DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

A view shows Ambuja Cement bags, to be carried to a construction site, in a load carrier in Ahmedabad, India, July 29, 2022. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Aug 1 (Reuters) - India's Ambuja Cements (ABUJ.NS) has reached a deal to acquire a majority stake in operations of Sanghi Industries (SNGI.NS), two sources with direct knowledge said, a transaction that will add heft to cement operations of billionaire Gautam Adani's firm. The deal by Ambuja is likely to be announced as soon as Wednesday, the sources said, declining to be named because the decision is not public. One of the sources said the deal was done by considering Sanghi's enterprise value at 60 billion rupees ($729 million). Sanghi Cement declined to comment.

Persons: Amit Dave, Gautam Adani's, Ambuja, Adani, Aditya Kalra, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Sanghi Industries, Economic, Sanghi, UltraTech, ACC Ltd, Adani Group, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, Gujarat

☆ Get the lowdown on 'e/acc' — Silicon Valley's favorite obscure theory about progress at all costs, which has been embraced by Marc Andreessen
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There's a new ideological interest in Silicon Valley: effective accelerationism. It's called effective accelerationism. The more formalized e/acc idea has taken shape on Twitter and through Substack newsletters since 2022. In an e/acc world, no idea that offers hypothetical value should be considered too absurd, too dangerous, too out there to make a reality. But one thing does seem certain: as long as AI remains front and center, so too will effective accelerationism.

Persons: Marc Andreessen, It's, Garry Tan, Sam Bankman, Fried, Michael M, Nick Land, Freeman, ChatGPT, Marc Andreessen's, Tan, Y Organizations: Tech, acc, Morning, Twitter, Getty, University of Warwick Locations: Silicon Valley, British, Francisco

☆ A 72-year-old woman in Phoenix got her power cut over a $51 bill when it was 107 degrees — and she died. Her memory is behind efforts to stop future deaths.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Stephanie Pullman, 72, died after her power was shut off over a $51 late bill. Pullman's death in 2018 led to changes in how power companies deal with overdue bills in the summer. A recent heatwave in Arizona has the governor asking power companies to put policies in writing. The medical examiner's office said Pullman died from "environmental heat exposure " combined with cardiovascular disease after the shutoff. Electric utilities can choose to pause disconnections from June 1 through October 15 or pause them on days forecasted to be above 95 degrees Fahrenheit or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Persons: Stephanie Pullman, Stacey Champion, Pullman, Patrick T, Fallon, Katie Hobbs Organizations: Service, Arizona Public Service, Getty, Arizona Corporation Commission, APS, Tucson Electric Power, ACC, National Weather Service, Gov Locations: Arizona, Wall, Silicon, sweltering Arizona, Phoenix, Mohave, Santa Cruz, Maricopa County, shutoffs

☆ Factbox: Graphite producers doing deals with automakers and battery groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Tomas Bergman/Handout via REUTERSLONDON, June 21 (Reuters) - Automakers are rushing to lock in graphite supply from outside dominant producer China as mined graphite demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries outpaces other uses. Below are details of some Western companies producing, or planning to produce graphite, and their deals with auto makers and battery producers. It aims to start annual production at a battery anode plant in Mauritius in 2024 at 3,600 metric tons. SYRAH RESOURCES LTD (SYR.AX)Operates Balama mine in Mozambique, which doubled graphite production to 163,000 metric tons in 2022 from the year before. MAGNIS ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES LTD (MNS.AX)Developing Nachu graphite mine in Tanzania, aiming to produce 236,000 metric tons of graphite concentrate.

Persons: Tomas Bergman, Handout, steelmaker Thyssenkrupp, Talga, Magnis, Tesla, China's, Eric Onstad, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Talga Group, Reuters, REUTERS LONDON, INC, TALGA, Automotive Cells Company, ACC, Stellantis, Mercedes, Benz, Renault, LG Energy, Ford Motor Company, SK, MONDE, Panasonic Energy, Thomson Locations: Norrbotten, Sweden, China, Madagascar, Mauritius, Lulea, Mozambique, U.S ., Louisiana, Tanzania, United States, New York, South Australia, Macquarie, Canada, India, Alabama, Coosa

"We'll make your life easier and help you set up shop here," he told ProLogium's Chief Executive Vincent Yang. It is one of four such gigafactories Macron hopes will transform the poor, former coal mining area near Belgium into a hub for the EV battery industry, creating jobs and helping to put France at the forefront of Europe's energy transition. "Results don't just fall from the sky," Macron told Reuters in Dunkirk. At the moment, however, France lags well behind Germany when it comes to attracting battery makers. Still, the IRA almost threw ProLogium's investment in France off course, one French presidential adviser told Reuters.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Vincent Yang, Ludovic Marin, Taiwan's ProLogium, Macron, Yang, ProLogium, we've, it's, ACC's, Heiner Heimes, Stellantis, Mercedes, Ola Kaellenius, Marc Mortureux, We're, GUY, Xavier Bertrand, ProLogium's Yang, Fabien Roussel, Leigh Thomas, Michel Rose, Silvia Aloisi, David Clarke Organizations: Business, EV, Macron, ACC, Mercedes, Reuters, RWTH Aachen University, Automotive Cells Company, Franco, Benz Group, EU, PFA French, U.S . IRA, French Communist Party, Thomson Locations: of Versailles, Paris, France, Versailles, Dunkirk, Germany, Netherlands, Taiwan, Belgium, EUROPE, Korean, United States, Europe, French, Hungary, Italy, Brussels, Washington

☆ Factbox: Companies invest in EV battery factories in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Below are recent investments announced by companies:GERMANYSweden's Northvolt said on May 13 it will invest 3-5 billion euros ($3.3-5.5 billion) in an EV battery plant in Heide in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein as long as subsidies are approved. Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) plans to build six battery factories in Europe totalling 240 gigawatt (GWh) of capacity by 2030. Production at its first battery plant, "SalzGiga", in Salzgitter in the Lower Saxony region will start in 2025. Slovakian battery manufacturer InoBat said last October it had signed a declaration of intent with the Spanish government to set up an EV battery factory in central Spain's city Valladolid, expected to cost 3 billion euros. POLANDLG Chem EV battery in Wroclaw started production in the second half of 2017, with a capacity of 100,000 batteries per year.

Persons: Helena Soderpalm, GERMANY Sweden's Northvolt, China's CATL, Germany's, Mercedes Benz, Elon Musk, Berclau, Taiwan's ProLogium, Jean, Luc Monfort, Mata, BASQUEVOLT, InoBat, China's BYD, AEHRA, Poland's, Alessandro Parodi, Tiago Brandao, Matteo Allievi, Barbara Lewis, Milla Nissi Organizations: REUTERS, Volkswagen, EV, Germany's BASF, Automotive Cells Company, ACC, Stellantis, Tesla, FRANCE Joint, France, Renault, Basque Country, Spanish, India's Tata Group, ITALY Joint, POLAND LG, European Commission, SWEDEN Northvolt's Skelleftea, Thomson Locations: Vasteras, Sweden, Europe, Asia, United States, GERMANY, Heide, Schleswig, Holstein, Salzgitter, Lower Saxony, China, Erfurt, Thuringia, Schwarzheide, Brandenburg ., Ludwigsfelde, Berlin, Kaiserslautern, Rhineland, Palatinate, Gigafactory, FRANCE, Billy, France, Dunkirk, Douai, Ruitz, Ergué, Quimper, Montreal, SPAIN Spain, Europe's, Germany, Navalmoral de, Extremadura, Sagunto, Valencia, Spain, Basque, Slovakian, Spain's, Valladolid, Britain, ITALY, Termoli, POLAND, Wroclaw, HUNGARY

☆ France inaugurates first of four gigafactories in the north
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire visits the gigafactory of Automotive Cells Company (ACC), a joint venture of Stellantis, TotalEnergies and Mercedes, during its inauguration in Billy-Berclau-Douvrin, northern France, May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/PoolBILLY-BERCLAU, France, May 30 (Reuters) - France will inaugurate on Tuesday a battery-making gigafactory, the first of four such plants European and Asian companies plan to build in the north of the country. It highlights the race between European governments to attract global car makers as they seek to bring the supply of components for electric vehicles closer to their main markets. French President Emmanuel Macron, who personally lobbied to secure at least one the gigafactories in the Dunkirk region, has set a production target of 2 million electric vehicles made in France by 2030. ($1 = 0.9084 euros)Reporting by Gilles Guillaume, writing by Silvia Aloisi; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Shares of companies of the coal-to-airports conglomerate, controlled by billionaire Gautam Adani, were up between 1.2% to 7% in late trade on Friday in a largely flat wider market. The group's listed companies lost more than $100 billion in market value earlier this year after U.S.-based Hindenburg Research raised several governance concerns. The court on Wednesday granted SEBI additional time until Aug. 14 to complete its investigation into possible violation of securities law and regulatory disclosures by the Adani group. Beside flagship Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS), other group companies include edible oils business Adani Wilmar (ADAW.NS), Adani Ports (APSE.NS), Adani Green Energy (ADNA.NS), Adani Transmission (ADAI.NS), Adani Total Gas (ADAG.NS), Adani Power (ADAN.NS), broadcaster NDTV (NDTV.NS) and cement units ACC Ltd (ACC.NS) and Ambuja Cements (ABUJ.NS). The panel said, citing SEBI, there was evidence of a build-up in short positions on Adani group stocks ahead of the Hindenburg report.

☆ Increasing Law Department Diversity
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Michelle Graham | Practical Law | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +17 min

Create a law department DEI committee consisting of diverse law department employees to:evaluate the law department’s DEI status; develop a plan and a budget to increase or maintain law department diversity; and monitor and promote the success of the law department’s DEI initiatives. Incentivize law department employees to refer diverse candidates for job openings by paying them a referral bonus if the law department hires those candidates. Retaining Diverse Law Department EmployeesWhile recruiting and hiring diverse employees for the law department requires continuous effort, retaining them once hired presents another challenge. Discuss initiatives the law department has taken to increase and maintain DEI in the law department, such as creating a DEI hiring committee. (For more on how law departments can improve DEI at their outside law firms, see Increasing Law Firm Diversity and Increasing Law Firm Diversity: Presentation Materials on Practical Law; for general guidance on working with outside counsel, see Working Effectively with Outside Counsel Checklist on Practical Law.)

☆ Indian shares set to open higher as strong earnings lift mood
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, April 24 (Reuters) - Indian shares were set to open higher on Monday as improved quarterly results from heavyweights Reliance Industries Ltd (RELI.NS) and ICICI Bank Ltd(ICBK.NS) eased some concerns over a lacklustre start to the earnings season. India's most valuable company, Reliance Industries reported 19% growth in fourth-quarter profit, aided by the strong performance in oil-to-chemicals (O2C) segment, post market hours on Friday. Private lender ICICI Bank posted a 30% jump in net profit in the March quarter, helped by improved net interest income and loan growth. The strong earnings of the two companies, which account for nearly 20% of the total weightage in Nifty 50, could improve the sentiment soured by the weak earnings and outlook of top information technology companies, analysts added. Stocks to Watch:** Yes Bank Ltd (YESB.NS): Lender's net profit slumps 45% in the March quarter on higher provisions.

US Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base are now testing a new type of flight helmet. "It is common knowledge fighter pilots have long term neck and back issues," said Maj. Brett Gedman, from the 301st Fighter Squadron. The Air Force's Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet at Eglin Air Force Base. An F-22A Raptor pilot adjusts the Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet before a mission at Eglin Air Force Base on March 24. An F-22A pilot adjusts the Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet before a mission at Eglin Air Force Base on March 24.

☆ Adani shares tumble on report group seeking time to pay ACC, Ambuja debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, March 28 (Reuters) - Shares of Adani Group companies tumbled on Tuesday after a report said the conglomerate was seeking to renegotiate terms of outstanding loans worth $4 billion taken last year to buy cement firms ACC (ACC.NS) and Ambuja Cements (ABUJ.NS). The group's flagship firm, Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS), slid nearly 8% to a near four-week low, while Adani Ports (APSE.NS) tumbled 9.2%. The Adani Group and lenders Standard Chartered, Barclays and Deutsche Bank did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Whatever expansion plans announced by Adani Ports, Adani Enterprises, and even Adani Total, for the next two years will undergo delays," said Avinash Gorakshakar, head - research of Profitmart Securities. Since the Hindenburg report, Adani Group stocks have lost between 22% and 80%.

☆ India's Adani prepays $2.15 billion share-backed loans
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 12 (Reuters) - Adani Group said it had completed full prepayment of margin-linked share-backed financing worth $2.15 billion as part of its debt prepayment plan, before its deadline of March 31. Adani Group last year acquired Holcim AG's (HOLN.S) cement businesses in India – Ambuja Cements and ACC Ltd – for $10.5 billion, its largest-ever acquisition. Hindenburg's report alleged stock manipulation and improper use of tax havens, and flagged "substantial" debt levels, which the group has denied. Gautam Adani and his family have prepaid all borrowings backed by his conglomerate Adani Group's shares, senior executives told investors at a meeting in London, Bloomberg News reported last week. Reporting by Baranjot Kaur and Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bengaluru; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Adani seeks to sell stake in Ambuja Cement for $450 mln to reduce debt - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 10 (Reuters) - Gautam Adani is seeking to sell a stake in Ambuja Cement (ABUJ.NS) for about $450 million, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Adani on Thursday made a formal request to international lenders to sell 4% to 5% in Ambuja, his cement business, the report said. The Adani Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The embattled Adani Group last year acquired Holcim AG's (HOLN.S) cement businesses in India – Ambuja Cements and ACC Ltd (ACC.NS) – for $10.5 billion, its largest-ever acquisition. Ambuja Cements closed down 1.7%, while ACC ended down 0.7% on Friday.

☆ For women's sports, the media buys are becoming a big deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Kaitlin Balasaygun | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A recent Ally Financial ad buy with Disney 's ESPN focused on women's sports may be the biggest deal yet — in importance as much as the dollars attached. The one-year, multimillion-dollar deal requires 90% of its investment to be put to women's sports, through expanding game highlights, branded content and features across ESPN. "It is rare that brands buy media deals, or buy sponsorship deals, where they are as skewed toward women's sports as this one," she said. The bank is the first-ever title sponsor for both the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament and the ACC Women's Soccer Championship, and will also be the exclusive presenting sponsor for the 2023 ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship. A big money year for women's sports in 2022Ally's deal with Disney follows a successful year for women's sports on the media front, with sponsorship deals growing 20% year-over-year, according to sports and entertainment intelligence platform SponsorUnited.

Adani argued the plants were "unviable" at the trucking rates it wanted to slash by around half. Truckers rejoiced, with a union leader in a street address labelling it as a victory after late-night talks with Adani. After the Hindenburg report, Congress has renewed its claims that Modi for years has unduly favoured Adani. The Adani group wanted freight rates to be lowered to around 6 rupees ($0.0725) per tonne per km, from around 11 rupees. "The Hindenburg report was a gift that saved our businesses."

☆ MSCI delays weighting cuts for two Adani companies, cites 'replicability' concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Signage of Adani Group at Adani Defence and Aerospace booth during the Aero India 2023 at Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bengaluru, India, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Index provider MSCI said that it will delay implementing weighting changes for some Adani Group companies until later this year, according to a Thursday announcement. The change in plans came after MSCI earlier this month said it will reduce the weightings of Adani Enterprises, Adani Total Gas, Adani Transmission and ACC, a major Indian cement company the Adani Group acquired from Holcim last year. Among the list of Adani companies, MSCI is delaying the measures for two companies: Adani Total Gas and Adani Transmission, according to its Thursday morning notice. The firm explained the decision came "in light of potential replicability issues due to impact from price limit mechanisms in specific securities associated with the Adani Group."

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Index provider MSCI said on Wednesday it will postpone implementation of updates to weightings for two of India's Adani Group companies, Adani Total Gas (ADAG.NS) and Adani Transmission (ADAI.NS), to the May benchmark review. The reversal of the updates to Adani Total Gas and Adani Transmission in the February index review will be reflected in the MSCI Index Product files starting from Feb. 16, MSCI said. MSCI will also apply a special treatment for all Adani Group's associated securities in the MSCI Equity Indexes starting from February. The new index weightings were due to come into effect on March 1 but the proposed changes to Adani Total Gas and Adani Transmission will be delayed until May. MSCI examined the size of companies' free floats, having determined there was "sufficient uncertainty" surrounding some investors in Adani companies.

☆ Adani looks to repay $500 mln bridge loan taken for cement deals-ET
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Feb 15 (Reuters) - India's embattled Adani Group is in talks with lenders to repay a $500 million bridge loan facility it had taken to buy controlling stakes in cement companies ACC Ltd (ACC.NS) and Ambuja Cements Ltd (ABUJ.NS) last year, the Economic Times daily reported on Wednesday. The group is looking to repay the bridge loan with cash this month, the report said, citing people aware of the matter, adding that the loan had a tenor of six months and was part of a larger $5.25 billion financing package. The loan was underwritten by Barclays (BARC.L), Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and Standard Chartered (STAN.L), ET reported. The financial consortium lending to Adani also includes DBS, MUFG, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Intesa and Mizuho, the report said. Adani and the lenders did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

SYDNEY, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Index provider MSCI said it has cut the free-float designations of four securities of India's Adani group, a move which analysts have warned could impact their index weightings. MSCI said in a statement it has reduced the free floats of Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS), Adani Total Gas (ADAG.NS), Adani Transmission (ADAI.NS) and ACC (ACC.NS). The remaining companies' free floats will remain the same. The four companies for which the free float designation change was announced had a combined 0.4% weighting in the MSCI emerging markets index as of Jan. 30. Analysts had said a change in free float status could affect the weightings of MSCI index constituents, possibly triggering a shift by funds as many investments are aligned to such indexes.

☆ MSCI’s Adani cut signals fat tail risks for India
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Hindenburg founder Nathan Anderson sees MSCI's move as a validation of his group’s findings of “stock parking” by Adani. The Securities and Exchange Board of India, headed by former banker Madhabi Puri Buch, acknowledged unusual price movements this month, but without naming the Adani group. But the longer the controversy drags on, there will be a fat tail risk for Adani and all his stakeholders. CONTEXT NEWSGlobal index provider MSCI on Feb. 9 cut its determined free floats for four Adani companies. It reduced those of Adani Enterprises, Adani Total Gas, Adani Transmission and ACC, and said any resulting changes will be implemented at the close of Feb. 28.

☆ These ETFs and mutual funds face millions in losses amid the Adani crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Retail investors and pension funds are facing millions of dollars in losses on investments in Adani Group companies, CNBC Pro can reveal. New analysis shows that 951 mutual funds and ETFs worldwide have cumulatively lost more than $4.2 billion in the value of their Adani shares this year. Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani owns 64% of Adani Enterprises. Adani Group includes Adani Enterprises, Adani Green Energy, Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone, Adani Transmission, Adani Total Gas, Adani Power, Adani Wilmar, Ambuja Cements and ACC. Only funds that continue to have a position in Adani Group companies have been analyzed.

☆ 'It's embarrassing for our sport.': Duke University women's basketball coach says her team played first half with the wrong ball
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

According to Lawson, her players complained about the basketball during the first half of the game against FSU. While Lawson alleges it was men's basketball used in the first half, the ACC and FSU concluded otherwise, per ESPN. Despite her outrage, Atlantic Coast Conference and Florida State officials concluded the ball used during the first half of Sunday's game, which was played in Florida, wasn't a men's basketball. They beat us playing with a men's ball in the first half and a women's ball in the second half," Lawson said. "But I can't say if we'd have played with a women's ball in the first half and the second half that we would have won.

☆ ASEAN chair Indonesia to intensify talks on code for South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Willy KurniawanJAKARTA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Indonesia plans to intensify talks with China and other Southeast Asian countries to finalise a code of conduct (COC) for the disputed South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Saturday, amid escalating tensions in the strategic waterway. Indonesia is preparing to host a round of negotiations on the COC this year, the first taking place in March, the foreign minister said. China claims jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea based on its U-shaped "nine-dash line", a boundary found to have no legal basis by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016. ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have overlapping claims with China in the strategic waterway. Separately, ASEAN members wrapped up talks having only reiterated support for the bloc's five-point peace plan on Myanmar which includes the cessation of conflict in the conflict-torn nation and the start of dialogue.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence for claims FAA updated its pilot ECG guidelines due to COVID-19 vaccine injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Very concerned.”“After the vaccine rolled out, the FAA secretly widened the EKG parameter range for pilots so they wouldn’t be grounded. A PR interval between 120 and 200 milliseconds (ms) is considered normal, according to standard medical practice (here ). A PR interval greater than 200ms is considered to be a first degree atrioventricular block (AV block), which means that the signals are delayed (though not blocked), as explained (here). According to the American Heart Association (here), "A first-degree heart block occurs when the electrical impulse moves through the heart’s AV node slower than normal. First-degree heart block rarely causes symptoms and may not require treatment."

Search resuls for: "ACC"

25 mentions found