DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Germany freezes new spending commitments as budget woes deepen
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Holger Hansen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks next to Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck during a hearing at Germany’s lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, November 15, 2023. The finance ministry has frozen future spending pledges across almost the entire federal budget, a letter by the budget state secretary showed, in a sign of how seriously it was taking the potential fallout to its finances. "The step reflects the necessity of the situation," an economy ministry spokesperson said about the budget freeze. That could include planned chip factories, the expansion of the battery supply chain and the decarbonisation of steel, government sources said on Monday. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke; writing by Matthias Williams and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Freeze, Olaf Scholz's, Kevin Kuehnert, that's, Kuehnert, Volker Wissing, Wissing, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, BERLIN, Free Democrats, Democrats, CDU, Scholz's Social Democrats, Greens, Digital, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

☆ Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's new cabinet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez takes the oath of office during a ceremony at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, Spain November 17, 2023. Andres Ballesteros/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday announced his new cabinet, keeping the same number of 22 ministers, 12 women and 10 men, despite reshuffling some of their portfolios. SOCIALIST MINISTERS:NADIA CALVINO - ECONOMYCalvino remains as Sanchez's first deputy prime minister and top economic expert. FELIX BOLANOS - JUSTICEBolanos saw his profile boosted by heightened media exposure while acting as Sanchez's de facto cabinet chief. SIRA REGO - CHILDREN AND YOUTHThe second-in-command and main spokesperson for the United Left, she became an MEP in 2019.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Andres Ballesteros, NADIA CALVINO, Calvino, Sanchez's, TERESA RIBERA, Ribera, MARIA JESUS MONTERO, Sanchez, Montero, FELIX BOLANOS, JUSTICE Bolanos, JOSE MANUEL ALBARES, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, MARGARITA ROBLES, Robles, FERNANDO GRANDE, Miquel Iceta, PILAR ALEGRIA, Alegria, Isabel Rodriguez, ISABEL RODRIGUEZ, Rodriguez, JOSE LUIS ESCRIVA, DIANA MORANT, LUIS PLANAS, Puente, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, JORDI HEREU, Hereu, Hector Gomez, ANGEL VICTOR TORRES, Torres, ELMA SAIZ, Escriva, Redondo, Podemos party's Irene Montero, SUMAR, YOLANDA DIAZ, LABOUR Diaz, Sumar, MONICA GARCIA, Garcia, Isabel Diez Ayuso, ERNEST URTASUN, PABLO BUSTINDUY, Bustinduy, Alberto Garzon, Ione Belarra, SIRA REGO, David Latona, Aislinn Laing, Grant McCool Organizations: Spain's, REUTERS Acquire, Spanish, Monday, European Investment Bank, JUSTICE, High, Culture, Social Security, Universities, Democratic, Socialist, ANA REDONDO, LABOUR, Mas Madrid, Greens, European Free Alliance, Consumer Affairs, United Left, Thomson Locations: Zarzuela, Madrid, Spain, Dubai, France, Morocco, Ukraine, Melilla, Gandia, Valladolid, Barcelona, Canary, Bolanos, Pamplona, Navarre, Mas, Podemos, Gaza, SIRA, Israel

Populist Javier Milei, a libertarian economist and self-described “anarcho-capitalist,” won a presidential runoff election on Sunday with 55.7% of the vote. He said Monday that he would move quickly to privatize the country's state-owned media outlets and look to do the same with other public companies. “Everything that can be in the hands of the private sector will be in the hands of the private sector,” Milei told Bueno Aires station Radio Mitre. Experts immediately questioned how far Milei would get in fulfilling that vision without the support of Argentina's National Congress, where his party holds a relatively small share of seats. Monday was a public holiday in Argentina so financial markets weren’t open, but the stocks of Argentine companies that trade in New York soared.

Persons: —, privatizations, Javier Milei, ”, ” Milei, Bueno, Mariano Machado, Milei, Diana Mondino, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, YPF, Andrés Gil Domínguez, Mariel Fornoni, Gustavo Arballo, ” Arballo Organizations: Bueno Aires, Radio Mitre, Argentina's National, Americas, Verisk, Central Bank of, U.S, Central Bank, Argentine, Liberty, University of Buenos, Management, La Pampa National University Locations: BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Argentina's, Central Bank of Argentina, New York, Argentine, University of Buenos Aires

☆ Argentina's Trump-like presidential candidate, who proposed making the US dollar the country's official currency, wins election after his opponent concedes defeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A self-described "anarcho-capitalist" candidate often compared to Donald Trump claimed victory in Argentina's presidential election. With a Milei victory, the country will swing to the right amid discontent over soaring inflation and rising poverty. AdvertisementArgentina's Economy Minister Sergio Massa conceded defeat to populist Javier Milei in Sunday's fiercely polarized presidential runoff even before the country's electoral authority released official results. AdvertisementThe vote took place amid Milei's allegations of possible electoral fraud, reminiscent of those from Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Without providing evidence, Milei claimed that the first round of the presidential election was plagued by irregularities that affected the result.

Persons: Donald Trump, Javier Milei's, Sergio Massa, —, Javier Milei, Massa, Milei, Milei's screeds, I'm, Esteban Medina, Jenifer Pio, Pio, Ana Iparraguirre, Massa's, María Gabriela Gaviola, hasn't, isn't, Gaviola, I've, Patricia Bullrich, Milei's, Victoria Villaruel, Jair Bolsonaro Organizations: Argentina's, Service, Argentine, Massa, Associated Press, Peronist, University of Buenos Aires Law School, AP, Theater Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Trump

☆ Taliban Minister Raises Return of Deported Afghans' Assets in Pakistan Visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Charlotte GreenfieldISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Taliban's acting commerce minister said he had asked Pakistan to help return the assets of expelled Afghans and discussed ways to overcome Afghanistan's stalled banking sector transactions during a four-day visit to Islamabad this week. Acting minister Nooruddin Azizi's arrival in the Pakistani capital marked the first public visit by a senior Taliban official since Pakistan announced its policy to deport thousands of undocumented Afghans and other foreign citizens after Nov. 1. The Taliban have said the security issues are a domestic matter for Islamabad and called on Pakistan to stop deportations. Azizi said a major focus of the visit had been raising the problem of Afghan deportees being unable to return their assets from Pakistan. Pakistan's commerce minister and a spokesman for the commerce ministry did not respond to request for comment.

Persons: Charlotte Greenfield, Nooruddin, Azizi, Asif Shahzad, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, William Maclean Organizations: Taliban, Pakistan, Reuters Locations: Charlotte Greenfield ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Islamabad, Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate, Uzbekistan, China, Kabul

☆ Germany's budget committee pauses 2024 budget deliberations -panel members
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Maria Martinez | Thomson Reuters | Maria Martinez Is A Reuters Correspondent In Berlin Covering German Economics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Germany's budget committee paused final deliberations on the 2024 draft budget early on Friday morning, according to the chief budget officers of the coalition government, after a constitutional court ruling threw negotiations into disarray. The contents of the ministries' budgets were finalised during the committee meeting, the budget officers said. On Wednesday, the constitutional court decision prompted the government to postpone the formal vote of the budget committee until next Thursday. Despite the court ruling, the 2024 budget is expected to be passed as planned at the end of the Bundestag's budget week on Dec. 1, according to members of the budget committee. The chief budget officers of the coalition government accused the opposition of refusing to cooperate in budget deliberations.

Persons: Liesa, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Joerg Kraemer, Friedrich Merz, Commerzbank's Kraemer, Maria Martinez, Holger Hansen, Clarence Fernandez, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Greens, Free Democrats, European Commission, dpa, Bundestag's Energy, CDU, CSU, Christian Democratic Union, ESF, Economic, Stabilization, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

BALTIMORE (AP) — Soon after U.S. bishops inside a Baltimore hotel approved materials on how Catholics should vote in 2024 elections, their recently ousted colleague and dozens of his supporters rallied outside the annual fall business meeting. We are serving migrants in our dioceses.”Outside the meeting’s last day of public sessions, Strickland, the ousted bishop, continued to make his presence known. When the pope asked Bishop Strickland to resign, it was a wound to the whole church,” Allen said. Many U.S. Catholic student centers are named in honor of Newman, which Bishop William Byrne, a former college chaplain, pointed out. ___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Persons: —, Bishop Joseph Strickland, Pope Francis, restate, ”, William Lori, Strickland, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Pope Francis ’, Mary Rappaport, Suzanne Allen, “, Bishop Strickland, ” Allen, Rappaport, ” Strickland, Cardinal John Henry Newman, Newman, Bishop William Byrne, ” Newman, Robert Barron, ” ___ Smith Organizations: BALTIMORE, U.S . Conference of Catholic Bishops, U.S, Catholic, ___, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Baltimore, Tyler , Texas, America, ”, United States, Alexandria , Virginia, Westport , Connecticut, Winona, Rochester, Minnesota, Pittsburgh

[1/5] Several volunteers give Spanish classes to migrants outside the Las Raices Camp in La Laguna, Spain, November 5, 2023. The mix-up shows just how overwhelmed the Spanish archipelago is, Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo told Reuters, after a record 32,000 migrants came so far this year. At Tenerife's Las Raices adult migrants' centre in San Cristobal de La Laguna, Camara and his friend from the voyage, 16-year-old Modou Lamin Jarju from Gambia, sat around with dozens of other west Africans. Reuters GraphicsOne of the most strained of the eight Canary Islands is El Hierro, its population of 9,000 more than matched by the arrival of 11,000 migrants this year. At its largest minors' centre on a recent day, some 300 children ate breakfast on a basketball court before Spanish lessons.

Persons: Borja Suarez, Moussa Camara, Camara, Classing, Fernando Clavijo, Fran Morenilla, Salaoum Colley, Amparo Morales, Clavijo, El Hierro, Corina Pons, Horaci Garcia, Charlie Devereux, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: REUTERS, CRISTOBAL, LA LAGUNA, Reuters, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Las, Amnesty, Canaries, San Cristobal de La Laguna, Camara, Thomson Locations: La Laguna, Spain, Guinea, Europe, Islands, Spanish, Almeria, Canary, San Cristobal de La, Jarju, Gambia, El Hierro, European Union, Africa, Senegal

More than 1,200 people in Israel died, most of them in the Hamas attack, and about 240 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza by Palestinian militants. The army said Tuesday that it has captured Gaza’s legislature building, the Hamas police headquarters and a compound housing Hamas’ military intelligence headquarters. Israeli news sites showed pictures of Israeli soldiers hoisting the Israeli national flag and military flags in some of the buildings. The Israeli military did not give a reason for her death, while Hamas said she was killed in an Israeli strike. On Nov. 5, the Israeli military struck a car on the road between the southern Lebanese towns of Ainata and Aitaroun.

Persons: —, Gilad, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Lula, ” Lula, “, Lynn Gottlieb, KNTV, WASHINGTON, Janet Yellen, Shelly Shem Tov, Omer Shem Tov, Benjamin Netanyahu, JERUSALEM — Vivian Silver, Silver, Yonatan Zeigen, ” Zeigen, Noa Marciano, Marciano, ”, Israel, Iqbal Abu Saud, Ramzi Kaiss, Israel’s, KFAR, Ayelet, David Kachko Kazir, Aftonbladet Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Health Ministry, “, FIRE, Jewish, Peace, Berkeley, Consulate, Grand, Station, New York, Islamic, Treasury Department, TEL, JERUSALEM TEL, Israel, JERUSALEM, Israel Radio, Rights Watch, Israel — Residents, DR Locations: Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Palestinian, Gaza's, Detroit, israel, ISRAEL, GAZA, JERUSALEM, DE JANEIRO, Brazil, “, CALIFORNIA, FIRE OAKLAND, California —, Oakland , California, Chicago, New York, United States, Islamic Jihad, Iran, Lebanese, United Kingdom, U.S, TEL AVIV, JERUSALEM TEL AVIV, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Canadian, BEIRUT, Lebanon, Ainata, Rights Watch Lebanon, KFAR AZA, Israel —, Kfar Aza, SWEDEN, DENMARK, COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sweden, Danish, Egypt

☆ Germany's Scholz backs Spain's Calvino for EIB presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Susana Vera/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Nov 11 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday backed the candidacy of Spanish acting Economy Minister Nadia Calvino for the post of president of the European Investment Bank (EIB). "I think she will be a very good president of the EIB," Scholz said in an address to a weekend congress of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in Malaga, Spain. He added that they had worked well together in the past when they headed their respective countries' finance ministries. The EIB is currently led by German Liberal Democratic Party (FDP) politician Werner Hoyer. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Nadia Calvino, Susana Vera, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Werner Hoyer, Andreas Rinke, Vera Eckert, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Monetary, Financial, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Saturday, European Investment Bank, Party of European Socialists, European Union, Berlin, German Liberal Democratic Party, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Malaga, Spain, Germany, France

☆ Pastor Indicted With Trump in Georgia Asks Evangelical Supporters for Help
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Richard Fausset | More About Richard Fausset | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Stephen C. Lee is one of the lesser-known figures indicted with former President Donald J. Trump in Fulton County, Ga., on charges of unlawfully conspiring to keep Mr. Trump in power after the 2020 election. But on Thursday night at an evangelical church near Chicago, dozens of people held their arms aloft and prayed over Pastor Lee at a fund-raiser where he was portrayed as an American hero — and a victim of religious persecution. “We’re going to be talking about the weaponization of government against religion,” Gary S. Franchi, Jr., a host on a conservative online news channel, declared from the pulpit at Families of Faith Ministries in Channahon, Ill., at the start of the event. “We’re going to be supporting ‘America’s chaplain,’ and religious liberty, here tonight.”Pastor Lee, 71, is a former law enforcement officer who became a Lutheran minister and currently leads a small church in Orland Park, Ill. He says he has offered spiritual support to police officers and victims after some of the worst American tragedies of the last quarter-century, including the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado and the Sept. 11 attack in New York.

Persons: Stephen C, Lee, Donald J, Trump, Pastor Lee, —, “ We’re, Gary S, Franchi, Jr, ‘, ” Pastor Lee Organizations: Faith Ministries, Columbine High School Locations: Fulton County ,, Chicago, American, Channahon ,, Orland Park, Colorado, New York

She is one of thousands believed by rights activists to be in hiding in Pakistan to avoid deportation under a government push for undocumented migrants to leave the country. That includes over one million Afghans, many of whom the Pakistan government says have been involved in militant attacks and crime. 'WORSE THAN PRISON'Reuters spoke to a dozen undocumented migrants trying to stay under the radar of the nationwide sweep. "This is worse than prison," said a 22-year-old Afghan man who said he ensured the lights remained off at night. Some locals who are helping the Afghans arrange for food and water to be secretly smuggled into the shelter under the cover of night.

Persons: Saleh Zada, Akhtar Soomro, Sijal Shafiq, Shafiq, Wafa, I'm, Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Authorities, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Badakhshan province, Kabul, Karachi, Pakistan, Rights KARACHI, Afghanistan, United States, Hazara, Islamabad, France, Canada

☆ Keeping Lights Off: Undocumented Afghans Go Underground in Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Persons: Ariba Shahid, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Sijal Shafiq, Shafiq, Wafa, I'm, Saleh Zada, Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Authorities, United Nations Locations: Mohammad Yunus Yawar KARACHI, Pakistan, Kabul, Afghanistan, Karachi, United States, Hazara, Islamabad, France, Canada

☆ South Korea declares war on bedbugs after surge in reported cases
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korea has become the latest country to declare war on bedbugs following a wave of outbreaks, with bathhouses, university dorms, and train stations across the country on high alert. Previously, the country had been practically free of bedbugs following past extermination campaigns, with just nine infestations being reported to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA) since 2014. Meanwhile, pest control companies say they have become inundated with phone calls asking for help. “Bedbugs are developing resistance to the insecticides that we commonly use, so the most effective solution these days is heating. “Early and proactive responses are crucial.”In its “Bedbug Prevention and Response Guidelines,” the Seoul City Government advises people against bringing items with a risk of infestation into their homes.

Persons: “, ”, Eom Hae, Eom, Yoo, Lee, hasn’t, Lee Hee, ” Lee, It’s, Yang Nam, kyung Organizations: South Korea CNN, Korea Disease Control, South, bedbugs, Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul City Government Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, France, United Kingdom, United States, Pest, Incheon, City

[1/2] India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal takes part at the panel discussion "Trade: Now what?" during the World Economic Forum 2022 (WEF) in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland May 25, 2022. This meeting is to ensure that talks between India and Tesla "are moving in the right direction," the person added. Prime Minister Modi's office held a meeting with various ministries on Monday to expedite the new EV policy, said a third source. Reporting by Aditya Kalra, Aditi Shah and Shivangi Acharya; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Piyush Goyal, Arnd, Elon Musk, Narendra Modi, Tesla, Aditya Kalra, Aditi Shah, Shivangi, Chizu Organizations: India's, REUTERS, Tesla, Indian, Reuters, U.S, EV, Thomson Locations: Davos, Switzerland, DELHI, United States, U.S, India

[1/4] Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa attends the informal meeting of European heads of state or government, in Granada, Spain October 6, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLISBON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa resigned on Tuesday, just hours after prosecutors detained his chief of staff in a probe into alleged corruption in his administration's handling of lithium mining and hydrogen projects. Costa, who prosecutors said was the target of a separate investigation, announced the decision in a televised statement after meeting President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Over 40 searches were carried out on Tuesday at several government buildings, including Escaria's office and the infrastructure and environment ministries, the prosecutor's office said. "At stake may be ... facts capable of constituting crimes of malfeasance, active and passive corruption of politicians and influence peddling," the prosecutor's office said.

Persons: Antonio Costa, Juan Medina, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Costa, Rebelo de Sousa, Vitor Escaria, Joao Galamba, Nuno Lacasta, Catarina Demony, Patricia Rua, Sergio Goncalves, Andrei Khalip, Emelia Organizations: Portugal's, REUTERS, Rights, Costa's Socialists, of State, TAP, APA, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: Granada, Spain, Rights LISBON, Portuguese, Costa, Portugal, Sines

☆ British fiscal headroom an 'illusion' that will not leave room for tax cuts, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Extra fiscal headroom as a result of higher inflation is illusory and will not give any space for tax cuts when British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt gives a fiscal update later this month, a think tank report said on Monday. The Resolution Foundation's analysis said that higher tax receipts and lower borrowing - both a result of sticky inflation - would increase Britain's fiscal headroom by 13 billion pounds ($16.09 billion), but added this was based on "implausible" public spending plans. That higher inflation is affecting public spending. Public spending will also have to increase more than is currently forecast to protect the budgets of some ministries in real terms in the coming years, the think-tank said. "It's increasingly clear that spending plans pencilled in for after the next election cannot be delivered," Smith said.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, James, Suella Braverman, Hannah McKay, Hunt, James Smith, Smith, Alistair Smout, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Conservative, REUTERS, British, The Bank of England, Foundation, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain

☆ A Chance Encounter and a Fugitive Linked to a President’s Killing Is Caught
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( David C. Adams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A senior Haitian police official was shopping at his local supermarket on a recent weekday when someone caught his eye: the country’s most wanted man. The official, Ernst Dorfeuille, recognized Joseph Félix Badio, a former military officer who had focused on drug and corruption cases at the interior and justice ministries, immediately because he had once worked with him. Now Mr. Badio was a fugitive, the target of a warrant seeking to question him about the key role the police say he played in an infamous crime: the assassination of Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, in July 2021. Mr. Dorfeuille summoned help, and within minutes, four police officers armed with assault rifles arrived and detained Mr. Badio as he was about to drive away from the supermarket outside Haiti’s capital.

Persons: Ernst Dorfeuille, Joseph Félix Badio, Badio, Jovenel Moïse, Dorfeuille Organizations: Haitian Locations: Haiti’s

Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong delivers the Singapore Energy Lecture during the 15th Singapore International Energy Week, in Singapore October 25, 2022. REUTERS/Isabel Kua/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday said he will hand leadership of the ruling People's Action Party to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as soon as the party's 70th anniversary in November 2024, a year before an election is due. He has served as party secretary-general and prime minister since 2004 and last year chose Wong, who is also finance minister, as his successor. Therefore, I intend to hand over to DPM Lawrence before the next general election," Lee said at an annual party conference. He served as Lee's principal private secretary from 2005 to 2008 and led the education and national development ministries before becoming finance minister in 2021 and deputy prime minister last year.

Persons: Finance Lawrence Wong, Isabel Kua, Lee Hsien Loong, Lawrence Wong, Wong, Lee, Lee Kuan Yew, DPM Lawrence, Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, Chong Ja Ian, Chen Lin, Michael Perry, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Finance, Singapore Energy, Singapore International Energy, REUTERS, Rights, Singapore Prime, Party, Monetary Authority of, Nanyang Technological University, Still, National University of Singapore, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Rights SINGAPORE, Lawrence, Monetary Authority of Singapore

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Air pollution, a global scourge that kills millions of people a year, is shielding us from the full force of the sun. "It's this Catch-22," said Patricia Quinn, an atmospheric chemist at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), speaking about cleaning up sulphur pollution globally. "If you implement technologies to reduce air pollution, this will accelerate – very significantly – global warming in the short term." The Chinese and Indian environment ministries didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on the effects of pollution unmasking. As the implications of the pollution unmasking become more apparent, experts are casting around for methods to counter the associated warming.

Persons: poring, Patricia Quinn, Paulo Artaxo, Xi Jinping, Xi, El, Yangyang Xu, Xu, unmasking, Laura Wilcox, COVID, Sergey Osipov, Michael Diamond, Jake Spring, David Stanway, Sakshi Dayal, Katy Daigle Organizations: U.S . National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Reuters, World Health Organization, U.S . Clean, National People's, China Meteorological Administration, El Nino, M University, Britain's University of Reading, India Meteorological Department, India, Clean, Programme, King Abdullah University of Science, Technology, Florida State University, Thomson Locations: India, China, Beijing, 10.34C, Texas, Chongqing, Wuhan, SO2, heatwaves, Xinjiang, INDIA, Europe, Northern China, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Sao Paulo, Singapore, New Delhi

☆ Indonesia, Vietnam energy transition financing under G7-funded plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

South Africa was the first country to reach a deal under the JETP, securing a $8.5 billion financing pledge in 2021. Indonesia secured a pledge of $20 billion and Vietnam $15.5 billion in deals struck in late 2022. Without the plan, Indonesia's greenhouse gas emissions are expected to reach more than 350 million tons in 2030. How would the JETP financing be arranged? G7 donors as well as Norway and Denmark have pledged a total $10 billion public financing for Indonesia while the remaining $10 billion will come from public financing.

Persons: they'll, Quoc Khanh, Fransiska Nangoy, Khanh Vu, Francesco Guarascio, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Climate, Asian Development Bank, Natural Resources, Reuters, European Union, Thomson Locations: Hanoi, Rights JAKARTA, HANOI, Indonesia, Vietnam, Africa, Senegal, INDONESIA Indonesia, Norway, Denmark, VIETNAM, EU

It won five cabinet positions in the three-party coalition, including the powerful economy and foreign ministries. And a host of missteps that some even within the party concede has stalled the Greens’ momentum. Today the Greens are widely viewed as a drag on the government of the Social Democratic chancellor, Olaf Scholz, which one poll gave a mere 19 percent approval rating. The Greens have drawn withering attacks from even their own coalition partners. To their opponents, the Greens have overreached on their agenda and become the face of an out-of-touch environmental elitism that has alienated many voters, sending droves to the far right.

Persons: Olaf Scholz Organizations: Germany’s Green Party, Greens, Social Democratic Locations: Ukraine

☆ House Speaker Mike Johnson partnered with anti-gay conversion therapy group before he became a politician
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Andrew Kaczynski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Speaker of the House Mike Johnson closely collaborated with a group in the mid-to-late 2000s that promoted “conversion therapy,” a discredited practice that asserted it could change the sexual orientation of gay and lesbian individuals. Founded in 1976, Exodus International was a leader in the so-called “ex-gay” movement, which aimed to make gay individuals straight through conversion therapy programs using religious and counseling methods. Exodus International connected ministries across the world using these controversial approaches. At the time, Johnson worked as an attorney for the socially conservative legal advocacy group, Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). The Day of Truth sought to counter that silence by distributing information about what Johnson described as the “dangerous” gay lifestyle.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, ”, Exodus, Truth, ” Johnson, “, God, ” Wayne Besen, ” Randy Scobey, Scobey, ” Scobey Organizations: CNN, International, Alliance Defense Fund, ADF, Lesbian Straight Education Network, Louisiana Republican, ADF’s, Exodus, Alliance Defense, Alliance Defending Locations: Louisiana, Roman, Rome

☆ Montenegro votes in new government with Milojko Spajic prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Members of 44th Montenegrin government pose for a family photo in front of the parliament in Podgorica, Montenegro, October 31, 2023. The new government, led by economist Milojko Spajic of the Europe Now Movement, will have 18 ministries and five deputy-prime ministers. It will include the centre-right pro-European Democrats, the pro-Serbian Socialist People's Party and five parties of the Albanian minority. Montenegro joined NATO in 2017, a year after a botched coup attempt that the then government blamed on Russian agents and Serbian nationalists. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, Montenegro, unlike Serbia, joined EU sanctions against Moscow, sent aid to Ukraine and expelled a number of Russian diplomats.

Persons: Stevo, Milojko Spajic, Spajic, Andrija Mandic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, European Democrats, Serbian Socialist People's Party, NATO, World Bank, EU, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Montenegrin, Podgorica, Montenegro, Rights PODGORICA, Europe, Serbian, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine

☆ Opinion | The Memories That Feed Distrust in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Zeynep Tufekci | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

His pained voice turned to anger when he recounted encountering disbelief that Hamas committed terrible atrocities when it attacked Israel. Indeed, since Hamas did murder children and take others as hostages, should it get credit if it didn’t also behead them? But if the U.S. response after Sept. 11 is a model, it is as a model of what not to do. After the attacks, the United States received deep global sympathy. In the Middle East, the devastating aftermath of that war — justified by false claims — has never ended.

Persons: Moshe Lavi, Lavi, there’s, Biden, didn’t, that’s, ”, Bush, —, Peter Lerner, Saddam Hussein, Saddam, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Hamas, New York Times, United Nations, Britain’s Sky, United, Iraqi Army, The New York Times, Guardian, Israeli Defense Forces, Hamas’s Naval Police, Naval Force, Amnesty International, Kuwaiti, American, Rights, Amnesty, West Bank Locations: Israel, Gaza, Iraq, U.S, United States, Abu Ghraib, People, Israeli, Kuwait, Vietnam, Kuwaiti

Search resuls for: "Ministries"

25 mentions found