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BRUSSELS, Feb 24- The 27 European Union countries expect to adopt on Tuesday their negotiating mandate for talks about their relationship with Britain after Brexit, paving the way for the launch of talks as early as next week, a senior EU diplomat said on Monday. Britain left the EU on Jan. 31 and the two sides have been talking tough in the run-up to a new round of...

*Will kick off public events on March 26- sources. FRANKFURT/ RIYADH, Feb 22- For many people, the language of European Central Bank policymakers is so impenetrable, it could be beamed from another planet. The series of events, called "ECB Listens" after a similar initiative by the Federal Reserve, illustrates a marked change in style under new President Christine...

*Trains between Italy and Austria resume. SEOUL/ SHANGHAI, Feb 24- Fears grew on Monday that the coronavirus outbreak in China will grow into a pandemic with disruptive and deadly consequences for countries around the world, after sharp rises in infections in South Korea, Italy and Iran. A surge of infections in South Korea and Italy, and an alarming rise in the death...

LONDON, Feb 22- Britain will underline its desire for a Canada-style trade deal with the EU when formal talks start next month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street office said on Saturday. "The UK has made clear a number of times, and will reiterate, its desire for a Canada-style deal," Downing Street said in a statement. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier...

*EU coffers face 75 billion euro gap after Brexit. BRUSSELS, Feb 21- A European Union summit ended abruptly on Friday after leaders failed to reach agreement on the bloc's long-term budget, following a two-day stand-off between poorer countries and "frugal" member states seeking to rein in spending. Setting the seven-year budget is always a tug of war, but it is...

BRUSSELS, Feb 21- European Union leaders appeared no closer to reaching a deal on the bloc's next joint budget on Friday, with deep divisions between richer and poorer nations over its size- and what to spend it on- unresolved after all-night talks. Some want extra funding to match new ambitions to fight climate change and manage migration, some want a continued...

*Britain's exit leaves 75 billion euro hole in bloc's coffers. BRUSSELS, Feb 20- EU leaders made no headway on Thursday in fractious talks on a joint 2021-27 budget that was left with a 75 billion euro hole after Britain's departure at a time when they face costly new challenges from climate change to migration. Britain, which left the EU last month, was the...

PARIS, Feb 20- French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that he will not let down French fishermen in post-Brexit trade negotiations and that France will seek compensation if it doesn't get the same access to British waters as before. Current rules allow EU boats to fish as close as six nautical miles to Britains coast, but with Britain's exit from the EU,...

ROME, Feb 20- The head of Monte dei Paschi di Siena Marco Morelli will leave in April after steering the state-owned Italian bank through a painful restructuring, adding to uncertainty as Italy's Treasury prepares its exit strategy. Morelli, the former head of Bank of America in Italy, had hinted that he may be moving on when presenting Monte dei Paschi's...

BRUSSELS, Feb 20- Italy's Prime Minister Conte said on Thursday it would be the government's duty to consider any settlement proposal made by Atlantia before taking a decision over revoking the infrastructure group's motorway concession. Atlantia, controlled by the prominent Benetton family, has been locked in a dispute with the government over its...

LONDON, Feb 20- Britain's financial accounting watchdog plans to review how companies and auditors assess and report the impact of climate change on their businesses, as investors push for better disclosure of the risks. "Auditors have a responsibility to properly challenge management to assess and report the impact of climate change on their business,"...

LONDON, Feb 20- Britain's financial accounting watchdog plans to review how companies and auditors assess and report the impact of climate change on their businesses, as investors push for better disclosure of the risks. "Auditors have a responsibility to properly challenge management to assess and report the impact of climate change on their business,"...

BRUSSELS, Feb 20- Leaders of the European Union's 27 countries gather on Thursday to haggle over the bloc's next budget for 2021-27.. The debate over how much the bloc should spend over the next seven years and on what makes few headlines across Europe because it is so arcane. The 2021-27 MFF is even harder because Britain's exit from the EU means there is less money...

*Experts say too early to tell if China outbreak contained. TOKYO/ BEIJING, Feb 20- China reported a dramatic drop in new cases in the province at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak, while scientists reported the new virus may spread even more easily than previously believed. China is struggling to get its economy back on track after imposing severe travel...

*Britain's exit leaves 75 billion euro hole in bloc's finances. BRUSSELS, Feb 20- European Union leaders will clash this week over the EU's 2021-2027 budget as Britain's exit leaves a 75 billion euro hole in the bloc's finances just as it faces costly challenges such as becoming carbon neutral by 2050.. Still, disputes over hundredths of percentage points have...

BRUSSELS, Feb 19- EU leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday to haggle over the bloc's next seven-year budget, a hole of up to 80 billion euros created by Brexit, and the need to finance initiatives including the 1 trillion euro European Green Deal. Here are the key climate change elements of the 2021-27 budget proposal that European Council President Charles Michel...

*New infections fall for second day in mainland China. TOKYO/ BEIJING, Feb 19- Hundreds of passengers trundled off a cruise ship in Japan on Wednesday after being held on board in quarantine for more than two weeks, as criticism mounted of Japan's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. China is struggling to get its economy back on track after imposing severe travel...

*New infections fall for second day in mainland China. TOKYO/ BEIJING, Feb 19- Hundreds of passengers trundled off a cruise ship in Japan on Wednesday after being held on board in quarantine for more than two weeks, as criticism mounted of Japan's handling of the biggest coronavirus outbreak outside China. China is struggling to get its economy back on track after...

*New infections fall for second day in mainland China. TOKYO/ BEIJING, Feb 19- Hundreds of people began disembarking a cruise ship in Japan on Wednesday after being held on board for more than two weeks under quarantine, as criticism mounted of Japan's handling of the biggest coronavirus outbreak outside China. China is struggling to get its economy back on track...