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☆ HMV owner finalising deal to buy most of collapsed UK retailer Wilko -Sky News
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A branch of the discount retail homeware store Wilko is seen in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Canadian businessman Doug Putman is finalising a deal to buy the majority of collapsed British homeware retailer Wilko from its administrators in a deal which could save up to 9,000 jobs, Sky News reported on Thursday. The administrators are consulting Wilko's biggest creditors about the deal, Sky News said, adding that there was still some uncertainty around whether it would go ahead. Poundland's parent company and B&M European Value Retail (BMEB.L) have also shown interest in acquiring a smaller portion of Wilko stores. Wilko's administrators PwC said earlier on Thursday that there were parties interested in buying the retailer but none of them wanted the whole group.

Persons: Toby Melville, Doug Putman, Putman, PwC, Sarah Young, Muvija, Elizabeth Piper, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: REUTERS, Sky News, HMV, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Canadian, British, Wilko

Beijing has staged multiple military drills around the island in recent years, drawing condemnation from the United States and its allies. Before he announced his bid to run on Monday, Gou earlier this year sought the candidacy for the opposition KMT, which advocates for friendlier relations with Beijing. The KMT has not disguised its anger at Gou's entry into the race for president, seeing his move as opening the way to a victory for the DPP's Lai by splitting the opposition vote. Most recent polls put the DPP's Lai on around 35-40% of the vote, around 10 percentage points clear of his closest rival. To qualify as an independent, he has to collect close to 300,000 voter signatures by Nov. 2, according to election regulations.

Persons: Foxconn, Terry Gou's, Gou, William Lai, Hou Yu, Hou, Eric Chu, Ko Wen, Ko's TPP, Lai, Ko, Chen Shui, Wang Ting, There's, Ben Blanchard, Yimou Lee, John Geddie, Michael Perry Organizations: Kuomintang, KMT, Democratic Progressive Party, Apple, DPP, New, ih, Taiwan People's Party, Reuters, Facebook, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, China, Taipei, Beijing, United States, New Taipei City, Taiwan

☆ Ukrainian soldier says Russia has an edge in the air and its powerful bombs are among the 'biggest fears' for front-line forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Moscow's guided bombs are among the 'biggest fears' for front-line forces, the soldier said. Ukrainian forces have since gotten better about eliminating these threats, but others remain, such as Russian aircraft that can release guided bombs at a distance. "KAB's are one of the biggest fears," Solonko said, referring to Russia's arsenal of guided bombs. Solonko's commentary came just after Ukrainian forces raised the country's flag in Robotyne, a small village in the Zaporizhzhia region. In the video, a soldier described the covert nighttime mission to raise the Ukrainian flag in Robotyne.

Persons: Oleksandr Solonko, Solonko, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Ukrainian, 128th, Brigade, Territorial Defence Forces, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Ukrainian Armed Forces Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Zaporizhzhia, Robotyne

☆ Belarus leader: I urged mercenary Prigozhin to 'watch out'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A woman lights a candle in front of a portrait of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial in Moscow, Russia August 24. Prigozhin, Lukashenko said on Friday, had twice dismissed concerns raised by the Belarusian leader about possible threats to his life. Lukashenko said that during the mutiny he had warned Prigozhin that he would "die" if he continued to march on Moscow, to which he said Prigozhin had answered:"'To hell with it - I will die'." Lukashenko, both an old acquaintance of Prigozhin and close ally of Russia, said that Putin had nothing to do with the plane crash. Lukashenko said Wagner fighters would remain in Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Putin Lukashenko, Alexander Lukashenko, Dmitry Utkin, Putin, Prigozhin's, It's, Wager, Guy Faulconbridge, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Kremlin, Russian, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Belarus Kremlin, MOSCOW, Belarus, Belarusian

☆ Some of UK retailer Wilko's stores set to close after no buyer found
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A branch of the discount retail homeware store Wilko is seen in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Some of British homeware and household goods discount retailer Wilko's stores are likely to close after a buyer could not be found for the whole group, administrator PWC said on Wednesday. PWC said that contrary to an earlier statement from the GMB trade union, there were no plans to close stores next week and they would continue to remain open and trade "in the immediate term". The family-owned retailer said earlier this month it had fallen into administration, putting its 400 stores and 12,500 jobs in danger if a buyer could not be found. Sky News reported the owner of fellow discount store Poundland, Pepco Group, was in discussions to acquire round 100 Wilko stores, while London-listed discount chain B&M European Retail could take on 40-50 shops.

Persons: Toby Melville, PWC, Kylie MacLellan, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Sky News, Pepco, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Leicester, England

☆ Russia's so desperate to get its billionaires and their massive wealth back that it just threatened to seize the assets of an oligarch worth $13 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia filed a lawsuit against oligarch Andrey Melnichenko, who is worth $13 billion. The state is looking to seize Sibeco amid Putin's call for Russian tycoons to invest at home. Authorities have filed a lawsuit against Andrey Melnichenko, an oligarch now based in the United Arab Emirates, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The ninth richest person in Russia, Melnichenko — who has been sanctioned by the European Union and the US — is worth $13 billion as of Monday, according to Bloomberg Billionaire's Index. In March 2022, Melnichenko — whose mother is Ukrainian — told Reuters in an interview that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was "truly tragic."

Persons: oligarch Andrey Melnichenko, Andrey Melnichenko, —, nationalize, Melnichenko, Putin, Melnichenko —, Ukrainian — Organizations: Service, Moscow, Authorities, United Arab Emirates, Financial Times, Melnichenko's, Kremlin, Reuters, European Union, Bloomberg Billionaire's Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Siberian, Krasnoyarsk —, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ Trader who founded XTX sees fortune soar to $11 billion as quant firm becomes a top global player
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Alex Gerko's wealth is now estimated at $10.8 billion as his firm XTX has become a top global player. He is now number 182 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which just calculated that his fortune doubled. The index added $5 billion to his wealth compared to the prior trading day. While revenue still trails Citadel Securities' $7.5 billion in 2022, XTX is emerging as one of the top players in global markets. The firm handles a trading volume of around $300 billion a day, involved in equities, commodities, currencies, and fixed-income.

Persons: Alex Gerko's, XTX, Alex Gerko, Stanley Druckenmiller's, Gerko — Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Deutsche Bank, XTX, Citadel Securities, Financial Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian

☆ A Russian general who was relieved of command in Ukraine died after 'a long illness,' official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian general has died after a "long illness," an official said in a Telegram post. Colonel General Gennady Zhidko was a senior officer heavily involved in attacking Ukraine. But after a series of humiliating defeats last year, Zhidko was removed from his post. Colonel General Gennady Zhidko, a former deputy defense minister, was leading Russian forces fighting in Ukraine from May 2022 to last autumn. Zhidko was eventually replaced by General Sergei Surovikin, who was then replaced by Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov in January this year.

Persons: Gennady Zhidko, Zhidko, Mikhail Degtyarev, Degtyarev, Mediazona —, Sergei Surovikin, Staff Valery Gerasimov Organizations: Service, Newsweek, Kremlin, Staff, West Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Moscow, Kharkiv, Khabarovsk Krai, London

☆ With eyes on Taiwan, new China ban shows the U.S. may be learning lessons from mistakes with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Analysts said the U.S. was making such moves with an eye on rising tensions over Taiwan, given that the potential fallout from a conflict between China and Taiwan would be "unimaginable." Yurchenko, who spoke to CNBC ahead of the Wednesday announcement, dubbed the scale of the risks regarding Taiwan as "unimaginable." Beijing, meanwhile, has called for "reunification" with Taiwan, last year describing its status in a white paper as an "unalterable" part of China. watch nowElina Ribakova, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said that China was watching the West's approach to Russia closely. Western sanctions against Moscow keep coming, almost 1½ years after Russian forces crossed Ukraine's borders.

Persons: Drew Angerer, Joe Biden, Olena, it's, Olena Yurchenko, Yurchenko, Kyle Bass, Xi Jinping, Biden, Ukraine's Yurchenko, they've, Elina Ribakova, Ribakova, Daniel Ferrie, I'm Organizations: Getty, Wednesday, Foreign Ministry, Economic Security, of, of Ukraine, CNBC, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Moscow, Ukraine, European, European Union, Hayman Capital Locations: China, disassociation, Beijing, U.S, Russia, Taiwan, United States, Washington, of Ukraine, India, Taiwan Strait, Ukraine, Ukraine's, Moscow

A branch of the discount retail homeware store Wilko is seen in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoSummaryCompanies Wilko enters administration93-year old retailer trades from 400 storesFailed to secure emergency investmentLONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - British discount retailer Wilko said it has fallen into administration on Thursday, a form of creditor protection that puts its 12,000 jobs in danger. The family-owned retailer, facing a cash squeeze after a downturn in trading, had failed to secure emergency investment. Despite the squeeze on household incomes from the jump in interest rates and high levels of inflation, most UK high street chains have traded resiliently so far this year. Reporting by James Davey and Muvija M; Editing by Kate Holton and Elaine HardcastleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Toby Melville, Wilko, Mark Jackson, PwC, McColl's, Jackson, Wilko's, we’ve, James Davey, Muvija, Kate Holton, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, Morrisons, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Leicester, England

☆ Belarus opposition march in Warsaw on anniversary of contested election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Hundreds of opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko marched through the Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday to mark the third anniversary of their unsuccessful attempt to unseat him in an election they say was rigged. Protests dragged on for months after Lukashenko claimed victory in the Aug. 9, 2020 presidential election. Western countries backed the protesters' demand for a peaceful transfer of power and slapped economic sanctions on Belarus. [1/5]People take part in Belarusians' march through Warsaw on the third anniversary of the 2020 presidential election which was followed by mass protests over alleged electoral fraud, in Warsaw, Poland, August 9, 2023. Exiled opponents of Lukashenko met in Warsaw on Sunday to display unity and plan strategy including the issuance of "New Belarus" passports.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Sviatlana Mishurova, Kacper, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Kuba Stezycki, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones Organizations: WARSAW, Warsaw, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Poland, Warsaw

☆ Elon Musk's first dates with Grimes included driving his Tesla with his eyes closed on Autopilot, a 'Lord of the Rings' quiz, and a box of animal bones
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk and Grimes told Walter Isaacson about their first few dates together. Musk took Grimes for a spin in his Tesla and quizzed her on "Lord of the Rings," the biographer said. Walter Isaacson, Elon Musk's biographer, offered a window into the early days of the Musk's relationship with the singer Grimes on Monday. "I was like, oh shit, this guy is fucking crazy," Isaacson said Grimes told him of the experience. The singer told Isaacson she gave Musk a box full of animal bones and the two would listen to history podcasts and audiobooks before bed.

Persons: Elon Musk, Grimes, Walter Isaacson, Musk, they've, Elon Musk's, Isaacson, Claire Boucher, Amber Heard, Tesla, quizzed Grimes, Chelsea Manning, Natasha Bassett Organizations: Morning, Twitter Locations: Fremont, Australian

And his fellow veterans of the Ukraine conflict are bound to play a role in the fight for their own country. With nearly all the opposition now in jail or exile, that is no small feat. Six weeks ago, there was a brief jolt of hope for the Belarus opposition, when Russia's Wagner mercenary group launched a mutiny inside Russia. But within hours, Lukashenko himself helped bring an end to the Russian mutiny, negotiating for Wagner fighters to move to Belarus. Exactly what role the Wagner fighters will play in Belarus is anyone's guess, but for the opposition, nothing good can come of it, said Kedyshko.

Persons: Pavel Maryeuski, Alexander Lukashenko's, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's, Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko, Stanislava Glinnik, Belarus's, Pavel Kuhta, Tsikhanouskaya's, Sergey Kedyshko, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Weeks, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Mike Collett, White, Peter Graff Organizations: WARSAW, Reuters, Coordination, United Operational, Lukashenko's Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Minsk, Soviet, Karma, Warsaw, Belarusian, Moscow

[1/5] Belarus' exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gives an opening speech during the New Belarus conference in Warsaw, Poland, August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Kuba StezyckiWARSAW, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Exiled opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko met in Poland on Sunday, on the eve of the third anniversary of their unsuccessful post-election protests, to display unity and plan strategy including the issuance of "New Belarus" passports. Set up in August 2022 by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the self-declared government-in exile has opened more than 20 alternative embassies and information centres abroad. Speaking at a hotel in Warsaw to several hundred activists, including independent media and civic groups, Tsikhanouskaya urged opposition forces abroad to unite and support the creation of a "New Belarus" movement. Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron first since 1994, using security forces to intimidate, beat and jail his foes or force them to flee abroad.

Persons: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Tsikhanouskaya, Syarhei Tsikhanouski, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: New, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Belarus, New Belarus, Warsaw, Poland, WARSAW, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Belarusian

☆ Lukashenko taunts Poland again over Wagner troops near border
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 23, 2023. Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo License this content on Reuters ConnectAug 1 (Reuters) - Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday taunted Poland over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries near the NATO country's border, saying Warsaw should thank him for keeping them in check. State news agency Belta quoted him on Tuesday as saying that the Poles "should pray that we're holding onto (the Wagner fighters) and providing for them. Rzeszow is a city in southeast Poland near the Ukrainian border. On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said a group of 100 Wagner fighters had moved closer to the Belarusian city of Grodno near the Polish border, describing the situation as "increasingly dangerous".

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Danichev, Russian Wagner, Wagner, Belta, Mateusz Morawiecki, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Reuters, Tuesday, NATO, Polish, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kremlin, Poland, Warsaw, Belarus, Lukashenko, Rzeszow, State, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Grodno, Brest, Ukraine

☆ Senegal opposition leader Sonko charged with plotting insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Ngouda Dione | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAKAR, July 29 (Reuters) - Senegal's opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was charged on Saturday with plotting an insurrection, criminal conspiracy and other offenses, two months after his trial for a separate rape charge sparked deadly riots across the country. Sonko, 49, was handed a two-year prison sentence on June 1 for immoral behavior towards individuals younger than 21, leading to protests in which at least 16 people were killed. Sonko was detained on Friday following a scuffle with security forces stationed outside his home, who he claimed were filming him without permission. Playing videos from a laptop of Sonko making allegedly inciteful speeches, Senegal's state prosecutor Abdou Karim Diop told a crowded press conference that Sonko would be freshly charged with calling for insurrection, plotting against the state and criminal conspiracy, among other charges. Reporting by Ngouda Dione; Writing by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Bate FelixOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Abdou Karim Diop, Ngouda Dione, Cooper Inveen, Bate Felix Organizations: Thomson Locations: DAKAR

☆ Russian businessman loses appeal against UK over detained superyacht
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Detained Russian-owned superyacht Phi is seen in West India and Millwall Docks in London, Britain March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Nicholson/File PhotoLONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - A wealthy Russian businessman on Friday lost a legal challenge against Britain over the detention of his $50 million superyacht. Sergei Naumenko's 58.5 metre yacht Phi was detained in London under the government's Russian sanctions in March 2022, the first time the regulations had been used to detain a ship. He said he was targeted simply because he was a wealthy Russian, despite the fact that he had no involvement in Russian politics or any connection with Putin. Cranston accepted Shapps was wrong to describe Naumenko as a friend of Putin, but said it was "excusable political hyperbole".

Persons: Tom Nicholson, Sergei Naumenko's, Grant Shapps, Vladimir Putin, Naumenko, Putin, Judge Ross Cranston, Mr Naumenko, Cranston, Shapps, Paul Dickie, Sam Tobin, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Millwall Docks, REUTERS, Britain, Phi, St, Britain's Department of Transport, London's, Thomson Locations: Russian, West India, London, Britain, St Kitts, Nevis, Ukraine, Russia

☆ A wealthy Russian businessman claims the UK detained his $50 million superyacht to look 'tough'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Russian businessman claimed the UK detained his superyacht to look "tough," Bloomberg reported. The $50 million vessel was detained by the UK last March, though its owner hasn't been sanctioned. A wealthy Russian businessman who wasn't featured on any sanctions lists following Russia's invasion of Ukraine has claimed the UK detained his luxury superyacht to look "tough," Bloomberg reported. In late March this year, Naumenko sued the UK's transport department, asking the court to let him move vessel and award him undisclosed damages. He added that Phi's owner was "guilty by association of his passport only" and had "never been connected with anyone" who was sanctioned.

Persons: hasn't, wasn't, hadn't, Sergei Georgievich Naumenko, Vitaly Vasilievich Kochetkov, Naumenko, Grace Dean, Nigel Giffin, Vladimir Putin, Putin's, Jason Pobjoy, Grant Shapps, Phi, Putin, Pobjoy, Shapps, Royal Huisman Organizations: Bloomberg, Morning, Phi, Crime Agency, UK, Financial Times, Motiv Telecom, UK's Department, Transport, Department Locations: Russian, London, Ukraine, Russia, Canary Wharf

☆ Analysis: Prigozhin's fate remains unclear and it signals more trouble in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The bizarre tale of Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s former pal-turned-mutineer, just got a whole lot weirder. His men had three choices: follow Prigozhin to Belarus, join the regular Russian military, or stop fighting and go home. He was a tough guy strutting about in camouflage, whose fighters could win battles in Ukraine that the regular Russian military couldn’t handle. Prigozhin’s ultimate fate is still unclear, but he is only one of Putin’s problems. And that portends more repression, more “settling scores,” and more fighting behind the scenes in Putin’s Russia.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, –, ”, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Putin, Vlad Karkov, “ Organizations: CNN, Putin’s, ” Locations: Russian, Belarusian, Russia, Belarus, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Prigozhin’s St, Petersburg, Ukraine, Rostov, Vesti

☆ Belarusian dictator who negotiated the end of Prigozhin's mutiny says there's no way Putin is 'malicious and vindictive' enough to have him killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he doesn't think Putin will have Yevgeny Prigozhin killed. Putin is not "malicious or vindictive enough" to order the murder, said the close Putin ally. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that he doesn't think Vladimir Putin would be so "malicious and vindictive" as to have Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin killed. But if you think that Putin is so malicious and vindictive that he will 'kill' Prigozhin tomorrow, no, this will not happen." The Russian leader has a long history of brutal and violent crackdowns on those he sees as disloyal.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, doesn't, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Lukashenko, Sergei Skripal, Alexei Navalny, Putin's, Prigozhin, Progozhin, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Kremlin, Service, CNN Locations: Belarusian, Russian, Moscow, St . Petersburg

☆ Belarus' dictator says he told Prigozhin he was ready to send special forces to defend Moscow against the Wagner rebellion and hoped he wouldn't be offended
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Belarus' Lukashenko said he was ready to help defend Moscow from the Wagner Group's mutiny. The dictator told Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin he hoped he wouldn't be offended by the decision. A special forces brigade from Belarus' military was ready to deploy to Moscow immediately after Prigozhin and Wagner launched their short-lived mutiny against Russia's military leadership, Lukashenko told foreign and domestic reporters in Minsk. The dictator just hoped Prigozhin wouldn't mind that he was preparing to have his forces act against him. We will defend Moscow together with Putin," Lukashenko recalled, according to a translation of his remarks by state-run news agency BelTA.

Persons: Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny, Putin, BelTA, Russia's, Pat Ryder Organizations: Service, Privacy, Belarusian, Army, Sputnik, Kremlin, Institute for, Putin, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, Rostov, Russia, Russian, Sochi, Kremlin, Belarusian, Washington, Ukraine

☆ Automaker Stellantis signs battery metals offtake deal with Australia's Kuniko
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 3 (Reuters) - Australia's Kuniko (KNI.AX) said on Monday it had signed an offtake and equity investment agreement with automaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) to support the development of its Norwegian battery metals projects. Stellantis would invest 5 million euros ($5.45 million) at an issue price of A$0.467 per share in the battery metals miner in return for a near 20% stake, Kuniko said. Kuniko shares rose as much as 58.1% to A$0.680, their highest level since Oct. 31. Under the deal, announced by Stellantis on Friday, the carmaker will also get 35% of the nickel sulphate and cobalt sulphate produced from Kuniko's Norway exploration projects for nine years. The funds from the Stellantis' equity investment will be used to advance Kuniko's brownfield and greenfield battery metals exploration projects in Norway, the company said.

Persons: Stellantis, Kuniko, Himanshi Akhand, Rishav Chatterjee, Rashmi Aich, Krishna Chandra Organizations: Thomson Locations: Norway, Bengaluru

☆ Stellantis signs deal with Kuniko for supply of battery materials
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, June 30 (Reuters) - Stellantis (STLAM.MI) has signed an offtake and equity investment agreement with Australia-listed Kuniko (KNI.AX), the latest of a string of deals aiming to give the carmaker stable supply of key materials for vehicle batteries. The funds provided by Stellantis will help support Kuniko's brownfield and greenfield battery metals exploration projects in Norway, which include nickel, cobalt and copper. Stellantis' Chief Purchasing and Supply Chain Officer Maxime Picat said the world's third largest carmaker by sales was on an "aggressive path" to securing raw materials needed to meet its electrification targets. "With Kuniko, we are adding another lever to support our European battery needs with a local and environmentally conscious solution from its Norwegian projects," he said. The completion of the offtake agreement and of the share subscription with Kuniko are subject to conditions, including regulatory approvals, the two companies said.

Persons: Stellantis, Maxime Picat, McEwen, Giulio Piovaccari, Gavin Jones Organizations: MILAN, Purchasing, Fiat Chrysler, Peugeot, PSA, Vulcan Energy, Resources, Thomson Locations: Australia, Franco, Italian, Norway

☆ Wagner's chaotic attempt at armed rebellion is starting to (kind of) make sense
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wagner's aborted rebellion in Russia over the weekend was a chaotic mess that ultimately failed. That's the question anybody following the chaotic attempt by the Wagner mercenary group to stage a rebellion in Russia last weekend probably asked themselves. Prigozhin bailed on his plan, sent everyone home, and headed off to some kind of retirement in Belarus. The soldiers wouldn't need to look far for a motive: widespread hatred for defense minister Sergei Shoigu and army chief of staff Valery Gerasimov. Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov (L) and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in late 2022.

Persons: Wagner's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Associated Press Lukashenko, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Metzel, Sergei Surovikin —, Gerasimov —, Surovikin, Putin Organizations: Service, Prigozhin Press, Associated Press, The New York Times, Times, Russian, Staff, Russian Defence, Sputnik, The Times, Shoigu, Street Locations: Russia, Rostov, Moscow, Russian, Belarus, Ukraine

☆ Belarus' second-rate dictator Lukashenko is 'humiliating' Putin by bragging about how he saved Moscow from an armed Wagner revolt, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Belarusian President Lukashenko says he helped negotiate an end to the Wagner Group's armed mutiny. Hail-mary negotiations, mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, stopped the potential bloodshed in the capital. After Wagner fighters captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don early Saturday, they continued north toward Moscow as the city prepared its defenses for battle. By that point, Wagner fighters had already shot down several Russian military aircraft. Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) arrive to the Palace of Independence prior to their talks in Minsk, Belarus, on December 19, 2022.

Persons: Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, —, mary, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Lukashenko's, BelTA, It's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, doesn't, Pat Ryder Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Russian, Kremlin, Reuters, Institute for, NATO, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Moscow, Rostov, Belarus, Minsk, Russian, Voronezh, Belarusian, Washington, Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania

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