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☆ Italy's Meloni seeks EU mission to block migrant arrivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Yara Nardi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LAMPEDUSA, Italy, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on Friday for the European Union to act jointly "with a naval mission if necessary" to prevent migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa. Meloni posted a video message on social media promising tough action in response to a surge in migrant arrivals this week which have overwhelmed the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa. "I intend to reiterate a request for an immediate EU mission to block the departure of migrant boats," said Meloni, for whom the swelling number of arrivals has become a major political headache. [1/6]Migrants wait at the port to be transferred to the mainland, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 15, 2023. Earlier on Friday, France agreed to work with Italy towards some sort of EU response to the crisis.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Charles Michel, Lampedusa, Yara, Claudine Nsoe, Prince, Emmanuel Macron, General Antonio Guterres, Matthew Saltmarsh, Alvise Armellini, Gavin Jones, Augustin Turpin, Dominique Vidalon, Keith Weir, Mark Heinrich, Kevin Liffey, Alistair Bell Organizations: Italian, European Union, European, EU, European Commission, REUTERS, Refugee Agency, UNHCR, U.N, Thomson Locations: LAMPEDUSA, Italy, North Africa, Lampedusa, Tunisia, Tunis, Lampedusa's, Sicily, Cameroon, Libya, France, Rome, Paris

☆ UN refugee agency: wave of migrants must be moved off island of Lampedusa
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Migrants wait at the port to be transferred to the mainland, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Sept 15 (Reuters) - The United Nations refugee agency on Friday said it was imperative that the thousands of migrants who have arrived in recent days on the Italian island of Lampedusa be relocated because of its limited resources. Around 7,000 migrants arrived on the shore of the small island in a two-day period, prompting pleas for help from Italy. "It's imperative to move people off the island because the resources there, the capacity is so limited," said UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh. It is hard to identify a single factor behind this recent spike in migrant arrivals on Lampedusa, Saltmarsh said.

Persons: Yara, Matthew Saltmarsh, Saltmarsh, Cécile Mantovani, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, Authorities, Refugees, UNHCR, European Union, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Sicily, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Malta

☆ Mahsa Amini death anniversary sees heavy security in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022. Over 500 people including 71 minors were killed in the protests, hundreds injured and thousands arrested in unrest that was eventually crushed by security forces, rights groups said. In Amini’s birthplace in Iran's western province of Kurdistan, a rights activist said there was a "heavy presence of security forces". Social media postings said weekly protests were held in Zahedan on Friday with slogans including "Death or freedom". Authorities have accused the United States and Israel and their local agents of fomenting the unrest to destabilise Iran.

Persons: Mahsa, Hengaw, BIDEN, Joe Biden, Biden, Nasser Kanaani, Amini's, Safa Aeli, Saleh Nikbakht, Parisa Hafezi, Mark Heinrich, William Maclean Kevin Liffey, Alistair Bell Organizations: West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Social, Reuters, Iran's Foreign Ministry, Amnesty International, Security, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, WANA, Rights DUBAI, Mahsa, Iran's, Kurdistan, Norway, Saqez, Zahedan, United States, Israel, Britain, Dubai

☆ China cuts banks' reserve ratio for second time in 2023 to aid recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, is pictured in Beijing, China, February 3, 2020. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said it would cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for all banks, except those that have implemented a 5% reserve ratio, by 25 basis points from Sept. 15. The central bank said the weighted average reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for financial institutions stood at around 7.4% after the cut. Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China, cautioned to watch for a cut in Medium-term Lending Facility (MLF) on Friday off the back of the RRR cut. "That would be more significant than the RRR cut and suggest central bank is up to something," said Wang.

Persons: Jason Lee, Wen Bin, Xu Tianchen, Dan Wang, Wang, Liangping Gao, Joe Cash, Ellen Zhang, Kevin Yao, Kevin Liffey, Alison Williams, Christina Fincher Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Minsheng Bank, Xinhua, Economist Intelligence Unit, Hang Seng Bank China, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING

☆ South Korea warns North Korea, Russia against breaching UN resolutions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 14 (Reuters) - South Korea's National Security Council (NSC) said on Thursday North Korea and Russia would "pay a price" if they violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. "The government said that with any actions that threaten our security by North Korea and Russia violating (U.N.) Security Council resolutions, there will be a price to pay," it said. The message comes after the NSC held a meeting to discuss the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The South Korean meeting was attended by senior officials including the foreign minister as well as the unification minister, who is in charge of relations with North Korea. Earlier, Unification Minister Kim Young-ho also expressed concern over military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

Persons: Kim Hong, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim Young, ho, Hyunsu Yim, Kevin Liffey, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Korea's National Security Council, Thursday North, NSC, Unification, Thomson Locations: Paju, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Thursday North Korea, Russia, Pyongyang, Moscow, United States, Japan, North Korea, Russian, Angus

☆ U.S. caver rescued in Turkey "blessed to be alive", but vows to keep caving
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. caver Mark Dickey, on a stretcher, is carried out of the Morca cave as his rescue operation comes to a successful end near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Turkey September 12, 2023. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsISTANBUL, Sept 14 (Reuters) - An American caver rescued after being trapped underground in southern Turkey for 11 days said on Thursday he was blessed to be alive after suffering a gastrointestinal bleed while 1,040 metres deep - but that he would go on exploring caves. Mark Dickey, 40, was rescued early on Tuesday after being trapped in the Morca cave in Mersin province's Taurus Mountains. More than 150 cave rescuers from Turkey, Croatia, Italy and other countries worked to rescue Dickey from Turkey's third-deepest cave, and Dickey said he had never lost hope. "Will I go back to Morca cave?

Persons: caver Mark Dickey, Umit, Mark Dickey, It's, Dickey, Will, Ali Kucukgocmen, Daren Butler, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Mersin City Hospital, Thomson Locations: Anamur, Mersin province, Turkey, Rights ISTANBUL, American, Mersin, Croatia, Italy, Turkey's

☆ Japan's Kishida: cabinet to ensure wage growth exceeds rate of inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday his new cabinet will take steps so that wage growth consistently exceeds the rate of inflation "by several percentage points". "We'll ensure Japan is fully out of deflation," Kishida told a news conference after reshuffling his cabinet. Kishida also said the government and his ruling coalition would aim to compile a "bold" economic package next month to cushion the blow on households from rising living costs. He declined to offer details on how to fund the spending, saying only that the government will consider compiling an extra budget "at an appropriate time". Reporting by Leika Kihara and Tetsushi Kajimoto; editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Kishida, reshuffling, Leika Kihara, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

☆ Romania says possible drone fragments found on its territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 13 (Reuters) - Elements of a possible drone were identified on NATO-member Romania's territory, the defence ministry said on Wednesday, following Russian drone attacks on Izmail in southern Ukraine, just across the border. If confirmed, it would be the third time that such fragments have been found on Romanian territory in recent days. "The crew of an IAR 330 Puma helicopter of the Romanian Air Force ... (identified) fragments that could have come from a drone, dispersed over an area of several dozen metres," the defence ministry said in a statement. It said that the fragments were seen in the area of the towns of Nufarul and Victoria, in Tulcea county. Earlier, the defence ministry had said emergency services had received calls about possible cases of drones coming down in the area.

Persons: Alan Charlish, Kevin Liffey Organizations: NATO, Puma, Romanian Air Force, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Romanian, , Nufarul, Victoria, Tulcea county, Warsaw

☆ Sweden to consider sending fighter jets to Ukraine, SR radio reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Louise Rasmussen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Sweden's jet fighter JAS 39 Gripen E flies over the Gotland island in the Baltic Sea, May 11, 2022. TT News Agency/Henrik Montgomery via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCOPENHAGEN, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The Swedish government is considering donating Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine to help it fight Russia, Swedish public radio (SR) reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources. The government wants to know, among other things, how a handover would affect Sweden's defence capabilities and how quickly Sweden could get new Gripen fighters, SR reported. The Netherlands and Denmark have led a push to supply Ukraine with U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to help counter Russia's air superiority in the war. According to the SR report, Ukraine hopes to receive one division of Gripen jets, made by Sweden's Saab <SAABb.ST>, or 16-18 planes.

Persons: JAS, Henrik Montgomery, Sweden's, Gripens, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Terje Solsvik, Kevin Liffey Organizations: TT News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Gripen, Sweden's Saab, NATO, Thomson Locations: Gotland, Baltic, Rights COPENHAGEN, Swedish, Ukraine, Russia, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, U.S, Turkey, Hungary

☆ Tesla tops list of most shorted stocks for third month in August - Hazeltree
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Nell Mackenzie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tesla stock rallied over 5% on Monday after a Morgan Stanley (MS.N) note suggested the automaker's Dojo supercomputer could bolster Tesla's market value. Hazeltree, which tracks 12,000 equities globally, said the second and third most shorted stocks last month were Charter Communications (CHTR.O) and Apple (AAPL.O) respectively. Those included investors with funds taking long and short positions in stocks: Diamond Hill, Leuthold Funds and Forum Funds. "Taking out a short position against Tesla, as Gates did, results in the highest return only if a company goes bankrupt!" Hedge funds were net short consumer discretionary stocks, which would include Tesla, for the year ending Sept. 8, according to the Goldman note.

Persons: Mike Blake, Hazeltree, Morgan Stanley, Tesla, Blackstone, Federated Hermes, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Musk, Walter Isaacson, Gates, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, I've, Dan Izzo, Nell Mackenzie, Dhara Ranasinghe, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, automaker's, Charter Communications, Apple, Securities and Exchange Commission, Funds, Capital Management, Federated, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Mojave , California, U.S

☆ Russia Issues 'Harsh' Protest to Armenia Over Range of 'Unfriendly' Actions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia on Friday summoned the Armenian ambassador for a "harsh" protest about a list of what it termed "unfriendly steps", the latest sign of strain between Moscow and the small ex-Soviet republic in a region Russia considers its back yard. He said Moscow, distracted by its war with Ukraine, had been unable to deliver and was winding down its role in the South Caucasus. Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Thursday of moving troops close to their joint border as tensions over the future of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave rose. The ICC issued an arrest warrant in March for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of war crimes in Ukraine. The Kremlin has dismissed the idea that Russia's actions in Ukraine could be war crimes and noted that Russia does not recognise the court.

Persons: Vagharshak Harutyunyan, Alen Simonyan, Maria Zakharova, Nikol Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin, Kevin Liffey, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, Russian Foreign Ministry, International Criminal, Armenian National Assembly, Collective Security, Organization, Red, ICC Locations: Russia, Moscow, Soviet, United States, Ukraine, Armenia, Russian, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Caucasus, Georgia

☆ Russia protests to Armenia as tensions rise over disputed Caucasus region
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Within hours, Armenia's foreign ministry issued a statement expressing willingness to resolve disputes with Azerbaijan over the territory, focal point of two wars in the past 30 years. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry, in a series of statements, said it was Armenia which was posing a threat to regional stability by abetting separatism in Nagorno-Karabakh. "Armenia pursues one goal: to sustain separatism in the territory of Azerbaijan through all possible ideological, political, military, financial and other means," the Azeri Foreign Ministry said. Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Thursday of moving troops close to their joint border. Armenia hosts a Russian military base and relies almost entirely on Russia for defence supplies.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Kevin Liffey, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich, Ron Popeski, Richard Chang Organizations: Azeri Foreign Ministry, International Criminal Court, Collective Security, Organization, Reuters, Red, Thomson Locations: Russia, South Caucasus, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia, United States, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Soviet Union, Soviet, Caucasus

☆ Volvo's Russian assets transferred to Russian investor - industry ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Volvo logo is seen in truck for sale in Linden, New Jersey, U.S., May 23, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Swedish truck maker Volvo AB's Russian assets (VOLVb.ST) have been transferred to an undisclosed Russian investor, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said in a statement. Volvo suspended all sales, service and production in Russia in February 2022, and said last October that further write-downs might be necessary. In 2021, Russia accounted for about 3% of its net group sales of about 372 billion Swedish crowns ($33.4 billion). The invasion triggered a host of Western economic sanctions, and threats by Russia to seize Western businesses based there.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Igor Kim, Alexei Sannikov, Kim, Kevin Liffey, David Evans Organizations: Volvo, REUTERS, Rights, Ministry of Industry, Trade, carmakers Volkswagen, Mercedes, Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Renault, BMW, Kia, Hyundai, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Linden , New Jersey, U.S, Swedish, Russia, Kaluga, Ukraine

☆ Russian court rejects Goldman request to dismiss Otkritie lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Goldman Sachs is displayed in their office located in Sydney, Australia, May 18, 2016. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 8 (Reuters) - A presiding judge at the Moscow Arbitration Court on Friday rejected a Goldman Sachs (GS.N) request to dismiss a $6.3 million lawsuit by Russia's Otkritie (OPENI.MM), which is owned by state bank VTB (VTBR.MM). A lawyer for Goldman had argued on Thursday that the Moscow court had no jurisdiction and the case should instead be heard in London. At Otkritie's request, Goldman's assets in Russia, including its 5% stake in Russia's largest toy retailer, Detsky Mir (DSKY.MM), were sequestered last month. Otkritie says in a filing with the court that Goldman cited sanctions introduced against Moscow by the United States and Britain over Ukraine in failing to settle the debt.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, David Gray, Russia's Otkritie, Goldman, Otkritie, Detsky Mir, Kevin Liffey, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Moscow, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Moscow, London, Russia, United States, Britain, Ukraine

☆ Kremlin decries US plan to give seized Russian money to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaks before a press conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin following the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 29, 2023. Sergei Bobylyov/TASS Host Photo Agency via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 7 (Reuters) - A U.S. plan to send Ukraine funds seized from Russian businesspeople targeted by sanctions is illegal and any such actions will be contested, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. Peskov told reporters: "This is hard to imagine and it goes against everything in international law and those countries' national law. Peskov said some Russian entrepreneurs had already secured court rulings in European countries finding such transfers illegal. Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Bobylyov, Antony Blinken, Peskov, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Washington, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, U.S, Ukraine, Kyiv

Depleted uranium is a dense by-product left over when uranium is enriched for use in nuclear reactors or nuclear weapons. The depleted uranium is still radioactive, but has a much lower level of the isotopes U-235 and U-234 - way less than the levels in natural uranium ore - reducing its radioactivity. The United States, Britain, Russia, China, France and Pakistan produce depleted uranium weapons, which are not classified as nuclear weapons, according to the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons. Ingesting or inhaling quantities of uranium - even depleted uranium - is dangerous: it can depress renal function and raises the risk of developing a range of cancers. A United Nations Environment Programme report on the impact of depleted uranium on Serbia and Montenegro found "no significant, widespread contamination".

Persons: Sergei Ryabkov, Ryabkov, Guy Faulconbridge, Frank Jack Daniel, Tomasz Janowski, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Pentagon, International Atomic Energy Agency, Associated Universities, of, DU, WHO, International Coalition, Uranium, NATO, Royal Society, IAEA, United Nations Environment, TASS, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Tennessee, United States, Britain, Russia, China, France, Pakistan, Yugoslavia, Balkans, London, Serbia, Montenegro, RUSSIA, Washington

☆ Moldova puts its debt to Gazprom at $8.6 mln, Russian firm disagrees
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The former Soviet republic, nestled between Ukraine and European Union member Romania, used to buy Russian natural gas. But Gazprom and its Moldovan subsidiary said in late 2021 it had accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. Prime Minister Dorin Recean added: "After clarifications regarding the debt for natural gas, Moldova and citizens are not obliged to pay the corresponding bills." Parlicov said the auditors had not received documents from Moldovagaz and Gazprom to cover $276 million of the alleged debt. She has previously said that Moldova has no debts to Gazprom for natural gas.

Persons: Victor Parlicov, Dorin Recean, Maria Zakharov, Parlicov, Maia Sandu, Alexander Tanas, Vladimir Soldatkin, Anna Pruchnicka, Alexander Smith, Kevin Liffey, Ron Popeski, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Gazprom PAO, Gazprom, European Union, Romania, Moldovan, Moldova Energy, Foreign Ministry, Moldovagaz, Thomson Locations: CHISINAU, Moldova, Russian, Soviet, Ukraine, Chisinau, Moldovagaz, Moscow

Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Novak arrives for an OPEC meeting in Vienna, Austria, June 4, 2023. Russia, the world's second largest oil exporter, has been cutting output and exports in tandem with Saudi Arabia on top of existing OPEC+ supply reductions. Novak, Russian President Vladimir Putin's point man on oil, first mentioned a new deal on oil export cuts last week without disclosing parameters. Russia had said it would voluntarily cut oil exports by 500,000 barrels per day, or around 5% of its output, in August and by 300,000 bpd in September. Russia is also reducing its oil production by 500,000 bpd until the end of 2024.

Persons: Alexander Novak, Leonhard Foeger, Novak, Vladimir Putin's, Vladimir Soldatkin, Oksana Kobzeva, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Brent, OPEC, Thomson Locations: Vienna, Austria, Russia, Saudi Arabia

☆ Putin says Russia to allocate 1.9 trillion roubles to annexed Ukrainian territories
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to launch the construction of three Russian-language secondary schools in Kyrgyzstan, via a video link in Solnechnogorsk, Moscow region, Russia September 1, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 1 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said Russia planned to allocate 1.9 trillion roubles ($20 billion) from the federal budget over the next two-and-a-half years to the development of the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow last year declared to be part of its territory. Moscow does not control any of the regions in its entirety and the unilateral annexation has been recognised by only a handful of countries allied to Russia, while being condemned by Ukraine and three-quarters of U.N. member states. ($1 = 95.5020 roubles)(This story has been corrected to say trillion, not billion, in the headline)Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Kyrgyzstan, Solnechnogorsk, Moscow region, Russia, Kremlin, Moscow, Ukraine, U.N

☆ Russia says it won't let foreign banks leave easily
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseev attends a session of the annual international military-technical forum "ARMY" at Patriot Expocentre in Moscow Region, Russia August 22, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Russian Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseev said on Friday that the government would not allow foreign banks to leave Russia easily. "We have stated our position and it stands - we will be tough in letting foreign banks go, it will depend on the decision to unfreeze Russian assets," Moiseev said, speaking at a forum. Responding to questions about applications to sell assets, Moiseev said Austria's Raiffeisen Bank (RBIV.VI) had not made such a request. "I am aware of one foreign bank's application to sell assets ... which is under consideration by the government commission," he said.

Persons: Alexei Moiseev, Maxim, Moiseev, Austria's, Elena Fabrichnaya, Felix Light, Bobrova, Hugh Lawson, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Austria's Raiffeisen Bank, Thomson Locations: Moscow Region, Russia, Ukraine, Western, Russian

☆ Russian central bank head wants currency controls to remain limited
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 1 (Reuters) - Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said on Friday that controls on foreign currency flows should not pose difficulties for economic actors, and should remain limited to their role as a mirroring operation. Now, currency control measures, in my opinion, should remain primarily those that are of a mirror nature, reciprocal in nature," Nabiullina told a banking conference. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, addressing the same banking forum, said his ministry and the central bank were seeking consensus on currency control. Siluanov said that previously, the Central Bank had been stricter on the issue, and the Ministry of Finance more liberal, but that it was now the other way around. It has, however, recovered since the central bank pushed up rates on Aug. 15 by 3.5 percentage points to 12%.

Persons: Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Nabiullina, Anton Siluanov, Siluanov, Kevin Liffey, Conor Humphries Organizations: Russian Central Bank Governor, Central Bank, Ministry of Finance, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Russian central bank head Nabiullina does not rule out rate hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

National flag flies over the Russian Central Bank headquarters in Moscow, Russia May 27, 2022. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 1 (Reuters) - Russian central bank head Elvira Naibullina said on Friday that she did not rule out a hike in interest rates, and that she continued to see pro-inflationary factors. The bank raised its key rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12% at an emergency meeting on Aug. 15 amid rising inflation and a sharp fall in the value of the rouble. Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, Elvira Naibullina, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Russian Central Bank, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian

☆ Russia to block G20 declaration if its views are ignored, Lavrov says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Russia will block the final declaration of this month's G20 summit unless it reflects Moscow's position on Ukraine and other crises, leaving participants to issue a non-binding or partial communique, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday. "There will be no general declaration on behalf of all members if our position is not reflected," Lavrov told students at the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations. The West denies any such intentions but says it wants Ukraine to defeat Russia on the battlefield and has imposed several rounds of sweeping economic sanctions in response to the invasion, which Russia calls a "special military operation". Lavrov said the West had raised Ukraine in meetings preparing for the summit, to which Russia had replied that "the issue is closed for us". "Another option is to adopt a document that focuses on specific decisions in the sphere of G20 competences, and let everyone say the rest on their own behalf," Lavrov said.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, West, Guy Faulconbridge, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, New Delhi, China, India, Brazil, Moscow

☆ Kremlin warns UK's BAE Systems: Ukraine base could be target for Russian military
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Sept 1 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday it took a negative view of British defence contractor BAE Systems' (BAES.L) decision to establish itself in Ukraine, adding that any facilities producing weapons used against Russia would become targets for Moscow's military. The move would not influence the course of conflict in Ukraine, or contribute to a reduction of hostilities, he said. BAE Systems, Britain's biggest defence company, said on Thursday it had set up a unit in Ukraine and signed deals with the government to boost Kyiv's supplies of weapons and equipment. BAE has made much of the equipment provided to Ukraine by Britain and other governments as it fends off Russia's invasion. Western defence companies have been weighing opportunities to make weapons in Ukraine against the possible security risks, Reuters reported in June.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: BAE Systems, BAE, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Britain

☆ Ex-manager at Russian car dealer gets 8-1/2 years for sending money abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Sept 1 (Reuters) - A former senior manager at the Russian car dealership Rolf was sentenced on Friday to 8-1/2 years in prison for participating in a deal considered to constitute an illegal transfer of funds abroad, a Moscow court said. Anatoly Kairo, Rolf's director of business development, was found to have sent large sums abroad using forged documents as part of an organised group, the Cheremushki district court said. Russian media said Kairo, who was taken into custody in the courtroom on Friday, was a Ukrainian citizen. In 2021, Rolf, at that time Russia's largest car dealership, was bought by its rival Klyuchavto. Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov Editing by Kevin Liffey and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rolf, Anatoly Kairo, Sergei Petrov, Petrov, Kairo, Gleb Stolyarov, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff Organizations: Russian Investigative, Austrian, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Moscow, Cheremushki, Russia, Cypriot, Austrian, Austria, Ukrainian

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