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☆ FBI Director Christopher Wray, who is a Republican, says it's 'somewhat insane' to suggest he's biased against conservatives
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed exasperation that House Republicans would think he's biased against conservatives. A more sympathetic GOP lawmaker expressed hope that Wray wouldn't leave the party after a contentious hearing. Wray also began to snap back, at one point expressing shock that anyone would suggest he's biased against conservatives. The onslaught led Rep. Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican, to quip that he hoped Wray wouldn't leave the party. The reception illustrates the fury many conservatives hold for the FBI and Wray.

Persons: Christopher Wray, Wray, Wray wouldn't, Joe Biden's, Matt Gaetz, Edgar Hoover, Harriet Hageman, Ken Buck, Buck, Donald Trump, Chris Christie's, General Michael Horowitz, John Durham's, Ron DeSantis, wouldn't, CNN's Jake Tapper Organizations: Republican, Service, Republicans, Florida Republican, Wyoming Republican, Colorado Republican, FBI, Justice Department, New, New Jersey Gov, Florida Gov, CNN, GOP, The Colorado Republican Locations: Wall, Silicon, Florida, Wyoming, Colorado, New Jersey, United States

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Thames Water has become the poster child for a British water industry under fire for its poor environmental record and financial mismanagement. After a period as a listed company, Thames Water was acquired by German utility RWE (RWEG.DE) in 2001. Thames Water said on Monday they would provide 750 million pounds, and added it had strong liquidity of 4.4 billion pounds. FINANCESNearly 60% of Thames Water's debt is index-linked, according to ratings agency Standard & Poor's, saddling it with higher repayments as inflation soars. Thames Water was fined 3.3 million pounds last week, while Southern Water was fined 90 million pounds in 2021.

Persons: Margaret Thatcher's, Australia's Macquarie, Abu, Hermes, Ofwat, Sarah Young, Chiara Elisei, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Margaret Thatcher's Conservative, Water, Thames, Ontario, BT, China Investment Corp, Thames Water, Macquarie, Yorkshire Water, Severn Trent, United Utilities, The Times, Environment Agency, Southern Water, Thomson Locations: Britain, Here's, Abu Dhabi, Thames, Southern Water, United, England

Thames Water, weighed down by 14 billion pounds of debt and under pressure over its environmental record, had told shareholders it needed 1 billion pounds to help fund its turnaround. British ministers have been monitoring Thames Water amid fears it could need a government rescue if shareholders refused to invest more. "Shareholders have also acknowledged that delivery of the turnaround plan is likely to require the provision of further equity support," Thames Water said. The 750 million pound investment is subject to Thames Water improving the business plan underpinning its turnaround, it said. Core earnings (EBITDA) fell 3% to 1.1 billion on revenue which grew 4% to 2.3 billion pounds.

Persons: Ian Marchant, Sarah Young, Kate Holton Organizations: Water, Thames, China Investment Corp, Thomson Locations: Ontario

Philip Meeson, who built Jet2 into Britain's biggest seller of package holidays, will step down as executive chairman and leave the board later this year, the company also said. The Leeds-based company overtook former package holiday market leader TUI last year, and said it was confident of future demand despite the pressure on disposable incomes from high inflation and rising interest rates. "The end-to-end package holiday is a resilient and popular product, particularly during difficult economic times," Jet2 said. For the 12 months to the end of March, Jet2 posted pretax profit before foreign exchange revaluation of 390.8 million pounds ($497 million), within its guidance range of 387-392 million pounds. ($1 = 0.7865 pounds)Reporting by Sarah Young Editing by James Davey, Mark Potter, Elaine HardcastleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Philip Meeson, Meeson, TUI, Jet2, Mark Simpson, Sarah Young, James Davey, Mark Potter, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Channel, Thomson Locations: British, Britain, Leeds, Jet2

[1/3] One of Tiger Brands' most popular beverage products, Oros, is seen during production at a manufacturing facility in Germiston, South Africa November 17, 2022. This investment, sometimes at the cost of essential capital expenditure, will eventually be passed onto consumers, making food prices higher for longer, food companies, economists and lobby groups told Reuters. It comes at a time when South Africa is already struggling with acute unemployment, 14-year high interest rates and ballooning inflation and complicates efforts of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to ease interest rate hikes. Poultry producer Astral (ARLJ.J), diversified food producers AVI (AVIJ.J) and RCL Foods (RCLJ.J) have indicated in their recent earnings statements the mitigating measures would eventually translate into higher food prices. The listed food producers have collectively lost almost 15% in their market value since the beginning of the year.

Persons: James Oatway, Derek McKernan, Kobus, Pieter Taljaard, Thomas Funke, Charles Rossouw, Rosle, Cloete, Gertenbach, Tannur Anders, Anait, Promit Mukherjee, David Evans Organizations: Tiger Brands, REUTERS, Reuters, South African Reserve Bank, Reuters Graphics, Premier, RCL, Grain SA, Cane Growers ' Association, Food, Agricultural, Thomson Locations: Germiston, South Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Africa

[1/3] A memorial to Lord Kitchener, who died when the HMS Hampshire hit a German mine on June 5, 1916, is seen at Marwick Head on the Orkney Islands, Scotland May 3, 2014. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis/File PhotoLONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - Britain's Orkney Islands, an archipelago about 10 miles off the north coast of Scotland, is considering "alternative forms of governance" which could include becoming part of Norway, its council leader said on Monday. Orkney's historic Nordic connections give it options, Stockan believes. A row over funding for new ferries between the islands and Scotland has brought Orkney's situation to a head. Stockan wasn't clear about how Orkney's return to Norway, 250 miles across the North Sea, would work.

Persons: Lord Kitchener, Nigel Roddis, James Stockan, Stockan, Orcadians, Christian I, King of, Scotland's James III, Victoria Klesty, David Holmes Organizations: HMS Hampshire, REUTERS, Scottish, BBC Radio, Channel, England, Thomson Locations: Orkney Islands, Scotland, Orkney, Norway, Faroe Islands, Denmark, British, King of Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom, Oslo

DIRTY BEACHESClean water campaign groups accuse the water companies of failing to invest in infrastructure. She was replaced by two co-chief executives, Chief Finance Officer Alastair Cochran and former Ofwat boss Cathryn Ross, who has been at Thames Water since 2021. Jefferies analysts said Britain's listed water operators Severn Trent (SVT.L), Pennon Group (PNN.L) and United Utilities (UU.L) were better capitalised than Thames Water, but the issues with the largest company meant a "heightened regulatory environment". Daily headlines about rivers and beaches polluted by sewage released by water companies look set to turn water into a major issue at the next general election, expected next year. Thames Water said in its annual report in October that it had not paid a dividend to its shareholders for the last five years.

Persons: Rishi Sunak's, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Bentley, Alastair Cochran, Cathryn Ross, Alix, Ofwat, Australia's Macquarie, Sarah Young, Paul Sandle, Radhika Anilkumar, David Evans, Mark Potter Organizations: Company, British, Sky News, Conservatives, Thames, Times, Ontario, China Investment Corp, Water, Alix Partners, Daily Telegraph, Jefferies, Trent, Pennon, United Utilities, Environment Agency, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: England, Wales, Britain, Thames

"We do believe that we're past the peak inflation," CEO Ken Murphy told reporters. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's key economic pledge to halve inflation in 2023 has been undermined by persistent high food inflation, which was running at over 19% in April, according to the most recent official data. Murphy warned though that while some commodity prices were coming down, higher labour costs which are feeding into inflation are likely to stick. Tesco has said it expects prices to rise in 2023 but with the rate of inflation declining through the year. Reporting by James Davey and Sarah Young; editing by Kate Holton and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ken Murphy, Rishi Sunak's, Murphy, James Davey, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Jason Neely Organizations: Tesco, Britain's, Aldi, Thomson

The EPL was raised from its initial 25% rate to 35% in November, bringing the overall tax burden to 75%. With Friday's changes the windfall tax would fall away, reducing the tax burden to 40%, if average oil and gas prices fall to or below $71.40 a barrel for oil and 0.54 pounds ($0.6784) per therm for gas in two consecutive quarters. However, the government said independent price forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility suggest the price floor mechanism is unlikely to be triggered before the windfall tax’s planned end date in March 2028. UK North Sea oil and gas producers including TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) and Harbour (HBR.L) have said the levy would result in them cutting investment in the basin. Reuters GraphicsBritain was a net exporter of oil as recently as the 2000s, but now depends on both oil and gas imports.

Persons: Sarah Young, Shadia Nasralla, William James, Kate Holton, David Goodman Organizations: Brent, OPEC, Iraq, Reuters Graphics Britain, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Britain

Yui Mok/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, June 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday his plan to stop migrants arriving in small boats had reduced crossings by 20%, an update he hopes will ease criticism from his party and in the country over immigration policy. "In the five months since I launched the plan, crossings are now down 20% compared to last year," Sunak told a news conference in southern England. "The plan is working," he said, adding his government was not complacent and would work hard to make sure parliament passed a new law. Sunak urged parliament to pass his new Illegal Migration Bill, which will allow for the swift detention and deportation of people arriving on small boats back to their homeland or to so-called safe third countries such as Rwanda. Reporting by Sarah Young, writing by Farouq Suleiman and Elizabeth Piper; editing by Kate Holton and Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Yui Mok, Sunak, Sarah Young, Farouq Suleiman, Elizabeth Piper, Kate Holton, Nick Macfie Organizations: Western Jet, REUTERS LONDON, British, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Dover, Britain, England, Albania, London, Rwanda

This episode contains descriptions of violence. In the two years since the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, the Taliban has shut women and girls out of public life. Christina Goldbaum, a correspondent in the Kabul bureau for The New York Times, traveled across Afghanistan to talk to women about how they’re managing the changes. What she found was not what she had expected.

Persons: Christina Goldbaum Organizations: The New York Times Locations: United States, Afghanistan, Kabul

The apparent alteration of a mosque belonging to the Hui ethnic group in Najiaying village, Yunnan province comes amid a sweeping campaign unleashed by China’s leader Xi Jinping to “sinicize” religion. Ma Ju, a prominent Hui activist who now lives in the United States and has kept close contact with Najiaying residents, said about 30 people were arrested. Clashes broke out between police officers and Najiaying residents outside the mosque. In 2018, thousands of Hui residents in Ningxia, in the country’s northwest, staged a sit-in protest for three days to prevent authorities from demolishing a newly constructed mosque. “After they trampled on your dignity, they will suppress you step by step, and assimilate the Hui ethnic group completely into the Han, generation by generation.

☆ North Korea spent the pandemic building a huge border wall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

As the pandemic began, North Korea moved to seal its northern borders, tightening control over informal trade routes and making escape harder for defectors. Nov. 16, 2019 Minimal security features visible along North Korea’s border with Russia. Food shortages in North Korea have worsened in recent months, due in part to the border closures, according to international experts. Still, he said, there were reports of foreign shows such as the South Korean hit “Squid Game” finding their way into North Korea. “It's all the more reason for the international community to step up efforts to support North Korean rights,” he said.

☆ Here are the fastest-growing and fastest-shrinking big US cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

That's according to population changes from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022, for metropolitan statistical areas. The Villages, Florida, was the fastest-growing metro, while Houma, Louisiana, was the fastest-shrinking metro. Insider analyzed population estimates from the Census Bureau for the 384 metropolitan statistical areas in the US. The metro area of Dallas experienced the largest numerical population increase per the press release. Two other metro areas in Louisiana were among the 10 fastest-shrinking metros.

The job cuts are the biggest in the history of Vodafone, which employs 90,000 people directly across Europe and Africa. Della Valle was given a mandate to turn Vodafone around when she permanently took on the top job from the role of CFO last month. Della Valle started cutting jobs when she took the helm at the start of the year, targeting Vodafone's central operations in London. Della Valle said the European telecoms market had long delivered a poor return on the capital invested in networks, but Vodafone's relative performance had worsened over time. "It will take as long as it takes to get a good deal," Della Valle told reporters.

INVESTMENT HELPSThe company based in Hove on Britain's south coast was one of 61 firms - most with 25 or fewer employees - to take part in the world's biggest four-day week trial last year. The experience of some companies in the first trial suggests that moving to a four-day week might help, if it prompts firms to spend more on equipment and training. It piloted a four-day week for its 80 New Zealand staff over 18 months, and has since extended it to 500 workers in Australia, a move it hopes will attract new talent. British recruitment agency Reed.co.uk said it had seen a rise in the number of job advertisements offering a four-day week since the start of the year. Allcap, a supplier of industrial components with 36 employees in western England, tried a four-day week after its staff had worked flat out during the pandemic to supply protective equipment and ventilator parts.

[1/4] People wait to watch Britain's King Charles' procession to his coronation ceremony from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, at The Mall in London, Britain May 6, 2023. REUTERS/Stephanie LecocqLONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people of all ages, from Britain and across the globe, braved the rain for a glimpse of the newly crowned King Charles in the streets of London and on Buckingham Palace's famous balcony on Saturday. "It was amazing to see them all there in real life, just like you’d see on a postcard." Charles, 74, ascended to the throne in September after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth. But polls show the public generally approves of Charles as king and a majority still support the monarchy, even if younger people are far less interested.

The seizure was to "thwart the activity" of Islamic State and "impair its ability to further its goals," the NBCTF said on its website. The NBCTF document, which has not been previously reported, did not give any details on the value of the crypto seized, nor how the accounts were connected to Islamic State. Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange by trading volumes, did not respond to Reuters' calls and emails seeking comment. The U.S. Treasury said in a report last year that Islamic State had received crypto donations it later converted to cash, accessing funds via crypto trading platforms. The owner of the two Islamic State-linked Binance accounts seized by Israel was a 28-year old Palestinian called Osama Abuobayda, the NBCTF document shows.

☆ USAID pauses food assistance to Tigray region of Ethiopia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jasper Ward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on Wednesday the temporary suspension of its food assistance to the Tigray region of Ethiopia. While describing the move as a "difficult decision", USAID Administrator Samantha Power said the agency recently discovered that food aid intended for people of the region, who are suffering under famine-like condition, was being diverted and sold on the local market. The agency referred the matter to its Office of the Inspector General, which launched an investigation, and sent leaders from its Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance to Ethiopia before deciding to on a temporary pause in food aid, she said. The government and Tigray forces agreed to end the hostilities in November, which has allowed additional aid to reach the region and for some services to be restored. "While food aid to the Tigray Region is paused, other vital assistance not implicated in the diversion scheme will continue, including life-saving nutritional supplements, safe drinking water, and support for agricultural activities and development," she said.

☆ Inside the Wild World of Celebrity Keynote Speakers: Drugs, Alcohol
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

"I never saw myself as a speaker, let alone a motivational speaker," Leonard tells me while his assistant irons his jeans. 'When I ramble," Hunter told me, "hit me in the leg!" Every plane had been grounded, including the one stuck on the tarmac with an increasingly inebriated Hunter Thompson trapped inside. But by far the most all-consuming task was booking gigs for Hunter Thompson. Just before a debate with G. Gordon Liddy at Brown University, Hunter demanded that Betsy Berg, whom I now worked alongside at GTN, score him some crystal meth.

Our experts answer readers' personal loan questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess personal loans). Typically, the best personal loans are:Unsecured, ANDFor loan amounts over $1,000, ANDFor repayment terms longer than two yearsHowever, depending on your circumstances and financial needs, you may want to consider a less common type of personal loan. For example, if your application for an unsecured loan is denied, you may still be able to get a secured personal loan. It's not just as simple as picking the loan with the best personal loan rate. If you do decide that a personal loan is your best option, it's important to be patient during the shopping process.

☆ Australia's northwest braces for strongest cyclone in a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Cyclone Ilsa, located about 300 km (186 miles) off Australia's coast in the Indian Ocean, was on Thursday morning upgraded to a category four storm - one rung below the strongest category five. Port Hedland is the world's biggest export point for iron ore and is used by BHP Group (BHP.AX), Fortescue (FMG.AX) and billionaire Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting. Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) exports out of Port of Dampier, which lies to the west of Port Hedland. It will be the strongest system to hit the country's far northwest region since Cyclone Christine crossed the coast in December 2013, weather bureau forecaster Jessica Lingard said. BHP in an emailed response said it was closely tracking the cyclone but its mining and rail operations were continuing.

☆ Poland Lays Out Plans to Send MiG-29 Fighters to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( James Marson | Karolina Jeznach | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Poland released the first details of its and other European countries’ plans to send MiG-29 warplanes to Ukraine, pushing Western support for Kyiv over a key threshold ahead of a planned offensive later this spring, despite warnings from Russia against Western nations playing a larger role in the conflict. The Polish government this week said a coalition of countries was willing to send their Soviet-designed MiG-29 warplanes to Ukraine and Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Warsaw would deliver its own planes in 4-6 weeks, Polish state news agency PAP reported. An official at the country’s Bureau for National Security said Poland could send 4-5 planes “for a start” as soon as a week from now.

☆ Why Everyone Is Moving to Florida: Jobs, Economy, Cost of Living, Taxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Emil Skandul | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

For other states to compete, they will need to pay attention to what Florida is doing right. Floridians pay no income tax and fewer taxes overall than people in states like New York, California, or Massachusetts. But a low tax rate isn't the only thing people care about. Despite having a budget half the size of New York's and a larger population, Florida, by many metrics, is able to do significantly more with the taxes it collects. Florida is also outshining New York and other major population centers in tackling the soaring cost of housing.

☆ China plans to revamp finance, tech oversight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Lintao Zhang | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China plans to overhaul its financial regulatory system by consolidating aspects of the central bank and securities regulator under a new entity, while doing away with the existing banking regulator. The moves also come as Beijing has increased regulation on parts of the economy that had developed quickly, with little oversight. The latest plan calls for the establishment of a National Financial Regulatory Administration, which replaces the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and expands its role. watch nowThe China Securities Regulatory Commission's investor protection responsibilities are set to shift to the new financial regulator. "China's consolidated financial regulatory body is [a] paradigm shift to ramp up oversight of its vast financial system," said Winston Ma, adjunct professor of law at New York University.

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