the Treasury expected to draw less than 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) from the tax. With Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti noticeably absent from the press conference to announce the tax, Meloni said he had been informed about the decision.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Joe Biden, Jonathan Ernst, MILAN, Meloni, Giancarlo Giorgetti, France's Marie Le Pen, Claudia Cristoferi, Federico Maccioni, Valentina Za, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Italy's, U.S, White, REUTERS, Italian, della, Repubblica, la Repubblica, Reuters, Treasury, Forza Italian, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, La, la

☆ Foreign tourism to Portugal registers best-ever first half
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal surpassed eight million in January-June, making it the best first half on record, official data showed on Monday. Tourism, a key driver of Portugal's economy, accounted for almost 15% of gross domestic product before the pandemic. Visitors from Britain made up the largest share of total arrivals in the first half, with over one million visitors, closely followed by the Spanish and U.S. markets. In June, the United States, which has significantly grown as a source of tourism to Portugal, represented the second-largest group of foreign visitors. ($1 = 0.9142 euros)Reporting by Patrícia Vicente Rua; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Patrícia Vicente Rua, Andrei Khalip, Bernadette Baum Organizations: National Statistics Institute, Spanish, International Air Transport Association, Thomson Locations: LISBON, Portugal, Britain, U.S, United States, Southern Europe

☆ US to send Ukraine new security aid worth $200 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Military aid, delivered as part of the United States of America's security assistance to Ukraine, is unloaded from a plane at the Boryspil International Airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine February 11, 2022. REUTERS/Serhiy Takhmazov/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The United States said on Monday it will send Ukraine new security assistance valued at $200 million, including air defense munitions, artillery rounds, and additional mine-clearing equipment. "I want to thank the United States today for the new package. Washington is currently working on a supplemental budget request to continue to aid Kyiv, the U.S. officials said. Monday's announcement of $200 million would be the first tranche of a $6.2 billion windfall of previously authorized Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), the officials said.

Persons: Serhiy Takhmazov, Antony Blinken, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Paul Grant, Ismail Shakil, Bernadette Baum, Conor Humphries Organizations: Boryspil, REUTERS, United, Reuters, Pentagon, Munitions, Patriots, Thomson Locations: United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, Washington, U.S

REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File photoBEIJING, Aug 13 (Reuters) - China's State Council issued guidelines on Sunday that it said would further optimize the country's foreign investment environment and attract more foreign investment. The State Council said in a document containing 24 guidelines that authorities should increase protection of the rights and interests of foreign investors, including strengthening enforcement of intellectual property rights. The document also announced guidelines to increase fiscal support and tax incentives for foreign-invested enterprises, such as temporarily exempting withholding income tax for foreign investors' reinvestment of their profits into China. The State Council said it would explore a "convenient and secure management mechanism" for cross-border data flows. Reporting by Andrew Hayley and Ethan Wang; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Andrew Hayley, Ethan Wang, Andrew Heavens, Bernadette Baum Organizations: National People's Congress, REUTERS, State, The State Council, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING

☆ Israel rules out Jerusalem base for Saudi envoy to Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Flags of Saudi Arabia and Israel stand together in a kitchen staging area at the State Department in Washington, October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/PoolJERUSALEM, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Israel ruled out on Sunday a diplomatic base in Jerusalem for the new Saudi envoy to the Palestinians, whose appointment comes as Washington tries to forge formal Israeli relations with Riyadh. Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Nayef Al-Sudairi on Saturday expanded his credentials to include non-resident envoy to the Palestinians. "We will not allow the opening of any kind of diplomatic mission" in Jerusalem, Cohen added. Israel's hard-right government has played down any prospect of it giving significant ground to the Palestinians as part of a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia.

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Pool, Jordan Nayef Al, Sudairi, Donald Trump, Eli Cohen, Cohen, Bassam Al, Agha, Al, Trump, Nidal al, Dan Williams, Bernadette Baum Organizations: State Department, REUTERS, Saudi, Washington, Palestinian Authority, Tel, U.S, Palestine, Israel, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, Israel, Washington, Jerusalem, Riyadh, Saudi, Amman, East Jerusalem, United States, U.S, Tel Aviv, Palestinian

☆ Saudi Arabia's Ma'aden profit sinks 91% on lower prices, higher costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabian Mining Company (1211.SE), known as Ma'aden, said on Sunday its second-quarter profit tumbled more than 90% on lower sales prices and higher expenses as it flagged a mixed outlook for its products. That missed analysts' average estimate of 577.6 million riyals in net profit for the second quarter, according to Refinitiv data. "We are beginning to see an improvement in raw material pricing and, despite the challenging market environment, remain well placed to meet the growing long-term demand for our products," Ma'aden Chief Executive Robert Wilt said in a statement. Ma'aden expected prices of ammonia to remain stable in the third quarter "as supply tightness continues to provide marginal upside." Ma'aden sees gold trading in its current range for the rest of the year and raw material prices continuing to ease, "supporting profitability."

Persons: Ma'aden, Robert Wilt, Yousef Saba, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Saudi Arabian Mining Company, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Saudi, Americas

☆ Chinese bourses improve trading mechanism to revive stock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man wearing a mask walks by the Shanghai Stock Exchange building at the Pudong financial district in Shanghai, China, February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoHONG KONG, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges said late Thursday they would study measures to lower investors' trading costs and improve liquidity to further stimulate the market. They also came after China's securities regulators nudged mutual fund managers to cut fees to reduce trading costs. More specifically, investors trading stocks or listed funds would be allowed to place orders of a minimum of one share, or one unit. Such a change would reduce investors' costs, enable more efficient use of capital, and help improve market liquidity, the bourses said.

Persons: Aly, HONG KONG, bourses, Samuel Shen, Twinnie Siu, Bernadette Baum, Sam Holmes Organizations: Shanghai Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Pudong, Shanghai, China, HONG, Shenzhen, Beijing, Hong Kong

Key hurdles for the two projects include the country's caps on domestic gas prices, limits on gas exports and the high costs for carbon capture and storage - required for new gas projects to help fight global warming. Last month, Shell (SHEL.L) said it would sell its holding in the Masela project to Indonesia's Pertamina and Malaysia's Petronas, while Chevron (CVX.N) agreed to sell its stake in the IDD project to Italy's Eni (ENI.MI). Reuters GraphicsNEW TERMS NEEDEDOnce one of the world's top five liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters, Indonesia's LNG exports have halved in the past decade, Kpler data showed. The country has not approved a major oil or gas project since 2016 - the expansion of BP's (BP.L) Tangguh LNG plant. The current formula for splitting revenue between the government and investors in gas projects sets the base rate at 48% for companies.

Persons: magnifier, Dado Ruvic, Benny Lubiantara, Andrew Harwood, Wood Mackenzie, SKK Migas, Benny, Prateek Pandey, Takayuki Ueda, Naing, Inpex's Ueda, Fransiska Nangoy, Bernadette Christina Munthe, Emily Chow, Yuka Obayashi, Florence Tan, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Indonesia, Shell, Chevron, Indonesia Deepwater Development, Petronas, Eni, Essential Services, Reuters, Indonesia Petroleum Association, Rystad Energy, BMI Research, Fitch Group, Tcf, Thomson Locations: Indonesia, JAKARTA, Jakarta, Chevron, Tokyo, Masela, Singapore

REUTERS/Sarah SilbigerAug 10 (Reuters) - Federal Reserve policymakers are unlikely to raise interest rates again in 2023 and will probably start cutting them early next year, traders bet on Thursday, after a U.S. government report showed consumer prices rose only moderately last month. Traders of futures tied to the Fed's policy rate now see less than a 10% chance that the U.S. central bank will increase its benchmark overnight interest rate from its current 5.25%-5.50% range at a Sept. 19-20 policy meeting. The Fed's first rate cut is priced into the futures contracts by March of 2024. The Fed has driven its policy rate up by 5.25 percentage points since March 2022 to bring inflation back down to its 2% goal. "There's always a chance we get reacceleration of inflation prints after October, but I don't think that's going to spur Fed action."

Persons: Sarah Silbiger, Guy Lebas, Janney Montgomery Scott, Ann Saphir, Karen Brettell, Lucia Mutikani, Bernadette Baum, Paul Simao Organizations: Eccles Federal Reserve, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Labor Department, Traders, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, U.S

☆ Moody's cuts ratings of Chinese developer Country Garden
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The company logo of Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured at the Shanghai Country Garden Center in Shanghai, China August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - Ratings agency Moody's on Thursday downgraded Chinese developer Country Garden's (2007.HK) corporate family rating (CFR) to Caa1 from B1, citing heightened liquidity and refinancing risk after the company missed bond payments. Country Garden expects to record a half-year loss owing to higher impairment provisions on projects, it said on Thursday. Moody's forecast a negative ratings outlook for Country Garden, citing uncertainty over China's biggest privately owned developer's ability to service its debt obligations. Country Garden said on Tuesday that it has missed two dollar bond coupon payments due on Aug. 6 totalling $22.5 million, slipping into repayment troubles.

Persons: Aly, Moody's, Akanksha, Bernadette Baum, David Evans Organizations: Shanghai Country Garden, REUTERS, HK, China Evergrande, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Bengaluru

☆ Exclusive: Intesa closer to gaining Moscow's OK for Russia asset transfer -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The logo of bank Intesa Sanpaolo is seen in Milan, Italy, January 18, 2016. A spokesperson for Intesa Sanpaolo declined to comment. Pressured by European banking supervisors to cut ties with Russia, Intesa has been working on reducing its exposure, which also includes cross-border loans. Local loans totalled 100 million euros, down 66% from a year before. Russian media has previously reported on possible exit options, including the potential transfer to local management led by Intesa Russia Chairman Antonio Fallico.

Persons: Stefano Rellandini, MILAN, Intesa, Intesa Sanpaolo, Vladimir Putin, Antonio Fallico, Fallico, Valentina Za, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, UniCredit, Raiffeisen Bank, Intesa, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Intesa, Russian

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