SYDNEY, March 19 (Reuters) – Australia has “absolutely” not pledged to support the US in a military conflict over Taiwan in exchange for a deal to acquire US nuclear-powered attack submarines, Australian Defense Secretary Richard Marles said on Sunday. Australia, the US and Britain unveiled the multi-year AUKUS project on Monday. Canberra is to buy … Read more
PARIS, March 18 (Reuters) – Paris police clashed with protesters for a third night on Saturday as thousands of people marched across the country in anger at the government pushing through an increase in the state pension age without a parliamentary vote. With growing unrest and strikes, President Emmanuel Macron faces the biggest challenge to … Read more
BELGRADE, March 17 (Reuters) – Several thousand people gathered in Belgrade to protest a Western-backed deal to normalize ties between Kosovo and Serbia, which they see as recognition of Kosovo’s independence. The Serbian constitution considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its territory, even though it declared independence in 2008 with support from the … Read more
March 18 (Reuters) – Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN.S) embarked on an all-or-nothing weekend after some rivals became cautious in their dealings with the bank as regulators urged the bank to pursue a deal with Swiss rival UBS AG (UBSG. S). Credit Suisse Chief Financial Officer Dixit Joshi and his teams will hold meetings over … Read more
AMSTERDAM, March 17 (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of responsibility for the war crime of the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations that its troops committed atrocities during its year-long invasion of its neighbour. The … Read more
March 17 (Reuters) – European Central Bank regulators see no contagion for eurozone banks from the recent turmoil, a source said Friday, after US lenders First Republic Bank (FRC.N) tossed a $30bn lifeline and record amounts from the Federal Reserve. To book. Major US banks stepped in on Thursday to bail out the San Francisco-based … Read more
SINGAPORE, March 16 (Reuters) – The current friction in the Indo-Pacific is alarming and “a trend in the wrong direction”, but the US presence was not an attempt to contain or eliminate conflict with China invite, a senior US admiral said Thursday. Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said an “AUKUS” partnership … Read more
WELLINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) – New Zealand said on Friday it would ban TikTok on devices accessing the country’s parliamentary network over cybersecurity concerns, becoming the latest country to ban use of the app for sharing emails. would restrict videos on government-related devices. There has been global concern over the potential for the Chinese government … Read more
BEIJING, March 16 (Reuters) – China is concerned about an escalation of the war in Ukraine and hopes that Moscow and Kiev will hold peace talks, senior Chinese diplomat Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart in a telephone conversation on Thursday. China, which has refrained from condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, has urged … Read more
WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) – The US banking system remains sound and Americans can be confident that their deposits will be there when they are needed, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday, though she denied that recent bailouts following two major bank failures mean there is there was now a general government guarantee for … Read more