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☆ Glencore copper mine in Peru struck by vandals, cars torched
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LIMA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Vandals attacked Glencore's (GLEN.L) Antapaccay copper mine in Peru on Thursday, the country's top mining official said, amid a deepening political crisis marked by violent protests that have broken out near major mines in the southern Andes. Peru is the world's second-biggest copper producer, and is currently in the throes of the worst civil unrest in years. A major tin mine located in the southern Puno region, where some of the fiercest anti-government protests have played out, also announced it temporarily halted its mining operations. The Antapaccay mine is one of the largest in Peru, and has tussled with the local community in the past. Later on Thursday, miner Minsur said it was temporarily suspending operations at its San Rafael mine, one of the largest tin mines in the world.

☆ Rooney Vera: There's an immense amount of distrust in Brazil's government, and that's very unhealthy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailRooney Vera: There's an immense amount of distrust in Brazil's government, and that's very unhealthyKathryn Rooney Vera of Bulltick Capital Markets discusses the market impact of the weekend attack on Brazil's capital by supporters of former president Bolsonaro, and whether investors should eye Latin America's largest economy under new president Lula.

☆ TikTok CEO, EU's Vestager chatted about data harvesting, spying
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 10 (Reuters) - TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew and the EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager discussed on Tuesday "aggressive" data harvesting and surveillance in the United States, the European Commission said. The short-video app, which is owned by Chinese technology conglomerate ByteDance, last month admitted that some of its employees improperly accessed TikTok user data of two journalists to try to identify the source of information leaks to the media. "At the meeting the parties also discussed GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and matters of privacy and data transfer obligations with a reference to the recent press reporting on aggressive data harvesting and surveillance in the U.S," it said. Chew is scheduled to meet Values and Transparency Commissioner Vera Jourova and Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson after Vestager. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ German regulator identifies 5,000 km to aid green power switch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The natural regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur has planning authority over a total of 7,300 km of grid. It reports to the economy ministry, which shares the goal of increasing the use of renewable energy and distributing wind energy, concentrated in Germany's north, and solar energy from the south. "The renewable energy generated in the north of the country must be transported," Klaus Mueller, the authority's president, said in a statement. Germany plans a total 14,000 km of high voltage grids, responsibility for which would be shared between the central regulator and state level authorities in co-operation with four transmission grid companies (TSOs). Since the Green Party gained prominence as part of the coalition government installed in late 2021, Berlin has accelerated planning and approval procedures to ease the take-up of renewable power.

☆ Online mental health company uses ChatGPT to help respond to users in experiment — raising ethical concerns around healthcare and AI technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A digital mental health company is drawing ire for using GPT-3 technology without informing users. Koko co-founder Robert Morris told Insider the experiment is "exempt" from informed consent law due to the nature of the test. "The participants should have given informed consent and this should have passed through an IRB [institutional review board]." A women seeks mental health support on her phone. Beatriz Vera/EyeEm/Getty ImagesChatGPT and the mental health gray areaStill, the experiment is raising questions about ethics and the gray areas surrounding the use of AI chatbots in healthcare overall, after already prompting unrest in academia.

☆ TikTok CEO Plans to Meet European Union Regulators
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Stu Woo | Laurence Norman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to meet with the European Union’s antitrust chief and other officials. TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to meet with European Union officials and regulators in Brussels next week, as the popular app faces heightened scrutiny in Washington over its Chinese ownership. Mr. Chew is scheduled to meet with Margrethe Vestager , the executive vice president of the EU’s executive arm and its top competition regulator, on Tuesday. He also plans to meet Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders , Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson and Vice President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova .

☆ German 2022 gas imports dropped 12.3%, Norway helped replace Russia - regulator
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Norway took over from Russia as the number one supplier, accounting for 33% of the total volume, with Russia supplying 22%, the regulator said in a statement. "The missing gas shipments from Russia were partly compensated by additional imports, among other origins, via the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway," the statement said. Reuters GraphicsThe Berlin government has also rushed through provisions for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to arrive on board ships to plug gaps. Total German gas exports amounted to 501 TWh, down by a third from 749 TWh a year earlier. Germany's gas storage levels currently stand at a comfortable 90.72%, way above the 40% threshold that the regulator deems critical at the start of February.

☆ Germany backs Norwegian plan to capture carbon from cement
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Habeck's visit to the Norcem cement plant in Brevik, Norway, represents a shift in German policy back towards efforts to deal with planet-warming emissions by capturing them and making use (CCSU) of them in industrial processes. Projects have repeatedly stalled on issues of cost and environmental opposition as campaigners have been concerned carbon capture and storage can serve to prolong the use of fossil fuels. As cement-making inevitably emits carbon, its capture is necessary to mitigate pollution, and the Norwegian plant is meant to serve as a global blueprint, eventually capturing 400,000 tonnes of CO2 - half its emissions - per year. Germany aims to cut 65% of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 and to become carbon-neutral by 2045. During Habeck's visit, Norwegian state-controlled oil firm Equinor (EQNR.OL) and German utility RWE said separately they planned to develop a supply chain for low-carbon hydrogen.

☆ TikTok CEO to meet EU antitrust chief Vestager on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 6 (Reuters) - TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew will meet the European Union's antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager in Brussels on Jan. 10, a calendar released by the European Commission showed on Friday. Chew will also meet Values and Transparency Commissioner Vera Jourova and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on the same day, the calendar showed. A spokesman for the European Commission said the meetings could be expected to cover issues such as the protection of personal data by online platforms such as TikTok and the implementation of the EU's Digital Services Act. He declined to comment on further specific details of the meetings or who requested them. Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Bart Meijer Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

FRANKFURT, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Germany exported more electricity to its neighbours than it imported in 2022, even with an energy crisis at home, thanks to more more weather-driven renewable power and greater demand from France. The trade figures show that Germany's neighbours remain dependent on surplus power from Europe's biggest economy if their own generation supplies fall short. In detail, German power imports in 2022 totalled 51 TWh, 2.6% down from 2021, while exports rose 7.3% year-on-year to 78.5 TWh, giving a net export surplus. France, Switzerland and Austria increased energy imports from Germany year-on-year, as did the Czech Republic, Belgium and Norway. Volumes originating in Switzerland, Austria, Poland, among others, fell last year.

☆ A recession next year is inevitable, says Bulltick's Kathryn Rooney Vera
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailA recession next year is inevitable, says Bulltick's Kathryn Rooney VeraKathryn Rooney Vera, Bulltick Capital Markets head of research, joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss her 2023 predictions for inflation, a recession and the labor market.

Founders in their 20s get a lot of media attention, but research suggests most founders are older. But the data on successful entrepreneurs says otherwise: The average age of business founders is around 40 years old, according to research by Pierre Azoulay, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And a 50-year-old founder is approximately twice as likely to experience a successful exit, meaning the startup is acquired or goes public, compared with a founder at age 30, according to Azoulay's analysis of 2.7 million founders between 2007 and 2014. What's more, the average age of a unicorn founder is 34, according to venture capital partner Ali Tamaseb's 2021 book Super Founders: What Data Reveals About Billion-Dollar Startups. Here are other successful people who found success later in life.

☆ Key mining route cleared after days of protests, Peru government says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 24 (Reuters) - A key road for mining transportation in Peru was cleared after days of protests, a government minister said, as the country struggles with political tensions following the ousting and arrest of former President Pedro Castillo. The so-called southern mining corridor in the Cusco region was cleared on Friday afternoon after a meeting between local and trade organizations, Energy and Mines Minister Oscar Vera said in a statement. Demonstrators have blocked roads and forced the closure of airports as part of protests after the arrest of Castillo and the designation of Dina Boluarte as president. The southern corridor is key for important mines including Las Bambas, which is one of the world's largest copper mines and is owned by China's MMG Ltd (1208.HK). The road has suffered other blockades this year due to protests by neighboring communities who demanded more benefits from the exploitation of resources.

☆ French bank Credit Agricole strikes bancassurance deal with Italy's Banco BPM
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Dec 23 (Reuters) - French bank Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) said on Friday it had struck a long-term bancassurance partnership deal with Italy's Banco BPM (BBPM) (BAMI.MI) to provide non-life insurance products and related services through BBPM's networks. As part of the deal, the French bank's Credit Agricole Assurances (CAA) division will buy from Banco BPM 65% of the share capital of both Vera Assicurazioni and Banco BPM Assicurazioni. Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Credit Agricole strikes bancassurance deal with Italy's Banco BPM
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The deal allows the provision of non-life insurance products and related services through BBPM's networks for a 20-year period. It also stipulates that the French bank's Credit Agricole Assurances (CAA) division will buy from Banco BPM 65% of the share capital of both Vera Assicurazioni and Banco BPM Assicurazioni. "We are very pleased that our long-standing strategic partnership with Banco BPM will soon be strengthened," Credit Agricole CEO Philippe Brassac said in a statement. Credit Agricole has a 9.18% stake in Banco BPM, Italy's third-largest bank behind Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MI) and UniCredit (CRDI.MI). Three weeks ago, Banco BPM picked Credit Agricole over a rival bid from French insurer AXA (AXAF.PA) to start exclusive talks over a non-life insurance partnership.

☆ Uniper says working with UAE's Masdar on hydrogen project
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, Dec 22 (Reuters) - German utility Uniper (UN01.DE) on Thursday said it was involved in a project with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) clean energy company Masdar to produce green hydrogen, confirming a report on Bloomberg. A spokesperson for the Duesseldorf-based firm said Uniper is actively involved in large-scale hydrogen projects in the Middle East, with a view to exporting hydrogen to Europe and Asian markets. "The project in UAE with MASDAR has already seen impressive public support," the spokesperson said, adding Uniper declined to provide further detail at this stage. The Bloomberg report said that Masdar and Uniper will build a 1.3 gigawatt (GW) solar plant from which they expect to produce clean hydrogen via electrolysis from 2026, citing an interview with Masdar's executive director for clean energy, Mohammad Abdelqadar El Ramahi. ($1 = 0.9439 euros)Reporting by Vera Eckert, editing by Rachel More and Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Peru's defense minister named PM in Cabinet shuffle after protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Peru's President Dina Boluarte, who took office after her predecessor Pedro Castillo was ousted, poses for a family picture with members of her new Cabinet, in Lima, Peru, December 21, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA/MEXICO CITY Dec 21 (Reuters) - Peru's President Dina Boluarte promoted the country's defense chief to the prime minister's job as part of a shuffle of her 11-day-old Cabinet on Wednesday, a move that followed protests this month that have left roughly two dozen people dead. Alberto Otarola, a lawyer who had been the Andean nation's defense minister, was named prime minister, and four others entered the Cabinet. That move followed Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's public support for Castillo. Earlier, members of Castillo's family landed in Mexico City after being granted political asylum.

☆ Europe condemns Elon Musk suspending journalists from Twitter, warns of 'red lines'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Musk reinstated the suspended journalists early Saturday after a Twitter poll, but he had already drawn rebukes from the European Union and United Nations. “The EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. officials have also estimated they will add more than 100 full-time staff by 2024 to enforce the Digital Services Act and other new rules on digital competition. “The Digital Services Act is unprepared for this kind of problem, because it’s not designed for that,” said Downing, speaking of Thursday’s suspensions of tech journalists. “There was never a conception that journalists would be banned from Twitter, because that’s not what Twitter does,” he added.

☆ The only victim in Elon's beef with journalists is Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Twitter itself knows news and journalists are major drivers of user engagement on its platform. By barring journalists, Musk is openly demonstrating his resentment towards one of Twitter's most active and important userbases, hurting the platform further. Journalists depend on Twitter, and Twitter depends on them tooBy Twitter's own estimates, journalists count for a lot on its platform. Users "regularly follow news-related Twitter accounts, and around 4 in 5 young journalists rely on the platform for their jobs. Journalists use Twitter more than any other social media platform, according to research from Pew in June, treating it as a real-time source of information.

FRANKFURT, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Coal has made a comeback in Germany this year, as Europe's largest economy turns to the dirty fuel to power it through an energy crisis. Gas generation rose slightly, despite high prices, as wind and hydro power output were low, and domestic nuclear output also fell in July-Sept. This has increased coal power generation in the European Union, which is expected to remain at these higher levels for some time," the IEA's annual coal market report said. This includes 1.9 GW of lignite and 4.3 GW of hard coal power plants which are allowed to return to the market until 2024, the IEA report said. The decommissioning of 2.6 GW of hard coal power capacity and 1.2 GW of lignite capacity has been postponed.

☆ Germany heavily criticizes Elon Musk's Twitter for suspending journalists, saying the free press 'must not be switched on and off at will'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The German Foreign Office has warned Twitter about suspending journalists' accounts. Multiple journalists who reported on Elon Musk have been unable to post on the platform. On Thursday, Twitter suspended the accounts of multiple journalists that reported on the platform's new owner, Elon Musk. Wolfgang Buechner, the country's deputy government spokesperson, said in a separate tweet: "Arbitrary locking of journalists' accounts is unacceptable. On Friday, a top European Union official warned Elon Musk about possible Twitter sanctions, following what it described as the platform's "arbitrary suspension of journalists."

☆ European Union threatens sanctions over Twitter's ban of journalists
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Elon Musk’s decision to suddenly ban prominent tech journalists from Twitter is fanning a fierce backlash in Europe. Germany warned of the impact on press freedom, while a senior EU official said Twitter must comply with the bloc’s rules or face possible sanctions. “The EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. European leaders previously said they were watching how Musk’s takeover of Twitter would affect the platform. Thierry Breton, a top EU official, warned Musk in late November that the social media platform must take significant steps to comply with the bloc’s content moderation laws.

☆ EU threatens Elon Musk with sanctions after Twitter's suspension of journalists
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The European Union on Friday threatened tech billionaire Elon Musk with sanctions after Twitter removed several journalists that report on him and the social media company. Vera Jourova, the European Commission's vice president for values and transparency, said in a tweet that news of the "arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying." Late Thursday, Twitter abruptly suspended several high-profile journalists who cover him, including CNN correspondent Donie O'Sullivan and Ryan Mac, a reporter at The New York Times. He suggested these journalists violated Twitter's policy on "doxxing," or exposing a person's identifiable information. Musk now faces possible sanctions from the EU.

☆ A top European official seemed to threaten Elon Musk with sanctions over his 'arbitrary suspension' of journalists amid the jet-tracking saga
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Věra Jourová, a European Union vice president, criticized Elon Musk's "arbitrary" bans on journalists. She said that Twitter could face sanctions, citing the union's laws on free speech. After Musk's laid off thousands of staff, Twitter closed its Brussels office responsible for complying with EU laws. Věra Jourová, the EU vice president for values and transparency, tweeted on Friday morning: "News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying." Musk was also condemned by the German foreign office for suspending the journalists, while a senior government official threatened to leave the platform.

☆ Factbox: Germany's energy prices bill - what are the details?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Here are some details of legislation passed by Germany's lower house of parliament on Thursday to cap gas and power prices for consumers up to April 2024 and in return tax utility profits deemed to be excessive. POWER PRICE BRAKEA brake on power prices will be implemented in March but applied retroactively to January and February, capping 80% of the previous year's bill at 40 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). GAS PRICESA brake on gas prices is also backdated and caps the equivalent of 80% of the prior year bill at 12 cents per kWh. The argument is they benefitted from higher revenues inadvertently due to spillover especially from gas prices, since gas plants' costs act as wholesale market price setters. The final version bore account of the need to avoid hurting new investments and upsetting wholesale market dynamics.

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