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☆ Putin to welcome Xi to Moscow under shadow of Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a ceremony dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China, in Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia June 5, 2019. Sergei Ilnitsky/Pool via ReutersMarch 20 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will expect Chinese President Xi Jinping to show solidarity against western hegemony when he arrives in Moscow on Monday, while Xi will present China as a global peacemaker intent on brokering an end to the Ukraine war. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has previously made clear he will accept nothing short of Russia's full withdrawal from Ukrainian territory. We welcome China's willingness to play a constructive role in resolving the crisis," Putin said. Ukrainian forces have held out in Bakhmut since last summer in the longest and bloodiest battle of the year-long war.

☆ Xi: China's proposal on Ukraine reflects unity of global views
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 20 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that Beijing's proposal on how to solve the Ukraine crisis reflects global views and seeks to neutralise consequences, but acknowledged that the solutions are not easy. The China proposal, a 12-point paper released last month, represents "as much as possible the unity of the world community's views," Xi wrote in an article in Rossiiskaya Gazeta, a daily published by the Russian government, according to Reuters' translation from Russian. Xi has been seeking to present China as a global peace maker and project it as a responsible great power. A peaceful resolution to the situation in Ukraine, Xi wrote, would also "ensure the stability of global production and supply chains." "There is no universal model of government and there is no world order where the decisive word belongs to a single country," Xi wrote.

China's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment about the researchers' findings. Reuters could not determine how closely the conclusions reflect the thinking among China's military leaders. A U.S. defence official told Reuters that despite differences with the situation in Taiwan, the Ukraine war offered insights for China. The conflict has also forged an apparent consensus among Chinese researchers that drone warfare merits greater investment. Beyond the battlefield, the work has covered the information war, which the researchers conclude was won by Ukraine and its allies.

☆ Russia journal: Moscow mulls possible use of nuclear arms to fend off US attack -RIA
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A general view shows buildings damaged by a Russian military strike, amid their attack on Ukraine, in the frontline city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Alex BabenkoMarch 2 (Reuters) - A Russian defence ministry journal says Moscow is developing a new type of military strategy using nuclear weapons to protect against possible U.S. aggression, RIA news agency reported on Thursday. This, it continued, "presupposes the use of modern strategic offensive and defensive, nuclear and non-nuclear weapons, taking into account the latest military technologies". Russian President Vladimir Putin last week suspended a landmark nuclear arms control treaty, announced new strategic systems had been put on combat duty, and threatened to resume nuclear tests. Although Moscow says it would only use nuclear weapons in case Russia's territorial integrity were threatened, Putin allies have regularly suggested calamity could be close.

☆ Electric vehicles throw Palladium's mega-rally into reverse
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Peter Hobson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

(Graphic: Palladium's rally, )Powering the rally was rising demand from automakers who needed more palladium per vehicle to meet tightening emissions standards. Electric vehicles (EVs) that do not need palladium are gaining market share and automakers are substituting some palladium for cheaper platinum in combustion engine vehicles. (Graphic: Palladium supply from recycled vehicles, )That will shift the roughly 11 million ounce a year market to a surplus of nearly a million ounces in 2027, they said. (Graphic: Palladium market balance, )But it is too early to rule out short-term upward moves. (Graphic: Palladium speculators, )

☆ Gold little changed ahead of key U.S. inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Gold prices were hemmed into a narrow range on Wednesday as investors held back from making large bets ahead of key U.S. inflation data due later this week. Spot gold was little changed at $1,875.68 per ounce as of 0242 GMT, hovering near the eight-month high hit on Monday. U.S. gold futures rose 0.2% to $1,879.30. "If the data shows that inflation is softer, then gold might go north of the $1,900 level. Gold is considered an inflation hedge but is highly sensitive to rising interest rates, which increases the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding bullion.

☆ South Korea to spend $440 mln until 2027 to counter North Korea drones
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Dec 28 (Reuters) - South Korea plans to spend 560 billion won ($441.26 million) over the next five years to beef up its ability to fend off North Korean drones, Seoul's defence ministry said on Wednesday. The plan was included in South Korea's midterm defence blueprint for 2023-27 after North Korean drones crossed into the South in the first such intrusion since 2017. Monday's incident triggered criticism over South Korea's air defences as it tries to curb the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats. As part of efforts to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the ministry seeks to procure more stealth jets, which it said would bolster real-time strike capabilities against moving targets. This year's budget stood at 54.6 trillion won.

☆ Scaloni heads into final as the coach who made Messi and Argentina smile again
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"He can't even direct traffic, how come he will direct the national team. They have since created a bond that has allowed a rejuvenated Messi to enjoy his best years with the national team. It was that which arguably gave them the foundation to regroup after their shock loss to Saudi Arabia in their World Cup opener. Representing my country is an emotional thing," Scaloni told reporters after Argentina swept past Croatia 3-0 in their World Cup semi-final. Thanks to Scaloni's acumen, Argentina are on the brink of glory - and while Messi will claim the attention, his coach deserves his share of the plaudits.

☆ Platinum deficit expected in 2023 after bumper surpluses, WPIC says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) said on Tuesday it expected a deficit of the metal used in vehicle exhausts, industry and jewellery in 2023 after a hefty surplus this year. The World Platinum Investment Council expects the market to swing into deficit in 2023. Manufacturers are also replacing palladium with cheaper platinum to save money, with such substitution accounting for 340,000 ounces of platinum demand this year and just over 500,000 ounces in 2023, the WPIC said. "This could lead to an even further tightening of the platinum market next year," he said. ANNUAL PLATINUM SUPPLY/DEMAND ('000 oz)*QUARTERLY PLATINUM SUPPLY/DEMAND ('000 oz)** Source: World Platinum Investment Council, Platinum Quarterly Q3 2022Reporting by Peter Hobson.

☆ EU backs watering down of final Basel bank capital rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - European Union member states have backed a temporary watering down and two-year delay to 2025 for the final leg of the globally agreed Basel III bank capital rules, the Czech EU presidency said on Tuesday. EU states will now negotiate a final deal with the European Parliament in early 2023. Most of the Basel III rules, a set of tougher capital rules for banks after the global financial crisis more than a decade ago, have already been implemented. EU ministers backed a two-year delay to the start date for rolling out the final rules, pushing it back to January, 2025. Smaller banks would benefit from simpler disclosure, and EU states pushed back against attempts at stricter EU harmonisation in checking whether top bank staff are 'fit and proper'.

☆ Jordan seeks more coordination with Russia to bring stability to southern Syria
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMMAN, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Jordan and Russia have agreed to step up coordination in tackling instability in southern Syria, which Amman blames on Iran-linked militias and multi-billion dollar drug smuggling across its border, Jordan's foreign minister said on Thursday. Ayman al Safadi was speaking after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that centered on south Syria to "neutralise the potential dangers of instability" in the area. The danger of drug smuggling to Jordan and across its territory by hostile militias," Safadi told a news conference. The growing influence of Iranian-backed militias including Lebanon's Hezbollah group in southern Syria in recent years has already alarmed both Jordan and Israel. "With the continued situation in the south (Syria), the kingdom will do what is needed to preserve its national security," Safadi said.

☆ Analysis: Arabs view revived Netanyahu with concern but as balance against Iran
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister predicted a new maritime border deal would hold, while Palestinians and Jordanian experts forecast new strains. "Netanyahu was part of the Abraham Accords and signed it so there is no change in the course of normalisation," he said. But in Jordan, home to millions of Palestinian refugees and their families, his expected triumph was met with concern. "Today the Israeli right is talking about expelling Palestinians, they are saying there is no (Palestinian) state ..so what is left for Arabs?" Netanyahu "has been terrible for even the semblance of a peace process which Egypt officially upholds," he said.

☆ WHO 'strongly advises against' use of two COVID treatments
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A woman holds a small bottle labelled with a "Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken October 30, 2020. The virus has since evolved, and mounting evidence from lab tests suggests the two therapies - sotrovimab as well as casirivimab-imdevimab - have limited clinical activity against the latest iterations of the virus. Another COVID therapy that emerged early in pandemic was Gilead's (GILD.O) antiviral remdesivir. The WHO expanded its conditional recommendation for the drug, advising that it can be used in patients with severe COVID as well as non-severe COVID patients at the highest risk of hospitalization. There are a handful of existing COVID therapeutics that remain useful in the fight against the virus, and others in development that are expected to also benefit patients.

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