
Italy PM Meloni warns of risks from Western trade war
In a statement released by her office, Meloni stressed that such divisions could weaken collective efforts to tackle global challenges.
'A trade war within the West would weaken us all in the face of the global challenges we are confronting together,' Meloni said.
She expressed confidence in Europe's economic strength to negotiate a balanced agreement, adding, 'Italy will do its part. As always.'
Trump revealed plans to impose 30 percent tariffs on EU and Mexican imports starting August 1, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Italian opposition parties.
Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte accused Meloni of yielding to US pressure, while the European Commission has opted for restraint, hoping to avoid further escalation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated Brussels would not immediately retaliate against US tariffs on steel and aluminium, aiming instead for a diplomatic resolution to prevent broader economic fallout. - AFP
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The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Trump's India threats are hollow for crude market
THE crude oil market's rather sanguine reaction to the US threats to India over its continued purchases of Russian oil is effectively a bet that very little will actually happen. President Donald Trump cited India's imports of Russian crude when imposing an additional 25% tariff on imports from India on Aug 6, which is due to take effect on Aug 28. If the new tariff rate does come into place, it will take the rate for some Indian goods to as much as 50%, a level high enough to effectively end US imports from India, which totalled nearly US$87bil in 2024. As with everything related to Trump, it pays to be cautious given his track record of backflips and pivots. It's also not exactly clear what Trump is ultimately seeking, although it does seem that in the short term he wants to increase his leverage with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of their planned meeting in Alaska this week, and he's using India to achieve this. Whether Trump follows through on his additional tariffs on India remains uncertain, although the chances of a peace deal in Ukraine seem remote, which means the best path for India to avoid the tariffs would be to acquiesce and stop buying Russian oil. But this is an outcome that simply isn't being reflected in current crude oil prices. Global benchmark Brent futures have weakened since Trump's announcement of higher tariffs on India, dropping as low as US$65.81 a barrel in early Asian trade yesterday, the lowest level in two months. This is a price that entirely discounts any threat to global supplies, and assumes that India will either continue buying Russian crude at current volumes, or be able to easily source suitable replacements without tightening the global market. Are these reasonable assumptions? The track record of the crude oil market is somewhat remarkable in that it quickly adapts to new geopolitical realities and any price spikes tend to be shortlived. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sent crude prices hurtling toward US$150 a barrel as European and other Western countries pulled back from buying Russian crude. But within four months the price was back below where it was before Moscow's attack on its neighbour as the market simply re-routed the now discounted Russian oil to China and India. In other words, the flow of oil around the globe was shifted, but the volumes available for importers remained much the same. Different this time? But what Trump is proposing now is somewhat different. It appears he wants to cut Russian barrels out of the market in order to put financial pressure on Moscow to cut a deal over Ukraine. There are effectively only two major buyers for Russian crude, India and China. China, the world's biggest crude importer, has more leverage with Trump given US and Western reliance on its refined critical and other minerals, and therefore is less able to be coerced into ending its imports of Russian oil. India is in a less strong position, especially private refiners like Reliance Industries, which will want to keep business relationships and access to Western economies. India imported about 1.8 million barrels per day of Russian crude in the first half of the year, or about 37% of its total, according to data compiled by commodity analysts Kpler. About 90% of its Russian imports came from Russia's European ports and was mainly Urals grade. This is a medium sour crude and it would raise challenges for Indian refiners if they sought to replace all their Urals imports with similar grades from other suppliers. There are some Middle Eastern grades of similar quality, such as Saudi Arabia's Arab Light and Iraq's Basrah Light, but it would likely boost prices if India were to seek more of these crudes. If Chinese refiners were able to take the bulk of Russian crude given up by India, it may allow for a reshuffling of flows, but that would not appear to be what Trump wants. Trump and his advisers may believe there is enough spare crude production capacity in the United States and elsewhere to handle the loss of up to two million bpd of Russian supplies. But testing that theory may well lead to higher prices, especially for certain types of medium crudes which would be in short supply. It's simplistic to say that higher US output can supply India's refiners, as this would mean those refiners would have to be willing to accept a different mix of refined products, including producing less diesel, as US light crudes tend to make more products such as petrol. For now the crude oil market is assuming that the Trump/India/Russia situation will end as another Taco, the acronym for Trump always chickens out. But the reality is likely to be slightly more messy, as some Indian refiners pull back from importing from Russia, some Chinese refiners may buy more and once again the oil market goes on a geopolitical merry-go-round. — Reuters Clyde Russell is an Asia commodities and energy columnist at Reuters. The views expressed here are the writer's own.


The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Prosus wins conditional EU antitrust nod for Just Eat Takeaway deal
FILE PHOTO: A Just Eat delivery rider cycles through Manchester, Britain, August 23, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Dutch technology investor Prosus gained European Union antitrust approval on Monday for its 4.1 billion euro ($4.76 billion) bid for Just Eat Takeaway, after agreeing to sell down its stake in Delivery Hero. Amsterdam-headquartered Prosus, which is majority owned by South Africa's Naspers, announced the deal in February, banking on its artificial intelligence capability to boost Just Eat Takeaway, Europe's biggest meal delivery company. The European Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, said Naspers offered to significantly reduce its 27.4% stake in Delivery Hero to below a specified very low percentage within 12 months, confirming a Reuters story. Naspers also pledged not to exercise the voting rights with its remaining limited stake in Delivery Hero and also not to increase its stake beyond the specified maximum level. It will not recommend or propose any person to Delivery Hero's management and supervisory boards. Prosus said the EU decision was the final regulatory approval needed to close the offer which ends on October 1 and that if all offer conditions including the acceptance threshold for the deal are met by that date, it will declare its offer unconditional within three business days. "Our ambition is clear: to build a true European tech champion and lead the next chapter in food delivery innovation," Prosus CEO Fabricio Bloisi said in a statement. EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said Naspers' concessions will preserve competition and consumer choice. "This decision also sends a clear warning to an industry with recent antitrust issues: we won't tolerate any anti-competitive behaviour that may harm consumers," she said. Delivery Hero and its Spanish unit Glovo were fined 329 million euros by the EU antitrust watchdog in June for taking part in a cartel which included an agreement to divide up markets among themselves and not to poach each other's employees. The deal would make Prosus the world's fourth-largest food delivery company after Meituan, DoorDash and Uber, according to ING analysts. ($1 = 0.8607 euros) (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)


The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
European leaders to meet virtually on Ukraine before call with Trump
FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian and European flags fly, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany is convening a virtual meeting of European leaders on Wednesday to discuss how to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine ahead of a European call with U.S. President Donald Trump, a government spokesperson said on Monday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and EU and NATO officials are set to join the meeting at 1400 CET (1200 GMT) with the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, Britain, Italy and Poland, the spokesperson said. The calls come ahead of a scheduled meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine in Alaska on Friday. Trump has said the parties to the war were close to a deal that could resolve the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict. (Reporting by Sarah Marsh; editing by Matthias Williams)