LE FIL INFO – Debt: Moody’s maintains Italy’s rating

In addition to the conflict in the Middle East, attention is focused on the Starship launch in Texas, but also on Moody’s rulings regarding Italy and Portugal.

Israel-Hamas war

The Israeli occupation forces, which raided Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza for the fourth day in a row, ordered its evacuation via loudspeakers.

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And in the rest of the news…

8:40 a.m. – SpaceX’s Starship rocket will make its second test flight

Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation spacecraft expected to carry astronauts to the moon and beyond, is scheduled to take off from Texas today on a test flight, seven months after it exploded in its first test.

The spacecraft must be launched during the launch window, which opens at 2 p.m. French time, on the SpaceX launch pad in Boca Chica, on the Gulf of Mexico, in the extreme south of Texas.

8:36 AM – Japan announces “dialogue” with China over its ban on Japanese seafood

China has agreed to hold a dialogue among experts on Beijing’s ban on Japanese seafood following the water leak from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

On Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time in a year, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Summit in San Francisco. Fumio Kishida said he called on Beijing to lift this ban immediately.

8:34 am – Presidential elections in Liberia: George Weah concedes defeat

On Friday evening, the outgoing President of Liberia, George Weah, acknowledged his defeat in the presidential elections that took place on Tuesday against his rival, Joseph Boakai, in a speech on public radio, while the country awaits the publication of the overall results of the vote.

8:32 AM – Moody’s raises Italy’s outlook and Portugal’s rating

The rating agency raised its credit rating outlook for Italy from negative to stable on Friday evening, and maintained its long-term debt rating at Baa3. Moody’s explained in a press statement that “the decision to change forecasts from negative to stable reflects the stability of the future outlook for the country’s economic strength, the health of its banking sector and the dynamics of public debt.”

Moody’s also raised Portugal’s rating by two notches, now to A3 compared to Baa2 previously, and welcomed “economic and financial reforms”, but warned of political risks, after the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

8:31 AM – COP28: More than $200 million in aid will be raised to combat methane, according to the US.

A senior US State Department official confirmed that the US goal of raising about $200 million in funding to combat methane emissions will be exceeded at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai at the end of this month.

In April, President Joe Biden called on other countries to join the United States in raising $200 million to support developing countries. The American official, who requested anonymity, said that this goal will be exceeded thanks to the contributions of Washington and other countries.

8:30 AM – New York judge rejects Trump’s attempt to throw out the fraud trial

Manhattan District Court Judge Arthur Engoron said he could not “in good conscience” allow Donald Trump to make a request that “has no merit.” The Trump camp claims that Arthur Engoron and his lawyer Alison Greenfield were biased against the former US president, and that the only way to maintain confidence in the legal process is to end the trial.

Moreover, the prosecutor investigating the case against Donald Trump in the US state of Georgia proposed that the trial of the former president and his 14 defendants begin on August 5, 2024 on charges of illegal manipulation in order to reverse the election results. 2020 elections.