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☆ More than 500 migrants arrive in Italy as rescue ships dock
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Italy, which has vowed a tough line on immigration, took in more than 500 migrants on Sunday as two charity rescue ships were allowed to dock at ports in the south of the country after several days at sea in bad weather. The Geo Barents ship, operated by the Doctors without Borders (MSF) charity and which had 248 migrants aboard, arrived in Salerno in the southwestern region of Campania, MSF said. On the other side of the country, the Humanity 1, another rescue vessel run by the charity SOS Humanity, docked in the port city of Bari after the Italian authorities agreed to grant it permission. It accuses the charity ships of making it easier for economic migrants to reach Italy and playing into the hands of people traffickers. On Wednesday, a baby was born on the same vessel and later flown with his mother and three siblings to Italy.

☆ Saudi Arabia's GDP grows 8.8% year-on-year in Q3 -statistics authority
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's economy grew by 8.8% in the third quarter of 2022 compared to the same period a year earlier, mainly due to a sharp increase in oil-related activity, according to official estimates released on Sunday. Oil activities grew by 14.2% year-on-year in the third quarter, but GDP growth was also boosted by 6% growth in non-oil activities, the General Authority of Statistics data showed, though non-oil activity fell 0.5% quarter-on-quarter. The statistics authority said GDP at current prices amounted to 1.036 trillion riyals ($275.53 billion) in the third quarter, with crude petroleum and natural gas activities contributing 35.2%. The non-oil private sector contributed 50.7% to overall GDP. ($1 = 3.7600 riyals)Reporting by Rachna Uppal; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Serbs in Kosovo block roads, clash with police as ethnic tensions worsen
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In recent weeks Serbs in northern Kosovo, a hotbed of Serb nationalism, have met attempts by Pristina which they see as anti-Serb with violent resistance. Barricades must be removed immediately by groups of Kosovo Serbs. For a second day on Sunday, trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles blocked several main roads in northern Kosovo that lead to two border crossings with Serbia. After Saturday's incidents, Goran Rakic, the head of the Serbian List party, which is supported by Belgrade, called on Serbs in northern Kosovo to show restraint and cooperate with NATO peacekeepers and EULEX. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with the backing of the West, following a 1998-1999 war in which NATO intervened to protect Albanian-majority Kosovo.

☆ Germany to tighten gun laws after suspected coup plot, interior minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Lisi NiesnerBERLIN, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Germany plans to tighten its gun laws in the wake of a suspected plot by a far-right group to violently overthrow the government and install a minor royal as national leader, its interior minister said in an interview published on Sunday. German police last week arrested 25 people suspected of involvement in the plot, which has shocked many in one of Europe's most stable democracies. "These are not harmless crazy people but suspected terrorists who are now sitting in pre-trial detention," Faeser was quoted as saying. "We need all authorities to exert maximum pressure" to remove their weapons, Faeser was quoted as saying, which was why the government would "shortly further tighten gun laws". Prior to the raids, authorities had already confiscated weapons from more than 1,000 Reichsbuerger members.

☆ Norway's Reitan Retail buys 114 Danish stores from Germany's Aldi
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Norway's Reitan Retail said on Friday it had agreed to buy 114 Danish grocery stores and three distribution centres from German rival Aldi for an undisclosed amount, boosting the Norwegian group's chain of Rema 1000 discount stores. "This will significantly lift our Danish revenue and should make Rema 1000 the largest chain of grocery stores in Denmark," Reitan Retail Chief Executive Ole Robert Reitan told Reuters. Before the transaction, Rema 1000 had around 330 grocery stores in Denmark. German discounter Aldi said in a statement the sale was part of a full exit from the Danish market, where it has a total of 188 stores. Reitan Retail, which has some 42,000 employees across seven countries, earlier this year reported an operating profit (EBIT) of 3.8 billion Norwegian crowns ($381 million) for 2021, down from 4.4 billion in 2020.

☆ Broadcom faces EU antitrust probe into $61 bln VMware deal - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 9 (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Broadcom (AVGO.O) is set to face a setback in its $61 billion bid for cloud computing company VMware (VMW.N) with EU antitrust regulators poised to open a full-scale investigation into the deal, people familiar with the matter said. The company had a so-called state of play meeting with European Commission officials earlier this week, the people said. The EU competition enforcer, which is scheduled to finish its initial scrutiny of the deal on Dec. 20, declined to comment. Broadcom said it anticipates that the time-line for the review process would be extended in other key regions due to the size of deal. "Having said that, we're still confident that this transaction will close and be completed in our fiscal 2023," the company said.

☆ Airbus CEO details broad post-crisis industrial hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury speaks during a visit of German Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck at Airbus research facilities in Hamburg, Germany, January 18, 2022. Airbus (AIR.PA) Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said the situation had also been aggravated by recent COVID restrictions leading to capacity closures in China, a major supplier. "There is an enormous problem in bringing the industrial supply chain back to strength worldwide, in the aviation world but not only in aviation," Faury told French journalists. "There is a lot of interdependence between the aerospace supply chain and electronic cards and components, raw materials and the availability of energy and skills at a worldwide level," Faury told the AJPAE French aerospace media association. Airbus assembles some aircraft and derives a large proportion of parts from suppliers in the United States.

☆ Azerbaijan's SOCAR halts Russian crude supplies to Turkish refinery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON/MOSCOW, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The trading arm of Azerbaijan's state oil firm SOCAR has paused purchases of Russian crude oil for its Turkish refinery as the industry grapples with EU sanctions on shipping and crude, sources familiar with the matter said. Turkish refineries, including SOCAR's STAR plant, had increased purchases of Russian crude after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russian flows to Turkey had already dropped last month to their lowest since February, according to Refinitiv Eikon data, and a source said SOCAR was reviewing the situation in order to remain compliant with Western sanctions. Reporting by Reuters reporters, Rowena Edwards and Julia Payne in London; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Keadby 3 becomes first UK carbon capture power station to win planning permission
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Expert Analysis | Reuters Professional | Calls Grow For Companies To Disclose Impacts On Nature In Bid To Plug Finance Gap | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Sse Plc FollowEquinor ASA FollowLONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Keadby 3 Carbon Capture Power Station in northern England has become the UK's first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project to receive planning permission. The project is backed by Britain's SSE Thermal, part of SSE (SSE.L), and Norwegian energy company Equinor (EQNR.OL). The power station could be operational as early as 2027. SSE Thermal and Equinor are also collaborating on building Peterhead Carbon Capture Power Station in the northeast of Scotland. They are also developing Keadby Hydrogen Power Station and Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage.

☆ BAT expects full-year sales growth of 2-4% on e-cigarette, oral nicotine push
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - British American Tobacco (BATS.L) said on Thursday it expects full-year revenue growth of between 2% and 4% at constant currency rates, as more people are using its e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products. BAT forecast mid-single digit adjusted diluted earnings per share growth on a constant currency basis for the year ending Dec. 31. The Lucky Strike cigarette maker also expects "strong adjusted operating margin improvement despite increasing inflation in our supply chain." The company added that sales of its combustible cigarette brands were flat in the third quarter but did not provide a full-year sales forecast for that business. Reporting by Richa Naidu; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Shell injects $1.5 bln into UK retail power business to help it weather volatility
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Ron Bousso | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The volatility led to several bankruptcies in the sector, including Bulb, which the British government is set to rescue at a cost of up to 6.5 billion pounds ($8 billion). Shell Energy's operating loss rose to 102.4 million pounds in 2021 from 83.6 million pounds a year earlier, according to the company's financial results, released on Thursday. To help its subsidiary, Shell injected a total of 1.2 billion pounds to Shell Energy this year, Shell Energy said. Shell also extended to Shell Energy a working capital facility of 680 million pounds "to meet its short-term working capital needs" until the end of next year. Shell Energy was formed after Shell acquired First Utility in 2018 as part of its long-term strategy to turn Britain into a hub for supplying renewable energy.

☆ Dollar gains broadly as upbeat U.S. data muddles Fed rate hike views
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( John Mccrank | Seher Dareen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The survey followed on the heels of stronger-than-expected job and wage growth data for November released last Friday. "The ISM services PMI data highlighted a U.S. economy that's still showing some strength, despite tighter financial conditions," said Priscilla Thiagamoorthy, an economist at BMO Capital Markets. "While that's good news for the growth outlook, it's not so great for the Fed trying to dampen demand and ease inflation." Fed Chair Jerome Powell said last week the U.S. central bank could scale back the pace of its rate increases "as soon as December." "I think this issue about 'peak inflation, peak rates, peak dollar' - I think - is slowly turning into a 'persistence of inflation, a persistence of higher-for-longer interest rates," said Jane Foley, senior FX strategist at Rabobank.

☆ Moody's sees 'very high' foreign exchange risk for banks in Ukraine, Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Seher Dareen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Banks in countries such as Ukraine and Turkey face a "very high" risk from restrictions on capital flows, weak international reserves and a high level of foreign currency debt, Moody's Investors Service said in a report on Monday. "The banks become vulnerable to an increase in defaults on foreign currency loans granted to unhedged borrowers which hurts the banks' profitability, while their liquidity and capital can also come under pressure." MSCI's index of emerging market currencies (.MIEM00000CUS) is on course for its sharpest drop since 2015. "Altogether 20 banking systems face high or very high foreign-currency risk," the report added. Foreign exchange risk is at the lowest in emerging markets such as Chile, Ivory Coast and Indonesia.

☆ Belgium starts trial into Brussels bombings
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Belgium begins proceedings on Monday in its largest ever trial to determine whether 10 men played a part in the Islamist suicide bombings in Brussels in 2016 that killed 32 people and injured over 300. The Brussels bombings' trial has clear links to the French trial over the November 2015 Paris attacks. Six of the Brussels accused were sentenced to jail terms of between 10 years and life in France in June, but the Belgian trial will be different in that it will be settled by a jury not judges. Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the Paris trial, is also an accused, along with others prosecutors say hosted or helped certain attackers. In accordance with Belgium court procedure, the defendants have not declared whether they are innocent or guilty.

☆ Mubadala's head of UAE investments leaving to lead new ADNOC arm
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company said on Monday its chief executive for UAE Investments would leave next month to head a new division at Abu Dhabi's state oil company. Musabbeh Al Kaabi, CEO of Mubadala's UAE Investments platform since January 2021, will head Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's (ADNOC) newly set up Low Carbon Solutions & International Growth business from Jan. 16, Mubadala said in a statement. Mubadala Deputy CEO Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi will become interim CEO of UAE Investments. Kaabi, who began his career at ADNOC where he worked for 16 years including leading the oil giant's Exploration Division, is also a member of Mubadala's Investment Committee. Before heading UAE investments, Kaabi oversaw Mubadala's international energy portfolio as CEO for Petroleum and Petrochemicals from 2017 to 2020.

☆ Fiance of U.S. citizen detained in UAE fears he will be extradited to Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Dec 4 (Reuters) - An Egyptian-American national detained while visiting the United Arab Emirates fears he will be extradited to Egypt for criticising authorities there ahead of the country hosting the COP27 climate conference last month, his fiance said on Sunday. The UAE, a close ally of Egypt, arrested Sherif Osman, who resides in the United States, on Nov. 6 at the request of an Arab League entity responsible for coordinating law enforcement and security matters, a UAE official confirmed to Reuters on Thursday. The United States was aware of Osman's arrest in Dubai, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Thursday, and was "watching his case closely and providing appropriate consular support". Osman's fiance said she had travelled to the UAE with him to meet his sister, who lives in Dubai, and his mother who had planned to visit from Egypt. The UAE official had said the UAE "strictly adheres to all internationally accepted standards" in detention cases including regular consular access and legal council.

☆ Italy's Meloni may water down cash payments plan after EU talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday that she may water down plans to make it easier to settle small payments with cash rather than cards, following talks with the European Commission over the issue. "Until 60 euros, we would like not to force retailers to accept electronic payments. But let's say that the 60-euro threshold is indicative, for me it could even be lower," Meloni said in a video posted on Facebook. "Besides, there are obviously discussions on this with the European Commission, because the issue of electronic payments is one of the issues of the [EU recovery plan], so we have to see, we'll see how the discussions end," she added. Italy is the biggest recipient of the EU's post-pandemic recovery fund, standing to receive around 200 billion euros through 2026.

☆ UK could use military to ease strikes, Conservative chairman says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Britain's government is looking at bringing in the military to help keep public services running if key workers, including in the state-run National Health Service, take strike action, the chairman of the governing Conservative Party said on Sunday. "We're looking at the military, we're looking at a specialist response force... a surge capacity," he said, adding that the military could be brought in to drive ambulances. Workers at post and parcel company Royal Mail have held several rounds of strikes this year in a dispute over pay and working conditions and more strikes are planned this month. Zahawi again blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine for fuelling energy price rises and double-digit inflation, calling on public sector workers to "come together". "There is a minimum safety level of delivery in place already, but the NHS will look at all contingency planning," he said.

☆ UK government could bring in military to ease strikes- Conservative chairman
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The British government is looking at bringing in the military to help keep public services running if key workers, including in the state-run National Health Service, take strike action, the chairman of the governing Conservative Party said on Sunday. "We're looking at the military, we're looking at a specialist response force... a surge capacity," he said, adding that the military could be brought in to drive ambulances. Zahawi again blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine for fuelling energy price rises and inflation, calling on public sector workers to "come together". "There is a minimum safety level of delivery in place already, but the NHS will look at all contingency planning," he said. Reporting by Elizabeth Piper Editing by Gareth Jones and Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sanofi says any offer for Horizon Therapeutics, if made, will be in cash
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Dominique Vidalon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 2 (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi (SASY.PA) said on Friday that if it decides to bid for biotech company Horizon Therapeutics Plc (HZNP.O), it would do so in cash. Horizon Therapeutics Plc, which has a market capitalization of about $18 billion, is in talks with Amgen Inc (AMGN.O), Sanofi (SASY.PA) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) unit Janssen Global Services over potential takeover offers. "Any offer for Horizon Therapeutics Plc (HZNP.O), if made, would be in cash, as required by Rule 2.12 of the Takeover Rules," Sanofi said in a statement. "There is no certainty that any offer will be made, nor as to terms on which any such offer may be made, if forthcoming," it added. Horizon, which makes drugs for rare, autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases, has said there is no certainty that it will receive a takeover offer.

☆ 'Hear it from us': Netflix documentary of UK royals Harry and Meghan to air
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

says Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in a trailer released on Thursday for the Netflix documentary series about Britain's Prince Harry and his wife. "Harry & Meghan. Later he is shown saying: "I had to do everything I could to protect my family." At the end Harry is shown throwing his head back while Meghan wipes away tears. Although no official release date has been given for the six-part documentary, media have widely reported it will air on Dec. 8.

[1/4] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., November 21, 2022. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) closed down 0.13% while MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS) shed 0.09%. "It's going to be a busy second half of the week with all the data points we're expecting. Oil prices climbed on hopes for a relaxation of China's strict COVID-19 controls, which had fueled demand concerns. Gold prices rose with help from the dollar's retreat and hopes for less aggressive U.S. rate hikes going forward.

☆ Oil up on China COVID hopes, but OPEC+ output concerns offset gains
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Laila Kearney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary China to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations for elderlyOPEC+ to weigh rollover or oil output cut at Sunday meetingEU fails to agree on Russian oil price cap, say diplomatsNEW YORK, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Oil rose on Tuesday on expectations for a loosening of China's strict COVID-19 controls, but concerns that OPEC+ would keep its output unchanged at its upcoming meeting limited gains. Weakness in the U.S. dollar, which tends to trade inversely with oil, also helped to boost crude prices. Five OPEC+ sources said OPEC+ is likely to keep oil output policy unchanged at its Sunday meeting, while two sources said an additional production cut was also likely to be considered. OPEC+ started to lower its output target by 2 million barrels per day (bpd) in November, aiming to shore up oil prices. Markets are also assessing the impact of a looming Western price cap on Russian oil.

☆ German inflation in key states eases in November
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 29 (Reuters) - German inflation dipped in five states in November, data showed on Tuesday, suggesting cost pressures eased in Europe's largest economy - a welcome development for the European Central Bank but unlikely to weaken its resolve to tame prices. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, annual inflation slowed this month to 10.4% from 11.0% in October. Inflation also eased slightly in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg and Hesse. Her comments, along with remarks by Dutch central bank chief Klaas Knot earlier, were likely to dampen speculation that the European Central Bank was about to take a gentler path with future rate increases. A Reuters poll of economists pointed to national inflation, harmonised to compare with other European Union countries, easing to 11.3% in November from 11.6% in October.

Musk also suggested Apple had threatened to block Twitter from its app store, although he did not explain why. loadingSpotify has previously submitted antitrust complaints against the iPhone-maker in Europe, and Epic Games sued Apple in the United States in 2020. The European Commission has been investigating whether Apple's rules for app developers violate its rules after Spotify filed an antitrust case against Apple in 2019. "Apple continues to disadvantage competitors, and the impact is huge - on consumers, app developers, and now, authors and publishers. Apple, Twitter and Spotify did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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