ISTANBUL, Dec 9 (Reuters) – Turkey emerged as a important stumbling block to a fancy worldwide plan to deprive Russia of wartime oil revenues because the variety of tankers ready to exit the Black Sea via Turkish straits continued to rise on Friday.

Ankara has declined to scrap a brand new insurance coverage inspection rule it carried out firstly of the month regardless of days of strain from Western officers pissed off by the coverage.

A complete of 28 oil tankers are in a queue searching for to go away the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, the Tribeca transport company mentioned on Friday.

G7 rich international locations, the European Union and Australia agreed to bar suppliers of transport companies, equivalent to insurers, from serving to export Russian oil except it’s bought at an enforced low value, or cap, geared toward depriving Moscow of wartime income.

Turkey’s maritime authority mentioned it will proceed to maintain out of its waters oil tankers that lacked applicable insurance coverage letters.

Western insurers mentioned they can’t present the paperwork required by Turkey as it could expose them to sanctions if it emerged that the oil cargoes they cowl had been bought at costs that exceed the cap.

The Turkish authority mentioned that within the occasion of an accident involving a vessel in breach of sanctions it was doable the harm wouldn’t be coated by a global oil-spill fund.

“(It) is out of the question for us to take the risk that the insurance company will not meet its indemnification responsibility,” it mentioned, including that Turkey was persevering with talks with different international locations and insurance coverage corporations.

It added the overwhelming majority of vessels ready close to the straits had been EU vessels, with a big a part of the oil destined for EU ports – an element irritating Ankara’s Western allies.

The ship backlog is creating rising unease in oil and tanker markets. Millions of barrels of oil per day transfer south from Russian ports via Turkey’s Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits into the Mediterranean.

KAZAKH OIL

Most of the tankers ready on the Bosphorus are carrying Kazakh oil and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen mentioned on Thursday the U.S. administration noticed no purpose that such shipments needs to be subjected to Turkey’s new procedures.

Washington had no purpose to consider Russia was concerned in Turkey’s determination to dam ship transits, she added.

The European Commission mentioned on Friday the delays had been unrelated to the worth cap and Turkey might proceed to confirm insurance coverage insurance policies in “exactly the same way as before”.

“We are therefore in contact with the Turkish authorities to seek clarifications and are working to unblock the situation,” a spokesperson advised Reuters.

Turkey has balanced its good relations with each Russia and Ukraine since Moscow invaded its neighbour in February. It performed a key position in a United Nations-backed deal reached in July to release grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

Relations between NATO allies Ankara and Washington have at occasions been rocky, nevertheless, as Turkey final month renewed requires the United States to cease backing Syrian Kurdish forces.

The Biden administration levied sanctions on Thursday on a distinguished Turkish businessman Sitki Ayan and his community of companies, accusing him of performing as a facilitator for oil gross sales and cash laundering on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Reporting by Daren Butler, Can Sezer, and Jonathan Saul in London; Writing by Noah Browning
Editing by Himani Sarkar, Clarence Fernandez, Jonathan Spicer and Frances Kerry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

RIYADH, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping started a visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that Beijing mentioned marked its greatest diplomatic initiative within the Arab world, as Riyadh expands world alliances past a long-standing partnership with the West.

The assembly between the worldwide financial powerhouse and Gulf vitality large comes as Saudi ties with Washington are strained by U.S. criticism of Riyadh’s human rights report and Saudi assist for oil output curbs earlier than the November midterm elections.

The White House mentioned Xi’s visit was an instance of Chinese makes an attempt to exert affect, and that this could not change U.S. coverage in direction of the Middle East.

“We are mindful of the influence that China is trying to grow around the world,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby advised reporters.

China, the world’s greatest vitality client, is a serious commerce associate of Gulf oil and gasoline producers. Bilateral ties have expanded underneath the area’s financial diversification push, elevating U.S. issues about rising Chinese involvement in delicate infrastructure within the Gulf.

Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Wednesday mentioned that Riyadh would stay a “trusted and reliable” vitality associate for Beijing and that the 2 international locations would enhance cooperation in vitality provide chains by establishing a regional centre within the kingdom for Chinese factories.

Saudi Arabia is China’s prime oil provider and Xi’s visit takes place whereas uncertainty hangs over vitality markets after Western powers imposed a worth cap on gross sales of oil from Russia, which has been rising volumes to China with discounted oil.

On Wednesday Chinese and Saudi corporations signed 34 offers for funding in inexperienced vitality, info know-how, cloud companies, transport, building and different sectors, Saudi state information company SPA reported. It gave no worth for the offers, however had earlier mentioned the 2 international locations would seal agreements value $30 billion.

‘EPOCH-MAKING VISIT’

Xi was met on arrival by the governor of Riyadh, the dominion’s international minister and the governor of sovereign wealth fund PIF.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is anticipated to supply him a lavish welcome, in distinction with the low-key reception for U.S. President Joe Biden whose censure of Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler shaped the backdrop for a strained assembly in July.

Xi will maintain bilateral talks with Saudi Arabia and Riyadh will later host a wider assembly with Gulf Arab states and a summit with Arab leaders which can be “an epoch-making milestone in the history of the development of China-Arab relations”, international ministry spokesperson Mao Ning mentioned.

The Chinese president mentioned he would work with the Gulf Cooperation Council and different Arab leaders “to advance Chinese-Arab relations and Chinese-GCC relations to a new level”, SPA reported.

For Riyadh, pissed off by what it sees as Washington’s gradual disengagement from the Middle East and a sluggish erosion of its safety ensures, China gives a chance for financial beneficial properties with out the tensions which have come to cloud the U.S. relationship.

“Beijing does not burden its partners with demands or political expectations and refrains from interfering in their internal affairs,” Saudi columnist Abdulrahman Al-Rashed wrote within the Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

Unlike Washington, Beijing retains good ties with Riyadh’s regional rival Iran, one other provider of oil to China, and has proven little curiosity in addressing Saudi political or safety issues within the area.

Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Islam, had supported China’s insurance policies in Xinjiang, the place the U.N. says human rights abuses have been dedicated in opposition to Uyghurs and different Muslims.

Saudi officers have mentioned that regional safety can be on the agenda throughout Xi’s visit. The United States has for many years been Saudi Arabia’s predominant safety guarantor and stays its predominant defence provider, however Riyadh has chafed at restrictions on U.S. arms gross sales to the dominion.

Riyadh has mentioned it will proceed to develop partnerships to serve financial and safety pursuits, regardless of U.S. reservations about Gulf ties with each Russia and China.

Reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing and Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh; Additional reporting by Ghaida Ghantous and Maha El Dahan in Dubai and Steve Holland and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Writing by Dominic Evans and Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Nick Macfie, Toby Chopra and Alistair Bell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WARSAW, Oct 12 (Reuters) – Germany stated on Wednesday it was receiving much less oil however nonetheless had ample provides, after Poland discovered a leak within the Druzhba pipeline that delivers crude from Russia to Europe that Warsaw stated was most likely attributable to an accident moderately than sabotage.

The discovery of the leak in the primary route carrying oil to Germany, which operator PERN stated it discovered on Tuesday night, comes as Europe is on excessive alert over its power safety because it faces a extreme disaster within the aftermath of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine which has minimize provides of gasoline.

“Security of supply in Germany is currently guaranteed,” an economic system ministry spokesperson stated in an emailed assertion. “The refineries in Schwedt and Leuna continue to receive crude oil via the Druzhba pipeline.”

The Schwedt refinery, which provides 90% of Berlin’s gasoline, stated in an emailed assertion that deliveries have been going down at decreased capability.

Germany stated it hoped for extra info quickly from Poland about the reason for the leak and the way it may be repaired.

Europe has been on excessive alert over the safety of its power infrastructure since main leaks have been discovered final month within the Nord Stream 1 and a pair of gasoline pipelines working from Russia to Europe underneath the Baltic Sea. Both the West and Russia have blamed sabotage.

However, Poland’s high official answerable for power infrastructure, Mateusz Berger, informed Reuters by phone that the leak within the Druzhba pipeline was probably attributable to “accidental damage”.

“We are living in turbulent times, different connotations are possible, but at this stage we have no grounds at all to believe that,” he stated, when requested about the opportunity of sabotage.

Berger stated the leak was situated 70 km (44 miles) west from Plock, the place Poland’s largest refinery owned by PKN Orlen is situated. As a consequence, a part of the delivery capability in the direction of Germany was not out there, he stated, including that repairs would possible “not take long”.

PERN stated provides to Germany have been decreased however persevering with.

GERMAN, POLAND REFINERY SUPPLIES

The Druzhba oil pipeline, whose title means “friendship” in Russian, is among the world’s largest, supplying Russian oil to a lot of central Europe together with Germany, Poland, Belarus, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria.

Russia’s Transneft state-owned pipeline monopoly stated that oil continues to be pumped in the direction of Poland.

Poland’s PKN Orlen (PKN.WA) stated that oil provides to its Plock refinery weren’t interrupted whereas Czech pipeline operator MERO stated it had not seen any change in flows to the Czech Republic.

“The main action (we are taking) is to pump out the liquid and locate the leak and stop it,” hearth brigade spokesman Karol Kierzkowski informed state broadcaster TVP Info.

“When the pressure decreases, the leak will stop and allow us to reach the leak,” he stated, including that it was too early to set up the trigger and there was no hazard to the general public.

Firefighters within the mid-northern Kujawsko-Pomorskie area of Poland stated that they had pumped about 400 cubic metres of oil and water from the positioning of the leak which was in the course of a corn area.

The second line of the pipeline, and different parts of PERN’s infrastructure, have been working as regular, PERN stated.

“At this point, all PERN services (technical, operational, in-house fire brigade and environmental protection) are taking action in accordance with the algorithms provided for this type of situation,” the operator stated.

The complete capability of the western part of the pipeline that ships oil from central Poland to Germany is 27 million tonnes of crude oil per yr.

Germany’s Schwedt refinery is especially depending on Druzhba.

The German authorities goals to remove imports of oil from Russia by the top of the yr underneath European Union sanctions. But within the first seven months of the yr, Russia was nonetheless its high provider, accounting for simply over 30% of oil imports.

As Germany seems to be for different provides for Schwedt, Druzhba may very well be instrumental in supplying oil by way of the Polish port in Gdansk.

The German authorities has additionally been in talks to safe oil from Kazakhstan to provide Schwedt, however that oil would have to circulate to Germany by way of the Druzhba pipeline too.

Reporting by Reuters bureaus writing by Alan Charlish and Marek Strzelecki; Editing by Jan Harvey and Elaine Hardcastle

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Pipes on the landfall services of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/

FRANKFURT/LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) – Russia delivered much less gas to Europe on Wednesday in a further escalation of an energy stand-off between Moscow and the European Union that can make it tougher, and costlier, for the bloc to refill storage forward of the winter heating season.

The lower in provides, flagged by Gazprom (GAZP.MM) earlier this week, has lowered the capability of Nord Stream 1 pipeline – the key supply path to Europe for Russian gas – to a mere fifth of its complete capability.

Nord Stream 1 accounts for round a 3rd of all Russian gas exports to Europe.

On Tuesday, EU nations authorised a weakened emergency plan to curb gas demand after putting compromise offers to restrict cuts for some nations, hoping decrease consumption will ease the impression in case Moscow stops provides altogether. learn extra

The plan highlights fears that nations might be unable to fulfill targets to refill storage and hold their residents heat through the winter months and that Europe’s fragile financial development could take one other hit if gas must be rationed. learn extra

Royal Bank of Canada analysts mentioned the plan may assist Europe get via the winter supplied gas flows from Russia are at 20-50% capability, however warned towards “complacency in the market European politicians have now solved the issue of Russian gas dependence.”

While Moscow has blamed the delayed return of a serviced turbine and sanctions for the provision cuts, Brussels has accused Russia of utilizing energy as a weapon to blackmail the bloc and retaliate for Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

Gazprom deputy CEO Vitaly Markelov mentioned the corporate has nonetheless not obtained a Siemens turbine used at Nord Stream 1’s Portovaya compressor station that has been present process servicing in Canada.

Markelov mentioned there have been sanctions dangers related to the equipment, whereas Siemens Energy mentioned Gazprom wanted to supply customs paperwork to convey the turbine again to Russia.

‘SAVE GAS’

On Wednesday, bodily flows by way of Nord Stream 1 tumbled to 14.4 million kilowatt hours per hour (kWh/h) between 1200-1300 GMT from round 28 million kWh/h a day earlier, already simply 40% of regular capability. The drop comes lower than per week after the pipeline restarted following a scheduled 10-day upkeep interval.

European politicians have repeatedly warned Russia may cease gas flows utterly this winter, which might thrust Germany into recession and ship costs for shoppers and trade hovering even further.

The Dutch wholesale gas value for August , the European benchmark, have been up 7% at 210 euros per megawatt hour on Wednesday, up round 400% from a yr in the past.

Germany, Europe’s prime economic system and its largest importer of Russian gas, has been significantly hit by provide cuts since mid-June, with its gas importer Uniper (UN01.DE) requiring a 15 billion euro ($15.21 billion) state bailout as a end result.

Italy, one other main importer that usually will get 40% of gas from Russia, would face a gas provide crunch on the finish of the approaching winter if Russia have been to completely halt provides, Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani warned. learn extra

Uniper and Italy’s Eni (ENI.MI) each mentioned they obtained much less gas from Gazprom than in current days.

German finance minister Christian Lindner mentioned he was open to using nuclear energy to keep away from an electrical energy scarcity. learn extra

Germany has mentioned it may lengthen the lifetime of its three remaining nuclear crops that produce 6% of its energy, if Russia have been to chop it off from its gas.

Klaus Mueller, head of the nation’s community regulator, mentioned Germany may nonetheless keep away from a gas scarcity that may immediate its rationing, whereas making one other plea to households and trade to “save gas”.

German trade teams, nevertheless, have warned corporations could haven’t any selection however lower manufacturing to realize greater financial savings, pointing to gradual approval for changing pure gas with different, extra polluting fuels. learn extra

Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) chief government Ola Kaellenius mentioned a mix of effectivity measures, elevated electrical energy consumption, decreasing temperatures in manufacturing services and switching to grease may decrease gas use by as much as 50% inside the yr, if essential.

Germany is at the moment at Phase 2 of a three-stage emergency gas plan, with the ultimate section to kick in as soon as rationing can not be prevented.

($1 = 0.9862 euros)

Reporting by Paul Carrel and Rachel More in Berlin, Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt and Nina Chestney in London; further reporting by Angelo Amante in Rome and Reuters bureaux; modifying by Elaine Hardcastle and Tomasz Janowski

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LONDON/PARIS July 19 (Reuters) – Firefighters in southwestern France battled on Tuesday to comprise massive forest wildfires and Britain recorded its highest ever temperature as a heatwave rising from the south settled over western Europe.

Southern and western Germany and Belgium had been additionally braced for doubtlessly record-breaking temperatures because the heatwave, which scientists attribute to local weather change, edged north and east.

A temperature of greater than 40C (104F) was provisionally recorded on Tuesday for the primary time ever in Britain, the Met Office stated.

Authorities have put Britain, which regularly struggles to keep up key transport providers when hit by surprising climate similar to heavy snow or excessive winds, on a state of “national emergency” over the unprecedented temperatures.

Transport minister Grant Shapps stated it might take a few years to totally improve Britain’s infrastructure to deal with increased temperatures, after at the very least two airport runways confirmed indicators of injury and a few practice tracks buckled.

“We’ve seen a considerable amount of travel disruption,” he advised the BBC. “Infrastructure, much of which was built from the Victorian times, just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature.”

In southwestern France, the wine-growing Gironde area noticed its greatest wildfires in over 30 years and authorities stated a person had been detained on suspicion of arson.

The fires have unfold throughout 19,300 hectares (about 75 sq miles) within the countryside surrounding Bordeaux since July 12, forcing a complete of 34,000 folks to evacuate their properties.

About 2,000 firefighters, supported by eight water-bomber plane, had been battling the blazes.

“Despite attacks from the ground and from the air, the situation has still not stabilised,” the state prefecture stated in an announcement, including there had been no experiences of demise or damage.

A research printed by local weather scientists in June within the journal “Environmental Research: Climate” concluded it was extremely possible that local weather change was making heatwaves worse. learn extra

With human-caused local weather change triggering droughts, the variety of excessive wildfires is predicted to extend 30% inside the subsequent 28 years, in line with a February 2022 U.N. report.

“We are seeing more frequent heat waves, and the heat waves are hotter than they would have been without climate change,” Friederike Otto, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science at Imperial College London, advised Reuters.

FLAMES AND SMOKE

Although the mercury dipped again in direction of extra regular summer season ranges in Spain and Portugal, firefighters in each international locations had been nonetheless battling a number of blazes.

More than 30 wildfires continued to ravage components of Spain, with authorities paying particular consideration to 4 blazes in Castile and Leon and Galicia.

In Losacio, in northwestern Zamora province, the place two folks have died and three critically injured, greater than 6,000 folks in 32 villages have been evacuated.

Dramatic TV footage confirmed flames and plumes of smoke billowing into the evening sky close to the Zamora city of Tabara.

On Monday, a person making an attempt to guard his city from wildfire had a detailed brush with demise when the blaze engulfed his digger, forcing him to run for his life whereas patting out flames on his garments. learn extra

In Galicia, greater than 1,500 folks have been evacuated from the trail of 4 fires, which broken a number of buildings.

So far this yr 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) have been burned in Spain, round twice the common of the final decade, official knowledge confirmed earlier than the heatwave.

In neighbouring Portugal, round 50 municipalities, primarily in central and northern areas, nonetheless confronted “maximum risk” of wildfires, in line with the IPMA climate institute.

More than 1,000 firefighters had been battling 5 major wildfires, the most important of which began within the northern municipality of Murça and unfold to 2 close by municipalities.

Hundreds of individuals have been evacuated from villages and an aged couple was discovered useless on Monday inside a burned-out automotive. learn extra

In Greece, firefighters tackled 73 fires inside 24 hours, the fireplace brigade stated on Monday. The civil safety authority has warned of a really excessive danger of fires throughout the nation on Tuesday.

A wildfire that started in Slovenia’s Karst area had been contained by firefighters on Tuesday, authorities stated, two days after the blaze started. There had been no casualties.

Additional reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian in London, Catarina Demony in Lisbon, Dominique Vidalon in Paris and Renee Maltezou in Athens, Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade, Editing by Nick Macfie, Gareth Jones and Bernadette Baum

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

KYIV/KRAMATORSK, Ukraine, July 6 (Reuters) – Ukraine has up to now staved off any main Russian advance into the north of its Donetsk area, however strain is intensifying with heavy shelling on town of Sloviansk and close by populated areas, the Ukrainian army mentioned on Wednesday.

Russia and separatist proxies had been already in management of the southern a part of Donetsk province once they successfully accomplished the seizure of the neighbouring Luhansk area on Sunday with the seize of town of Lysychansk, a lot of which now lies in ruins.

Moscow says ejecting the Ukrainian army out of each areas is central to what it calls its “special military operation” to guarantee its personal safety, a greater than four-month-long offensive that the West calls an unprovoked struggle.

Donetsk and Luhansk provinces comprise the Donbas, the jap, closely industrial area of Ukraine that has turn into Europe’s largest battlefield for generations and over which Russia needs to wrest management for separatists it helps.

In its night notice on Wednesday, Ukraine’s army advised that Russian forces had been intensifying strain on Ukrainian defenders alongside the northern flanks of Donetsk province.

It mentioned Russian forces had been bombarding a number of Ukrainian cities with heavy weaponry to allow floor forces to advance southward into the area and shut in on Sloviansk.

“The enemy is trying to improve its tactical position…(They) advanced … before being repulsed by our soldiers and retreating with losses,” the Ukrainian army replace mentioned.

Other Russian forces, it mentioned, aimed to seize two cities en route to town of Kramatorsk, south of Sloviansk, and had been additionally making an attempt to take management of the principle freeway linking Luhansk and Donetsk provinces.

“We are holding back the enemy on the (Luhansk/Donetsk) border,” Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai informed Ukrainian TV. Later, he mentioned Luhansk was nonetheless not solely occupied by Russian forces and that Russia had sustained “colossal losses.”

“They will continue to try to advance on Sloviansk and Bakhmut. There is no doubt about that,” he mentioned.

Sloviansk Mayor Vadym Lyakh informed a video briefing town had been shelled for the final two weeks.

“The situation is tense,” he mentioned, including that 17 residents had been killed there since President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Russia’s defence ministry says it doesn’t goal civilians and on Wednesday mentioned it was utilizing high-precision weapons to take out army threats.

It mentioned it had destroyed two superior U.S.-made HIMARS rocket methods and their ammunition depots in Donetsk province. Ukraine denied this and mentioned it was utilizing HIMARS to inflict “devastating blows” on Russian forces. learn extra

In his nightly video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned Ukrainian fighters had been making “tangible strikes” on Russian logistical targets like depots, affecting their offensive potential.

“At last, Western artillery has started to work powerfully, the weapons we are getting from our partners. And their accuracy is exactly what is needed,” he mentioned.

Ukraine has repeatedly pleaded with the West to ship extra weapons to repel the invasion that has killed hundreds, displaced tens of millions, and flattened cities.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba mentioned he had spoken Wednesday together with his German and U.S. counterparts, the place he mentioned the significance of continuous army assist was mentioned.

‘NO SAFE AREAS’

In the Donetsk metropolis of Kramatorsk, which Russian forces are anticipated to attempt to seize in coming weeks, Ukrainian troopers and a handful of civilians ran errands in green-painted automobiles and vans on Wednesday. Much of the inhabitants has left.

“It’s almost deserted. It’s spooky,” mentioned Oleksandr, a 64-year-old retired metallic employee.

He was unlikely to observe official recommendation to evacuate, he mentioned, regardless of a rise in missile strikes. “I’m not looking for death but if I encounter it it’s better to be at home,” he mentioned.

The struggle has additionally floor on exterior Donbas. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest metropolis, was being subjected to “constant” longer-range Russian shelling, Mayor Ihor Terekhov mentioned on Ukrainian TV.

“Russia is trying to demoralise Kharkiv but it won’t get anywhere,” he mentioned. Ukrainian defenders pushed Russian armoured forces nicely back from Kharkiv early in the struggle, and Terekhov mentioned round 1 million residents remained there.

South of Kharkiv, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk mentioned that area had been battered by missiles and shelling, whereas on the southern coast the port of Mykolaiv was additionally being closely shelled, Oleksandr Senkevych, its mayor, informed a briefing. The metropolis has already shed about half of its pre-war inhabitants of half one million.

“There are no safe areas in Mykolaiv,” he mentioned. “I am telling the people… that they need to leave.”

Reuters was unable to instantly confirm battlefield reviews.

Russia says it was pressured to attempt to demilitarise Ukraine after the West ignored its pleas to assure that its fellow former Soviet republic and neighbour wouldn’t be admitted to NATO. Moscow says it additionally had to root out what it mentioned had been harmful nationalists and defend Russian audio system.

Ukraine and its Western backers say Russia’s said goals are a pretext for an unprovoked, imperial-style land seize.

In an indication that Moscow just isn’t getting ready to wind down its operation anytime quickly, Russia’s parliament on Wednesday rushed by way of payments requiring companies to provide items to the armed forces and obliging workers at some companies to work additional time. learn extra

Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Michael Perry, Andrew Osborn, Mark Heinrich and Rosalba O’Brien; Editing by Angus MacSwan, John Stonestreet and Deepa Babington

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.