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☆ Explosion rips through Tokyo building; four injured
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, July 3 (Reuters) - An explosion tore through a building in downtown Tokyo on Monday, scattering debris across a busy intersection and sending smoke into the air, but the fire was soon contained, Japanese media said. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear but witnesses said they had smelled gas before the explosion. [1/4]Rescuers work at the site of an apparent explosion near Shimbashi station in Tokyo, Japan July 3, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato"I'd just got to work and was starting preparations when there was a really loud explosion," said Shinobu Nakagawa, a 26-year-old restaurant worker, who works on the first floor of the building. The blast took place in an area near a railway station that is packed with bars and restaurants popular with office workers.

Persons: Issei Kato, I'd, Shinobu Nakagawa, Elaine Lies, Gareth Jones, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: NHK, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Tokyo, Shinbashi, Japan

☆ Leviathan partners in Israel to invest $568 million in third gas pipeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, July 2 (Reuters) - Partners in the Israeli offshore gas project Leviathan said on Sunday they would invest $568 million to build a third pipeline that will allow increased natural gas production and exports. Leviathan, a deep-sea field with huge deposits, came online at the end of 2019 and produces 12 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year for sale to Israel, Egypt and Jordan. In the longer-term, Leviathan production is expected to reach about 21 bcm a year. The group has announced plans for a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal off the Israeli coast with an annual LNG capacity of about 4.6 million tons, or 6.5 bcm. "We are currently exploring the option of upgrading transmission infrastructures in Jordan to transport additional gas quantities to markets in Jordan and Egypt," Landau said.

Persons: Yossi Abu, Yigal Landau, Landau, Ari Rabinovitch, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Partners, Chevron, Energy, Thomson Locations: Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Europe, Tel Aviv

☆ India's monsoon rains cover entire country, still lower than average
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUMBAI, July 2 (Reuters) - India's annual monsoon covered the entire country on Sunday, six days earlier than usual, the state-run weather office said, but rain totals are 10% below average so far this season. The monsoon, the lifeblood of India's $3 trillion economy, delivers much needed water to farms and restocks reservoirs and aquifers. In a typical year, rains usually lash Kerala state, on India's southwest coast, from around June 1 and move northwards to cover the entire country by July 8. However, the monsoon made quick progress this week and has now covered the entire country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Bountiful monsoon rains in July would ease concerns about the output of summer crops, promising higher incomes in the countryside where most Indians live.

Persons: Rajendra Jadhav, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: India Meteorological Department, El, IMD, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Kerala, India's, India

☆ Donetsk region school suffers direct hit, two dead, say Ukraine police
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 30 (Reuters) - A Russian missile attack on Friday on a village school near the frontline in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region killed two women, including a teacher, and injured six, Ukrainian police said. The 56-year-old primary school teacher and a chief accountant, 44, died in the strike on the village of Serhiivka, Ukrainian police said. "Russian troops, in a direct hit, destroyed a school where civilians were located," Ukraine's national police said in a statement. The Donetsk region prosecutor's office said four men aged 54 to 69 and two women aged 24 and 34 were injured and taken to hospital, and that it had launched an investigation into the attack. Groups of men, some in civilian clothing, others emergency workers in helmets, and uniformed police, walked atop the ruins, searching for survivors.

Persons: Elaine Monaghan, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Reuters, Police, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine's, Donetsk, Serhiivka

☆ Ukraine, US agree: counteroffensive creeps ahead, measured in blood
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Students of the school for drone pilots Dronarium Academy practice during a lesson, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location, Ukraine, June 30, 2023. REUTERS/Alina SmutkoJune 30 (Reuters) - Ukraine has been publicly cautious in counting gains in a counteroffensive it launched this month to reclaim territory occupied by Russian forces, and on Friday its president and a U.S. general acknowledged that progress is measured in blood. In real war, real people die. After pushing Russian forces out of northern regions last year, Ukraine took steps to tighten the defense of its border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia. But at the end of the day, Ukrainian soldiers are assaulting through minefields and into trenches" against Russia's much larger army.

Persons: Alina Smutko, Mark Milley, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, RTVE, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin's Wagner, Milley, Olena Harmash, Michael Martina, Elaine Monaghan, Grant McCool Organizations: Dronarium Academy, REUTERS, National Press Club, Reuters, NATO, Kyiv, U.S, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.S, Washington, Russia, Lithuania, Spanish, Kyiv, Spain, Belarus, Asipovichi, Minsk, Russian

☆ EU announces deal with Pfizer, others to reserve vaccines for future pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - The European Commission has contracted Pfizer (PFE.N) and several European companies to reserve capacity to make up to 325 million vaccines per year in case of a future global health emergency, it said on Friday. The European Commission said in a statement announcing the deal that the COVID pandemic showed that Europe needs to be better prepared for future health emergencies. But vaccine equity activists said the EU risked a repeat of what the World Health Organization dubbed "vaccine apartheid" during COVID-19. The Commission has selected Pfizer's plants in Ireland and Belgium to reserve capacity to produce mRNA vaccines. It selected Spanish companies Reig Jofre (RJFE.MC) and Laboratorios Hipra SA to reserve capacity for protein-based vaccines and Bilthoven Biologicals B.V. of the Netherlands for vector-based vaccines.

Persons: Mohga Kamal, Reig, Maggie Fick, Jennifer Rigby, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: European Commission, Pfizer, Reuters, EU, World Health Organization, People’s Vaccine, Laboratorios Hipra SA, World Health, Thomson Locations: Europe, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, London

Goldman Sachs said this week that rising interest rates would remain a "persistent drag" on oil. "There's been little sign of weakness in China's oil demand even if the general reopening boost has disappointed some investors. Global oil demand is forecast to grow between 1 to 2 million barrels per day (bpd), as per the poll. "Once these deficits become visible in on-land oil inventories, we expect prices to trend higher," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. Respondents also largely agreed that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries would take measures to keep the floor for oil prices at $80.

Persons: Brent, Ole Hansen, Saxo, Goldman Sachs, There's, Ian Moore, Bernstein, Giovanni Staunovo, Seher, Arpan Varghese, Noah Browning, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: bbl, International Energy Agency, Saudi, of, Petroleum, Thomson Locations: China, Saudi, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco, India, Moscow, Turkey, Bengaluru

☆ First debt swap Galapagos projects could be approved next year, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

QUITO, June 30 (Reuters) - Conservation projects in the Galapagos Islands funded by so-called blue bonds will be approved from next year by an independent body, Ecuador's Environment Minister Jose Davalos said. The independent non-profit Galapagos Life Fund (GLF) will manage the funds, Davalos told Reuters on Thursday. "Next year the GLF could begin to receive projects, rate them and assign the first funds to finance them," Davalos said. "This is a private fund that will administer money that is given or donated for the conservation of the Galapagos." The fund could finance projects in fishing, tourism, environmental education and the management of the Galapagos ocean reserve, which was expanded last year.

Persons: Jose Davalos, Davalos, Charles Darwin's, Guillermo Lasso, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Life, Reuters, Resources, Thomson Locations: QUITO

☆ Morning Bid: Fed turns screw, Micron pops
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But as investors hit the half-year mark tomorrow, the tightening credit environment tempered fresh risk-taking. Two-year Treasury yields crept higher to 4.77% on Thursday after all the news, with the dollar (.DXY) firmer too and S&P500 futures marginally positive - helped by Micron. The VIX (.VIX) volatility gauge remains subdued at 13.6. Powell's relative hawkishness was mostly matched by counterparts at the European Central Bank and Bank of England yesterday. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Mike Dolan, Jerome Powell's, Powell, Riksbank, Jerome Powell, Raphael Bostic, Paychex, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Federal Reserve, Micron, European Central Bank and Bank of England, Atlanta Fed, Nike, McCormick, Paychex Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Asia, Europe, Japan, China, Madrid, Dublin, Brussels

☆ Sanofi says it's back to the drawing board on mRNA flu vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Ludwig Burger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Both A and B viruses are responsible for seasonal flu epidemics each year and currently available flu shots work against both strains. "To succeed in mRNA flu, you need the next generation of mRNA technology, which is exactly what we are working on," Thomas Triomphe, head of vaccines at Sanofi, told Reuters. Pfizer (PFE.N) last year started a large late-stage trial testing an mRNA-based flu vaccine candidate. Sanofi, which is among the top four global vaccines makers by sales, trailing GSK (GSK.L), Merck & Co (MRK.N) and Pfizer (PFE.N), has a broad vaccines offering, including flu, childhood shots and travel vaccines. The French company's vaccine sales accounted for 7.2 billion euros ($7.85 billion) of 43 billion euros in group sales last year.

Persons: Thomas Triomphe, BioNTech, Ludwig Burger, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Sanofi, Reuters, Pfizer, COVID, GSK, Merck & Co, Thomson

☆ Sharp slowdown in growth of bank lending for euro zone and Germany forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Lending to businesses and households in the 20-nation euro zone will expand 2.1% in 2023 and 1.7% in 2024, muted increases after a 14-year high of 5% in 2022, EY said in its lending forecast published Monday. The euro zone meanwhile dipped into recession earlier this year. "While the downturn is expected to be very shallow and short-lived, European markets continue to face high inflation and an unprecedented rise in interest rates. Mortgage lending is a particular area of weakness, with lending set to grow 1.4% in 2023, down from 4.9% in 2022. The ECB's latest lending survey, published in May, also found that lending growth to businesses and households slowed.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, EY, Sinead Cruise, Tom Sims, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, EY, Reuters, Central Bank, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Europe, Germany

☆ As Nigeria scraps fuel subsidy, a vibrant black market collapses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Desire Danga Essigue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Since Nigeria scrapped a state fuel subsidy on May 31, black market fuel vendors and commercial drivers in Cameroon, Benin and Togo who were heavily reliant on petrol smuggled from Nigeria have seen their businesses collapse. With supplies dwindling, queues have been forming at official petrol stations, where fuel is now competitively priced. "Supply has become scarce and customers think we're ripping them off with this high price, yet it's from Nigeria that prices have soared," said Perevet Dieudonne, a black market seller. The trade in black market fuel is so central to the local economy that authorities either turn a blind eye or are complicit. At Hilacondji, a border crossing between Togo and Benin, some black market fuel stalls were shut, while at others vendors waited among rows of empty plastic jerricans for potential deliveries.

Persons: Danga, turvy, Perevet Dieudonne, Ousmanou Mal Djoulde, Ayi Hilla, Alice Lawson, Pulcherie, Amindeh Blaise Atabong, Elisha Bala, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Estelle Shirbon, Bate Felix, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, CFA, Reuters, Dangote Petroleum, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Garoua, Cameroon, GAROUA, West, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Nigerian, West Africa, Dangote, Hilacondji, Africa, Cotonou, Pulcherie Adjoha

☆ Companies Try New Strategy to Stay in China: Siloing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Elaine Yu | Yoko Kubota | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-try-new-strategy-to-stay-in-china-siloing-61c88721

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Global watchdog seeks action on 'too little, too late' corporate goodwill writedown
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 22 (Reuters) - Tougher accounting rules may be needed that force companies to write down goodwill faster and stop "overly optimistic" calculations, a global securities watchdog said on Thursday. Goodwill refers to the premium a company has paid for another company, above the net value of its assets. Too little, too late refers to companies suddenly slashing goodwill when major profitability issues emerge. IOSCO is an umbrella group for securities regulators from the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Since the financial crisis, total goodwill of S&P 500 companies in the United States has more than doubled from $1.6 trillion in 2008 to $3.7 trillion in 2021, IOSCO said.

Persons: IOSCO, FASB, Huw Jones, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: International Organization of Securities Commissions, European Union, Accounting, EU, ., Thomson, & $ Locations: United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Britain

In the face of an unprecedented semiconductor shortage, Europe is offering billions of euros in subsidies to reduce its dependence on Asia. In return, Intel is committing big sums and with Germany already bagging a 30 billion euro investment, Poland decided to crash the party. Poland initially impressed Intel executives with the speed in which it responded to queries and addressed concerns, Intel said. "When we began the process, we hadn't considered Poland," Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger told Reuters. But when Intel announced its European investments in March 2022, Germany was awarded a major factory in Magdeburg while Intel told Poland it would only expand its existing facility in Gdansk.

Persons: chipmaker, hadn't, Pat Gelsinger, Gelsinger, Marcin Fabianowicz, Fabianowicz, Sroda Slaska Adam Ruciński, TSMC, Jakub Mazur, Karol Badohal, Supantha Mukherjee, Matt Scuffham, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Wroclaw, Intel, Reuters, Polish Investment and Trade Agency, Industrial Development Agency, PepsiCo, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp, Thomson Locations: WROCLAW, Poland, STOCKHOLM, Europe, Asia, Germany, U.S, Wroclaw, Polish, Magdeburg, Gdansk, Sroda Slaska, Wrocław, Taiwan, Stockholm

☆ Morning Bid: Dogged central banks rein in risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Markets have been here before over the past year - continually underestimating the economy's resilience and Fed's trajectory. There was far less ambiguity in moves from Europe's central banks on Thursday. The Swiss National Bank raised rates by 25bp earlier, as expected, but also left the door open for more tightening. And Norway's central bank surprised with an aggressive 50bp rise to a 15-year high of 3.75% and signaled another move in August. In the emerging market world, Turkey was expected to more than double its 8.5% interest rate in a post-election macroeconomic policy reset.

Persons: Mike Dolan, Jerome Powell, Powell, Raphael Bostic, BoE, Britain's, Christopher Waller, Michelle Bowman, Loretta Mester, Thomas Barkin, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Federal, Financial, Fed, Atlanta Fed, Yahoo Finance, Bank of England, Swiss National Bank, Treasury, The Times, Bank of, U.S, Kansas City Federal, Chicago Fed, Cleveland Fed, Richmond Fed, Accenture, Darden, Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Britain, Europe's, Turkey, Mexico

☆ Tokyo residents find comfort in fluffy, street-strolling alpacas
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Chris Gallagher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Alpaca Fureai Land's Shinya Ide and Shion Ito walk alpacas Akane and Satsuki in the early morning in Tokyo, Japan June 21, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonTOKYO, June 22 (Reuters) - The quiet of early morning streets in one downtown Tokyo neighbourhood is broken by joggers, parents with children in strollers - and a pair of alpacas, out for their daily constitutional walk. Manager Shinya Ide (no relation) says the secret to the 5-year-old alpacas' appeal is that looking at them is comforting, and petting them even more soothing. "Alpacas are naturally very nervous and timid animals, so when people approach them, they may spit or run away, making them difficult animals to interact with," he added. "But these two are trained and have naturally laid-back personalities, so they are accustomed to people now and interact well."

Persons: Land's Shinya Ide, Shion Ito, Akane, Satsuki, Kim Kyung, Hoon TOKYO, joggers, Nana Ide, Shinya Ide, Chris Gallagher, Elaine Lies, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, strollers, South America

☆ JPMorgan cuts around 20 Asia investment banking jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, June 21 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) has in a new round of downsizing cut around 20 investment banking jobs in Asia, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said, joining global peers in trimming headcount as dealmaking slows. The cuts are the second round of layoffs at JPMorgan in Asia this year with the Wall Street bank cutting around 20 investment banking jobs, mostly mid-level bankers focused on China deals, in the first quarter. JPMorgan is the latest among a string of global banks to trim investment banking teams in Asia. The decline was roughly in line with the rest of the world, as higher interest rates, volatile markets and geopolitical tensions weighed on dealmaking globally, causing a number of Wall Street banks to cut jobs over the past year. Reporting by Selena Li in Hong Kong;Editing by Elaine HardcastleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Selena Li, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: JPMorgan Chase &, JPMorgan, Bloomberg, Bank of America Corp, Citi, Asia, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Asia, China, Refinitiv, Hong Kong

☆ Donald Trump, who claimed to only hire the best people, was thoroughly asked why so many key players of his administration do not want him to be president again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Samantha Grindell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Baier reminded Trump he said he was going to hire the "best" people to his administration in 2016. He then pointed out much of Trump's former administration doesn't support his 2024 White House bid. Look, we had the best economy we've ever had, the world has ever seen." This week, you called your White House Chief of Staff John Kelly 'weak and ineffective' and 'born with a very small brain.' You called your acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney a 'born loser.'

Persons: Donald Trump, Bret Baier, Baier, Trump, —, Bret Baier's, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, she's, Mike Pompeo, he's, John Bolton, He's, Bill Barr, Barr, John Kelly, Mick Mulvaney, Rex Tillerson, James Mattis, Kayleigh McEnany, you've, Elaine Chao, Mitch McConnell's, I'm Organizations: Fox News, Service, White, United Nations, State, Getty, ISIS Locations: Mitch McConnell's China

☆ Polestar partners with Geely's Meizu to build Chinese operating system
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Marie Mannes | Thomson Reuters | Stockholm-Based Company News Correspondent Who Mainly Covers Anything To Do With Retail | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 19 (Reuters) - Swedish electric vehicle (EV) maker Polestar said on Monday it had formed a joint venture with Xingji Meizu to build an operating system for Polestar cars sold in China that will offer the latest smart technologies in its vehicles. The venture represents a further push by the Geely group (GEELY.UL) to adapt cars specifically for Chinese consumers. The Swedish group said it would own 49% of the JV and Xingji Meizu 51%, providing $98 million and $102 million in funding respectively. Xingji Meizu has grown over the last decade in its attempt to become a Chinese rival to Android, but holds a marginal market share. Traditional carmakers have come under pressure from Chinese EV makers offering lower prices and smart consumer-facing technologies.

Persons: Polestar, Xingji, Li Shufu, Thomas Ingenlath, Xingji Meizu, Ingenlath, Marie Mannes, Elaine Hardcastle, Jan Harvey Organizations: Volvo, JV, Reuters, Google, EV, Thomson Locations: Swedish, China, U.S

☆ Nidec to form joint venture with Brazil's Embraer to make flying car parts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, June 18 (Reuters) - Nidec said on Sunday that it is teaming up with Brazilian firm Embraer to form a new company that will make parts for flying cars and be set up in the United States. The new firm, to be known as Nidec Aerospace, will be based in St Louis, making use of existing factories of both firms in Brazil and Mexico. Nidec will take a 51% stake in the company and Embraer 49%, it added in a statement. A report in the Nikkei Shimbun newspaper said the company would invest 20 billion yen ($141.02 million) in research and development over the next five years. ($1 = 141.8200 yen)Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nidec, Elaine Lies, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Embraer, Nidec Aerospace, Nikkei Shimbun, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, United States, St Louis, Brazil, Mexico

WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) - U.S. rights groups plan protests next week against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to Washington over what they call India's deteriorating human rights record, even though experts do not expect Washington to be publicly critical of New Delhi. Washington hopes for closer ties with the world's largest democracy, which it sees as a counterweight to China, but rights advocates worry that geopolitics will overshadow human rights issues. The United States has said its human rights concerns related to India include the Indian government's targeting of religious minorities, dissidents and journalists. In a letter to Biden, Human Rights Watch's Asia Division director Elaine Pearson urged the White House to raise concerns, both publicly and privately, about human rights in India during Modi's visit. Advocacy groups have also raised concerns over alleged human rights abuses under Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Persons: Narendra Modi's, Modi, Joe Biden, Washington, Howdy Modi, Donald Trump, Biden, Elaine Pearson, Donald Camp, Camp, George W, Bush, Antony Blinken, Michael Kugelman, Kanishka Singh, Simon Lewis, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Don Durfee, Heather Timmons, Alistair Bell Organizations: Indian, Indian American Muslim Council, Veterans, Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition, House, United, Hindu, Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, Asia, Reuters, Biden, State Department, Strategic, International Studies, U.S . State Department, World Press, 161st, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, South Asia Institute, Wilson, Thomson Locations: Washington, New Delhi, Peace, China, United States, India, New York, Texas, Gujarat, U.S, Karnataka

☆ Japan parliament passes watered-down LGBT understanding bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A participant holds a sign as they march during the Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade, celebrating advances in LGBTQ rights and calling for marriage equality, in Tokyo, Japan April 23, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File PhotoTOKYO, June 16 (Reuters) - Japan on Friday passed a much-contested bill to promote understanding of the LGBT community amid criticism that the legislation provides no human rights guarantees and may tacitly encourage some forms of discrimination. However, wrangling over the bill and its wording meant it was only submitted to parliament for consideration the day before the summit began. Japan has come under pressure from other G7 nations, especially the United States, to allow same-sex marriage. Opinion polls show a vast majority of Japanese approve of same-sex marriage.

Persons: Issei Kato, Takeharu Kato, Elaine Lies, Lincoln Organizations: Tokyo, REUTERS, Liberal Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, United States

☆ Binance to quit Netherlands after failing to register
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

It is the latest in a string of setbacks for Binance including the June 5 decision by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to charge the company with evading securities laws. Binance disputes the SEC charges. A spokesperson for Binance, which had been operating in the Netherlands without permission from regulators, said that the company had tried "many alternative avenues" to meet Dutch registration requirements. "While Binance is disappointed that this has become necessary, it will continue to engage productively and transparently with Dutch regulators," they said. The company said that starting July 17, trading in the Netherlands will be halted and existing Dutch users will only be able to withdraw assets from its platform.

Persons: Binance, Lavanya, Toby Sterling, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Binance, Dutch Central Bank, Union, Thomson Locations: Netherlands, Cyprus, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Lithuania, Bengaluru, Amsterdam

☆ Prosecutors ask to remove new Bankman-Fried charges from October trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 15 (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to hold a separate trial for Sam Bankman-Fried, the indicted founder of now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, who faces new charges of foreign bribery, bank fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors added those charges this year, after Bankman-Fried's December 2022 extradition from the Bahamas in the wake of FTX's collapse. He had asked U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan to dismiss the new charges or alternatively separate them from his Oct. 2 trial. Prosecutors have said they will drop the charges if the Caribbean nation does not consent to them. Lawyers for Bankman-Fried have asked that at least 11 of the charges be dismissed.

Persons: Sam Bankman, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Marco Bello, FTX, Kaplan, Fried, Abinaya, Luc Cohen, Jason Neely, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: YORK, U.S, Wednesday, Prosecutors, District, REUTERS, Bankman, Thomson Locations: Bahamas, Manhattan, Nassau, Caribbean, Bengaluru, New York

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