Vaccine makers make bird flu shot for humans ‘just in case’; wealthy nations lay down supplies

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) – Some of the world’s leading makers of flu vaccines say they could make hundreds of millions of bird flu shots for humans within months if a new strain of bird flu ever jumps the species divide. A current outbreak of bird flu, known as H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, has killed a … Read more

BlackRock’s Hildebrand is reportedly taking part in talks with UBS and Credit Suisse

March 18 (Reuters) – BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) Vice Chairman Philipp Hildebrand joins talks as Swiss officials try to broker a deal for UBS Group (UBSG.S) to acquire Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN.S) take), Bloomberg News reported Saturday, citing unidentified sources. When asked about the report, BlackRock spokesman Ryan O’Keeffe said in a telephone interview that … Read more

Paris police, protesters clash for third night over Macron’s pension reform

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

Credit Suisse meets to weigh options, under pressure to merge with UBS

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

As a show of unity, NATO and EU leaders visit the North Sea gas platform

TROLL A PLATFORM, North Sea, March 17 (Reuters) – Heads of NATO and the European Commission flew to a platform in the North Sea on Friday to discuss security of supply and infrastructure, a visit that underlined Norway’s importance to gas transports since the invasion from Russia in Ukraine. The Troll A platform extracts gas … Read more

ICC judges issue arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes in Ukraine

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

ECB watchdog sees no contagion of Europe after US and Swiss bank rescues

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

Asian markets are oozing with banking turmoil to end a tumultuous week

Asian Stock Markets: The ECB delivered a 50 basis point hike as promised, dropped forecasts Credit Suisse shares rallied 20% after support from the SNB First Republic Bank Gets $30 Billion Injection, Concerns Remain Fed data showed banks were looking for record emergency liquidity SYDNEY, March 17 (Reuters) – Asian markets extended a risk rally … Read more

Concerns about Indo-Pacific friction ‘alarming’, US admiral says

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

New Zealand is banning TikTok on parliament-linked devices over security concerns

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