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☆ Australia risks losing pole position in critical minerals race
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Melanie Burton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Grattan Institute, a think tank, estimates the critical minerals industry could add more than $400 billion to the economy by 2050, a bigger contribution than the coal industry, Australia's no.2 export, today. They want rapid action in light of new competition from the U.S., Canada and the European Union, which have laid out critical minerals strategies including billions of dollars in incentives. King said on Wednesday a critical minerals strategy would be released "soon". However the government has not said when it would deliver its national battery strategy. "The elements for an effective critical minerals strategy are in place.

☆ New Zealand security chiefs increasingly concerned about foreign interference
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - New Zealand intelligence agencies are growing more concerned about both foreign interference and malicious cyber activity ahead of elections in October, the country’s intelligence chiefs said on Monday. “It's fair to say that concern about foreign interference as well as malicious cyber activity is growing,” Andrew Hampton, director general of the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), told media after testifying at parliament. Security services are working with the election authority to improve cybersecurity and procedures and will also brief political parties on security and foreign interference threats. Both the GCSB and Security Intelligence Service chiefs were speaking before the intelligence committee that includes the country’s Prime Minister as part of their annual review. “Foreign interference should not be tolerated,” McKee said.

☆ Shou Zi Chew: Who is the TikTok CEO testifying before Congress?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinMarch 23 (Reuters) - TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew has mostly kept a low profile since taking the job in 2021 but on Thursday he is testifying before U.S. lawmakers, many of them suspicious of the popular Chinese-owned social media app. Chew previously worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and investment firm DST, which was an early backer of ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok. TikTok pointedly said in a letter to lawmakers last year that Chew was not from China and that the company is independent of ByteDance. Chew, who is married and has two children, raised his public profile last year by creating his own TikTok account, @shou.time. Chew has told media that TikTok does not threaten U.S. interests.

☆ Media mogul Rupert Murdoch engaged to Ann Lesley Smith
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Helen Coster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Tennis - US Open - Mens Final - New York, U.S. - September 10, 2017 - Rupert Murdoch, Chairman of Fox News Channel stands before Rafael Nadal of Spain plays against Kevin Anderson of South Africa. REUTERS/Mike Segar/March 20 (Reuters) - Fox Corp (FOXA.O) Chairman Rupert Murdoch is engaged to former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith, his spokesperson confirmed on Monday, which will mark the fifth marriage for the 92-year-old media mogul. Murdoch and Smith, 66, first met in September at his vineyard Moraga in Bel Air, California, and he called her two weeks later, Murdoch told the News Corp-owned NY Post, which broke the news of the engagement. Smith is a widow whose late husband was Chester Smith, a country singer, radio and TV executive. On March 17 in New York, Murdoch presented Smith with an Asscher-cut diamond solitaire ring, according to the Post.

☆ Malawians search for relatives buried under the mud as death toll jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While the storm had dissipated, rain continued to hamper rescue efforts as vehicles struggled on flooded roads. Lieutenant Colonel Dickens Kamisa, who participated in the search, said local authorities identified about eight areas where dead bodies should be buried and were using sniffer dogs to find trapped Malawians. Chifundo Chilimba, a local resident, told Reuters he could not find his family members as the depth of the mud was too deep. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said it was providing food assistance by distributing partially pre-cooked food called corn-soya blend to displaced people. The storm had already killed about 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique before it lashed Mozambique a second time.

☆ Rupert Murdoch appears to confirm that Kimberly Guilfoyle left Fox News due to 'inappropriate' behavior, after reports claimed she faced a sexual harassment accusation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An email from Rupert Murdoch said Kimberly Guilfoyle was fired from Fox due to "inappropriate behavior." In 2020 reports emerged suggesting she had faced a sexual harassment accusation from a female assistant. The reports said that Fox had been in the midst of a year-long investigation into the allegation when she left. Kimberly Guilfoyle during the final round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, N.J., Sunday, July 31, 2022. Representatives for Fox News and Kimberly Guilfoyle were not immediately reachable for requests for comment from Insider.

☆ Cheddar News has seen so many exits that managers have asked staffers to delay scheduled vacations, while promising that reinforcements are on the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Cheddar News has lost more than 10 newsroom staffers since the start of 2023, sources told Insider. As of March, Cheddar appears to have plans to hire at least five news-related roles, according to Altice's jobs portal. a former Cheddar producer said. The two executives are said to have denied speculation that Altice has any plans to combine Cheddar and News 12. Sources previously told Insider that, throughout 2022, the Cheddar newsroom had contracted by roughly a third.

☆ Player revolts plunge Women's World Cup buildup into turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Canada's women's team have vowed to boycott a pre-World Cup camp next month over equal pay and support, while Le Graet faced allegations of harassment. A government ministry audit concluded the 81-year-old Le Graet did not have the "necessary legitimacy" for the position. Canada are the reigning Olympic women's champions, while France topped their group in World Cup qualifying. Forward Janine Beckie, who was in Qatar for last year's men's World Cup as part of Canada's broadcast crew, saw the "disgusting" discrepancy between the two programmes. (This story has been corrected to change the World Cup start date in paragraph 6)Reporting by Lori Ewing Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pacific islands tap Taiwan ally Nauru for next top diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The top Pacific islands diplomatic post will pass to Taiwan ally Nauru next year, the 18-member regional bloc agreed Friday, as it resolved to face climate change and superpower rivalry as a united "family". The Pacific Islands Forum, meeting in Fiji, also said it would hold more talks with Japanese scientists and the International Atomic Energy Agency over Japan's plan to release treated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. Some Pacific islands fear the water release could contaminate fish stocks but Tokyo has said it does not pose a risk, and the meeting agreed that "science and data" should guide political decisions on the issue. Nauru has diplomatic ties with Taiwan and not China, and Waqa has previously clashed with Chinese diplomats. The leaders agreed to consider establishing a special envoy's office in the United States, which has pledged to triple aid to the region.

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The foreperson of a Georgia grand jury that investigated former U.S. President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state told media on Tuesday that the panel recommended multiple criminal indictments. The foreperson of the recently concluded Fulton County, Georgia, special grand jury, Emily Kohrs, did not discuss specific charges that the grand jury in interviews with outlets including CNN and the New York Times. The special grand jury did not have the authority to issue indictments. Willis opened the special grand jury investigation shortly after Trump's January 2021 phone call to a state official asking him to "find" more votes to overturn Democratic President Joe Biden's election victory. Trump called Georgia's top election official, Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, and claimed falsely that the election results were fraudulent.

☆ Some Russian units have suffered up to 80% losses in the east, Ukraine claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some Russian units in the east have had 80% casualties, Ukraine's deputy defense minister said. This includes NATO intelligence that says Russia is losing 2,000 men for every 100 yards it gains. Hanna Maliar said in a statement on Thursday that up to 80% of personnel had been incapacitated in some Russian army units, including units of the Wagner paramilitary group. But other reports, accounts by Russian soldiers, as well as Western intelligence updates have all pointed to high losses within Russia's army, particularly in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence said on Friday that up to 200,000 Russian soldiers had likely been killed since the invasion started in February 2022.

☆ Cyclone Gabrielle death toll rises to five as recovery starts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - New Zealand stepped up recovery efforts on Thursday after Cyclone Gabrielle left at least five people dead and displaced 9,000 in the country's most damaging storm in decades. Gabrielle, which hit New Zealand on Sunday before making its way down the east coast of the North Island, cut off entire towns, washed away farms, bridges and livestock, and inundated homes, stranding people on rooftops. Parts of New Zealand's North Island, where about 75% of the country's 5 million residents live, are enduring their second major storm in as many weeks. Meteorological service MetService said Cyclone Gabrielle is now east of the country and continuing to track away from the North Island. The region was hardest hit during Cyclone Bola in 1988, which caused millions of dollars in damage and left seven people dead.

☆ Cyclone Gabrielle causes havoc in New Zealand, firefighter missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - A New Zealand firefighter is missing after a house slid down a hill in a beachside town near Auckland, as Cyclone Gabrielle pounds the country causing flooding, landslides and huge waves. Gabrielle, had been sitting 100 km (62 miles) northeast of Auckland over some small islands and is now moving southwest. The cyclone has brought heavy rain, flooding and gale force winds across the North Island and forced the evacuation of many beach settlements. States of emergency are in place in Auckland and seven other regions. Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Britain, Malta sign deal covering defence, migration
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VALLETTA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Britain and its former Mediterranean colony Malta signed a wide-ranging cooperation agreement on Friday covering areas including security and defence, migration, education, health and trade. The agreement was signed during a short visit to the island by British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who met Foreign Minister Ian Borg. Malta gained independence from Britain in 1964 and the two countries have traditionally enjoyed a close friendship. Britain and Malta have worked together on migration. Malta is on the main migration route across the Mediterranean from Libya to Europe, with many migrants then attempting to carry on to the UK.

☆ Wagner Group stops recruiting prisoners as growing numbers refuse to be enlisted on suicide missions, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Wagner Group has stopped recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, its founder said Thursday. One prisoner told Meduza they no longer want "even to discuss the possibility" of joining the war. "One of the prisoners who left [with Wagner Group] told me that after he asked [Wagner] representatives how much training there would be, [they told him], 'The battlefield will be your training.' Russian prisoners for Wagner also said they've witnessed public executions of deserters and those who failed to obey orders. The mercenary organization has now "completely" stopped recruiting prisoners, its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a Telegram statement on Thursday.

☆ Former Newcastle winger Atsu pulled alive from Turkey earthquake rubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Ghana international winger Christian Atsu has been found alive after being buried under rubble in the earthquake that hit Turkey, the vice president of his club Hatayspor told media on Tuesday. Our sporting director, Taner Savut, is unfortunately still under the rubble," club vice president Mustafa Ozat told Radyo Gol. loadingAtsu, 31, played in the Premier League for Newcastle United and Everton, on loan from Chelsea, and joined Hatayspor in September. He was last selected to play for Ghana in 2019, but has not officially retired from international football. Ozat told BeIN Sports on Monday several players and officials had been rescued from the rubble.

☆ The worst of the rain to hit New Zealand's Auckland may have passed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Lucy Caymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Four people were killed in flash floods and landslides that hit Auckland beginning on Friday as rainfall, that authorities say has been exacerbated at least in part by climate change, drenched the city. A state of emergency remains in place in Auckland but has been lifted in the Northland region to the north of the city. A house collapsed down a cliff injuring three people in a beach settlement near Auckland on Wednesday. The national meteorological service said the heaviest rains had passed Auckland although downpours were hitting to the southeast, in the regions of Coromandel and Bay of Plenty. Summers in New Zealand usually bring some rain but the region is experiencing the La Nina weather system, which can bring much heavier rain to the upper North Island.

☆ Don't expect price cuts on GM's $100,000 electric Hummer, despite EV discounts from Tesla and Ford
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla spurred an EV price war earlier this month, with price cuts to its most popular models. But GM said Tuesday it won’t make cuts to its electric vehicles. The automaker will not be responding to the latest price cuts from Tesla and Detroit-rival Ford by cutting prices for its own electric cars, chief financial officer Paul Jacobson said on a Tuesday media call ahead of GM's fourth quarter earnings call. Facing weakening demand, Tesla slashed the prices of some of its most popular models earlier this month. GM CEO Mary Barra said Tuesday she is confident the company is well-positioned with its current EV prices.

☆ Michael Haight is accused of killing his wife and 5 kids in a brutal Utah familicide. Police reports suggest he had a troubling pattern of aggression toward children.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Police say Michael Haight, 42, shot and killed his wife, Tausha Haight, 40, her mother, Gail Earl, 78, and the couple's five children, three girls, and two boys ages 4 to 17, before committing suicide. The couple had five children: Macie Haight, 17, Briley Haight, 12, Ammon Haight, 7, Sienna Haight, 7, and Gavin Haight, 4. The officer told her there was no indication Michael Haight would respond with violence, according to the report. At some point prior to the massacre, Tausha Haight told family members that her husband removed all the firearms from the home, her sister-in-law, told the AP. Park said he last met with Tausha Haight on Tuesday, January 3 — the day before the family's bodies were discovered.

☆ Hindenburg shorts India's Adani Group, flags debt and accounting concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The report, which comes days ahead of a $2.5 billion share offering by flagship firm Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS), sent shares in Adani group firms sliding. It also said that seven Adani listed companies have an 85% downside on a fundamental basis due to what it called "sky-high valuations". Adani Chief Financial Officer Jugeshinder Singh told media on Jan. 21 "Nobody has raised debt concerns to us. Refinitiv data shows that debt at all the Adani Group's seven key listed Adani companies exceeds equity, with debt at Adani Green Energy Ltd (ADNA.NS) exceeding equity by more than 2,000%. Shares in Adani Enterprises surged 125% in 2022, while other group companies, including power and gas units, rose more than 100%.

☆ Hindenburg says holds short positions in India's Adani
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Hindenburg Research said on Wednesday it holds short positions in Adani Group companies through U.S.-traded bonds and non-Indian-traded derivative instruments, sending shares of companies in the Indian conglomerate sliding. The company has repeatedly dismissed debt concerns. Adani Chief Financial Officer Jugeshinder Singh told media on Jan. 21 "Nobody has raised debt concerns to us. Shares in Adani Ports And Special Economic Zone (APSE.NS) slid 4.8% on Wednesday to their lowest level since mid-July while Adani Enterprises, the group's flagship company, dropped 2.5% to a 12-week low. Shares in Adani Enterprises surged 125% in 2022, while other group companies, including power and gas units, rose more than 100%.

Hindenburg, known for having shorted electric truck maker Nikola Corp (NKLA.O) and Twitter, said it holds short positions in Adani companies through U.S.-traded bonds and non-Indian-traded derivative instruments. Shares in Adani Transmission (ADAI.NS) fell 9%, Adani Ports And Special Economic Zone (APSE.NS) slipped 6.3% and Adani Enterprises ended down 1.5%. Adani Group's total gross debt in the financial year ended March 31, 2022, rose 40% to 2.2 trillion rupees. Refinitiv data shows debt at Adani Group's seven key listed Adani companies exceeds equity, with debt at Adani Green Energy Ltd (ADNA.NS) exceeding equity by more than 2,000%. Hindenburg also said it was concerned that a high proportion of equity held by promoters or key shareholders in Adani Group listed companies has been pledged for loans.

☆ Tank maker Rheinmetall raises sales view as Ukraine war boosts demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shares in Rheinmetall, which together with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann makes the Leopard tanks Germany is under pressure from Kyiv and some allies to send to Ukraine, have risen 170% in the past year. For 2022 the company expects sales of 6.5 billion euros. A company spokesperson told media group RND that it could deliver 139 Leopard tanks to Ukraine if needed. It could also supply 88 older Leopard 1 tanks, the spokesperson said, without giving a timeframe for potential delivery. It said positives, including mid-term defence spending, had been priced into the stock.

☆ Rheinmetall could deliver 139 Leopard tanks to Ukraine - RND
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Lehtikuva/Heikki Saukkomaa via REUTERSFRANKFURT, Jan 24 (Reuters) - German defence group Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE) could deliver 139 Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine if required, a spokesperson for the company told media group RND. Germany is coming under intense pressure from Ukraine and some NATO allies, such as Poland, to allow Kyiv to be supplied with German-made Leopard 2 tanks for its defence against Russia's invasion. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far held back from supplying the tanks or allowing other NATO countries to do so. Manufacturer Rheinmetall could deliver 29 Leopard 2A4 tanks by April/May and a further 22 of the same model around the end of 2023 or early 2024, the spokesperson was quoted as saying. It could also supply 88 older Leopard 1 tanks, the person said, without giving a timeframe for their potential delivery.

☆ George Santos appears to have claimed he acted in 'Hannah Montana' and with Uma Thurman in a movie she wasn't actually in
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Wikipedia user called Anthony Devolder made elaborate claims about his acting experience. The name is a known alias of GOP Rep. George Santos, who has made false claims about his past. No "Anthony Devolder" — or George Santos — was listed in the cast on IMDb. He has also at various times listed his full name as George Anthony Devolder Santos. He also went by the name George Devolder in social media posts in 2020, CNN reported.

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