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☆ Zelenskiy Visits Front Line Amid Speculation About the Fate of Top General
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Ukrainian troops on the southeastern front and handed out medals, his office said on Sunday amid intense speculation that his popular army chief could soon be sacked. They face a difficult and critical mission to repel the enemy and defend Ukraine," Zelenskiy said in a statement after visiting Zaporizhzhia region. The presidential office said in the statement that Zelenskiy visited the Ukrainian military's forward positions near the village of Robotyne, which is located almost on the battle line. The president's visit to the battle lines came at a time of uncertainty over the fate of army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. His removal could hurt morale among Ukrainian troops battling to hold positions along more than 620 miles (1,000 kms) of frontlines against a vast Russian force armed with large munitions stockpiles.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Zaluzhnyi, Pavel Polityuk, David Goodman, Emelia Organizations: Russian Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Robotyne, Russian

☆ Sanofi CEO under pressure to woo investors after spending shock
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Ludwig Burger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Paul Hudson, chief executive officer of Sanofi, speaks during the annual results news conference at the company's headquarters in Paris, France, February 4, 2022. The market's shock reaction, compounded by a lack of details of the spending push, overshadowed Sanofi's plan to list its consumer unit, in line with an industry trend. David Song, a portfolio manager and investment partner at Tema ETF, said: "The narrative of Sanofi has been a margin expansion, earnings-driven story for a lot of investors." "Shouldn't investors give credit to managements who care about long-term shareholder value creation?," said Song. ($1 = 0.9206 euros)Reporting by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Josephine Mason and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Paul Hudson, Sanofi, Benoit Tessier, Hudson, Dan Lyons, Janus Henderson, Markus Manns, David Song, Fabian Wenner, Julius Baer, Union's Manns, Janus Henderson's Lyons, Johnson, Song, Ludwig Burger, Josephine Mason, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Janus Henderson Investors, Germany's Union Investment, Tema, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, British, Hudson, Denver, Swiss, Tema

☆ Barclays shares slip after major backer Qatar cuts stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Qatar Investment Authority, the state sovereign wealth fund which owns Qatar Holding, did not respond to a request for comment. The share sale comes as Barclays embarks on a shake-up to cut costs and revive its share price, which has halved since Qatar first invested in 2008. Barclays' stock fell as much as 4.5% in early trading and was last down 2.5% at 1007 GMT. Qatar became Barclays' largest shareholder during the 2008 financial crisis when it injected 4 billion pounds into the UK bank in a deal that helped avert a taxpayer bailout. Britain's financial watchdog later fined Barclays $55 million for fees paid to Qatari entities in the 2008 fundraising, which Barclays said it would appeal.

Persons: Venkatakrishnan, Vekatakrishnan, Iain Withers, Sinead Cruise, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Lawrence White, Danilo Masoni, Andrew Mills, Kirsten Donovan, Emelia Organizations: Barclays, Qatar, Reuters, Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar Holding, Thomson Locations: Qatar, Germany, London, Milan, Doha

☆ Spanish media association files $598 mln lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Meta logo is seen at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Dec 4 (Reuters) - A group representing 83 Spanish media outlets on Monday said it has filed a 550 million euro ($598 million) lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta Platforms (META.O), citing unfair competition in the advertising market. The lawsuit was filed by the AMI newspaper publishing association in a commercial court on Friday, the association said in a statement on Monday. The complaint is the second time Spanish media are challenging tech companies to protect their turf. In 2014, the Spanish government forced the closure of Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google News service until 2022 when new legislation allowing media outlets to negotiate directly with the tech giant was passed.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, El, Inti Landauro, Jakub Olesiuk, David Goodman, Emelia Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, Facebook, Meta, AMI, El Pais, ABC, Google, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Spanish

☆ China adds Nio to list of approved vehicle manufactures - website
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese Nio electric car is seen at Nio's first European plant and power swap station in Biatorbagy, Hungary, September 16, 2022. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Electric vehicle maker Nio (9866.HK) has been added to a Chinese industry ministry database permitting companies to produce vehicles in the country, according to the ministry's website. The website gave no details on whether or when a manufacturing licence was granted to Nio, which has since 2018 partnered with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC) to produce electric vehicles on a contract basis. U.S. luxury EV maker Lucid Group (LCID.O) has also been advised of the low likelihood for approval, sources have told Reuters. The last EV maker to receive both permits was Shandong-headquartered EV maker Sinogold in May 2019.

Persons: Bernadett Szabo, Nio, Cui Zhuzhu, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, HK, Anhui Jianghuai Automobile, China Securities Journal, Tesla Inc, Reuters, Lucid, Sinogold, China Passenger Car Association, Thomson Locations: Biatorbagy, Hungary, Anhui, JAC's, Shanghai, China, Shandong

[1/2] A couple who bought a television on sale had their motorcycle towed while shopping in a store during Black Friday sales, in Caracas, Venezuela November 25, 2022. The government allows banks to lend only 27% of their total cashflow, rendering credit cards largely useless as prices balloon on annual inflation of more than 300%. "Consumer credit has died in Venezuela," said Luis Vicente Leon, director of consulting firm Datanalisis, calling credit limits "ridiculous." "The economy needs consumption to be more dynamic," said Gustavo Valecillos, president of the Consecomercio retailers guild, adding layaway helps move inventory. I paid half and the rest in two installments," said construction worker Juan Vegas as he left a shoe store in Caracas.

Persons: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Nicolas Maduro, Ernesto Urdaneta, Urdaneta, Betsy Perez, Luis Vicente Leon, Pedro Vallenilla, Ecoanalitica, Gustavo Valecillos, Juan Vegas, Mayela Armas, Mariela Nava, Tibisay Romero, Julia Symmes Cobb, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Black, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Caracas, Venezuela, CARACAS, Latin America, Maracaibo, Valencia, Banks

☆ Investors flock to US natural gas ETF despite price slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Suzanne Mcgee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Storage tanks and gas-chilling units are seen at Freeport LNG, the second largest exporter of U.S. liquified natural gas, near Freeport, Texas, U.S., February 11, 2023. Reuters/Arathy Somasekhar/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 1 (Reuters) - Investors have been piling into an exchange-traded fund (ETF) designed to track U.S. natural gas prices, in spite of the commodity's dismal performance in 2023. The U.S. Natural Gas Fund's (UNG) (UNG.P) price, tied to the performance of futures contracts on the commodity, has plunged 60.7% so far this year, falling 27% in November alone. Analysts said the drop in the ETF's price came alongside a fall in the price of natural gas sparked by milder than usual weather across the United States in recent weeks. Natural gas prices fell about 22% in November, the single largest monthly percentage drop since a 40% decline in January.

Persons: Arathy, Stacey Morris, Morris, UNG, Suzanne McGee, Ira Iosebashvili, Emelia Organizations: Reuters, Natural, Analysts, New York Mercantile Exchange, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Thomson Locations: Freeport, U.S, Freeport , Texas, United States

A billboard for the Netflix film "Thar" is seen on a street in Mumbai, India, May 19, 2022. India last month introduced the new draft law to regulate the broadcasting sector that will also apply to streaming giants. Netflix and Viacom18, as well as India's Information and Broadcasting Ministry, which has proposed the law, did not respond to a request for comment. India's government says the new law and formation of content committees will help in "robust self-regulation". Top Bollywood stars feature in Indian streaming shows, some of which have faced criticism from lawmakers and the public for scenes deemed vulgar or offensive.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Mukesh Ambani's Viacom18, Aditya Kalra, Munsif Vengattil, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Netflix, REUTERS, DELHI, Broadcasting Ministry, Disney, Media Partners Asia, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India

☆ Irish central bank: EU to adopt broader approach to boost capital market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The bloc has introduced several "top down" reforms in a bid to boost its capital market, but progress has been modest and it continues to lag Wall Street in terms of breadth and depth, and company listings. Rowland said the push towards a deeper capital market would also focus on "bottom up" measures, such as steps taken at the national level, or initiatives by market participants. Speeding up EU capital market reforms has become more pressing since Brexit as Britain also eases capital market rules to become more globally competitive. They need to mobilise private capital," he said, adding that some bottom-up measures were already emerging, such as Italy's capital markets law, and a green industry law in France. Regulators in Britain and globally, however, have some concerns about whether assets in private markets have valuations that properly reflect the impact of higher interest rates and inflation.

Persons: Derville Rowland, Rowland, Huw Jones, Sharon Singleton, Bernadette Baum, Emelia Organizations: Central Bank of Ireland, European Commission, EU's, Markets Union, CMU, Publicly, EU, Regulators, Thomson Locations: Britain, France

Unlike most of its Western allies and some Gulf states, Turkey does not view Hamas as a terrorist group and hosts some of its members. Nelson said Turkey was connected to Hamas' past efforts to raise funds from donors, investment portfolios, charities and non-profit organisations. Even if Turkey sees Hamas as legitimate, he said the group could still violate domestic laws, though he gave no specific example of this happening. "There is sufficient opportunity for Turkey to address this problem under its own domestic legal authorities irrespective of U.S. sanctions," he said. Turkey says sanctions will not be circumvented on its soil and that nothing transiting is used in Russia's war effort.

Persons: Brian Nelson, Nelson, Tayyip Erdogan, RUSSIA Nelson, We're, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson, Gareth Jones, Emelia Organizations: Treasury, Terrorism, Financial, Turkish, United Arab, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkish, Turkey, Israel, Istanbul, Gaza, United States, Washington, Sudan, Algeria, United Arab Emirates, RUSSIA, Russia, Ukraine, Ankara, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Euro profits from better euro zone data; U.S. market shut
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The euro edged up on Thursday after data suggested the downturn in the euro zone economy may be starting to ease, although holidays in the U.S. and Japan kept trading activity muted. Earlier in the day, the euro rose against most other major currencies, following the surveys. The survey showed the euro zone economy is on track to contract again in the fourth quarter. Its PMI rose to 43.8 from 43.1, beating the poll expectation for 43.4 but was still below breakeven. The euro was up last up 0.18% on the day at $1.09075, having traded as high as $1.0931 earlier in the day.

Persons: Marcos Brindicci, There's, Michael Brown, Brown, Geert Wilders, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Changpeng Zhao, Bitcoin, Vidya Ranganathan, Lincoln, Emelia, Marguerita Choy, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, PMI, Saxo Bank, British, Federal, University of Michigan, Fed, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, U.S, Japan, Germany, EU, Wednesday's, Netherlands, Singapore

☆ European mobile data traffic to triple by 2028 -GSMA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The GSMA, which brings together more than 1,000 mobile phone operators and businesses, said 5G subscribers were interested in adding high-bandwidth services and content to their mobile contracts, as demand for high-quality gaming, extended reality, and video content grows. Mobile data traffic per smartphone will increase in Western Europe to 56 gigabytes (GB) per month in 2028, compared with 20 GB last year. In Central and Eastern Europe, it will rise to 37 GB per month from 14 GB in 2022, the lobby group said in its annual mobile economy report. More than 460 million Europeans, or 85% of the population, were connected to mobile internet in 2022, according to the GSMA. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)Reporting Diana Mandiá, editing by Milla Nissi and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, GSMA, We're, Daniel Pataki, Diana Mandiá, Milla Nissi, Emelia Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Qatar, REUTERS, Telecom Italia, Big Tech, Netflix, Microsoft, European Commission, Reuters, Thomson Locations: France, Argentina, Paris, Mobile, Western Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Orange, Europe

☆ Euro bounces as investors cling to sliver of positive euro zone data
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The euro rose on Thursday for the first time this week, after data suggested the downturn in the euro zone economy may be starting to ease, although holidays in the United States and Japan kept trading activity muted. The euro rose broadly, gaining the most against the Swedish crown , after the Swedish central bank left rates unchanged, while also gaining on the yen and the Swiss franc. The survey showed the euro zone economy is on track to contract again in the fourth quarter. Its PMI rose to 43.8 from 43.1, beating the poll expectation for 43.4 but was still below breakeven. Sterling was last up 0.5% on the day at $1.2558, having risen to a high of $1.2575 after the PMI data.

Persons: Marcos Brindicci, There's, Michael Brown, Brown, Geert Wilders, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Jeff Ng, Changpeng Zhao, Vidya Ranganathan, Lincoln, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Swiss, PMI, European Central Bank, Fed, University of Michigan, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Markets, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, United States, Japan, Germany, Swedish, EU, Wednesday's, Netherlands, Asia, Singapore

Injection pens and boxes of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy are shown in this photo illustration in Oslo, Norway, November 21, 2023. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Novo racing to meet demand for obesity drugsObesity market to reach $100 billion by 2030-analystsNew investment in France will boost capacity for obesity, diabetes drugsPARIS/LONDON Nov 23 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) on Thursday announced a $2.3 billion investment to boost production of its wildly popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs at a site in Chartres, France as it races to meet soaring demand. There is a growing crisis in Europe over supply of diabetes therapy Ozempic, which uses the same ingredient semaglutide as the hugely popular weight-loss drug Wegovy, which is not yet widely available in Europe. Thursday's announcement comes after Novo earlier this month announced a $6 billion investment in its native Denmark to boost production. Analysts have estimated the obesity drug market will be worth as much as $100 billion by 2030.

Persons: Victoria Klesty, Danish drugmaker, Emmanuel Macron, Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen, Eli Lilly, Novo, Anna Ringstrom, Ludwig Burger, Terje Solsvik, David Goodman, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Novo Nordisk, WIN, French, Thomson Locations: Oslo, Norway, Victoria, France, PARIS, Chartres, Danish, Europe, Union, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, U.S, Paris

☆ South Africa's 'Vogue Opera' honours life of gay anti-apartheid activist Nkoli
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Vogue Opera" - a mix of classical music, hip-hop, protest songs and dance - tells the story of Nkoli, whose activism helped to enshrine gay rights in South Africa's constitution - the first country on the continent to do so. Nkoli faced prejudice even from fellow anti-apartheid activists while serving a four-year prison sentence on treason charges when he revealed his sexuality. The opera reveals not only Nkoli's struggles but also the happiness he brought to others. "If there isn't social buy-in, we're not done," the show's co-writer and rapper S'bo Gyre said. Reporting by Catherine Schenck, Thando Hlophe and Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Simon Nkoli, Africa's, Nkoli, Philip Miller, William Kentridge's, London's, Miller, Abiah, Lishivha, Gay, we're, S'bo Gyre, Catherine Schenck, Thando, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Market, London's Tate, Theatre, International Lesbian, Thomson Locations: South Africa, Johannesburg, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa's, New, Harlem

☆ K-Pop band BLACKPINK receive honorary MBEs from Britain's King Charles
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The quartet – Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rose – chatted, laughed and took photographs with the British monarch as he presented the medals. "It's amazing you're still talking to each other after all these years," King Charles jokingly said to the band at the ceremony. "I hope I shall be able to see you perform live at some point". BLACKPINK received the MBEs in recognition of the bank members' role as COP26 Advocates for the United Nations climate summit held in Glasgow in 2021, Buckingham Palace said. Reporting by Farouq Suleiman and Hanna Rantala; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: King Charles, Rose, Roseanne Park, Jisoo Kim, Jennie Kim, Lisa, Lalisa, MBEs, Yoon Suk, Jennie, Jisoo, Rose – chatted, BLACKPINK, Buckingham, Farouq Suleiman, Hanna Rantala, Emelia Sithole Organizations: United, YouTube, Thomson Locations: British, United Kingdom, Buckingham, United Nations, Glasgow, London

Handout via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Ozempic shortages expected throughout 2024Victoza shortages expected until at least Q2 2024Diabetes drug Ozempic used 'off label' to treat obesityNov 21 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) will ration starter kits of Ozempic in Europe and reduce supplies of another diabetes drug, Victoza, to prioritise producing Ozempic, which has seen a surge in demand from people using it to lose weight. Ozempic contains semaglutide, an ingredient in Novo's hugely popular anti-obesity drug Wegovy. Intermittent Ozempic shortages are expected throughout 2024, while Victoza shortages are expected at least until the second quarter of 2024, according to the statement on the EMA's website. "No new patients should be started on Victoza until at least Q2 2024 when supply is expected to normalise," Novo urged doctors in the document. It also told doctors to consider other injectable GLP-1 drugs or "other suitable alternatives" where Ozempic or Victoza are not available for patients.

Persons: Ozempic, hasn't, Novo, Eli Lilly's, tirzepatide, Ludwig Burger, Eva Mathews, Emelia Sithole, Mark Potter Organizations: Handout, REUTERS, Diabetes, Novo Nordisk, European Medicines Agency, EU, Thomson Locations: Novo, London, Britain, Europe, Danish, United States, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Wegovy, Norway, Denmark, EU

REUTERS/George Frey/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Tema ETFs has launched a new exchange traded fund (ETF) that tracks popular drugmakers like Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) and Eli Lilly (LLY.N), aiming to tap into growing demand for their weight-loss and diabetes drugs. The Tema Cardiovascular & Metabolic ETF (HRTS.O) invests in companies tackling diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases, according to the New York-headquartered platform's website. The advances of the class of weight-loss and diabetes therapies known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, are only the tip of the iceberg, said David K. Song, investment partner and head of life sciences at Tema ETFs. The Tema fund has a net expense ratio of 0.75%. Reporting by Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lilly, George Frey, Eli Lilly, Mounjaro, David K, Morgan Stanley, Bansari Mayur, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Metabolic, Morgan Stanley Research, VanEck Pharmaceutical, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Tema, Novo, New York, Bengaluru

Milei's dollar plans, however, put pressure on the embattled peso currency, which is held in check by strict capital controls. The official exchange rate is near 350 per dollar, but dollars trade well over twice that in popular parallel markets. Milei said in the run-up to the election he wanted to ditch the peso altogether in favour of the dollar. Milei had also heavily criticised China and Brazil in the runup to the elections, two of Argentina's main trading partners. China said on Tuesday it would be a "serious mistake" if Milei opted to cut ties between the two countries.

Persons: dollarization, Javier Milei, Miel, Milei, Morgan Stanley's, Viktor Szabo, Banks, Banks Grupo Supervielle, Marc Jones, Elizabeth Howcroft, Mayur Kamdar, Karin Strohecker, Bernadette Baum, Emelia Organizations: Argentina, Abrdn, U.S ., Banks Grupo, Banco, Banco BBVA Argentina, Grupo Financiero, Thomson Locations: BUENOS AIRES, MERV, London, Argentina, U.S, Grupo Financiero Galicia, China, Brazil

☆ Baz Luhrmann's Australia epic back as 'Faraway Downs'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Sarah Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman react in this undated production still from a movie "Australia" by director Baz Luhrmann. Luhrmann is to present a new TV show "Faraway Downs", 6-chapter reimagining of his 2008 movie. Hulu/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Fifteen years after his sweeping adventure movie "Australia" drew mixed reviews from critics, director Baz Luhrmann has brought the story back to life in six-part television series "Faraway Downs". While she becomes romantically involved with the drover, she is also captivated by Nullah, a young bi-racial Indigenous Australian child who lives on the ranch and is in danger of being taken away by police due to a strict racial policy at the time. As for "Faraway Downs", which starts streaming from Nov. 25, Luhrmann hopes that by combining a romance with what he calls an "ugly chapter" in Australian history, he will reach a broad audience.

Persons: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Baz Luhrmann, Luhrmann, Sarah, drover, Jackman, Nullah, Sarah Mills, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, First Peoples, Australians, Aboriginal, First, Thomson Locations: Australia, Torres

☆ OpenAI's interim CEO pledges probe into Altman's exit, reform management
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Twitch CEO Emmett Shear speaks in a still image taken from a video interview with Reuters in San Francisco, U.S. which was broadcast in May 2018. Ex-Twitch boss Emmett Shear has been appointed to lead the company behind ChatGPT, replacing Altman following his shock sacking on Friday. Earlier on Monday, OpenAI backer Microsoft (MSFT.O) said Altman will join the company to lead a new advanced artificial intelligence research team. OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap told staff on Saturday it was over a "breakdown of communications" not "malfeasance". I'm not crazy enough to take this job without board support for commercializing our awesome models," he said.

Persons: Emmett Shear, Sam Altman, Altman, Emmett, Brad Lightcap, I'm, Josephine Mason, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , U.S, U.S, OpenAI

Now Widodo also needs a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States for Indonesian materials to qualify for the generous EV subsidies available under the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). What it got after last week's bilateral meeting was a commitment "to develop a critical minerals action plan (...) with a view toward establishing the foundation to launch future negotiations on a critical minerals agreement". The joint statement included some pointers as to what the United States expects from that action plan in terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. A limited trade agreement on critical minerals could become an even more restricted deal if it were to apply only to non-Chinese material streams. South Korea has the advantage of having had an FTA with the United States since 2012.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Tesla, Widodo, Washington, Biden, Joe Manchin, Janet Yellen, Manchin, Trafigura, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Vale Tbk, U.S, Biden, GREEN, Benchmark Minerals, Australia, Greenpeace, of, Group, Minerals, Korea, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Sorowako, Indonesia's, Asian, United States, Indonesia, United, GREEN Indonesia, Philippines, Ulsan, South Korea, Morocco, South

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani attends a joint press conference with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna (not pictured) at the Amiri Diwan, in Doha, Qatar November 5, 2023. It followed a report in the Washington Post published on Saturday that said a deal for the release of 50 hostages had been agreed. "The challenges facing the agreement are just practical and logistical," Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said at a joint press conference with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Doha. "The deal is going through ups and downs from time to time throughout the last few weeks. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said no deal had been reached yet.

Persons: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Catherine Colonna, Amiri, Imad Creidi, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman, Thani, Josep Borrell, Benjamin Netanyahu, Sheikh Mohammed, Andrew Gray, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Emelia Sithole, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Qatar's, French, REUTERS, Rights DOHA, Hamas, Washington Post, White House, Reuters, Qatari, European Union, Washington, Thomson Locations: Doha, Qatar, Palestinian, Israel, United States, Gaza

"We do want to bring down the tax burden but we will only do so responsibly," Hunt told Sky News. "The one thing we won't do is any kind of tax cut that fuels inflation." OPTIONS LIMITED AFTER HEAVY SPENDINGLabour's finance spokesperson Rachel Reeves said cutting inheritance tax would be the wrong priority in a cost-of-living crisis. "Lower taxes on working people - if the government can explain where the money is coming from - is something I would support," Reeves told Sky News. "We want to show people there is a path to lower taxes but we also want to be honest with people this is not going to happen overnight."

Persons: Hunt, Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Rachel Reeves, Reeves, Kylie MacLellan, Andy Bruce, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Sunday Times, Labour, Sky News, Times Radio, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, Britain, Thomson Locations: British

☆ Around 3,000 trucks stuck at Ukrainian border due to Polish drivers' blockade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Nov 19 (Reuters) - About 3,000 mostly Ukrainian trucks were stuck on the Polish side of the border as of Sunday morning due to a more than 10-day blockade by Polish truckers, Ukrainian authorities said. Ukrainian officials said last week Kyiv and Warsaw had again failed to reach an agreement to stop the protest. "For over 10 days, Ukrainian drivers have been blocked at the Polish border. Now only a few vehicles per hour are going through the Polish border at blocked checkpoints, Ukrainian border guards say. Ukrainian grain brokers said last week Ukraine's shipments of food by road decreased 2.7% in the first 13 days of November due to difficulties on the Polish border caused by a drivers' strike.

Persons: Oleksandr Kubrakov, Pavel Polityuk, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Rava, Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry, Spike, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Warsaw, Polish, Poland

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