2025-10-25 14:05

BERLIN, Oct 25 (Reuters) - A senior lawmaker from Germany's Social Democrats, a junior partner in Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition government, called on Saturday for a change of China policy after Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul postponed a trip to Beijing. Wadephul, a member of Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), cancelled the trip on Friday after Beijing confirmed only one of his requested meetings, a move that pointed to rising tensions over trade and security matters. Sign up here. "The short-term cancellation of the trip to China does not bode well for an improvement in tense German-Chinese relations," said Adis Ahmetovic, foreign policy spokesperson for the Social Democrats (SPD). "We need to rethink Germany's China strategy. More than ever, we need an active, strategic foreign policy that focuses on dialogue, clarity and long-term interests," he said. Germany is Europe's biggest economy. China is Germany's biggest trading partner and the largest economy in Asia. The only meeting Beijing had confirmed during Wadephul's planned trip had been with his direct counterpart, Wang Yi. A German foreign ministry spokesperson, commenting on the trip's postponement on Friday, also said Germany was concerned about constraints placed on rare earth exports. WADEPHUL UNDERLINED IMPORTANCE OF FAIR TRADE Wadephul told Reuters this week he planned to urge China to relax export restrictions on rare earths and semiconductors during his trip, which had been due to start on Sunday, and underlined fair trade as a cornerstone of successful relations. In a strategy on China agreed in 2023, Berlin urged the "de-risking" of the two countries' economic relationship, calling Beijing a "partner, competitor and systemic rival". China provides Germany with critical components such as rare earths and chips, two areas that have been subject to severe bottlenecks as global trade tensions intensify. "Direct dialogue with China is particularly important in a phase of global tension," Ahmetovic said. Talks should be deepened "especially on issues of peace, security, the economy, trade and human rights," he said. Juergen Hardt, foreign policy spokesperson for the CDU, said China was trying to use trade policy as a means of exerting pressure and that Wadephul had been right to postpone the trip. "The German government is not playing along with this game," he said, adding that Germany continued to value good and fair relations with Beijing. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/germany-should-rethink-china-strategy-spd-lawmaker-says-2025-10-25/

2025-10-25 10:43

BRUSSELS, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The European Union is developing a new plan to curb its reliance on Chinese critical raw materials, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday, as she criticised Beijing for its expanded restrictions on the export of rare earths. The European Union has for years attempted to reduce its dependence on China for the minerals that are needed for the transition to cleaner energy, the defence sector and electric vehicle production. Sign up here. Von der Leyen said the EU would seek to speed up critical raw materials partnerships with countries such as Australia, Canada, Chile, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. The plan would also include greater efforts to recycle critical raw materials in products sold in Europe, she said. "The aim is to secure access to alternative sources of critical raw materials in the short, medium and long term for our European industries," she told a conference in Berlin. The scheme, called RESourceEU, would be similar to a plan the EU developed after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine to cut its reliance on Russian energy, known as REPowerEU, she said. "We will focus on everything from joint purchasing to stockpiling. We will boost investment in strategic projects for the production and processing of critical raw materials here in the European Union," she added. On October 9, China imposed export restrictions on rare earths and battery materials. Western governments and analysts view the increased curbs as part of China's response to trade tariffs imposed by the United States. But von der Leyen said it also had a huge impact on Europe, in industrial sectors, including automotive, defence, aerospace, AI chips and data centres. "If you consider that over 90% of our consumption of rare earth magnets comes from imports from China, you see the risks here for Europe and its most strategic industrial sectors," she said. "In the short term, we are focusing on finding solutions with our Chinese counterparts. But we are ready to use all of the instruments in our toolbox to respond if needed," she said. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/eu-steps-up-efforts-cut-reliance-chinese-rare-earths-2025-10-25/

2025-10-25 10:08

Food banks already strained by high food costs and demand Shutdown leaves Congress unable to fund November food aid benefits More than 41 million SNAP and nearly 7 million WIC recipients at risk of lapse WASHINGTON/CHICAGO, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Cynthia Kirkhart, the CEO of Facing Hunger Foodbank in Huntington, West Virginia, has already had to explain to customers this year why the organization is rationing bags of potatoes. The food bank, which also serves households in Kentucky and Ohio, has had to shrink its allotments as higher food costs and surging need strain its budget. Sign up here. Now facing the prospect of nearly 300,000 West Virginians missing November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps, due to the federal government shutdown, there is little more she can do. "You remove SNAP dollars, and people have no resources. We're in some real trouble," Kirkhart said. Nine food banks and anti-hunger groups in eight states told Reuters they will struggle to absorb higher demand if November SNAP benefits are not distributed. The shutdown, now the second-longest in history, has prevented Congress from funding the benefits, which reach more than 41 million Americans. Hunger in the U.S. is already on a multi-year rise. The administration of President Donald Trump has cut some federal food bank funding and hiked SNAP work requirements, which could push some people off the program. States warned this week that hunger could surge if SNAP benefits lapse. The shutdown also threatens benefits for nearly 7 million participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the benefit cliff is "an inflection point for Senate Democrats." Democrats have withheld votes on a spending bill in an effort to keep healthcare prices from spiking for many Americans. Democrats and Republicans have blamed the other for the shutdown. BRACING FOR IMPACT Food banks have already seen record demand in recent years as food price inflation and the long tail of the COVID-19 pandemic strain household budgets. More than 50 million people received food from food banks, pantries and other charitable sources in 2023, compared to roughly 40 million in 2019, according to Feeding America, a national food bank network. Food providers have boosted fundraising, trimmed hours and pared back offerings to try to keep up. But their role has always been to supplement government aid, not replace it. MANNA FoodBank in Mills River, North Carolina, has seen its highest-ever demand as the community continues to rebuild from the destruction of Hurricane Helene, which also destroyed the group's warehouse, said Claire Neal, the group's CEO. "The reality is, there's not a ton we can do on our own. For every meal we provide, SNAP provides nine. We can't make up the difference, and philanthropy can't replace government support," Neal said. Some organizations are still hoping to fundraise ahead of a potential November surge, like the United Way of New York City, which has opened an emergency fund to quickly funnel money to low-income households if needed, said president and CEO Grace Bonilla. "Those lines (at food banks) are going to get much longer. We’re just bracing ourselves for the impact," Bonilla said. NO FEDERAL ACTION Mayors and House Democrats this week urged Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to fund November benefits using a SNAP contingency fund estimated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to contain about $5 billion. That amounts to 60% of the cost of one month of the benefits. The USDA on Friday said it would not tap into the funds and instead would reserve them for responding to natural disasters and other emergencies. In the absence of federal action, some states have stepped in. California and New York said they would send money to food banks. Virginia on Thursday declared a state of emergency to fund November benefits. But others have found little option for aiding SNAP recipients. Alaska's Department of Health website said the agency explored using state money for benefits but found it impossible. "Reprogramming the federal system to instead draw funds from the state treasury is not feasible due to vendor and system timeline constraints," according to the website. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-food-banks-brace-surge-shutdown-threatens-benefits-2025-10-25/

2025-10-25 10:04

Ontario premier to pause US ad campaign after talks with Carney Ford has populist style similar to Trump Carney faces challenge to resume trade talks amid tensions Ford's ad uses Reagan's anti-tariff stance to target US audiences OTTAWA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The premier of Canada’s most populous province has again complicated the country’s delicate trade negotiations with the U.S., this time with a political ad targeting Americans that has drawn the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump. The ad, commissioned by Doug Ford, Ontario's outspoken Conservative premier who is sometimes compared to Trump, uses a snippet of Republican icon and former President Ronald Reagan saying that tariffs cause trade wars and economic disaster. Sign up here. On Saturday, Trump announced that he was increasing tariffs on goods from Canada by an additional 10% "above what they're paying now," in response to the ad. "Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD," Trump posted on Truth Social, describing the ad as a "misrepresentation of facts." On Thursday, Washington halted trade talks with Canada over Ontario's decision to air the ad. Prime Minister Mark Carney, unlike Ford, has sought to lower the temperature with Trump since taking office in March and had hoped for a deal to eliminate U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports. In March, Ford, who often sports a "Canada is not for sale" hat, threatened to implement a surcharge on energy going to several American states if the U.S. moved ahead with tariffs on steel and aluminum. Ford later relented, and the White House claimed victory, saying he had “Backed down.” Ford said in a statement on Friday that after discussions with Carney, Ontario would pause the U.S. advertising campaign on Monday so that trade talks could resume. But the disputed commercial will continue to air this weekend as the Toronto Blue Jays play in the first two games of the World Series, he added. The first game was played on Friday night. Ford said the message has reached U.S. audiences "at the highest levels." ATTACK-DOG APPROACH Some analysts suggested that Ford’s ad was only a pretext for Trump’s outburst. “Mr. Trump doesn’t like to be confronted with the truth,” said Asa McKercher, an expert in U.S.-Canada politics at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada. He said the ad was an accurate representation of Reagan’s views. Trump first saw the ad earlier in the week and said on Tuesday, "If I was Canada, I'd take that same ad also." McKercher said Ford has often used his aggressive and populist style to appeal to American audiences in appearances on conservative-leaning outlets like Fox News, but that his latest ad may have misfired. The Canadian dollar weakened after Trump broke off trade talks, and Ontario is the province most impacted by auto and steel tariffs. “When you use Ford’s attack-dog approach, there’s always a risk that you’re going to get smacked,” McKercher said, adding it would be Carney who might need to make concessions to get Trump back to trade negotiations. Still, Ford's approach attracted some unusual support from politicians on the other side of the political spectrum. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, who heads the left-leaning New Democratic Party in the province, posted a message for his "good friend Doug Ford," calling on him to keep running the ads. Green Party leader Elizabeth May cheered "Go Doug Ford!" as she arrived at Parliament in Ottawa on Friday. Pollster Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, said Ford has acted "as the more pugilistic foil" when the prime minister has adopted a more conciliatory approach to Trump, noting that "it's not a stance that generally hurts him (Ford)." In February, Ford handily won a rare third term as Ontario premier. Earlier this month, Ford said he confronted and threatened to beat up a suspected shoplifter at a Home Depot store, telling an audience at a Toronto club, “Screw this, I’m going after this guy.” CLEARLY RESONATING Trump previously called off trade talks with Canada in June, citing his objection to Canada’s digital services tax. Carney rescinded the tax later that month. Under previous Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump threatened numerous times to walk away from trade talks between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. Laura Stephenson, chair of political science at Ontario’s Western University, said Carney does not have many good options, but that the situation is fixable. “Ford can play the bad guy and Carney will have to be the level-headed guy trying to keep discussions on track,” she said. Diamond Isinger, a former U.S.-Canada adviser to Trudeau, said Ford’s ad clearly resonated with American audiences. “If the ad wasn’t effective, Trump would not be so deeply concerned about it,” she said. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/ontario-premier-provokes-trumps-ire-once-again-with-reagan-ad-2025-10-25/

2025-10-25 09:18

TBILISI, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Georgia's internal security service said on Saturday that it had arrested three Chinese citizens in the capital Tbilisi, for attempting to illegally purchase two kilograms of "nuclear material" uranium, Georgia's Interpress news agency reported. Interpress cited the deputy head of Georgia's State Security Service as saying the three detainees had been planning to buy the uranium for $400,000 and transport it to China, via Russia. The uranium was "nuclear material", it said, without elaborating on the motive for the planned purchase. Sign up here. It quoted the security official as saying that the detainees faced charges that could see them imprisoned for up to 10 years. The security of nuclear materials left over from the Soviet era was one of the biggest concerns after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, of which Georgia was a member. There have been several serious incidents involving the illicit trade in nuclear materials in Georgia over recent decades. In July, Georgia arrested one Georgian and one Turkish national, charged with the illegal purchase, possession and disposal of radioactive substances, which the national security service said could have been used to make a deadly bomb. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/georgia-arrests-three-chinese-nationals-trying-buy-uranium-illegally-local-media-2025-10-25/

2025-10-25 08:47

Oct 25 (Reuters) - The board of oilfield services provider Petrofac (PFC.L) , opens new tab has lined up Teneo to act as administrator, a move which could be triggered as early as Monday morning and imperil more than 2,000 jobs in Scotland, Sky News reported on Saturday. Petrofac's board, chaired by former Anglo American finance director Rene Medori, is holding emergency talks this weekend, Sky News said, without citing its sources. Sign up here. Petrofac did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comments outside regular business hours. On Thursday, Petrofac said that it is in close and constant dialogue with key creditors and is actively pursuing alternative options. Earlier this month, Petrofac said its ongoing restructuring will leave existing shareholders with no residual value, as it moves to complete the process by the end of November. Petrofac is restructuring its finances under pressure from rising costs and delayed payments, a move that reflects wider challenges facing oilfield services firms in a volatile energy market. The company, which has operations around the world, develops and operates infrastructure for oil, gas, refining, petrochemicals, and renewable energy. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/uks-petrofac-lines-up-administrator-sky-news-reports-2025-10-25/