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☆ U.S. probes Hyundai, Kia recall into 6.4 million vehicles over fire risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - U.S. auto safety regulators said Monday they had opened a probe into 16 separate recalls issued by Hyundai (005380.KS) and Kia (000270.KS) covering 6.4 million vehicles relating to brake fluid leaks that could result in fires. The automakers said internal brake fluid leaks can cause an electrical short that could lead to a fire. Kia said the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) in the vehicles may experience an electrical short as a result of brake fluid leaks. Hyundai said the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module may leak brake fluid internally and cause an electrical short. The September recall covered 1.73 million Kia Borrego, Cadenza, Forte, Sportage, K900, Optima, Soul Rio, Sorento and Rondo vehicles from various model years for each vehicle from 2010 through 2017.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Kia, Kia Borrego, Forte, Sportage, David Shepardson, Bernadette Baum, Louise Heavens Organizations: Hyundai Motor, New York, REUTERS, Rights, Hyundai, Kia, Korean, Control, Traffic Safety Administration, Tucson Fuel Cell, Santa Fe Sport, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, KS, United States, Santa Fe, Veracruz, Tucson

☆ Top Ukrainian cyber defence officials sacked amid corruption probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Yurii Shchyhol, Head of the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection of Ukraine, speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 22, 2023. REUTERS/Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine on Monday sacked two high-ranking cyber defence officials amid a probe into alleged embezzlement, a senior government official said. Yurii Shchyhol, head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP), and his deputy, Viktor Zhora, were dismissed by the government, Cabinet chief Taras Melnychuk wrote on Telegram. The firings coincided with an announcement by anti-corruption prosecutors that they were investigating officials in cyber defence positions over their alleged roles in a six-person plot to embezzle 62 million UAH ($1.72 million) in 2021. Reporting by Dan Peleschuk Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yurii Shchyhol, Ivan Lyubysh, Viktor Zhora, Taras Melnychuk, Dan Peleschuk, Bernadette Baum Organizations: State Service of, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Monday, State Service of Special Communications, Prosecutors, European Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ US Secretary of Defense Austin: US Will 'Stand With Ukraine'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv on Monday for a visit, he said on the X social media platform. "I'm here today to deliver an important message – the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine in their fight for freedom against Russia’s aggression, both now and into the future." The visit comes amid increasing division over Ukraine aid in the U.S. legislature. A joint Ukraine-U.S. military industry conference in Washington is due to take place next month. That event, due on Dec. 6 and 7, is intended to boost Ukraine's domestic arms production as its fight against a full-scale Russian invasion nears the two-year mark.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, Max Hunder, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Defense Locations: Kyiv, United States, Ukraine, U.S, Washington

☆ US Secretary of Defense Austin: US will 'stand with Ukraine'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin looks on as he attends the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/Pool/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Nov 20 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv on Monday for a visit, he said on the X social media platform. "I'm here today to deliver an important message – the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine in their fight for freedom against Russia’s aggression, both now and into the future." The visit comes amid increasing division over Ukraine aid in the U.S. legislature. A joint Ukraine-U.S. military industry conference in Washington is due to take place next month.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, Willy Kurniawan, Max Hunder, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Defense, ASEAN Defense Ministers, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Kyiv, United States, Ukraine, U.S, Washington

The IMF approved a tweaked deal, but official creditors again rejected it, Zambia said. The country's External Bondholder Steering Committee said it was deeply concerned with recent developments and that its latest offer would provide more debt relief than official creditors on a net present value basis, as well as a principal haircut when official creditors were offering none. The Common Framework has been severely criticised, as it is yet to provide any countries with debt relief. "If the OCC does not row back, sovereign debt restructuring would have taken a huge step backwards," said a second source familiar with the situation. Ghana, which is also undergoing Common Framework debt treatment, saw its international bonds slump up to 1.4 cents on the dollar .

Persons: Yuri Gripas, Rachel Savage, Karin Strohecker, Bhargav Acharya, Marc Jones, Libby George, Alexander Winning, William Maclean, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Monetary Fund, REUTERS, International Monetary Fund, IMF, OCC, Government, Paris Club, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Zambia Zambia, Ghana, Sri Lanka, JOHANNESBURG, Zambia, China, Base, France, India, London

☆ Top Ukrainian Cyber Defence Officials Sacked Amid Corruption Probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine on Monday sacked two high-ranking cyber defence officials amid a probe into alleged embezzlement, a senior government official said. Yurii Shchyhol, head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP), and his deputy, Viktor Zhora, were dismissed by the government, Cabinet chief Taras Melnychuk wrote on Telegram. The firings coincided with an announcement by anti-corruption prosecutors that they were investigating officials in cyber defence positions over their alleged roles in a six-person plot to embezzle 62 million UAH ($1.72 million) in 2021. The SSSCIP did not immediately respond to a written request for comment. Ukraine has stepped up efforts to curtail corruption as it pursues membership in the European Union, which has made the fight against graft a key prerequisite for negotiations to begin.

Persons: Yurii Shchyhol, Viktor Zhora, Taras Melnychuk, Dan Peleschuk, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Monday, State Service of Special Communications, Prosecutors, European Union Locations: Ukraine

☆ Six Hurt in Suspected Palestinian Shooting Attack in W.Bank -Medics
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Three suspected Palestinian assailants opened fire at a checkpoint on a main road between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Bethlehem wounding six people, Israeli emergency services said on Thursday. Security forces opened fire at the assailants, police said. "Three terrorists were neutralized by security forces stationed at the crossing. This occurred after they arrived in a suspicious vehicle and opened fire towards our forces," Israel police said. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials.

Persons: Maayan Lubell, Bernadette Baum, Crispian Balmer Organizations: West Bank, . Security Locations: JERUSALEM, Jerusalem, Bethlehem

☆ France calls West Bank Israeli settler violence 'policy of terror'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Israeli army vehicle operates during an Israeli raid in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 9, 2023. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 16 (Reuters) - France on Thursday condemned violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, calling it a "policy of terror" aimed at displacing Palestinians and urging Israeli authorities to protect Palestinians from the violence. Speaking in Geneva on Thursday, Turk said he was deeply concerned about the intensification of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. But just in the three weeks since the Oct 7 attack, more than 120 West Bank Palestinians have been killed. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war and it has been under military occupation since, while Israeli settlements have consistently expanded.

Persons: Raneen, Anne, Claire Legendre, Volker Turk, Turk, Israel, France's Legendre, France, John Irish, Bernadette Baum, Angus MacSwan Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, Bank, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Jenin, France, Israel, Gaza, Geneva, East Jerusalem, Palestinian

☆ Russia loads missile with nuclear-capable glide vehicle into launch silo
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Russia's rocket forces loaded an intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with the nuclear-capable "Avangard" hypersonic glide vehicle into a launch silo in southern Russia, according to a defence ministry TV channel broadcast on Thursday. President Vladimir Putin announced the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle in 2018, saying it was a response to U.S. development of a new generation of weapons and a U.S. missile defence system that it could penetrate. Russia installed its first Avangard-equipped missile in 2019 at the same Orenburg facility. But the United States, Russia and China are developing a range of new weapons systems, including hypersonic ones. Russia says the post-Cold War dominance of the United States is crumbling and that Washington has for years sown chaos across the planet while ignoring the interests of other powers.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Guy Faulconbridge, Olzhas, Gerry Doyle, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Zvezda, U.S, Washington, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, U.S, Orenburg, Kazakhstan, United States, China, autocracies, Moscow, Almaty

☆ Morning Bid: Inflation on the ropes, shutdown averted
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 26, 2023. Much like then, the sheer scale of the yield swoon has stoked bond volatility gauges (.MOVE) too. What's more, a quarter point rate cut by May is now 80% priced and 100bps of easing through 2024 is now baked in. U.S. corporate news stays on retail later as Target reports earnings, following a beat by Home Depot on Tuesday. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, Xi Jinping's, Joe Biden, Russell, Austan Goolsbee, Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, Michael Barr, Thomas Barkin, Jonathan Haskel, Xi Jinping, Bernadette Baum Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Wall, Chicago Fed, Bank of America, Home Depot, Berkshire, General Motors, Procter, Gamble, Richmond Fed, Bank of England, APEC, Cisco Systems, Palo Alto Networks, Reuters, NFIB, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Wall, UK's, York, San Francisco

Annual consumer price inflation plunged to a lower-than-expected 4.6% in October from 6.7% in September, official data showed on Wednesday. The Bank of England's forecasts and the consensus from a Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a reading of 4.8%. Sterling fell slightly against the dollar after publication of the data, which showed key inflation measures watched closely by the BoE also falling by more than expected. Investors added to their bets on BoE rate cuts next year with three 25-basis-point reductions in Bank Rate fully priced in by December 2024, and a first cut fully priced for June. Reporting by Andy Bruce and David Milliken, editing by William James and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sterling, BoE, Julien Lafargue, Sunak, Huw Pill, Hugh Gimber, Andy Bruce, David Milliken, William James, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Bank of England, of, ONS, Barclays Private Bank, Conservative Party, U.S ., Morgan Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Britain, Italy

The logo of Russian technology giant Yandex is on display at the company's headquarters in Moscow, Russia December 9, 2022. Dutch holding company Yandex NV's planned restructuring is aimed at recouping some shareholder funds with the sale of its main revenue-generating Russian businesses, such as its search and ride-hailing operations. 'CONTROL FOR LESS'Yandex NV may sell 100% of a holding company set up in Russia's Kaliningrad region, said one of the people. A third source said this scenario would see Yandex NV make a clean break with Russia. Yandex NV shareholders could easily have been left with nothing, said one of the sources.

Persons: Evgenia, Yandex, Yandex's, Arkady Volozh, Russia's, nationalising Yandex, Darya Korsunskaya, Alexander Marrow, David Goodman, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Kremlin, VK, Reuters, Carlsberg, Danone, Yandex, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Yandex, Dubai, Russia's Kaliningrad, nationalising

☆ Niger debt default reaches $304 million due to sanctions- agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAKAR, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Niger has missed payments on interest and capital totalling 187.136 billion ($304 million) CFA francs since a July coup and its suspension from regional financial markets, data from the West African regional debt management agency showed on Tuesday. The West African monetary union debt management agency UMOA Titres said in a statement on Tuesday that the country had missed another interest payment of around 2.464 billion CFA francs ($4 million) on its debt. "This payment incident occurs in a context where the State of Niger is subject to sanctions taken against it by the conference of heads of state and government of the West African Economic and Monetary Union," the agency said. Niger has been suspended from the regional financial market, and the regional central bank by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African monetary union following a military coup in July that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. ($1 = 615.5300 CFA francs)Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: UMOA Titres, Mohamed Bazoum, Bate Felix, Andrew Heavens, Bernadette Baum Organizations: CFA, West, West African Economic, Monetary Union, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Niger, State

☆ BlackRock-backed Jolt launches on-street EV chargers in UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Australian charging company Jolt, which has received backing from U.S. fund manager BlackRock (BLK.N), said on Tuesday it is rolling out on-street EV chargers in London as parts of plans to install 5,000 chargers in Britain over the next three to five years. Jolt is rolling out chargers in the London borough of Barnet and CEO Doug McNamee said the company was in talks to do the same in other boroughs. Barnet has received a 2.1 million pound ($2.6 million) government grant for EV charging infrastructure. Its chargers feature advertising, which pays for 7 kilowatt hours of free charging for consumers, or around 30 miles (48.3 km) of EV range. The company currently has around 100 chargers in service, but has a "global pipeline of around 7,500 chargers," McNamee said.

Persons: Nacho, Doug McNamee, McNamee, Jolt, We've, Nick Carey, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, BlackRock, Barnet, EV, Canadian, Telus, Thomson Locations: Sao Paulo, Brazil, U.S, London, Britain, Barnet, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, BlackRock

☆ French asylum-claims workers strike over new immigration law, workload
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Layli Foroudi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People attend a demonstration before the start of debate on an immigration bill at the French Senate in Paris, France, November 6, 2023. The placard reads "No to the asylum and immigration law. Workers at OFPRA rarely go on strike and the last time they did so was in 2018, to oppose a law on immigration that was being passed. Regarding asylum claims, an amendment was adopted by lawmakers in the Senate, proposing the creation of kiosks in police stations at a local level, with the intention of speeding up asylum claims. The CGT estimated that around a quarter of OFPRA workers took part in Tuesday's strike.

Persons: Claudia Greco, Sabine Trapateau, Anouk Lerais, Layli, Bernadette Baum Organizations: French, Rights, CGT, OFPRA, Workers, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, OFPRA

☆ Exxon to start lithium production for EVs in the U.S. by 2027
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Sabrina Valle | Thomson Reuters | U.S. Energy Correspondent Focused In Covering Global Operations Of Oil Majors Out Of Houston. | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Exxon Mobil logo and stock graph are seen through a magnifier displayed in this illustration taken September 4, 2022. Ammann did not disclose how much Exxon intends to invest in the lithium business, or when it might become profitable. Exxon plans to begin production with partner Tetra Technologies, Reuters exclusively reported on Saturday. It will produce the metal onsite and sell it under the brand name Mobil Lithium, the company said on Monday. Exxon is focusing on lithium production to be used not only in EVs but also consumer electronics and energy storage systems that can hold electricity generated from intermittent solar and wind power.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Dan Ammann, Ammann, Sabrina Valle, Sourasis Bose, Maju Samuel, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Exxon Mobil, REUTERS, Companies, Exxon, Tetra Technologies HOUSTON, Exxon's, Imperial, Tetra Technologies, Reuters, Mobil, BP, Shell, Deloitte, Thomson Locations: China, United States, Europe, Arkansas, U.S, Alberta, Canada, Houston, Bengaluru

☆ Volkswagen to cut administrative personnel costs 20% in savings drive -Handelsblatt
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) plans to cut administrative personnel costs by a fifth as part of a cost-cutting package to save 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) by 2026, the Handelsblatt daily reported on Monday, citing an internal company podcast. Gunnar Kilian, Volkswagen's board member for human resources, said in conversation with VW brand chief Thomas Schaefer that the cuts would focus on cost reduction rather than headcount, according to the Handelsblatt report. The specific details of the drive at Volkswagen's passenger car brand, announced in June and currently being defined in talks between management and the workers council, are due to be set by December. Volkswagen has signed an agreement with the workers council to secure jobs until 2029, and the council has repeatedly said it will not allow changes to that agreement. Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, Christina Amann; Writing by Victoria Waldersee, Miranda Murray; Editing by Stephen Coates and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Gunnar Kilian, Volkswagen's, Thomas Schaefer, Victoria Waldersee, Christina Amann, Miranda Murray, Stephen Coates, Bernadette Baum Organizations: VW, REUTERS, Rights, Volkswagen, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Wolfsburg, Germany

Word "Oil" and stock graph are seen through magnifier displayed in this illustration taken September 4, 2022. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said last week crude oil production in the United States this year will rise by slightly less than previously expected while demand will fall. That is "not a prospect that crude oil will welcome given that recent data in China and the U.S. has brought growth fears back to the surface," he said. Weak economic data last week from China, the world's biggest crude oil importer, increased fears of faltering demand. Additionally, refiners in China asked for less supply from Saudi Arabia, the world's largest exporter, for December.

Persons: magnifier, Dado Ruvic, Baker Hughes, Brent, Hiroyuki Kikukawa, Jerome Powell, Tony Sycamore, Kikukawa, Yuka Obayashi, Colleen Howe, Lincoln, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Federal, U.S . West Texas, NS, Nissan Securities, U.S . Energy Information Administration, IG, U.S, Organization of, Petroleum, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, United States, China, U.S, Iraq, Israel, refiners, Saudi Arabia, Russia

☆ Centeno says outgoing Portugal PM only invited him to ponder on premiership
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Sergio Goncalves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Bank of Portugal Governor Mario Centeno, who is under fire from the opposition over an invitation by the outgoing prime minister to replace him as premier, said on Monday he never accepted the offer but was just asked to ponder on the matter. Portuguese opposition parties on Friday argued that such an invitation compromised the political independence of a central bank governor. The Bank of Portugal's ethics committee is expected to meet on Monday to evaluate his conduct. Prime Minister Antonio Costa stepped down on Tuesday over an investigation into alleged illegalities in his government's handling of lithium and hydrogen projects and a large-scale data centre. Centeno announced his departure from the finance ministry in June 2020, during Costa's second term, and was nominated to head the bank a month later.

Persons: Mario Centeno, Antonio Costa, illegalities, Costa, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Centeno, Rebelo de Sousa, Olli Rehn, Balazs Koranyi, Francesco Canepa, Andrei Khalip, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Bank of Portugal, Socialist, European Central Bank policymaker, Bank of, ECB, Thomson Locations: LISBON, Portuguese, Bank of Portugal, ECB's, Finland, Frankfurt

☆ Continental plans thousands of job cuts in auto division
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A car wheel with a badge showing the logo of German tyre company Continental, pictured before the company's annual news conference in Hanover, Germany, March 7, 2019. The exact number of job cuts was not immediately clear, but it will amount to the "mid-four-digit range", the company said. The news comes amid ongoing reports that Continental plans a restructuring and potential sell-offs, with CEO Nikolai Setzer saying in September he was considering a change in ownership of the company's ContiTech division. Continental will provide a full strategy update at its capital markets day on Dec. 4, the statement said. Last week the company reported that the automotive business returned to profit in the third quarter and predicted a strong quarter ahead.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Nikolai Setzer, Andrey Sychev, Victoria Waldersee, Christina Amann, Miranda Murray, Susan Fenton, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Continental, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Smart, Thomson Locations: Hanover, Germany

☆ China urges G7 to stop 'inciting confrontation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A two-day G7 foreign minister meeting held in Tokyo ended on Wednesday and mainly called for humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Hamas war to allow in aid and help the release of hostages. "China will resolutely counter any smear campaigns from external forces," the embassy said, adding it strongly protested against other countries' intentions to curb China with regards to Taiwan. President Tsai Ing-wen, of the democratically governed Taiwan island, said she would continue to work with G7 members toward a free and open Indo Pacific. Critical comments on Taiwan and Hong Kong have long riled Beijing, which considers such criticism as outside interference in its domestic affairs. Democratically governed Taiwan, which China considers as part of its territory, is the most sensitive issue.

Persons: Josep Borrell, James, Annalena Baerbock, Antony Blinken, Yoko Kamikawa, Melanie Joly, Tsai Ing, Hong Kong, Albee Zhang, Ryan Woo, Ben Blanchard, Bernadette Baum Organizations: European Union for Foreign Affairs, German, Canadian, France's, Hong, Thomson Locations: British, U.S, BEIJING, China, Japan, Tokyo, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Taiwan Strait, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Beijing, Hong

☆ Russian state won't take part in organising frozen asset 'exchange'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 9 (Reuters) - Russia's finance ministry on Thursday said the state would not take part in organising frozen asset 'exchanges', instead leaving that up to financial market players. International sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine have blocked many Russian investors' access to securities held in jurisdictions outside the country, while Russian countermeasures have frozen Western funds within. "The decree ... creates legislative opportunities for conducting the "exchange" of frozen assets, the state will not take part in organising the exchange itself," the finance ministry said. Organising exchanges was down to brokers and other securities market participants, it said. "The decree refers to the use of foreign investors' funds in type-C accounts."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Nabiullina, Anton Siluanov, Siluanov, Darya Korsunskaya, Alexander Marrow, Toby Chopra, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Wednesday, Moscow, Central Bank Governor, Finance, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine

☆ China Southern to honour $1.30 flight tickets sold during glitch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Chinese carrier China Southern Airlines (600029.SS) said on Thursday it would honor the sale of tickets priced as cheaply as $1.30 during a two-hour technical glitch on its mobile phone app and some ticket-booking platforms late on Wednesday. Other online screenshots indicated the cheap prices were offered for about two hours on the carrier's app as well as across several ticket-booking platforms, including market leader Trip.com. On top of that price, buyers were required to pay at least an additional 110 yuan in airport fees and fuel surcharges. "Passengers can use them as normal," Guangzhou-based China Southern said, on the proviso that tickets were already paid for and issued. ($1 = 7.2852 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Sophie Yu and Casey Hall; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Trip.com, Sophie Yu, Casey Hall, Bernadette Baum Organizations: China Southern Airlines, Consumers, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Chengdu, China, Beijing, Guangzhou, China Southern

☆ Spanish Socialists and Catalan Junts reach deal for government support, amnesty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A law granting amnesty to those prosecuted over Catalonia's attempt to secede from Spain was included in the deal, political leaders said and the deal text showed. The agreement included Junts lending its votes in parliament to support legislation for a full four-year term, he said. But Junts, which seeks another independence referendum, said supporting each law would depend on progress in talks involving Catalonia's political conflict. As a deal between Junts and the Socialists edged nearer in the past week, the mood in the country has become increasingly febrile, with protesters clashing with police outside the Socialists' headquarters in Madrid. An amnesty could exculpate as many as 1,400 activists and politicians involved in the attempt to separate Catalonia from Spain.

Persons: Junts, Feijoo, Puigdemont, Pedro Sanchez, Santos Cerdan, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont, Jaume Clotet, Belen Carreno, Joan Faus, Graham Keeley, Aislinn Laing, Charlie Devereux, Alison Williams, Toby Chopra, Bernadette Baum, Sharon Singleton, Alex Richardson Organizations: Companies Spain's Socialists, Conservative, Socialist Party, PSOE, Socialist, Socialists, Police, People's Party, Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, Basque Nationalist Party, Thomson Locations: Catalan, Madrid, MADRID, Spain, Brussels, Junts, Catalonia, Belgium, Waterloo

☆ EU Aims to Resolve U.S. Steel Dispute by Year End
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission is aiming to reach an agreement on steel and aluminium with the United States by the end of the year to bring a definitive end to U.S. import tariffs on the metals, Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said on Thursday. U.S. and EU negotiators failed to reach an agreement at a summit on Oct. 20 on measures to address overcapacity in non-market economies, such as China, and promote greener steel. The Biden administration had suspended the tariffs on EU steel and aluminium imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 on condition that a deal was reached by the end of October. Many lawmakers expressed concern that the talks had dragged on without success, but Jourova said the two sides had made "important progress". Jourova said the EU wanted to get an agreement "over the finishing line", but gave no envisaged deadline.

Persons: Vera Jourova, Biden, Donald Trump, Jourova, Philip Blenkinsop, Bernadette Baum Organizations: European, EU, U.S, United Locations: BRUSSELS, United States, China

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