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☆ Italy not tied to any deadline to exit Monte Paschi, FinMin says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

View of the entrance to the headquarters of Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), the oldest bank in the world, which is facing massive layoffs as part of a planned corporate merger, in Siena, Italy, August 11, 2021. REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMARRAKECH, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Italy will exit bailed-out bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) (BMPS.MI) when market conditions are appropriate as it is not tied to any deadline, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Friday. After a failed attempt to sell the bank to UniCredit (CRDI.MI) in 2021, Italy agreed with Brussels new privatisation terms that were never fully disclosed. Both Giorgetti and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have said that the government would try to boost competition among banks with the privatisation of MPS. ($1 = 0.9499 euros)Reporting by Elisa Martinuzzi, writing by Giuseppe Fonte, editing by Jane Merriman and Gavin JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgetti, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Elisa Martinuzzi, Giuseppe Fonte, Jane Merriman, Gavin Jones Organizations: Monte, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, MPS, Banco, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, Rights MARRAKECH, Rome, UniCredit, Brussels, Marrakech

☆ Top Italy court confirms acquittals in Monte dei Paschi derivatives case
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Marco Carta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

View of the entrance to the headquarters of Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), the oldest bank in the world, which is facing massive layoffs as part of a planned corporate merger, in Siena, Italy, August 11, 2021. Among the 15 defendants cleared by Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation were former MPS Chairman Giuseppe Mussari and its former Managing Director Antonio Vigni and Deutsche (DBKGn.DE) and Nomura (8604.T). The appeals court cancelled seizures imposed on Deutsche Bank and Nomura Holdings Inc (8604.T) for 64.9 million and 88 million euros, respectively. The case centred on two derivatives transactions — dubbed Alexandria and Santorini — that Nomura and Deutsche Bank arranged for MPS in 2009. MPS, the world's oldest bank still in business and Italy's fifth biggest listed lender, had reached a court settlement in 2016 in the derivatives case at a cost of 10.6 million euros.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Siena, Giuseppe Mussari, Antonio Vigni, Nomura, Marco Carta, Keith Weir, Valentina Za Organizations: Monte, REUTERS, Rights, Monte dei, Deutsche Bank, Nomura, Italy's, Cassation, Deutsche, Nomura Holdings Inc, MPS, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, Milan, Alexandria

The government last week revisited a 40% tax on banks' net interest margin (NIM) that it had introduced in a shock move in August. Lenders now have the option to boost reserves by an amount equivalent to 2.5 times the tax. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Sept. 27 the final outcome of the process would be "a great bank policy measure" that makes Italy's banks the strongest in Europe. The law requires banks that forego the tax to set aside money under ad hoc reserves in their accounts. If forced to boost capital through the ad hoc reserves, banks can use larger buybacks over time to compensate shareholders, one of the sources said.

Persons: Giancarlo Giorgetti, Remo Casilli, Banks, Luigi Lovaglio, Andrea Orcel, Giorgia Meloni, Giorgetti, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Treasury, Economy, European Central Bank, Monte, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, ROME, Europe, Monte dei, Siena

☆ Italy plans 21-billion euro asset sell-off to keep debt in check
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Italy aims to raise at least 1% of gross domestic product (GDP), or roughly 21 billion euros ($22.2 billion), through asset sales between 2024 and 2026, the Treasury said in its Economic and Financial Document (DEF) published on Saturday. The plan is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's efforts to keep in check the euro zone's second-largest debt pile as a proportion of GDP, while investors keep a close eye on Rome's creaking public finances. The new targets factor in the proceeds of asset disposals expected in the next three years, the DEF said, showing that without the sell-off plans the debt burden would probably rise. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said in the document that the stake sales would involve companies that are subject to privatisation commitments already agreed with the European Commission. This is a reference to bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) (BMPS.MI), which was bailed-out in 2017 at a cost of 5.4 billion euros for taxpayers.

Persons: Giorgia, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgetti, Giuseppe Conte, Giuseppe Fonte, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Treasury, Economy, European Commission, Monte, Thomson Locations: Italy, Siena

☆ OpenAI's GPTBot and other AI web crawlers are being blocked by even more companies now
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Unique, high quality data, mainly scraped from the web, is vital to the performance of AI models. AdvertisementAdvertisementMore and more companies are trying to avoid having their data freely scraped and saved by web crawlers working for the benefit of AI models. Last month, OpenAI last revealed its own crawler, GPTBot, saying it would respect robots.txt, a decades-old method through which a website can tell a web crawler to ignore it. Many more companies are now also blocking CCBot, a web crawler used by Common Crawl. AdvertisementAdvertisementSee below for a full list of the biggest websites now blocking GPTBot and CCBot as of Sept. 22:Blocking GPTBotamazon.comquora.comnytimes.comtheguardian.comshutterstock.comwikihow.comcnn.comsciencedirect.comusatoday.comhealthline.comstackexchange.comalamy.comscribd.comwebmd.combusinessinsider.comdictionary.comreuters.comwashingtonpost.commedicalnewstoday.comnpr.orgcbsnews.comgoodhousekeeping.comamazon.co.uktumblr.comlatimes.cominsider.comglassdoor.comvocabulary.cominvestopedia.comslideshare.netamazon.decosmopolitan.comnbcnews.comindiamart.comstackoverflow.comhindustantimes.combloomberg.comcnbc.compeople.comtvtropes.orgamazon.invimeo.comverywellhealth.comikea.comespn.comindianexpress.comthesaurus.compbs.org123rf.comwattpad.comvariety.comtoday.compopsugar.comthespruce.comuol.com.bramazon.frgeeksforgeeks.orgelle.comeconomictimes.compcmag.comtheverge.comallrecipes.comthoughtco.comrollingstone.comwired.comnextdoor.comhollywoodreporter.comabc.net.auew.comamazon.canews18.comwomenshealthmag.comrateyourmusic.comamazon.co.jptechradar.comairbnb.comndtv.comlifewire.comtomsguide.comvulture.comeverydayhealth.compolygon.comtheconversation.comesquire.comprnewswire.combillboard.commenshealth.commetro.co.ukcountryliving.commashable.comgamesradar.comthehindu.comtimesofindia.comdeadline.comharpersbazaar.commedscape.comnymag.comrefinery29.comradiotimes.comcbssports.comtandfonline.comtheatlantic.comtrulia.comamazon.espinterest.esnationalgeographic.combhg.comeater.comsouthernliving.comhealthgrades.comvice.compicclick.combustle.comnewyorker.comeonline.comdigitalspy.comopentable.compinterest.dethepioneerwoman.comcaranddriver.combyrdie.comlivemint.commedicinenet.comteacherspayteachers.comcookpad.comthespruceeats.combizjournals.compagesjaunes.frliputan6.comdelish.commasterclass.comarchiveofourown.orgvox.comrealsimple.comaarp.orgfrancetvinfo.frpinterest.frkumparan.comtheathletic.comtravelandleisure.comvogue.comlivescience.comapartments.commarketwatch.comglamour.comamazon.itcinemablend.comthrillist.comamazon.com.brpinterest.co.ukangi.comalamy.esusmagazine.comdistractify.combbcgoodfood.comjagran.commercadolibre.com.mxandroidauthority.comcity-data.comfoodandwine.comhellomagazine.comamazon.com.augq.comingles.comamarujala.comieee.orgprevention.comstern.dekbb.comedmunds.commarthastewart.compcgamer.comjustanswer.comhealth.com20minutes.frfortune.comhomes.comscientificamerican.compopularmechanics.comverywellfit.comvanityfair.comchicagotribune.comverywellmind.comhousebeautiful.comcntraveler.comallure.comspanishdict.comneverbounce.comanswers.commoneycontrol.comarchitecturaldigest.comslate.comlonelyplanet.cominverse.comcorriere.itactu.frself.comtripsavvy.cominstyle.comeatingwell.comsuperuser.comwelt.despiegel.dewomansday.comseventeen.comhbr.orgoprahdaily.comautotrader.combonappetit.comsueddeutsche.deseriouseats.comliveabout.comseattletimes.comcoursera.orglivehindustan.comfrance24.comtownandcountrymag.comdotesports.comworldplaces.mefaz.netteenvogue.commotor1.comnj.comglamourmagazine.co.ukokdiario.combrides.comstylecaster.comalamyimages.frjagranjosh.comtheglobeandmail.comaxios.comfrancebleu.frtabelog.comthebalancemoney.comnydailynews.comsheknows.comnaomedical.comverywellfamily.comBlocking CCBot

Persons: —, OpenAI, GPTbot, Conde Nast, Masterclass, Kelly, robots.txt, verywellhealth.com, indianexpress.com Organizations: Service, Amazon, Guardian, NPR, CBS News, CBS Sports, NBC News, CNBC, Yorker, Hearst, New York Times Locations: USA, Europe, Originality.ai, androidauthority.com

Cinven this month signed an accord with GIC, Singapore's sovereign fund, and another two investors to purchase from them 140 million euros of Tier2 Eurovita bonds, the source added. Cinven, which acquired Eurovita in 2017, also launched a tender offer to buy back another 20 million euros of bonds from investors including Italian financial institutions, so that only around 9 million remain outstanding, the source said. Italian insurance authorities placed Eurovita under special administration this year, the first time they have taken such a step, after rising rates blew a hole in the life insurer's cash reserves. Instead, Cinven was asked to carry out the debt buyback and cancel the bonds to support a solvent liquidation, one of the people added. Like other life insurers, especially those relying on banks to sell products, Eurovita was hit by early redemptions once rates started rising and savers sought better returns.

Persons: Matthew Childs, Cinven, Eurovita, Assicurazioni, Valentina Za, Emilio Parodi, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, GIC, Germany's Allianz, Allianz, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Cinven

☆ Larger Italian banks still seen paying one-off tax despite opt-out offer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The government sparked a market rout last month with the surprise announcement of a 40% tax on the profits banks are reaping from rising interest rates. The option would benefit banks that hold a higher proportion of Italian government bonds among their assets relative to loans. Banca Akros and broker Equita also expect most banks to pay the tax. Equita also said paying the levy would allow lenders to maintain more flexibility over their remuneration policy. Switching the tax basis to risk-weighted assets helps banks which have a lower 'risk density', meaning the average risk weight per unit of exposure.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Equita, Akros, Siena, Valentina Za, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Generale, Banca Akros, ICCREA, Bank, Banca Generali, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, Italy's

☆ Italy has no buyers for Monte dei Paschi, eyes small share sales instead of exit, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General view of a branch of Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), the oldest bank in the world, which is facing massive layoffs as part of a planned business merger, in Siena, Italy, August 11 2021. Reuters was first in May to report the Treasury was open to selling down its Monte dei Paschi (MPS) stake on the market if conditions were right. Though the Treasury is considering cutting its stake with share placements, it would retain majority ownership, one of the sources said. Bankers said the capital raise has made any deal more expensive for any buyer, complicating the prospect for a merger. Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Roma and Valentina Za in Milan; editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Rome, Luigi Lovaglio, Lovaglio, Giuseppe Fonte, Valentina Za, Alvise Organizations: REUTERS, European, Reuters, Treasury, EU, MPS, Banco, Bankers, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, Roma, Milan

"There's a trip next week to India, a number of countries are going to sort of verify certain elements of implementation. Belgium, which is not in the G7 but is a member of the European Union, has been blocking any sanctions on Russian diamonds sought by hawks in the EU. A leading Russia critic, Poland this week launched a fresh call for EU sanctions on Russian diamonds, the sales of which brought Moscow more than $4.5 billion in 2022. The EU bought some $1.5 billion worth of Russian diamonds last year. Following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Washington imposed sanctions on Alrosa and barred the import of non-industrial diamonds of Russian origin into the United States.

Persons: Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk, Gabriela Baczynska, Howard Goller Organizations: Biden, Reuters, U.S, United Nations, European Union, EU, Thomson Locations: India, United States, Belgium, Mumbai, Surat, Russia, New York, Antwerp, Ukraine, Moscow, Poland, Washington

The plan could transform the global diamond supply chain, but implementation will depend heavily on India, whose diamond industry employs millions of people who cut and polish 90% of the world's diamonds. If it goes ahead as anticipated, it would split the global consumer diamond market. The EU bought 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) worth of Russian diamonds last year, based on data from Eurostat, as the EU has not banned Russian gem imports nor blacklisted Alrosa. As of 2021, global rough diamond sales totalled $16.4 billion, while demand for polished diamonds was $28 billion, the De Beers report showed. "I think the G7 officials involved with this are taking it quite seriously and I believe they will strictly enforce it.

Persons: Belgium's, Alrosa, De Beers, Paul Zimnisky, Zimnisky, Julia Payne, Polina Devitt, Clara Denina, Shivangi Acharya, Rajendra Jadhav, Toby Chopra, David Holmes, Veronica Brown, Jane Merriman Organizations: EU, Eurostat, De Beers, De, Industry, Belgian, Jewellery Export, Thomson Locations: India, Antwerp, BRUSSELS, LONDON, Ukraine, Belgium, Brussels, Russia, United States, INDIA, AFRICA, Africa

☆ Italy poised to shake up Treasury with new unit for state-run firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The audit court on Thursday approved the decree needed to set up the unit, the sources said, despite making critical observations about some aspects of it. Giorgetti has approached former banker Marcello Sala, currently director for investor relations at the Treasury, to lead the department, they added. Under the reorganisation plan, the influential Treasury department within the ministry led by veteran economist Riccardo Barbieri would be split into two units. The Treasury will continue to supervise public debt management, macroeconomic policies, European and international relations as well as financial regulation. ($1 = 0.9323 euros)Additional reporting by Valentina Za in Milan Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sala, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgetti, Marcello Sala, Antonino Turicchi, Dario Scannapieco, Riccardo Barbieri, Valentina Za, Christina Fincher Organizations: Treasury, Economy, ITA Airways, Department, Thomson Locations: ROME, Italy, Siena, Milan

FILE PHOTO-Italy's Minister of Economy and Finance Giancarlo Giorgetti delivers a speech at the G7 High-Level Corporate Governance Roundtable in Niigata on May 11, 2023. "It may be that the tax is inappropriate, it can certainly be improved upon ... but I do not accept that it is considered an unfair tax," Giorgetti said at The European House - Ambrosetti economic forum. Bank shares tumbled before the economy ministry clarified that the new tax would amount to no more than 0.1% of their total assets. Forza Italia is also seeking an exemption for small banks and wants a guarantee the levy will not be extended beyond 2023. Giorgetti did not comment on his government ally's proposals on the bank tax.

Persons: Finance Giancarlo Giorgetti, KAZUHIRO, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgetti, Antonio Tajani, Siena, Giselda Vagnoni, Giancarlo Navach, Hugh Lawson, David Evans Organizations: Economy, Finance, Bank, League, Forza Italia, Monte, Thomson Locations: Niigata, Italy, Cernobbio

☆ Italian bank tax flip-flop leaves lasting scars
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Aug 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The Italian government has raced to soothe bank investors spooked by its ill-thought-out bank windfall tax. The government has now said that the levy will be capped at 0.1% of total assets. If so, and applied to banks’ Italian businesses, then the total haul would be just under 2 billion euros, according to UBS. Still, bank shares have only partially recovered. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: tanking, Siena, That’s, Giorgia Meloni, Neil Unmack, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Banca Monte dei, UBS, Banca, Banco, Twitter, Siemens, Thomson

☆ Italy’s bank tax may be anything but “one-off”
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Italy's Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini attends the upper house of parliament ahead of a confidence vote for the new government, in Rome, Italy, October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneLONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - As summer surprises go, the one Matteo Salvini sprung on Italy’s banking sector on Monday evening was as unwelcome as they get. In a late-night press conference, Italy’s deputy prime minister announced a windfall levy on lenders’ profits to help pay for cheaper mortgages and income tax cuts. The government is looking to raise less than 3 billion euros from the tax, Reuters reported citing sources close to the matter. Shares in Italy’s two largest banks – Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MI) and UniCredit (CRDI.MI) – dropped more than 5% in morning trading.

Persons: Matteo Salvini, Guglielmo Mangiapane, –, Siena, Francesco Guerrera, headwinds, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto Organizations: Italy's, REUTERS, Guglielmo Mangiapane LONDON, Reuters, Banco, Banca Monte dei, Twitter, Siemens, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Spain, Hungary

☆ Italy's MPS sees 2023 profit above 1 billion euros after tenfold rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO-The logo of Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank is seen in a bank entrance in Rome, Italy August 16, 2018. Like peers, Monte dei Paschi (MPS) reaped the benefits of higher rates which have allowed banks to charge more for loans while what they pay out on deposits lags. To fund the voluntary staff exits by sending people into early retirement, Lovaglio oversaw a 2.5 billion euro ($2.7 billion) capital raise in tough markets last November. Shares in MPS traded 3.5% higher by late morning at 2.568 euros each. Core revenues jumped 10% on a quarterly basis to 941 million euros, leapfrogging expectations, with net interest income nearly doubling from last year and up 15% from the first quarter.

Persons: Max Rossi, Siena, Monte, Luigi Lovaglio, Lovaglio, Andrea Orcel, Valentina Za, Alvise Armellini, Keith Weir Organizations: REUTERS, STATE, MPS, Bankers, Thomson Locations: dei, Siena, Rome, Italy, MILAN

☆ Russian hackers crash Italian bank websites - cyber agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Italy's cyber security agency on Tuesday said it had detected hacker attacks against websites of at least five banks, which temporarily made it impossible to access some of their services. A spokesperson for the agency told Reuters that targeted banks included Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MI), Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS.MI) and BPER Banca (EMII.MI), along with FinecoBank (FBK.MI) and Banca Popolare di Sondrio (BPSI.MI). The agency "identified the reactivation of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack campaigns by pro-Russian ... groups against national institutional subjects," a statement said. In DDoS attacks, hackers attempt to flood a network with unusually high volumes of data traffic in order to paralyse it. The agency said it provided swift assistance to the firms targeted by attacks from activists in the Noname057(16) group in order to mitigate any impact.

Persons: Intesa, Siena, Angelo Amante, Valentina Za Organizations: Reuters, BPER Banca, Banca Popolare, Thomson

☆ Ghost of Silicon Valley Bank turns up in Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The rapid collapse of Silicon Valley Bank earlier this year was largely down to an ill-advised bond portfolio and liabilities that were less sticky than assumed. While Italy’s Eurovita isn’t a bank, its demise has some similarities with events across the Atlantic. Eurovita, whose 2022 balance sheet was only about 15 billion euros, chiefly offered life insurance products that guaranteed policyholders’ invested capital and a fixed annual return. Follow @LJucca on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSItaly’s top four insurers and Germany’s Allianz have agreed a multibillion-euro rescue deal for ailing life insurer Eurovita, industry supervisor IVASS said on June 30. The deal also involves banks that sold the insurance products through their networks.

Persons: policyholders ’, Cinven, Intesa, redemptions, Eurovita, Marco Sesana, weren’t, IVASS, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: MILAN, Reuters, Banco, Reuters Breakingviews, Allianz, Germany’s Allianz, Thomson Locations: Silicon, Eurovita

☆ Italy's top insurers, banks strike Eurovita rescue deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, June 30 (Reuters) - Italy's top four insurers and Germany's Allianz (ALVG.DE) have agreed a multi-billion euro rescue deal for Eurovita, industry supervisor IVASS said on Friday after months of work to broker an accord which also involves 25 banks. Earlier this year, Eurovita became the first Italian insurance company to be placed under special administration, after running into trouble due to higher interest rates. Insurers Generali (GASI.MI), Intesa Sanpaolo Vita (PST.MI), Poste Vita (PST.MI), UnipolSAI (US.MI) and Allianz will set up a new company that will take on Eurovita life insurance policies. To prevent the five insurers from being hit by redemptions once the ban is lifted, banks that sold Eurovita the products are participating in the rescue. The lenders will provide financing to repay Eurovita customers who redeem their policies, while holding the underlying bonds to maturity and neutralising any losses.

Persons: IVASS, Eurovita, redemptions, Intesa, Vitale &, Gatti Pavesi Bianchi, Valentina Za, Alvise Armellini, Alexander Smith Organizations: MILAN, Germany's Allianz, Allianz, Banco, Credit Agricole, Thomson Locations: Eurovita

☆ Serbia releases three detained Kosovo policemen, easing crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The European Union welcomed the move and urged Kosovo and Serbia to take further steps to defuse the simmering crisis, including holding new local elections in northern Kosovo. [1/5]One of the released Kosovan policemen (L) arrives at the Kosovo-Serbia border crossing, in Merdare, Kosovo June 26, 2023. The ruling effectively allowed the Serb authorities to maintain the charges while letting the three return to Kosovo, beyond the reach of the Serb court. Albanian-majority Kosovo, formerly a southern province of Serbia, declared independence from Belgrade in 2008 with the backing of the West following a 1998-99 war. Violence flared in four northern Kosovo municipalities late last month after ethnic Albanian mayors took office following a local election.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Albin Kurti, Kurti, Oliver Varhelyi, Aleksandar Vasovic, Fatos, Andrew Gray, Toby Chopra, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson Organizations: European Union, Prosecutors, REUTERS, Court, Kosovo's, Twitter, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, Serbia, Kosovo, Luxembourg, United States, Merdare, Serbian, Kraljevo, Belgrade, Serbs, Brussels, Washington, EU, Pristina

☆ Opinion | Fareed Zakaria on Where Russia’s War in Ukraine Stands — and Much More
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +96 min

Obviously, the line is not perfect, but I think that’s a very sensible line. And I don’t think that’s all about absorption capability. But I don’t think it’s fair to say that the Russians have done everything they can. fareed zakaria[LAUGHS] And by the way, I think that’s some key to understanding the alliance is a personal one. I think India, Israel, and Poland — usually, in the 70 percent-plus say they like — have a favorable view of America.

Persons: ezra klein, it’s, Fareed Zakaria, Zakaria, “ Fareed Zakaria, fareed zakaria, Ezra, Putin, They’ve, there’s, fareed zakaria It’s, they’re, It’s, Fidel Castro, Sean Penn, haven’t, you’re, won’t, Biden, They’re, Washington, Winston Churchill, Merkel, wouldn’t, —, Nancy Gibbs, Khomeini, Macron, Ron DeSantis, YouGov, fareed zakaria I’m, that’s, DeSantis, Lindsey Grahams, Mitch McConnell, Xi Jinping, ezra klein Yes, Xi, Gorbachev, Zelensky, Trump, Obama, Bush, United States —, McCarthy’s, I’ve, they’d, doesn’t, didn’t, ezra klein They’re, fareed zakaria They’re, we’ve, Simpson, I’m, Janet Yellen, Colin Powell, unquote, That’s, Jonathan Haidt, We’ve, he’s, fareed zakaria That’s, they’ve, fareed zakaria Well, gee, TikTok, we’re, George Kennan, Mike Gallagher, klein, Nirupama Rao, Bob Kagan, can’t, — fareed zakaria, Lord Mountbatten, Gandhi, Franklin Roosevelt, Ho Chi Minh, fareed zakaria Right, narratively —, Modi, you’ve, China’s —, fareed zakaria Modi, India’s, Advani, Vajpayee, you’d, There’s, India, Joe Biden, fareed zakaria I’ve, Benedict Anderson’s “, Orville Schell, John Delury, Sunil Khilnani, ezra klein Fareed Zakaria Organizations: CNN, The Washington Post, Putin, Starbucks, Russia, Revolutionary Guard, NATO, Ukrainian, Communist, European Union, U.S, Republican Party’s, Republican Party, Republicans, ASEAN, Trump, Defense, United, U.S ., Democrats, Chinese Communist Party, State, Facebook, Google, Soviet Union, Huawei, Twitter, South China Seas, Foreign Affairs, Yale Law, International Criminal, South China, . Security, Trade Organization, Pax Americana, Americana, New York Fed, America, Republican, Fox, Beijing Locations: ezra klein Russia, Ukraine, Russia, America, Europe, China, India, Russian, United States, Relatedly, Japan, Turkey, Holland, South Korea, Singapore, Iran, Venezuela, Central America, Southeast Asia, Washington, Britain, ‘, U.S, United Europe, Germany, Soviet Union, Vietnam, Beijing, Trump, Asia, Iraq, Hainan, Montana, Republic, Soviet, weirdly, South, Taiwan, Pakistan, New Delhi, South Africa, Kuwait, Russia’s, Eden, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Kashmir, it’s, Cuba, Pax, American, Mumbai, Shanghai, Israel, Poland, Indian, Nigeria

☆ The Most Common Eating Disorder in the U.S. Is Also the Least Understood
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States. What is binge eating disorder? Binge eating disorder is a relative newcomer in the world of diagnosable mental health conditions; it entered the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which clinicians and researchers use to classify mental health conditions, 10 years ago this month. But the behaviors of binge eating disorder are distinct, he said. People with binge eating disorder also tend to eat more quickly than usual during an episode; many also eat in secret and grapple with guilt, said Kelly Allison, the director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at the University of Pennsylvania.

Persons: Cynthia Bulik, they’ve, ”, Timothy Walsh, ‘, ’ ”, Holly Peek, Kelly Allison Organizations: National Institute of Mental Health, University of North Carolina’s Center, Excellence, Disorders, McLean Hospital, Center, University of Pennsylvania Locations: United States, Massachusetts

☆ These European companies cut jobs this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TECH* ERICSSON (ERICb.ST): the telecom equipment maker will lay off 8,500 employees globally as part of its plan to cut costs, a memo seen by Reuters said. * NOKIA (NOKIA.HE): the Finnish telecom equipment maker said on May 3 it plans to cut up to 208 jobs in Finland. * PHILIPS (PHG.AS): the Dutch medical equipment maker on Jan. 30 said it would cut 6,000 jobs to counter falling sales and after a massive recall of its respiratory machines. * SAP (SAPG.DE): the German software company said on Jan. 26 it planned to shed 3,000 jobs, 2.5% of its global workforce, to cut costs and focus on its cloud business. * EVONIK (EVKn.DE): the German specialty chemicals producer said on April 3 it would cut 200 jobs as part of restructuring of its pet food unit.

☆ Spain gives Vivendi approval to raise stake in media group Prisa
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Spanish government has given authorisation for Vivendi to exchange the Prisa convertible bonds it acquired in February into equity, Prisa said in a statement. Heavily-indebted Prisa had sold 130 million euros ($143 million) worth of convertible bonds in a move to reduce its debt. Prisa said if Vivendi were the only bondholder to convert its bonds into equity, its stake would rise to 15%. Vivendi had built its stake in Prisa by first acquiring a 7.89% stake from HSBC for 52 million euros ($57.25 million). Prisa's largest single shareholder is activist fund Amber Capital, led by French investor Joseph Oughourlian, with a 29.57% stake, Refinitiv Eikon information shows.

ROME, May 5 (Reuters) - Italy's Treasury is open to reducing its 64% stake in Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) (BMPS.MI) through one or more share sales on the market, three people briefed on the matters told Reuters. After rescuing MPS at a cost of 5.4 billion euros ($6 billion) for taxpayers, Rome pumped another 1.6 billion into the Tuscan bank last November when it covered 64% of a 2.5 billion euro capital raise. MPS had to raise fresh capital to fund staff exits and replenish its capital reserves after the Treasury failed to clinch a sale of the bank to UniCredit (CRDI.MI) in 2021. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said several times that MPS's privatisation should foster the creation of several large banking groups in the country. ($1 = 0.9081 euros)Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Rome and Valentina Za in Milan; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy pushes to limit executive pay in listed state-run firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Top managers' multi-million euro salaries and handsome bonuses have come into focus at a time when Italian families are struggling with an inflation rate that neared 9% in April, well above the euro zone average. According to the government draft, the Treasury will work to "contain management costs" when shareholders vote on remuneration policies at state-controlled listed companies. Monte dei Paschi already applies curbs to executives' pay as a bank that was bailed out by the state in 2017. Under terms agreed with European Union authorities, the total remuneration of any MPS executive may not exceed 10 times the average salary of its employees in 2022. Additional reporting by Gavin Jones; Editing by Gavin Jones and Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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