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☆ Queen Camilla, Brigitte Macron play table tennis amid state visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

There were light moments too, with Queen Camilla and President Emmanuel Macron's wife, Brigitte, trying their hand at table tennis as French youngsters looked on. Here's the latest:* Camilla also tried her hand at weaving at French luxury house Chanel's 19M workshop, with Brigitte Macron and Chanel CEO Leena Nair watching. * Queen Camilla and French President Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte played table tennis together at a sports centre outside of Paris - not that successfully. The royal couple and Brigitte Macron chatted with youngsters at the Saint-Denis sports centre. [1/9]Britain's Queen Camilla plays table tennis next to Britain's King Charles, Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron as they meet local youth sports associations in Saint-Denis near Paris, on the second day of their State visit to France, September 21, 2023.

Persons: King Charles, Queen Camilla, Emmanuel Macron's, Brigitte, Camilla, Brigitte Macron, Leena Nair, Charles, Germain, King Charles III ., Nasser Al, Khelaifi, Denis, Brigitte Macron chatted, Britain's King Charles, Emmanuel Macron, REUTER, Hannah McKay, Queen Elizabeth, France's, Macron, Dominique Vidalon, Ingrid Melander, Elizabeth Pineau, Michel Rose, Johnny Cotton, Michael Holden, Blandine, Sharon Singleton Organizations: French, Paris Saint, King Charles III . Club, Saint, Entente, Notre, Dame, Thomson Locations: Britain, France, Saint, Paris, British, Ukraine, entente, United Kingdom, Versailles

☆ Japanese researchers say they used AI to try and translate the noises of clucking chickens and learn whether they're excited, hungry, or scared
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Researchers think they've found a way to use AI to translate the clucks of chickens. The Japanese researchers said their AI system could help understand chickens' emotional state. The AI system is based on a technique the researchers called "Deep Emotional Analysis Learning," which can adapt to changing vocal patterns. The study found that the system was capable of translating "various emotional states in chickens, including hunger, fear, anger, contentment, excitement, and distress." The system was able to achieve surprisingly high accuracy in identifying the birds' emotional states, the study found.

Persons: they've, they'd, Adrian David Cheok, Cheok Organizations: Service, University of Tokyo, New York, University of Copenhagen, ETH Zurich, National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, Environment Locations: Wall, Silicon, Japan

Uranium stone is seen at a news conference of Macusani Yellowcake and Plateau Energy in Lima, Peru July 16, 2018. Investors in uranium have sharply outperformed investors in clean energy and oil & gas majorsThe significance of that change extends well beyond Finland's power market, which gets over a third of its electricity from nuclear plants. The Global X Uranium ETF , the world's largest ETF exposed to the uranium space, is up 31% year-to-date, while Canada's first uranium ETF, the Horizons Global Uranium Index ETF (HURA.TO), is up over 45%, LSEG data shows. However, even with the broad new backing for nuclear, it is far from certain that a significant increase in nuclear power output will actually materialise. In addition, the cost of building new nuclear plants has sky-rocketed in recent years.

Persons: Macusani, Mariana Bazo, NuScale, Gavin Maguire, Sonali Paul Organizations: Plateau Energy, REUTERS, Finland's Green Party, Green Party, Green, Finland Green Party, World Nuclear Association, Uranium, CME, France's EDF, EDF, Institute for Energy Economics, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lima , Peru, LITTLETON , Colorado, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Niger, China, Europe, United States, England, U.S

The Viking Star cruise ship is moored at Greenwich with the City of London financial district in the distance, in London, Britain, August 29, 2023. It is absolutely the time for action over words," Alasdair Haynes, CEO of Aquis Exchange, a share trading platform, and chair of financial industry body TheCityUK's Business Council, told Reuters. The main problem for trade bodies is the vast scope of Britain's financial services industry, with each sub-sector and TheCityUK presenting their own reform priorities and ideas, often overlapping. In the meantime, top financial sector executives running global teams of bankers and traders are increasingly bewildered by Britain's inability to make faster progress on a matter of such economic significance. ELECTION LOOMINGSome senior financial industry sources say politics may hamper the City's reform agenda even further, with a general election expected next year.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Alasdair Haynes, Jeremy Hunt, Nicholas Lyons, TheCityUK, ” Samuel Gregg, Richard Gardner, Huw Jones, Sinead Cruise, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Viking, City, REUTERS, London’s, Mayor, European Union, Aquis, Business, Reuters, Finance, stoke, of, Arm Holdings, Labour, Conservative, American Institute for Economic Research, Investment Funds Association, EU, Thomson Locations: Greenwich, London, Britain, Europe, Asia, United States, Edinburgh, of London, New York, Amsterdam, City, France

☆ The iPhone 15 launch in France could be disrupted after Apple store workers voted to strike on release day
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple store workers in France are set to strike on the same day the tech giant launches the iPhone 15. Workers at France's 20 Apple stores are set to walk out on Friday and Saturday, the same time the company's latest iPhone is due to hit shelves. Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 at its "Wonderlust" event last week. The latest iPhone comes with a range of new features, including a customizable "action button" and a titanium body on the high-end Pro range. Some fans have been unimpressed by the new model, however, with the iPhone 15 being branded "boring" and "underwhelming" by some on social media.

Organizations: Apple, Service, Workers, Apple Retail, CGT, French, Liberation Locations: France, Wall, Silicon, Apple Retail France, Europe

☆ French supermarkets to demand food groups cut prices by up to 5%
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Helen Reid | Thomson Reuters | London-Based Reporter Covering The European Retail Sector Through A Global Lens. Focusing On Companies Including Adidas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

French retailers have criticised consumer goods giants like Unilever and Nestle for price hikes they say are unjustified. The government has also put pressure on the consumer goods makers to cut prices. "We should probably be able to demand that the big (consumer goods) groups cut prices by between 2% and 5%," he said. Consumer goods firms are likely to face increased pressure across Europe to cut prices, industry experts say. Lawmakers also asked about buying alliances, which some supermarkets use to negotiate prices jointly with peers at the European level, and whether they enable retailers to evade French regulations on pricing.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, Les Mousquetaires, Thierry Cotillard, Cotillard, Mousquetaires, Jan, Alexandre Bompard, Lawmakers, Systeme, Dominique Schelcher, E Leclerc, Philippe Michaud, Miloud, Leclerc, Michaud, Helen Reid, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Unilever, Nestle, Carrefour, Senate, REWE, Thomson Locations: Carrefour, Montesson, Paris, France, Portugal, Spain, Europe, Greece, London

☆ Explainer: How France aims to discourage buying of Chinese EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WHY IS FRANCE REVISING ITS EV BONUS ELIGIBILITY RULES? However, in the absence of cheap European-made EVs, a third of all incentives are going to consumers buying EVs made in China, a French finance ministry source said. Because Chinese industry generally relies heavily on coal-generated electricity, the criteria are likely to put the bonus out of Chinese carmakers' reach. But French car buyers will have to wait because Stellantis' (STLAM.MI) Slovakia-made e-C3 city car and Renault's (RENA.PA) France-made R5 are not due to hit the market until 2024. The model is currently one of the best-selling electric car's in France with the Tesla Y, Peugeot's e-208, Fiat's 500e, the Megane eTech and MG4.

Persons: Angelika Warmuth, EVs, Emmanuel Macron, Stellantis, MG4, Lorraine Morard, Luca De Meo, Tesla, BYD, Gilles Guillaume, Leigh Thomas, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Company, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, SAIC, P Global, Renault, Thomson Locations: Munich, Germany, France, China, Europe, FRANCE, French, Slovakia, Dacia Spring

☆ WTA roundup: Madison Keys loses Guadalajara opener
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Keys, the tournament's fourth seed, received a first-round bye. Navarro converted five of her seven break-point opportunities, while Keys broke serve three times on five chances. Navarro advances to face former U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez of Canada, who knocked out 13th-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-3, 6-4. 1 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia routed the United States' Alycia Parks 6-2, 6-2, and No. The United States' Sofia Kenin eliminated 12th-seeded Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine 6-2, 7-6 (5).

Persons: Madison Keys, Aryna Sabalenka, Mike Segar, Keys, Navarro, Leylah Fernandez, Elise Mertens, Maria Sakkari, Australia's Storm Hunter, Caroline Garcia of France, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Poland's Magdalena Frech, Sofia Kenin, Lucia Bronzetti, Yi Yang, Bronzetti, Yang's, Uchijima, France's, Tatjana Maria of, Alexandra Eala, Daria Saville of, Germany's Anna, Lena Friedsam, Viktoria Hruncakova, Russian Anna Kalinskaya, Viktorija, Yulia Putintseva, Xiyu Wang, Yue Yuan, Zhuoxuan Bai Organizations: Madison, Belarus, Aryna Sabalenka REUTERS, U.S, Australia's Storm, Poland's, United, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, Guadalajara, Mexico, Open Akron, U.S, Canada, Belgium, Tunisia, Greece, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Guangzhou, Italy, Taiwan, China, Tatjana Maria of Germany, Philippines, Daria Saville of Australia, Slovakia, Russian, Switzerland, Kazakhstan

Paris CNN —Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla will finally arrive in France for a state visit Wednesday, six months later than initially planned. The packed royal itinerary for the rescheduled three-day visit to Paris and Bordeaux, ending Friday, is largely unchanged save for a few additions. One new engagement will see Charles and Camilla rub shoulders with top athletes at an event highlighting the advantages of sports for young people. France's President Emmanuel Macron was forced to postpone the original royal state visit back in March. Ronny Hartmann/AFP/Getty ImagesFurssedonn-Wood agreed that the public can expect “a bit of substance” from the royal visit in France.

Persons: Paris CNN — Britain’s King Charles, Queen Camilla, Emmanuel Macron, Charles, Camilla, Brigitte Macron, Macron, ”, Queen Elizabeth II, French King Louis XIV, Ludovic Marin, reigniting, Christine Ockrent, Charles ’, ” Charles, Camilla’s, French –, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, ” Sunak, Nathan Laine, Chris Fitzgerald, Elizabeth II, Christian Poncelet, Eric Fefeberg, Scott Furssedonn, Wood, Craig Prescott, Prescott, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, Elke Budenbender, Ronny Hartmann, it’s, they’re, “, They’ll Organizations: Paris CNN, Rugby, Bibliotheque Nationale de, Mirrors, France, Getty, CNN, UK, ’, European Union, Bloomberg, French, Getty Images, British, Royal Holloway, University of London, “, CNN’s Royal Locations: France, British, Germany, Paris, Bordeaux, Franco, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Ukraine, Sahel, Elysee, of Versailles, Versailles, “, AFP, French, New Delhi, Berlin, Salle, United Kingdom, Barbados, Eastern Caribbean, Europe, Royal

☆ King Charles arrives in France for state visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne greets Britain's King Charles ( and Britain's Queen Camilla upon arrival at the Orly Airport on September 20, 2023, on the first day of a state visit to France. Here's the latest:* The plane carrying Charles and Camilla has landed at Paris' Orly airport, where they were greeted by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. Charles and Camilla tweeted in English and French, along with a video of Charles getting on the plane. Your Majesty, welcome," Macron tweeted in English, alongside a video clip of Charles' past visits to France. Macron and Charles have in particular shared correspondence and insight on the restoration of the Notre-Dame cathedral, ravaged by fire in 2019.

Persons: Elisabeth Borne, Britain's King Charles, Queen Camilla, MIGUEL MEDINA, King Charles, Emmanuel Macron, Charles, Camilla, Borne, Mireille, Queen Elizabeth, Parisian Marie, Helene Aubree, Eric Frizzi, he's, Macron, À, Louis XIV, Hugh Grant, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Mick Jagger, Ken Follett, Emma Mackey, Bernard Arnault, Xavier Niel, Arsene Wenger, Didier Drogba, Michel Rose, Ingrid Melander, Bernadette Baum Organizations: French, Airport, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, France's, Parisian, European Union, Notre, Dame, of Mirrors, Thomson Locations: France, Paris, Bordeaux, Britain, of Versailles, British, French

☆ UK inflation to be highest among big economies in 2023 - OECD
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Britain remains on course to have the highest inflation of leading rich economies in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development forecasts which showed the country's inflation problem widening compared with most of its peers. Britain's headline inflation rate was set to average 7.2% over 2023, up from a previous forecast of 6.9% made by the OECD in June. It was also higher than Germany's expected inflation this year of 6.1% and France's 5.8%, both of which represented cuts from the OECD's June forecasts. "Today the OECD have set out a challenging global picture, but it is good news that they expect UK inflation to drop below 3% next year," finance minister Jeremy Hunt said in a statement. Britain's high inflation rate has led the Bank of England to raise borrowing costs 14 times in a row since December 2021.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, William Schomberg, Andy Bruce Organizations: for Economic Co, OECD, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Britain, Japan, Paris, France, Germany, Italy

☆ Governments race to regulate AI tools
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

ITALY* Investigating possible breachesItaly's data protection authority plans to review artificial intelligence platforms and hire AI experts, a top official said in May. ChatGPT became available to users in Italy in April after being temporarily banned over concerns by the national data protection authority in March. The country's privacy watchdog said in June it had warned OpenAI not to collect sensitive data without people's permission. SPAIN* Investigating possible breachesSpain's data protection agency said in April it was launching a preliminary investigation into potential data breaches by ChatGPT. It has also asked the EU's privacy watchdog to evaluate privacy concerns surrounding ChatGPT.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ursula von der Leyen, CNIL, Ziv Katzir, Israel, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Lawmakers, Joe Biden's, Beryl Howell, Alessandro Parodi, Amir Orusov, Kirsten Donovan, Mark Potter, Christina Fincher, Milla Nissi Organizations: REUTERS, Baidu, Microsoft, Markets Authority, Big Tech, Britain, HK, SenseTime, Israel Innovation Authority, EU, UNITED, . Security, International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations, U.S, IBM, Nvidia, Washington D.C, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Thomson Locations: AUSTRALIA, Australia, BRITAIN, CHINA, China, FRANCE, Italy, Hiroshima, Japan, IRELAND, ISRAEL, Israel, ITALY, JAPAN, U.S, SPAIN, New York, Washington, Gdansk

☆ Rights groups condemn arrest of French journalist over defense reporting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rights groups condemned the arrest of reporter Ariane Lavrilleux, who authored the report that said French intelligence intended to track jihadist militants had been misused by Egypt to target smugglers on the Libyan border and kill civilians. Lavrilleux's lawyer, Virginie Marquet, said her client was being questioned by a judge and police officers from the French intelligence service DGSI as part of an investigation into compromising national security. The documents included purported messages from those involved alerting their superiors that their information was being misused for bombing civilians. Reporters Without Borders and other rights groups also released statements condemning the arrest. Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ariane Lavrilleux, France's, Virginie Marquet, Marquet, Katia Roux, Juliette Jabkhiro, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Reuters, Amnesty, Thomson Locations: Egypt, Libyan, Paris, Cairo, Amnesty France

☆ Some Parisians Unfazed by King Charles' Visit to France
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Noemie OlivePARIS (Reuters) - King Charles' state visit to France, from Wednesday to Friday, may be seen politically as a chance to rebuild ties between the two countries, but some Parisians said they were not impressed, and that they missed the late Queen Elizabeth. Charles, and his wife Queen Camilla, will be guests of honour at a state banquet in the gilded Versailles palace during the visit to France, Charles' first since becoming king a year ago. All this combined together doesn't create much interest," said Mireille, a retiree who liked Queen Elizabeth and her horses. Fifteen year-old Alexia Aubert said: "I think since Elizabeth died, the Royal family isn't as important as it was, King Charles isn't as important and symbolic as Elizabeth, so it doesn't really matter if he comes or not." In Britain, polls suggest Charles is less popular than his mother, who had strong support from much of the public.

Persons: Olive PARIS, King Charles, Queen Elizabeth, Charles, Queen Camilla, France's Patrouille, He's, Mireille, Alexia Aubert, Elizabeth, King Charles isn't, Edouard Val de Lievre, Michael Holden, Ingrid Melander, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Notre, Dame, Arrows, Britons Locations: France, Versailles, Britain, Paris, England

☆ Charles is 'just the son': Parisians unfazed by king's visit to France
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Noemie Olive | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Charles, a fluent French speaker like his mother, is keen to walk in her footsteps and is likely to refer to the late queen's deep affection for France during the visit, officials said. All this combined together doesn't create much interest," said the 88-year old, who liked Queen Elizabeth and her horses. As part of the visit, Charles and Camilla will drive down the Champs-Elysees and view restoration works at the Notre-Dame cathedral following a massive blaze in 2019 that destroyed its roof. The trip is also a chance to rebuild ties that have been frayed by Britain's chaotic exit from the EU in 2020. In Britain, polls suggest Charles is less popular than his mother, who had strong support from much of the public.

Persons: Britain's King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Royal, Duke, Russell Cheyne, Brexit PARIS, King Charles, Queen Elizabeth, He's, Mireille, Charles, Camilla, France's Patrouille, Alexia Aubert, Elizabeth, King Charles isn't, Edouard Val de Lievre, Michael Holden, Elizabeth Pineau, Ingrid Melander, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Braemar Royal, Princess, REUTERS, Notre, Dame, Arrows, Britons, Thomson Locations: Braemar, Fife, Scotland, Britain, Paris, Bordeaux, France, Versailles, Bresse, England

The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield hit 4.399% overnight in Asia, its highest rate since early November 2007, and the two-year yield rose further above 5%. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS) shed 0.27%, while the pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) lost 1.05%, hit by lowered growth outlooks. CENTRAL BANKSGlobal central banks take stage, with five of those overseeing the 10 most-heavily traded currencies holding rate-setting meetings this week. A swathe of emerging market central banks including Turkey and South Africa will also meet. The Swedish crown sank to a record low against the euro on Monday, days before the Riksbank is expected to raise interest rates again.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, BOE, Brent, Marc Chandler, Chandler, Saira Malik, France's, Stocks, Xi, Kazuo Ueda, Herbert Lash, Nell Mackenzie, Dhara, Stella Qiu, Philippa Fletcher, Alexander Smith, Christina Fincher Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Treasury, Global, Federal, United Auto Workers, Detroit Three, Bannockburn Global, U.S, Societe Generale, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, China Evergrande, HK, CENTRAL, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, China, Bannockburn, New York, Asia, Turkey, South Africa, Swedish, London, Sydney

China property woes, geopolitical tensions and ongoing strikes also stoked worries about global growth. CENTRAL BANKSGlobal central banks take centre stage, with five of those overseeing the 10 most heavily traded currencies holding rate-setting meetings this week. A swathe of emerging market central banks such as Turkey and South Africa will also meet. In currency markets, the dollar drifted lower with the dollar index last down a touch at 105.24 but within sight of recent six-month highs. The euro gained about 0.1% to $1.0663, after slumping to a 3-1/2 month low of $1.0632 last week as the European Central Bank signalled its rate hikes could be over.

Persons: BOE, BOJ, France's, Taiwan's TSMC, Xi, James Rossiter, Rossiter, Marc Chandler, Goldman Sachs, Kazuo Ueda, Nell Mackenzie, Stella Qiu, Dhara, Philippa Fletcher, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Societe Generale, China Evergrande, HK, Technology, Reuters, TD Securities, Japan's Nikkei, Brent, . West Texas, Federal Reserve, Bannockburn Global, CENTRAL, Global, Fed, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, Treasury, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, China, United States, Japan, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Britain, Asia, U.S, London, Bannockburn, Turkey, South Africa, Europe, SYDNEY

"We are negatively surprised by lack of revenue growth, increased capital target, payout & ROTE cut, and by the lack of details," Jefferies analysts said in a note. It also said its new targets were based on annual revenue growth expectations between zero and 2% between 2022 and 2026, but that it would aim to improve its cost-to-income ratio. A SocGen veteran and former head of its investment bank, Krupa said he would streamline the bank's activities but didn't elaborate. The share price decline put SocGen on course for the biggest one-day drop since March. "It will take time for the shares to discount the cost improvement given SG's mixed track record," they said.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Krupa, Slawomir Krupa, SocGen, JP Morgan, Tassilo Hummel, Silvia Aloisi, Elisa Martinuzzi, Michal Alexandrowicz, Mathieu Rosemain, Ingrid Melander, Mark Potter Organizations: Societe Generale, La Defense, REUTERS, BNP, Jefferies, Thomson Locations: La, Paris, France, Russia

☆ Key targets in SocGen's new strategy plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A logo of French bank Societe Generale is seen on the company's skyscraper at the financial and business district of La Defense near Paris, France September 14, 2023. Here are key targets:GROWTHAnnual revenue growth expectations between 0 and 2% by 2026. In August last year, the bank said it was aiming for average annual revenue growth of at least 3% for 2021-2025. ROTETargets a 9 to 10% return on tangible equity ratio in 2026, up from a reported 5.6% ROTE at the end of June. CET1Aims for a CET1 ratio - a key measure of financial strength - of 13% in 2026, almost on par with the 13.1% reported at end of June.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Slawomir Krupa, SocGen, Krupa, Mathieu Rosemain, Ingrid Melander, Mark Potter Organizations: Societe Generale, La Defense, REUTERS, Generale's, Thomson Locations: La, Paris, France

Britain's Charles, Prince of Wales, greets France's President Emmanuel Macron ahead of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain November 1, 2021. Charles had meant to make France his first royal visit after his coronation, but the March trip was abruptly cancelled by violent French protests over pension reforms, much to Macron's embarrassment. Charles and his wife Queen Camilla are scheduled to visit Paris before heading southwest to the vineyards of Bordeaux. The day after that, Charles and Camilla will visit the flower market named after Queen Elizabeth on Paris' Ile de la Cité. "The king is always very interested in the president's analysis of major international issues," an Elysee official told Reuters.

Persons: Britain's Charles , Prince of Wales, Emmanuel Macron, Jane Barlow, Charles, Camilla, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Elizabeth's, Elizabeth, René Coty, Queen Elizabeth, Boris Johnson, torpedoing, Macron seething, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Prince Charles, Jeff Bezos, Macron, It's Prince Charles, Michel Rose, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Change, Notre, Dame, France, Windsor Castle, of Mirrors, European Union, Canberra, entente, Elysee, Reuters, Amazon, Thomson Locations: Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, France, Versailles, Bordeaux PARIS, Windsor, Paris, Bordeaux, Europe, Buckingham, of Versailles, la, United States, Australia, Ukraine, Africa

☆ Spain sees Ukraine grain ban by some EU states as illegal, France sees solidarity risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Julia Payne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Spain's agriculture minister said on Monday a unilateral ban by any European Union member state on Ukrainian grain imports seemed illegal, while France said European solidarity was at stake. Poland, Slovakia and Hungary announced their own restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports on Friday after the European Commission decided not to extend its ban on imports into Ukraine's five EU eastern European member states. Romania has become the conduit for more than 60% of Ukrainian grain moved by land and its prime minister said on Monday it may also extend the ban if import requests rise. France's agriculture minister Marc Fesneau criticised the moves, saying they called into question European solidarity. "For solidarity there needs to be unity... We must keep hold of the two elements, otherwise the European project is at risk.

Persons: Viacheslav, Spain's Luis Planas Puchades, Marc Fesneau, Fesneau, Luis Planas Puchades, Julia Payne, Sybille de la, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russian, REUTERS, Rights, Union, European Commission, CAP, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Velykomykhailivka, Dnipropetrovsk region, Rights BRUSSELS, France, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Black, Moscow, Romania

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON/DUBLIN, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Societe Generale's (SOGN.PA) much-hyped new strategy plans were given a thumbs down by investors on Monday, underscoring uncertainty over European banks as they face a brittle economy. "There are more questions about the future and the economy," Legras said, adding that transformative mergers between banks, which investors have waited for in vain, remained unlikely. Reuters GraphicsThat dampens the prospects for Europe's banks, whose valuations are low and static, said one adviser who works with top executives from the region's lenders, adding that investors struggle to see much promise for the sector. European banks' modest earning power has dampened investor appetite for their shares, which often trade at just a fraction of book value - the sum of their assets. While in the United States, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley are valued at around 1.5 times book value, Germany's Deutsche Bank, Dutch lender ABN Amro, France's Credit Agricole and Britain's Standard Chartered are valued at just half book value or less.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Jerome Legras, Legras, Slawomir Krupa, Krupa, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Frederic Rozier, Morgan Stanley, Karel Lannoo, Elisa Martinuzzi, John O'Donnell, Alexander Smith Organizations: Societe Generale, La Defense, REUTERS, Reuters, European Central Bank, European Union, Commission, Deutsche Bank, ABN Amro, France's Credit, Thomson Locations: La, Paris, France, DUBLIN, France's, Europe, United States, Germany, Mirabaud, U.S, Brussels

☆ SocGen's new boss Krupa pledges to cut costs to boost profits by 2026
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Societe Generale's new CEO Slawomir Krupa pledged on Monday to cut costs to boost profits by 2026 amid stagnating sales, in his first strategic plan for France's third-biggest listed bank. SocGen said it would target a 9 to 10% return on tangible equity ratio (ROTE) in 2026, up from a reported 5.6% ROTE at the end of June. The bank also said that it would reduce its exposure to upstream oil and gas businesses by 80% by 2030 when compared to 2019. SocGen said its new targets were based on annual revenue growth expectations between 0 and 2% by 2026. SocGen is also open to a sale of its equipment finance unit, sources have told Reuters.

Persons: Slawomir Krupa, Krupa, ambitioned, SocGen Organizations: Generale's, Basel Committee, Reuters, Finance, BNP Locations: Basel, Russia, Ukraine

☆ European shares slip with central banks in focus; Nordic Semiconductor slumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, September 15, 2023. The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) edged 0.2% lower by 0705 GMT, with healthcare (.SXDP) and rate-sensitive technology stocks (.SX8P) weighing on the index. Global central banks will take centre stage this week, with Bank of England likely to hike interest rates for the 15th time later in the week, while the Fed seems set for a hawkish pause. Nordic Semiconductor ASA (NOD.OL) shed nearly 14% after cutting its revenue guidance for the third quarter. Reporting by Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Slawomir Krupa, Bansari Mayur, Varun Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Bank of, Nordic Semiconductor ASA, Societe, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United States, Bank of England, Bengaluru

☆ 'A real big deal': Biden backs economic corridor as shifting geopolitical alliances fragment the global economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

This would in turn secure regional supply chains, boost trade connectivity and economic activity — all similar to objectives underpinning China's Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure investment strategy that Beijing launched in 2013. - | Afp | Getty ImagesThis Biden-led initiative will comprise of two separate corridors, the east corridor connecting India to the Middle East and the northern corridor connecting the Middle East to Europe. Middle East influenceChina's BRI offers a glimpse into Biden's ambition and perhaps what his infrastructure pact will come up against. Debt risksEven then, China's 10-year head start offers some cautionary lessons for Biden's global infrastructure pact. "25% of debt of emerging markets is treading in distressed territory," IMF's Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told CNBC on the sidelines of the Delhi G20 leaders' summit.

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