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☆ Australia regulator targets 'carbon neutral' claims in greenwashing crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Office buildings are seen amidst the easing of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in the Central Business District of Sydney, Australia, June 3, 2020. ASIC has filed three lawsuits alleging unfounded environmental claims by two pension funds and a personal finance platform, and named so-called greenwashing as one of its priority enforcement areas for 2024. she added.,The regulator would hold investment distribution platforms accountable for the products they sell. So far, the regulator had issued interim orders to stop the distribution of some 80 investment products which it considered inappropriate. "For a number of those stop orders, the issuers of the products did step back, they've corrected ... and they've reissued it," she said.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Sarah Court, they've, Byron Kaye, Ayushman, Subhranshu Sahu, Miral Organizations: Central Business District of, REUTERS, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Thomson Locations: Central Business District of Sydney, Australia, Melbourne, Sydney

☆ Amazon aggregator Thrasio prepares for bankruptcy - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Thrasio Holdings, which acquires third-party sellers on Amazon (AMZN.O), is preparing to file for bankruptcy as it grapples with a post-pandemic slump in online spending, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The aggregator did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment. In 2021, Thrasio said it had raised $1 billion in a funding round led by private equity firm Silver Lake, taking its total funding to $3.4 billion. The company has been working with law firm Kirkland & Ellis to explore restructuring options, the Journal had reported in September. Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thrasio, Holly Etlin, Kirkland, Ellis, Gursimran Kaur, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: Thrasio Holdings, Wall Street, Thomson Locations: New York, Silver, Bengaluru

☆ Imperial Brands expects profit growth next year, raises dividend
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 14 (Reuters) - Imperial Brands (IMB.L) on Tuesday forecast revenue and profit growth next year led by the second half helped by pricing actions and investments in tobacco alternatives. The maker of Winston cigarettes, Backwoods cigars and Golden Virginia rolling tobacco reported an adjusted operating profit of 3.89 billion pounds ($4.78 billion) for the year ended Sept. 30, up from 3.69 billion. Imperial said next year it anticipates low-single-digit revenue growth, while it expects adjusted operating profit close to the middle of its mid-single digit range. This means adjusted operating profit will likely grow by low single digits in the first half, it continued. Imperial raised its annual dividend by 4%, and said its ongoing multi-year share buyback would increase 10% in 2024.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Winston, Stefan Bomhard, Imperial, Eva Mathews, Emma Rumney, Subhranshu Sahu, Jason Neely Organizations: Imperial Brands, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Virginia, Bengaluru, London

☆ SingTel profit jumps 83% in first half on Indonesia gain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Singtel booth is pictured at the Money 20/20 Asia Fintech Trade Show in Singapore March 21, 2019. Telkomsel, the Indonesian associate of Southeast Asia's largest telecom firm, had agreed to merge with its parent's IndiHome broadband arm in an effort to expand into Indonesia's fixed broadband market. SingTel owns a 29.6% stake in the enlarged integrated mobile and fixed broadband company. SingTel said its net profit for the six months ended Sept. 30 was S$2.14 billion ($1.58 billion), compared with S$1.17 billion a year earlier. The company declared an interim dividend of 5.2 Singapore cents per share, higher than the 4.6 Singapore cents per share declared a year earlier.

Persons: Anshuman, SingTel, Archishma Iyer, John Biju, Shilpi Majumdar, Shounak Dasgupta, Subhranshu Organizations: Trade, REUTERS, Singapore Telecommunications, Thomson Locations: Asia, Singapore, Indonesian, Southeast, Telkomsel, Bengaluru

☆ UK housebuilder Persimmon lifts home-build target in tough market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A company logo is seen on the outside of a sales office at a Persimmon housing development in Liverpool, Britain, August 23, 2023. The target hike comes after peers Barratt (BDEV.L) and Vistry (VTYV.L) last month flagged that challenges in the British housing market would continue over the coming months. High mortgage rates have dented sales for much of this year, forcing builders to warn on profits and cut home-build targets at a time when the UK economy is battling marked challenges, including sticky inflation and slowdown. The FTSE 250 (.FTMC) firm now expects to build 9,500 homes in 2023, above its August forecast of 9,000 units, helped by improved sales since the start of October. Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Phil Noble, Barratt, Persimmon, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: REUTERS, FTSE, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, York, Bengaluru

☆ Barclays sees Fed raising rate in January instead of December
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] An eagle tops the U.S. Federal Reserve building's facade in Washington, July 31, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 5 (Reuters) - Barclays said it now expects the U.S. Federal Reserve to deliver a 25 basis point interest rate increase in January instead of an earlier expectation for a December hike. The brokerage cited softer-than-expected October employment data and dovish Fed commentary for the forecast push to next year. The Labor Department's closely watched employment report on Friday showed that the unemployment rate rose to 3.9% last month, the highest level since January 2022, from 3.8% in September. Reporting by Roshan Abraham in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Roshan Abraham, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: . Federal, REUTERS, Barclays, U.S . Federal Reserve, Labor, Thomson Locations: Washington, Bengaluru

☆ Bain close to buying consulting firm Guidehouse in $5 bln deal- WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Bain Capital is displayed on the screen during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan October 5, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 5 (Reuters) - Bain Capital is close to acquiring Guidehouse, a consulting firm that advises government organizations and businesses, in a deal valuing it at $5.3 billion including debt, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Bain Capital declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, while Guidehouse did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Private equity firm Veritas Capital acquired the U.S. public sector business of accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2018 and rebranded it as Guidehouse. Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Guidehouse, Devika Nair, Rashmi Aich, Subhranshu Organizations: Bain Capital, REUTERS, Wall Street, Reuters, Veritas Capital, U.S, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Bengaluru

☆ GSK raises annual forecasts powered by strong Arexvy launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Analysts expect the British drugmaker's RSV vaccine Arexvy to power future growth, amid worries about the strength of its pipeline of drugs in development and costly U.S. litigation over discontinued heartburn drug Zantac. Arexvy, launched in the United States recently, is expected to garner full-year sales of between 900 million pounds to 1 billion pounds ($1.22 billion), GSK said. For the third quarter, the shot recorded sales of 709 million pounds, trouncing analysts' expectations of 358 million pounds, according to a company-compiled consensus. Meanwhile, sales are seen to rise by 12% to 13% in 2023 compared with earlier expectations of 8% to 10%. For the reported quarter, sales of Shingrix, the company's top-selling drug to treat shingles, generated 825 million pounds, below market estimates of 868 million pounds.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Eva Mathews, Subhranshu Sahu, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: United States, Bengaluru

☆ Vodafone to sell Spanish arm to Zegona for $5.30 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Vodafone (VOD.L) will sell its struggling Spanish business to Zegona Communications (ZEG.L) for 5 billion euros ($5.30 billion), it said on Tuesday, in the British firm's second major transaction this year. Vodafone said it would receive at least 4.1 billion euros in cash. It will also provide 900 million euros in financing in the form of preference shares redeemable no later than six years after closing. Vodafone ranks third in Spanish telecoms after Telefonica and Orange. Zegona's Chairman and CEO Eamonn O'Hare said he was "very excited" about the opportunity to return to the Spanish telecomsmarket.

Persons: Margherita Della Valle, Britain's, Della Valle, Eamonn O'Hare, Yadarisa, Paul Sandle, Subhranshu Sahu, Kate Holton Organizations: Vodafone, Zegona Communications, Vodafone's, Telefonica, British, Zegona's, Thomson Locations: British, Spain, Orange, Spanish, Telecable, Bengaluru, London

☆ Stellantis to buy about 20% stake in China's Zhejiang Leapmotor for $1.6 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view shows the logo of Stellantis at the entrance of the company's factory in Hordain, France, July 7, 2021. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 26 (Reuters) - Stellantis NV (STLAM.MI) said on Thursday it would invest 1.5 billion euros ($1.58 billion) to acquire approximately 20% of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology (9863.HK). After the subscription, Stellantis will own about 21.07% of Zhejiang Leapmotor's total issued Hong Kong shares. Stellantis, whose brands include Fiat and Peugeot, has a very small presence in China, the world's largest auto market. The group last year closed its joint venture that makes Jeeps in China with local partner Guangzhou Automobile Group (601238.SS) amid disappointing results.

Persons: Pascal, Leapmotor, Stellantis, Carlos Tavares, Sameer Manekar, Kanjyik Ghosh, Devika Syamnath, Subhranshu Organizations: REUTERS, Stellantis, Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology, HK, Hong, Hong Kong, Chrysler, Fiat, Peugeot, Renault, Guangzhou Automobile Group, Thomson Locations: Hordain, France, Zhejiang, Hong Kong, Greater China, China, Europe, Bengaluru

☆ Australian miner South32's met coal output falls on Illawarra disruptions
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( John Biju | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A sign adorns the building where Australian miner South32 has their office in Perth, Western Australia, November 19, 2015. As a result, production volumes at Illawarra operations are expected to be weighted to the second half of fiscal 2024, the miner said. Regardless, South32 kept its forecast of 4.4 million metric tons of annual metallurgical coal output from Illawarra, down from last year's 5.5 million tons. Production of metallurgical coal fell to 1.0 million tons in the three months to Sept. 30, from 1.3 million tons a year earlier. That was slightly lower than a consensus estimate of 1.1 million tons compiled by Visible Alpha.

Persons: South32, David Gray, Graham Kerr, John Biju, Roushni Nair, Lisa Shumaker, Jamie Freed, Subhranshu Organizations: REUTERS, Citi, Alpha, Thomson Locations: Perth, Western Australia, New South Wales, Illawarra, Bengaluru

☆ CBC Healthcare secures $875 mln for life science investment in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, Oct 23 (Reuters) - CBC Healthcare Infrastructure Platform (CBC HIP), an independent life science real assets investor in China, said on Saturday it had secured $875 million for its first life science real assets venture called CLSRA Venture I.Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor Mubadala Investment Company will join existing investors Dutch pension fund APG Asset Management and Asian healthcare asset management firm CBC Group in CBC HIP, according to a company statement. The inclusion of Mubadala as an investor allows CLSRA Venture I to secure further opportunities in the life science real assets sector in China, CBC HIP said. "We will continue to tap the immense potential of life science real assets as a critical component of China's growing healthcare and life science industry," said Hans Kang, Chief Executive Officer of CBC HIP. CLSRA Venture I has so far deployed $450 million across four real estate projects, according to the statement. Since its establishment in November 2021, CLSRA Venture I has acquired some 520,000 square meters of life science real assets in Shanghai, Beijing and Suzhou in China, it added.

Persons: Hans Kang, Yantoultra Ngui, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: CBC Healthcare, CBC, CLSRA Venture, Mubadala Investment Company, Asset Management, CBC Group, CBC HIP, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, China, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou

☆ IHG says funding challenges holding back new hotel development
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Yadarisa Shabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A general view of an Intercontinental Hotel at The O2 in London, Britain October 20, 2020. Its shares were down 3.6% by 1044 GMT, with Bernstein analyst Richard Clarke attributing the drop to the slowdown in net unit growth and fears it might miss its full-year guidance. "We definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel," he said, adding that IHG was growing in new signings and system size. The group recorded growth across its leisure, business travel and group travel segments, Maalouf said in a statement. The hotel industry has benefited from a post-pandemic boom in leisure travel as people splurge their savings on vacations despite rising costs of living.

Persons: Matthew Childs, IHG, Bernstein, Richard Clarke, Leo Carrington, Elie Maalouf, Maalouf, Glover, Yadarisa, Subhranshu Sahu, Tomasz Janowski, Jan Harvey Organizations: O2, REUTERS, Citi, U.S, Crowne Plaza, Regent, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, China, Israel, Bengaluru

☆ IHG upbeat about 2023 results despite challenges holding back new hotels
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Yadarisa Shabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The owner of the Crowne Plaza, Regent and Hualuxe hotel chains flagged economic uncertainties ahead and said that short- term financing challenges were holding back development of new hotels. The group recorded growth across its leisure, business travel and group travel segments, CEO Elie Maalouf said in a statement. While business travel revenue was already ahead of 2019 levels in the third quarter, group and meetings revenue was still below, finance chief Michael Glover told reporters. The hotel industry has benefited from a boom in leisure travel demand after the pandemic, as people splurge their savings on vacations despite rising costs of living. Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Matthew Childs, Bernstein, Richard Clarke, Elie Maalouf, IHG, Michael Glover, Glover, Yadarisa, Subhranshu Sahu, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: O2, REUTERS, Crowne Plaza, Regent, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, China, Israel, Tel Aviv, Bengaluru

☆ X social media to test $1 subscription for posting content, like, reply
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of social media platform X, formerly Twitter, is seen alongside the former logo in this illustration taken, July 24, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 17 (Reuters) - Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, said on Tuesday it will test a $1 annual fee under a new subscription model for posting content, replies, likes, reposts or quoting other accounts' posts, and bookmarking posts. The purpose of introducing "Not A Bot", the new subscription model, is to combat bots and spammers, X said. Reporting by Shubhendu Deshmukh in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, X, Shubhendu Deshmukh, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: REUTERS, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Whitbread's profits jump as Premier Inn-owner enjoys steady demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Eva Mathews | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares in the British company, originally a brewer, were up 3.5% to 3,437 pence by 0737 GMT to lead London's blue-chip (.FTSE) index. Leisure and business demand are showing signs of staying, Paul said, adding forward-booked revenue was ahead of last year. Whitbread, which owns restaurant chains such as Bar+Block Steakhouse and Brewers Fayre has also seen signs of food inflation easing. The company announced a further 300 million pound share buyback on Wednesday and proposed an interim dividend per share of 34.1 pence, up 40% on last year. ($1 = 0.8193 pounds)Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lee Smith, WTB.L, Dominic Paul, Paul, Whitbread, Hargreaves, Derren Nathan, Brewers Fayre, Eva Mathews, Subhranshu Sahu, Jason Neely Organizations: Premier Inn Hotel, Brewers, REUTERS, H1, Whitbread, Inn, Thomson Locations: Durham, County Durham, Britain, British, Germany, Bengaluru

☆ X social media to test $1 annual subscription for basic features
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of social media platform X, formerly Twitter, is seen alongside the former logo in this illustration taken, July 24, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 17 (Reuters) - Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, said on Tuesday it will test a new subscription model under which it will charge $1 annual fee for basic features. The purpose of introducing the new subscription model is to combat bots and spammers, X said, adding that the fee will vary from country to country based on the exchange rate. X said the new method will be first available for users in New Zealand and Philippines. In July, X had introduced a limit on viewing tweets, "to ensure the authenticity" of its user base.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, X, Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Shubhendu Deshmukh, Subhranshu Sahu, Rashmi Organizations: REUTERS, Twitter, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Philippines, Bengaluru

☆ South Korea household debt growth slows in September
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A woman shops at a market in Seoul, South Korea, July 26, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Oct 12 (Reuters) - South Korea's household borrowing grew in September for a sixth straight month, but by a smaller amount than the month before, central bank data showed on Thursday. Total household borrowing from banks stood at 1,079.8 trillion won ($806.12 billion) at the end of September, up 4.9 trillion won from end-August, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The rise was smaller than the 6.9 trillion won increase in August and it also marked the first slowdown in growth since household debt started to climb in April. ($1 = 1,339.5000 won)Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kim Hong, BOK, 1,339.5000, Jihoon Lee, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Korea, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL

☆ Apollo to take Wagamama owner Restaurant Group private for $623 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Eva Mathews | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A sign of Wagamama restaurant is seen in London, Britain, October 5, 2020. Under the terms of the deal announced on Thursday, The Restaurant Group's (TRG) shareholders will get 65 pence in cash for each share held, a premium of about 34% to the stock's last closing price. Shares in the small cap constituent (.FTSC) jumped 37.1% to 66.5 pence, its highest percentage gain since April 2020. There has also been pressure from shareholders and activist investors Irenic Capital and Oasis Management in recent months to change management and improve profitability. Another analyst at Shore Capital said the offer price was "too low" given the company's efforts to improve margins and reduce leverage.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Ken Hanna, Benny's, Eva Mathews, Subhranshu Sahu, Elaine Hardcastle, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Apollo, Irenic Capital, Oasis Management, Cafe, Shore Capital, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, TRG, Cafe Rouge, Bengaluru

☆ China's Big Tree Cloud in $500 mln SPAC deal for US listing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Nasdaq logo is displayed at the Nasdaq Market site in Times Square in New York City, U.S., December 3, 2021. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon Acquire Licensing RightsOct 10 (Reuters) - U.S. blank-check firm Plutonian Acquisition Corp (PLTNU.O) agreed to merge with Big Tree Cloud International Group for the Chinese personal care products company to go public in a deal that will value the combined enterprise at about $500 million. After the completion of the merger with the special purpose acquisition company, Big Tree Cloud International Group will be operated under a holding entity named Big Tree Cloud Holdings Ltd and listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, according to the statement. Big Tree Cloud, based in the southern Chinese tech hub Shenzhen and founded in 2020, focuses on feminine hygiene products like sterilized feminine pads and menstrual pants. "The proposed business combination with Plutonian Acquisition will enable us to accelerate our effort of accomplishing our mission of offering premium personal care products to consumers and expanding our product portfolio beyond feminine care," said Big Tree Cloud founder Wenquan Zhu.

Persons: Wenquan Zhu, Rishabh, Roxanne Liu, Rashmi Aich, Subhranshu Organizations: Nasdaq, REUTERS, Plutonian, Cloud, Group, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Market, Cloud Holdings, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Shenzhen, Bengaluru, Beijing

☆ Australia's EcoGraf considers battery anode material facility development in Vietnam
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 9 (Reuters) - Australia's EcoGraf (EGR.AX) said on Monday it would evaluate prospects of developing a battery anode material (BAM) facility in Vietnam in collaboration with local lithium-ion battery manufacturer VinES Energy Solutions (VinES). The Australian graphite producer will support VinES with its U.S.-patented BAM processing technology, whereas VinES, a member of the Vin Group, will provide its services to support EcoGraf's expansion plans in the United States. EcoGraf will evaluate the potential to combine a localised graphite material supply in Vietnam with future feedstock from its Epanko project in Tanzania, the company said in a statement. "The agreement provides for a phased evaluation programme under which VinES and EcoGraf will initially assess and qualify local Vietnam graphite suppliers, with a view to incorporating domestic production into the supply chain," EcoGraf said. The companies will enter a binding agreement to jointly develop a battery anode supply chain in Vietnam with further options for certain financing, investments and product offtake agreements.

Persons: EcoGraf, Echha Jain, Kim Coghill, Subhranshu Organizations: Energy, Vin, Thomson Locations: Vietnam, United States, Tanzania

Adding to its woes, last month the antitrust regulator sued Qantas accusing it of selling fares on thousands of already-cancelled flights in 2022. The so-called "flying kangaroo" said it would now spend A$80 million ($52 million) on "customer improvements" on top of the A$150 million previously flagged. "The group will continue to absorb these higher costs, but will monitor fuel prices in the weeks ahead and, if current levels are sustained, will look to adjust its settings," Qantas said. "Any changes would look to balance the recovery of higher costs with the importance of affordable travel in an environment where fares are already elevated." RBC Capital Markets analyst Owen Birrell said the company would likely absorb the higher fuel costs "until its target margins come under pressure and then would seek to claw back those costs through capacity cuts and higher fares.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Owen Birrell, Byron Kaye, Himanshi, Kim Coghill, Subhranshu Organizations: Qantas, Sydney Airport, REUTERS, Australia's, Qantas Airways, RBC Capital, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, SYDNEY, Bengaluru

☆ Australia's Qantas flags hit from higher fuel prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 25 (Reuters) - Australia's Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) said on Monday higher fuel prices were expected to drive its fuel bill higher by about A$200 million ($128.80 million) in the first half of financial year 2024. "Fuel prices have increased by around 30% since May 2023, including a 10% spike since August. This is driven by a combination of higher oil prices, higher refiner margins and a lower Australian dollar," the carrier said in a statement. The company expects a further A$50 million impact due to non-fuel-related foreign exchange changes in the first half of the current fiscal year. Qantas said the customer-improvement initiative would be funded from its profit.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Himanshi, Kim Coghill, Subhranshu Organizations: Qantas, Sydney Airport, REUTERS, Australia's Qantas Airways, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ OpenAI unveils Dall-E 3, latest version of its text-to-image tool
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 20 (Reuters) - OpenAI on Wednesday unveiled Dall-E 3, the latest version of its text-to-image tool that uses its wildly popular AI chatbot ChatGPT to help fill in prompts. Dall-E 3 will be available to ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise customers in October via the API, the company said. OpenAI said the latest version of the tool will have more safeguards such as limiting its ability to generate violent, adult, or hateful content. OpenAI said creators could opt out of using some or all of their work used to train future text-to-image tools. OpenAI's race to create accurate text-to-image AI tools has several competitors, including Alibaba's Tongyi Wanxiang, Midjourney and Stability AI, who continue to refine their image-generating models.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Dall, ChatGPT, " DALL, OpenAI, Tongyi, John Grisham, George R.R, Martin, Chandni Shah, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: REUTERS, Enterprise, Washington D.C, Thomson Locations: Washington, Bengaluru

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 14 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB) (NAB.AX) said on Thursday it would shut its Hong Kong branch, as offices in Singapore, Tokyo and Shanghai were its preferred customer outreach hubs in Asia. The move is likely to impact about 50 roles in the Hong Kong, however, the lender said in a statement that its "too early" to confirm the impact of the branch closing. "The decision probably reflects that foreign businesses are not finding operating conditions in Hong Kong as conducive as they once were," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. The office shutdown comes after Finance Sector Union said earlier this month that the bank was planning to cut 222 back-office jobs.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Tim Waterer, NAB's, Navya Mittal, Subhranshu Sahu, Rashmi Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, NAB, KCM, Westpac, Finance Sector Union, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Asia, Bengaluru

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