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☆ Former Bangladesh leader calls for inquiry into killings during unrest that led to her ouster
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Some of the violence pitted student activists against pro-government student and youth groups and police, and many of those who died were among the student activists. However, Hasina’s statement underlined that police officers, members of her Awami League political party, bystanders and others also were victims of what she described as “terrorist aggression.” She previously has blamed opposition parties for stoking the unrest. Hasina’s statement came as the country’s interim government on Tuesday canceled a public holiday that she had declared for Thursday to mark the death of her father, Bangladesh’s independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The cancellation came at the request of at least seven political parties, including the main previous opposition group, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. An interim government is now running the country, with Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel peace laureate, sworn in as interim leader.

Persons: Bangladesh —, Sheikh Hasina, Hasina, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Hasina’s, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, S.M, Amir Hamza, Abu Sayeed, Rajesh Chowdhury, Hamza, Sayeed, Asaduzzaman Khan, Obaidul Quader, Rajib, Anisul Huq, Salman F, Rahman, Mainul Hasan, Muhammad Yunus Organizations: Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Home, Awami League party’s, Mohammadpur, Police Locations: DHAKA, Bangladesh, India, Dhaka, Rajib Dhar, U.S

☆ With Kamala Harris, U.S. Free Trade Skepticism May Continue
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Ana Swanson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a 2019 presidential debate, Kamala Harris insisted, “I am not a protectionist Democrat.”But Ms. Harris is not a free-trade Democrat, either. And in 2020, she was one of only 10 senators to vote against the deal to replace NAFTA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. As she pursues the presidential nomination, Ms. Harris’s views on trade and economic issues are likely to become a focal point. Yet unlike former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, trade has never been a major focus for Ms. Harris. As a result, her positions on trade issues are not entirely known.

Persons: Kamala Harris, “, Harris, Biden, Obama, Donald J, Trump, JD Vance, William A, Harris “, Reinsch, “ there’s, ” Organizations: North American Free Trade, Senate, Pacific Partnership, Business, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: United States, Mexico, Canada

☆ Election Live Updates: Republicans Leave Convention Unified Around Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | Adam Nagourney | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +74 min

And there was great, great sorrow. They’re going to be OK. They’re going to be doing very well. Now he’s going to get on the plane in a little while and he’s going to go back home to his wife. Great, great student at Yale. So many — just so many heroes, so many great, great people.

Persons: Dana, Bob, ”, Lee, you’ll, it’s, didn’t, Nobody, “, I’m, Corey Comperatore, David Dutch, James Copenhaver, We’re, Corey, Helen ., David, James, Dan Newlin, Dan, Trump, —, Aileen Cannon, I’ve, Don, Kimberly, Ivanka, Jared, Eric, Lara, Tiffany, Michael, Barron, he’s, “ Dana won’t, That’s Lee Greenwood, … Eric, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, They’ve, Jason, Jason Aldean, Vance, Usha, He’s, He’ll, MAGA, ” MAGA, I’ll, you’re, nobody’s, We’ve, Somebody’s, they’re, It’s, can’t, We’ll, don’t, “ I’m, we’ll, Biden, They’re, that’s, you’ve, I’d, gee, You’d, That’s what’s, Donald Trump, That’s, There’s, Tom Homan, Brandon Judd, They’ll, Obama, They’d, “ You’ve, we’re, we’ve, Hannibal Lecter, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Jocelyn Nungaray, Rachel Morin, Rachel, Laken Riley, horrifically, Viktor Orban, what’s, Bush, it’ll, Kim Jung Un, Sam Brown, Sam, You’ve, Abdul, Don’t, You’re, Ronald Reagan, America’s, Franklin Graham, Franklin, Billy Graham, he’d, soldiered Organizations: of Pennsylvania, Secret Service, Service, Democrat, Republican Party, Republican, Democrats, America, Yale, ISIS, Space Force, Energy, Apple, Trump, Republican Senate, White, Republicans, United Auto Workers, Social Security, Border Patrol, ICE, ”, Lambs, University of Georgia, “, U.S, Senate, Washington, D.C, Yankee, Win Locations: America, United States, Butler Township, of, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Asia, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, Philippines, China, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, Germany, Mexico, Nevada, United States of America, There’s, South America, Africa, Middle East, Venezuela, Caracas, El Salvador, Houston, Los Angeles, Maryland, Hungary, “ Russia, Georgia, Crimea, Syria, Iraq, North Korea, Afghanistan, Bagram, Cuba, Miami, U.S.A, Wisconsin , Wisconsin, Washington, Japan, Delaware, Valley Forge, Yorktown, Gettysburg, Midway

☆ Jailhouse Correspondence Gives Bernie Madoff the ‘Final Word’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Alexandra Jacobs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

MADOFF: The Final Word, by Richard BeharWe don’t yet have “Madoff: The Musical,” but years after his 2021 death from kidney disease in a federal prison hospital, Bernie the Ponzi-scheming potentate keeps yielding cultural dividends. As its own author, Richard Behar, admits: doubtful. Along with many, many secondary interviews, he visited Madoff in prison thrice; talked to him on the phone about 50 times; and received from him dozens of handwritten letters and hundreds of emails. For every dollar he stole, Madoff seems to have generated at least one piece of regular paper. orgy: burlap bags of the scraps taken to a nearby recycling plant, his secrets “dissolving to mulch.”

Persons: MADOFF, Richard Behar, Madoff, Bernie, potentate, Robert De Niro, Behar, “ Organizations: Lincoln Center, Netflix, New York Times, of Scientology, U.S . Library of Congress Locations: Brooklyn

☆ How S.M.U., Once the Rogue of College Sports, Got Back to the Big Time
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Instead, he drove from his hometown, Sealy, Texas, to Dallas and Southern Methodist University. At the time, Mr. Dickerson’s cars (S.M.U. gave him one, too) were a symbol of the wretched excess of big-time college sports. It was a time when boosters in the Southwest Conference doled out “$100 handshakes” and the S.M.U. Mustangs went 34-11-1 over Mr. Dickerson’s four years — the team’s vaunted Pony Express era.

Persons: Eric Dickerson, ”, Dickerson’s Organizations: Pontiac, Texas, Southern Methodist University, Southwest Conference, Mr, titans, Petroleum Club of Houston Locations: Sealy , Texas, Dallas

☆ Opinion | Can Intel Serve Two Masters?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This week I interviewed Pat Gelsinger, the chief executive of Intel, which is one of the most important companies in the United States. To Biden and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the special thing about Intel is that it doesn’t just design chips in the United States, as, for example, the current stock market darling Nvidia does. It’s planning to spend $100 billion over five years on manufacturing and research and development projects in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio and Oregon. While all three of those rivals have some U.S. production, Intel is the only one that has U.S. headquarters and its most advanced production and process technology R & D in the United States. Raimondo, at the announcement in Arizona, called Intel “America’s champion semiconductor company.”

Persons: Pat Gelsinger, Biden, Gina Raimondo, “, Raimondo, ” Organizations: Intel, Biden, Nvidia, Commerce Department, T.S.M.C, Samsung Locations: United States, Arizona , New Mexico , Ohio, Oregon, Taiwan, South Korea, Abu Dhabi, Arizona

☆ TikTokers feel betrayed by their favorite congressman voting to ban the app — and aren't letting him off with an apology
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Rep. Jeff Jackson voted "yes" to a bill that could lead to TikTok being banned in the US. Jackson's decision led to backlash from his 2.3 million TikTok followers, who felt "betrayed." AdvertisementRep. Jeff Jackson said sorry to his followers after voting "yes" on a bill that would effectively ban TikTok in the US unless its parent company sells it. 352 Representatives, including Jackson, voted in favor, and 65 voted against. "He made a name for himself on TikTok and then voted to potentially ban Americans from using it," he said.

Persons: Jeff Jackson, Jackson, —, he's, TikTokers, TikTok, Critics, Joe Biden, Biden, Moe, innately, Jackson didn't, Glenn DeVar, DeVar, doesn't Organizations: Service, Senate, Meta, Union Locations: North Carolina, Beijing

☆ Who Gets Left Behind When Gene Therapy Cures a Disease? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Daniela J. Lamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But if he were born today with access to gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, he might have been able to walk without assistance. He might have been able to live a life without fear of impending medical catastrophe. The way Mr. Parish sees it, the life he has lived will one day become something of a historical curiosity. His experience of S.M.A., with all the suffering it has entailed, will likely be rendered extinct. Gene therapy has seen remarkable and highly publicized success in recent months, from the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of what amounts to cures for sickle cell disease to the news that a boy with congenital deafness could hear for the first time in his life following gene therapy.

Persons: Tyler Parish, Parish Organizations: Food Locations: Boston

☆ The 8 things I really wish I knew before I traveled solo to 100 countries
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Abbie Synan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I've solo traveled to more than 100 countries since 2013 and I've learned lessons along the way. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . What was meant to be a short sabbatical from the US turned into visiting over 100 countries in the last decade. Here are the things I wish I'd known back when I set foot in country No. Solo travel will push you out of your comfort zone and challenge you in ways nothing else can.

Persons: I've, —, Abbie Synan, Abbie Synan There's, you've Organizations: Service, Google Locations: Bangkok, Cambodia, Nepal

☆ 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

☆ How Jewish People Built the American Theater
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Jesse Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +46 min

Let Us Tell You A Story How Jewish people built the American theater as we know it. The theater, which for many Jews was a major way of becoming American in the first place, seems unable to acknowledge that the danger that American Jews face is not just historical, and not just onstage. (Both of Adler’s parents were Yiddish theater stars — her father, Jacob Adler, was a renowned Shylock in 1903.) Embedding their own observation and experience within Stanislavsky’s, along with the best of Yiddish theater and a generous dollop of Freud, they converted the American theater to Judaism. Sara Krulwich/The New York TimesThe Jewish contribution to the creation of the American theater was built on the acknowledgment of a larger humanity alive within each of us, available to some, with natural empathy and rigorous training.

Persons: Glocca, “, Lerner, Loewe, ”, Isidore Hochberg, Burton Lane, né Burton Levy, William Goldman, “ Killybegs, Sammy Davis Jr, Julie Andrews, Connie Francis, Rosemary Clooney, Tommy Dorsey, Davis, —, Arthur Miller’s “, joyously, Jason Schmidt, Christine Jones, Miller, I’ve, Marilyn Monroe, Robert Brustein, Neil Simon’s, ” Cynthia Ozick, Sholom, Philip Roth, Simon, Leonard Bernstein, Matt Nadel, Bradley, Bernstein, “ Maestro, Shylock, William Shakespeare’s “, Venice ”, Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe’s, Farah Karim, Cooper, Bard ”, “ Merchant, Tom Stoppard’s, Sara Krulwich, Ansky’s, Stella Adler, Bessie Berger, Clifford Odets’s, Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan, Francis Joseph Bruguière, Billy Rose, Eugene Smith, Roth, Arthur Schnitzler, Juliet Stevenson, Ruth Wolff, Lorraine Hansberry’s, Sidney’s, Alex Edelman’s “, Leo Frank, Bernard B, Frank, Mandy Patinkin, James Lapine, Stephen Sondheim’s, George, Martha Swope, outspokenness, creatives, Oscar Isaac, Sidney, “ Sidney Brustein, Isaac, Stevenson, Robert Icke, Roman Catholic Cooper, Rachel Brosnahan, Maisel, Joan Rivers —, Brosnahan, Sidney Brustein’s, Alec Guinness, Fagin, “ Oliver Twist, I’m, Micaela Diamond, Ben Platt, Lucille, Alfred Uhry, Jason Robert Brown’s, Rivers, Wolff, Robert, Republic ”, isn’t, LEE Strasberg, Konstantin Stanislavsky’s, Fyodor Ivanovich, Strasberg, Israel Strassberg, Zalmon, Srulke, Joseph Stein, Sheldon Harnick, Jerry Bock’s “, Bette Midler, Jackie Hoffman, Photofest Stanislavsky, Theater’s, Isaac Butler, Stanislavsky, Harold Clurman, George Bernard Shaw, Henrik Ibsen, Clurman, Adler, Jacob Adler, Freud, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Ruthie Rivkin, Jerome Weidman, Harold Rome’s “, John Weidman, disown Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, Bobby Lewis, né, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Meisner, Robert Duvall, Lewis, Meryl Streep, Clifford Odets, Jacob Garfinkle, Jules Garfield, Odets, Sam Feinschreiber, Garfield, Ralph Berger, wasn’t, John, Tovah Feldshuh, Golda Meir, William Gibson’s, Aaron Epstein, exigencies, Bessie, Feinschreiber —, loveless, William Fox, Louis B, Mayer, Jack Warner, Marjorie Morningstar ”, Morgenstern, Marjorie, Natalie Wood, Anne Frank ”, Millie Perkins, Audrey Hepburn, Susan Strasberg —, Ibsen, Sholom Aleichem, August Wilson, Daveed Diggs, Thomas Jefferson, Lin, Manuel Miranda’s “ Hamilton ”, Adrian Lester, Emanuel Lehman —, Barbra Streisand, Marmelstein, George Silk, Miller’s, Sophie Okonedo, Elizabeth Proctor, Ben Whishaw, John Proctor, Jan Versweyveld, Don’t, — Bernstein, Stoppard, Schnitzler, Jeanine Tesori, Tony Kushner’s “ Caroline, Sharon D Clarke, Adam Makké, Noah Gellman, Leo, Stoppard —, Hermine, ” Leo Frank, there’s, Matthew Broderick, Eugene Jerome, it’s, Edelman’s, Queens bigots, David Yosef Shimon ben Elazar Reuven Alexander Halevi Edelman, Woody Allen, Joshua Harmon’s, — George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Porgy, Bess ”, Barns, Alex Edelman, Paula Vogel, Harvey Fierstein, Jordan Taylor Fuller, — that’s, Wendell Pierce, Friedman, Jacobs, Hirschfeld, Gershwin, Rodgers, PAULA VOGEL, BRANDON URANOWITZ, DAVID CROMER, MICAELA DIAMOND, TONY KUSHNER, Diamond, Monica Rich Kosann, Marco Bicego, JESSE EISENBERG, MATTHEW BRODERICK, AMY HERZOG, LESLIE RODRIGUEZ KRITZER, JOEL GREY, Herzog, Michael Kors, Kritzer, Marco, HARVEY FIERSTEIN, LIEV SCHREIBER, ETHAN SLATER, IDINA MENZEL, TINA LANDAU Organizations: Broadway, Broadway’s Lyceum, “, of Venice, New York Times, Defamation League, New York Public Library, Performing, Vandamm, Billy, Billy Rose Theatre Division, Performing Arts, New, Jacobs, Empire State, Nazi, Goyim Defense, The New York Public Library, Roman Catholic, New York City, Street, Moscow Art, Group, Hollywood, Disney, Everett, The New York Times, Philadelphia, Brit, Times Locations: Poland, American, kilts, E.Y, Harburg, Kilkerry, Kildare, Philadelphia, New York, Polish, Massachusetts, Vichy, Biloxi, Venice, Malta, of, ”, Germany, playgoers, Sweden, England, United States, Pittsburgh, Nazi, Brustein’s, Greenwich, Georgia, Gutenberg, “, Atlanta, Republic, New, Konstantin Stanislavsky’s Moscow, Russian, America, Moscow, Stanislavsky’s, Clurman, Eastern Europe, Czech, Austrian, Auschwitz, Heini, Southern, Brighton, Rivers, French Republic, “ Brigadoon

☆ Angola's new diamond mine opens against backdrop of weak demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Miguel Gomes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An employee looks at a rough diamond at "Flanders Manufacturing", as the G7 weighs a ban on Russian diamond imports to reduce revenues for Moscow's war in Ukraine, Antwerp, Belgium, October 30, 2023. Angola's state-controlled diamond miner Catoca found the Luele diamond deposit at the project, previously known as Luaxe, in 2013 in one of the largest discoveries in the diamond industry in more than half a century. De Beers, the world's largest rough diamond producer by volume, estimates 2022 global rough diamond production at 121 million carats. Demand for rough diamonds has been weak in recent months with India - cutter and polisher of 90% of the world's rough diamond - asking the global miners to stop selling it the gemstones to manage accumulated stocks. Catoca, in which Russia's sanctions-hit Alrosa (ALRS.MM) owns 41%, currently holds a 50.5% stake in the Luele project.

Persons: Johanna Geron, Catoca, Paul Zimnisky, De Beers, Luele, Richard Chetwode, Zimnisky, Miguel Gomes, Polina Devitt, Felix Njini, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Antwerp, Belgium, Rights LUANDA, Angola, U.S, China, India

☆ Monte Paschi rebirth is vindication for Rome
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS / Jennifer Lorenzini Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Italy’s privatisation of bailed-out lender Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS.MI) may finally be on the right track. The sale price was nearly 50% higher than last year’s high-stakes 2.5 billion euro capital increase, which cost taxpayers 1.6 billion euros. Rome took advantage of a near-30% rally in Monte Paschi’s shares during the month leading up to the sale. Granted, Rome will never recoup the around 5.4 billion euros it burnt to save Monte Paschi in 2017. Two years ago, interest rates were low and Monte Paschi's recovery seemed a distant prospect.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Siena, Monte Paschi, Andrea Orcel, Lisa Jucca, Banks, Liam Proud, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Banca Monte dei, Treasury, X, Walmart, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, Rome, Monte Paschi’s, Monte

☆ Morning Bid: Catching breath as Nvidia update due
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., November 17, 2023. The dollar (.DXY) continued to fall, however, with its DXY index down for the fourth day to its lowest since August. Dollar losses were broad based, but China's yuan appeared to lead the way to its strongest level since July 27. In Europe, sterling pushed higher ahead of expected tax cuts at Wednesday's budget speech from UK finance minister Jeremy Hunt. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, Sam Altman, OpenAI, hoover, LSEG, Jeremy Hunt, Siena, Christine Lagarde, Isabel Schnabel, Susan Fenton Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Microsoft, Tech, Nvidia, St, Wall, Treasury, Reserve, Bank of, Monday, Philadelphia Federal, European Central Bank, ECB, Lowes, Autodesk, Devices, Jacobs Solutions Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Bank of China, China, St, Europe, Britain, Italy, Chicago, Canada

☆ Italy raises $1 bln as reduces Monte dei Paschi stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NOVEMBER 2007 - MPS buys Antonveneta from Santander (SAN.MC) for 9 billion euros in cash, months after the Spanish bank paid 6.6 billion euros for it. JULY 2011 - MPS raises 2.15 billion euros in a rights issue ahead of European stress test results. JUNE 2014 - MPS raises 5 billion euros in a rights issue and repays the state 3.1 billion euros. JUNE 2015 - MPS raises 3 billion euros in cash after a 5.3 billion euro net loss for 2014 on record bad loan writedowns. It repays the remaining 1.1 billion euro state underwritten special bond.

Persons: Valentina Za, Keith Weir Organizations: MILAN, Monday, MPS, JPMorgan, Treasury, Bank of Italy, Antonveneta, Italy's, ECB, EU Commission, Thomson Locations: Italy, Siena, Santander, Europe

☆ I've been on over 20 solo trips. Here are the 9 things I always do to stay safe.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Nicole Jordan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementI've traveled solo many times in the past 10 years, and there are a few things I always do to try to stay safe. This can help my loved ones know where I am, especially when I'm traveling with an open schedule. I never tell strangers I'm traveling aloneI don't tell strangers I'm by myself when I'm adventuring around foreign places. AdvertisementAnd when I book Airbnb or hotel reservations I add a second person's email to my reservation so people don't think I'm traveling alone. AdvertisementI never tell strangers I'm traveling alone.

Persons: I've, Nicole Jordan, I'm, I'd Organizations: Apple Locations: I've

MPS shares were down 7.8% at 2.83 euros by 1145 GMT on Tuesday, reflecting the impact of the sale. EU COMMITMENTSBofA Securities, Jefferies and UBS Europe coordinated the accelerated bookbuilding for the stake sale, the Treasury said in a statement. Commitments Italy agreed with European Union competition authorities at the time of the bailout bind Rome to eventually sell its entire stake in the bank. Two years ago heavyweight UniCredit (CRDI.MI) sank the government's privatisation efforts, forcing Rome to seek more time from the EU. The stake sale is seen as giving Italy more flexibility to pursue a long-term solution for MPS via a merger with a rival, after negotiations with UniCredit were complicated by an impending re-privatisation deadline.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Luigi Lovaglio, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgia Meloni, Valentina Za, Lincoln, Richard Chang, Mark Potter Organizations: Monte, REUTERS, Treasury, MPS, BofA Securities, Jefferies, UBS Europe, European Union, Reuters, Economy, Banco, BPER Banca, EU, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, MILAN, Rome

☆ UniCredit CEO Orcel's 'bank of Europe' ambition tough to realise
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

However, his aspirations to make UniCredit the "bank of Europe" are proving trickier to realise with the CEO setting a high bar for mergers and acquisitions in the euro zone's fractured capital markets, despite having what he describes as the biggest war chest among European lenders. UniCredit bought Greece's 9% stake in Alpha Bank (ACBr.AT) and struck a commercial partnership with the Athens-based lender, also acquiring most of its Romanian operations. The CEO works closely with a small M&A team he set up within UniCredit which constantly reviews potential deals in the markets and businesses where the bank operates, people with knowledge of the matter said. But uneven regulation across the euro zone, where progress towards a single banking market has stalled, complicates cross-border deals. Calling on Europe to follow his lead, Orcel says he has unlocked UniCredit's potential by giving it a unified strategy across its 13 markets.

Persons: Andrea Orcel, Merrill Lynch, Orcel, He's, Cole Smead, ALPHA Orcel, Siena, UniCredit, Smead, Jean, Pierre Mustier's, Mustier, it's, Carlo Franchini, Danilo Masoni, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Discount, MILAN, UBS, Smead Capital Management, Fund, ALPHA, Banco, Alpha Bank, Alpha, Banca Ifigest, Thomson Locations: buybacks, Europe, Arizona, Ukraine, Athens, HVB, Berlin, Milan

The option however is not top of the list for the Treasury, one of the sources added. Announced in May, Eni's share buyback is underway and is expected to increase the government's total stake to just above 34% of voting shares. Once completed, the Treasury could potentially sell enough shares for Italy to remain slightly over 30% of Eni's capital when factoring in CDP's stake, another source said. At current market prices, 4% of Eni is worth around 2 billion euros ($2.14 billion). Eni's share buyback is expected to end before April 2024 after the group said last month it would speed up the programme launched to reward investors.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Italy's, Eni's, Lucia Albano, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Jan Harvey Organizations: Eni, REUTERS, MILAN, Italy's Treasury, Bankers, Treasury, European Union, Economy, Ferrovie dello Stato, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Rome, Italy, dei

☆ Private jets of Russian oligarchs keep flying but not to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Gleb Stolyarov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

A view shows the Boeing 737-700 BBJ (plane number RA-73890) private aircraft on the tarmac of the Pulkovo International Airport in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 14, 2023. The Boeing linked to Yevtushenkov was among at least 50 private jets re-registered under the Russian flag since the February 2022 invasion, according to previously unreported national aircraft registry data up to early August reviewed by Reuters. Several of the repatriated private jets were associated with prominent politicians and business figures, according to two senior Russian aviation industry sources, who were not authorised to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. Because of sanctions, Russian planes are prohibited from entering the 27-country European Union, where Russia's oligarchs previously flew frequently for business and leisure and where many private jets linked to them were registered before the war, tail numbers show. VEB, Uralkali and Mazepin did not respond to requests for comment on the registration of the jets in Russia.

Persons: Luba, Vladimir Yevtushenkov, Yevtushenkov, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Mazepin, Putin, Igor Shuvalov, Mazepin, Gleb Stolyarov, Mike Collett, White, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Boeing, Pulkovo, REUTERS, Soviet, Reuters, Sistema, Ministry, Transport, JETS, Russian, Union, Bombardier Challenger, Uralkali, Bombardier, VEB.RF, VEB, EU, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Riviera, Belarus, oligarch, Ukraine, Turkey, Dubai, China, Russian, Maldives, Seychelles, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Yevtushenkov, United Kingdom, Aruba, of, Uralkali, UAE, Prague, Bishkek, States, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Latvia, Britain, Oman, Soviet

☆ MPS gets dismissal of $481 mln in claims upheld in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Milan's civil appeals court on Thursday upheld a ruling rejecting a 450 million euro ($481 million) damage claim brought by Luxembourg-based fund Alkem against Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS.MI), the bank's former top management and its adviser Nomura , the court said in a statement. The rulings are beneficial for MPS which is 64% owned by the state following a 2017 bailout, and must be re-privatised. Alken had sought around 450 million euros in compensation and Virmont SA another 4.7 million, the court said, adding there were further smaller claims from some Italian investors. The civil appeals court in Milan also cited the ruling of the criminal court of appeal in Milan that had acquitted all the defendants in the case centring around the two derivatives deals, a decision confirmed by Italy's top court last month. ($1 = 0.9356 euros)Reporting by Emilio Parodi, editing by Valentina ZaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Siena, Nomura, Alken, Emilio Parodi, Valentina Za Organizations: MILAN, Monte dei, Deutsche Bank, Nomura, MPS, Virmont SA, Thomson Locations: Luxembourg, Milan

That has left Italian equities overall more cheaply valued than even battered UK shares (.dMIGB00000PUS), which are trading at a 33% discount to global peers. Goldman Sachs estimates that each 10 bps rise in sovereign spreads takes around 2% off Italian bank shares and 1.5% off the FTSE MIB index. Conflict in Ukraine and in the Middle East meanwhile threaten to spark a fresh surge in energy prices and weaken growth. UniCredit shares are up almost 80% this year and among the best performing euro zone banking shares. Fidelity International portfolio manager Alberto Chiandetti, said he was chasing opportunities in battered industrials and consumer sectors in the FTSE Italia Star index.

Persons: Claudia Greco, Chris Hiorns, Fitch, Goldman Sachs, Giuseppe Sersale, Andrea Scauri, Lemanik, Scauri, LSEG, Alberto Chiandetti, Joice Alves, Danilo Masoni, Dhara Ranasinghe, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, Companies, LONDON, Barclays, European Commission, FTSE Italia Star, Anthilia, Banco, Fidelity International, FTSE, Thomson Locations: Milan, Silicon, Italy, Companies Italy, MILAN, Germany, Ukraine, iShares, Europe, dei, London

☆ In diamond centre Antwerp, Russian gems are already shunned
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Julia Payne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Cut diamonds are seen at the diamond exchange in Antwerp, as the G7 weighs a ban on Russian diamond imports to reduce revenues for Moscow's war in Ukraine, Antwerp, Belgium, October 30, 2023. Other diamond firms in Antwerp, the world's biggest centre of trade in rough diamonds and cutting of the biggest gems, were asked to avoid Russian stones. Now, Western powers want to make the boycott official with a formal ban on Russian stones. Imports of Russian rough diamonds are now at less than 5% of pre-war levels, the source said. Most proposals under consideration by the G7 now focus on rough diamonds of 1 carat and above initially.

Persons: Johanna Geron, Thierry Tugendhaft, Van Cleef, Tugendhaft, De Beers, It's, Julia Payne, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European, World Diamond Council, EU, Thomson Locations: Antwerp, Ukraine, Belgium, Rights ANTWERP, Russia, Paris, Tiffany's, Cartier, Canada, Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana, India, United States, Japan, European Union, France, Antwerp . New

☆ Italy picks UBS, Jefferies, Clifford Chance for MPS privatisation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People pass in front of a branch of Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) bank in Siena, Italy, August 11 2021. REUTERS / Jennifer Lorenzini/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Italy's Treasury said on Friday it had picked UBS (UBSG.S) , Jefferies and Clifford Chance as financial and legal advisers for the privatisation of bailed-out bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) (BMPS.MI). After a failed attempt to sell the Tuscan lender to larger peer UniCredit (CRDI.MI) in 2021, Italy agreed to Brussels' new privatisation terms that were never fully disclosed. However, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said this week MPS could return to private hands by the end of next year. Both Giorgetti and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have said in recent months that the government would try to boost competition among Italy's banks with the privatisation of MPS.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Jefferies, Clifford Chance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgia Meloni, Gavin Jones, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Treasury, UBS, European Union, MPS, Banco, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, Rome, Brussels

☆ I've been a solo traveler for years. Here are my 8 best tips for traveling alone.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Dan Ginn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I'm currently in my fifth year of solo travel, but began my nomadic lifestyle with an eager attitude. To ensure you avoid making the same mistakes I did, I've gathered some simple and practical tips every solo traveler needs to know. However, solo travel can definitely open you up to vulnerable situations. AdvertisementHave Google Maps available on your phoneI've found that Google Maps is most reliable when traveling. This is even more true if you're traveling to remote locations.

Persons: I'm, I've, Dan Ginn, you'll, They're Organizations: Business, Google

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