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☆ Europe's heatwave may have caused more than 20,000 'excess' deaths
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Higher-than-expected excess deaths from Europe's heatwaveMany deaths due to high temperature may be under-reportedHeatwaves to become more frequent and intense in futureNov 24 (Reuters) - Summer heatwaves in France, Germany, Spain and Britain led to more than 20,000 "excess" deaths, a report compiling official figures said on Thursday. A heatwave in 2003 caused more than 70,000 excess deaths across Europe, largely in France, and led many countries to implement measures such as early warning systems, asking people to check on others and opening air-conditioned schools. France reported about half of the summer's excess deaths in Western Europe, with 10,420 fatalities in total. Excess deaths reached 3,271 in England and Wales during the summer, Britain's Office of National Statistics reported. Spain recorded 4,655 heat-attributable deaths between June and August while the German health agency reported 4,500.

☆ 'Every breath you take': Air pollution stifles Europe's health targets
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Air pollution is still the largest environmental health risk in Europe," the EEA said. "While emissions of key air pollutants and their concentrations in ambient air have fallen significantly over the past two decades in Europe, air quality remains poor in many areas." Air pollution aggravates respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, with heart disease and stroke cited as the most common causes of related early deaths. "Further efforts will be needed to meet the zero pollution vision for 2050 of reducing air pollution to levels no longer considered harmful to health," the EEA said. The European Commission proposed in October to set stricter thresholds for air pollution but also to enhance the right of citizens to clean air.

☆ Credit outlook darkens for non-financial companies, Moody's says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

After more than a decade of ultra-loose monetary policy, financing conditions are tightening, inflation is rising and the global economy looks poised to fall into its first recession since 2009. "Higher interest rates will cause financing conditions to deteriorate and will weaken liquidity and credit quality," Moody's said. "Sectors reliant on discretionary demand will be hit hardest," Moody's noted. Although supply constraints will ease, energy scarcity will keep squeezing margins, the agency said, but high power prices will support credit ratios of oil and gas companies. Moody's forecast real gross domestic product growth for G20 economies of 1.3% next year, down from an estimated 2.5% in 2022.

☆ Hackers release Thales data on dark web, franceinfo says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 11 (Reuters) - Data relating to French defence and technology group Thales (TCFP.PA) have been published on the dark web by hacker group LockBit 3.0, franceinfo news website reported on Friday. The company this week said the Russian-speaking extortion and ransomware group had claimed to have stolen some of its data, with plans to publish it on Nov. 7. Thales, which on Tuesday said it had opened an internal investigation and informed the ANSSI national cyber security agency, did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comments. The French company provides businesses, organisations and governments with advanced technologies in the defence, aeronautics, space, transport and digital security sectors. Reporting by Juliette Portala Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Engie upgrades full-year guidance on boost from high power prices
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 10 (Reuters) - French power company Engie (ENGIE.PA) on Thursday raised its full-year net income guidance, as energy prices surged in the wake of Russia's Ukraine invasion, and boosted its earnings at end-September. The company has benefited from the jump in power prices as the Ukraine war highlighted Europe's reliance on Russian gas, which has left the bloc seeking alternative energy sources. Engie's earnings before deducting interest and taxes (EBIT) for the nine months to September 30 came in at 7.3 billion euros ($7.32 billion), up 79.3% organically from a year earlier. Engie also said it expected earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in the range of 13.2 and 14.2 billion euros and EBIT from 8.5 to 9.5 billion. Finance chief, Pierre-Francois Riolacci, said the annual forecast was now including a few hundred million euros in costs relating to a European revenue cap aimed at addressing high power prices for consumers.

☆ TSX rises to 2-month high as materials sector jumps
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Fergal Smith | Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index (.GSPTSE) ended up 114.40 points, or 0.6%, at 19,660.31, its highest closing level since Sept. 14. The materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, added 4.7%. Copper rose 1.7%, while gold was up 2.2% at about $1,712 per ounce as the U.S. dollar and bond yields fell. Its shares rose 12.4% after the company reported quarterly results. Reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto Additional reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Boosting energy efficiency of older buildings is seen as a key way to help countries meet their climate goals, although the pace of change has been slow so far. "What we figured out is that most buildings (...) are running on control technology that really hasn't changed since the 60s or 70s," President of Runwise Lee Hoffman said. "On a macro level, about 45% of carbon emissions in most major cities are coming from how buildings operate. So if you want to address climate, you literally have to start with buildings," he added. European Union lawkmakers last month backed plans to save more energy, including through renovating draughty buildings.

☆ Telecom operator VEON seeking sale of Russian operations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Veon Ltd (VON.AS), the Dutch-based operator of telecommunications networks, said on Wednesday it was seeking the sale of its Russian operations, which make up more than half of its revenues and earnings. The company said it was conducting a "competitive sales process" for the business, which operates under the Beeline brand. Since then, scores of foreign firms have sought to reduce exposure to Russia and paused or terminated operations there. Veon's position is difficult as it also has significant operations in Ukraine, where it has struggled to keep its Kyivstar arm operating throughout the conflict. Russian media reported last month Veon was considering a sale of Beeline but Veon declined comment at the time.

☆ Air France-KLM beats quarterly estimates on travel recovery
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Dina Kartit | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 28 (Reuters) - Air France-KLM's (AIRF.PA) quarterly core profit beat expectations on Friday, as the airline company reported favourable demand recovery despite lower capacity and inflationary pressure on costs. Quarterly revenue came in 8.11 billion euros, above 2019 levels. These disruptions resulted in 60 million euros additional compensation costs compared to the same quarter in 2019, Air France-KLM said. Third-quarter traffic and passenger numbers for Transavia, the group's low-cost subsidiary, increased by 45.4% and 41.8%, driven by demand recovery in North Africa and Europe, despite record-high eurozone inflation. Air France-KLM expects seat capacity levels in the fourth quarter, full-year 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 at about 85%, 80% and 90%, respectively, confident that the recovery context will continue.

Some progress has been made, but it's not enough," Rebecca Marmot, chief sustainability officer at consumer goods company Unilever (ULVR.L), said. While regulators have pushed for more rigorous reporting on the companies' environmental impact and efforts to battle climate change, broader impact on nature and biodiversity has not yet been subject to similar scrutiny. The COP15 talks in Montreal will see countries try to agree a new Global Biodiversity Framework to combat the crisis that threatens over one million plant and animal species with extinction. "Assessment and disclosure are an essential first step to generate action, but it will only have an impact if it is made mandatory," the 330 businesses said in their statement. "Without this information, we are flying blind into extinction," Eva Zabey, executive director at global coalition Business for Nature, said.

☆ France's Worldline posts Q3 revenue beat, confirms guidance
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Elena Vardon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - French payment company Worldline's (WLN.PA) quarterly revenue slightly beat expectations on Tuesday, driven by volume growth and market share gains in its merchant services business. "Thanks to this strong execution and a still solid level of transaction volumes, we confirm our 2022 annual guidance," Chief Executive Officer Gilles Grapinet said in a statement. The French group also announced on Tuesday it bought 55% of Polish start-up SoftPos.eu, which turns Android devices into secure payment terminals. Grapinet said the company will continue to invest in innovation as it considers diversifying its acquisition targets to address new market segments. ($1 = 1.0121 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Elena Vardon and Juliette Portala; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Vinci's third-quarter revenue jumps on traffic boost
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Vinci (SGEF.PA) posted a sharp rise in quarterly revenue on Tuesday, with the French infrastructure group citing continued recovery in airport passenger numbers and motorway traffic. Europe's biggest construction and concessions company said that traffic levels at its motorways were above those recorded before the pandemic in 2019 despite higher fuel prices. "In October, the light vehicle traffic has been impacted by the shortage of petrol in France," head of investor relations at Vinci Gregoire Thibault said on a call. Vinci also benefited from an accelerated recovery in passenger numbers at almost all of its airports. "Passenger numbers returned to levels equal to or higher than those achieved in 2019 at several airports, particularly in Portugal, Serbia and the Americas."

☆ Technip Energies eyes exit from Arctic LNG 2 project in H1 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Company now includes Arctic LNG 2 project in FY guidanceSees FY revenue at 6.2-6.5 bln euros, core margin at 6.7-6.9%Anticipates Exit Framework Agreement completion in H1 2023Oct 20 (Reuters) - Technip Energies (TE.PA) expects to fully exit the liquefied natural gas project (LNG) Arctic LNG 2 led by Moscow-listed gas producer Novatek (NVTK.MM) next year, the French oil and gas services provider said on Thursday. Before what Moscow calls its "special military operation", Arctic LNG 2 was set to be launched in 2023 and reach full production capacity of almost 20 million tonnes of LNG a year in 2026. The stock of Technip Energies, which specialises in engineering and technology for the energy industry, has recovered much of the ground lost in the immediate aftermath of the invasion, when the shares halved in value in just ten days. Including the expected contribution from Arctic LNG 2, Technip Energies forecast full-year revenue of 6.2-6.5 billion euros ($6.1-$6.3 billion) and a recurring core margin of 6.7%-6.9%. Its adjusted revenue in the third quarter amounted to 1.60 billion euros, against 1.67 billion a year earlier.

☆ Oracle Cloud adding tens of thousands of Nvidia chips for AI
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct 18 (Reuters) - Oracle Corp (ORCL.N) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) on Tuesday announced they are expanding their partnership and adding tens of thousands of Nvidia’s chips to boost artificial intelligence- related computational work in Oracle’s cloud. The expanded partnership comes as more companies use AI and the AI models become more complex, requiring a ramp-up in data center infrastructure investments. Chips that help accelerate computing speed include GPUs and are heavily used in AI work where Nvidia has the lion's share. While there are many AI chip startups challenging Nvidia, Clay Magouyrk, who is in charge of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, said he does not see much of an opening for the newcomers. Manuvir Das, who is in charge of enterprise computing at Nvidia, said the Oracle partnership includes increased cooperation to make the AI software run more efficiently on Oracle Cloud and to provide more support to Oracle’s customers.

☆ World's top finance firms continue to fuel deforestation, report warns
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An aerial view shows deforestation near a forest on the border between Amazonia and Cerrado in Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso state, Brazil July 28, 2021. Issued by the Forests & Finance Coalition of NGOs, which looks to improve transparency, policies, systems and regulations in the financial sector, the report found that finance to those companies rose over 60% to $47 billion between 2020 and 2021. "The world's financial institutions are actually increasing their lending to the very industries driving humanity to the brink," Tom Picken, director of Rainforest Action Network's Forest and Finance Campaign, said in a statement, citing "dangerously inadequate" policies. "This latest assessment shows how big banks and institutional investors are blind to the urgency of the moment," Picken stated. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Juliette Portala, editing by Simon Jessop, William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ OutThink raises $10 mln to track human errors behind data breaches
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies AlbionVC backs OutThink's $10 million seed funding roundFinancing to speed up the firm's international distributionCo to help identify human behaviour behind data breachesOct 18 (Reuters) - London-based cybersecurity company OutThink has raised $10 million in early-stage investments backed by venture capital firm AlbionVC, it said on Tuesday, as it looks to help organisations identify human behaviour that can lead to data breaches. The company, which says human behaviour is the source of 91% of data breaches, uses machine learning, natural language processing and applied psychology to identify, understand and manage the attitudes, intentions and sentiment of individuals. The financing, in which TriplePoint Capital, Forward Partners, Gapminder and Innovate UK took part, brings the firm's total funding to $11.4 million. OutThink said its platform was used by major organisations, including Whirlpool (WHR.N), Danske Bank (DANSKE.CO), Rothschild (ROTH.PA) and NatWest (NWG.L). Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Juliette Portala, editing by Supantha Mukherjee and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Virgin Orbit to launch first satellite in Europe within six weeks - Branson
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MILAN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Richard Branson's small satellite service provider Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc (VORB.O) will be doing its first launch from European soil within the next six weeks, its founder said on Tuesday. "Virgin Orbit can launch satellites into space from anywhere in the world into any orbit at a days notice," Branson said during a press conference in Milan. "We are doing the first launch from European soil into space within the next six weeks ... from Cornwall," he added. Founded by Branson back in 2017, the company began commercial service in 2021. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Elisa Anzolin; writing by Agnieszka Flak, editing by Cristina CarlevaroOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Orange says all options on table after report on plans to sell online banking unit
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Orange (ORAN.PA) is considering "all opportunities" for its online banking arm following a report by French paper Les Echos on Wednesday that said France's biggest telecoms company was planning to sell Orange Bank. "In a very highly competitive environment in the banking market, Orange is considering all opportunities to develop Orange Bank's activities and support its growth," a spokesperson for the group told Reuters. Orange was willing to give up control of its loss-making subsidiary, according to media reports last year, with BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) seen at the time as the leading candidate among French lenders. Citing sources, Les Echos said the telecom operator had mandated investment bank Lazard to launch a new sale or alliance scenario, which Orange declined to confirm. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Mathieu Rosemain, writing by Juliette Portala, editing by Tassilo Hummel, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tech company Solutions 30 falls into the red for its half-year as French business struggles
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 28 (Reuters) - Technology services company Solutions 30 (S30.PA) reported a sharp decline in first-half core profit and a loss at the net result level, hampered by a weak performance in France. "We now find ourselves in the midst of an operational transition," he added. Its net result for the period turned to a loss of 12.3 million euros, against a profit of 14.1 million euros last year. "We have reached a low point and we anticipate a recovery in the final quarter that will continue throughout 2023," said Fortis. ($1 = 1.0382 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Juliette Portala; Editing by Sudip Kar-GuptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ SINAI Technologies raises $22 mln backed by Energize Ventures
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies SINAI helps companies cut emissions and reallocate capitalArcelorMittal, Natura, Toshiba, Siemens among SINAI customersPresidio Ventures, NEC Translink Capital take part in roundSept 27 (Reuters) - U.S.-based SINAI Technologies, which produces technology to help companies measure carbon emissions and recommends ways of mitigating them, has raised $22 million from investors including Energize Ventures to fund growth, it said on Tuesday. "But it's ultimately up to the (companies) to decide where they are going to invest." Eileen Waris, principal at Energize Ventures, said that SINAI had cut through a climate space which could be considered as "crowded" by early-stage companies. "I have no doubt they will make it to the next round of funding," she stated. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Juliette Portala ; Editing by Carolyn Cohn and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ESG tech firm Datamaran gets Fortive backing in latest funding round
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PepsiCo (PEP.O), Walgreens (WBA.O) and Dell also took part in the round, the group said in a statement. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterDatamaran's technology identifies over 400 external risk factors that could impact a company's value, including those related to technological innovation and geopolitical issues, by scanning regulatory, media and corporate disclosures. "Coming from strategic partners and clients, this funding is a ringing endorsement of Datamaran's benefits," she added. Against this backdrop, regulators are starting to introduce mandatory sustainability disclosures for both companies and funds. ($1 = 0.8797 pounds)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Juliette Portala Editing by Simon Jessop and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Al Gore sees the world at 'tipping point' for climate action
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore speaks at a news conference during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 5, 2021. "There is no such thing as a clean fossil fuel, just as there is no such thing as a healthy cigarette," Gore stated. "We don't want to see investments in fossil fuel infrastructure of the sort that A/ will not alleviate the short-term problem and B/ will guarantee higher emission levels for decades to come." "Mother Nature has joined the discussion about the climate crisis," Gore said, citing heatwaves in China, floods in Pakistan and drought in Europe. Gore, U.S. vice president from 1993 to 2001, became known for climate change advocacy with his 2006 Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth", and its 2017 sequel, arguing the climate change struggle is a moral fight.

Sept 20 (Reuters) - The Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance (NZAOA) said on Tuesday that nearly two thirds of its members had set short-term goals to cut portfolio emissions in line with capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius as "the clock is ticking" on climate change. While all have committed to do so by 2050, the group is increasingly asking them to implement shorter-term objectives. "Much still remains to be done," the group wrote as it aims to grow to 200 members, or to $25 trillion in assets by 2025. NZAOA, which works with strategic advisers from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), wants standardised emissions reporting. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Juliette Portala; Editing by Simon Jessop and Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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