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☆ Monfils magic downs Eubanks in Toronto
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Aug 7, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Gael Monfils (FRA) serves against Christopher Eubanks (USA) (not pictured) in first round play at Sobeys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY SportsAug 7 (Reuters) - Frenchman Gael Monfils put on an impressive display of speed and skill to beat American Christopher Eubanks 7-6(3) 6-7(4) 6-1 to advance to the second round of the Canadian Open in Toronto on Monday. Eubanks battled back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set breaker and leveled the match with a perfectly executed serve and volley in the first meeting between the pair of popular players. But Monfils broke Eubanks in the first game to jump out to an early lead he would not relinquish in the deciding set. Next up for Monfils is a second round meeting with Stefanos Tsitsipas, who enjoyed a first round bye, at the Masters 1000 tournament.

Persons: Gael Monfils, Christopher Eubanks, Dan Hamilton, Frenchman Gael Monfils, American Christopher Eubanks, Monfils, Eubanks, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Rory Carroll, Stephen Coates Organizations: Sobeys, Frenchman, American, Canadian, Wimbledon, Monfils, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Canada, Toronto, Los Angeles

☆ Bertolini steps down as Italy coach after World Cup exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 7 (Reuters) - Milena Bertolini said she has left her role as Italy head coach after their group stage exit from the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. A day after Italy's exit, a statement on Instagram signed by "players of the national team" said the team were "not put in the condition" to succeed. But we didn't feel there was a lot of confidence in us either," the players' statement read. We think it's fair to ask how come a national team made up of this group of players ... struggles a lot first at the Euros and now a World Cup. "The feeling of regret is still strong because we came to this World Cup wanting redemption ... We're sure we could have got different results if only we'd been put in the condition to do so."

Persons: Milena Bertolini, Bertolini, Instagram, Cristiana Girelli, Barbara Bonansea, Hritika Sharma, Stephen Coates Organizations: South Africa, Roma, Juventus, Thomson Locations: Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Sweden, South Africa, Hyderabad

Logo of Bain Capital is screened at a news conference in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2017. Shares of Estia Health were up 9.9% at A$3.12 as of 0045 GMT, their highest since Sept 2018. Bain Capital did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. In June, the company updated the market on its intentions to back Bain Capital's increased offer of $A3 per share to A$3.20. "If they acquire Estia Health they may be stuck with it in the days ahead."

Persons: Kim Kyung, Estia, Bain Capital's, Gary Weiss, Estia's, Brad Smoling, Smoling, Rishav Chatterjee, Scott Murdoch, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Stephen Coates Organizations: Bain Capital, REUTERS, Global, Estia, Bain, Virgin Australia, Australia, Health, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Siemens Energy books $2.4 billion in charges for wind turbine issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Christoph Steitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The logo of energy technology company Siemens Energy is displayed during the LNG 2023 energy trade show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 12, 2023. The charges will inflate Siemens Energy's net loss more than six-fold in 2023 to 4.5 billion euros, the company said, as it published third-quarter results showing a record order backlog due to strong demand. Siemens Energy shares reversed an opening fall of as much as 7% to stand 1.5% higher on the day by 0725 GMT. "Our third-quarter results demonstrate the challenges in turning around Siemens Gamesa," Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch said, adding that the group's remaining units, including gas turbines and power converter stations, performed well. While in line with Siemens Energy's own estimate of more than 1 billion euros, Monday's cost tally for the issues is below the most pessimistic market estimate of more than 5 billion euros issued by UBS.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Christian Bruch, Alix, Christoph Steitz, Barbara Lewis, Stephen Coates, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Siemens Energy, REUTERS, UBS, Siemens, Siemens Gamesa, Alix Partners, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, FRANKFURT

☆ Ukraine seeks progress towards peace at Saudi Arabia talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Maha El Dahan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian, Russian and international officials say there is no prospect of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at present, with the war raging. The world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which has maintained contacts with both sides since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, has played a role in convening countries that did not join earlier meetings, Western diplomats have said. SAUDI DIPLOMACYWestern officials and analysts said Saudi diplomacy had been important in securing China's presence at the talks. Zelenskiy attended an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia last year where MbS voiced readiness to help mediate in the war. In March, Beijing brokered a resumption of ties between Saudi Arabia and its arch regional foe Iran.

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Zelenskiy, Russia's, Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, Ajit Doval, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Xi Jinping, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice, Yun Sun, Sun, Lidia Kelly, Maha El Dahan, Omar Abdel, Michael Martina, Aftab Ahmed, Angus McDowall, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: International, REUTERS, Saudi, Global, Kremlin, Eurasian Affairs, Indian National Security, Crown, Arab, MbS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Iran, Baker Institute, Stimson, Razek, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, China, India, Jeddah Ukraine, Russia, DUBAI, United States, Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian, Copenhagen, Beijing, Moscow, Jeddah, Riyadh, SAUDI, Saudi, Turkey, Middle East, Washington, Warsaw, Maha, Dubai, New Delhi

The logo of the ANZ Bank is seen at Lambton Quay, in Wellington, New Zealand November 10, 2022. "A substantial lessening of competition in home loans would have major flow-on impacts to Australians with a mortgage," he added. The companies said they would seek a review of the determination at the Australian Competition Tribunal, an offshoot of the federal court which oversees takeover rulings. Taking the deal to the competition tribunal would delay its completion to mid-2024, if the tribunal approved it, from the late 2023 timeline the companies gave when they announced it a year ago. The ANZ-Suncorp deal also needs sign-off from Treasurer Jim Chalmers who declined to comment.

Persons: Lucy Craymer, Mick Keogh, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Jim Chalmers, Byron Kaye, Himanshi, Stephen Coates Organizations: ANZ Bank, REUTERS, ANZ, Suncorp, ANZ Group, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Australian Competition Tribunal, Citi, Telstra, TPG Telcom, Thomson Locations: Lambton Quay, Wellington , New Zealand, Melbourne, Sydney, Bengaluru

A logo of DBS is pictured outside an office in Singapore January 5, 2016. DBS, which is also Southeast Asia's largest lender by assets, said April-June net profit hit a quarterly record high S$2.69 billion ($2.69 billion) compared to S$1.82 billion a year earlier. DBS' NIM, a key profitability gauge, rose for sixth consecutive quarter to 2.16% during the quarter from 1.58% a year earlier. Return on equity hit new quarterly high of 19.2%, up from 13.4% the same quarter a year ago. ($1 = 1.3411 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Edgar Su, NIM, Piyush Gupta, Gupta, Yantoultra Ngui, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Stephen Coates Organizations: DBS, REUTERS, Refinitiv, Thomson Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, Hong Kong

☆ Body found in river buoys at Mexico border amid criticism of policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers ride past buoys while patrolling the Rio Grande river along the international boundary of the United States and Mexico near Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. July 29, 2023. REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File PhotoMEXICO CITY, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A body was found stuck in a barrier of buoys installed by Texas authorities in the Rio Grande river, which straddles the U.S.-Mexico border, Mexico's foreign ministry said on Wednesday while expressing fresh safety concerns over the floating fence. Authorities are working to identify the body found in the river and determine the cause of death, according to a statement from Mexico's foreign ministry. The Texan government installed the barrier last month and said at the time the buoys would "help deter illegal immigrants attempting to make the dangerous river crossing into Texas." A joint letter from more than 60 organizations was sent to Texan state legislators on Tuesday urging them to put an end to "violent border strategies" and remove the buoys from the Rio Grande river, the Border Network for Human Rights organization said in a statement.

Persons: Adrees Latif, Valentine Hilaire, Daina Solomon, Stephen Coates Organizations: Texas, of Public Safety, REUTERS, U.S . Justice, Border Network, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Rio, United States, Mexico, Eagle, , Texas, U.S, MEXICO, Texas

☆ Floods test China's disaster-response systems as emergency level raised
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A bridge is damaged after remnants of Typhoon Doksuri brought rains and floods in Beijing, China August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu WangBEIJING, Aug 3 (Reuters) - China's disaster-response systems are being put to the test as floodwaters from record rainfall could take weeks to recede with thousands of people still unable to return to their homes, state media reported on Thursday. Authorities in northern Hebei province raised the natural disaster emergency response level to II from III, while Beijing kept a warning in place for landslides on its outskirts, the state broadcaster and city government said. Floodwaters could take up to a month to recede in Hebei province, where Zhuozhou is the hardest hit city, a water resources department official told state media. About 100,000 people in the city southwest of Beijing were forced to leave their homes by the rising waters.

Persons: Typhoon Doksuri, Tingshu Wang, III, Doksuri, Khanun, Tim Cook, Liz Lee, Ryan Woo, Ethan Wang, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, CCTV, Apple Inc, Weibo, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Tingshu Wang BEIJING, Hebei, Hebei province, East China, Japan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai

☆ Flights cancelled, thousands told to evacuate as typhoon nears Japan's Okinawa
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Flights were cancelled and tens of thousands of people were advised to evacuate their homes on Tuesday as powerful typhoon Khanun approached Japan's southern Okinawa island chain, threatening torrential rains and high winds through Thursday. In Okinawa's capital Naha, the airport was closed and all flights - amounting to about 900 - cancelled, TV Asahi said. Wind and rain were picking up on Tuesday evening, with the storm expected to escalate by Wednesday. Okinawa is frequently hit by typhoons, but usually later in the year. Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Stephen Coates and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elaine Lies, Stephen Coates, Miral Organizations: Asahi, NHK, Kadena Air Base, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan's, Okinawa, Tokyo, Naha, China, U.S, Japan

July 31 (Reuters) - Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday sued a nonprofit that fights hate speech and disinformation, accusing it of asserting false claims and encouraging advertisers to pause investment on the platform. U.S. media reported earlier that X, owned by Elon Musk, had sent a letter to the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and threatened to sue the non-profit for unspecified damages. In response to that letter, lawyers for the CCDH accused X of "intimidating those who have the courage to advocate against incitement, hate speech and harmful content online." It reiterated that the metrics contained in the research were used out of context to make unsubstantiated assertions about X. X recently filed lawsuits against four unnamed entities in Texas and Israel's Bright Data for scraping data.

Persons: Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, X, CCDH, Shubham, Stephen Coates Organizations: Monday, Elon, Center, Thomson Locations: Texas, Bengaluru

☆ Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann: Wife of serial killings suspect and her attorney open up about the family's experience since his arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe Jessica Xing | Elizabeth Wolfe | Jessica Xing | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The wife of the Gilgo Beach serial killings suspect Rex Heuermann and her attorney told CNN she had “no idea” of her husband’s alleged actions and that the flood of public attention has been “extremely overwhelming” for the mother and her two children. He is also the prime suspect in the disappearance and killing of the fourth victim but has yet to be charged in that case. Authorities have said Ellerup and the children were out of town when the killings occurred. The spotlight on the family has attracted onlookers who show up at the home “just to get a glimpse of what’s going on at the house,” Macedonio said. Ellerup has been in touch with Heuermann since his arrest, the attorney said, though he did not provide further details.

Persons: Rex Heuermann, Asa Ellerup, Bob Macedonio, Ellerup, Heuermann –, –, Ray Tierney, Macedonio, Dresser, ” Macedonio, CNN’s Laura Coates, Keith Hunter Jesperson, “ It’s, “, they’re, she’s, Rex Heuermann's Organizations: CNN, Suffolk County Police Department, New York State Police Locations: Suffolk County, Suffolk

☆ US trucking firm Yellow shuts ops, to file for bankruptcy, Teamsters say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 31 (Reuters) - Cash-strapped U.S. trucking company Yellow Corp (YELL.O) has ceased operations and is filing for bankruptcy after failing to reorganize and refinance over a billion dollars in debt, the Teamsters Union said on Sunday. Yellow, formerly called YRC Worldwide, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The company was the third-biggest U.S. trucker specializing in the less-than-truckload segment that combines shipments from different customers in the same trailer. The Wall Street Journal reported the closure of the trucking firm's operations citing notices sent to customers and employees. On Monday, another 128 union members at YRC Freight Canada, a unit of Yellow, were told not to report for work.

Persons: Sean M O'Brien, Donald Trump, Yana Gaur, Urvi, Bharat Govind Gautam, Chris Reese, Stephen Coates, Nivedita Organizations: Yellow Corp, Teamsters Union, YRC, Teamsters, Walmart, Uber, Street Journal, YRC Freight, Thomson Locations: Nashville , Tennessee, YRC Freight Canada, Bengaluru

☆ Kremlin seeks more info about talks in Saudi, Ukraine says Moscow unwelcome
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The meeting was first reported last Saturday in the Wall Street Journal, which said Saudi Arabia would invite Western states, Ukraine and major developing countries to talks focusing on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's peace plan. The paper said Kyiv and Western countries hoped that the talks could lead to international backing for peace terms favouring Ukraine. Peskov, however, also restated Moscow's position that it currently saw no grounds for peace talks with Kyiv. "If there's acceptance from both Ukraine and Russia to look for solutions to achieve peace, we'll participate," he told reporters in Mexico City. Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy's chief of staff, said Ukraine would be "boundlessly happy if West, East, South and North work in this format towards renewing a system of world security".

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Dmitry Peskov, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrado, we'll, Andriy Yermak, Yermak, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Vladimir Putin, Gareth Jones, Ron Popeski, Stephen Coates Organizations: Press, State Emergency Service of, REUTERS, Street, Ukraine, Kyiv, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kryvyi Rih, State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Handout, REUTERS MOSCOW, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Kyiv, Western, Mexico City, East, South, Saudi

The parliamentary deadlock revolves around the centre-left Labor government's A$10 billion ($6.7 billion) housing package, which The Greens party is refusing to pass through the upper house without changes to increase spending and cap rents. Governments can dissolve both houses of parliament if the upper house twice blocks a bill passed by the lower house. The Greens in June voted with the opposition centre-right Liberal Party to delay the housing bill. Speaking on Monday as parliament resumed, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he preferred the bill passed the Senate but if it did not, the trigger for a double-dissolution election could focus attention on the policy. "What it does is mean that can be a focus, and then you have a joint sitting after a double-dissolution election is held."

Persons: Anthony Albanese, " Albanese, Lewis Jackson, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, Labor, Greens, Liberal Party, ABC, Thomson Locations: Australia

☆ Typhoon Doksuri: Thousands flee their homes as heavy rain lashes Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] People wear raincoats in a tourist area during heavy rain in Beijing, China, July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas PeterBEIJING, July 31 (Reuters) - Beijing recorded its heaviest rainfall this year as the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri passed through China's capital on Monday, forcing over 31,000 people to evacuate their homes in the city, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Heavy rain continued to fall in the capital as well as Hebei, Tianjin and eastern Shanxi as Doksuri dissipated over northern China, the China Meteorological Administration said. Average rainfall in Beijing overnight reached 140.7 mm (5.5 inches), with the maximum recorded rainfall in Fangshan area hitting 500.4 mm (19.7 inches), according to the city's observatory. Authorities said Khanun could inflict further damage to corn and other crops that have already been hit by Doksuri.

Persons: Thomas Peter BEIJING, Typhoon Doksuri, Doksuri, Khanun, Liz Lee, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, China Meteorological Administration, Authorities, Doksuri, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Hebei, Tianjin, Shanxi, Fujian, Shanghai

☆ Ukraine reports fierce fighting in northeast
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's military said it had halted Ukrainian forces in the northeast. Maliar said the Russians had suffered "no fewer losses than during the heated battles in Bakhmut", which fell to Russian forces after more than 10 months of fighting. But fierce fighting has also flared around the Ukrainian -held northeastern towns of Kupiansk and Lyman. Maliar said Russian forces were also "tenaciously trying to seize back" areas on the southern front taken by Ukraine. Russian forces, it said, had also repelled four Ukrainian attacks near the town of Lyman, further south.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Lyman, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Stephen Coates Organizations: Ukrainian, Russian, Russia's Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Moscow, Bakhmut, May, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Sumy, Russians, Russian, Crimean, Kupiansk, Svatove, Lyman

☆ Australian state bans gas to new homes from 2024 in push to cut emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Exxon Mobil Corp FollowSYDNEY, July 28 (Reuters) - The Australian state of Victoria will ban natural gas connections to new homes from next year as part of a plan to cut emissions and lower energy bills, the state climate action minister said on Friday. Australia's second-most populous state is the country's largest consumer of natural gas with around 80% of homes connected but also has ambitious plans to reach net zero emissions by 2045, five years ahead of the federal government. Minister for Climate Action Lily D'Ambrosio said on Friday that new homes requiring planning permits must connect to all-electric networks. The changes will apply to all new public buildings yet to reach the design stage, including housing, schools, and hospitals. Australia last month finalised a package of rules for the domestic gas market including a cap on wholesale prices that was first introduced in December.

Persons: Australia's, Lily D'Ambrosio, ” D'Ambrosio, Lewis Jackson, Stephen Coates Organizations: Exxon Mobil Corp, SYDNEY, Thomson Locations: Australian, Victoria, Australia

"When we're 50% foreign owned that gives people pause within Japan," Johnson said in an interview. Companies often view the presence of an activist investor as a challenge to their strategy or a factor that could delay execution of their plans. The activist investor previously praised JSR's "fact-based decision making" and said it supports the sale to JIC. "But that doesn't contribute to the Japanese semiconductor materials industry overall," he said. "I don't think they're being imaginative enough ... there's a wide range of materials expertise in Japan," Johnson said.

Persons: Eric Johnson, Johnson, ValueAct, JSR's, Atsushi Ikeda, Goldman Sachs, Ikeda, Yuta, JSR, Sam Nussey, Miho Uranaka, Makiko Yamazaki, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Stephen Coates Organizations: JSR, Japan Investment Corp, Samsung, Intel, ValueAct, Companies, Citigroup, Svea, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, American, Japan, there's

☆ OceanGate's cofounder wants to send 1,000 people to a floating colony on Venus by 2050, and says we shouldn't stop pushing the limits of innovation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

By 2050, he would like to see 1,000 humans living in the sulfuric acid clouds of Venus. The businessman's latest — and possibly grandest — endeavor is to send 1,000 humans to live in Venus' atmosphere by 2050. Söhnlein hasn't let the recent events dampen his ambition and claims humanity needs to continue pushing the limits of innovation. Sending humans to Earth's evil twinThough it's often called "Earth's twin," Venus doesn't seem like the ideal place for humans to thrive. The Titan submersible.

Persons: Guillermo Söhnlein, Stockton Rush, Söhnlein hasn't, Söhnlein, shouldn't, OceanGate, Rush, Shannon Stapleton, Khalid Al, Ali, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, we'd, Andrew Coates, Coates Organizations: Service, OceanGate Expeditions, NASA, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Venus, Stockton Rush, Reuters, Innovation, Rush, University College's, Science Laboratory Locations: Wall, Silicon, Söhnlein, Stockton

☆ US has yet to produce their best at World Cup, says coach
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) - The United States have yet to produce their best performance at the Women's World Cup, coach Vlatko Andonovski said on Thursday, after the Netherlands held them to a frustrating 1-1 draw in their second match of the tournament in Wellington. It was the first World Cup draw that the United States have seen since Sweden held them 0-0 at the tournament in 2015. I've said this before, this team is not just young, this team is also a fresh team," said Andonovski. "We're just going to get better from game to game and we're going to be a lot more efficient as well." The United States close out their Group E against Portugal on Tuesday.

Persons: Vlatko Andonovski, Lindsey Horan, Andonovski, Julie Ertz, Becky Sauerbrunn, Savannah DeMelo, Rose Lavelle's, I've, We're, Amy Tennery, Stephen Coates Organizations: WELLINGTON, United, Wellington ., U.S ., Portugal, Thomson Locations: United States, Netherlands, Wellington, Sweden, Vietnam, Savannah

☆ India's offer to privatise rocket has 20 potential bidders
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Nivedita Bhattacharjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, July 27 (Reuters) - The Indian government's effort to privatise part of its space programme by opening bids to build its small satellite launch rocket has attracted initial interest from 20 companies, an official overseeing the process told Reuters. India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) was developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation, the national space agency, and had its first successful satellite launch in February. The bid to take over manufacturing and development of the SSLV rocket programme was the first privatisation of its kind under that policy. Pawan Goenka, chairman of IN-SPACe, said 20 companies had submitted an "expression of interest" (EOI) in the rocket programme. India is aiming to increase its share of the global satellite launch market by fivefold within the next decade.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Pawan Goenka, Goenka, Nivedita, Kevin Krolicki, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, India's, Indian Space Research Organisation, SpaceX, Indian, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, India, Bengaluru

SYDNEY, July 28 (Reuters) - Foreign bank lending to Australian office real estate hit a record high in the first quarter as overseas lenders continued to stump up cash for a struggling corner of the property market out of favour with local banks. The data does not identify individual banks, however a separate dataset covering overall corporate lending showed European, Japanese, Singaporean and Chinese banks had led the increase in foreign lending since 2019. Loans from Australia's biggest banks fell A$2.3 billion to A$83 billion over the same period, similar to levels in late 2021, the data showed. So, as Australian lenders have retreated to the relative safety of retail mortgages, foreign banks have stepped up. Sydney was the worst-performing major Asian office market in the first quarter, according to research from global property services firm Jones Lang LaSalle.

Persons: Jonathan Kearns, Kearns, Jones Lang LaSalle, Lewis Jackson, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, prudential, Australia's, Challenger, Reserve Bank of Australia, Reuters, Sydney, Investment, Thomson Locations: Australia, Asia, Europe

WELLINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday the door was open for New Zealand to engage with the AUKUS weapons development and procurement project between the United States, Britain and Australia. The multi-stage AUKUS project announced in March is planned to culminate in the late 2030s and early 2040s with British and Australian production and operation of a new submarine class - SSN-AUKUS - and include "cutting edge" U.S. technologies. "The door's very much open for New Zealand and other partners to engage as they see appropriate going forward," Blinken told a news conference in Wellington. And so as we further develop AUKUS, as I said, the door is open to engagement." Blinken is New Zealand for just over a day as part of a three-country visit to the Pacific.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Chris Hipkins, Nanaia Mahuta, “, Mahuta, Renju Jose, Alasdair Pal, Stephen Coates Organizations: WELLINGTON, British, New, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: Zealand, United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Wellington, Pacific, Solomon Islands, Solomon, Sydney

☆ Blinken criticises China's 'problematic behaviour' during visit to Tonga
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Tonga's Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, July 26, 2023. UPOU VAIPULU/Pool via REUTERSWELLINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of China's "problematic behaviour" during a visit to the Pacific island nation of Tonga on Wednesday, citing Beijing's militarisation of the South China Sea and what he called economic coercion. Blinken said at a press conference that the U.S. had no objection to China's engagement with the region but there were concerns that its investments needed to be transparent and undertaken with sustainable finance. "I think one of the things that we’ve seen is that as China’s engagement in the (Indo-Pacific) region has grown there has been some, from our perspective, increasingly problematic behaviour," he said. Blinken said the United States was committed to both Tonga and the broader Pacific Islands.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi, UPOU, Beijing's militarisation, Solomon, Blinken, Siaosi Sovaleni, Joe Biden, Wang Yi, Lloyd Austin, Emmanuel Macron, Sovaleni, Nuku’alofa, Lucy Craymer, Stephen Coates Organizations: Tonga's, REUTERS, Tongan, U.S . Defense, Embassy, Thomson Locations: Nuku'alofa, Tonga, REUTERS WELLINGTON, Pacific, South, U.S, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Washington, China, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Beijing, Wellington , New Zealand

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