Berlin loosens requirements for Ukraine export guarantees

BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government has loosened its requirements for export credit guarantees for companies doing business with Ukraine in an effort to shore up economic recovery in the country, the economy ministry said Thursday. Effective immediately, the application procedure will no longer require bank guarantees if the risk is justifiable, replacing a stricter…

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Ukraine military reports ‘partial success’ in southeast, east fighting

KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s military on Thursday reported “partial success” in fighting in the southeast and east, where it said its troops were continuing to conduct offensive operations. Kyiv’s forces, which began a military push against Russian forces this month, were reinforcing the positions they reached after attacking towards the southeastern villages of Rivnopil and…

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Explainer-What is the ‘Bridgetown Initiative’ asking for at Paris summit?

PARIS (Reuters) – President Macron hosts a summit in Paris starting Thursday to discuss reform of the world’s multilateral finance institutions in the face of climate change and other development challenges. A key topic of discussion will be suggestions from a groupof developing countries, led by Barbados, dubbed the ‘BridgetownInitiative’. The key demands of the…

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Brazil’s Lula says EU should ‘give up’ protectionism to reach Mercosur deal

By Catarina Demony (Reuters) – Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday the European Union should stop adopting a protectionist stance if it wants to reach a long-delayed trade deal with the Mercosur bloc. The EU and the Mercosur bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay completed negotiations in 2019 but the…

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Cash-strapped Casino to sell participation in Brazil’s Assai

PARIS (Reuters) – Heavily indebted French supermarket chain Casino on Thursday announced it would sell its residual equity stake in Brazilian retailer Assai, representing around 12% of the company’s share capital. The deal helps Casino improve its liquidity, the company said one day after announcing it had also reached an agreement with the French government…

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Explainer-What is China’s position on restructuring debt owed by poor nations?

By Joe Cash (Reuters) – China’s Premier Li Qiang and dozens of world leaders will meet in Paris on Thursday and Friday to discuss ways to help low-income countries manage their debt burdens and free up funding for climate financing. As the world’s largest bilateral creditor, China is central to talks on making tangible progress…

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