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BRUSSELS, Oct 4 (Reuters) - European Union antitrust regulators have commissioned a study into mobile ecosystems to help them counter any pushback from Apple (AAPL.O) and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google in complying with new tech rules. They will also have to let users install apps from outside their app stores, a move which Apple said would make phones the target of malware or hijacking by cybercriminals. A tender for the study, worth 300,000 euros ($315,200), will run until Oct. 17, according to an announcement on the European Commission website. "The aim of the study is to support the supervision and enforcement of the DMA vis-a-vis the gatekeepers," the tender document said. ($1 = 0.9517 euros)Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Apple, Foo Yun Chee, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Union, Apple, Google, Markets, cybercriminals, European Commission, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS

Oil rigs are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $1.90, or 2.1%, to $88.89 per barrel. Energy analysts cited profit taking after crude prices rose nearly 30% in the third quarter to 10-month highs. A Reuters survey showed OPEC oil output rose for a second straight month in September despite cuts by Saudi Arabia. In Europe, manufacturing data showed the euro zone, Germany and Britain remained mired in a downturn in September, pressuring oil demand.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Brent, Jerome Powell, Scott DiSavino, Paul Carsten, Yuka Obayashi, Emily Chow, Kim Coghill, Kirsten Donovan, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, U.S ., . West Texas, Energy, New York Mercantile, Intercontinental Exchanges, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading, U.S, U.S . Federal Reserve, Treasury, ING, Organization of, Petroleum, Reuters, Bank, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Friday's, U.S, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, OPEC, Russia, Europe, Germany, Britain, China, New York, London, Tokyo

Oil rigs are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. Brent December crude futures rose $1.04 to $93.24 a barrel by 1124 GMT after falling 90 cents on Friday. Both benchmarks rallied nearly 30% in the third quarter on forecasts of a wide crude supply deficit in the fourth quarter after Saudi Arabia and Russia extended additional supply cuts to the end of the year. A Reuters survey on Monday showed OPEC oil output rose for a second straight month in September, led by increases in Nigeria and Iran despite cuts by Saudi Arabia. Despite the brighter China news, European manufacturing data showed the euro zone, Germany and Britain all remained mired in a downturn in September - bad news for oil demand.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Baker Hughes, Brent, Hiroyuki Kikukawa, Haitham Al Ghais, Paul Carsten, Yuka Obayashi, Emily Chow, Kim Coghill, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, . West Texas, of, Petroleum, Reuters, NS, ING, PMI, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Russia, OPEC, Nigeria, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, China, Germany, Britain, London, Tokyo

Oil rigs are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. Brent December crude futures rose 17 cents, or 0.18%, to $92.37 a barrel by 0802 GMT after falling 90 cents on Friday. Brent November futures settled 7 cents lower at $95.31 a barrel at the contract's expiry on Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained 26 cents, or 0.29%, to $91.05 a barrel, after losing 92 cents on Friday. Both benchmarks rallied nearly 30% in the third quarter on forecasts of a wide crude supply deficit in the fourth quarter after Saudi Arabia and Russia extended additional supply cuts to the end of the year.

☆ UK house prices fall by 5.3% in 12 months to September - Nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 2 (Reuters) - British house prices in September were 5.3% lower than a year earlier, matching their fall in August which was the biggest annual drop since 2009, figures from mortgage lender Nationwide showed on Monday. In month-on-month terms, prices were unchanged in September after a 0.8% fall in August, Nationwide said. Britain's housing market has slowed as borrowing costs mount, but the fall in house prices so far remains much less marked than their jump of about 25% between the start of the coronavirus pandemic and September last year. The combination of rising wages and lower house prices and mortgage rates would probably improve affordability in the housing market over time although it was set to remain subdued in the interim, he said. Transaction volumes for flats were holding up better than other property types, possibly reflecting how prices for smaller homes did not rise as much during the pandemic, Nationwide said.

Persons: Robert Gardner, William Schomberg, Louise Heavens, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Nationwide, Bank of England, Thomson

Oct 2 (Reuters) - Russian technology company Astra on Monday said it was planning to list its shares on Moscow Exchange this month in an initial public offering (IPO), potentially breathing some life into Russia's moribund equity capital markets. Electric scooter firm Whoosh (WUSH.MM) was the only Russian firm to hold an IPO last year, but its debut raised less than half its initial target and relied heavily on Russian retail investors for capital. Astra dominates Russia's operating system (OS) market with its Astra Linux software. Alfa Bank analysts valued Astra, which more than doubled its core earnings year on year to 5.4 billion roubles in 2022, at around 70 billion-90 billion roubles ($707 million-$909 million) in a report published on Monday. Also on Monday, spirits producer Kristall said it was hoping to raise 1.5 billion roubles in a fourth quarter IPO on Moscow Exchange, something it said would significantly accelerate growth.

Persons: pipemaker, Ilya Sivtsev, Sivtsev, Kristall, Alexander Marrow, Louise Heavens, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Astra, Moscow, Astra Linux, Reuters, Alfa Bank, Moscow Exchange, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine

☆ Hungary plans to sell 'non-strategic assets' to buy Budapest Airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Hungary plans to sell non-strategic assets to partially finance its acquisition of Budapest airport, Economic Development Minister Marton Nagy told reporters on the sidelines of a business conference on Monday. He did not say which assets the government might sell. Since Prime Minister Viktor Orban took power in 2010, his government has boosted Hungarian ownership in the energy, banking, telecoms and media sectors. The government submitted a new formal bid for a majority stake in Budapest Airport last month, with talks underway with several airport operators, one of them in Qatar, to join as a minority partner. Reporting by Gergely Szakacs Writing by Boldizsar Gyori; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Marton Nagy, Viktor Orban, Gergely, Boldizsar Gyori, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Economic, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, Budapest, Qatar

☆ Credit Suisse, Mozambique reach out-of-court 'tuna bond' settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Credit Suisse is seen outside its office building in Hong Kong, China, August 8, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsZURICH, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse has reached an 11th-hour out-of-court settlement with Mozambique over the $1.5 billion-plus "tuna bond" scandal, the Swiss bank's new owner UBS (UBSG.S) said on Sunday, drawing a line under a damaging dispute it inherited. "The parties have mutually released each other from any liabilities and claims relating to the transactions," UBS said. The tuna bond case dates back to three deals between state-owned Mozambican companies and shipbuilder Privinvest - funded in part by loans and bonds from Credit Suisse and backed by undisclosed Mozambican government guarantees. UBS, which rescued scandal-scarred Credit Suisse amid turmoil in the global banking sector earlier this year, has a financial buffer of as much as $10 billion for litigation, JPMorgan analysts estimated in a note to clients on Wednesday.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, corruptly, Noele Illien, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Credit Suisse, REUTERS, Rights, UBS, Privinvest, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, Mozambique, Swiss, London, Mozambican

☆ Slovak Party PS Says It Will Still Try to Form Coalition After Fico Win
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Liberal party Progresivne Slovensko (Progressive Slovakia, PS), which won the second highest number of votes in a Slovak parliamentary election, still sees an option to form a ruling coalition, its leader Michal Simecka said on Sunday. Simecka, speaking after the Saturday election, said PS would do what it can to prevent vote winner SMER-SSD from forming a government. "SMER-SSD won the election, we of course respect that," Simecka told a news conference. And it would be even worse news if Robert Fico succeeds in forming a government,” he added. "We will do everything...so that Robert Fico does not rule in Slovakia."

Persons: Progresivne Slovensko, Michal Simecka, Robert Fico, Simecka, ”, SMER, HLAS, Jan Lopatka, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Liberal Locations: BRATISLAVA, Progressive Slovakia, Ukraine, Slovakia

☆ Five new cargo vessels heading for Ukrainian Black Sea ports -MarineTraffic
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Liberia-flagged bulk carriers Eneida and Ying Hao 01 are seen in the sea as they leave the sea ports of Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Odesa, Ukraine October 1, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Five new ships are on their way to Ukrainian sea ports using a new corridor opened to resume predominantly agricultural exports, an alternative arrangement to the Black Sea grain deal blocked by Russia, the MarineTraffic database showed on Sunday. The MarineTraffic database showed earlier on Sunday that three cargo vessels left Ukrainian Black Sea ports after loading, the latest to sail since Kyiv set up a temporary "humanitarian corridor" after Russia quit a deal allowing safe passage for Ukraine exports. The database identified the five vessels heading towards the ports as Olga, Ida, Forza Doria, New Legacy and Danny Boy. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said last month that three cargo ships were heading towards Ukrainian Black Sea ports for further food and steel exports.

Persons: Ying Hao, Stringer, Olga, Ida, Forza, Danny Boy, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Moscow, Pavel Polityuk, Michael Perry, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Russia, United, Thomson Locations: Liberia, Chornomorsk, Ukraine, Odesa, Russia, Ukrainian, Forza Doria, China, Egypt, Spain, Moscow, Kyiv, United Nations, Turkey

☆ Five more cargo ships head for Ukraine's Black Sea ports -deputy PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Liberia-flagged bulk carriers Eneida and Ying Hao 01 are seen in the sea as they leave the sea ports of Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Odesa, Ukraine October 1, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Five more ships are on their way to Ukrainian sea ports using a new corridor opened to resume predominantly agricultural exports, an alternative arrangement to the Black Sea grain deal blocked by Russia, a top Ukrainian official said on Sunday. "5 new vessels are waiting to be loaded in Ukrainian ports," Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on the X social media platform. "Bulk carriers OLGA, IDA, DANNY BOY, FORZA DORIA, NEW LEGACY are going to export almost 120,000 (metric) tons of Ukrainian grain to Africa and Europe," he added. The three cargo vessels are the latest to sail since Kyiv set up a temporary "humanitarian corridor" after Russia quit a deal allowing safe passage for Ukraine's exports.

Persons: Ying Hao, Stringer, Oleksandr Kubrakov, DANNY BOY, FORZA, Kubrakov, Moscow, Pavel Polityuk, Michael Perry, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, FORZA DORIA, Ukrainian Navy, Russia, United, Thomson Locations: Liberia, Chornomorsk, Ukraine, Odesa, Russia, Africa, Europe, Moscow, Kyiv, United Nations, Turkey

☆ Slovak party PS says it will still try to form coalition after Fico win
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRATISLAVA, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Liberal party Progresivne Slovensko (Progressive Slovakia, PS), which won the second highest number of votes in a Slovak parliamentary election, still sees an option to form a ruling coalition, its leader Michal Simecka said on Sunday. Simecka, speaking after the Saturday election, said PS would do what it can to prevent vote winner SMER-SSD from forming a government. "SMER-SSD won the election, we of course respect that," Simecka told a news conference. And it would be even worse news if Robert Fico succeeds in forming a government,” he added. "We will do everything...so that Robert Fico does not rule in Slovakia."

Persons: Progresivne Slovensko, Michal Simecka, Robert Fico, Simecka, ”, SMER, HLAS, Jan Lopatka, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Liberal, Thomson Locations: BRATISLAVA, Progressive Slovakia, Ukraine, Slovakia

☆ Ukraine shot down 16 of 30 Russian drones, Air Forces say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Ukraine's air defence systems shot down 16 out of around 30 drones that Russia launched on Ukraine's territory overnight, Ukrainian Air Forces said on Sunday. It said on Telegram messaging app that drones were launched from the southern, southeastern and northern directions. Authorities said the central Ukrainian Cherkasy region was under the attack. "At night, the enemy massively attacked our Cherkasy region with attack drones. The Ukrainian presidential office said in a statement that civilian infrastructure and warehouses were also damaged in the southern Mykolaiv region and eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.

Persons: Ihor Taburets, Pavel Polityuk, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Ukrainian Air Forces, Authorities, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukrainian Cherkasy region, Cherkasy, Uman, Ukrainian, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk

"The discussion about where the tax burden should fall I think is one that we need to take, not now, but in a little bit (of) time," Gove told Sky News. "I would like to see the tax burden reduced before the next election," he said, adding that workers should be the focus of any such reductions. "Rishi Sunak is desperate for people to think he’s in charge," said Jon Ashworth, a member of leader Keir Starmer's team. Liz Truss, Sunak's predecessor, and other senior Conservative lawmakers signed a letter on Saturday saying they would not support "any new taxes that increase the overall tax burden". "We're not in a position to talk about tax cuts at all."

Persons: Michael Gove, Phil Noble, Gove, Sunak, Rishi Sunak, Opinium, Labour's, Jon Ashworth, Keir Starmer's, Liz Truss, Jeremy Hunt, We're, Elizabeth Piper, Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill, Kirsten Donovan, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Britain’s, REUTERS, Conservatives, Labour Party, Sky News, Conservative, Labour, for Fiscal Studies, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain, MANCHESTER, England

☆ Chinese hedge fund punished for "inappropriate" staff behaviour -AMAC
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Shanghai Minghong Investment Management Co, one of China's largest quantitative hedge funds, has been banned from registering new products for three months due to "inappropriate" staff behaviour, the Asset Management Association of China said. Shanghai Minghong failed to conduct effective internal control over issues such as employees' "inappropriate comments" about the company's peers on social media and failed to promptly urge them to make rectifications, the association said in a statement dated Sept. 29. The measures against Shanghai Minghong, established in 2014, come as the sector rapidly expands, with total funds managed nearly doubling to more than 1.08 trillion yuan ($148 billion) in 2021 from a year earlier, according to industry estimates. Shanghai Minghong could not be immediately reached for comment on Saturday due to a public holiday in China. ($1 = 7.3010 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ryan Woo and Tina Qiao; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shanghai Minghong, Ryan Woo, Tina Qiao, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Shanghai Minghong Investment Management Co, Asset Management Association of China, China Securities, Shanghai Minghong, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Shanghai, China

☆ German inflation falls to lowest level since start of Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 28 (Reuters) - German inflation fell in September to its lowest level since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, signalling what could be the beginning of the end for the high inflation that has weighed heavily on Europe's largest economy. Germany's core inflation rate, which excludes volatile items such as food and energy, fell to 4.6% year-on-year from 5.5% in August. Meanwhile, five economic institutes predict Germany's economy will shrink by 0.6% this year, as rising interest rates take their toll on investment and still high inflation depresses consumption. The ECB is keeping a close eye on euro zone inflation data, with September's reading due to be published on Friday. Spain earlier reported a 3.2% harmonised inflation rate for September.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Ralph Solveen, ING's Carsten Brzeski, Brzeski, Maria Martinez, Miranda Murray, Friederike Heine, Kirsten Donovan, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Union, Reuters, ECB, Central, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Russia, Ukraine, Spain

The first phase of the construction of the Northvolt Six factory just outside Montreal will begin this year and it is expected to be operational in 2026. Northvolt will invest $3.2 billion of the total with the local and federal government each contributing $1 billion, Northvolt Co-Founder Paolo Cerruti told Reuters. "We looked at 70 different sites at the beginning of this process," Cerruti said. The $369-billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed last year has prompted companies including Northvolt to look across the Atlantic, attracted by hefty subsidies and cheaper energy. "This size of investment and project can not happen if you don't have an anchor customer," he said.

Persons: Northvolt, Paolo Cerruti, Cerruti, Supantha Mukherjee, Divya Rajagopal, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Reuters, Northvolt, Canada, Ontario, BMW, RIC, Volvo, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, TORONTO, Swedish, Quebec, Canadian, Montreal, Northvolt North America, United States, Canada, Scania, North America, Stockholm, Toronto

☆ Germany's Scholz "not convinced" about tariffs on Chinese EVs -Wirtschaftswoche
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Sept 28 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told business weekly Wirtschaftswoche that he was not convinced about the need to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EV). The European Commission is investigating whether it should impose punitive tariffs to protect European Union automakers from cheaper Chinese EV imports it says are benefiting from state subsidies. "I am not very convinced of this, to put it politely," Scholz told Wirtschaftswoche in an interview published on Thursday. "Our economic model should not be based or rely on protectionism - but on the attractiveness of our products." Reporting by Maria Martinez; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Wirtschaftswoche, Maria Martinez, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: European, European Union automakers, South, Thomson Locations: South Korean

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) has won court backing for now in its fight against EU tech rules that label it as a very large online platform (VLOP) required to provide researchers and authorities access to its ad repositories to see how ads are targeted. The U.S. online retailer took its grievance to Europe's second highest court, the Luxembourg-based General Court, in July after EU antitrust regulators in April designated it as a VLOP along with 18 other platforms and search engines. Amazon welcomed the interim measure, calling it an "an important first step that supports our broader position that Amazon doesn't fit the description of a 'Very Large Online Platform' (VLOP) under the DSA, and therefore should not be designated as such". The Court dismissed the second part of Amazon's application. The case is T‑367/23 R, Amazon Services Europe Sarl vs Commission.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Foo Yun Chee, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, EU, Digital Services, The, Amazon, DSA, Amazon Services Europe, Commission, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Rights BRUSSELS, U.S, Luxembourg

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a government meeting via a video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, September 27, 2023. The impact on refined product supplies bolstered global oil prices , which rose to their highest since last November. Russian domestic fuel prices initially eased on the local commodity exchange, but began to creep up again after an easing of the restrictions was announced over the weekend. The government is also reconsidering a cut to damper payments, or subsidies to oil refineries, which began this month, he said. Wholesale fuel prices spiked, although retail prices are capped to try and keep them in line with the official rate of inflation.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, Novak, Putin, Alexander Novak, Vladimir Soldatkin, Jan Harvey, Kirsten Donovan, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Kremlin, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Putin, Wednesday, Traders, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW

☆ Kia, Hyundai recall 3.37 million US vehicles over fire risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] The Kia EV9 is displayed at the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 5, 2023. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Hyundai (005380.KS) and Kia (000270.KS) are recalling a combined 3.37 million vehicles in the United States due to the risk of engine fires, telling owners to park outside and away from structures until repairs are complete. The automakers say brake fluid leaks can cause a short that could lead to a fire. Hyundai said it has reports of 21 fires and 21 other thermal incidents since 2017 related to the recall, while Kia has reports of at least 10 confirmed fires and melting incidents. Kia America's recall covers 1.73 million Borrego, Cadenza, Forte, Sportage, K900, Optima, Soul Rio, Sorento, and Rondo vehicles.

Persons: Kia EV9, David, Dee, Delgado, Kia, Kia America's, Forte, Sportage, Jyoti Narayan, Kanjyik Ghosh, Jan Harvey, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: New York, REUTERS, Rights, Hyundai, Kia, National, Traffic Safety Administration, Control, Tucson Fuel Cell, Santa Fe Sport, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, KS, United States, Santa Fe, Veracruz, Tucson, Santa, Bengaluru

The officials inspected laptops of Lenovo employees during the visit, one of the sources said. They also tried to contact Lenovo's senior management during and after the visit as part of the inquiry, the person added. Lenovo, which confirmed the visit, said it was "co-operating with the authorities and will provide all possible support required". Earlier in the day, Reuters reported that tax officers also visited the facilities of contract manufacturer Flex Ltd in Tamil Nadu state. Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru and Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Editing by Toby Chopra, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thomas White, Munsif, Aditya Kalra, Toby Chopra, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Lenovo, REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, Reuters, Flex, Thomson Locations: Puducherry, Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu, New Delhi

☆ CD Projekt's 'Phantom Liberty' rated very positive on Steam
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GDANSK, Sept 26 (Reuters) - "Phantom Liberty", the long-awaited expansion to Polish video game developer CD Projekt's (CDR.WA) flagship game "Cyberpunk 2077", had received a "very positive" rating on Steam platform based on 1,067 user reviews just few hours after game's launch on Tuesday. Cyberpunk 2077, which is offered at a 40% discount, has led the top sellers chart on Steam platform since Monday, with Phantom Liberty in second place. The release of Phantom Liberty is CD Projekt's first major game premiere since bug-ridden launch of Cyberpunk 2077 in December 2020. "Phantom Liberty is Cyberpunk 2077 at its best. The expansion is the last project to be developed on CD Projekt's own technology RED Engine, with the company switching to external Unreal Engine for its upcoming developments, that include Cyberpunk sequel.

Persons: Keanu Reeves, Johnny Silverhand, Idris Elba, Solomon Reed, Adrianna Ebert, Kirsten Donovan, Michael Perry Organizations: Phantom Liberty, Liberty, PlayStation, GameSpot, Thomson Locations: GDANSK, American

☆ ASM International raises 2025 revenue guidance
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 26 (Reuters) - Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASM International (ASMI.AS) raised its revenue target for 2025 on Tuesday, saying its innovation strategy and transition to new technologies would reap results. The Amsterdam-listed company now expects revenue to reach 3 billion euros to 3.6 billion euros ($3.81 billion) in two years time, up from a previous estimate of 2.8 billion to 3.4 billion euros. ASM International also reiterated its gross margin target at 46-50% and its operating margin target at 26-31% for 2023-2025. ALD, a technique in semi-conductor manufacturing using ultra-thin layers of material, accounted for more than half of the company's revenue from equipment sales in 2022. The group also confirmed its overall sales target for the upcoming quarter at between 580 million and 620 million euros.

Persons: Benjamin Loh, Victor Goury, Pierre John Felcenloben, Christopher Cushing, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: ASM, ASM International, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam

☆ Israeli tech firms raised $1.7 bln in Q3 in sign of stabilisation -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Israeli high-tech firms raised $1.7 billion in the third quarter, preliminary data showed on Tuesday, in a sign that investment in startups is stabilising. The amount raised in the third quarter was down 38% over the same period in 2022 but only 14% lower from the second quarter, the IVC Research Center and LeumiTech said in a report. Israeli tech companies have raised $5.3 billion so far this year, with $1.9 billion coming in the second quarter. In all of 2022, tech firms raised nearly $16 billion, mainly in the first half before the global economic slowdown, higher interest rates and weak stock markets hit. The Israeli government's plan to overhaul the country's judiciary has also harmed fundraising, with many investors wary and vocal about the country's democratic health.

Persons: LeumiTech, Maya Eisen, Steven Scheer, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: IVC Research, Thomson Locations: Israeli

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