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SYDNEY, Oct 7 (Reuters) – A measure of Australian consumer sentiment slid for a second straight month in October as concerns about family finances returned amid speculation interest rates might not fall any further, a survey showed on Tuesday. A Westpac-Melbourne Institute survey showed its main index of consumer sentiment dropped 3.5% to 92.1, having fallen 3.1% in September. The reading under 100 means pessimists increasingly outnumber optimists. Sentiment had been slowly picking up mid-year as the Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates three times and inflation looked to be cooling. However, the RBA last week skipped a chance to cut again and cautioned that inflation was running a little higher than expected, putting in doubt further policy easing. The shift in mood showed in the survey's measure of family finances compared to a year earlier which fell 4.8%, while the outlook for the next 12 months sank 9.9%. The economic outlook for the next year fell 2.5%, while that for five years nudged up 1.4%. In a potential blow to retailers, the index of whether it was a good time to buy a major household item fell 1.1% to 97.2. (Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

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TOKYO, Oct 7 (Reuters) – Japanese household spending in August rose 2.3% from a year earlier, internal affairs ministry data showed on Tuesday, slightly better than the median market forecast for a 1.2% rise. On a seasonally adjusted, month-on-month basis, spending inched up 0.6%, versus an estimated 0.1% uptick. To view the data on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, click here: http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kakei/index.html (Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)

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Oct 6 (Reuters) – A fire that broke out at Novelis' New York plant in Oswego is set to disrupt business at Ford for months, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Novelis, which is owned by India's Hindalco, reported a fire incident at its Oswego plant on September 16, with no injuries. (Reporting by Abu Sultan in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)

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Oct 6 (Reuters) – * NOVELIS: EXPECTS THE HOT MILL TO BE BACK IN OPERATION IN EARLY Q1 OF CALENDAR YEAR 2026 AFTER FIRE AT OSWEGO FACILITY Source text: Further company coverage:

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(Adds talks have ended for the day paragraphs 1, 11-14) * LATEST DEVELOPMENTS * Egyptian TV says indirect talks under way * Egyptian sources say Hamas seeking guarantees Israel will abide by deal once hostages freed By Ahmed Fahmy, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Andrew Mills SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Oct 6 (Reuters) – Delegations from Israel and Hamas held their first day of indirect negotiations in Egypt on Monday on U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to halt the war in Gaza, wrestling with contentious issues such as demands that Israel withdraw and Hamas disarm. Israel and Hamas have both endorsed the overall principles behind Trump's plan, under which fighting would cease, hostages go free and aid pour into Gaza. The plan also has the backing of Arab and Western states. Trump has called for negotiations to take place swiftly towards a final deal, in what Washington hails as the closest the sides have yet come to ending the two-year-old conflict. Trump, who has cast himself as the only world leader capable of achieving peace in Gaza, has invested significant political capital in efforts to end the war that has killed tens of thousands and left U.S. ally Israel increasingly isolated on the world stage. 'A REALLY GOOD CHANCE' "I really think we're going to have a deal," Trump told reporters on Monday at the White House as the delegations met in Egypt. "We have a really good chance of making a deal, and it'll be a lasting deal." But both sides are seeking clarifications of crucial details, including those that have derailed previous attempts to end the war and could defy any quick resolution. Trump has pushed Israel to suspend its bombing of Gaza for the talks. Gaza residents said Israel had scaled back its offensive substantially, although not halted it altogether. Gaza health authorities reported 19 people killed by Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours, around a third of the typical daily toll in recent weeks, when Israel has been mounting one of its biggest offensives of the war in Gaza City. TALKS TO RESUME TUESDAY The talks began at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh with delegations from Egypt, the United States and Qatar present as intermediaries. A Palestinian official close to the negotiations said the first session ended late Monday evening and more talks were due to take place on Tuesday. Hamas outlined its stance on the release of hostages and the scale and timeline of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, the official said. The Islamist group also voiced concerns about whether Israel would commit to a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive pullout, the official said. Even as the talks concluded for the day, sounds of explosions from airstrikes and demolition of houses could be heard in Gaza City, signifying that Israel had not ceased its bombardment. The talks commenced on the eve of the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, on Israel that triggered the war. Fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and left the majority of 2.2 million Gazans homeless and hungry in an enclave destroyed by relentless bombardment. A senior Israeli security source said the talks initially would focus only on the release of hostages and give Hamas a few days to complete that phase. Israel will not compromise on withdrawing troops only to the so-called yellow line in Gaza — a boundary for an initial Israeli pullback under the Trump plan, the source said. It would create a strategic buffer zone, and further withdrawal would depend on Hamas meeting set conditions. WARINESS ABOUT PROSPECTS OF BREAKTHROUGH With Israeli forces blasting their way through Gaza City and flattening neighbourhoods as they advance, Gaza residents called a ceasefire their last hope. "If there is a deal, then we survive. If there isn't, it is like we have been sentenced to death," said Gharam Mohammad, 20, displaced along with her family in central Gaza. Inside Israel there is clamour for an end to the war to bring home hostages, although right-wing members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet oppose any halt to fighting. Though Trump says he wants a deal quickly, an official briefed on the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he expected the round of talks starting on Monday would require at least a few days. An official involved in ceasefire planning and a Palestinian source said Trump's 72-hour deadline for the hostages' return could be unachievable for dead hostages. Their remains may need to be located and recovered from scattered sites. The Israeli delegation includes officials from spy agencies Mossad and Shin Bet, Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk and hostages coordinator Gal Hirsch. Israel's chief negotiator, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, was expected to join later this week, pending developments in the negotiations, according to three Israeli officials. The Hamas delegation is led by the group's exiled Gaza leader, Khalil Al-Hayya, who survived an Israeli airstrike that killed his son in Doha, the Qatari capital, a month ago. The U.S. has sent special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law who has strong ties to the Middle East, the White House said. The parties "are going over the lists of both the Israeli hostages and also the political prisoners who will be released," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday. A thorny issue is likely to be the Israeli demand, echoed in Trump's plan, that Hamas disarm, a Hamas source told Reuters. The group has insisted it will not disarm unless Israel ends its occupation and a Palestinian state is created. In a statement commemorating the October 7 anniversary, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Trump's plan "presents an opportunity that must be seized to bring this tragic conflict to an end." (Reporting by Ahmed Fahmy in Sharm el-Sheikh, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, Andrew Mills in Dubai; Additional reporting by Ludwig Burger and Ayhan Uyanik in Frankfurt, Ahmed Elimam and Tala Ramadan in Dubai, Michelle Nichols in New York and Steve Holland in Washington Writing by Michael Georgy and James Oliphant Editing by Mark Heinrich, Peter Graff. Ros Russell and Cynthia Osterman)

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Not much has separated the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers over the first two games of the American League Division Series. Both clubs won a game with a 3-2 final score, and the tightness of series figures to continue when the Mariners battle the Tigers in Game 3 on Tuesday in Detroit. The Tigers won the series opener in 11 innings while Seattle followed up with its win to avoid a 0-2 hole. "We got the split. We feel pretty good about it," said Jorge Polanco, who hit two solo homers for the Mariners in Game 2. "It is an away game, and we're just going to go out there, trying to stay focused, trying to compete and trying to win." Tigers manager A.J. Hinch saw a missed opportunity but also is aware his club has to move on. "Obviously it's a frustrating loss because every loss at this time of year is frustrating," said Hinch, "but I'm obviously proud of our group and excited to get home." Detroit had just three hits in the Game 2 loss when Polanco's power and Julio Rodriguez's tiebreaking double in the eighth equated to a Seattle victory. Rodriguez is 4-for-9 with a homer and three RBIs in the series and he's expecting a chorus of jeers when he takes the field in Detroit. "I know they're not going to like us," Rodriguez said. "They're going to root for their team. They're going to root for the Tigers, just like … our fans were rooting for us. "That's a mindset, go out there and play baseball. Just try to score runs and limit them to not score runs and win the ball game." Seattle could be missing one of its big bats on Tuesday. Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor wasn't in Detroit on Monday after leaving the team to travel to Arizona, where his wife is due to give birth. Seattle doesn't know whether Naylor will be available for Games 3 and 4. "It's a personal matter and we will know more (Tuesday)," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. Naylor is 0-for-8 in the series and committed an eighth-inning error in Game 2 that helped the Tigers erase a 2-0 deficit. Jack Flaherty of the Tigers will oppose Logan Gilbert of the Mariners in a battle of right-handers in Game 3. This will be Flaherty's second outing of the postseason. He received a no- decision in Game 3 of the AL wild-card series Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians, when he allowed one run and three hits over 4 2/3 innings of a 6-3 victory. Overall, Flaherty is 2-5 with a 5.05 ERA in 11 career playoff appearances (10 starts). Flaherty, 29, is 2-0 with a 4.22 ERA in four career starts against Seattle. He received a no-decision against the Mariners on July 13 when he gave up two runs and four hits over five innings. "Everybody at this point is a really good team," Flaherty said when asked about the Seattle lineup. "They have a full roster top to bottom, full lineup top to bottom of guys that are really good and guys that they even made trades for and brought over. "So it's a good team. At the end of the day, it comes to executing pitches, but you've got a lot of respect for guys over there and how good some of those guys are." Gilbert, 28, is making his second career postseason start. He gave up three runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings in no-decision against the Houston Astros in the 2022 ALDS. Gilbert is 1-2 with a 3.28 ERA in five career starts against Detroit. He was 0-1 with a 2.61 ERA in two starts against the Tigers this season. –Field Level Media

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A FIRE AT NOVELIS’S OSWEGO, N.Y., PLANT, WHICH SUPPLIES ABOUT 40% OF U.S. AUTO INDUSTRY ALUMINUM, WILL DISRUPT AUTOMAKERS FOR MONTHS.- WSJ

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LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) – Training ground car parks at top European soccer clubs are usually stacked with gleaming super cars but former Arsenal player Hector Bellerin prefers two wheels to four. Spaniard Bellerin, who now plays for Real Betis, chooses to cycle to work or use public transport — part of his determination to eschew materialism and use his sporting profile to promote sustainability. "It would be easier to take a cab. I know I'm privileged, but … we need greener cities, with fewer cars," Bellerin, who on Monday was named global champion at the BBC Green Sport Awards, said. The 30-year-old is not your stereotypical soccer player. He uses his large social media following to highlight the impact climate change is having on sport and tries to encourage his followers to be more ethical consumers. "I feel with power comes responsibility. Every time someone puts a microphone next to you, there's a chance to talk about issues, to generate conversation," he told the BBC. Bellerin, who was born along the coast from Barcelona, developed a passion for the environment from a young age and his lifestyle fits with his ethos. He is a vegan and even buys his clothes in second-hand stores. "It's about giving what you consume a good life and, when you're done, giving it another life," he said. "We're constantly bombarded by advertising that creates a false sense of need." Bellerin joined Arsenal's academy as a 16-year-old where he came under the watchful eye of Arsene Wenger — the manager he says helped him ingrain good values. "I learned a lot from him — not focused on sustainability itself because I feel like that word nowadays has very clear connotations, but more about a holistic way of living, and I think sustainability comes into that," Bellerin says. His way of thinking can often be at odds with many in an industry not associated with environmental activism, but rather than preach, Bellerin prefers to have earnest discussions. "I'm someone who brings something different to the table. We have debates, sometimes I get angry," he says of the lively conversations with his teammates. "But they respect me; they listen. I learn from them too. Even when people think very differently from me, it helps me see the world in new ways." Bellerin says signing for Betis was a natural fit, with the club's Forever Green Foundation working to promote environmentally friendly initiatives. The club shirt is made from algae, wood pulp and recycled plastic while discarded fishing nets are used in the construction of seats in the stands. "Betis isn't just a football club," Bellerin says. "It's a space where people can grow, get support, and feel part of something bigger. Being part of that is incredibly fulfilling." (Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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Oct 6 (Reuters) – PennyMac Financial Services Inc : * PENNYMAC ANNOUNCES ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES Source text: Further company coverage:

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Oct 6 (Reuters) – Ellington Financial Inc: * ELLINGTON FINANCIAL ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF SENIOR UNSECURED NOTES OFFERING Source text: Further company coverage:

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