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☆ The best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyone
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Here are some of the best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyone:Schiermonnikoog, the NetherlandsThe Netherlands is better known for canals, dikes and tropical Dutch Caribbean Islands like Bonaire and Curaçao than the sandspun isles along the country’s North Sea coast. Flores Island, Azores, PortugalWaterfalls trickle down an imposing rock face on the island Flores in the Azores. aroxopt/Adobe StockOne of the most remote islands in an already remote archipelago, Flores Island in the westernmost stretches of the Azores is a nature lover’s dream. To say there’s room to stretch out and breathe on these Baltic Sea islands is an understatement. The best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyoneHavsVidden offers a secluded escape on northern Fasta Åland with villas with their own saunas overlooking the rocky shoreline.

Persons: Annemarieke Romeijn, ”, Eyrún, Gabriela Silva, Flores, Rocha dos Bordões, Santa Cruz das Flores, Randi Skaug, “, Torunn Tronsvang, Richard Kellett, Luis Fonseca, iStockphoto, São João Baptista, Berlengas, Arlindo Serrao, Mola mola, Francesco Curione, Lent, Skyros, revelry, – it’s, Drake, Åland Organizations: CNN, Adobe, Heimaey, puffin, Norway Visitors, Intrepid, UNESCO, Visitors Locations: Europe, Ibiza, Netherlands, Caribbean, Bonaire, Curaçao, West Frisian, Wadden, Schier, Lauwersoog, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, Heimaey, Westman, Hotel Ranga, gannet, fulmar, Flores Island, Azores, Portugal, Flores, Santa Cruz, Naustholmen, Norway, Bodø, Northern Norway, Norwegian, Lofoten, ”, Tiree, Scotland, Hawaii, Scottish, Oban, Glasgow, Loganair, Berlengas, Peniche, São, Grande, Alicudi, Sicily, Italy, Taormina, Skyros, Greece, Mykonos, Rathlin, Northern Ireland, Ballycastle, Åland, Finland, Bothnia, Sweden

☆ JPMorgan says India is its No. 1 market in Asia; investors are unlikely to return to China this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

India is JPMorgan's top pick in Asia, and one of its favorite markets globally, the investment bank's Asian Equity Strategist Mixo Das told CNBC. "It's our number one market at this point," he said, highlighting that the South-Asian nation will continue to benefit enormously as companies increasingly adopt a "China plus one" strategy. Companies that already have a base in India are also expanding production capacity. The country's largest automaker, Maruti Suzuki, announced last week that it would invest $4.2 billion to build a second factory in India. Even Vietnamese electric auto maker VinFast said earlier this month it aims to spend around $2 billion to set up a factory in India.

Persons: Mixo Das, Das, CNBC's, Maruti Suzuki, VinFast Organizations: BSE, Equity, CNBC, Apple, Maruti Locations: Asia, China, Vietnam, India

☆ JPMorgan strategist says India is its 'No. 1' market in Asia
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailJPMorgan strategist says India is its 'No. 1' market in AsiaMixo Das, Asia equity strategist at the investment bank, says India is a "big beneficiary" of the "China Plus One" trend.

Persons: Asia Mixo Locations: India, Asia, Asia Mixo Das, China

☆ Where the Flavors of the Amazon Rainforest Delight
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Seth Kugel | More About Seth Kugel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

While the broader region offers these and other rainforest-based adventures, the top three attractions in urban Belém are breakfast, lunch and dinner. Marcos Antônio Gonçalves Bastos, known by a childhood nickname, Medici, has documented the local cuisine on his Instagram account. He compares Belemenses to Italians in how they care for and protect local tradition. Real tacacá is cloudy yellow because its base is tucupi, perhaps the region’s most defining and addictive flavor, created centuries ago by Indigenous groups. The result is not so much sweet and sour as sour and sweet, and it pairs magically well with rice and fish, and stars in the local duck dish, “pato no tucupi.”

Persons: Marcos Antônio Gonçalves Bastos, Medici, Belemenses, ” Medici, “ pato, ” Organizations: das Locations: Brazil, Combu

Rohingya traditionally take to sea in October, at the end of the rainy season, on journeys fraught with danger. Of 3,572 Rohingya who have left on 34 boats this year, 31% of them were children, data showed. In 2022, one of the deadliest years for the Rohingya at sea, a fifth of the about 3,705 people who fled were children. "Children making the boat journeys was not a trend before," said Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh's refugee relief and repatriation commissioner based in Cox's Bazar. With little hope of settling in Bangladesh or being accepted elsewhere, they feel they have no choice but to take to sea, Rahman said.

Persons: Riska, Chris Lewa, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Rahman, taka, Mohammed Taher, Ruma Paul, Sudipto Ganguly, Krishna N, Das, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights DHAKA, Malaysia, Thomson Locations: Sabang, Aceh province, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bangladeshi, Cox's Bazar, Arakan, Southeast Asia, Indonesia's Aceh, South Asia, Dhaka, Mumbai

☆ Indian researchers find no link between sudden death and COVID shots
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) conducted a study following what it called "anecdotal reports about sudden unexplained deaths among apparently healthy adults" aged 18 to 45 between October 2021 and March 2023. "We found no evidence of a positive association of COVID-19 vaccination with unexplained sudden death among young adults," the research group said in a study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research. "At the same time, family history of sudden death, hospitalisation for COVID-19 and lifestyle behaviours such as recent binge drinking and vigorous-intensity physical activity were risk factors for unexplained sudden death." ICMR researchers identified 29,171 sudden deaths and scrutinised the records of 729 of the cases as well as 2,916 "control" subjects as part of their investigation, the group said. Many Indian hospitals ran out of beds during the peak of the COVID crisis and many people died at home.

Persons: Asmita Koladiya, Jiyanshi Gaurang, Amit Dave, Krishna N, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Indian, of Medical Research, Thomson Locations: Lodhida, Rajkot district, Gujarat, India, DELHI, COVID

The Pantanal holds thousands of plant and animal species, including 159 mammals, and it abounds with jaguars, according to the World Wildlife Fund. In the dry season, wildlife enthusiasts flock to see the normally furtive jaguars lounging on riverbanks, along with macaws, caimans and capybaras. Political Cartoons View All 1256 ImagesMuch of the Encontro das Aguas (Meeting of the Waters) park, located at the border of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul states — known for its large jaguar population — had turned from emerald green to dark brown. “This is so atypical,” said Renata Libonati, who coordinates the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro's alert system for fires in the Pantanal. The neighboring state of Mato Grosso said it had also strengthened its workforce, with about 200 federal and state firefighters on the ground.

Persons: —, they’ll, Leonisio da Silva, ”, Renata Libonati, ” Libonati, Angelo Rabelo, Mato Grosso, Enderson Barreto, “, ” Barreto, Barreto Organizations: — Firefighters, Facebook, Federal University of Rio, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, World Wildlife Fund, Mato Grosso, Associated Press, ” Jaguars, Firefighters, El, Environment, Federal Highway Police, Waters, ” Locations: POCONE, BRAZIL, Brazil's, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Waters, Mato Grosso, Mato, Sul, Brazil, Porto Jofre

REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Nov 16 (Reuters) - India's central bank on Thursday tightened norms for personal loans and credit cards, raising the risk of slowing loan growth. Reuters GraphicsRBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said last month the central bank was closely monitoring some fast-growing personal loan categories for signs of stress. Subsequently, Reuters reported that the RBI was particularly concerned with the surge in small personal loans and was considering tighter rules for such borrowings. Unsecured personal loans increased 23% from a year ago as of Sept. 22, 2023, while outstanding amounts on credit cards jumped nearly 30%, central bank data shows. "In particular, limits shall be prescribed for all unsecured consumer credit exposures," the central bank said.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Dhananjay Sinha, Shaktikanta Das, Transunion, Systematix, Sinha, Siddhi Nayak, Ira Dugal, Shinjini Ganguli, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Bank of India, REUTERS, Rights, Reserve Bank of, NBFCs, Systematix Research, Reuters, Siddhi, Sethuraman NR, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Reserve Bank of India, Bengaluru

REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Global fashion retailers including H&M (HMb.ST) and Gap (GPS.N) are committed to raising purchase prices for Bangladesh-made clothing to help factories there offset higher workers' wages, a U.S.-based association representing more than 1,000 brands said. Asked if they would raise purchase prices by the 5-6% that costs will rise, Stephen Lamar, chief executive of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), told Reuters: "Absolutely". "We also renew our pleas for the adoption of an annual minimum wage review mechanism so that Bangladeshi workers are not disadvantaged by changing macroeconomic conditions." Low wages have helped Bangladesh build its garment industry, which employs about 4 million people. Retailers in the United States and Europe are the main buyers of Bangladesh-made clothes.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Stephen Lamar, Lamar, Sheikh Hasina, Hasina, Krishna N, Ruma Paul, Miral Organizations: The Civil Engineering, REUTERS, Labour, American Apparel & Footwear Association, Reuters, International Labour Organization, Abercrombie & Fitch, Bangladesh, Retailers, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, DELHI, U.S, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, United States, Europe

☆ China has a sweeping vision to reshape the world — and countries are listening
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

All this coincides with longstanding calls from countries across the developing world for an international system where they have more say. Beijing, he added, sees the US as merely “paying lip service” to the “liberal order” to hurt other countries. Sergei Savostyanov/Sputnik/ReutersIn recent years, even some countries that have for decades embraced a close partnership with the US have drawn closer to China and its vision. “Is China really trying to promote multipolarity — or does China just want to (become a) substitute (for) US influence over the world?” he asked. They also raise questions about how a more militarily and economically powerful China would behave globally, if left unchecked.

Persons: Xi Jinping, —, Xi, Vladimir Putin, General Antonio Guterres, ” Xi, , Shen Hong, they’d, ”, Yun Sun, liberalize, Sanjit Das, Shen Dingli, ‘, ’ ”, Russia’s Putin, Bashar al, Assad —, Assad’s, Sergei Savostyanov, Ali Sarwar Naqvi, “ We’ve, James Marape, ’, Rubens Duarte, Li Zhiquan, “, Tong Zhao, Zhao, Ted Aljibe, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Zhang Youxia, Beijing’s, Gilberto Teodoro Jr, BRICS, Weeks, Joe Biden, Sergio Lima, ” — Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United Nations, Forum, China, Communist, CNN, Beijing, Washington, Getty, Stimson, Bank, World Trade Organization, . Riot, Bloomberg, Initiative, Asian, Global, Sputnik, Reuters, Center for International Strategic Studies, Papua New Guinea, multipolarity, China News Service, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Global Security Initiative, NATO, Russia, Philippine Defense, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, United, New, Seven, Ministry, Global Security, Group, UN, Communist Party Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, Ukraine, Gaza, Russian, Xinhua, Washington, South, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, America, Shanghai, West, Hangzhou, Israel, Pakistan, Pakistani, Islamabad, Papua New, Brazil, Indonesia, Europe, Asia, Scarborough, South China, AFP, Moscow, Russia, “, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Palestine, India, South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, New Delhi, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Caribbean, ” Beijing

[1/5] Garment workers come out of a factory during lunch hours at the Ashulia area, outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, November 8, 2023. A panel of factory owners, union leaders and officials agreed to the increase unanimously, said Siddiqur Rahman, the owners' representative. "We continue to recommend that the government of Bangladesh adopt an annual minimum wage review mechanism to keep up with changing macroeconomic factors," the letter said. In addition to the wage increase, the government has said that workers would be given a 5% annual increment. Babul Akter, president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, urged global brands to pay more, saying: "There could be some problems for the owners to cope with the increased salaries."

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Siddiqur Rahman, Rahman, Inditex, Hugo Boss, Fazlul Hoque, Hoque, Levi Strauss, Armour, Sheikh Hasina, Akter, Abdus Salam Murshedy, Murshedy, Krishna N, Ruma Paul, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights DHAKA, Reuters, Inc, Knitwear Manufacturers, Association, Labour, Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Puma, Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, Envoy Group, Walmart, Hasina's Awami League, Das, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, DELHI, China, Zara, Ukraine, New Delhi

☆ GM cancels 1,245 layoffs at factories in Brazil, union says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The new GM logo is seen on the facade of the General Motors headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., March 16, 2021. Picture taken March 16, 2021. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 4 (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N) will cancel 1,245 layoffs at its factories in Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Caetano do Sul and Mogi das Cruzes in the state of Sao Paulo, the union representing metalworkers said on Saturday. Saving the jobs was a "historic victory" following a 13-day strike, the Sindmetal union said in a statement, adding that GM representatives will meet union leaders on Monday to confirm the decision. Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Sao Jose dos Campos, metalworkers, Anthony Boadle, Paul Simao Organizations: General Motors, REUTERS, Sul, U.S, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, U.S, Sao Jose, Sao Caetano, Sao Paulo

REUTERS/Mohammad... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreDHAKA, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Bangladesh's main opposition party will boycott the next general election if Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina does not make way for a neutral government to conduct the poll, two party leaders said, amid a crackdown on opposition politicians and deadly protests. "The intensified crackdown on opposition party leaders and protesters over the weekend signals an attempt at a complete clamp-down on dissent," said Yasasmin Kaviratne, Amnesty's regional campaigner for South Asia. Hasina's main rival and two-time premier, BNP leader Khaleda Zia, is effectively under house arrest for what her party calls trumped-up corruption charges. Shakil Ahmed, an assistant professor at Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka, said street violence had become "regular in Bangladesh during the transfer of power". Reporting by Krishna N. Das in New Delhi and Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Hasina, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Zahir Uddin Swapon, Yasasmin Kaviratne, Khaleda Zia, BNP's, Tarique Rahman, Shakil Ahmed, Krishna N, Ruma Paul, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, REUTERS, Reuters, Amnesty, Police, Jahangirnagar University, Das, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, Mohammad, DHAKA, United States, Canada, India, South Asia, New Delhi

☆ Pakistan stay alive in semi-final race, Bangladesh eliminated
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KOLKATA, India, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Former champions Pakistan kept alive their slender chances of making the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup with a comprehensive seven-wicket victory against Bangladesh, who were eliminated from the tournament on Tuesday. Babar Azam's men moved into fifth place after their third win in seven matches, while Bangladesh became the first team to drop out of contention. "We are trying to force things but it isn't working," Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said after their sixth defeat in seven matches. Bradburn must have been pleased as the pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim and Haris Rauf collectively claimed eight of the 10 Bangladesh wickets in the match. "We are trying to win our remaining matches and see where we stand," Babar said of their semi-final hopes.

Persons: Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam's, Shakib Al Hasan, Grant Bradburn, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Afridi, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Rauf, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Mahmudullah, Shakib, Wasim, Haq, Fakhar, Abdullah, Taskin Ahmed, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Babar, Amlan Chakraborty, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Eden Gardens, Litton, Thomson Locations: KOLKATA, India, Bangladesh, Eden, Pakistan's, Pakistan, Afridi's, New Delhi

☆ A drought in the Amazon uncovered ancient, eerie face carvings that look like emojis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A drought in an Amazon river has revealed prehistoric carvings reminiscent of modern emojis. AdvertisementAdvertisementA drought in the Amazon has revealed prehistoric carvings of faces that show a variety of expressions, from smiling to scowling, just like today's emojis. A picture shows a rock uncovered by the Amazon drought in the Lajes archaeological site on October 21, 2023. Rock carvings had been spotted before at the site, notably during another drought in 2010. But archaeologists had never before spotted the mysterious faces, Oliveira told Reuters Monday.

Persons: It's, —, MICHAEL DANTAS, Jaime Oliveira, Oliveira, Jaime de Oliveira, Beatriz Carneiro, Carneiro, " Ribeiro Organizations: Service, Getty Images, Brazilian Institute of Historical Heritage, Reuters, Agence France Presse, Getty, Praia das Lajes, AFP Locations: Manaus, Brazil, AFP, Iphan, Praia das

☆ GM workers in Brazil go on strike in protest against layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The GM logo is seen on the facade of the General Motors headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., March 16, 2021. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSAO PAULO, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Metalworkers at Brazilian plants of General Motors (GM.N) have voted to go on strike starting Monday in protest against layoffs carried out by the U.S.-based automaker in the country, according to a union that represents them. Neither General Motors nor the union detailed how many workers had been laid off. GM did not immediately comment on the strike but confirmed the layoffs. Reporting by Alberto Alerigi Jr. and Alexandre Caverni; Writing by Gabriel Araujo; editing by David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, dos Campos, Sao, Sao Jose dos Campos, Alberto Alerigi Jr, Alexandre Caverni, Gabriel Araujo, David Evans Organizations: General Motors, REUTERS, SAO PAULO, GM, metalworkers, Sao, Sul, Trailblazer, Motors, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, U.S, Sao Paulo, Sao Caetano, Sao Jose

☆ Ancient Amazon River rock carvings exposed by drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Suamy Beydoun | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view of ancient stone carvings on a rocky point of the Amazon river that were exposed after water levels dropped to record lows during a drought in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil October 23, 2023. Some rock carvings had been sighted before but now there is a greater variety that will help researchers establish their origins, archaeologist Jaime de Santana Oliveira said on Monday. One area shows smooth grooves in the rock thought to be where Indigenous inhabitants once sharpened their arrows and spears long before Europeans arrived. The rocky point is called Ponto das Lajes on the north shore of the Amazon near where the Rio Negro and Solimoes rivers join. Reporting by Suamy Beydoun; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Suamy, Jaime de Santana Oliveira, Oliveira, Suamy Beydoun, Anthony Boadle, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Rio Negro, National Historic, Artistic Heritage Institute, Thomson Locations: Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, Rights MANAUS

☆ Ancient Amazon River Rock Carvings Exposed by Drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Suamy BeydounMANAUS, Brazil (Reuters) - Human faces sculpted into stone up to 2,000 years ago have appeared on a rocky outcropping along the Amazon River since water levels dropped to record lows in the region's worst drought in more than a century. Some rock carvings had been sighted before but now there is a greater variety that will help researchers establish their origins, archaeologist Jaime de Santana Oliveira said on Monday. One area shows smooth grooves in the rock thought to be where Indigenous inhabitants once sharpened their arrows and spears long before Europeans arrived. The rocky point is called Ponto das Lajes on the north shore of the Amazon near where the Rio Negro and Solimoes rivers join. (Reporting by Suamy Beydoun; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Richard Chang)

Persons: Jaime de Santana Oliveira, Oliveira, Suamy Beydoun, Anthony Boadle, Richard Chang Organizations: Beydoun, Rio Negro, National Historic, Artistic Heritage Institute Locations: Beydoun MANAUS, Brazil

☆ The Whimsical Yet Edgy Jewelry Brand That Celebrities Love
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Upasana Das | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Studded with pearls, the leather glovelette carried an OH V monogram with a stallion head, surrounded by an onyx dragonfly, imago butterflies and a Kaputt crystal. The monogram is a signature house aesthetic for Outhouse Jewelry, a brand created by two sisters: Kaabia and Sasha Grewal. The monogram is ever-present in each piece of jewelry they create, signifying metamorphosis and a move beyond conventional femininity. And even when “they’re bridal, they can still be very contemporary.”Outhouse has steadily crossed international waters in its popularity. “You would never take a look at their collection and peg it as just an Indian jewelry brand,” said Archana Thani, a jewelry curator and consultant as well as the former managing editor of Vogue India.

Persons: Alia Bhatt, Karl Lagerfeld’s, Kaabia, Sasha Grewal, ” Kaabia Grewal, “, ”, Archana Thani Organizations: Jewelry, Vogue India

While bad loans in India's banking sector are at a decade-low, estimated at 3.6% of assets by March 2024 by the central bank, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said this month the central bank was monitoring some categories of personal loans, without elaborating. What's worrying the regulator is a surge in tiny personal loans, particularly loans of up to 10,000 rupees ($120) taken for three to four months, often for "lifestyle" spending, according to a person familiar with the central bank's thinking. Four people discussed the central bank's concerns with Reuters but declined to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media. Ismail Sayyed, a 30-year old cab driver from Mumbai, took his first personal loan of 5,000 rupees this year. Central bank officials "have been ringing the bell", said an official at a large bank that has seen sharp growth in personal loans.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Shaktikanta Das, CRIF, Ismail Sayyed, Kadam, Rajeev Jain, Ira Dugal, Sonali Paul Organizations: Reserve Bank of India, REUTERS, Reuters, Bajaj Finance, UBS, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India

☆ Arkansas orders Chinese-owned seed producer Syngenta to sell US farmland
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

CHICAGO, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Arkansas ordered Syngenta to sell 160 acres (65 hectares) of farmland in the U.S. state within two years on Tuesday because the company is Chinese-owned, drawing a sharp rebuke from the global seeds producer. U.S. farm groups and lawmakers are increasingly scrutinizing foreign land ownership due to concerns about national security. "Our people in Arkansas are Americans led by Americans who care deeply about serving Arkansas farmers," Das said. The state also fined Syngenta $280,000 for failure to report foreign ownership in a timely manner. "All Syngenta land holdings have been examined by the U.S. government, through two administrations, as Syngenta was transitioning to ChemChina ownership," Das said.

Persons: Syngenta, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Saswato Das, Das, Tim Griffin, Griffin, Northrup, Huckabee Sanders, Tom Polansek, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: BASF, Bayer, Sinochem Holdings Corp, Northrup King Seed, Syngenta, U.S . Department of Agriculture, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Arkansas, U.S, Craighead County, China, ChemChina, Shanghai

"Its permission to make products using propylene glycol (PG) is cancelled, and it is allowed to make and sell all other products." The Marion factory in Uttar Pradesh was closed in March, after an analysis last year by Uzbekistan's health ministry of two cough syrups made by Marion, Ambronol and DOK-1 Max. India's pharmaceuticals department told parliament that tests had also shown that a sample of propylene glycol (PG), an ingredient of cough syrups taken from Marion's factory contained EG. Reuters has reported that DEG and EG have been used by unscrupulous actors as a substitute for propylene glycol because they are cheaper. Uzbek state prosecutors told a court in Tashkent that distributors of the contaminated Marion syrups paid officials a bribe of $33,000 to skip mandatory testing there.

Persons: Anushree, Shashi Mohan Gupta, Gupta, Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Marion, syrups, Marion syrups, Krishna N, Saurabh Sharma, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Marion Biotech, Emenox, REUTERS, Reuters, World Health Organization, WHO, EG, Thomson Locations: Uzbekistan, Noida, India, DELHI, Uttar Pradesh, Gambia, Cameroon, Marion, Ambronol, Tashkent

☆ India's forex reserves drop for 4th week, fall to over 5-month low
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

That was a decrease of $3.8 billion from the previous week. India's forex reserves are "sizeable" and "very comfortable," RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Friday, while reiterating that the central bank's intervention aims to prevent any volatility of the rupee's exchange rate. Foreign exchange reserves include India's Reserve Tranche position in the International Monetary Fund. For the week the forex reserves data pertains, the rupee had fallen 0.1% against the dollar and traded in a range of 83.0225 and 83.2450. FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES (in million U.S. dollars)Source text: (https://bit.ly/3PD1mzC)Reporting by Siddhi Nayak; editing by Eileen SorengOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shaktikanta Das, Siddhi Nayak, Eileen Soreng Organizations: Reserve Bank of India, International Monetary Fund, Siddhi, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI

☆ India central bank keeps key rate steady; liquidity measures in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) logo is seen inside its headquarters in Mumbai, India, April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Acquire Licensing RightsMUMBAI, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of India's key lending rate was held steady at a fourth consecutive policy meeting on Friday, as widely expected, with investors more focused on the regulator's liquidity management plan amid a resurgence in inflation. The country's monetary policy committee (MPC) kept the repo rate (INREPO=ECI) unchanged at 6.50%, in a unanimous decision. It has raised rates by 250 basis points (bps) since May 2022 in a bid to cool surging prices. High inflation has put the focus back on liquidity management amid the reduced ability to keep hiking rates at the risk of hurting growth and commentary and further measures, if any, are being closely monitored by market participants.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Das, Swati Bhat, Sudipto Ganguly, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Bank of India, REUTERS, Rights, Reserve Bank of, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Rights MUMBAI

[1/2] Police detain suspects as they patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration near Klinge, Germany, September 20, 2023. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser urged Germany's 16 states on Wednesday to provide asylum seekers with material benefits rather than cash, to reduce the country's pull factor. Migration analysts say much of the tougher stance is electioneering ahead of elections in Hesse and Bavaria on Sunday and in three eastern German states next year. Vorlaender noted that even if tougher controls worked, Germany risked creating a bigger problem for transit countries by bottling in migrants there. Germany's tougher stance on migration isn't so much a policy reversal as an evolution, said Susan Fratzke at the Migration Policy Institute.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Nancy Faeser, Germany's, Olaf Scholz, Angela Merkel, Scholz, Russia's, Hannes Schammann, SHAM, Merkel, Friedrich Merz, “, ” Merz, Merz, Alberto ‑ Horst Neidhardt, Hans Vorlaender, Vorlaender, Ludovit, Susan Fratzke, Schammann, Sarah Marsh, Riham, Jan Lopatka, Alan Charlish, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Police, REUTERS, Authorities, EU, EU's Agency for Asylum, University of Hildesheim, Christian Democratic Union, European, Faeser, Migration Policy Institute, Berlin, Thomson Locations: Klinge, Germany, Berlin, BERLIN, Hesse, Bavaria, Europe, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Turkey, Ankara, Prague, Warsaw

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