Putin is open to talks and diplomacy on Ukraine, Kremlin says

Putin is open to talks and diplomacy on Ukraine, Kremlin says

Putin open to talks on Ukraine Russia will not pull out of Ukraine Kremlin strikes a dovish tone Biden says prepared to speak to Putin with conditions MOSCOW, Dec 2 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin is open to talks on a possible settlement to the conflict in Ukraine and believes in a diplomatic solution, the … Read more

Chinese cities ease COVID curbs as virus keeps spreading

Chinese cities ease COVID curbs as virus keeps spreading

BEIJING, Dec 2 (Reuters) – Some communities in Chinese cities where COVID-19 is still spreading are easing off on testing requirements and quarantine rules ahead of an expected shift in virus policies nationwide after widespread social unrest. The uneven relaxation of COVID restrictions is, however, fueling fear among some residents who suddenly feel more exposed … Read more

Ukraine says Russia pulls back forces from river towns opposite Kherson

Ukraine says Russia pulls back forces from river towns opposite Kherson

Kyiv: Russia withdraws some troops from Oleshky, nearby towns Ukrainian embassy in Spain hit by letter bomb Heavy trench warfare in east as winter sets in KYIV, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s military said on Thursday Russia had pulled some troops from towns on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River from Kherson city, the … Read more

China mourns former leader Jiang Zemin with bouquets, black front pages

China mourns former leader Jiang Zemin with bouquets, black front pages

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Chinese newspapers turned their front pages black on Thursday and flags were put at half mast in mourning for the death of former president Jiang Zemin, while well-wishers ugly piles of bouquets outside his childhood home. jiang died in his home city of Shanghai just after noon on Wednesday of … Read more

Sam Bankman-Fried says he ‘didn’t ever try to commit fraud’

Sam Bankman-Fried says he 'didn't ever try to commit fraud'

NEW YORK, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, attempted to distance himself from suggestions of fraud in his first public appearance since his company’s collapse stunned investors and left creditors facing losses totaling billions of dollars. Speaking via video link at the New York Times’ … Read more

China softens tone on COVID severity after protests

China softens tone on COVID severity after protests

BEIJING, Dec 1 (Reuters) – China is softening its tone on the severity of COVID-19 and easing some coronavirus restrictions even as its daily case toll hovers near record highs, after anger over the world’s toughest curbs fueled protests across the country. Several cities in the world’s second-largest economy, while still reporting new infections, are … Read more

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin dies at 96, prompting wave of nostalgia

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin dies at 96, prompting wave of nostalgia

BEIJING, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who led the country for a decade of rapid economic growth after the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989, died on Wednesday at the age of 96, prompting a wave of nostalgia for the more liberal times he oversaw. Jiang died in his home city of Shanghai … Read more

COVID protests escalate in Guangzhou as China lockdown anger boils

COVID protests escalate in Guangzhou as China lockdown anger boils

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Nov 30 (Reuters) – People in the Chinese manufacturing hub of Guangzhou clashed with white hazmat-suited riot police on Tuesday night, videos on social media showed, as frustration with stringent COVID-19 rules boiled over, three years into the pandemic. The clashes in the southern city marked an escalation from protests in the commercial hub … Read more

HSBC eyes bumper dividend from $10 bln sale of Canada unit to RBC

HSBC eyes bumper dividend from $10 bln sale of Canada unit to RBC

Deal comes amid pressure from Chinese shareholder Analysts hail ‘sensitive’ transaction Bank could return deal proceeds to shareholders LONDON/TORONTO/NEW YORK, Nov 29 (Reuters) – HSBC (HSBA.L) has agreed to sell its business in Canada to Royal Bank of Canada (RY.TO) for C$13.5 billion ($10 billion) in cash, paving the way for a potential bumper payout … Read more

Stocks and oil rise on hopes of looser COVID curbs in China

Stocks and oil rise on hopes of looser COVID curbs in China

Euro STOXX 600 up 0.4% Oil prices rebound on China hopes, talk of output cuts Dollar falls as investors seek riskier assets China property shares rally on policy support http://tmsnrt.rs/2yaDPgn LONDON/SYDNEY, Nov 29 (Reuters) – Stocks and oil gained on Tuesday on hopes that public unrest in China might prompt an earlier loosening of COVID-19 … Read more