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☆ The Race to Save Ketchup: Building a Tomato for a Hotter World
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Patrick Thomas | Photographs Max Whittaker For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In the heart of one of the world’s top vegetable-growing regions in California, scientists are on a mission to save ketchup. Plant breeders at the Woodland, Calif., facility of German pharmaceutical and agriculture giant Bayer are testing whether tomatoes meant for processing into pizza sauces and ketchup can survive on a fraction of their traditional water needs, without sacrificing taste or juiciness.

Locations: California, Calif

☆ Activist investor Ubben shutting down Inclusive Capital-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jeffrey Ubben, Founder & CEO at ValueAct Capital, speaks on the Reuters Newsmaker event "The Future of Shareholder Activism" in Manhattan, New York, U.S., February 22, 2017. Ubben told investors in a memo he was winding down some funds and returning capital, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Ubben and Inclusive Capital, known as InCap, did not respond to calls and emails for comment. Last year more hedge funds closed their doors than launched, data from Hedge Fund Research show. More than two decades ago, Ubben, 61, who started his career at mutual fund giant Fidelity, founded ValueAct Capital in San Francisco.

Persons: Jeffrey Ubben, Andrew Kelly, Jeff Ubben, Ubben, InCap, Martha Stewart, John Paulson, Louis Bacon, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Sabrina Valle, Josie Kao Organizations: ValueAct, Reuters, REUTERS, Capital Partners, Inclusive, Hedge Fund Research, Fidelity, Microsoft, Street Journal, Exxon, Rad Laboratories, Unifi Inc, Bayer, Svea, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York, U.S, San Francisco, Houston

☆ Bayer CEO Says Breakup Wouldn’t Fix All of the Company’s Ills
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bayer CEO Bill Anderson is contending with his predecessor’s disastrous Monsanto acquisition and the need to re-energize Bayer’s drug pipeline. Photo: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg NewsBERLIN— Bayer Chief Executive Bill Anderson said the company would bounce back quickly from a recent spate of bad news, and warned that a breakup of the pharmaceutical and agricultural company was no universal cure for its ailments. A stream of negative news has rekindled calls from investors for Bayer to unlock value by spinning off its units into separate businesses. But in an interview with The Wall Street Journal this week, Anderson said the company couldn’t be distracted from the tough restructuring to fix the businesses.

Persons: Bill Anderson, Krisztian Bocsi, Anderson Organizations: Bloomberg, BERLIN — Bayer, Bayer, Wall

☆ Exclusive: Bayer holds call with bond investors after raft of bad news
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Shankar Ramakrishnan | Thomson Reuters | Shankar Ramakrishnan Has Nearly Years Of Financial Journalism Experience In Writing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The bad news prompted some bond investors to question whether Bayer should sweeten the terms of the deal or outright pull it, one of the sources said. The drug-to-pesticides group priced the investment grade bond on Thursday last week, with the deal closing on Tuesday. Bayer priced bonds with maturities between three to 30 years. It was the 10th largest investment grade bond deal by an industrial company this year and attracted more than $22 billion in orders, according to Informa Global Markets. The events were "not enough to trigger a material adverse change clause in bond documents for investors to ask to be paid back," said CreditSights' Brady.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Bayer, Andrew Brady, CreditSights, JP Morgan, Wells, Brady, Shankar Ramakrishnan, Ludwig Burger, Mike Erman, Paritosh Bansal, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Bayer AG, REUTERS, Bayer, Nomura Holdings, Informa Global Markets, Citigroup, Nikko Securities America, RIC, Thomson Locations: Leverkusen, Germany, Seattle

☆ Monsanto hit with $165 million verdict over PCBs in Seattle school
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Clark Mindock | Companies Need To Integrate Climate Reporting Across Functions To Comply With California S New Law | Henry Engler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - A U.S. jury has ordered Bayer's Monsanto to pay $165 million to employees of a school northeast of Seattle who claimed chemicals made by the company called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, leaked from light fixtures and got them sick. The award included nearly $50 million in compensatory damages, and $115 million in punitive damages. Monsanto said in a statement that it will contest Monday's verdict, and that blood, air and other tests show the school employees were not exposed to unsafe levels of PCBs. PCBs are chemicals once widely used to insulate electrical equipment and in other common products like carbon copy paper, caulking, floor finish and paint. Employees, students and others have claimed in numerous lawsuits against the company that exposure to PCBs at the Sky Valley center caused their cancers, thyroid conditions and other health problems.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Monsanto, Clark Mindock, Alexia Garamfalvi, Richard Chang Organizations: Bayer AG, REUTERS, Monsanto, Sky Valley Education, Thomson Locations: Leverkusen, Germany, U.S, Seattle, Washington, Sky, Monroe , Washington

The Nasdaq boasted its highest closing level since July 31 while the S&P 500 registered its highest close since Aug. 1. Its biggest boost came from Microsoft (MSFT.O) shares which touched a record high and ended up 2%. The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) ended less than 1% below its 2023 closing peak reached in late July. Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2023. The S&P 500 posted 29 new 52-week highs and one new low; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 78 new highs and 90 new lows.

Persons: Bristol Myers, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Bruce Zaro, Dow, Brendan McDermid, Germany's Bayer, decliners, Sinéad Carew, Amruta, Maju Samuel, Pooja Desai, Richard Chang Organizations: Microsoft, Bristol, Dow, Nasdaq, Nasdaq's, Nvidia, Apple, Granite Wealth Management, Dow Jones, Federal, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Graphics, Traders, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sunday, Boeing, Deutsche Bank, NYSE, Thomson Locations: Providence , Rhode Island, New York City, U.S, Thursday's U.S, New York

[1/3] Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., November 17, 2023. Closely watched U.S. treasury yields slipped after auction, while global oil futures gained $2 on the prospect of supply cuts. Europe's benchmark STOXX index (.STOXX) inched up 0.1%, with energy stocks (.SXEP) leading gains. The healthcare sector (.SXDP) fell after shares in Bayer (BAYGn.DE) dropped to their lowest in 14 years. The dollar index fell to 103.26, its weakest since the start of September, as investors appeared to solidify bets that the Fed could start cutting interest rates next year.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Dow Jones, Quincy Krosby, Krosby, Ricardo Evangelista, Goldman Sachs, Moody's, Brent, Chris Prentice, Wayne Cole, Lawrence White, Lincoln, Susan Fenton, Will Dunham, Sharon Singleton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Nvidia, U.S, Bayer, Nasdaq, Microsoft, Nikkei, Trading, LPL, Tech, European Central Bank, NAB, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, SYDNEY, Thursday's U.S, United States, Europe, Italy, New York, Sydney, London

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2023. The S&P 500 information technology sub-index (.SPLRCT), up 1.6%, was the top gainer among the S&P 500's 11 major sectors, getting its biggest boost from Microsoft's shares (MSFT.O) which touched a record high and were last up 2%. Microsoft will also take on Greg Brockman, another OpenAI cofounder, as well as other researchers. The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) was also closing back in on its year-to-date high reached in July, just a little over 1% below the milestone. The S&P 500 posted 25 new 52-week highs and one new low; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 70 new highs and 78 new lows.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Bristol Myers, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Bruce Zaro, Germany's Bayer, decliners, Sinéad Carew, Amruta, Maju Samuel, Pooja Desai, Richard Chang Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Microsoft, Bristol, Dow, Nasdaq, Apple, Nvidia, Investors, Granite Wealth Management, Dow Jones, Federal, Traders, Graphics, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sunday, Boeing, Deutsche Bank, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Providence , Rhode Island, Thursday's U.S, New York

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2023. Microsoft's shares (MSFT.O) advanced 2% before the bell after CEO Satya Nadella said Altman is set to join the company to lead a new advanced AI research team. Other megacap stocks were mixed, with Nvidia (NVDA.O) edging 0.6% higher, while Alphabet (GOOGL.O) slipped 0.8%. The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) is now only 2% away from its highest level this year reached in July. ET, Dow e-minis were up 18 points, or 0.05%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 3.5 points, or 0.08%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 28.25 points, or 0.18%.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Bristol Myers, Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, Altman, Susannah Streeter, Hargreaves Lansdown, Nvidia, Germany's Bayer, Amruta Khandekar, Maju Samuel Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Microsoft, Bristol, Dow, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Nvidia, Fed, Traders, Dow e, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sunday, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S

☆ Bayer Shares Tumble After Clinical Trial Failure, Loss in Roundup Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Adrià Calatayud | Jared S. Hopkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bayer’s court loss on its Roundup weedkiller was the fourth decision in a row to go against the company. Photo: wolfgang rattay/ReutersBayer shares fell sharply after the company stopped a late-stage study for a blood-thinning drug early because of lack of efficacy and was told to pay $1.56 billion in a lawsuit relating to its Roundup weedkiller. Bayer said late Sunday that it discontinued a Phase 3 clinical trial to test its experimental drug asundexian for prevention of stroke and systemic embolism for patients with the heart-rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation.

Persons: wolfgang rattay, Bayer Organizations: Bayer

Parent Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI) announced the resignation of Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin days after a network-wide outage left nearly half of Australia's 26 million people without phone or internet for 12 hours. Appointed in April 2020, Rosmarin headed Optus through two national scandals that have tarnished the reputation of the telco giant. A massive data hack last year exposed the personal data of 10 million Australians and triggered a class action lawsuit and multiple investigations from regulators. Optus executives told the parliamentary hearing on Friday the telco provider had not foreseen a network-wide outage and so had no backup plan in place. (This story has been corrected to change date of Optus network outage to earlier this month, not last week, in paragraph 7)Reporting by Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru, and Lewis Jackson and Byron Kaye in Sydney; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kelly Bayer, Michael Venter, Singtel, Rosmarin, ”, telco, Yuen Kuan, Peter Kaliaropoulos, Himanshi, Lewis Jackson, Byron Kaye, Lisa Shumaker, Stephen Coates Organizations: telco Optus, Parent Singapore Telecommunications, Optus, Triple, Thomson Locations: Optus, Bengaluru, Sydney

☆ Stocks making the biggest premarket moves: Boeing, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chegg, Krispy Kreme and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Check out the companies making the biggest moves in premarket trading: Boeing — The aerospace stock added 1.5% following an upgrade to buy from hold by Deutsche Bank. PENN Entertainment — The gambling stock popped 4.4% on the back of a Bank of America upgrade to buy from neutral. The Food and Drug Administration won't be able to meet to make a decision by the target date of Dec. 16. Krispy Kreme — Shares of the doughnut chain slipped 1.8% following a downgrade by JPMorgan to neutral from overweight. Vale — U.S.-listed shares of the Brazil-based metal and mining company added 2.6% following an upgrade by Bank of America to buy from neutral.

Persons: Sam Altman, Cantor Fitzgerald, Bristol Myers, Krispy, Krispy Kreme, Goldman Sachs, Iovance, Morgan Stanley, Terri Kelly, Kelly, —, Sarah Min, Alex Harring, Michael Bloom Organizations: Boeing, Deutsche Bank, Microsoft, PENN Entertainment, Bank of America, ESPN Bet, Myers, Drug Administration, Bristol, JPMorgan, Bros, Rentals, United Rentals Locations: Bristol, Vale — U.S, Brazil

☆ OpenAI Upheaval in Focus, Microsoft Stock Edges Higher: Stock Market News Today
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft stock was gaining after the software giant said Sam Altman—OpenAI's fired chief executive—would lead its new advanced AI research team . Now more than 500 OpenAI employees have threatened to leave the company if the current board doesn't resign and reinstate Altman. The chip maker’s stock—which has been a big contributor to the S&P 500's gains this year—was also higher in recent trading. All three major stock indexes are coming off their third straight weekly advance, including a 2.2% gain for the S&P 500. Benchmarks in Asia mostly rose, with consumer and tech stocks helping push Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index up 1.9%.

Persons: Sam Altman — OpenAI's, —, Altman, Javier Milei Organizations: Microsoft, Nvidia, Nasdaq, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, U.S, Treasury, greenback, Global Locations: OpenAI, U.S, Europe, Asia

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2023. Microsoft's shares (MSFT.O) advanced 1.4%, notching a record high after CEO Satya Nadella said Altman is set to join the company to lead a new advanced AI research team. The Fed is expected to issue minutes of its November meeting on Tuesday, which will be parsed for clues on the direction of U.S. interest rates. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.03-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.39-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded eight new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 32 new highs and 24 new lows.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Bristol Myers, Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, Altman, Ken Polcari, Nvidia, Germany's Bayer, Amruta Khandekar, Maju Samuel Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Microsoft, Bristol, Dow, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Kace Capital Advisors, Traders, Dow Jones, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sunday, United Rentals, Ashtead, Boeing, Deutsche Bank, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S

☆ Bayer stops blood thinner drug trial due to lack of effect, in major setback
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Ludwig Burger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Logo and flags of Bayer AG are pictured outside a plant of the German pharmaceutical and chemical maker in Wuppertal, Germany August 9, 2019. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 19 (Reuters) - Germany's Bayer (BAYGn.DE) has aborted a large late-stage trial testing a new anti-clotting drug due to lack of efficacy, dealing a fresh blow to the embattled drugmaker and throwing its most promising medium-term development project in doubt. The trial halt, which followed recommendation of independent trial supervisors, marks another setback for a company burdened by a weak herbicide business, high debt and by U.S. lawsuits over the alleged carcinogenic effect of its commonly used Roundup weedkiller. Bayer said it will further analyse the data of the discontinued trial, known as OCEANIC-AF, which was initiated in August 2022. It said the independent trial supervisors recommended the continuation of a separate phase III trial, OCEANIC-STROKE, testing asundexian to prevent repeated strokes in participants who have already suffered one.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Germany's Bayer, Bill Anderson, Bayer, Stefan Oelrich, Johnson, Ludwig Burger, Jose Joseph, Miranda Murray, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Bayer AG, REUTERS, Bristol, Myers Squibb, Johnson, Thomson Locations: Wuppertal, Germany, United States, asundexian, U.S, Frankfurt, Bengaluru

☆ Morning Bid: Thanksgiving starters of AI and oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 26, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsA look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan. Thanksgiving may make for a clipped U.S. markets week, but there's plenty to chew on around the world before then - and a feast of intrigue in the artificial intelligence space. His plans include shutting the central bank, ditching the peso and dollarizing the economy and slashing spending with potentially painful reforms. The risk premium between German and Italian 10-year yields tightened to 170 bps - the lowest since Sept. 21.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, Sam Altman, That's, thrall, Javier Milei, Milei, Jeremy Hunt, Andrew Bailey ,, Francois Villeroy de, Pablo Hernandez de Cos, Ed Osmond Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Microsoft, Big Tech, Nvidia, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Bank, Bayer, Federal Reserve Bank of England, Andrew Bailey , Bank of France, Bank of Spain, Technologies, Keysight Technologies, Holdings Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, OPEC, Tokyo, Europe, Canada, Francois Villeroy de Galhau

☆ Australian telco Optus CEO resigns days after network-wide outage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 20 (Reuters) - Australia's second-largest telco Optus' Chief Executive Officer Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has resigned, its parent Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI) said on Monday, days after a network-wide outage left nearly half the country without phone or internet for 12 hours. Optus has appointed Chief Financial Officer Michael Venter as interim CEO. Peter Kaliaropoulos was appointed to a newly created position of chief operating officer, SingTel added. More than 10 million Australians were hit by the 12-hour network blackout at the nation's second-largest telco for much of Wednesday, triggering fury and frustration among customers and raising wider concerns about the telecommunications infrastructure. Reporting by Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, Michael Venter, Peter Kaliaropoulos, SingTel, Yuen Kuan, Himanshi, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Optus, Singapore Telecommunications, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Bayer ordered to pay $1.56 billion in latest US trial loss over Roundup weedkiller
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Tom Hals | Thomson Reuters | Tom Hals Is An Award-Winning Reporter With Years Of Experience Working In Asia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Logo of Bayer AG is pictured at the annual results news conference of the German drugmaker in Leverkusen, Germany February 27, 2019. Each was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma that they alleged was caused by using Roundup on their family property. Bayer has said that decades of studies have shown Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, are safe for human use. The verdict is the fourth straight loss in court for Bayer, after the company had been found not liable to plaintiffs in nine consecutive trials. In 2020, Bayer settled most of the then-pending Roundup cases for up to $10.9 billion.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Bayer, Valorie Gunther, Jimmy Draeger of, Daniel Anderson of, Draeger's, Brenda, Bart Rankin, Forrest Weldon, Tom Hals, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Bayer AG, REUTERS, Bayer, Monsanto, Union Investment, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, EU Commission, European Food Agency, European Chemicals Agency, Thomson Locations: Leverkusen, Germany, Missouri, Cole County , Missouri, New York, Jimmy Draeger of Missouri, Daniel Anderson of California, Wilmington , Delaware

☆ Bayer Cancels Asundexian Phase III Study Program
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Germany's Bayer AG said on Sunday it is cancelling a phase III study program to investigate the efficacy and safety of asundexian, an oral Factor XIa (FXIa) inhibitor. The decision to stop the study is based on the recommendation by the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC). IDMC monitoring showed an inferior efficacy of asundexian compared to the control arm of the study. "A phase III study investigating asundexian compared to Apixaban in patients with atrial fibrillation at risk for stroke is being stopped early," the company said in a statement. Bayer, which initiated the study in August 2022, said it will further analyze the data to understand the outcome and will take appropriate measures.

Persons: Bayer, Jose Joseph, Chris Reese Organizations: Reuters, Germany's Bayer AG, Independent Data Monitoring, Bayer Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Shakira stands trial in Spain for alleged tax fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shakira poses on the red carpet during the 24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards show in Seville, Spain, November 16, 2023. The 'Hips Don't Lie' Colombian megastar, who also has a second tax fraud investigation pending with Spanish authorities, has vowed to fight what she called false accusations. She rejected a settlement offer from the prosecutor's office to close the case and is expected to testify on Monday in the first of 12 hearings scheduled until Dec. 14. The prosecutor's office is seeking an up to eight-year prison term and to claim back the taxes it says she owes. Shakira, 46, lived with former Barcelona and Spain soccer star Gerard Pique for 11 years and the couple have two children.

Persons: Shakira, Marcelo del Pozo, Gerard Pique, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Judge Jose Manuel del Amo Sanchez, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentina's Lionel Messi, Diego Costa, Bayer, Xabi Alonso, Alonso, Emma Pinedo, Aislinn Laing, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Spanish, Bayer Leverkusen, Thomson Locations: Seville, Spain, Rights BARCELONA, Barcelona, Miami, Spanish

☆ Australian telco Optus tells lawmakers it had no plan to address total outage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Singtel has said that while Optus experienced an outage after its software upgrade, the upgrade itself was not the cause. "Singtel will support Optus as it learns from what has occurred and continues to improve," the Singapore company said a day earlier. Kanagaratnam told the hearing Optus never expected a total shutdown because it had filters designed to stop all 90 of the company's routers from being overloaded with data. "The outage was a result of our defence not working as it should have," he said. Bayer Rosmarin said 228 calls to Australian emergency hotline Triple-0 failed to connect because of the outage, but the telco had followed up all incidents and "thankfully everybody is OK".

Persons: Kanagaratnam, Singtel, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, Bayer Rosmarin, telco, Byron Kaye, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SYDNEY, Optus, Singapore Telecommunications, Triple, Bayer, Thomson Locations: Singapore

☆ Optus parent SingTel denies software upgrade as root cause for outage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (STEL.SI), the parent of Australian telecoms provider Optus, said on Thursday its planned software update was not the root cause for an outage last week, contradicting Optus' claims earlier this week. Optus had earlier in the week said an initial investigation found the company's network was affected by "changes to routing information from an international peering network" after a "routine software upgrade". SingTel, while confirming that Singtel Internet Exchange (STiX) is one of Optus' international networks that connects to the global internet, denied that the routine software upgrade was the root cause. "We are aware that Optus experienced a network outage after the upgrade when a significant increase in addresses being propagated through their network triggered preset failsafes," SingTel said. SingTel's statement comes a day before Optus CEO, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin faces an Australian senate inquiry into the massive outage.

Persons: SingTel, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, Sameer Manekar, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, Optus, Singapore Telecommunications, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission will continue the use of the controversial chemical herbicide glyphosate in the European Union for 10 more years after the 27 member countries again failed to find a common position for or against a prolongation. The Greens political group of the EU Parliament immediately urged the Commission to backpedal and ban the use of glyphosate. The 10-year extension proposed by the European Commission required a “qualified majority,” defined as 55% of the 27 members representing at least 65% of the total EU population of some 450 million people. Pascal Canfin, the chair of the Environment committee at the European Parliament, blamed the EU Commission president for moving forward despite the stalemate. EU member states are responsible for authorizing the use of products in their national markets, following a safety evaluation.

Persons: unconclusive, ”, Bas Eickhout, unfiled, “, Pascal Canfin, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: European Commission, European Union, Greens, EU, Environment, Monsanto, Bayer, Agency for Research, Cancer, World Health Organization, Environmental Protection Agency, Greenpeace Locations: BRUSSELS, backpedal, California, France, U.S, Germany, Italy

☆ Sunak rolls the dice with Cameron resurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Rishi Sunak's latest pivot is riskier than it might look. The British prime minister has appointed former leader David Cameron as foreign secretary, part of a reshuffle in which he sacked firebrand Home Secretary Suella Braverman. The move suggests Sunak may be looking to appeal to centrist voters ahead of next year’s national ballot, but that may also make his party more fragile. Cameron, who left parliament in 2016 after proposing a referendum on Brexit he then lost, isn’t an obvious choice for Sunak. Centrist voters may not forgive him for allowing an EU referendum and jumping ship shortly afterwards.

Persons: David Cameron, Suella Braverman, Cameron, Keir Starmer, Sunak, Neil Unmack, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, firebrand, Greensill Capital, Conservative, X, Thomson

☆ UniCredit’s Greek stake is less odd than it seems
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But Italy’s UniCredit (CRDI.MI), which on Monday purchased 9% of Alpha Bank for about 300 million euros, should have better luck. This will include merging the lenders’ Romanian units and Alpha distributing UniCredit’s asset-management products in Greece. Probably the most reassuring news for investors in the Italian bank is that Orcel has no plans to raise its stake. UniCredit hasn’t requested regulatory permission to buy more and doesn’t envisage doing so, according to a person familiar with the matter. For shareholders, then, UniCredit’s mini-Greek adventure is unusual but easily tolerable.

Persons: Italy’s, Andrea Orcel, Crédit, Société, Orcel, UniCredit, UniCredit hasn’t, Liam Proud, Aimee Donnellan, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Alpha Bank, Alpha, Piraeus Financial, X, SEC, Thomson Locations: Greece

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