DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ China to increase support for private firms to bolster recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Ella Cao And Kevin Yao | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Party, cabinet issue policies to support private sectorTo protect private property rights, ensure fair competitionTo create "traffic light" regime for private investorsTo support eligible firms to list and refinanceBEIJING, July 19 (Reuters) - China on Wednesday pledged to make the private economy "bigger, better and stronger" with a series of policy measures designed to help private business and bolster the flagging post-pandemic recovery. The measures include protection for the property rights of private firms and entrepreneurs and steps to ensure fair market competition by breaking down market-entry barriers. They will also create a "traffic light" system to make clear the areas in which private investors are able to invest, as well as encouraging some private companies to issue technology innovation bonds. Private companies will be encouraged to increase investment in areas such as power generation and storage, and the industrial internet. China is also encouraging private enterprises to increase investment in research and development and participate in investment and construction of new types of infrastructure.

Persons: Ella Cao, Kevin Yao, Bernard Orr, Andrew Heavens, Jane Merriman, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Xinhua, Communist Party, Authorities, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Xinhua

☆ Cooler inflation unleashes monster rally in UK markets, dents pound
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

British annual consumer price inflation fell to a lower than expected 7.9% in June, below a forecast for a decline to 8.2%. June's rate was a long way off last October's 41-year high of 11.1%, but far above the BoE's 2% target rate. "Some good news on UK inflation at last, coming in below expectations for June and most importantly the core inflation rate fell more than thought," Neil Birrell, who is chief investment officer at Premier Miton Investors, said. British finance minister Jeremy Hunt said there was still a long way to go to reduce inflation towards target. Meanwhile, interest-rate derivatives showed traders no longer believe UK rates will have to rise above 6% to temper inflation.

Persons: Barratt, Taylor Wimpey, Neil Birrell, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Jeremy Batstone, Carr, Raymond James, Danilo Masoni, Alun John, Dhara Ranasinghe, Andrew Organizations: Reuters, Premier Miton Investors, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: United States, European, Milan

☆ Canadian housing starts jump 41% in June - CMHC
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TORONTO, July 18 (Reuters) - Canadian housing starts rose 41% in June compared with the previous month, the largest increase in the last 10 years, led by groundbreaking on multiple unit urban homes, data from the national housing agency showed on Tuesday. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of housing starts rose to 281,373 units in June from a revised 200,018 units in May, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) said. Economists in a Reuters poll had expected starts to increase to 220,000 in June. Reporting by Fergal Smith; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fergal Smith, Andrew Heavens Organizations: TORONTO, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Thomson

☆ U.S. national crosses into North Korea, likely held in custody
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Korea's Dong-a Ilbo daily, citing South Korea's army, identified the person as Travis King, a U.S. army soldier with the rank of private second class. "We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident," it added, referring to North Korea's People's Army. North Korea has been testing increasingly powerful missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched last week. U.S. State Department travel advisory bans U.S. nationals from entering North Korea "due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long term detention of U.S. He died in 2017, days after he was released from North Korea and returned to the United States in a coma.

Persons: Travis King, Isaac Taylor, USFK, We're, Otto Warmbier, Hyonhee Shin, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Jack Kim, Andrew Heavens, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: U.S, United Nations Command, Joint Security Area, National, Democratic People's, . Command, UNC, Twitter, Korea's People's Army, Command, U.S . Army, Reuters, U.S . State Department, Pentagon, Korea's Defence Ministry, North, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Korea's, South, U.S, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, South Korea, United States

Versus the yen the dollar fell 0.28% to 138.36 yen per dollar, after touching its lowest against the Japanese currency in two months on Friday. ,"The FX market is front running possible normalisation of Fed policy in 2024," said Chris Weston, head of research at broker Pepperstone in Melbourne. "The question then is whether the dollar sell-off has gone too far and we are at risk of mean reversion early this week." The Swedish and Norwegian crowns continued to climb after making gains of more than 5% on the dollar last week. The Swedish crown rose 0.2% to 10.2360 against the dollar, the Norwegian crown rose instead 0.4% to 10.0160.

Persons: Francesco Pesole, Chris Weston, Carol Kong, Sharp, Joice Alves, Tom Westbrook, Angus MacSwan, Andrew Heavens Organizations: ING, Federal Reserve, Fed, European Central Bank, Pepperstone, U.S, New Zealand, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, dovish Bank of, Thomson Locations: SYDNEY, U.S, Germany, Europe, Melbourne, dovish Bank of Japan, Norwegian, London, Sydney

☆ Wildfires rage near Greek capital, houses damaged
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] People stand near a house, as a wildfire burns in Kouvaras, Greece, July 17, 2023. The blaze that broke out in the village of Kouvaras, about 27 km (17 miles) from the Greek capital, spread fast amid erratic winds, a Greek fire service official said. Greek television showed several houses and cars gutted by the blaze and thick white smoke billowing from burning vegetation. Nervous horses were moved away from burning stables to trucks in the nearby village of Kalyvia, Reuters footage showed. The Greek meteorological service has warned of a high risk of fire, just as the country is recovering from the first major heatwave of the summer.

Persons: Stelios Misinas KOUVARAS, Ioannis Artopoios, Stamos Prousalis, Stelios Misinas, Lefteris Papadimas, Angeliki Koutantou, Andrew Heavens, Sharon Singleton, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Fire, Thomson Locations: Kouvaras, Greece, Athens, Kalyvia, Loutraki

KOUVARAS, Greece, July 17 (Reuters) - Two wildfires, fanned by strong winds, raged uncontrolled through coastal towns near Athens on Monday forcing residents to flee their homes and prompting the evacuation of hundreds of children from a summer camp. The blaze that broke out in the village of Kouvaras, about 27 km (17 miles) southeast of the Greek capital, spread fast amid erratic winds, a Greek fire service official said. Dozens of horses were evacuated in trucks as the flames reached stables in the nearby areas of Kalyvia and Anavyssos. [1/10]Flames approach a house as a wildfire burns in Saronida, near Athens, Greece, July 17. There is a very high risk for fires," Artopoios said adding that strong winds will persist.

Persons: Ioannis Artopoios, Stelios Misinas, Artopoios, Greece's, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, We've, Stamos, Lefteris, Angeliki Koutantou, Renee Maltezou, Andrew Heavens, Sharon Singleton, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, Police, Fire, Flames, REUTERS, Authorities, Thomson Locations: KOUVARAS, Greece, Athens, Kouvaras, Lagonisi, Kalyvia, Loutraki, Saronida, Dervenochoria, Brussels, Mati

The actors' union said on Thursday its board had unanimously agreed to a strike after failing to reach a deal with studios, including Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) and Netflix Inc (NFLX.O). Officials said actors would join picket lines in New York and Los Angeles starting on Friday. The economic damage is expected to spread after actors join the picket lines. The actors' walkout will shut down the studios' remaining U.S.-based productions of film and scripted television and hamper many overseas shoots. Britain's main entertainment industry union Equity said it backed its U.S. counterpart and would be bringing up many of the same issues in its own contract negotiations over the next 12 months.

Persons: Fran Drescher, Duncan Crabtree, Drescher, Rather, AFTRA, Paul Fleming, Lisa Richwine, Marie, Louise Gumuchian, Diane Craft, Andrew Heavens, Barbara Lewis Organizations: SAG, Alliance, Television Producers, Studios, Britain's Equity, Hollywood, Writers Guild of America, Walt Disney Co, Netflix Inc, Los Angeles, Equity, U.S ., Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hollywood's, New York, Los, California, Britain, London

☆ Euro zone almost eliminates trade deficit in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, July 14 (Reuters) - The euro zone almost eliminated its trade deficit in May, non-adjusted data showed on Friday, as exports of chemicals and machinery picked up and the value of imported energy products, notably from Russia, declined. The European Union statistics office Eurostat said the seasonally unadjusted trade balance of the 20 countries sharing the euro was a 0.3 billion euro deficit in May compared with a 30.3 billion euro shortfall a year earlier. Adjusted for seasonal swings, the May trade deficit was a modest 0.9 billion euros from 8.0 billion euros in April. The EU's trade gap with China also narrowed slightly in Jan-May, while its trade surplus with the United States dipped. However, the EU trade surplus with Britain expanded as EU exports rose and imports from Britain fell.

Persons: Eurostat, Philip Blenkinsop, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Andrew Heavens Organizations: European Union, Union, Britain, Eurostat, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Russia, Jan, China, United States, Britain

Wall Street's main stock indexes built on Wednesday's sharp gains after data showed that consumer prices rose modestly in June, registering the smallest annual increase in more than two years. Other data on Thursday showed that U.S. producer prices barely rose in June, U.S. jobless claims unexpectedly declined, and Chinese exports dropped. The dollar index slumped to its lowest level since April 2022 on Thursday, as the cooling U.S. inflation bolstered expectations the Fed will rates only once more in 2023, eroding the greenback's yield advantage over peers. The euro was up 0.86% to $1.122, and the Japanese yen strengthened 0.37% versus the greenback at 137.99 per dollar. Oil prices traded near the highest levels in two months on the soft U.S. dollar.

Persons: Yung, Yu Ma, Ma, Brent, Lawrence Delevingne, Huw Jones, Stella Qiu, Chizu Nomiyama, Andrew Heavens, Leslie Adler, Diane Craft Organizations: Treasury, Federal, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Fed, Citigroup, Japan's Nikkei, Monetary Fund, BMO Wealth Management’s, Thomson Locations: Asia, Europe, CHINA, China, Pacific, Japan, Boston, London, Sydney

☆ Hollywood actors' strike: How would it hit TV shows and movies?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, July 13 (Reuters) - Thousands of Hollywood film and television actors may go on strike from Thursday, joining writers who walked off the job 11 weeks ago. How would a walkout by the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) affect viewers' favorite shows and movies? Which films and television shows would be hit? Broadcast networks including Fox (FOXA.O) and Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) ABC have announced fall lineups heavy with reality shows, which are not affected by the strikes. The same is true for unscripted reality shows such as "Big Brother" and "The Bachelor."

Persons: Walt Disney, Abbott, Fox, Inc's, Lisa Richwine, Dawn Chmielewski, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, Fox, Walt Disney Co's, ABC, Netflix, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, United States, Los Angeles, Korea, India

[1/4] An exterior view of the proposed site for the new China Embassy, near to Tower Bridge in London, Britain, June 23, 2023. That has led officials in Britain, which is trying to forge deeper economic ties post-Brexit, to fear it could also halt their own plans to rebuild its embassy in Beijing. Chinese officials told Reuters they suspected the British government had plotted to stop the embassy plans and orchestrated the local opposition. British officials, who declined to be identified, said they feared that London's plan to rebuild its embassy in Beijing would be affected. Residents say they are also worried about more local security issues.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Rishi Sunak, David Cameron, Xi Jinping, Michael Gove, Xi, Iain Duncan Smith, Dave Lake, Martin Quin Pollard, Kate Holton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: China Embassy, REUTERS, of, Reuters, British, Royal Mint, Conservative Party, Uyghur, Royal Mint Court Residents Association, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Beijing London, of London, Beijing, China, Europe, Washington, United States, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Sunak

☆ Global stocks index flat, Dollar falls on mixed U.S. jobs data
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Sinéad Carew | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Still, the unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in June from 3.7% in May and average hourly earnings rose 0.4%, the same as May. On Thursday, private payroll provider ADP's strong U.S. labor market data had sparked an equities sell-off and boosted Treasury yields. While Friday's government data was initially met with a more muted market reaction, stocks gained some ground during the session before losing ground again in afternoon trading. The dollar slumped after the labor market data as some traders were betting that the Fed could cut rates sooner than previously expected. The dollar index fell 0.795%, with the euro up 0.73% to $1.0965.

Persons: Mike Segar, nonfarm payrolls, Quincy Krosby, payrolls, Sam Stovall, Stovall, Sterling, Brent, Sinéad Carew, Caroline Valetkevitch, Nell Mackenzie, Naomi Rovnick, Tom Westbrook, Andrew Heavens, David Holmes, Will Dunham, David Evans Organizations: Wall, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Federal, U.S, CFRA Research, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Fed, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Charlotte , North Carolina, New York, London, Sydney

☆ Bonds whipsaw, world stocks barely higher after mixed U.S. jobs data
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Sinéad Carew | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Thursday, private payroll provider ADP's strong U.S. labour market data had sent equities lower and boosted Treasury yields. But Friday's government data prompted a more muted market reaction and barely changed expectations for the Federal Reserve's rate hiking cycle. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) rose 0.11% and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS) gained 0.16%. Earlier, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) closed 0.71% lower, while Japan's Nikkei (.N225) lost 1.17%. In commodities, oil prices were higher even as U.S. jobs data did little to allay fears of further interest rate hikes.

Persons: Mike Segar, nonfarm payrolls, Peter Cardillo, Brent, Sinéad Carew, Caroline Valetkevitch, Nell Mackenzie, Naomi Rovnick, Tom Westbrook, Andrew Heavens, David Holmes, David Evans Organizations: Wall, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, Federal, Spartan Capital Securities, Fed, Traders, Treasury, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Japan's Nikkei, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Japan, New York, London, Sydney

☆ Scotland proposes making all drug possession legal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - Scotland outlined proposals on Friday to decriminalise the possession of all drugs for personal use saying it would help it tackle the worst drug death rate in Europe. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ruled out any change, saying: "There are no plans to alter our tough stance on drugs." The governing Scottish National Party, which wants Scotland to be an independent country, has also clashed with the British government over a proposed gender recognition reform law. With 327 deaths per million population, Scotland had Europe's highest drug death rate in 2020, dwarfing the next highest rate of 85 in Norway, official statistics showed. While narcotics are illegal in much of the world, some countries have decriminalised various forms of drug possession, with health experts arguing it would allow compulsive drug users to be treated as patients rather than criminals.

Persons: Elena Whitham, Rishi Sunak, dwarfing, Sachin Ravikumar, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Drugs, British, Scottish National Party, Thomson Locations: Scotland, Europe, Edinburgh, British, London, Westminster, Norway

☆ Iran's Revolutionary Guards seize commercial ship in Gulf - U.S. Navy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards "forcibly seized" a commercial ship in international waters in the Gulf on Thursday and the vessel was possibly involved in smuggling, a U.S. Navy spokesperson said. The U.S. Navy had monitored the situation and decided not to make any further response, U.S. 5th Fleet spokesperson Commander Tim Hawkins said. Iran said on Thursday it had a court order to seize one of the tankers sailing in Gulf waters on Wednesday after it collided with an Iranian vessel. read moreTehran seized two other tankers in May including the Marshall Islands flagged Advantage Sweet, which had been chartered by Chevron. read moreSince 2021, "Iran has harassed, attacked or seized nearly 20 internationally flagged merchant vessels", the U.S. Navy said this week.

Persons: Tim Hawkins, Ambrey, Hawkins, Jonathan Saul, Hugh Lawson, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Guards, U.S . Navy, . 5th Fleet, Richmond, Marshall, Chevron, Thomson Locations: Gulf, U.S, British, Saudi, Dammam, Iran, Hormuz, Oman, Gulf of Oman, Iranian, Bahamas, Chevron, Tehran

☆ One dead as rare summer storm hits Netherlands
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Bart H. Meijer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In Amsterdam, several people were injured as dozens of trees were toppled by the storm, damaging cars and houseboats along the city's canals. The storm, named Poly, is the Netherlands' worst ever during the summer months and its strongest overall since January 2018, weather agency Weeronline said. The last heavy summer storm was in 2015 and was the first in over a century. The summer storm is causing much damage as trees are heavy with leaves and many of them have become brittle during an unusually long dry spell in May and June. The storm will move east over the north of the country and is expected to become less intense during the afternoon.

Persons: Weeronline, Bart Meijer, Toby Sterling, Andrew Heavens, Jan Harvey, John Stonestreet, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: National Meteorology Institute, Arriva, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Haarlem, Amsterdam, Noord, Holland, Amsterdam's Schiphol

☆ Moderna agrees deal in China with view to developing mRNA medicines
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Moderna Inc FollowSHANGHAI, July 5 (Reuters) - Vaccine maker Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) said on Wednesday it had signed a memorandum of understanding and a land collaboration agreement to work towards opportunities for it to research, develop and manufacture mRNA medicines in China. Moderna said in May it was looking for opportunities in China after registering a legal entity in the world's second-largest economy. The company prior to this had no presence in mainland China. Its expansion into mainland China comes as its revenue growth slows sharply due to waning global demand for its COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. company's only approved product. Those vaccines, based on the same mRNA platform as its COVID shot, have yet to be filed for regulatory approval decisions.

Persons: Stéphane Bancel, Brenda Goh, Andrew Heavens, Louise Heavens Organizations: Moderna Inc, Reuters, Moderna, Thomson Locations: China, Shanghai, Moderna, Hong Kong, Asia, U.S, Beijing

☆ Storm disrupts air and train traffic in the Netherlands
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, July 5 (Reuters) - Strong winds severely disrupted air and rail traffic in the Netherlands and authorities urged people to stay indoors after storm Poly hit the Dutch coast early on Wednesday with wind gusts of up to 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour. The national meteorology institute gave a code red storm warning for a large part of the country, the highest level of alert. Residents of the Noord-Holland province, which includes Amsterdam, were sent push alarms on mobile phones warning them to stay indoors and to reserve emergency service numbers for life-threatening situations. Train operator NS halted all train traffic in the north of the Netherlands, while a highway north of Amsterdam was closed due to falling trees. Reporting by Bart Meijer and Toby Sterling; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bart Meijer, Toby Sterling, Andrew Heavens, Jan Harvey Organizations: Poly, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Schiphol, Noord, Holland, Amsterdam

☆ Shooting in Texas leaves at least 3 dead, 8 wounded - media
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

July 4 (Reuters) - A shooting just before midnight on Monday in a parking lot in Fort Worth, Texas, left at least three people dead and eight wounded, according to media reports citing the police. One was pronounced dead at the scene and two others died in hospital, while the other eight were also hospitalized and their conditions weren't known, CBS reported. The reason for the shooting wasn't immediately clear. Ten victims were adults and the other is a juvenile, the report said, adding that there was a "large crowd gathering" in the parking lot at the time of the shooting. Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shivani Tanna, Andrew Heavens, Alistair Bell Organizations: CBS, Thomson Locations: Fort Worth , Texas, Bengaluru

☆ Temperatures seen surging as El Nino weather pattern returns
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

El Nino, a warming of water surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, is linked to extreme weather conditions from tropical cyclones to heavy rainfall to severe droughts. The world's hottest year on record, 2016, coincided with a strong El Nino - though experts says climate change has fuelled extreme temperatures even in years without the phenomenon. The World Health Organization said last month it was preparing for an increased spread of viral diseases such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya linked to El Nino. During El Nino, winds blowing west along the equator slow down, and warm water is pushed east, creating warmer surface ocean temperatures. In the past, it has caused severe droughts in Australia, Indonesia, parts of southern Asia, Central America and northern South America.

Persons: El, Maria Neira, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson, Christina Fincher Organizations: WHO, El, World Meteorological Organization, El Nino, WMO, Prediction Service, World Health Organization, Environment, Health, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Pacific, Geneva, South America, United States, of Africa, Central Asia, Australia, Indonesia, Asia, Central America

☆ Russian drones kill two, Ukraine's Zelenskiy seeks better air defences
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Images posted by Ukraine's state emergency service showed mangled buildings and courtyards scattered with debris as rescue workers tackled a fire. "Unfortunately, our country does not yet have a sufficient number of high-quality air defence systems to protect our entire territory and shoot down all enemy targets," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "We will do everything possible and impossible to make our air defences the strongest." Ukraine, he said, needed to protect its own territory and "in future become the basis of a European air shield. He said Ukrainian air defences had downed more than 3,000 targets of various types over the 16 months of war.

Persons: Read, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Dan Peleschuk, Timothy Heritage, Andrew Heavens, Ron Popeski Organizations: Press, State Emergency Service of, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Sumy, State Emergency Service of Ukraine, KYIV, Russian, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia

If Mayor Sadiq Khan's plan goes ahead, London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will become one of the world's largest to tackle air pollution, encompassing 5 million extra people in the capital's leafier and less-connected outer boroughs. London's transport authority says only one in 10 cars in outer London are not ULEZ-compliant. But Khan, who was diagnosed with asthma and wrote a book this year on air pollution and climate change, says he is determined to face down his critics. "But the further away from the city centre you go, the less you can improve air quality," Verbeek added. "It's absolutely critical that even in a cost-of-living crisis we do not kick the can of air pollution down the road and let more children grow up unhealthy and unwell," she said.

Persons: Toby Melville, Sadiq Khan's, Carl Cristina, Cristina, Khan, Thomas Verbeek, Verbeek, Jemima Hartshorn, Teresa O'Neill, I've, Gavin Jones, William James, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Delft University of Technology, Thomson Locations: Marble, London, Britain, Europe, Rome, Netherlands

☆ Amid US pressure, Dutch announce new chip equipment export rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, June 30 (Reuters) - The Dutch government on Friday announced new rules restricting exports of certain advanced semiconductor equipment, a move that comes amid U.S. pressure on its allies to curb sales of hi-tech components to China. "We have taken this step in the interest of our national security" said Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher, adding such equipment may have military applications. The rules, which will require companies that make advanced chipmaking equipment to seek a licence before they can export it, are expected to go into effect on Sept. 1. A technical document specifying which equipment will require a licence accompanied the announcement. Reporting by Toby Sterling Editing by Andrew Heavens and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Liesje Schreinemacher, Toby Sterling, Andrew Heavens, Mark Potter Organizations: Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, China

☆ EU agrees deal on securities rules that includes ban on broker commission
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 29 (Reuters) - The European Union said on Thursday that member states and the European Parliament have reached a deal on updating the bloc's "MiFID" securities trading rules. The EU has been reviewing its securities trading rules to reflect advances in trading technology and also the departure of Britain from the bloc, presenting new competition to EU markets. "The agreement reached today imposes a general ban on 'payment for order flow' (PFOF), a practice through which brokers receive payments for forwarding client orders to certain trading platforms," a statement from the EU member states' council said. Under the deal, member states that already allow PFOF will be exempt from the ban provided it is only offered to clients in that member state. The deal, which needs formal rubber-stamping from the full parliament and EU states, also sets up 'consolidated tapes' that would give investors a snapshot of stock and bond prices on markets to help find the best deals.

Persons: Huw Jones, David Evans, Andrew Heavens Organizations: European Union, EU, Thomson Locations: EU

Search resuls for: "Andrew Heavens"

25 mentions found