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☆ Exxon-Pioneer deal talks: What Wall St, policymakers have to say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The logo of Exxon Mobil Corporation is shown on a monitor above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, December 30, 2015. It would be Exxon's biggest acquisition since its $81 billion deal for Mobil in 1998 and could deepen the oil major's position in the country's most lucrative oil patch. MATTHEW BERNSTEIN, SENIOR SHALE ANALYST, RYSTAD ENERGY"If Exxon Mobil is crowned the undisputed king of the Permian in the coming days, the shale sector will fundamentally become a more mature consolidated business." "A deal the size of Exxon Mobil's potential acquisition of Pioneer, however, could usher in a new 'Shale 4.0' era ... BILL SMEAD, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER OF SMEAD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT"I can't imagine any deal is going to go for less than $65 billion, considering Pioneer is currently trading around $50 billion .

Persons: Lucas Jackson, MATTHEW BERNSTEIN, MARK VIVIANO, Scott Sheffield, BILL SMEAD, PETER MCNALLY, SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, BEN COOK, HENNESSY, NEAL DINGMANN, Arunima Kumar, Sourasis Bose, Sabrina Valle, Raphael Satter, David French, Sriraj Kalluvila, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Exxon Mobil Corporation, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Exxon Mobil, Natural Resources, Mobil, Exxon, RBC, RHODE, Thomson Locations: New York, United States, Bengaluru, Houston

☆ Thailand's new prime minister courts US companies for investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin speaks during a press conference after a weekly cabinet meeting at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, September 13, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Thailand's new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin met with U.S. companies including Microsoft (MSFT.O), Google (GOOGL.O), and Estee Lauder (EL.N) in his first trip abroad since coming to power last month, looking to draw investment to boost a flagging economy. The prime minister also held talks with banks. "To service foreign investments, we will need financial institutions ... Goldman Sachs (GS.N) said they will consider setting up an office in Thailand," Srettha said. In the first six months of 2023, investment pledges to Thailand rose 70%, driven by Chinese auto investors.

Persons: Srettha Thavisin, Athit, Estee Lauder, Srettha, I've, Tesla, Elon Musk, Goldman Sachs, Chayut Setboonsarng, Lincoln Organizations: Thailand's, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Microsoft, Google, General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, New York

☆ Thailand's New Prime Minister Courts US Companies for Investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin met with U.S. companies including Microsoft, Google, and Estee Lauder in his first trip abroad since coming to power last month, looking to draw investment to boost a flagging economy. That is a challenge for Srettha, who is aiming to grow Southeast Asia's second-largest economy by 5% each year. The prime minister also held talks with banks. "To service foreign investments, we will need financial institutions ... Goldman Sachs said they will consider setting up an office in Thailand," Srettha said. In the first six months of 2023, investment pledges to Thailand rose 70%, driven by Chinese auto investors.

Persons: Srettha Thavisin, Estee Lauder, Srettha, I've, Elon Musk, Goldman Sachs, Chayut Setboonsarng, Lincoln Organizations: U.S, Microsoft, Google, General Assembly, Tesla Locations: BANGKOK, Thailand, New York

☆ Disney CEO says company will 'quiet the noise' in culture wars -analyst
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Items with a rainbow-coloured design are seen in a Pride section of a gift shop at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2022. REUTERS/Octavio Jones/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 20 (Reuters) - Walt Disney (DIS.N) CEO Bob Iger told investors the company will "quiet the noise" in a culture war that has pitted social conservatives against the global media and entertainment conglomerate, according to an analyst note on Wednesday. Iger previously said the company planned to spend $17 billion in investment at Walt Disney World over the next 10 years. At the time, Iger was responding to an investor who said the company was becoming too concerned with social issues. “Our primary mission needs to be to entertain ... and to have a positive impact on the world,” Iger said at the time.

Persons: Octavio Jones, Walt Disney, Bob Iger, Laura Martin, Disney, Wall, Ron DeSantis, “, Iger, Halle, Ariel, ” Iger, Dawn Chmielewski, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Walt Disney, REUTERS, Needham, Walt Disney World, Disney, ESPN, Central, Universal Orlando, Parks, Pixar Animation, Thomson Locations: Orlando , Florida, U.S, Florida, Central Florida, Halle Bailey, Los Angeles

Polish leaders have compared Ukraine to a drowning person hurting his helper and threatened to expand a ban on food products from the war-torn country. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that EU allies that are prohibiting imports of his nation’s grain are helping Russia. All the EU countries will keep allowing Ukrainian products to move through their borders to world markets. Russia dealt a huge blow by withdrawing in July from a wartime agreement that ensured safe passage for Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. Ukraine also threatened this week to ban some Polish food items, but appeared to back off that.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “ Alarmingly, they’re, ” Zelenskyy, Pawel, “, Vasyl Zvarych, Jablonski “, Andrzej Duda, Mateusz Morawiecki, ” Morawiecki, Nikolai Denkov, Veselin Toshkov Organizations: Union, EU, World Trade Organization, General, Polish Foreign Ministry, Law, Justice, Croatia, Kyiv, General Assembly, Russia, Confederation, Polsat, Russia Socialist Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Kyiv, Warsaw, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Moscow, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, New York, EU, Ukrainian, Bulgaria, Sofia

☆ Guest view: Bank balance sheets hide climate risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Natasha Landell-Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

First, banks’ financial statements appear to be ignoring climate risks, which means financial institutions are probably also leaving those dangers out of their capital calculations. Second, a regulatory regime that understates the expected consequences of climate change is allowing the banks’ blind spot to persist. The few banks that refer to climate risks in their accounts tend to conclude that it is not material. Second, banks need to take a prudent view of climate risks in their financial statements. The sooner the banking sector internalises climate risks in its accounting, the better the chance of building a sustainable future.

Persons: Wells Fargo’s, Banks, Natasha Landell, Mills, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, HSBC, HK, “ Management, prudential, The, Greening, Central, Institute, Faculty of Actuaries, University of Exeter, Institutional, Sarasin, Partners, Thomson

☆ Amazon opens its biggest last-mile delivery center in Latin America
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Daina Beth Solomon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) on Thursday inaugurated its largest last-mile delivery center in Latin America, a warehouse in Mexico's capital, as it seeks to offer faster deliveries in one of the region's most populous cities. The new Mexico City site, measuring 30,000 square meters (more than 322,000 square feet), is the largest Latin America "delivery station" for Amazon, referring to warehouses that specialize in last-mile deliveries to consumers. Amazon also operates larger warehouses known as "fulfillment centers," which can be over 92,900 sq meters (a million square feet). Altogether Amazon operates about 40 warehouses throughout Mexico, employing more than 8,000 people directly and another 32,000 indirectly. Some 22 million people live in and around Mexico City, one of the biggest urban centers in Latin America.

Persons: Mercado, Diana Frances, Ken Salazar, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Daina Beth Solomon, Sandra Maler Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mercado Libre, Walmart, Amazon, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Latin America, Mexico, Argentina, America, Mexico City

REUTERS/Johnny Carvajal Acquire Licensing RightsCARACAS, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Before they were arrested and sentenced to 16 years in prison on conspiracy charges, the six Venezuelan activists marched peacefully to call for better salaries for teachers, according to their families and lawyers. The latest moves by Venezuelan authorities demand a coordinated response from other countries, advocates said. He has long accused Venezuela's opposition of seeking to spread chaos. "But obviously I don't have faith in Venezuelan justice," said Oropeza, the wife of activist Bracho. Reporting by Vivian Sequera; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Oropeza, Alcides, Johnny Carvajal, Nicolas Maduro's, Yorbelis Oropeza, Fionnuala Ni Aolain, Clement Nyaletsossi Voulue, Juan Pappier, Gonzalo Himiob, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's, Maduro, Javier Tarazona, Tarazona, Roland Carreno, Joel Garcia, Tarazona's, Himiob, Valentina Ballesta, Franks Cabana, Oscar Perez, Ana Leonor Acosta, Xiomara Andara, John Alvarez, Garcia, Bracho, Vivian Sequera, Julia Symmes Cobb, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Maduro, Judiciary, United Nations, Human Rights, Foro Penal, Amnesty International, Coalition for Human Rights, Democracy, Thomson Locations: Caracas, Venezuela, Rights CARACAS, U.S, they'll, Foro, Russia, China, Colombia, Brazil, Colombian, Venezuelan

[1/7] People attend what North Korean state media report was the country's launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine, in North Korea, in this handout image released September 8, 2023. North Korea plans to turn its existing submarines into nuclear weapons-armed attack submarines, and accelerate its push to build nuclear-powered submarines, Kim said. North Korea has test-fired a number of submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and cruise missiles that can be fired from submarines. It is also unclear whether North Korea has fully developed the miniaturised nuclear warheads needed to fit on such missiles. North Korea has a large submarine fleet but only the experimental ballistic missile submarine 8.24 Yongung (August 24th Hero) is known to have launched a missile.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Kim Kun, Kim, they've, Tal Inbar, Vladimir Putin, Yoon Suk, Premier Li Qiang, Soo, hyang Choi, Leslie Adler, Sandra Maler, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: North, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, ., DPRK, Democratic People's, Carnegie Endowment, International, Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, Twitter, South, Premier, Security, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Rights SEOUL, Japan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Korean, United States, South Korea, State, Korea, U.S, Russia, Moscow, Jakarta, Beijing

Sky-high food inflation after erratic monsoon rains damaged crops and disrupted supply chains. Food inflation for July hit a staggering 11.5%, far more than 4.6% in June and marking a three-year high. Even when customers do purchase fashion items, they buy far fewer than they once would have, some of the managers also said. The downturn in fashion spending has also been accompanied by a slide in spending at restaurant chains like Domino's. In some encouraging signs, tomato prices have eased off peaks and India's central bank chief last week said vegetable prices, which have begun to soften, will decline from September.

Persons: Zink London, Skechers, Kaushik Das, Madan Sabnavis, Anjali Mohanty, Tanvi Mehta, Riddhima, Dhwani Pandya, Jatindra, Saurabh Sharma, Aditya Kalra, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: NEW, Euromonitor, Reuters, Skechers USA, Deutsche Bank, Retail, Bank of Baroda, Dhwani, Thomson Locations: NEW DELHI, MUMBAI, New Delhi, Zink London, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Lucknow

Burger King's new chicken sandwich "Ch'King" is seen on display in New York, NY, U.S. May 19, 2021. "Even tomatoes need a vacation ... we are unable to add tomatoes to our food," read notices pasted at two Burger King India outlets. The burger chain, one of India's biggest with nearly 400 outlets, joins many McDonald's and Subway stores that have removed tomatoes from menus as India's food inflation this week hit its highest since January 2020. reads a question on the support page of Burger King India's web site. Restaurant Brands Asia (RESR.NS), which operates Burger King in India, did not respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Burger, Aleksandra Michalska, Amnish Aggarwal, Narendra Modi's, Manoj Kumar, Aditya Kalra, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Burger King, Restaurant Brands, Thomson Locations: New York, NY, U.S, DELHI, CHENNAI, Burger King India, Burger, India, India's, Nepal, New Delhi, Chennai

☆ Apps Like Dipsea and Quinn are Redefining Pleasure for Women
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Sarah Diamond | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

AudioStories AreRedefiningPleasure forWomen Apps like Dipsea and Quinn have become popular destinations, particularly for some women who find them safe spaces to explore their sexuality. On average, subscribers for Dipsea are women between 18 and 34, the company said, while Quinn’s are women ages 18 to 24. I s w a l l o w e d a s m a l l m o a n . ” “ H m , c o m e h e r e t h e n . ” “ G e t i t o u t o f o u r s y s t e m s .

Persons: Quinn, Liz, Sevyn, Dipsea, Bloom, ”, Caroline Spiegel, Evan, “, ” Ms, Spiegel, Hannah Albertshauser, Michael, Albertshauser, you’re, Mal Harrison, Dominnique Karetsos, Karetsos, Dame, Gina Gutierrez, Faye Keegan, ” ‘ It’s, Liv Trexler, it’s, Trexler, “ It’s, ” Angela Sarakan, ” Olivia Taylor, that’s, ’, Ms, Taylor, Aisha Jordan, Jordan, Nicole Prause, Prause, Lone Wolf, Shannon Lin Organizations: Facebook, Center for Erotic Intelligence, Healthy, Group, Getty Images Locations: California, Germany, Brooklyn

☆ UPS labor deal could pressure delivery firm's annual outlook, say analysts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Aishwarya Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 26 (Reuters) - A tentative labor deal between United Parcel Service (UPS.N) and the Teamsters union on Tuesday could pressure full-year outlook for the world's largest parcel delivery firm, according to analysts. UPS shares closed down 1.9% on Tuesday signaling investor worries about the labor deal's impact on costs. Analysts say the new agreement could weigh on the company's margins at a time when most operators are cutting costs to protect profits amid an industry-wide slowdown. Susquehanna analyst Bascome Majors expects the new deal could drive UPS' cost per piece 2.5% higher than the brokerage's current expectations. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo analyst Allison Poliniak estimated the new contract could reduce UPS' 2024 earnings per share by more than $1.

Persons: Stephens, Jack Atkins, Majors, Fadi Chamoun, Wells, Allison Poliniak, Aishwarya Nair, Priyamvada, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: United Parcel Service, Teamsters, UPS, FedEx, Susquehanna, BMO, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

July 19 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk signalled on Wednesday that he would cut prices again on electric vehicles in "turbulent times", even as his all-out price war on automaker rivals squeezes the company's own margins. The large price cuts have pressured Tesla's automotive gross margin, a closely watched indicator in the industry, but Musk has said Tesla would sacrifice margin to drive volume growth. As an example, Tesla this year cut U.S. prices of its Model Y long-range version by a quarter to $50,490. In 2020, Musk unveiled a plan to produce Tesla's own EV batteries called "4680" cells. Tesla said production of the long-delayed electric pickup Cybertruck remained on track for initial deliveries this year.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Tesla, Thomas Martin, Akash Sriram, Hyunjoo Jin, Abhirup Roy, Peter Henderson, Joe White, Sayantani Ghosh, Matthew Lewis, Sam Holmes Organizations: Globalt Investments, EV, Ford, General Motors, Reuters, Thomson Locations: United States, China, Texas, Bengaluru, Hyunjoo, San Francsico

☆ Israel occupation makes Palestinian territories 'open-air prison', UN expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

GENEVA, July 11 (Reuters) - A United Nations expert on Tuesday said Israel had transformed the occupied Palestinian territories into an "open-air prison" through widespread detentions of Palestinians, an assertion swiftly dismissed by Israel. Francesca Albanese, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied territories, told reporters in Geneva that Israel had carried out widespread, systematic and arbitrary detention of Palestinians since the 1967 Middle East war. Israel's founding in 1948, defeating Arab armies from around the Middle East, scattered hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees through the wider region. In the 1967 Middle East war, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan and Gaza from Egypt. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised internationally, and launched settlements in the West Bank and Gaza.

Persons: Israel, Francesca Albanese, Albanese, Israel's, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, William Maclean Organizations: United, Israel, Reuters, Human Rights, West Bank, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, United Nations, Geneva, Israel, East Jerusalem, Jordan, Gaza, Egypt, Jenin

☆ Asia shares edge higher, China disinflation a drag
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese consumer price figures surprised on the soft side with inflation falling in June and essentially unchanged from a year before. The gains in China helped MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) firm 0.6%. Japan's Nikkei (.N225) eased 0.7% in the wake of a higher yen, while South Korea (.KS11) added 0.2%. Fed officials have been mostly hawkish in their communications, while markets have also priced in higher rates in Europe and the UK. Canada's central bank meets this week and markets imply a 67% chance of another hike.

Persons: Bonds, Yen, Goldman Sachs, Brent, Wayne Cole, Stephen Coates Organizations: Nikkei, SYDNEY, Alibaba, HK, Japan's Nikkei, South, Nasdaq, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, PepsiCo, Federal Reserve, Fed, Thomson Locations: U.S, China, Beijing, reflating, Hong, Asia, Pacific, Japan, South Korea, Wells Fargo, Europe, Saudi Arabia, Russia

They have since sought to seize Malaysian government assets in France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, in a bid to enforce the award. In September, the heirs sought permission from a Dutch court to enforce the award in the Netherlands, Reuters reported. Lawyer Paul Cohen, acting for the Sulu heirs, said they were disappointed with the court decision. The heirs say they were not involved in the incursion and sought arbitration over the suspension of payments. This month, a Paris court upheld the Malaysian government's challenge against enforcing a partial award to the heirs.

Persons: Anwar Ibrahim, Anwar, Lawyer Paul Cohen, Sulu, Stephanie van den Berg, Rozanna, Robert Birsel, Clarence Fernandez, Mark Potter Organizations: THE HAGUE, Malaysian, Malaysia, Reuters, Borneo . Independent Malaysia, Thomson Locations: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Paris, Sulu, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Philippines, Borneo ., Kuala Lumpur

☆ North Korea says U.S. has 'sinister intention' in rejoining UNESCO
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, June 27 (Reuters) - North Korea criticised on Tuesday the U.S. plan to rejoin the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO as a "sinister" move to use an international organisation for the purpose of "realizing the strategy for hegemony". The Paris-based U.N. agency announced this month the United States intended to rejoin in July, calling it an "act of confidence in UNESCO and in multilateralism". "Clear is the sinister intention of the U.S. hastening the reentry into the organization ... The U.S. has an inglorious background of having withdrawn not only from UNESCO but also from WHO, the UN Human Rights Council and other international organizations," a statement released by North Korea's permanent mission to UNESCO said. The United States initially joined UNESCO at its founding in 1945 but withdrew in 1984 in protest against alleged financial mismanagement and perceived anti-U.S. bias before returning in 2003.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump's, Jack Kim, Ed Osmond Organizations: UNESCO, Wall Street, WHO, UN Human Rights, North, World Health Organization, United, U.S, Trump, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Paris, United States, multilateralism, U.S, Israel, Korea

☆ Blinken heads to Beijing hoping to calm fears of a US-China break
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Blinken will hold meetings in China on June 18-19 and may meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, sources said. He will be the highest-ranking U.S. government official to visit China since Biden took office in January 2021. That followed a tense evening phone call with Blinken on Tuesday during which Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told the U.S. to stop meddling in China's affairs. So even going through the motions has some utility for both Washington and Beijing." Particularly worrisome for China's neighbors has been its reluctance to allow regular military-to-military talks between Beijing and Washington, despite repeated U.S. attempts.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping, Biden, Qin Gang, Wang Wenbin, Joe Biden, Andrew Small, Marshall, Tsai Ing, Stephane Dujarric, EYEING BIDEN, Xi, Emanuel Macron, Blinken's, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Yun Sun, Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Laurie Chen, Martin Pollard, Michelle Nichols, Ben Blanchard, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Blinken, Foreign, Washington, French, U.S, Treasury, China Program, Stimson, Economic Cooperation, APEC, Biden, Thomson Locations: Beijing, United States, China, U.S, Asia, Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, Washington, Bali, Europe, East, Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, San Francisco, New York, Taipei

Summary Fighting, which has plunged millions into hunger, expands westwardAssassination of West Darfur governor threatens further fightingDiplomatic peace efforts face pushbackCAIRO/DUBAI, June 15 (Reuters) - The conflict in Sudan hit the two-month mark on Thursday with no sign of a resolution as diplomatic peace efforts hit roadblocks and the risk of a broader ethnic war rises. It has shut down the economy, plunging millions of Sudanese into hunger and dependence on foreign aid, and shattered the health system. EL GENEINA ASSASSINATIONOn Wednesday, the governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abbakar, accused the RSF and allied Arab militias of carrying out a genocidal attack in El Geneina. Hours later, Abbakar was killed, and the Sudanese Alliance armed group he led blamed the RSF for killing him while in their custody. The RSF has denied responsibility and says that criminals and Bashir loyalists have been known to steal uniforms.

Persons: pushback, autocrat Omar al, Bashir, Khamis Abbakar, Abbakar, Hamit, Saboura Ahmed, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Waleed Adam, RSF, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Maggie Michael, Adam Makary, Dawit, Nick Macfie Organizations: Darfur, Rapid Support Forces, Sudanese Alliance, Sudanese Transparency, Unit, Thomson Locations: pushback CAIRO, DUBAI, Sudan, U.S, El Geneina, West Darfur, Chad, Darfur, Kordofan, El, Chadian, sudanese, Sudan's Darfur, Sudanese, Khartoum, Omdurman, Bahri, Jeddah, East, Kenya, Ethiopia, East Khartoum, Dubai, Nafisa, Cairo, Addis Ababa

☆ At UN, Ukraine, Russia blame each other for burst dam, US 'not certain'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, June 6 (Reuters) - The United States said on Tuesday it was "not certain" who was to blame for a burst dam in Ukraine, but it would not make sense for Ukraine to have done this to its own people and territory, as Kyiv and Moscow blamed each other for the disaster. The 15-member U.N. Security Council met on Tuesday at the request of both Russia and Ukraine after a torrent of water burst through a massive dam on the Dnipro River that separates the opposing forces in southern Ukraine. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said earlier on Tuesday that the world body did not have any independent information on how the dam burst, but described it as "another devastating consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine." Many Security Council members also asserted during Tuesday's meeting that the crisis would not have occurred if Russia had not invaded neighboring Ukraine in February last year. U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths told the Security Council that "the sheer magnitude of the catastrophe will only become fully realized in the coming days."

Persons: U.N, Robert Wood, Wood, Antonio Guterres, Russia's U.N, Vassily Nebenzia, Nebenzia, Ukraine's U.N, Sergiy Kyslytsya, Kyslytsya, Martin Griffiths, Michelle Nichols, Ismail Shakil, Jamie Freed Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United, Security, U.S, United Nations, Security Council, Thomson Locations: United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Russia, Dnipro, United, Russian

The deal, announced last month, would open more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers to drivers of Ford vehicles in North America starting in 2024. SS&C has invested in such charging companies as ChargePoint Holdings Inc (CHPT.N), EVgo Inc (EVGO.O) and Blink Charging Co (BLNK.O). The Ford deal was a boost to Tesla's more widespread, reliable North American Charging Standard (NACS) and dented the value of smaller players offering the rival Combined Charging System (CCS). Complaints about other charging companies' software bugs or broken charging hardware only opens the door to greater access for Tesla's standard, however, industry officials said. Under its new deal, Ford will distribute Tesla adapters to customers and starting in 2025 will equip future EVs with NACS.

Persons: Joe Biden, Paul Baiocchi, Ford, Elon Musk, Tesla's, Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Tesla, Lazard, Mohit Kohli, Chris Harto, Arcady Sosinov, Chris Anthony, Sosinov, Abhirup Roy, Hyunjoo Jin, David Shepardson, Jarrett Renshaw, Ben Klayman, Matthew Lewis Organizations: FRANCISCO, Ford, North America, U.S, SS, C ALPS Advisors, ChargePoint Holdings, EVgo Inc, CNBC, CCS, EVs, Volta, Volkswagen AG, General Motors Co, BMW, Consumer, Aptera, Thomson Locations: U.S, North, Europe, San Francisco, Washington

They are among 90,000 people who have escaped to Chad since fighting broke out in Sudan in mid-April - a major extra burden on one of the world's poorest countries. Even before this emergency, Chad was hosting 600,000 refugees from its war-torn neighbours and grappling with a fourth consecutive year of acute food shortages. Overall, around 2.3 million people are in urgent need of food aid, the World Food Programme warned earlier in May. Squeezed into the open-air compound, the women cook together over small braziers in the sand as children play around them. Hamit said she tried to help "even the refugees who have set up shelters nearby .... they come to us for water".

☆ Mediobanca buys Arma Partners to boost tech advisory offer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The acquisition, which Mediobanca expects to boost its fee income by 10%, comes ahead of a new three-year strategy CEO Alberto Nagel will unveil on May 24. In the same year, it advised Germany's Aareal Bank (ARLG.DE) on the sale of a stake in its $1.1 billion software unit Aareon to Advent International. The deal will boost earnings per share, based on last year's figures, Mediobanca said, without elaborating. With 86 staff and some $100 million in yearly revenue, Arma was founded in 2003 by Paul-Noël Guély, a former head of software and services investment banking at Goldman Sachs. Arma has offices also in Munich, a U.S. presence and a network of affiliated advisory firms in Japan, Australia, Israel, Turkey and Brazil.

☆ At Cannes, independent film firms optimistic as streamers stumble
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Miranda Murray | Thomson Reuters | Speed Editor On The Berlin Hub Who Provides General Coverage On Everything Politics To Energy In Germany | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

CANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - Independent film companies facing a market upended by the entry of streaming services are showing some optimism heading into this year's Cannes Film Festival as the Netflix era has begun flattening out and audiences start trickling back into cinemas post-pandemic. Cannes may make headlines for its glitz and glamour, but as the world's largest event for buying and selling movie rights, its importance to the industry is unparalleled. "It's a transitional time on the business side as the traditional business model that independent buyers use sees lessened value," said O'Shea. The similarity among much of the content offered on streaming platforms leaves theatre audiences wanting something different, an unmet appetite that independent companies could fulfil, he said. "Something good is happening, and I'm sure other streaming services will follow suit," Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux said in an interview with Le Film francais magazine in April.

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