Russian election: Putin-backed party well ahead - exit polls www.bbc.com

United Russia, backed by President Vladimir Putin, is far ahead in the nation's parliamentary election, taking at least 44%, exit polls suggest.
Mr Putin said: "We can say with certainty that the party has achieved a very good result."
The nationalist LDPR and the Communist party are way behind United Russia, with about 14-16% each.
Liberal opposition parties appear to have failed to pass the 5% threshold needed for party-list representation.
However, the exit polls say though they could still get seats in individual constituencies.

A VTsIOM exit poll gave United Russia, led by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, 44.5%, with the Public Opinion Foundation putting its total higher, at 48.7%.
Partial official results later confirmed a large lead.
Dmitry Medvedev (L) and Vladimir PutinImage copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
Mr Putin (R) appeared alongside Mr Medvedev to congratulate party activists
The two exit polls differed on whether the LDPR or Communists were second, but both were well behind.
A Just Russia was fourth on about 8%.
These four parties had dominated the last State Duma (lower house).
Two opposition parties, Yabloko and Parnas, were projected to receive 3.5 and 1.2% respectively.
The turnout was significantly down from the 2011 elections - just below 40% two hours before voting ended.
Election Commission head Ella Pamfilova said she was "fully confident that the elections are proceeding in a quite legitimate way".

The authorities were anxious to oversee trouble-free polls this time
Legitimate vote? By Steve Rosenberg, BBC News, Moscow
In the system of "Managed Democracy" crafted by the Kremlin, it was unthinkable that President Putin's control of parliament would weaken.
And so, the four pro-Kremlin parties which dominated the previous parliament will do so again. But will the new parliament be recognised by the public as legitimate?
The Russian authorities have tried to present this as one of the cleanest elections in years. Some opposition candidates were permitted to run; a respected human rights advocate was appointed head of the Russian Election Commission.
Yet throughout the day there have been reports of voting fraud - and video to back them up. In some cases, webcams installed at polling stations recorded what appear to be election officials stuffing ballot boxes.
It was vote-rigging which sparked anti-government street protests after the last parliamentary election. President Putin will be hoping that this time his personal popularity, combined with widespread apathy, will mean that Russians accept the result.
Allegations of fraud after the last election had sparked large-scale protests against Mr Putin in Moscow and the authorities were anxious to oversee trouble-free polls this time.
Mr Putin has enjoyed 17 years in power as either president or prime minister, and does not belong to any designated party.
But he visited the headquarters of United Russia with Mr Medvedev after the vote to congratulate activists on their victory.
"We know that life is hard for people, there are lots of problems, lots of unresolved problems," Mr Putin said. "Nevertheless, we have this result."
Crimea votes

Voting in Crimea - annexed by Russia in 2014 - angered Ukraine
But despite Russia's economic malaise and tensions with the West over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, some observers had called the election campaign the dullest in recent memory.
Serious irregularities were reported in one Siberian region, with suggestions of "carousel" voting - people bussed around polling stations - in the city of Barnaul.
Monitoring group Golos says it had received more than 1,300 complaints from around the country by late afternoon, AP reports.
For the first time, people voted in Crimea, annexed from Ukraine in 2014 in a move condemned internationally.

China business confidence rises again www.bbc.com

Confidence among Chinese entrepreneurs has picked up for the second quarter running, according to the country's central bank.
People's Bank of China surveys showed the business confidence index rising to 51.2% in the third quarter.
That was 2.2 percentage points higher than in the second quarter.
China's factory output and retail sales grew faster than expected in August, on the back of a strong housing market and government infrastructure spending.
Economic change
The world's second largest economy has lost some of its momentum during this year, as it has entered a period of readjustment.
China is looking to transform its economy away from factories and exports towards domestic consumption.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects China's GDP to grow by 6.6% this year, close to the low end of China's own official forecast of between 6.5% to 7%.
That will come after decades of near double-digit growth.
Housing costs
Meanwhile, a separate central bank survey showed a bankers' confidence index rising to 46.5% in the third quarter, 2.8 percentage points higher than in the April to June period.
The survey showed one in five bankers believed monetary policy would be relatively loose in the fourth quarter of this year.
The People's Bank of China has reduced interest rates six times in 22 months, and and also cut the amount of cash banks must keep in reserve.
And a third survey issued by the central bank at the weekend showed that 53.7% of households believed housing costs were "unacceptably high", up 0.3 percentage points from the second quarter.

New counting method to boost GDP www3.nhk.or.jp

Fiat Chrysler recalling 1.9 million cars for new air bag defect www.reuters.com

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said on Thursday it is recalling 1.9 million vehicles worldwide for an air bag defect linked to three deaths and five injuries.

Glencore coking coal shipments delayed after Australia train accident www.mining.com

Glencore (LON:GLEN) announced some "short-term" delays in its coking coal shipments from Queensland's Bowen basin in Australia, after a derailment that took place over the weekend.

Aurizon, Australia's largest rail freight operator, said in a statement that there was major infrastructure damage as a result of the derailment, which occurred 120 kilometres south of the Abbot Point export terminal. The company hopes to restart services by September 19.

As a consequence, the Swiss-based mining and trading giant has been having difficulties in getting coal from its Newlands mine to port this week.

The situation could add further heat to prices that have nearly doubled since the start of August. Coking coal is used primarily to heat iron ore during steel making.

BHP Billiton (ASX:BHP), which operates coal mines in the Bowen region, also issued a statement saying that any impact on its operations would be reported in its next quarterly review.

IMF approves delayed $1bn tranche to Ukraine www.rt.com

US asks Deutsche Bank for $14bn to settle mortgage investigation www.bbc.com

Blackrock to sue VW over emissions scandal www.bbc.com

Hinkley Point: UK approves nuclear plant deal www.bbc.com

The government has given the go ahead for a new £18bn nuclear power station in the UK after imposing "significant new safeguards" to protect national security.
The new plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset is being financed by the French and the Chinese.
In exchange, China wants to use its design for new UK nuclear stations.
The Chinese welcomed the decision, saying they were not concerned about new rules on future projects.
Jean-Bernard Lévy, group chief executive of French firm EDF, which is building the plant, said: "The decision of the British Government to approve the construction of Hinkley Point C marks the relaunch of nuclear in Europe."
The government said it would now "impose a new legal framework for future foreign investment in Britain's critical infrastructure".

Critics of the deal have warned of escalating costs and the implications of nuclear power plants being built in the UK by foreign governments. France's EDF is funding two-thirds of the project, which will create more than 25,000 jobs, with China investing the remaining £6bn.

The Chinese agreed to take a stake in Hinkley, which will meet 7% of Britain's energy needs, and to develop a new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk on the understanding that the UK government would approve a Chinese-led and designed project at Bradwell in Essex, which has raised questions over national security.

A new agreement means that the government will be able to block the sale of EDF's controlling stake in Hinkley. The government will also take a special or "golden share" in all future new nuclear projects. This will ensure that significant stakes cannot be sold without the government's knowledge or consent.
There will also be increased scrutiny of the national security implications of foreign ownership of critical infrastructure. There is no specific mention of China's plans to design and build their own reactor at Bradwell but Chinese company CGN have welcomed this decision and sources close to the company say it will press ahead with their Bradwell ambitions under these new rules with confidence.
The price of the electricity, the parties involved and the future of UK nuclear all look the same. That will prompt some to ask what the hiatus since July's surprise review has really achieved.
In a statement, the government said: "After Hinkley, the British Government will take a special share in all future nuclear new build projects. This will ensure that significant stakes cannot be sold without the Government's knowledge or consent."
It added: "There will be reforms to the government's approach to the ownership and control of critical infrastructure to ensure that the full implications of foreign ownership are scrutinised for the purposes of national security."
The state-owned China General Nuclear Corporation (CGN) said: "We are delighted that the British Government has decided to proceed with the first new nuclear power station for a generation.
"We are now able to move forward and deliver much needed nuclear capacity at Hinkley Point, Sizewell and Bradwell with our strategic partners, EDF, and provide the UK with safe, reliable and sustainable low-carbon energy."
Guarantees
Energy Secretary Greg Clark, told the BBC: "I think it was right for a new government to look seriously at all the components of the deal.
"What we have decided is that for critical infrastructure generally we want to make sure our powers in this country are comparable to those of others, to be able to check that national security considerations are taken into account."
He added: "So what we have done here in Hinkley is require that EDF, the principal operator, guarantees - makes a commitment - that they won't dispose of their stake without the government's consent unless and until the plant is built. And in future all nuclear power plants will be subject to the same regime."
Projected sources of energy generation in the UK
The government has not altered the guaranteed payment of £92.50 per megawatt hour for electricity generated. Shadow energy minister, Barry Gardiner said it was "too high a price" and it should have been renegotiated.
Claire Jakobsson, head of climate and environment policy at EEF ,the manufacturers' organisation, said it was a relief to see the project going ahead "after months of delays and uncertainty".
"However, this project will clearly require a vast amount of support and it remains to be seen whether this deal is able to offer value for money. If new nuclear is to continue to play a major role we must see significant reductions in strike prices for future projects," she added.
Josh Hardie, deputy director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, called the announcement "good news", adding: "Investors are hungry for further signs from the government that the UK is open for business."
The decision on investment was approved by EDF's board in July, and was agreed in principle with China during the state visit by President Xi Jinping to the UK in October 2015.

External trade surplus keeps rising www.en.montsame.mn