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☆ Germany unveils immigration reform plan to tackle labour shortages
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN, March 29 (Reuters) - Germany on Wednesday unveiled draft reforms on immigration, skills training and promoting immigration from Western Balkan countries, a bid by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to plug labour shortages in Europe's largest economy. "Securing our skilled labour base is one of Germany's biggest economic tasks for the coming decades," Labour Minister Hubertus Heil said. One of the reforms is a new immigration law that aims to address key hurdles for migrants to Germany, particularly for those coming from outside the European Union. The draft law, seen by Reuters, says the reform could increase the number of workers from countries outside the EU by 60,000 people a year. The opportunity card follows a points-based system that takes into account qualifications, language skills, professional experience, connection to Germany and age.

☆ Daily Mail publisher urges UK court to reject lawsuit by Harry, Elton John
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Harry, the singer Elton John and five other high-profile people are suing publisher Associated Newspapers, alleging they were the victims of "numerous unlawful acts" carried out by the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday journalists or private investigators working on the titles' behalf. "The claims are rejected by the defendant in their entirety," Beltrami told the court, which began the four-day preliminary hearing on Monday. Harry has said he felt like he was under 24-hour surveillance, and feared an ex-girlfriend would be "harassed to death". Elton John said the Mail had sought medical records around the birth of his son. In his argument, Associated's Beltrami said those involved could have discovered their claims years earlier, adding they were now "far too late".

☆ Syria's president appoints new oil minister in reshuffle
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAMASCUS, March 29 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has appointed a new oil minister and changed four other ministers in a cabinet reshuffle, state media said on Wednesday. Hassan Kaddour, who was the general director of the Syrian Petroleum Company for the last two years, replaces Bassam Touma as oil minister, the report said. Assad named Mohsen Abdelkarim Ali as internal trade minister, Abdelqader Jokhdar as industry minister, Louay al-Munajjed as social affairs minister and Ahmed Bostachi as a state minister. Assad switched out his defence minister in April 2022. The conflict raging in Syria since 2011 has cost the country much of its domestic oil production, especially with the northeastern oil producing fields outside government control.

[1/2] Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla leave after their visit to the Bolton Town Hall, in Bolton, Britain January 20, 2023. Steinmeier, said it was an important "European gesture" that Charles had chosen France and Germany for his first state visit, even before his coronation in May. Steinmeier said he had extended an invitation to Charles, who has traveled to Germany more than 40 times, at the funeral of his mother last September. However, any warmer relations with Europe brought about by the visit could cool quickly if other post-Brexit issues flare up. Macron has suggested Charles' visit to France could be rescheduled for the summer.

☆ In Egypt's 'Garbage City', a charity teaches children to recycle
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Now 34, she runs a charity that encourages children in the area to make creative and positive use of their environment by exploring the space and recycling. [1/3] Teresa Saeed, 34, founder of charity "Mesaha" known as "Space" in Arabic, works with children to collect materials from rubbish to recycle in Cairo's Zabaleen known as "Garbage City", in Manshiyat Nasser, Cairo, Egypt March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Hana Habib 1 2 3Saeed's charity Mesaha, the Arabic word for space, runs weekly recycling activities for 150-200 children aged 6-15. "These activities help children connect with their environment and think outside the box," Saeed said. "I dream that those children will grow to be leaders of change in their future professions or wherever they go" she said.

☆ EU agrees on retaliation to counter economic coercion
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Representatives of the European Parliament and the Council, the grouping of EU countries, reached a provisional deal on the anti-coercion instrument (ACI) early on Tuesday. EU members have accused the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump and China of using trade as a political tool. Under the ACI, EU governments would vote on whether a third country's economic measure amounted to coercion. If dialogue failed, the bloc could impose restrictions, such as higher import tariffs or limited access to EU public tenders. Some EU countries had been sceptical about the measure over concerns it could be protectionist and spark trade wars.

☆ Europe's banks in 'better place' than U.S. in terms of commercial property risk - JPMorgan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Europe's banks face less threat from some of the problems now showing in the commercial real estate markets than their U.S. counterparts, analysts at JPMorgan have said. That would accelerate a property sector downturn, aggravating underlying health concerns as it did during the 2007-08 global financial crisis and a number of other major crashes. Analysts at Capital Economist estimated this week that U.S. commercial property prices will slump a further 18-20%, having already fallen 4-5% from their peak in mid-2022. Lending to commercial property accounts for about 40% of all loans by smaller U.S. banks, defined by the Federal Reserve as being those outside the 25 largest by asset size. These banks account for about 70% of outstanding loans to the commercial real estate sector.

LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry appeared for a second day at London's High Court on Tuesday, where he and six other high-profile figures are suing the publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid newspaper over phone-hacking and other privacy breaches. They allege they were the victims of "numerous unlawful acts" carried out by journalists or private investigators working on behalf of Associated titles, the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walks outside the High Court in London, Britain March 28, 2023. The lawsuit is one of three cases in which the British prince is involved at the High Court. Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The companies are in talks with financial advisors to explore a sale of Selangor, Malaysia-based Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care to strategic investors, three sources said. "Sime Darby Berhad continues to review strategic growth options for our healthcare segment," a company spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed statement. Ramsay Sime Darby did not immediately respond to comment. IHH, one of Asia's biggest private hospital operators, had submitted an indicative proposal in March 2022 to buy Ramsay Sime Darby Healthcare. Ramsay Sime Darby was established in 2013 via an equal joint venture of Ramsay and Sime Darby to expand their healthcare business in Southeast Asia.

[1/4] Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis leads a cabinet meeting at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, March 28, 2023. Mitsotakis's New Democracy Party has held a comfortable lead over opposition leftist Syriza since it came to power in 2019, opinion polls show, but a Feb. 28 rail disaster which killed 57 people has stirred public anger and seen that gap narrow. The rail disaster on the Athens-Thessaloniki route, Greece's deadliest on record, sparked mass protests over the safety shortcomings of an underfunded and poorly maintained network, the legacy of a decade-long financial crisis which ended in 2018. Mitsotakis said the 'painful and traumatic' experience of the rail disaster highlighted deficiencies the state still had. "On May 21, Greek citizens will choose if the country will continue to seek winning the bet of reforms".

Two of Germany's largest airports, Munich and Frankfurt, suspended flights, while long-distance rail services were cancelled by rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DBN.UL). "Millions of passengers who depend on buses and trains are suffering from this excessive, exaggerated strike," a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson said on Monday. At the same time, in France they go on strike all the time about something," said passenger Lars Boehm. The head of the Bundesbank Joachim Nagel said last week Germany needed to avoid a price-wage spiral. "Despite signs of second-round effects, we have not observed a destabilising price-wage spiral in Germany so far."

☆ Death toll in Pennsylvania chocolate factory blast rises to seven
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A general view shows smoke coming out from a chocolate factory after fire broke out, in West Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S., March 24, 2023 in this picture obtained from social media. Twitter @Based_In410/via REUTERSMarch 27 (Reuters) - The death toll from an explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania has risen to seven people, with authorities ending a search for those believed to be missing following Friday's blast. Palmer Co in West Reading, a town of 4,500 about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Philadelphia. Seven other people were taken to local hospitals with injuries, said the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) on Friday. Palmer Company was founded in 1948.

☆ Indonesia's Pertamina says two crew killed after fire on tanker
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Pertamina tanker, MT Kristin, carrying fuel, catches fire on the coast of Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, March 26, 2023, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Ahmad Subaidi/via REUTERSJAKARTA, March 27 (Reuters) - Two crew members have died and one is missing after a fire broke out on an oil tanker carrying fuel to terminals on the Indonesian islands of Bali and Lombok, the state energy company Pertamina said in a statement late on Sunday. The chartered vessel, MT Kristin, had 17 crew on board and was carrying 5,900 kilolitres of fuel when the fire started at 2:50 p.m. local time (0650 GMT) on Sunday. Pertamina said so far no oil spills had been detected after the fire, though a 300 metre (984.25 ft) oil boom had been set up around the ship. Reporting by Ananda Teresia, Bernadette Christina Editing by Ed DaviesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thai PM Prayuth to run for re-election in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/8] Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, as the PM candidate from the United Thai Nation Party (Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party), gestures with party's members during an event to unveil the party's candidates list and campaing for the upcoming election, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 25, 2023. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaBANGKOK, March 25 (Reuters) - Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was officially nominated for re-election on Saturday as his party's first candidate for the country's next leader in polls set for May 14. Prayuth, 69, is running with the new United Thai Nation Party, and will likely face Pheu Thai party's Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter and niece of two former premiers from the billionaire family. "We volunteer to make everyone as happy as possible," Prayuth said at a party event to introduce its candidates for all 400 constituencies. Party leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was nominated as the party's No.

☆ Death toll in US strikes on pro-Iran targets in Syria rises to 19 -war monitor
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, March 25 (Reuters) - The death toll in U.S. air strikes on pro-Iran installations in eastern Syria has risen to 19 fighters, a Syrian war monitor said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest exchanges between the U.S. and Iran-aligned forces in years. The U.S. carried out strikes in eastern Syria in response to a drone attack on Thursday that left one American contractor dead, and another one wounded along with five U.S. troops. The war monitor said air raids killed three Syrian troops, 11 Syrian fighters in pro-government militias and five non-Syrian fighters who were aligned with the government. Another U.S. service member was wounded, according to officials, and local sources said suspected U.S. rocket fire hit more locations in eastern Syria. Tehran's growing entrenchment in Syria has drawn regular Israeli air strikes but American aerial raids are more rare.

☆ China's attitude towards developing stable, constructive Sino-US relations unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SHANGHAI, March 25 (Reuters) - China's attitude towards developing a healthy, stable and constructive Sino-U.S. relationship remains unchanged, while it hopes the United States will stop using "unscrupulous means" to contain and suppress China, China's foreign minister Qin Gang said on Saturday. China hopes the two nations will work together to promote bilateral relations to overcome difficulties and return to healthy and stable developments, Qin said as he met U.S.- friendly organizations and business representatives in Beijing. Qin said China will continue to provide a better business environment for global companies, including U.S. firms. Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Putin and Erdogan held phone call, discussed grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, March 25 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said on Saturday. Erdogan thanked Putin for his "positive attitude" in extending the Black Sea grain deal and expressed his "understanding of the Russian side's principled position to achieve the full implementation of the second part of the agreement, removing barriers for Russia's agricultural products," the Kremlin said in a statement. Russia laid out conditions on Monday for agreeing to any further extension of the Black Sea grain deal, and Putin said that Moscow could send free grain to African countries if those conditions were not met. They also discussed the normalisation of Turkish-Syrian relations, it said. Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The U.S. has said Rusesabagina was unlawfully detained, while Rwanda has bristled at the criticism, saying it would not be intimidated. The U.S. allocated more than $147 million in foreign assistance to Rwanda in 2021, making it Rwanda's largest bilateral donor. Blinken met Kagame during a visit to Rwanda in August, where U.S. officials said the case was discussed extensively. Yet Kigali continued to take a hard line, with Kagame suggesting on the sidelines of the December summit that only an invasion of Rwanda could force Rusesabagina's release. He will remain in Rwanda for a couple of days before travelling to Doha and then to the United States, U.S. officials said.

☆ Britain to announce plan to house migrants on military bases within weeks -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 25 (Reuters) - Plans by the British government to move migrants out of hotels and into military bases or even disused ferries are expected to be announced within weeks, Sky News reported on Saturday. Previous suggestions involving the use of holiday camps and student halls were less likely to be brought into action, the report said. The government has signalled it wants to end the use of hotels as asylum seeker accommodation. “We continue to work across government and with local authorities to identify a range of accommodation options." Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping boat arrivals a key priority after the number of migrants arriving on the English south coast soared to 45,000 last year, up 500% in the last two years.

☆ Pessimism persists at big Japanese manufacturers amid global slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Reuters Tankan, designed to closely track the Bank of Japan's key quarterly tankan survey, suggested the central bank's survey due next April 3 will likely show deterioration in business confidence at big manufacturers. The sentiment index for big manufacturers stood at minus 3, slightly up from minus 5 seen in the previous month, according to the survey conducted March 8-17. Compared with three months ago, the manufacturers' index was down 11 points, suggesting worsening of sentiment in the BOJ tankan's headline big manufacturers index. The Reuters Tankan index is expected to rebound to plus 10 over the next three months. The large service-sector firms' index rebounded to plus 21 in March from plus 17 seen in the previous month.

Broadcom (AVGO.O) agreed to buy the cloud computing and virtualisation company last year to diversify into enterprise software. Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Wednesday the deal could dampen innovation and drive up the cost of computer parts and software for servers. "Servers are a vital building block, functioning largely thanks to hardware products made by firms like Broadcom, working in unison with virtualisation software from firms like VMware," said CMA Executive Director David Stewart. The regulator said Broadcom had five working days to address its concerns, after which it would decide within a further five days whether to refer the deal to an in-depth investigation. The EU competition enforcer, which declined to comment on the report, will make a decision by June 21.

☆ Boeing to take charges on KC-46 tanker over quality issue -finance chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 22 (Reuters) - Boeing (BA.N) Co. will take additional charges to the KC-46 tanker program due to a supplier quality issue with the center fuel tank, the company's finance chief said Wednesday. Earlier this month, the company confirmed that deliveries of the Boeing 767 freighter and KC-46 tanker were delayed as a supplier had not completed processes related to cleaning and paint adhesion on the center fuel tanks. "But now we have to go implement the fix both on production airplanes and some airplanes that are in the fleet." Boeing has taken $6.8 billion in charges on the tanker program since it was awarded a $4.9 billion contract by the U.S. Air Force in 2011. Reporting by Valerie Insinna; Editing by Toby Chopra and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Lebanese security forces fire tear gas at crowds protesting pound devaluation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mohamed AzakirBEIRUT, March 22 (Reuters) - Lebanese security forces on Wednesday fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters, mostly retired members of the security forces, who had gathered near government buildings in Beirut in anger at deteriorating economic conditions. Crowds gathered in the streets of downtown Beirut between parliament and the government serail, carrying Lebanon's tricolour or flags bearing the logos of security forces. They were outraged at the deteriorating value of state pensions paid in the local currency. One soldier was seen treating a young boy who was affected by the tear gas. "He's suffering just like me," he told Reuters, clutching two of the tear gas canisters fired just moments earlier.

The draft needs to be thrashed out between EU countries and EU lawmakers, called a trilogue, before the rules can become law. This led to different AI tools being classified according to their perceived risk level: from minimal through to limited, high, and unacceptable. Almost all of the big tech players have stakes in the sector, including Microsoft (MSFT.O), Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Meta (META.O). BIG TECH, BIG PROBLEMSThe EU discussions have raised concerns for companies -- from small startups to Big Tech -- on how regulations might affect their business and whether they would be at a competitive disadvantage against rivals from other continents. A recent survey by industry body appliedAI showed that 51% of the respondents expect a slowdown of AI development activities as a result of the AI Act.

☆ Spain's top court upholds euthanasia law in blow for far-right party
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, March 22 (Reuters) - Spain's Constitutional Court has dismissed a challenge by far-right party Vox against a euthanasia law approved in 2021, dealing a second blow to Vox on Wednesday as its no-confidence motion against the government failed in parliament. Spain is the fourth country in the European Union to have such a law. Both Vox and the conservative People's Party (PP) had voted against the bill. Euthanasia is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church, whose doctrine views life as a divine gift that should not be prematurely shortened. Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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