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☆ WTA roundup: Zheng Qinwen advances at Zhengzhou Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

She will face Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina, who posted a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Russian qualifier Vera Zvonareva. Hana Bank Korea OpenBelgium's Yanina Wickmayer seized a 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory over third-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia to move on to the quarterfinals in Seoul. Wickmayer will meet Russian Polina Kudermetova, who breezed to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Kathinka von Deichmann of Liechenstein. Fifth-seeded Anna Blinkova of Russia coasted to a 6-1, 6-3 win over Australian Priscilla Hon to advance to the third round. Third-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium had little difficulty in her 6-1, 6-4 victory over Australian qualifier Daria Saville.

Persons: China's, Zheng, China's Zhu Lin REUTERS, Kim Kyung, Zheng Qinwen, Maria Sakkari, Sakkari, Kalinina, Vera Zvonareva, Italy's Jasmine Paolini, Caroline Garcia of, Ukraine's, Tsurenko, Donna Vekic, Wickmayer, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Kudermetova, Kathinka von Deichmann, Claire Liu, Arantxa Rus, China's Yuan Yue, Slovenia's Kaja Juvan, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Anna Blinkova, Russia coasted, Priscilla Hon, Elise Mertens, Daria Saville Organizations: Tennis Centre, Russian, Caroline Garcia of France, Hana Bank, Hong, Belarus, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, Greece, Zhengzhou, Croatia, Hana Bank Korea, Russia, Seoul, Wickmayer, Arantxa, Netherland, Hong Kong, Brazil, Belgium

☆ EU plans anti-subsidy probes to secure steel deal with US
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A worker walks past steel rolls at the Chongqing Iron and Steel plant in Changshou, Chongqing, China August 6, 2018. Washington has asked Brussels to move against Chinese steel producers in particular in return for avoiding the re-imposition of Trump-era tariffs on EU steel and aluminium, with an end-October deadline to reach an agreement. Washington has said it wants to prevent "leakage" of Chinese steel and aluminium into the U.S. market. China's shipments have steadily fallen since 2015, when they made up 25% of EU steel imports in volume terms, to below 10% since 2018, according to EU steelmakers federation Eurofer. The extra annual emissions would by 2026 be more than the CO2 emissions of the entire EU steel sector, he said.

Persons: Damir Sagolj, Joe Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, Washington, Axel Eggert, der Leyen, Nilutpal, Philip Blenkinsop, Amy Lv, Simon Cameron, Moore, Mark Potter, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Chongqing Iron, REUTERS, Rights, European, Trump, Financial Times, European Union, European Commission, EU, World Trade Organization, China's Ministry of Commerce, Thomson Locations: Chongqing, Changshou, China, Rights BRUSSELS, United States, European, EU, Brussels, Washington, U.S, East, North Africa, Bengaluru, Beijing

☆ Israel highlights fragility of new trade corridors
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Afiq Fitri Alias | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Oct 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A new and deadly chapter of the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict is a reality check for an ambitious trade route. IMEC’s chief backers waxed lyrical about the potential of the trade route involving railways, ports and green energy. Demand is there: India's total trade with Saudi Arabia more than doubled in two years, hitting around $53 billion in financial year 2023. In the near-term, the Suez Canal will remain the primary route for goods travelling to Europe from India, while Turkey can press its own rival trade route. The Biden administration is continuing to push for normalisation talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel, the New York Times reported on Oct. 8.

Persons: Joe Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, Narendra Modi, India’s, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Washington, European, Indian, New, Saudi Crown, Israeli, New York Times, Thomson Locations: Israel, India, Middle, Europe, New Delhi, Saudi Arabia, Haifa, Gaza, China, People’s Republic, Suez, Turkey, United States, European Union, France, Germany, Delhi, Arabian, Asia

☆ EU plans anti-subsidy probe into Chinese steelmakers - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A worker walks past steel rolls at the Chongqing Iron and Steel plant in Changshou, Chongqing, China August 6, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 10 (Reuters) - The European Union is planning to announce anti-subsidy investigations against Chinese steelmakers at a summit with the U.S. this month, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Washington had asked Brussels to move against Chinese steel producers in return for avoiding the re-imposition of Trump-era tariffs on EU steel, the newspaper said. In September, Brussels launched an investigation into whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect EU producers against cheaper Chinese electric vehicle (EV) imports it says are benefiting from state subsidies. Additional reporting by Amy Lv in Beijing; Editing by Jacqueline Wong & Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Damir Sagolj, Washington, Joe Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, Nilutpal, Amy Lv, Jacqueline Wong, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Chongqing Iron, REUTERS, European, U.S, Financial Times, Trump, China's Ministry of Commerce, EVs, Thomson Locations: Chongqing, Changshou, China, Brussels, Beijing, Bengaluru

☆ Next EU chief will need cash more than trade wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Rebecca Christie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

What she sidestepped was how to find more cash and convince member states to pay up. Von der Leyen, or her successor, will have to figure out how to pay for enlargement. Von der Leyen tapped into trade frustrations with her pledge to investigate and possibly punish Chinese subsidies for car and battery makers. During her first term, von der Leyen succeeded in connecting the EU with bond investors via the 800 billion euro NextGenerationEU borrowing programme. A second term will require even more finesse to convince EU member states to raise money not just from markets, but from themselves.

Persons: Ursula von der, European Union won’t, der, von der Leyen’s, Greens –, der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Thierry Breton, Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg, Von der, Carlo Bastasin, Von der Leyen, von der Leyen, sceptics, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel’s, Jens Stoltenberg’s, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, European Union, Bank, EU, European Commission, Socialists, Greens, NATO, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Brookings, handouts, Organisation for Economic Co, Transport, Environment, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Moldova, Western, Brussels, Germany, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Turkey, Georgia, Spain, Poland, United States, China, Ireland, Netherlands, EU, EU’s, Hungary

☆ World reacts to Hamas attack on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa Acquire Licensing RightsOct 8 (Reuters) - The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday. Germany condemns these attacks by Hamas and stands by Israel," Scholz said on social media. However, Morocco's Islamist PJD party, which had been the largest in parliament until elections in 2021, praised the Hamas attack as "a heroic act" and "a natural and legitimate reaction to daily violations". EUROPEAN UNIONEU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said: "I unequivocally condemn the attack carried out by Hamas terrorists against Israel. INDONESIA"Indonesia is very concerned about the increasing escalation of the conflict between Palestine and Israel," the foreign ministry the world’s largest Muslim-majority country said on X.

Persons: Mahmoud Issa, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Tor Wennesland, Volker Tuerk, MAHMOUD ABBAS, WAFA, Abbas, Ali Khamenei, Yahya Rahim Safavi, Nasser Kanaani, ISNA, OLAF SCHOLZ, Scholz, EMMANUEL MACRON Macron, Abraham, JOSEP BORRELL, Borrell, JUSTIN TRUDEAU, JAMES, Ursula von der Leyen, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, Erdogan, Israel, MIKHAIL BOGDANOV, Bogdanov, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY Zelenskiy, Israel's, ANDRZEJ DUDA, I'm, Duda, PETR PAVEL, Pavel, Giorgia Meloni, KISHIDA, Kishida, Faki Mahamat, Yoweri Museveni, Jan Harvey, Andrew Cawthorne, Ros Russell, Barbara Lewis, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, Hamas, UNITED, State Department . U.S . Defense, of Defense, Human, Palestinian, Abraham Accords, Israel, Twitter, EU Commission, Hezbollah, Rockets, State, African Union, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, IRAN, Palestine, Jerusalem, CHINA, State, Germany, SAUDI ARABIA, Egypt, MOROCCO Morocco, EU, Muscat, Oman, Canada, QATAR, MIKHAIL BOGDANOV Russia, Iran, Lebanese, Poland, Japan, KUWAIT Kuwait, EMIRATES, UAE, INDONESIA, Indonesia, KENYA, X, UGANDA, Uganda

☆ World reacts to surprise attack by Hamas on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The UK will always support Israel’s right to defend itself," Foreign Minister James Cleverly said in a social media post. URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION"I unequivocally condemn the attack carried out by Hamas terrorists against Israel. DUTCH PRIME MINISTER MARK RUTTE"Just spoke with Prime Minister @netanyahu about the unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel. POLISH FOREIGN MINISTER ZBIGNIEW RAU"I strongly condemn Hamas' ongoing attacks on Israel. AUSTRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ALEXANDER SCHALLENBERGSchallenberg strongly condemned what he called a "cowardly and underhand" attack on Israel by Hamas.

Persons: Mahmoud Issa, OLAF SCHOLZ, Scholz, EMMANUEL MACRON Macron, Macron, JAMES, James, URSULA VON DER LEYEN, JOSEP BORRELL, Borrell, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, Erdogan, MARK RUTTE, @netanyahu, Rutte, MIKHAIL BOGDANOV, Mikhail Bogdanov, Israel, Israel's, ZBIGNIEW RAU, Rau, PETR PAVEL, Pavel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ALEXANDER SCHALLENBERG Schallenberg, HADJA LAHBIB, Ros Russell, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Hamas, Twitter, SAUDI ARABIA'S, OF, AK Party, DUTCH, Hezbollah, Gaza, MINISTRY, Israel, State, SWISS DEPARTMENT OF, BELGIAN, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Germany, SAUDI, Egypt, TURKISH, Ankara, Netherlands, RUSSIAN, MIKHAIL BOGDANOV Russia, Iran, Lebanese, Ukraine, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, CZECH, Czech Republic, Czech, AUSTRIAN, Belgium, Greece

Israel has the right to defend itself and its people, full stop. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was at the White House for meetings and spoke to Israel's president and foreign minister, while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israel's defense minister. But given the scale of the Hamas attacks and Israel's military response, the officials said they were not optimistic about any short-term solution. Zelenskyy, who is Jewish and had relatives who died in the Holocaust, said “Israel’s right to self-defense cannot be questioned." In Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps, hundreds took to the streets to celebrate the operation by Hamas.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, United States “, There’s, ’ ’, ” Biden, Netanyahu, King Abdullah II, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Israel, ” Netanyahu, We’ll, ”, – “, It’s, ’, Blinken, “, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ursula Von Der Leyen, OIaf Scholz, Karl Nehammer, Rishi Sunak, ” Nehammer, Mikhail Bogdanov, Bogdanov, Israel ”, Nasser Kanaani Organizations: WASHINGTON, Hamas, Israeli, White House, Defense, Pentagon, ”, United Arab, Telegram, Jewish, British, Austrian, Foreign Ministry, Tass, Saudi Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Ministry, Associated Press Locations: Israel, United States, U.S, Kippur, Gaza, ’ ’, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Austrian, Vienna, Moscow, Iran, “ Israel, Palestine, Beirut, Tripoli

☆ Opinion: Hamas’ attack on Israel is an indisputable act of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Stuart Ross | Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

As many knowledgeable people have pointed out, what Hamas has done is clearly an act of terrorism, no matter what your definition. In another video, geolocated by CNN to southern Israel, near Gaza, Hamas militants are seen taking Israelis captive. Both Iran, the principal sponsor of Hamas, and Hezbollah, another Iran-linked terrorist organization committed to Israel’s destruction, praised Hamas. As sure as night follows day, Israel will retaliate, and millions around the world will blame Israel – and the Jews – ignoring what happened this bloody Saturday. But there’s no denying that what happened on Saturday was an act of terrorism, one that deserves clear, unequivocal condemnation

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Fatah, Khan Younis, Israel, they’re, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, Joe Biden, Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, ”, Emmanuel Macron, “, Olaf Scholtz, Narendra Modi, Abraham, Israel – Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Hamas, Frida Ghitis CNN, Muslim, Associated Press, Palestinian Health Ministry, EU, Dutch, Israel, UN Security Council, United, United Arab Emirates, Abraham Accords Locations: Iran, Gaza, Israel, Egypt, Sderot, Tel Aviv, Gaza City, ” Ukraine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab

[1/5] European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends the informal meeting of European heads of state or government, in Granada, Spain October 6, 2023. On Thursday night, Von der Leyen was visiting Granada's famed Alhambra Palace and fortress - built by the city's Muslim rulers in the 13th century - when she complemented guide Sumaya Abdelbi on her silk scarf. Abdelbi, who was born in Germany and is of Moroccan origin, briefed Von de Leyen and her husband on the palace. "I told her that she was now also part of the history of the Alhambra and she was very impressed," Abdelbi told Reuters. As Von der Leyen was leaving the event, Abdelbi saw her again and shouted: "I want to give you my scarf!".

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Juan Medina, Ursula Von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Granada's, Von de Leyen, Abdelbi, Belén Carreño, Andrei Khalip Organizations: European, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, Alhambra, Reuters, EU, Thomson Locations: Granada, Spain, Rights GRANADA, Spanish, Alhambra, Germany

Italy is even going outside the EU to establish links with the United Kingdom to crack down on unwanted arrivals. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was blunt about how far Europe's leaders still are from reaching a consensus before they met in Granada, Spain. Orbán, who has pushed back against EU policy repeatedly and taken a hard-line approach against migration, said that he won't sign off on any deal at any point in the foreseeable future. He went as far as to compare the situation to being “legally raped” by Hungary's fellow EU members. “The agreement on migration, politically, it’s impossible — not today (or) generally speaking for the next years," Orbán said.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Orbán, “, Mateusz Morawiecki, Ursula von der Leyen, ”, Roberta Metsola, ” Metsolas, Giorgia, Rishi Sunak, ___ Wilson, Raf Casert, Ciarán Giles, Colleen Barry, Vanessa Gera, Danica Kirka Organizations: European Union, EU, International Organization for Migration, Giorgia Meloni, della, The Times Locations: GRANADA, Spain, Brussels, Hungary, Poland, Italy, United Kingdom, Granada, Syria, Turkey, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine, Lampedusa, London, Africa, El Hierro, Senegal, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Warsaw

☆ Italy and Britain Pledge Joint Action Against 'Illegal Migration'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ROME (Reuters) - Italy and Britain want to lead the way in Europe in the fight against "illegal migration", the right-wing prime ministers of the two countries said in a joint op-ed published on Friday. The article is another show of unity between two governments whose tough approach on immigration has come under fire from charities and human rights advocates. French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also took part in the talks, held on the sidelines of a wider summit in Granada, Spain. At this meeting, "leaders committed to take action to support one another to tackle the challenges of illegal migration," Meloni and Sunak said, adding: "We're proud that Italy and the UK are leading on this together." (Reporting by Alvise Armellini; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Persons: Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Mark Rutte, Ursula von der Leyen, Alvise Armellini, Stephen Coates Organizations: The Times, Albanian, Edi Rama Locations: ROME, Italy, Britain, Europe, Ukraine, Dutch, Granada, Spain

☆ Italy and Britain pledge joint action against 'illegal migration'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Italy and Britain want to lead the way in Europe in the fight against "illegal migration", the right-wing prime ministers of the two countries said in a joint op-ed published on Friday. The article is another show of unity between two governments whose tough approach on immigration has come under fire from charities and human rights advocates. French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also took part in the talks, held on the sidelines of a wider summit in Granada, Spain. At this meeting, "leaders committed to take action to support one another to tackle the challenges of illegal migration," Meloni and Sunak said, adding: "We're proud that Italy and the UK are leading on this together." Reporting by Alvise Armellini; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Mark Rutte, Ursula von der Leyen, Alvise Armellini, Stephen Coates Organizations: The Times, Albanian, Edi Rama, Thomson Locations: Italy, Britain, Europe, Ukraine, Dutch, Granada, Spain

GRANADA, Spain (AP) — Almost 50 European leaders used a summit in the southern Spanish city of Granada on Thursday to stress that they stand by Ukraine at a time when Western resolve appears somewhat weakened. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that beside maintaining such unity, more military aid to get through the winter was essential. And especially now that questions about continued support are growing in the United States too. “I am very confident of support for Ukraine from the United States. What the United States is working on is the timing," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Biden, ” Zelenskyy, Robert Fico, Hungary’s, Pedro Sánchez, “, Ursula von der Leyen, Josep Borrell, doesn’t, Putin, Borrell, Putin's, ”, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Vjosa Osmani, Aleksandar Vucic, Osmani, wantssanctions, Raf Casert, Aritz Parra, Ciarán Giles, Joseph Wilson, Semini Organizations: Political, U.S, Congress, White, Republicans, European Union, Kyiv, Armenian, Yerevan, Kosovo, Serbian, Belgrade, Serbia Locations: GRANADA, Spain, Spanish, Granada, Ukraine, United States, Europe, Kyiv, Slovakia, Russia, U.S, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Serbia, “, Kosovo, Brussels, Madrid, Barcelona, Tirana, Albania

☆ European leaders say they can’t fully replace U.S. support to Ukraine as funding fears grow
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Gathering in Granada, Spain, for a summit of the European Political Community, European leaders sought to reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine amid Russia's full-scale invasion. He has insisted, however, that a majority of members across both major parties support funding Kyiv. "Ukraine needs the support of the European Union, which is sure, they will have it and we will increase it. "As far as I oversee the situation in the United States, I am very confident of support for Ukraine from the United States. Asked whether the EU could step in if the U.S. does not resume its support for Ukraine, Rutte said, "It is not necessary.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Jorge Guerrero, Joe Biden, Robert Fico, Washington's, Borrell, Viktor Bondarev, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Ursula von der Leyen, Biden, Mark Rutte, Rutte Organizations: EU, Representative, Union for Foreign Affairs, Palacio, Congreso, Afp, Getty, Political Community, Wednesday, Republican, U.S . Congress, European Union, Kyiv, Russia's Federation, Committee, Defense, Security, European Commission, Congresos, Political, Europa Press, Dutch, U.S . House, Representatives, Hague, Ukraine Locations: Granada, Spain, U.S, Ukraine, Europe, Russian, Slovakia, Kyiv, EU, America, Russia, Andalusia, United States, Netherlands

Not only in the EU but in all of Europe," Zelenskiy said on his arrival, warning of Russian "disinformation attacks". "It does worry me," Biden said on Wednesday, though he added that a majority of U.S. lawmakers continued to support funding Ukraine. In Slovakia, former prime minister Robert Fico's party came first in a parliamentary election on pledges of halting military aid to Ukraine, while Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said Warsaw was no longer arming Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday he was "very confident" that U.S. support for Ukraine would continue. Many EU leaders have condemned the Azerbaijani operation, which triggered an exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians.

Persons: Zelenskiy, Spain Zelenskiy, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, U.N, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Rishi Sunak, Democrat Biden, Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, Robert Fico's, Mateusz Morawiecki, Pedro Sanchez, Ilham Aliyev, Belen Carreno, Andreas Rinke, Anna Pruchnicka, Gareth Jones Organizations: Political, EU, British, U.S, Republican, Democrat, European Commission, Kyiv, Polish, European Union, NATO, Spanish, Thomson Locations: Spain, Europe, Balkans, Caucasus, Granada, GRANADA, Kyiv, Spanish, Ukraine, Norway, Albania, Russia, Poland, Brussels, U.S, Slovakia, Warsaw, EU, East, Africa, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Serbia, Kosovo, Nagorno, Karabakh, Baku, Berlin

☆ Philippines' Marcos suffers 'significant' drop in approval rating
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his speech during a joint press statement with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Malacanang Presidential Palace in Manila, Philippines, July 31, 2023. Aaron Favila/POOL via REUTERS./File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - President Ferdinand Marcos has suffered a "significant" drop in his approval rating as soaring consumer prices in the Philippines undermines his support, a polling organisation said on Monday. "Continuing increase in prices of basic commodities and services and unfulfilled promise of reducing these," likely caused the "significant" drop in the approval ratings, said Ronald Holmes, president of Pulse Asia. Marcos' presidential communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, also suffered a decline in approval ratings, dropping 11 points to 73%.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Ursula von der Leyen, Aaron Favila, Ferdinand Marcos, Marcos, Ronald Holmes, Sara Duterte, Rodrigo Duterte, Mikhail Flores, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Asia Survey, Pulse Asia, Thomson Locations: Manila, Philippines, Rights MANILA, Philippine, Hawaii

☆ Would-Be EU Climate Policy Chief Seeks Green Light From Lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

But lawmakers want to test him - particularly those from left-leaning groups that have recently clashed with centre-right lawmakers seeking to weaken some green policies. "We must ensure that the Commission sticks to its commitments on the Green Deal and avoids backsliding as right-wing politicians up their attacks on climate policies," Green lawmaker Philippe Lamberts said. Some lawmakers have questioned whether his previous roles equip him to lead climate policy. It is not uncommon, however, for EU commissioners to take on new portfolios and work with the EU civil service to master them. "I've met with him on the areas that I work on, and I've been very impressed," one EU official said.

Persons: Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, Wopke Hoekstra, Hoekstra, Ursula von der, Philippe Lamberts, I've, Kate Abnett, Kevin Liffey Organizations: European Commission, Green, Shell, EU Locations: Dutch, Europe, China, United States, Netherlands

☆ German museum employee swaps painting for fake and sells original to fund ‘luxury lifestyle’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A German museum employee swapped out a painting with a fake and then sold the original to buy luxury goods, including a Rolls Royce and expensive wristwatches, according to a Munich court. During that time, he stole “Das Märchen vom Froschkönig” (The Tale of the Frog Prince) by Franz von Stuck, replaced it with a fake and put the original up for auction. He lied to a Munich auction house, saying the painting had once belonged to his grandparents or great-grandparents. “Das Märchen vom Froschkönig” (The Tale of the Frog Prince) by Franz von Stuck. One of the works was sold via auction and the other was purchased directly by the auction house, netting him another 11,490 euros ($12,184).

Persons: ” “, ”, “ Das, Franz von Stuck, Eduard von Grützner, Franz von Defregger, “ Organizations: CNN, Royce, Deutsches Museum, Ketterer, ” Locations: Munich, Swiss

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in his first remarks over the latest flare up, said the Philippines was upholding its rights to fish in its exclusive economic zone. China, which says Scarborough Shoal is its territory, has chided the United States for what it calls provocations in the region. Since cutting the floating barrier, the Philippines has observed less Chinese presence in the shoal, Tarriela said. There were three Chinese coastguard vessels and one maritime militia ship seen from an inspection flight on Thursday, versus seven Chinese vessels last week, Tarriela said. There were two Filipino vessels fishing in the shoal, but it remains a struggle to enter the lagoon, he added.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Ursula von der Leyen, Aaron Favila, Marcos, we're, Jay Tarriela, Tarriela, Enrico Dela Cruz, Neil Jerome Morales, Martin Petty, Mark Potter Organizations: coastguard, Philippine coastguard, Manila, Washington, Thomson Locations: Philippine, Manila, Philippines, China, shoal's, coastguard MANILA, Scarborough, Beijing, United States

☆ Meloni’s Italian job is a lesson for EU’s right
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

This is particularly true of Meloni’s surprise decision in August to tax what she called “unjust profits” by domestic banks. Ill-fated tax credits for building renovations introduced by a previous executive are expected to balloon to up to 150 billion euros, UniCredit analysts reckon. That’s 30 billion euros higher than what the current government predicted in April, or around 1.5% of GDP. That’s Meloni’s biggest Italian lesson for parties like Vox and AfD. CONTEXT NEWSThe Italian Treasury will present new economic targets on Sept. 28, which will be the framework for the country’s 2024 budget.

Persons: Spain’s, Benito Mussolini’s “, Rome ”, Ursula von der Leyen, Meloni, Vladimir Putin, –, Silvio Berlusconi, Matteo Salvini – Meloni, ”, Mario Draghi’s, it’s, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Liz Truss, Meloni’s, Vox, Giorgia Meloni, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, NATO, European Union, EU, Commission, Economy, Italian Treasury, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Ukraine, Kyiv, China, Greece, Brussels, British, Italian

“The strongest, yet not the only, headwind is Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and how China positions itself on this issue,” he said. Dombrovskis spoke before high-level economic and trade talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. EU leaders have expressed concern about the bloc's growing trade deficit with China, which reached 396 billion euros last year. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that China provides a market-oriented, law-based business environment for foreign companies. “So it’s very difficult for us to understand China’s stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine, as it breaches China’s own fundamental principles.”

Persons: Valdis Dombrovskis, ”, Dombrovskis, Ursula von der Leyen, Wang Wenbin, “ Organizations: BEIJING, Tsinghua University, EU, Ukraine, Lifeng, Tsinghua, Foreign Ministry, United Locations: China, Ukraine, Europe, EU, United States, Russian, Latvian

☆ German transport minister rejects punitive tariffs in EU's China EV probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An NIO ET7 car model is presented at the NIO House, the showroom of the Chinese premium smart electric vehicle manufacture NIO Inc. in Berlin, Germany August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 25 (Reuters) - German Transport Minister Volker Wissing has rejected possible punitive tariffs as a result of the European Commission's investigation into Chinese electric vehicle (EV) subsidies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this month announced a probe into whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect EU automakers against China's EV imports, which the commissions says are benefiting from excessive state subsidies. China blasted the probe as protectionist and warned that it would damage economic relations, a concern shared by Germany's car industry. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, by contrast, has welcomed the step, saying action must be taken if massive breaches of competition rules are found by the EU probe.

Persons: Annegret, Volker Wissing, Wissing, Ursula von der, Robert Habeck, Miranda Murray, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Augsburger Allgemeine, Free Democrats, EU, China's EV, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, China

☆ Conservative women leaders make their entrance at the UN General Assembly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Stephanie Fillion | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

United Nations CNN —When Jacinda Ardern brought her baby Neve to the United Nations for the 2018 General Assembly, then-New Zealand Prime Minister became an emblematic figure of modern women in politics. But women attending the annual top rendezvous of diplomacy have remained a minority, and the UN General Assembly this year is no different. “This perpetuates the cycle,” Susana Malcorra, a former foreign minister of Argentina and president of Global Women Leaders Voices, said. Of course, not all the women leaders attending UNGA are on the far side of the political spectrum. It was Čaputová’s last General Assembly as president of her country, as she announced a few months ago she won’t seek reelection in 2024 for personal reasons.

Persons: Jacinda Ardern, Neve, ” Susana Malcorra, Katalin Novak, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, “ Meloni, ” Richard Gowan, Katalin Novák, Viktor Orbán, it’s, Novák, Orban, Novak, ”, Mike Segar, Dina Boluarte, Peru’s, Pedro Castillo, Boluarte, UNGA, Zuzana, Maia Sandu, Nataša Pirc Musar, –, Sheikh Hasina, Mia Mottley, Bob Marley, Xiomara Castro, Ursula von der Leyen, Kristalina Georgieva, Ngozi, Natalie Portman Organizations: United Nations CNN, United Nations, Zealand, UN, Assembly, Global, Italian, Ukraine, Crisis, United Nations Security Council, Reuters, Security Council, Slovenia, Big Apple, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization Locations: New York, Argentina, Italy, Ukraine, Slovakia, Moldova, Barbados, New York City, Honduras

☆ China's Nio calls for 'open attitude' amid EU subsidy probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese Nio electric car is seen at Nio's first European plant and power swap station in Biatorbagy, Hungary, September 16, 2022. "We hope that the market environment can be simpler, let the market be the market. The European Commission said China's share of EVs sold in Europe has risen to 8% and could reach 15% by 2025. Its gross margin was 1% in the second quarter, versus 13% in the same quarter last year. Reporting by Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh Editing by Bernadette Baum and Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bernadett Szabo, William Li, Qin Lihong, EVs, Ursula von der Leyen, Li, Tesla, Nio, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Bernadette Baum, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, HK, European Commission, Chamber of Commerce, Thomson Locations: Biatorbagy, Hungary, Europe, China

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