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☆ India's BJP, the world's biggest party, plots election drive of epic scale
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Rupam Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

[1/5] FILE PHOTO-Partha Chaudhury, 39, a worker of India's ruling Bharatiya Janarta Party (BJP), speaks with Reuters during the party's outreach program in Kolkata, India, May 30, 2023. "We want people to remember that the BJP knocked on their doors much before any opposition party worker did." "The BJP's challenge as the dominant national party is to manage voter fatigue and to sustain the enthusiasm among its cadres after two terms in power," Mehta added. "This time, the world's biggest party has launched the biggest-ever outreach to win the world's biggest elections." The BJP was beaten by a regional opposition party four years ago, even though it had strong support there, winning roughly 600,000 of the total 1.5 million votes cast.

Persons: Partha Chaudhury, India's, Avijit Ghosh, PM Modi, Chaudhury, Narendra Modi, It's, Tamoghna Ghosh, Modi, J.P, Nadda, Nalin Mehta, Mehta, isn't, Moitra, Mallikarjun Kharge, Long, Rupam Jain, Pravin Organizations: Bharatiya Janarta Party, BJP, Reuters, REUTERS, Party, PM, Bharatiya Janata Party, archrival Congress, UPES School of Modern Media, Trinamool, Krishnanagar, Pravin Char, Thomson Locations: Kolkata, India, KOLKATA, West Bengal, New Delhi, Uttarakhand, INDIA, India's, Calcutta

"Unless Zelenskiy gets rid of Tatarov, he won't be seen as serious in purging the country of corruption," she told Reuters. "He knew about law enforcement and warned us to be careful about saying almost anything on the phone," Maiboroda told Reuters. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said experts would need to study the material to verify it. "The main thing is that a person is honest," Zelenskiy told reporters several days after Tatarov's appointment. Zelenskiy told Ukrainian television network ICTV in October 2021 that the offshore arrangement was to protect his TV production business from political pressure by the Yanukovych government.

Persons: Oleh Maiboroda, Maiboroda, Oleh Tatarov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Tatarov, Maiboroda's, Ukraine's, Zelenskiy, Kyiv pollsters, Oleksii Reznikov, Reznikov, Daria Kaleniuk, Nicola Mirto, Mirto, Viktor Yanukovych, Yanukovich's, Maxym Mykytas, Mykytas, Maiborada, NABU, Yanukovych, –, General Iryna Venediktova, Artem Sytnyk, Sytnyk, didn't, Oleksiy Symonenko, Symonenko, Andriy Yermak, Yermak, Denys, Dmytro Shtanko, Liudmyla, Sergey Shefir, Shefir, Vyacheslav Shapovalov, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Zheleznyak, Zelensky, Ihor, Kolomoisky, Semen Kryvonos, Kaleniuk, ”, Stephen Grey, Dan Peleschuk, Janet McBride Organizations: Reuters, Ukrbud, Prosecutors, Ukraine's, European Union, International Monetary Fund, Kyiv, Kyiv Independent, Tatarov, Ministry, Interior Ministry, Virgin Islands, ICTV, National Agency for, Ministry of Defence, Kiel Institute, NATO, Thomson Locations: VIENNA, KYIV, Vienna, Ukraine, Tatarov, Russia, Europe, European, Kyiv, Italian, Ukrainian, Soviet Ukraine, Zelenskiy's, Switzerland, Spain, Soviet, United States, Irpin

According to Maiboroda, Mykytas used Tatarov for difficult tasks, including bribe payments on behalf of Ukrbud Development. "He knew about law enforcement and warned us to be careful about saying almost anything on the phone," Maiboroda told Reuters. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said experts would need to study the material to verify it. "The main thing is that a person is honest," Zelenskiy told reporters several days after Tatarov's appointment. Zelenskiy told Ukrainian television network ICTV in October 2021 that the offshore arrangement was to protect his TV production business from political pressure by the Yanukovych government.

☆ Ukraine is firing up to 7,000 rounds a day, a fraction of the 60,000 shells Russia was firing earlier this year: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine lags far behind Russia in its use and production of artillery shells, according to CNN. Russia fired 60,000 shells a day earlier this year, while Ukraine now fires about 7,000, per CNN. The Ukrainian military wants to fire more than 10,000 rounds a day, according to CNN, which would still remain far below Russia's artillery efforts. AdvertisementAdvertisementAs of July, the US had committed to sending more than two million artillery rounds to Ukraine, while the EU has approved plans to send a quarter of a million rounds. However, it remains unclear how fast European weapon manufacturers can catch up with Russia's production rates.

Persons: Oleksandra Ustinova, Armin Papperfer, Papperfer, Bill LaPlante, Douglas Bush, Bush, Ukraine's Organizations: CNN, Artillery, Service, Rheinmetall, EU, New York Times, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Estonian, Europe, Scandinavian

☆ Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: A larger cover screen and redesigned hinge make the new foldable option a better buy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Antonio Villas-Boas | John Lynch | Senior Tech Reporter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: DisplaysThe Galaxy Z Flip 4 (left) and Z Flip 5 (right) share very similar interior displays, save for extra brightness on the latter. AdvertisementAdvertisementSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: Performance and storageThe Galaxy Z Flip 5 runs on a specialized version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor that's technically more powerful than the Z Flip 4's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. AdvertisementAdvertisementSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: CamerasThe Galaxy Z Flip 4's photo is brighter than the Z Flip 5's, but not in a good way. AdvertisementAdvertisementSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: Battery lifeThe Z Flip 4 and Z Flip 5 have the same 3,700mAh battery and performed the same in our battery test. AdvertisementAdvertisementSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs. Z Flip 5: PriceYou can get the Galaxy Z Flip 4 or Z Flip 5 at significant trade-in discounts.

Persons: Antonio Villas, it's, Worthy, That's, Price Organizations: Samsung, Qualcomm, Boas, YouTube, Netflix, Samsung Galaxy, Carriers, Verizon

☆ Video footage appears to show US volunteers of Ukraine's Chosen Company fighting night battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Video footage appears to show US Chosen Company volunteers fighting Russian troops in Opytne. Chosen Company includes US volunteers fighting alongside Ukraine's 59th Motorized Brigade. The video, uploaded to X, formerly known as Twitter, appears to show Chosen Company volunteers exchanging fire with enemy soldiers. US volunteers killed in actionChosen Company volunteers fighting with Ukraine's 59th Motorized Brigade. Chosen Company videoUS veterans Andrew Webber and Lance Lawrence, serving with Chosen Company, were killed in July.

Persons: —, Opytne, Yuriy Mysiagin, Hanna Malyar, Malyar, Andrew Webber, Lance Lawrence, Webber, Heather Hagan, Lawrence, Ryan O'Leary Organizations: Chosen Company, Opytne ., Company, Ukraine's 59th Motorized Brigade, Service, Chosen, 59th Motorized Brigade, Russian, Kyiv Post, Defense Forces, US Military Academy, West, Army, Marine Corps Locations: Opytne, Donetsk, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Spetember, Avdiivka, Ukrainian, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia

Away from the front, Ukraine’s war has become a numbers game: who can acquire, make and resupply more tanks, bullets, and, most of all, artillery shells. All in all, Kyiv needs some 1.5 million artillery shells annually, according to the CEO of one of Europe’s largest arms manufacturers, Rheinmetall. By July, the US had supplied more than two million artillery rounds to Ukraine since the 2022 invasion, the Pentagon said. But in February 2023, Europe-wide production of artillery ammunition had a maximum capacity of 300,000 shells annually, Estonian defense officials estimated. The best-case scenario of an increase to making 2.1 million shells annually is still years away from being realized.

Persons: Oleksandra Ustinova, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Armin Papperger, Papperger, William LaPlante, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Nammo, LaPlante, Tuuli Duneton, Morten Brandtzæg, “, ” Brandtzæg, you’re, Jérôme, Creuillot, it’s, Jonathan Caverley, hasn’t, Ignacio Marin, Caverley, Josep Borrell Organizations: CNN, Artillery, Rheinmetall, Pentagon, European, NATO, Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Estonian, US Naval War College, EU Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Estonian, United Kingdom, Europe, Brussels, “, Kyiv, ”, Norway, France

☆ Over 2 dozen Russian soldiers were killed in friendly fire near the Donetsk airport when their chaotic retreat was mistaken for an attack, Ukrainian MP says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukraine MP said 27 Russian soldiers were killed by friendly fire during a botched retreat. The soldiers were fleeing positions in Donetsk when they were mistaken for enemy troops, per the MP. According to Mysiagin, the Russian forces assumed their troops were Ukrainians attempting to recapture territory near the Donetsk airport. This wouldn't have been the first time Russian forces gunned down their own troops. Kherson said he saw Russian forces firing rockets at the battlefield just as their soldiers were starting to retreat.

Persons: Yuriy Mysiagin, chaotically, Mysiagin, Mashovets Organizations: Service, Facebook, Russia's Ministry of Defense, 129th Territorial Defense Brigade, New York Times, Kherson, Times Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Russian, Neskuchne, Kherson

Apple revealed the iPhone 15 starting at $799, and iPhone 15 Plus at $899, during its "Wonderlust" event on Tuesday, alongside the iPhone 15 Pro models. AdvertisementAdvertisementiPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus: priceThe iPhone 15 starts at $799 — the same price as the iPhone 14 at launch. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have a September 22 release date, with preorders starting on September 15 from Apple. iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus: new featuresThe iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus include a Dynamic Island, which was previously exclusive to the high-end iPhone 14 Pro models. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus run on the A16 Bionic processor that ran the iPhone 14 Pro models.

Persons: Apple Organizations: Apple, Assistance, AAA

☆ Britain’s Rishi Sunak has a month to shake his party from its slumber. If he fails, the next election could already be over
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

London CNN —Rishi Sunak has just under a month to answer the most critical question he faces as British Prime Minister: why does his Conservative Party deserve another five years in power at the next election? They trail the opposition Labour Party in the polls and there is a distinct stench of a party nearing the end of its time in office lingering in the air. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gives an update on the progress made since he introduced the Illegal Migration Bill, under his plans to "stop the boats," on June 5, 2023 in Dover, England. Unfortunately for the prime minister, his own MPs are divided on even that question. As the UK’s finance minister, Sunak won praise for the financial support he offered people who could not work during lockdowns.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Yui Mok, Ben Stansall, ”, Labour Party’s Keir Starmer, Starmer, “, Chris J Ratcliffe, Covid, Rob Ford, ” Ford Organizations: London CNN, Conservative Party, Conservative, Labour Party, Police, Bibby, Getty, Labour, Commons, Conservatives, CNN, That’s, University of Manchester Locations: Manchester, England, United Kingdom, Dover , England, Britain’s, Birmingham, Bibby Stockholm, AFP, London

☆ Novak Djokovic Beats Ben Shelton to Play for a 24th Grand Slam Singles Title
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

That was never more true than when Shelton trailed 2-4 in the third set, desperately trying to extend the match. He found himself with a point to break Djokovic’s serve and did not disappoint, drawing Djokovic into a wide forehand that generated a brain-rattling sound. There was still a little more Shelton and Djokovic for the packed stadium to enjoy. Shelton saved match point and sent the third set to a tiebreaker, then stuck around a bit when he went down, 5-1. But Djokovic had things to do and a rightful place in his 36th Grand Slam final.

Persons: Arthur Ashe, Shelton, Djokovic

☆ Daniel Abed Khalife: UK government insists escaped terror suspect will be captured amid serious questions over rare jail break
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sugam Pokharel Niamh Kennedy Sana Noor Haq | Sugam Pokharel | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Authorities are hunting for 21-year-old Daniel Abed Khalife, who orchestrated a bold jail break from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday while dressed as a chef, according to London’s Metropolitan Police. Addressing the UK parliament on Thursday, Chalk said he had already ordered an internal probe into the decision to place Khalife in a lower-security jail. Who was on duty that morning, in what roles ranging from the kitchen to the prison gate, what protocols were in place,” Chalk said. Wandsworth prison is located in the southwest of the British capital. Staff shortagesLast year, the UK’s prison inspection watchdog warned staffing levels “remained a serious problem” at Wandsworth prison.

Persons: Daniel Abed Khalife, Alex Chalk, Chalk, ” Chalk, ”, “, Khalife, Rishi Sunak, Shabana Mahmood, Yui Mok, Gareth Fuller, Yvette Cooper, wasn’t, ” Cooper, ” HMIP, Michelle Donelan Organizations: London CNN, Metropolitan Police, UK’s, Media, PA Media, British, Labour, Tory Government, Port, Press Association, Shadow, Labour Party, BBC Radio, Staff, of Prisons, Government, Met, Gatwick Airport, CNN Locations: Wandsworth, ” ‘ State, Britain, Dover, Kent, England, Wales, London

installed for the upcoming regional elections planned by the Russian-installed authorities, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, August 12, 2023. Russia does not fully control any of the four regions where the votes are being held - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Ukrainian officials say the elections are also illegal and show why it is impossible to hold any peace talks with Moscow until Russia withdraws all its troops from Ukrainian territory. The governors are all running with Russian President Vladimir Putin's endorsement having joined the Kremlin's United Russia bloc with fanfare in recent months and they face only nominal opposition. "They (Russian-installed officials) are going to walk from apartment to apartment, as they did before, talking to people.

Persons: Donbas, Alexander, Moscow's, Vladimir Putin's, Vadym Boichenko, Yevgeny Balitsky, Putin, Felix Light, Felix Hoske, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Ukraine, United Nations, Assembly, Kremlin's United, Reuters, Kremlin, United, Thomson Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Ukraine Russia, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Crimea, Moscow, Kremlin's United Russia, Mariupol, Ukrainian, Kyiv, MOSCOW, United Russia

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Apple, Amazon, Palantir, Exxon, Salesforce & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Goldman Sachs reiterates Salesforce as buy Goldman said it's standing by its buy rating on the Salesforce after its earnings report on Wednesday. JPMorgan initiates Establishment Labs as overweight JPMorgan said in its initiation of the med tech company that Establishment Labs has a "unique offering." JPMorgan initiates MP Materials as overweight JPMorgan said in its initiation of the rare-earths materials company that it sees "solid demand growth." JPMorgan downgrades Hostess Brands to neutral from overweight JPMorgan downgraded the stock mainly on valuation. Redburn Atlantic upgrades Exxon to neutral from sell Redburn upgraded the stock mainly on valuation.

Persons: Evercore, Morgan Stanley downgrades Palantir, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, it's, Salesforce, Rosenblatt, Wells, VSCO, Uber, Raymond James, it's bullish, Truist, Canaccord Organizations: BMO, Civitas Resources, Apple, Amazon, Shopify, " Bank of America, Nvidia, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Labs, Materials, Citi, Arista Networks, Arista, Evercore, JPMorgan downgrades Hostess Brands, Exxon, ExxonMobil Locations: United States, Sell

☆ This rare earth stock can rally more than 30% amid growing demand, JPMorgan says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

MP Materials is poised to gain from a growing market for rare earth products, according to JPMorgan. The stock has pulled back despite the price of neodymium praseodymium alloy climbing about 8% this quarter. Meanwhile, Peterson said demand could approximately double by 2030 as electric vehicles and wind turbines — both of which can utilize rare earth magnets from the alloy — gain favor. The U.S.-based company is also increasingly attractive as geopolitical rifts with China, a major supplier in the rare earth supply chain, escalate. MP is considered one of only two "sizable" producers of rare earth oxides outside of the country by Peterson's count.

Persons: Bill Peterson, Peterson, Michael Bloom Organizations: Materials, JPMorgan Locations: Wednesday's, China, U.S

☆ French ban of abaya robes in schools draws applause, criticism
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We were worried by a strong increase in the (the number of pupils) wearing the abaya. Sophie Venetitay, from the SNES-FSU union, said it was key to focus on dialogue with pupils and families to ensure the ban did not mean children will be taken away from state-run schools to go to religious schools. In 2004, France banned headscarves in schools and passed a ban on full face veils in public in 2010, angering some in its five million-strong Muslim community. Abdallah Zekri, vice-chair of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), made a similar point, saying Attal's decision was misguided. "The abaya is not religious attire, it's a type of fashion," he told BFM TV.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Eric Ciotti, Clementine Autain, France Insoumise, Didier Georges, Georges, Samuel Paty, Sophie Venetitay, Pap Ndiaye, Abdallah Zekri, BFM, Juliette Jabkhiro, Tassilo Hummel, Bertrand Boucey, Ingrid Melander, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, FSU, French Council of, Thomson Locations: France, PARIS

☆ Carbon accounting was red hot in 2021. Now it's facing widespread consolidation, investors say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Carbon accounting startups peaked in 2021, raising over $5 billion from investors. The rise of carbon accountingThere are around 50 European carbon accounting companies, many of which didn't exist before 2019, according to Insider's own research. Venture capitalists are typically bullish on SaaS because it can scale quickly with few overheads, which is the promise many carbon accounting companies make. Carbon accounting business models often fell short of true SaaS scalability and instead relied on employees doing tasks manually, despite touting automation, investors said. The next generation of carbon accounting companies should be hyper-focused on one niche – for example, accounting for methane in the agricultural industry or water use.

Persons: Niklas Kaskeala, Antero Vartia, grimly, Kaskeala, That's, Namrata Sandhu, Luca Schmid, ClimateTrade, Germany's, Australia's Envizi, EcoOnline, Germany's Planetly, Buyers aren't Organizations: Sequoia, Octopus Ventures, Cherry Ventures, Balderton, Investors, Venture, Germany's TeamClimate, Watershed, IBM, Sage, SoftBank, KPMG, Enterprise, SAP, Oracle Locations: Helsinki, Finnish, Coatue, Europe, Zalando, London

☆ Are office buildings the next 'Big Short' or the next widow-maker trade? The trader behind the ubersuccessful mall short shares his playbook for making money without flaming out.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Dan McNamara's Polpo Capital is shorting office real estate, a risky move that could be lucrative. If you're looking for a doomsday vision of commercial real estate, you can find it there. "I don't think this is the 'Big Short,'" McNamara told me. This doesn't mean he doesn't have a game plan to make money off cultural shifts that could forever change the state of commercial real estate. Lucas Jackson/ReutersWhere he's going longOne risk of shorting real estate is that it's more susceptible to what's known in real-estate circles as "extend and pretend."

Persons: Dan McNamara's, McNamara, it's, It's, shorting, Carl Icahn, Jim Chanos, Brendan McDermid, Dan McNamara, McNamara's, Braver Stern, Dan McNamara McNamara's, suede loafers, McNamara didn't, Josh Nester, Polpo, he's, Morgan Stanley, Kamil Sadik, Lucas Jackson, Manus Clancy, You've, David Tepper's, Trepp's Clancy, Clancy, David Tepper Organizations: Central Park, New, Polpo, New York University, Columbia, Kynikos Associates, Enron, Asset Management, Reuters, UBS, Co, Societe Generale, Securitized Credit Partners, Credit Suisse, MP, Fund, Bloomberg, of America, Simon Property, Federal Locations: Manhattan, Sixth, Central, New York City, New York, MatlinPatterson, America, China, Italy, Westchester , New York, Tribeca, York, Westchester, Waterford , Connecticut, Baltimore, San Francisco

☆ German MP says she was detained in Turkey for social media posts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Aug 13 (Reuters) - A German lawmaker said on Sunday she was detained for several hours when entering Turkey earlier this month based on social media posts she made in 2019, adding that she would still travel to Turkey and speak her mind about its government. Akbulut, a Turkey-born German citizen of Kurdish heritage, was released after making contact with the German foreign ministry, she said. It was not clear exactly what she was referring to, nor which social media posts she believed triggered the Turkish arrest warrant. The German embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Antalya were in contact with lawmaker, a source at the German foreign ministry told Reuters. Reporting by Riham Alkousaa in Berlin Additional reporting by Ece Toksabay in Ankara Editing by Ros RussellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Goekay, Tayyip Erdogan's, Akbulut, Riham Alkousaa, Ros Russell Organizations: Linke, Kurdish, Turkish Parliamentary Group, Reuters, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Turkey, Antalya, Turkish, Germany, Berlin, Ankara, Syria, Akbulut, United States

☆ Sportswear brands seek retail space for their women's boots
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A recent report coordinated by soccer's European Club Association found as many as 82% of female players in Europe experience discomfort wearing boots. "Football brands are making welcome progress on supporting the needs of female football players," said Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, chair of British Parliament's Women and Equalities Committee. "(But) major retailers give limited recognition to women and girls when it comes to football boots. "It is no good investing in research and making boots for female football players if women are unaware of those products or unable to buy them." The smaller IDA Sports offers a wide range of women's boots, saying they have done extensive research into the biomechanical difference between men and women.

Persons: Carl Recine, England's Lionesses, Caroline Nokes, Puma, Kathryn Swarbrick, Luna, Laura Youngson, Youngson, Lori Ewing, William Maclean Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, REUTERS, soccer's European Club Association, Conservative, Equalities, Adidas, Nike, Puma, Umbro, North, Manufacturers, Elite, IDA Sports, Sports, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, France, Morocco, Adelaide, Australia, Europe, North Europe

☆ The U.S. and China are in an era of 'significant strategic competition,' says rare earths miner
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe U.S. and China are in an era of 'significant strategic competition,' says rare earths minerJames Litinsky, chairman of MP Materials, says its second-biggest shareholder is a Chinese company and discusses how competition between the United States and China has affected the industry.

Persons: James Litinsky Organizations: Materials Locations: China, Chinese, United States

☆ Eddie Izzard, comedian and activist, is planning to stand for UK parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Comedian and activist Eddie Izzard has announced on social media that she is hoping to stand as a member of parliament at the UK’s next general election. Izzard has long been a public supporter and member of the Labour Party, alongside her decades-long career in film and television. She is best known for her appearances in the “Ocean’s 11” films and NBC’s “Hannibal” series, in addition to her stand-up comedy work. Last year, she reached the shortlist to be nominated as the Labour candidate for the northern English constituency of Sheffield Central but ultimately lost out to Abtisam Mohamed. On her website, Izzard said that, if elected, she would increase funding and resources for schools, promote eco-friendly transportation, work to secure more funding in housing infrastructure, champion mental health services and build stronger ties between law enforcement and local communities.

Persons: Eddie Izzard, Izzard, Suzy Eddie Izzard, Caroline Lucas, NBC’s, Hannibal ”, Abtisam Mohamed, Sian Berry, Lucas Organizations: CNN, Labour, Brighton, Labour Party, Sheffield Central, Green Party Locations: England, English

☆ MP Materials profit beats, starts some rare earths refining
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) -Rare earths miner MP Materials posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday and said it has started refining small amounts of the strategic metals in California. A wheel loader operator fills a truck with ore at the MP Materials rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, California, U.S. January 30, 2020. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of rare earths and rare earth magnets. For the past three years, MP has processed rock that it extracts from its California mine into rare earths concentrate. That concentrate is sent to Chinese partners where it is further processed into neodymium and other rare earth metals used to make magnets.

Persons: Steve Marcus, ” Michael Rosenthal, we’ll Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Las Locations: California, Pass , California, U.S, China, Las Vegas

☆ Factbox: The complexity of transforming rare earths from mine to magnet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China accounts for about 60% of global rare earth mine production, but its share jumps to 85%-90% of processed rare earths and magnet output. The ore contains a small percentage of rare earths, but other minerals are removed through flotation, magnetic or electrostatic processing to produce a mixed rare earth concentrate that often contains 60% to 70% rare earths. So-called light and heavy rare earths must go through different separation circuits where individual rare earths are extracted. METALS/ALLOYSSeparated rare earth oxides or carbonates are then refined into rare earth metals. Small amounts of rare earths dysprosium and terbium are often added to create more heat resistance in the magnet.

Persons: Steve Marcus, Goldman Sachs, Eric Onstad, Susan Heavey Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Pass , California, U.S, China

REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File photoAug 2 (Reuters) - Refining rare earths for the green energy transition is hard. "The (rare earths) commissioning process is painstaking, with stops and starts," Jim Litinsky, MP's CEO and largest shareholder, told investors in May. Rare earths magnets turn power into motion and are the essential components in an electric vehicle's motor. Rare earths refining "is not really being addressed even by those who are developing magnet capacity," said Ryan Castilloux, a minerals consultant at Adamas Intelligence. American Rare Earths is working with U.S. government scientists at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory to develop bacteria that could process rare earths.

Persons: Steve Marcus, Lockheed Martin's, Lynas, Jim Litinsky, Kray Luxbacker, they've, Allan Walton, Ryan Castilloux, Castilloux, refines, Dysprosium, Tesla, Melissa Sanderson, Nathan Picarsic, Ernest Scheyder, Eric Onstad, Nick Carey, Melanie Burton, Veronica Brown, Susan Heavey Organizations: REUTERS, Lockheed, International Energy Agency, General Motors, University of, University of Birmingham, Adamas Intelligence, Trump, Reuters, Pentagon, Blue, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Edge, Sweden's, U.S, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Horizon Advisory, Thomson Locations: Pass , California, U.S, China, Apple's, Beijing, Texas, Western Australia, COVID, California, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, Kuala Lumpur, United States, San Antonio , Texas, Sweden, South Africa, Karr

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