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Gas leak at Nord Stream 2 as seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark September 27, 2022. Sweden's daily Expressen reported that a section measuring at least 50 metres (164 feet) was missing from the ruptured Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. Reuters could not independently verify that the images published by the paper were of Nord Stream 1. The measure would not launch immediately but would require a separate EU proposal and approval from EU countries to go ahead. Nord Stream 2 had not started commercial deliveries.

☆ Meta accepts UK order to sell Giphy after antitrust battle
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Shashwat Awasthi | Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Meta said it would accept the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) order to unwind the 2020 deal. "We are disappointed by the CMA's decision but accept today's ruling as the final word on the matter," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. Meta appealed the ruling, but a tribunal upheld the CMA's decision on five out of six grounds in June. The CMA said it had considered new submissions from Meta and Giphy and additional evidence since the appeal, but had not changed its view. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Paul Sandle; editing by William James and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russian shelling cuts external power to Ukraine nuclear plant - Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant in southern Ukraine was operating on emergency diesel generators on Monday after Russian shelling cut off its external power supply, Ukraine's state nuclear energy company said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEnergoatom said Russia was now targeting all the substations supplying Ukrainian nuclear power stations with electricity, an accusation that Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom did not immediately comment on. "In recent days, the Russian invaders, shelling the entire territory of Ukraine, deliberately targeted substations connected by high-voltage communication lines to Ukrainian nuclear power plants," Energoatom said on its website. Writing on Facebook, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said: "Such nuclear blackmail by a terrorist country should not go unanswered by the world community! Russian forces have occupied the ZNPP, Europe's largest nuclear power station, since shortly after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine nearly eight months ago.

☆ Brandy says she’s ‘following doctors’ orders’ amid report of a health scare
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Ariana Brockington | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Brandy is speaking out after reports that she suffered a health scare. On Oct. 12, TMZ, citing anonymous law enforcement sources, reported that the 43-year-old musician had been taken to a Los Angeles hospital after emergency medical services responded to a call at her home. A few hours after the news broke, Brandy posted an update about her health on her Instagram story. “To my beloved fam, friends, and starz thank you for sending love and light my way,” the statement said. Earlier this year, Brandy channeled the late legendary singer during the NFC championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.

☆ India tells Gambia it is probing childrens' deaths linked to India-made drugs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Logo of the Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd. company is seen on a board outside their office in New Delhi, India, October 6, 2022. The matter "is being seriously investigated by appropriate authorities," India's foreign minister S Jaishankar said in a tweet. Known as a "pharmacy of the world", India supplies 45% of all generic medicines to Africa. The WHO issued a medical product alert last week asking regulators to remove Maiden goods from the market. The U.N. health agency said that laboratory analysis of four Maiden products - Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup - had "unacceptable" amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which can be toxic and cause acute kidney injury.

Newly elected Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid has named Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister-designate and tasked him with forming a new government in Baghdad, Iraq, October 13, 2022. Rashid, 78, was the Iraqi minister of water resources from 2003-2010. Sudani, 52, previously served as Iraq’s human rights minister as well as minister of labour and social affairs. Under a power-sharing system designed to avoid sectarian conflict, Iraq's president is a Kurd, its prime minister a Shi'ite and its parliament speaker a Sunni. Rashid’s election raises concerns about escalating tensions between the KDP and PUK, who fought a civil war in the 1990s.

☆ Global wildlife populations have sunk 69% since 1970 - WWF report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report, which used 2018 data from ZSL on the status of 32,000 wildlife populations covering more than 5,000 species, found that population sizes had declined by 69% on average. One population of pink river dolphins in the Brazilian Amazon plummeted by 65% between 1994 and 2016, the report said. Its findings were broadly similar to those in WWF's last assessment in 2020, with wildlife population sizes continuing to decline at a rate of about 2.5% per year, Terry said. "Nature was in dire straits and it is still in dire straits," said Mark Wright, director of science at WWF-UK. Still, the wide-ranging declines have prompted desperate pleas for increased support for nature.

☆ OPEC cuts 2022, 2023 oil demand growth view as economy slows
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Even after the downgrade, OPEC still expects demand growth to be stronger this year and next than the International Energy Agency, which issues its latest forecasts on Thursday. Next year, OPEC sees oil demand rising by 2.34 million bpd, 360,000 bpd less than previously forecast, to 102.02 million bpd. OPEC cut its 2022 global economic growth forecast to 2.7% from 3.1%, trimmed next year's figure to 2.5% and said there was potential for further weakness. The report showed OPEC output rose by 146,000 bpd to 29.77 million bpd in September, led by Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. Still, the OPEC+ output cut agreed last week runs for all of 2023 and is much larger, at 2 million bpd.

☆ U.S. mortgage interest rates rise to highest level since 2006
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 12 (Reuters) - The average interest rate on the most popular U.S. home loan rose to its highest level since 2006 as the housing sector continued to bear the brunt of tightening financial conditions, data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) showed on Wednesday. Mortgage rates have more than doubled since the beginning of the year as the Federal Reserve pursues an aggressive path of interest rate hikes to bring down stubbornly high inflation. The yield on the 10-year note acts as a benchmark for mortgage rates. Homebuilding and sales have weakened significantly in recent months, with home resales posting seven straight months of declines. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Swiss govt to track corporate ownership in bid to curb money laundering
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The cabinet asked the finance ministry to draft specific proposals by mid-2023 that could increase transparency by making it easier to identify corporate owners. But it has faced international pressure to shed more light onto the shadowy world of corporate ownership, where many companies cloak the identity of the real beneficiaries. The aim is to find a solution that is as effective and efficient as possible," it said in a statement. It asked the finance ministry to also consider steps to tighten anti-money-laundering rules, for example by widening their scope to include the legal professions, it said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Michael Shields Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Vaccine trials on Sudan Ebola strain to start in weeks - WHO chief
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), attends the 75th World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseKAMPALA, Oct 12 (Reuters) - World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday a clinical trial of vaccines to combat the Sudan strain of Ebola could start within weeks as an outbreak of the disease in Uganda reached the capital, stirring alarm. The East African country declared an outbreak of Ebola on Sept. 20 and said infections were being caused by the Sudan strain. There have been worries the spread of infection in Uganda could be difficult to control because currently there is no vaccine for the Sudan strain. Although it has no vaccine, WHO has previously said the Sudan strain is less transmissible and has shown a lower fatality rate in previous outbreaks than Ebola Zaire.

☆ Britain warns of tighter rules for crisis-hit LDI funds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The FCA regulates asset managers who sell and run LDI strategies, while TPR regulates pension funds. The BoE oversees banks, some of which are part of the LDI chain. LDI is a popular product sold by asset managers to pension funds, using derivatives to help them match assets with liabilities so there is no risk of a shortfall in money to pay pensioners. Pension funds struggled to come up with higher collateral calls to back the derivatives used in the strategy, forcing the BoE to intervene in the gilts market. Given many LDI funds are listed in Dublin or Luxembourg, the European Union would also need to make reforms to implement such requirements.

The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), established in 2016, is mandated to keep inflation within 2 percentage points on either side of its 4% target. Reuters GraphicsGarima Kapoor, an economist at Elara Capital, said retail inflation was likely to ease to an average of 6% only by January-March. "We expect the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to hike policy repo rate by another 40-50 bps this financial year," she said, and higher inflation could mean further rate hikes. Annual retail inflation (INCPIY=ECI) in September was higher than the 7.3% forecast by economists in a Reuters poll, and above 7% the previous month, data released by the National Statistics Office on Wednesday showed. Food inflation, which accounts for nearly 40% of the CPI basket, rose 8.60% in September, compared to 7.62% in August.

☆ Sentiment in UK finance falls at fastest pace since 2019 - survey
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Britain needs to restore stability to its finances to help reverse the fastest drop in financial sector sentiment in three years, a survey by business body CBI and consultants PwC said on Thursday. Profitability growth in the sector remains robust and is expected to increase at a faster pace in October to December, the CBI/PwC survey said. But sentiment in the third quarter to September fell at its fastest pace since September 2019, when it was hit by uncertainty around Brexit negotiations, the survey said. Employment in the sector is set to decline at a quicker pace in the current quarter, perhaps a reflection of the weaker sentiment, while the value of souring bank loans is expected to increase modestly, the survey said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Huw Jones Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sentiment in UK finance falls at fastest pace since 2019, survey
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ Many Iranian women demand political change amid decades-long grievances
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

This is the result of years of repression of Iranian women," said Somayyeh. Compulsory dress code tops a long list of grievances of Iranian women, who make up more than half of the population and are among the most highly educated in the Middle East. Waves of the hijab protests have hit the clerical establishment in the past years. In 2014, Alinejad started a Facebook campaign "My Stealthy Freedom", where she shared pictures of unveiled Iranian women sent to her. It was followed by a campaign in 2017 for women to wear white headscarves on Wednesdays and the hijab protests in 2018, when women took to the streets holding their veils aloft.

☆ U.S. Senate kicks off debate on massive defense bill, targets China, Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate formally kicked off debate on Tuesday on the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass $817 billion bill setting policy for the Pentagon and including provisions to compete with China and Russia and boost Taiwan and Ukraine. The text of the latest version of the NDAA was not immediately available, but Senate aides said it would include elements of a bill to significantly enhance security assistance for Taiwan that was passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in September. The NDAA also includes new funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, authorizations for new weapons systems and a host of other provisions. This NDAA confronts China and Russia by fully investing in the Pacific Deterrent Initiative, the European Deterrent Initiative and Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative," Senator Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a Senate speech. The NDAA has passed every year since 1961.

☆ Buffet-backed BYD taps India as latest market amid global push
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Aditi Shah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BYD's Atto 3 electric SUV car is displayed during its launch in New Delhi, India, October 11, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan AbidiNEW DELHI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Warren Buffet-backed Chinese electric carmaker BYD (002594.SZ) launched its first passenger car in India on Tuesday, an electric sport-utility vehicle (SUV), marking its entry into the mainstream market amid a broader global expansion. BYD launched the Atto 3 electric SUV, fitted with its renowned Blade battery technology, with a plan to corner 40% of the country's electric car market by 2030. "India will be one of the key markets in BYD's global portfolio," Sanjay Gopalakrishnan, senior vice president of electric passenger vehicles at BYD India, told Reuters. BYD's India push comes amid tight scrutiny of investments from bordering nations, including China.

☆ IMF raises Latam 2022 growth forecasts; sees inflation dip in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The IMF lifted its growth estimate for this year to 3.5% from 3.0% forecast in July, while its projection for global output growth this year was unchanged at 3.2%. In the region, Brazil is seen growing 2.8% this year, a 1.1 percentage point increase from the July estimate, while Mexico is seen growing 0.3 percentage point slower at 2.1%. Globally, the figure dropped 0.2 percentage point to 2.7%. "However, growth in the region is expected to slow in late 2022 and 2023 as partner country growth weakens, financial conditions tighten, and commodity prices soften." The 2023 revision to the inflation forecasts for Latin America and the Caribbean, up by 2.2 percentage points, was the largest for any region.

☆ Factbox: What is the G7, who are its members, and what does it do?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A sign is pictured during the G7 leaders summit at the Bavarian resort of Schloss Elmau castle, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, June 27, 2022. The G7 is an informal grouping of wealthy Western nations. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWHO ARE ITS MEMBERS? The G7 is made up of the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. The G7 was founded following the 1973 OPEC oil embargo as a forum for the richest nations to discuss crises affecting the world economy.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWHY ARE REFINERY AND FUEL DEPOT WORKERS STRIKING? Middle distillates such as diesel and gas oil are primarily used in freight transport, manufacturing, farming, mining, and oil and gas extraction. The French refinery outages are tightening European supplies and reverberating through global markets. Meanwhile, northwest European diesel barge profit margins hovered near record highs hit on Monday. read moreUncertainty over how long the French strikes will last has lifted European diesel spreads relative to crude just as Western sanctions against Russia are driving prices still higher.

☆ Factbox: Automakers accelerate drive to secure battery raw materials
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

read more08-Dec-2021 - Belgium's Umicore (UMI.BR) will supply cathode materials for Volkswagen's European battery cell factories under a joint venture. MERCEDES BENZ (MBGn.DE):23-Aug-2022 - Mercedes-Benz strikes cooperation agreement with Canada to secure access to lithium, nickel and cobalt. read more04-Oct-2021 - BHP Group (BHP.AX) will supply nickel sulphate from Western Australia to Toyota and Panasonic's joint venture. read moreFORD (F.N)22-July-2022 - Ioneer Ltd signs binding offtake agreement with Ford to supply lithium from Rhyolite Ridge in Nevada. read more22-Sept-2021 - Ford partners with startup Redwood Materials to form a "closed loop" or circular supply chain for electric vehicle batteries, from raw materials to recycling.

☆ EU launches online job-seekers tool for Ukraine refugees
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The European Commission unveiled a new online tool on Monday to help Ukrainians find a job as the bloc looks to extend its protection for those displaced by Russia's invasion for another year. Some 4.2 million people who have arrived in the EU from Ukraine are covered by a system giving all those fleeing the conflict accommodation support, health care, education access and the right to enter the EU job market. EU employment commissioner Nicola Schmidt told a new conference that five EU countries had joined the pilot, including Poland, which is housing the most Ukrainian refugees, and called more to join. Some 600,000 Ukrainians have entered the EU job market since the conflict began. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Philip Blenkinsop Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

An EU official said Austria was undertaking "diplomatic outreach" to potentially interested countries. Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal and Denmark jointly called for nuclear to be excluded from the rules last November when the EU was still drafting them. Ireland and Spain had also warned Brussels against labelling investments in gas as "green". Gewessler said labelling gas, a fossil fuel, as a green energy investment had damaged the credibility of the EU rules. Environmental campaigners including Greenpeace launched separate legal challenges last month against the rules, which they said violated the EU's own climate laws.

☆ Oil eases as recession fears offset tight supply prospects
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Laila Kearney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Brent crude futures fell 96 cents, or 1%, to $96.96 a barrel by 11:31 a.m. EDT (1531 GMT). EU sanctions on Russian crude and oil products will take effect in December and February respectively. read moreThe complicated new sanctions package could end up shutting in considerable supplies of Russia crude, analysts have warned. "A recessionary economic outlook will lead to lower oil demand," Fitch Ratings said on Monday. Those political factors could alter supply patters and cause greater price volatility, Fitch said.

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