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☆ Crunch time for Brazil ports as coffee flow hit, sugar vessels delayed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Marcelo Teixeira | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO: Ships and warehouses containing grains and sugar are seen at TIPLAM (Integrator Port Terminal Luiz Antonio Mesquita) from VLI Multimodal S.A. at Santos port, in Santos, Brazil May 25, 2023. “We hear some vessels are delayed even 25-27 days,” said sugar industry consultants CovrigAnalytics in a note on Thursday. The line-up of vessels to load sugar in Brazil rose nearly 40% in the last week to around 4.2 million metric tons, 25% more than at the same time last year. About 90 vessels are available at the ports to load sugar. Buyers are already expecting delays, said a director at one of the largest sugar exporters in Brazil.

Persons: Antonio Mesquita, Amanda Perobelli, Williams, “, ”, CovrigAnalytics Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Shipping, ING, Santos Locations: Santos, Brazil, New York

Ships and warehouses containing grains and sugar are seen at TIPLAM (Integrator Port Terminal Luiz Antonio Mesquita) from VLI Multimodal S.A. at Santos port, in Santos, Brazil May 25, 2023. Raw sugar is usually shipped in bulk, while refined sugar uses containers. ING analysts said some sugar shipments scheduled to depart Brazil in October will likely be pushed to November. A director at one of the largest sugar exporters in Brazil said, however, that buyers were already expecting the delays. The forecast is for only light rains in the coming days at Santos, with heavier downpours expected from Oct. 28.

Persons: Antonio Mesquita, Amanda Perobelli, Williams, Marcelo Teixeira, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Shipping, ING, Santos, Thomson Locations: Santos, Brazil, New York

☆ Corporate Australia takes Indigenous support into its own hands after poll defeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Voters walk past Vote Yes and Vote No signs at the Old Australian Parliament House during The Voice referendum, in Canberra, Australia, October 14, 2023. At an Oct. 14 referendum, Australians overwhelmingly voted down a proposal to create a constitutionally-protected Indigenous parliamentary advisory body, known as the Voice. Without a political solution, it is now up to the companies themselves to pursue strategies to address entrenched disadvantage in Australia's 3.8% Indigenous population, corporate leaders and political researchers said. Indigenous reconciliation remains largely unresolved in Australia which, unlike New Zealand, Canada and the U.S., never signed a treaty with its first inhabitants after European arrival. The companies could now "take meaningful corporate actions to close the gap, such as by hiring and retaining Indigenous staff and systematically co-designing projects that impact Indigenous Australians," she added.

Persons: Tracey Nearmy, there's, Rob Scott, Scott, Geraldine Slattery, Ross Piper, it's, Intifar Chowdhury, Estelle Parker, Byron Kaye, Melanie Burton, Sonali Paul Organizations: Old Australian, House, The, REUTERS, Rights, Kmart, Target, Airline Qantas, First Nations, BHP, Australia, Australian, Australian National University, Responsible Investment Association Australasia, Thomson Locations: Canberra, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, U.S, Melbourne

BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - European Union leaders aim on Tuesday to settle on a united approach to the crisis triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel after days of confusion, infighting and mixed messaging. Some officials and lawmakers also criticized von der Leyen, who visited Israel on Friday, for not declaring that the EU expects Israel to abide by international humanitarian law in its response to the attack, as other EU leaders did. Von der Leyen stated that position publicly for the first time at the weekend. Commission officials have insisted von der Leyen had already conveyed the message privately to Israeli officials and defended her swift visit to Israel as an important sign of solidarity. The EU leaders are likely to task ministers with exploring potential risks in more detail, according to officials.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, Von der, von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, der Leyen, Michel, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Howard Goller Organizations: Union, European Council, EU, European, Von der Leyen's, Israel, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Israel, Gaza, Europe

☆ S.Africa's first virtual renewable electricity transfer model to go live next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Oct 6 (Reuters) - South Africa's first virtual electricity transfer model is likely to go live by end of next year, a top government official said on Friday, a move that could rapidly ramp up renewable power consumption and reduce the burden on ailing state utility Eskom. The utility in August signed an agreement with Vodacom (VODJ.J), the African telecoms arm of Vodafone (VOD.L), to introduce an electricity transfer model known as virtual wheeling, which will allow a consumer to buy renewable power from any producer anywhere in the country. This is expected to make power from large renewable producers available to smaller users such as standalone buildings, housing societies and factories. "What we're trying to resolve really is to ensure that we protect the South African economy from total collapse," Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said during a conference. Vodacom's South Africa Chief Executive Sitho Mdlalose told Reuters this would help it to run its 15,000 network sites on renewable power.

Persons: Sun, Siphiwe, Ramokgopa, Onicah Rantwane, Sitho Mdlalose, Nqobile, Promit Mukherjee, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Kendal Power, REUTERS, Rights, Vodacom, Vodafone, Electricity, Eskom, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Kendal, Witbank, Mpumalanga, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG

SYDNEY, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The blocking of three major deals by Australia's antitrust regulator in the past year was a coincidence, its chair told Reuters, pushing back against concerns among bankers that it has become deal-averse. "There happens to have been a sequence, frankly coincidentally as it turns out, of oppositions," ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said in an interview. There are some concerns that it could be blocked as Brookfield owns AusNet, a poles and wires asset in Victoria state. Cass-Gottlieb also said she doubted foreign investors have been dissuaded from pursuing deals in Australia which does not require companies to get formal clearance before proceeding with a takeover. "The recent stream of merger blockages will make foreign investors think twice."

Persons: Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Canada's Brookfield, Cass, Stephen Corones, Hannah Marshall, it's, Byron Kaye, Scott Murdoch, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Telstra, TPG, ANZ, Transurban, Origin Energy, Brookfield, FOCUS Cass, Investors, Queensland University of Technology, Cass, Marque Lawyers, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, AusNet, Victoria, Australia, Queensland

☆ Exclusive: East Timor president says China military cooperation was 'never discussed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The agreement also provided scope for funding from China including government and commercial loans to East Timor, he said. "It was never discussed in terms of military cooperation, never discussed, and the Chinese side also never raised this issue," Ramos-Horta said. East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, aims to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN by 2025 as it seeks to reduce high poverty rates. Australia has appointed an envoy to speed up negotiations between East Timor and Woodside; Gusmao's government wants gas to be piped to East Timor and not Australia. Australia's relationship with East Timor is "stronger than at any time in the last decade", Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Persons: Jose Ramos, Caitlin Ochs, Horta, Xanana Gusmao, Xi Jinping, heightening, Ramos, Kirsty Needham, Lincoln Organizations: Sustainable, United Nations, REUTERS, Rights, East, Reuters, Southeast, ASEAN, Canberra, Woodside Energy, Greater Sunrise, Greater, Australia, UN's, Fund for Agricultural Development, Global Citizen, Pacific, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: Horta, Timor, New York City , New York, U.S, East Timor, China, Australia, Indonesia, Canberra, Solomon Islands, 2,000km, Timor Leste, ASEAN, Singapore, Malaysia, East Timor's, Dili, Greater Sunrise, Southeast Asia, Woodside, New York

☆ Exclusive: Timor president says China military cooperation 'never discussed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The agreement also provided scope for funding from China including government and commercial loans to East Timor, he said. Some Australian politicians expressed concern after China's state media reported on Saturday that Beijing's agreement with East Timor, around 700km (450 miles) north-west of Australia, also covered military exchanges. "It was never discussed in terms of military cooperation, never discussed, and the Chinese side also never raised this issue," Ramos-Horta said. East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, aims to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN by 2025 as it seeks to reduce high poverty rates. Australia has appointed an envoy to speed up negotiations between East Timor and Woodside; Gusmao's government wants gas to be piped to East Timor and not Australia.

Persons: Jose Ramos, Caitlin Ochs, Horta, Xanana Gusmao, Xi Jinping, heightening, Ramos, Kirsty Needham, Lincoln, 私 Organizations: Sustainable, United Nations, REUTERS, Rights, East, Reuters, Southeast, ASEAN, Canberra, Woodside Energy, Greater Sunrise, Greater, Australia, UN's, Fund for Agricultural Development, Global Citizen, Pacific Locations: Horta, Timor, New York City , New York, U.S, East Timor, China, Australia, Indonesia, Canberra, Solomon Islands, 2,000km, Timor Leste, ASEAN, Singapore, Malaysia, East Timor's, Dili, Greater Sunrise, Southeast Asia, Woodside, United States, New York

☆ Australia's Qantas chairman says shareholders want him despite turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The chairman of Australia's Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) on Wednesday vowed to stay in his role despite a host of scandals engulfing the airline, saying its biggest shareholders wanted leadership continuity even as its shares track a one-year low. "I've had meetings with our major shareholders two weeks ago, and they are very strongly supportive of me staying," Goyder told the hearing. "While I retain the confidence of shareholders and the board, I will continue to serve. But she and Goyder, the Qantas chairman since 2018, denied having any discussions about the Qatari request with any member of the federal government. Qatar Airways' senior vice-president of global sales, Matt Raos, told the hearing the company was "surprised and shocked" its application was denied without a reason given.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Richard Goyder, I've, Goyder, we've, isn't, Vanessa Hudson, Jayne Hrdlicka, Hrdlicka, Matt Raos, Byron Kaye, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Qantas, Sydney Airport, REUTERS, Rights, Qantas Airways, Stock, Qatar Airways, Virgin, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Virgin Australia, Qatar

The logo of accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is seen on the top of a Brussels' office of the company, in Diegem, Belgium September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Sept 27 (Reuters) - PwC Australia will appoint outsiders to its board and publish audited financial statements as part of a governance overhaul to bring the partnership closer to public company standards following a scandal over the leak of confidential tax documents. PwC Australia will announce plans on Wednesday to apply some Australian Stock Exchange governance principles including appointing two non-executive directors and a non-executive chair to its board, according to excerpts of plans provided by PwC. The changes form part of PwC Australia's response to a months-long independent review into its governance and culture, which will be published in full on Wednesday. Australia said last month it would drastically toughen penalties against those who promote dodgy tax schemes and strengthen regulators in response to the scandal.

Persons: Yves Herman Acquire, Kevin Burrowes, Ziggy Switkowski, Lewis Jackson, Kim Coghill Organizations: PricewaterhouseCoopers, REUTERS, Rights, Facebook, Australian Stock Exchange, PwC, “, Telstra, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Diegem, Belgium, Australia

Details of how the Taliban intend to expand and manage mass surveillance, including obtaining the U.S. plan, have not been previously reported. "At the present we are working on a Kabul security map, which is (being completed) by security experts and (is taking) lots of time," he said. The Taliban strongly denies that an upgraded surveillance system would breach the rights of Afghans. A July U.N. monitoring report said there were up to 6,000 Islamic State fighters and their family members in Afghanistan. The Afghan "home base" locations of Islamic State fighters are in the eastern mountainous areas, said Schroden.

Persons: Ali Khara, Abdul Mateen Qani, Washington, didn't, Qani, Amrullah Saleh, Saleh, Jonathan Schroden, Matt Mahmoudi, ETIM, ETIM couldn't, Afghanistan Thomas West, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte, Jonathan Landay, David Kirton, Liz Lee, Katerina Ang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, Huawei, U.S, of Interior, Reuters, U.S.A, U.S State Department, RIC, Bloomberg News, Foreign Ministry, NATO, Center for Naval, Protect Journalists, Taliban, Amnesty International, East Turkestan Islamic, Security, Special, State, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: China, Kabul, Afghanistan, Rights KABUL, Islamic State, —, Turkey, Turkish, Pakistan, United States, East Turkestan, Xinjiang, State, Russian, Charlotte Greenfield, Islamabad, Washington, Shenzhen, Beijing, Ankara

☆ ‘Boss’: From a Head Honcho in Dutch to a Rock Star in the U.S.A.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Ben Zimmer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/boss-from-a-head-honcho-in-dutch-to-a-rock-star-in-the-u-s-a-b8699053

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ ProPublica: Clarence Thomas attended Koch network donor events
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Ariane De Vogue | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —Justice Clarence Thomas attended a private dinner in 2018 during a winter donor summit of the Koch network, the political organization founded by libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch, ProPublica reported Friday. Thomas attended Koch donor events at least twice over the years, according to interviews with three former Koch network employees and one major donor conducted by ProPublica. Thomas arrived for the 2018 dinner on a Gulfstream G200 jet, although a Koch network spokesperson told the outlet that the network did not pay for the private jet and it was not disclosed on his financial disclosure forms for that year. A spokesperson for the Koch network told ProPublica that Thomas wasn’t present for fundraising conversations. CNN has reached out to the Supreme Court for comment.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Koch, Charles, David Koch, ProPublica, Thomas, ”, Thomas ’, Thomas wasn’t, ” Thomas, Loper, Raimondo, Critics, Clarence Thomas ’, Charles Koch, Harlan Crow, Lisa Graves, Crow Organizations: Washington CNN —, Koch, ProPublica, Gulfstream G200, CNN, Loper Bright Enterprises, Inc, Conservatives, Chevron, Natural Resources Defense, True, Research, GOP Locations: Congress, Washington

☆ Chevron accepts Australian labour tribunal's terms to end strike at LNG plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A 3D printed natural gas pipeline is placed in front of displayed Chevron logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 21 (Reuters) - Chevron (CVX.N) said on Thursday it has the accepted recommendations from Australia's labor regulator to end its dispute with unions at its liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Western Australia. The Fair Work Commission of Australia, which has the power to impose a settlement, "strongly recommended" parties accept its proposals to end work stoppages that began on Sept. 8 at the Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG operations. The workers at the facilities, which account for nearly 7% of global LNG supply, are backed by the Offshore Alliance - that combines the Maritime Union of Australia and Australian Workers' Union. Chevron had been negotiating with the workers for weeks alongside Australia's Woodside Energy (WDS.AX), which managed to avert the strikes last month after reaching a deal.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sourasis Bose, Maju Samuel, Shinjini Ganguli, Eileen Soreng Organizations: Chevron, REUTERS, Offshore Alliance, Maritime Union of Australia, Australian Workers ' Union, Australia's, Energy, Thomson Locations: Western Australia, Australia, Bengaluru

The Romanian government has said it aims to double the monthly transit capacity for Ukrainian grain through its Constanta port to four million metric tons in the coming months from virtually zero before the Russian war started. In August, roughly 2.7 million tons of Ukrainian grain passed through Constanta, Comvex manager Viorel Panait said in an interview with Reuters. Port operator SOCEP S.A. (SOCP.BX) said it had paid 10 million euros for new equipment at its grain terminal silo and ship loader. "I would say more than half of the port's 13 grain operators are already authorized or in the process of being so." A government source told Reuters Constanta now had a logistics capacity of 40 million tons of grains per year, sharply higher than its annual record high 25 million tons set in 2021.

Persons: George Calin, Viorel Panait, Panait, Gabriel Techera, Luiza Ilie, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Union, NATO, Moldovan, Decirom S.A, SOCEP S.A, Constanta Port Business Association, Thomson Locations: Constanta, Romania, Rights BUCHAREST, Romanian, Black, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukraine's, Russia, Ukrainian, Vadul Siret, Dornesti, Reuters Constanta

☆ Exclusive: Vietnam activists to seek US refuge after Biden administration deal - US officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In the United States, the families are expected to seek resettlement under the "Priority 1" refugee program. The activists were not imprisoned, but had been barred from leaving Vietnam. The officials would not identify any of the four people, citing diplomatic and security sensitivities, but the two ex-prisoners' names are known. Vietnam is holding at least 159 political prisoners and detaining 22 others, Human Rights Watch said earlier this month. Biden administration officials pushed for the exit visas as an additional step during final negotiations over the joint statement and trip logistics, according to one of the U.S. officials.

Persons: Biden, Biden's, Nguyen Bac Truyen, Mai Phan Loi, Ben Swanton, Antony Blinken, Bui, Trevor Hunnicutt, Francesco Guarascio, Heather Timmons, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Communist, United, U.S, Reuters, Human Rights Watch, Biden, Thomson Locations: United States, Hanoi , U.S, Vietnam, Washington, China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Germany, Bui Thanh, Hanoi

"We've certainly seen Australia's reputation being affected as some existing buyers expressed interest in diversifying their suppliers for long-term supply," said Ryhana Rasidi, LNG analyst at analytics firm Kpler. "Australia is the closest gas supplier we can get. By far, Australia, U.S. and Qatar are the three pillars in LNG supply chain. As well as its political stability, its proximity to Asia might be Australia's saving grace, industry analysts say. "Ties are very strong between North Asia and Australia as a legacy supplier, so many participants are keen to continue the relationship," said Kaushal Ramesh, LNG analyst at Rystad Energy.

Persons: Inpex, Resources Madeleine King, We've, Ryhana, Jane Liao, Kaushal Ramesh, Emily Chow, Yuka Obayashi, Muyu Xu, Andrew Hayley, Joyce Lee, Lewis Jackson, Florence Tan Organizations: Reuters, Chevron, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, Workers, Japan's Kyushu Electric Power, Chevron's, Woodside Energy, West Shelf, South, Resources, Taiwan, Tohoku Electric Power, Kyushu Electric Power, Osaka Gas, Rystad Energy, Thomson Locations: Chevron, Barrow Island, Australia, Rights SINGAPORE, TOKYO, Qatar, United States, Western Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ukraine, Oman, U.S, Asia, Singapore, Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, Sydney

On Friday, Diddy will release his new album called “The Love Album - Off the Grid." Political Cartoons View All 1160 ImagesAfter his epiphany, Diddy built a recording studio at his home and started to work on music. Making music is my love,” said Diddy, who received the Global Icon Award at the MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday. “Everybody was calling to be a part of the ‘Love Album.’ Nobody made me wait more than 30 seconds for an answer if they wanted to do it. I thank God, nobody told me ‘No.’”Diddy said he wanted to tell a story on the album that mirrored his fun-filled love life.

Persons: Sean “ Diddy ” Combs, Diddy, “, ’ ”, Mary J, Blige, Justin Bieber, H.E.R, Babyface, John Legend, Busta, Summer Walker, Teyana Taylor, Coco Jones, Jazmine Sullivan, It’s, Keyshia Cole, Nicole Scherzinger, Sean John, ”, I’m, ” Diddy, Berry Gordy must’ve, Marvin Gaye, ’ Organizations: ANGELES, Bad Boy Records, Black, Bad Boy, Associated Press, BET Media Group, Paramount Global, Diageo, MTV, Jackson State University football, Motown Records, “ Locations: French Montana

☆ Opinion | Can Samantha Power Win the Battle for Ukraine’s Future?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Years ago, during the George W. Bush administration, I shadowed another U.S.A.I.D. Despite some notable gains, especially in areas such as girls’ education, it was clear the agency was struggling. In the end, approximately $145 billion in assistance — about $20 billion of which was administered by U.S.A.I.D. Would the story turn out similarly in Ukraine, a state that last year ranked alongside Angola in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index? That’s what I went to Ukraine to see for myself.

Persons: I’ve, George W, Bush, Henrietta Fore, ” —, Sam’s, — Organizations: American Embassy, U.S.A.I.D, Angola Locations: Afghanistan, Ukraine

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. Treasury on Tuesday slapped terrorism sanctions on a family network of seven individuals and businesses in Lebanon and South America accused of financing the militant group Hezbollah, including a Lebanese man who officials say was involved in two deadly attacks in Argentina in the 1990s. The Iran-backed group is designated a “foreign terrorist organization," and Washington also claims that the group has been involved in drug trafficking in Latin America to generate revenue. Rada, according to the Treasury, spent over a decade in South America before relocating to Lebanon. Political Cartoons View All 1154 ImagesRada's brother, Samer, was also sanctioned and accused of being involved in various drug trafficking and money laundering operations across Latin America. The Treasury also slapped sanctions on Lebanon-based company Black Diamond SARL and owner Ali Ismail Ajrouch.

Persons: Amer Mohamed Akil Rada, ”, “, Brian Nelson, Mehdi Akil Helbawi, Diamond SARL, Ali Ismail Ajrouch Organizations: Treasury, Argentine, Israelite Mutual Association, Embassy, Rada, BCI Technologies Locations: BEIRUT, U.S, Lebanon, South America, Lebanese, Argentina, Buenos Aires, Iran, Washington, America, Colombia, Latin America, Belize, El Salvador, Venezuelan

A general view of Chevron's Wheatstone LNG facility in Pilbara coast, Western Australia, as seen in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on September 8, 2023. If there is still no deal by then, the unions will completely stop work for two weeks. Australia was the world's largest LNG exporter last year, shipping out 80.9 million metric tons of the fuel in 2022 versus 79 million tons in 2021, according to the International Gas Union. A prolonged strike could disrupt exports and raise prices of LNG, which is used for electricity generation. The same union alliance also secured agreements last year with Shell (SHEL.L) and Inpex (1605.T) at their LNG facilities in Western Australia.

Persons: Chevron, Wheatstone, Baden Moore, NAB's Moore, Emily Chow, Lewis Jackson, Florence Tan, Tony Munroe, Miral Organizations: Reuters, Chevron, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, NEXT, Unions, International Gas Union, National Australia Bank, NAB, Woodside Energy Group, WHAT'S, Woodside, North West Shelf, Shell, Thomson Locations: Wheatstone, Western Australia, Rights SINGAPORE, SYDNEY, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Asia, Europe, Ukraine, Inpex, Woodside

☆ De Beers 'confident' talks will avert strike at S.Africa's Venetia mine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

De Beers delivers first production from underground operations at its Venetia Mine in South Africa in this undated handout picture. On Tuesday, NUM, South Africa's biggest mineworkers' union, said it was planning a strike at Venetia, as De Beers could only offer a 6% pay increase against demands for a 9% hike. The strike by NUM's 1,500 workers would impact operations at Venetia's new $2.3 billion underground operations, which started production in July. De Beers stopped its 30-year open pit operations at Venetia in December 2022. "We are confident that through continued engagement with the union and our employees we will reach a sustainable settlement with the NUM," De Beers said.

Persons: De Beers, NUM, Nelson Banya, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers, Commission, Conciliation, Thomson Locations: Venetia, South Africa, NUM

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Chevron is seen at the company's office in Caracas, Venezuela April 25, 2018. Australia is the world's biggest LNG exporter and its main buyers are in Asia. "Unfortunately, following numerous meetings and conciliation sessions before the Fair Work Commission, we remain apart on key terms," a Chevron spokesperson said. Brad Gandy, a spokesperson for the Offshore Alliance, said the union coalition had agreed "in good faith" to the mediated talks, "but after five days Chevron has barely budged". Energy analyst Saul Kavonic said the strikes appeared to be designed to put more pressure on Chevron to cut a deal rather than substantially affect production.

Persons: Marco Bello, Brad Gandy, ratcheting, Saul Kavonic, Renju Jose, Lewis Jackson, Leslie Adler, Jamie Freed, Miral Fahmy, William Mallard Organizations: Chevron, REUTERS, Rights, Woodside Energy, North West Shelf, Offshore Alliance, CHEVRON, Australian, South, Taiwan . Energy, Thomson Locations: Caracas, Venezuela, Australia, U.S, Asia, British, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Western Australia, Sydney

☆ Russian Agricultural Bank could have SWIFT access within 30 days, UN tells Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsSept 8 (Reuters) - A Russian Agricultural Bank subsidiary in Luxembourg could immediately apply to SWIFT to "effectively enable access" for the bank to the international payments system within 30 days, the United Nations told Russia in a letter, seen by Reuters on Friday. A key Russian demand has been the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank, Rosselkhozbank, to the SWIFT international payments system. "SWIFT has already confirmed that an expedited application process could be possible, bringing the time for effective access within 30 days," Guterres wrote. Russian fertilizer companies would also have to apply to national authorities within the EU for exemptions and the U.N. would engage with the EU on those requests. "The United Nations can help clarify the authorization process for different EU ports and work with Russian counterparts on obtaining the authorizations/permits pre-departure, if required."

Persons: Dado Ruvic, SWIFT, Antonio Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Guterres, Lavrov, Russia's, RAB, John Neal, Lloyd's, Michelle Nichols, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, Russian Agricultural Bank, United Nations, Reuters, RSHB Capital S.A, Russian, Black Sea Initiative, Russian Foreign Ministry, UN Secretariat, SWIFT, European Union, UN, RAB, Facility, Lloyd's, RIC, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Bosnia, Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Russia, United, Moscow, Turkey, Ukraine, London, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands

☆ Disney Treasure: Sixth ship coming to company’s cruise line
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Disney is adding a sixth ship to its growing cruise line, the entertainment giant announced late Tuesday morning in a video presentation. It will leave Port Canaveral, Florida, for a seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise, Disney said in a news release. Bookings for Disney Cruise Line Castaway Club members start September 12 this year. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:Upper deck adventuresWater rides are becoming a must on cruise ships. Disney Cruise LineFancy water rides are becoming a family cruise ship staple.

Persons: ”, Disney, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Mickey, King ”, “ Coco Organizations: CNN, Disney, ” Marvel, Disney Cruise, Castaway, Street, EPCOT, Pixar, Marvel, Walt Disney Animation Studios Locations: Port Canaveral , Florida, Western Caribbean, Port Canaveral, ”, Asia, Africa, Mexican

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