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[1/2] A general view of ADNOC headquarters in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates May 29, 2019. ADNOC and Covestro declined to comment. The OMV deal would indirectly also increase ADNOC's holding in both European petrochemicals maker Borealis and Abu Dhabi-listed petrochemicals company Borouge (BOROUGE.AD). SABIC (2020.SE), also of Saudi Arabia, in the same year purchased a stake of almost 25% in Swiss chemicals maker Clariant (CLN.S). Thanks to a 2007 deal to buy GE's plastics unit, SABIC competes with Covestro in polycarbonate plastics.

Persons: Christopher Pike, Abu Dhabi's, ADNOC, Sultan, Jaber, Lanxess, SABIC, Ludwig Burger, Patricia Weiss, Christoph Steitz, Hadeel Al, Greg Roumeliotis, Louise Heavens, Sharon Singleton, Elisa Martinuzzi, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: United, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Covestro, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Abu Dhabi, United Arab, Covestro, Europe, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia, Swiss, Frankfurt, Hadeel Al Sayegh, Dubai

Gannett said this leaves Google with "exorbitant monopoly profits," and "dramatically less revenue" for publishers and its ad technology rivals. "Digital advertising is the lifeblood of the online economy," Gannett Chief Executive Mike Reed said in an opinion published in USA Today. Like many newspaper publishers, McLean, Virginia-based Gannett has struggled with falling ad revenue as more Americans, estimated at 86%, get news online. Gannett said digital advertising is a $200 billion business, up nearly eightfold since 2009, but newspaper ad revenue fell nearly 70% over that time. The case is Gannett Co v Google LLC et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

Persons: Gannett, Mike Reed, Jonathan Stempel, Louise Heavens, Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang Organizations: YORK, Gannett, U.S ., USA, Google, Alphabet Inc, European Union, U.S . Department of Justice, Gannett Co, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, USA, View , California, U.S, Texas, McLean , Virginia, Southern District, Southern District of New York, New York

Sodexo, which is benefiting from the cost-of-living crisis as employers look for ways to support staff without hiking wages, announced in April a plan to spin off and list its voucher unit on the stock exchange in 2024, betting on the good performance of the business. Smaller French rival Edenred (EDEN.PA), which joined France's blue-chip index CAC 40 (.FCHI) on Monday, posted in April first-quarter operating revenue growth as employers used its meal tickets and fuel cards to help staff cope with inflation. Pluxee, which employs 5,000 in 31 countries, targets full-year organic revenue growth of close to 20% and an underlying operating profit margin of around 32%. Sodexo's voucher business reported a core profit of 162 million euros ($177 million) in the first half of 2023. Reporting by Federica Mileo and Diana Mandiá in Gdansk, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aurelien Sonet, Pluxee, Sonet, Edenred, Federica Mileo, Diana Mandiá, Louise Heavens Organizations: Thomson Locations: Gdansk

The agreement, disclosed in court papers filed late on Friday, still requires the approval of the federal judge overseeing the litigation. To make certain that U.S. customer assets do not go offshore, the agreement allows only Binance.US employees access to these assets. The SEC said in a statement released on Saturday that the emergency relief order secured for Binance.US customers will protect their assets and ensure that they can continue to withdraw those assets. "Given that Changpeng Zhao and Binance have control of the platforms' customers' assets and have been able to commingle customer assets or divert customer assets as they please ... these prohibitions are essential to protecting investor assets," Gurbir Grewal, director of the SEC's enforcement division, said in the statement. The U.S. affiliate of Binance halted dollar deposits last week and gave customers a deadline of June 13 to withdraw their dollar funds, after SEC asked a court to freeze its assets.

Persons: Binance, Changpeng Zhao, Binance.US, Zhao, Gurbir Grewal, Baranjot Kaur, Akanksha, Jose Joseph, Will Dunham, Stephen Coates, Louise Heavens Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Binance Holdings, Services, U.S, Thomson Locations: United States, Bengaluru

☆ 'Prospects for UBS are better than ever,' CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ZURICH, June 17 (Reuters) - UBS's (UBSG.S) Chief Executive sought to reassure Switzerland on Saturday over its new banking giant, created by the Swiss bank's historic takeover of former rival Credit Suisse . "The prospects for UBS are better than ever," Sergio Ermotti wrote in an opinion piece published in the Swiss paper Tages-Anzeiger. Ermotti, who returned to the bank as Chief Executive in a surprise move shortly after the government orchestrated rescue of Credit Suisse was announced, addressed public concern over the size of the combined bank. He said "there is no doubt that UBS is a large bank," but that the company's business model also contributes to creating wealth for Switzerland. "The question of what will happen to Credit Suisse's Swiss business also needs to be well thought through," he said.

Persons: Sergio Ermotti, Ermotti, Noele Illien, Louise Heavens Organizations: Swiss, Credit Suisse, UBS, Suisse's, Thomson Locations: ZURICH, Swiss, Switzerland

☆ Binance, SEC agree to allow only US employees to access customer funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 17 (Reuters) - Binance, Binance.US and the U.S. securities regulator entered into an agreement to ensure that only Binance.US employees could access customer funds in the short term, according to court documents. The proposed agreement comes after the SEC sued Binance, its CEO and founder Changpeng Zhao and Binance.US's operator last week, in a dramatic escalation of a crackdown on the industry by U.S. regulators. Binance.US and SEC did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. The U.S. affiliate of Binance halted dollar deposits last week and gave customers until June 13 to withdraw their dollar funds, after SEC asked a court to freeze its assets. Other provisions in the proposed agreement will see Binance.US create new crypto wallets that the global exchange's employees have no access to, provide additional information to the SEC and agree to an expedited discovery schedule, the filings said.

Persons: Binance, Changpeng Zhao, Binance.US, Baranjot Kaur, Stephen Coates, Louise Heavens Organizations: Binance Holdings, Services, SEC, Reuters, U.S, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Binance, SEC strike deal to move all US customer funds, wallet keys back onshore - CoinDesk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 17 (Reuters) - Binance, Binance.US and the U.S. securities regulator announced a deal to ensure that only Binance.US employees could access customer funds in the short term, CoinDesk reported on Saturday, citing a proposed agreement. The proposed agreement comes after the SEC sued Binance, its CEO and founder Changpeng Zhao and Binance.US's operator last week, in a dramatic escalation of a crackdown on the industry by U.S. regulators. The SEC also sued major U.S. exchange Coinbase (COIN.O) after that. Binance.US and SEC did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. The U.S. affiliate of Binance halted dollar deposits last week and gave customers until June 13 to withdraw their dollar funds, after SEC asked a court to freeze its assets.

Persons: CoinDesk, Binance, Changpeng Zhao, Binance.US, Baranjot Kaur, Stephen Coates, Louise Heavens Organizations: Binance Holdings, Services, SEC, Reuters, U.S, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Italy rules Pirelli's Chinese top investor cannot choose CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Pirelli CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera attends a theatrical performance on the occasion of the 150th anniversary celebration of Italian tyremaker in Milan, Italy, January 28, 2022. Rome's move came after Sinochem notified the Italian government in March of plans to renew and update an existing shareholder pact with fellow investor Camfin, the vehicle of Pirelli's CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera. Rome also ruled Sinochem should pick no more than eight members of Pirelli's 15-strong board, leaving four to Camfin. Pirelli shareholders vote to pick a new board on July 31, with current deputy CEO Giorgio Bruno set to replace Tronchetti Provera, who would stay on as executive vice-chairman. Analysts see the move as an initial step to build an alternative and stable group of Italian shareholders for the company.

Persons: Marco Tronchetti Provera, Flavio Lo Scalzo, China's, tyremaker Pirelli, Rome's, Sinochem, Camfin, Giorgia, Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli's, Giorgio Bruno, Giuseppe Fonte, Valentina Za, Giulio Piovaccari, Louise Heavens Organizations: Pirelli, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, China, Rome, Camfim

☆ Saudi Arabia urges improved maritime security in Gulf as ties with Iran resume
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 17 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia wants enhanced maritime security in the crucial Gulf region as part of its rapprochement with long-time rival Iran, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Saturday. The kingdom broke ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran in retaliation for Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. Iran has recently been trying to mend its strained ties with several Gulf Arab states. Saudi Arabia's rapprochement with Iran has left Israel largely alone as it has sought to isolate Iran diplomatically. The United Arab Emirates, which was the first Gulf Arab country to sign a normalisation agreement with Israel in 2020, resumed formal relations with Iran last year.

Persons: Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Prince Faisal, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Ebrahim Raisi, Amirabdollahian, Hatem Maher, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Mark Heinrich, Louise Heavens, Mike Harrison Organizations: Foreign, United, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Gulf, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Tehran, Saudi, Hormuz, United States, Israel, United Arab, Arab, Bahrain, Morocco, UAE, Cairo, Riyadh, Dubai

☆ Russian missile kills two in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, June 17 (Reuters) - Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synehubov revised the death toll from a Russian missile strike on a small Ukrainian village in the east to two people on Saturday. Synehubov initially said on the Telegram messaging app that four people were killed as a Russian anti-tank guided missile hit a car driving towards the village of Huriyv Kozachok which is near the border with Russia. Later he gave provided an update, saying that two volunteers - a 42-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman were killed. Ukraine liberated many villages and towns in the Kharkiv region last autumn but since then the Russian military has frequently shelled the area, destroying critical infrastructure and injuring and killing residents. Reporting by Olena Harmash, editing by Mark Heinrich and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Oleh Synehubov, Synehubov, Olena Harmash, Mark Heinrich, Louise Heavens Organizations: Russian, Thomson Locations: Kharkiv, Russian, Russia, Ukraine

☆ First 'Trooping the Colour' parade for Britain's King Charles
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Britain's King Charles salutes as he rides on horseback as part of Trooping the Colour parade which honours him on his official birthday, in London, Britain, June 17, 2023. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles celebrated his first official birthday parade as sovereign on Saturday, riding on horseback to inspect soldiers in a ceremony that has been an annual event since 1760. By appearing on horseback Charles, 74, revives a tradition which his mother, Queen Elizabeth, gave up in 1986 when she was 60. Charles became king when his mother Queen Elizabeth died aged 96 in September. Trooping the Colour marks the official Birthday of Britain's monarch and is usually held in June.

Persons: King Charles, Toby Melville LONDON, Britain's King Charles, Charles, Queen Elizabeth, Prince of Wales, Princess Anne, Duke, Wales, Charles's, Sarah Young, Louise Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, Buckingham, Red Arrows, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British, Edinburgh

☆ Saudi foreign minister arrives in Tehran amid rapprochement -Iran TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 17 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Iran on Saturday amid a rapprochement between the two Middle East arch-foes, Iranian state TV said. The kingdom broke ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran in retaliation for Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. Iran has recently been trying to mend its strained ties with several Gulf Arab states. Saudi Arabia’s rapprochement with Iran has left Israel largely alone as it has sought to isolate Iran diplomatically. The United Arab Emirates, which was the first Gulf Arab country to sign a normalisation agreement with Israel in 2020, resumed formal relations with Iran last year.

Persons: Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Bin Farhan, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Mark Heinrich, Louise Heavens Organizations: Saudi Arabia's Foreign, United, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Tehran, Israel, United Arab, Arab, Bahrain, Morocco, UAE

OPEC+ accounts for around 40% of global oil production, while Rosneft takes the same share of Russia's oil output. In remarks published later on Rosneft's website from Sechin's speech, he said Saudi Arabia is voluntarily cutting oil production, while also increasing production capacity. He said Saudi Arabia may increase the amount of drilling rigs by at least a quarter in the next two years. Speaking at the forum, Sechin also said it was more difficult for OPEC countries to find common ground due to differences in economic structure and oil production. "In coming years, humanity will face the problem of production capacities and OPEC countries will no longer be able to meet the growing demand," he said.

Persons: Igor Sechin, Vladimir Putin, Sechin, Rosneft, Olesta Astakhova, Vladimir Soldatkin, Louise Heavens, David Holmes Organizations: Russia, Organization of, Petroleum, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, United States, OPEC, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Saudi

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.16 to $71.78. Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said it was "realistic" to reach oil prices of around $80 per barrel, Russian state news agencies reported. Capping oil price gains was the prospect of rising interest rates, which could slow economic growth. The Bank of England is set to raise interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point next week. Investors have been closely watching interest rates and commentary from Fed members.

Persons: Brent, Nikolai Shulginov, Shulginov, Baker Hughes, Phil Flynn, Stephanie Kelly, Alex Lawler, Sudarshan, David Goodman, Louise Heavens, David Evans, David Gregorio, Nick Macfie Organizations: bbl Bank of England, . West Texas, Oil, Kuwait Petroleum, Organization of, Petroleum, Russian Energy, Bank of England, European Central Bank, U.S . Federal, Price Futures, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Thomson Locations: Russia, U.S, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Russian, Iran

☆ Baidu wins commercial licence for driverless taxis in Shenzhen
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, June 16 (Reuters) - China's tech firm Baidu Inc said on Friday that it has obtained a commercial licence from regulators for its driverless ride-hailing service in parts of Shenzhen, the country's tech hub. Its fleet of driverless robotaxis, under the brand Apollo Go, will be allowed to operate and collect fares from passengers across an area of 188 square km (116.82 square miles) in Shenzhen, the company said. Baidu first brought self-driving cars to Shenzhen in 2022 but its cars then were not allowed to go on the roads without human supervisors onboard. Baidu has obtained licences from three other Chinese cities including Wuhan, Chongqing and Beijing to offer fully driverless service there. Baidu also said it plans to put an additional 200 fully driverless robotaxis on the road this year.

Persons: Baidu, Josh Ye, Jason Neely, Louise Heavens Organizations: Baidu Inc, Baidu, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Chongqing, Beijing

☆ Elon Musk repeats call for artificial intelligence regulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, June 16 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla (TSLA.O) and owner of Twitter, reaffirmed on Friday his view that there should be a 'pause' on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and that the AI sector needed regulation. "There is a real danger for digital superintelligence having negative consequences," said Musk, at the Paris VivaTech event. "I am in favour of AI regulation," he added. Reporting by Silvia Aloisi, Gilles Guillaume, Mathieu Rosemain, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Michel Rose; Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Billionaire Elon Musk, Silvia Aloisi, Gilles Guillaume, Mathieu Rosemain, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Michel Rose, Louise Heavens Organizations: Billionaire, Tesla, Twitter, Paris, Thomson

☆ Brazil's Localiza launches $935.5 mln share offering to expand fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, June 16 (Reuters) - Brazilian car rental company Localiza (RENT3.SA) said on Friday it will launch a follow-on share offering aimed at raising as much as 4.5 billion reais ($935.51 million) to expand its car fleet and service network. The primary offering will initially comprise 60.02 million new shares, Localiza said in a securities filing, but could be increased by up to 12.5% if demand allows it. Considering its closing price of 66.64 reais per share on Thursday, the offering would total around 4 billion reais, the company said. Shares of Localiza slipped around 2% after the move was announced, making it one of the biggest fallers on Brazil's Bovespa stock index (.BVSP). ($1 = 4.8102 reais)Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Steven Grattan, Louise Heavens and Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Localiza, Bradesco, BTG Pactual, Gabriel Araujo, Steven Grattan, Louise Heavens, Conor Humphries Organizations: SAO PAULO, JPMorgan, UBS Brasil, Santander, Bank of America, Banco Safra, XP, Thomson Locations: Santander Brasil

☆ Chinese delegation to meet with Germany's top corporate brass next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FRANKFURT/BERLIN, June 16 (Reuters) - A Chinese delegation led by Premier Li Qiang will meet Germany's top CEOs next week as part of a visit to Europe, hoping to strengthen ties at a time when Berlin is pursuing a strategy to lessen its economic dependence on Beijing. A meeting between Li and a group of German and Chinese CEOs is scheduled for June 19, according to people familiar with the plans. Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE), SAP (SAPG.DE) and Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) all confirmed that their CEOs would meet with the delegation. The CEO of Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) division Audi will also participate, a person familiar with the matter said. BASF (BASFn.DE), Bayer (BAYGn.DE), Infineon (IFXGn.DE), Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and BMW (BMWG.DE), all companies with major business ties to China, declined to comment.

Persons: Premier Li Qiang, Li, Li Shufu, Mercedes, Roland Busch, Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Andrew Small, Marshall, Siegfried Russwurm, Ilona Wissenbach, Hakan Ersen, Christoph Steitz, Ludwig Burger, Patricia Weiss, Christina Amann, Andreas Rinke, Rene Wagner, Sarah Marsh, Jan Schwartz, Alexander Huebner, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Louise Heavens Organizations: Premier, Mercedes, Benz, SAP, Siemens Energy, Volkswagen, Audi, Beijing Automotive Group Co, HK, Siemens, Pacific Committee, BASF, Bayer, Infineon, BMW, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, BERLIN, Europe, Berlin, Beijing, China, Asia, German, Germany, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich

The SEC also sued Binance.US' operating company, BAM Trading, alleging that it misled investors about "non-existent trading" controls over its platform. A day later, the SEC asked a federal court to freeze Binance.US' assets, including more than $2.2 billion held in crypto and some $377 million in U.S. dollar bank accounts. 'ROUND OF LAYOFFS'Two Binance.US employees said on LinkedIn on Wednesday they were leaving the company, with one citing a "round of layoffs." Binance.US had avoided layoffs over the past year, Shroder wrote in the message. In a court filing on Monday, Binance.US' operator, BAM Trading, said the SEC's asset freeze request would "effectively put BAM out of business."

Persons: Binance, Changpeng Zhao, Binance.US, Brian Shroder, Shroder, Angus Berwick, Tom Wilson, Elisa Martinuzzi, Richard Chang, Louise Heavens Organizations: U.S, Reuters, SEC, BAM, Management, LinkedIn, Thomson

☆ Poland's 11 bit studios plans to release Frostpunk 2 in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GDANSK, June 14 (Reuters) - Polish video game producer 11 bit studios (11B.WA) plans to release Frostpunk 2, the sequel to its BAFTA-nominated society survival game, in the first half of 2024, company representatives said at an investor conference on Wednesday. Frostpunk 2 is currently ranked eighth on the Global Top Wishlists on video game platform Steam. In the coming year, 11 bit studios plans to focus on games rather than operational changes and acquisitions. The release of "The Invincible", a title developed by Starward Industries, whose shares were acquired by 11 bit studios last year, is planned for the third or fourth quarter. At 1051 GMT, 11 bit studios' shares were up 7.8%.

Persons: I'm, Przemyslaw Marszal, Adrianna Ebert, Louise Heavens, Mark Potter Organizations: BAFTA, Starward Industries, Thomson Locations: GDANSK

☆ TenneT lines up 8 bln-euro credit ahead of German operations sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, June 14 (Reuters) - Electric grid operator TenneT Holding (IPO-TTH.AS) said on Wednesday it has signed an 8 billion euro ($8.63 billion) credit facility to support its spending plans as it awaits a deal to sell its German operations to the German state. Governments of the two countries have said they hope to agree a deal on the sale of TenneT Germany this summer and close a deal by the end of 2023, though talks have been going slowly. TenneT, which had a debt-heavy balance sheet of 38.5 billion euros at the end of 2022, in March estimated equity needs at its German arm of 15 billion euros and of 10 billion euros at its Dutch arm. TenneT said the 2.5-year facility is provided by BNP Paribas, ABN AMRO, BNG, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, ING, Rabobank, Santander, SMBC Nikko, and UniCredit. ($1 = 0.9271 euros)($1 = 0.9268 euros)Reporting by Toby Sterling, Editing by Louise Heavens and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: TenneT, Toby Sterling, Louise Heavens, Sharon Singleton Organizations: TenneT, BNP, ABN AMRO, Deutsche Bank, ING, Rabobank, Santander, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Dutch, Germany, Netherlands, BNG, Nikko

☆ Russia's Sberbank launches Indian rupee accounts for individuals
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view shows the logo of Sber (Sberbank) at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 15, 2022. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File PhotoMOSCOW, June 14 (Reuters) - Russia's dominant lender on Wednesday said individuals could now open accounts in Indian rupees, expanding the range of foreign currencies available as Moscow strives to reduce dependency on the U.S. dollar and euro. "As Sberbank has highlighted, the bank supports the trend of de-dollarisation and constantly increases the number of foreign currencies available to clients," Sberbank said in a statement. Sberbank has more than 100 million retail clients and already offers deposits in China's yuan and UAE dirhams. "Other soft currencies are still only looking for their consumers in Russia, acting as niche offers," he added.

Persons: Anton Vaganov, Sberbank, Anatoly Pechatnikov, Elena Fabrichnaya, Alexander Marrow, Louise Heavens, Sharon Singleton Organizations: St ., Economic, REUTERS, U.S ., UAE dirhams, Thomson Locations: St, St . Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Russia, MOSCOW, Moscow, yuan, UAE

☆ Safran nears $1.8 billion deal to acquire Raytheon's flight controls unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( David Carnevali | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 14 (Reuters) - French aerospace engine maker Safran SA (SAF.PA) is nearing an approximately $1.8 billion deal to acquire a Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTX.N) unit that makes flight controls for aircraft, helicopters and missiles, according to a person familiar with the matter. Safran may reach a deal to acquire Raytheon's actuation business that makes flight controls as early as this week, the source said, asking not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Spokespeople for Safran and Raytheon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Safran said on June 5 it was participating in a "competitive process" for Raytheon's flight controls business, without commenting on the chances of an agreement or the terms of a deal. The Raytheon business will strengthen Safran's ties with Airbus SE (AIR.PA), since it sells into many of its commercial aircraft and has some operations in France.

Persons: Safran, Parker, Spokespeople, Olivier Andries, Rockwell Collins, Greg Hayes, David Carnevali, Louise Heavens Organizations: Safran SA, Raytheon Technologies Corp, Raytheon, United Technologies, Moog Inc, Eaton Corp, Woodward Inc, Hannifin, Bloomberg News, Safran's, French, Zodiac Aerospace, Airbus, U.S ., Rockwell, Collins Aerospace, Thomson Locations: France, New York

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is in talks with The Sovereign Wealth Fund of Egypt (TSFE) about the deal, said two sources with knowledge of the matter, who declined to be named. The fund is considering acquiring a stake of up to 30% in the hotels, the sources said, without naming them. Relations between Egypt and Qatar soured in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia has led efforts to rebuild ties with Qatar and, along with Egypt, re-established diplomatic relations in 2021. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Baghdad in August 2021 for the first time since ending the dispute.

Persons: Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, St Regis Saadiyat, Egypt's TSFE, Agatha Christie's, Hosni Mubarak, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Hadeel El, Andrew Mills, Patrick Werr, Louise Heavens, Mark Potter, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Abu, Abu Dhabi Executive Council, St Regis, United, United Arab Emirates, Read, Qatar Investment Authority, Sovereign Wealth Fund of Egypt, Regional, Qatar, Thomson Locations: Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Qatar, United Arab, DUBAI, Harrods, London, Aswan, Saudi Arabia, Thani, Baghdad, Ukraine, Hadeel El Sayegh, Dubai, Doha, Cairo

☆ GM, SDI will build $3 billion battery manufacturing plant in Indiana
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 13 (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N) and Samsung SDI (006400.KS) will build a more than $3 billion EV battery cell plant in Indiana scheduled to begin operations in 2026, creating 1,700 jobs, the state's governor said Tuesday. The companies said in April they would invest more than $3 billion to build a joint venture EV battery manufacturing plant in the U.S. but did not name a location. Reuters reported in January that GM had opted not to move forward with building a fourth U.S. battery plant with LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) in Indiana, but said GM could still pick Indiana for a battery plant with another partner. The joint GM and Samsung SDI plant near New Carlisle, Indiana aims to have an annual production capacity of 30 gigawatt hours (GWh). The companies are building a $2.6 billion plant in Michigan, set to open in 2024 after opening a plant in Ohio and are building another in Tennessee.

Persons: Yoonho Choi, Shawn Fain, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Biden, David Shepardson, Louise Heavens, David Evans Organizations: General Motors, Samsung SDI, EV, Reuters, GM, LG Energy, Samsung, U.S . Energy Department, LG Energy Ultium Cells, United Auto Workers, GM LG Ohio JV, UAW, Thomson Locations: KS, Indiana, U.S, New Carlisle , Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, North America, South Korea

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