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☆ Third arrest made in connection with suspected fentanyl overdose death of 1-year-old boy, exposure of 3 other children at Bronx day care center
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Mark Morales | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —A third person has been arrested and was charged in federal court Monday in connection with the death of a 1-year-old boy who was exposed to the highly potent drug fentanyl while inside a Bronx day care, according to federal prosecutors. One-year-old Nicholas Dominici died after the suspected fentanyl exposure earlier this month at Divino Niño day care center. Paredes, who was arrested Saturday in an apartment in the Bronx, allegedly conspired to distribute fentanyl, including at the day care center, from at least July of 2023, authorities said. Paredes and his alleged co-conspirators, Grei Mendez and Carlisto Acevedo Brito, stored the drugs at the day care – including a kilo of fentanyl on children’s playmats, according to a criminal complaint. Investigators were able to trace phone calls and text messages from Mendez and Brito that led them to Paredes, according to the complaint.

Persons: New York CNN —, Renny Antonio Parra Paredes, Paredes, Damian Williams, Nicholas Dominici, –, Grei Mendez, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, Dawn ”, Mendez, Brito, Nicholas ’, Frank, Tarentino III, ” Tarentino III, ” Paredes Organizations: New, New York CNN, Authorities, Court, CNN, Southern, of Locations: New York, Manhattan, Divino, Bronx, Paredes

☆ Exclusive: China's Gotion buys 25% stake in Slovak EV battery startup Inobat
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Chinese battery maker Gotion High Tech (002074.SZ) is buying a 25% stake in Slovak battery maker Inobat and will provide supply chain and technology support as the startup scales up production of electric vehicle batteries, the companies said on Thursday. Inobat said the investment will provide it access to Gotion's research and development, as well as to the Chinese battery maker's raw materials including lithium, and to cell production and recycling capabilities. Gotion said last year that it plans to locate one third of its production capacity outside China by 2025 to meet growing demand from EV makers and energy storage clients. The Chinese battery maker is building a $2.36 billion plant in Michigan and is looking at setting up an EV battery plant in Morocco with a potential investment of up to $6.3 billion. Inobat has signed declarations of intent with the governments of Spain and Serbia to build EV battery plants, though those agreements are not final.

Persons: Inobat, Li Zhen, Northvolt, Gotion, Nick Carey, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Gotion High Tech, Gotion, Volkswagen, Volvo, Reuters, BlackRock, EV, Thomson Locations: Europe, North America, China, Michigan, Morocco, Spain, Serbia

Several news organizations fell for an elaborate hoax on Tuesday that claimed that all Mattel toys, including the iconic Barbie doll, would be plastic free by 2030, starting with a new line of decomposable “EcoWarrior” dolls made with organic materials including mushrooms, algae and clay. The campaign, carried out by an activist group that calls itself the Barbie Liberation Organization, included a series of false news releases and advertisements purporting to be from the toy giant Mattel. The group said it wanted to capitalize on the hype that has surrounded the blockbuster “Barbie” film, released last month, and call attention to the use of plastic in toys. In one of the clips, the actor and environmental activist Daryl Hannah strolls along a picturesque beach, where she plucks a barnacle-encrusted doll from the sand.

Persons: Barbie, Daryl Hannah strolls Organizations: Mattel, Barbie Liberation Organization

[1/2] The logo of Osaka Organic Chemical Industry Ltd. is pictured in Tokyo, Japan July 25 2023. REUTERS/Sam NusseyTOKYO, July 26 (Reuters) - Osaka Organic Chemical Industry (4187.T), a Japanese manufacturer of high-end chemicals used in chip production, is betting on the materials market for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, a method for making advanced chips. Little known even in its home country, Osaka Organic has carved out a critical niche in the semiconductor industry by supplying companies that make photoresists, the light-sensitive chemicals used to etch patterns on wafers. "I am confident that we can compete," Masayuki Ando, Osaka Organic's president, told Reuters in an interview, referring to the EUV resist market. In many ways, Osaka Organic is emblematic of Japan's chip-making industry today.

Persons: Sam Nussey, Masayuki Ando, Osaka, Ando, Yuta Nishiyama, Miho Uranaka, David Dolan, Miral Organizations: Osaka Organic Chemical Industry Ltd, REUTERS, Osaka Organic Chemical Industry, Reuters, Citigroup, Thomson Locations: Osaka, Tokyo, Japan, Sam Nussey TOKYO, photoresists, South

☆ Factbox: Graphite producers doing deals with automakers and battery groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Tomas Bergman/Handout via REUTERSLONDON, June 21 (Reuters) - Automakers are rushing to lock in graphite supply from outside dominant producer China as mined graphite demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries outpaces other uses. Below are details of some Western companies producing, or planning to produce graphite, and their deals with auto makers and battery producers. It aims to start annual production at a battery anode plant in Mauritius in 2024 at 3,600 metric tons. SYRAH RESOURCES LTD (SYR.AX)Operates Balama mine in Mozambique, which doubled graphite production to 163,000 metric tons in 2022 from the year before. MAGNIS ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES LTD (MNS.AX)Developing Nachu graphite mine in Tanzania, aiming to produce 236,000 metric tons of graphite concentrate.

Persons: Tomas Bergman, Handout, steelmaker Thyssenkrupp, Talga, Magnis, Tesla, China's, Eric Onstad, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Talga Group, Reuters, REUTERS LONDON, INC, TALGA, Automotive Cells Company, ACC, Stellantis, Mercedes, Benz, Renault, LG Energy, Ford Motor Company, SK, MONDE, Panasonic Energy, Thomson Locations: Norrbotten, Sweden, China, Madagascar, Mauritius, Lulea, Mozambique, U.S ., Louisiana, Tanzania, United States, New York, South Australia, Macquarie, Canada, India, Alabama, Coosa

☆ Concrete is a huge source of carbon emissions. These researchers are working to make it greener
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Mark Tutton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

With pressure on the construction industry to decarbonize, researchers around the world are looking for ways to make concrete greener. CarbonCure injects captured CO2 into concrete as it’s mixed, where it reacts with cement to increase the strength of the concrete. As well as sequestering CO2, the company says this extra strength means the concrete can be made with less cement. From salt water to cementIn the United Arab Emirates (UAE), researchers are working on a process to cut concrete’s carbon footprint while tackling another environmental problem. “The construction industry is one of the oldest industries and we might have some resistance to change the material that (it is) currently using.

Persons: ”, Sam Draper, ” Draper, Barney Shanks, Draper, Shanks, Helene Sandberg “, Seratech’s, we’ve, Carbicrete, Kemal Celik, Kemal, CNN Celik, Celik, ” Adrian Lydon Organizations: CNN, Imperial College London, Imperial College, United Arab Emirates, Civil, Urban Engineering, NYU Abu, Celik Locations: Portland, UAE, NYU Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi

“Nothing more and nothing less.”The 49-page indictment included new details about how Trump allegedly took classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving office in 2021 and resisted the government’s attempts to retrieve the classified materials. The indictment includes that photo – illustrating how the classified documents Trump kept were interspersed with newspapers and photographs. Trump wasn’t charged over classified documents he turned over voluntarilyWith the 31 documents the indictment describes as underlying the 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information, the indictment also lists when those documents were recovered by the government. A separate special counsel investigation into Biden’s handling of documents remains ongoing, while the Justice Department told Pence’s attorney no charges would be brought over the discovery of classified documents in his Indiana home. What’s next in classified documents caseTrump has been summoned to appear in court in southern Florida at 3 p.m.

Persons: Jack Smith, Donald Trump, Trump, Walt Nauta, ” Smith, Smith, Biden, Justice Department’s, Trump’s, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Nauta, ” Trump, “ Trump, ‘, ’, “, ”, –, Trump wasn’t, Evan Corcoran, Department’s, Biden –, Pence –, What’s, Aileen Cannon Organizations: CNN, Pence, Justice, DOJ, Trump, White, Defense Department, Justice Department, Mar, National Archives, The, Department Locations: Washington ,, Trump, Bedminster , New Jersey, Bedminster, Trump’s, Lago, United States, Trump’s Florida, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Congress, Indiana, Florida, New York, Fulton County

☆ Peloton aims to rebrand as a fitness company for all with focus on app, tiered subscription pricing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The ad solidified Peloton's nascent identity as a high-end bike company reserved for a certain type of person at a certain income level. "This company historically has been thought of as an in-home bike company for fitness enthusiasts but over the years, it has evolved into something that is much more bigger, much broader than that." The relaunch includes a "Gym" function that allows users to take Peloton's app into the gym with them and create custom workouts. 2 among those who have Peloton hardware. It shows how eager users are to consume Peloton content that has nothing to do with its equipment.

☆ Supply chain scrutiny may upend EU solar ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Western nations are rushing to install more solar panels to reduce their dependency on polluting fossil fuels like gas and oil. Yet a rising legislative tide aimed at ensuring companies’ supply chains are free from forced labour and other abuses presents a mounting challenge for Western utilities. Bernreuter estimates that non-Chinese solar-grade polysilicon is enough to produce 40 gigawatts of solar panels per year. Banned materials include polysilicon, an ultra-pure form of silicon, that is the key raw material used to make solar panels. The European Commission published in February 2022 a draft proposal aimed at forcing companies to better police their global supply chains.

SANTA CLARA, California May 22 (Reuters) - U.S. semiconductor toolmaker Applied Materials Inc (AMAT.O) on Monday said it plans to spend up to $4 billion on a research center in the heart of Silicon Valley to speed up advances in semiconductor manufacturing. Applied Materials said the new facility, called the Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization (EPIC) Center, will be the size of more than three American football fields. The scale of how fast we invest is going to be tied to the government incentives," Gary Dickerson, CEO of Applied Materials, told Reuters. Taking ideas from research universities and turning them into tools used in factories can take many years, said Applied executives. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to attend an Applied Materials' event in Silicon Valley announcing the center, along with top executives from major chip companies.

☆ NYSE to bust erroneous CDW Corp trades as shares briefly dive 96%
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 18 (Reuters) - NYSE Arca Equities is looking into likely erroneous trades in the shares of IT solutions provider CDW Corp (CDW.O) after they briefly plunged as much as 96% to $7 in premarket trading on Thursday. The exchange operator, owned by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE.N), said it would bust all trades in the stock between 04:00 a.m. CDW Corp shares quickly recouped most of their losses and were last down 0.7% at $172.09 before the bell. ET, closed at $173.25 with a market value of $23.35 billion on Wednesday. CDW Corp and CaliberCos did not immediately respond to a Reuters requests for a comment.

May 18 (Reuters) - Semiconductor manufacturing tools maker Applied Materials Inc (AMAT.O) forecast third-quarter revenue above market estimates on Thursday, as governments around the world pour funding into chip factories. Chief Executive Officer Gary E. Dickerson said the company believes about $400 billion in government funding is supporting the chip industry. Applied Materials forecast third-quarter revenue of $6.15 billion, plus or minus $400 million, compared with analysts' estimates of $6.02 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data. The company posted second-quarter revenue of $6.63 billion, compared with estimates of $6.38 billion. On an adjusted basis, the company earned $2 per share in the second quarter, beating estimates of $1.84 according to Refinitiv IBES data.

☆ US exchanges to bust erroneous CDW Corp trades after shares briefly dive 96%
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

They would bust all trades in the stock between 04:00 a.m. CDW Corp shares quickly recouped most of their losses and were last up 0.2% at $173.50. ET, closed at $173.25 with a market value of $23.35 billion on Wednesday. Scottsdale, Arizona-based CaliberCos jumped 44.8% to $8.65, a day after it jumped in its Nasdaq debut to notch a market value of $123.7 million. CDW Corp and CaliberCos did not immediately respond to a Reuters requests for a comment.

☆ Japan's prime minister to meet with top chip firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Meeting could happen as soon as ThursdayWould include TSMC, Samsung, Intel, MicronTOKYO, May 17 (Reuters) - Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to meet with top executives from global semiconductor companies as early as on Thursday to strengthen multilateral cooperation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said. Japan is striving to reinvigorate its chip sector, whose global market share has fallen to about 10% from around 50% in the late 1980s. TSMC, the world's largest contract chip manufacturer, is building a major factory in western Japan. Samsung is considering setting up a chip packaging test line in the country, five people familiar with the matter said in March. Also, Intel is looking into opening up a research and development facility in Japan, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported on Wednesday.

☆ Japan PM Kishida to meet executives from top chip firms -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, May 17 (Reuters) - Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to meet on Thursday with top executives from global semiconductor companies including TSMC to seek active investment in Japan, said two people involved in planning the meeting. Kishida will also ask those companies to develop closer cooperation with Japanese firms, the people said following a Yomiuri newspaper report on the meeting. Japan is striving to breathe vigour into its chip sector, whose global market share has tumbled to about 10% from around 50% in the late 1980s. TSMC, the world's largest contract chip manufacturer, is building a major factory in western Japan. Samsung is considering setting up a chip packaging test line in the country, five people familiar with the matter said in March.

[1/2] The logo of battery recycler Li-Cycle Holdings Corp is displayed on their offices in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. June 30, 2022. REUTERS/Ernest ScheyderMay 9 (Reuters) - Battery recycler Li-Cycle Holdings Corp (LICY.N) said on Tuesday it planned to develop a recycling hub in Italy along with Swiss miner and commodity trader Glencore Plc (GLEN.L) to produce battery materials including lithium. Canada-based Li-Cycle had earlier announced in March that it would be building a French battery processing facility amid rising demand for lithium due to its key role in transition towards net zero. The two companies are expected to complete a joint feasibility study for the project by mid-2024, Li-Cycle said. Once the companies make a final investment decision on the project, commissioning of the hub in Portovesme, Italy, is expected to commence in late 2026 to early 2027.

☆ Lululemon’s Climate Goals Hinge on Replacing Oil With Plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s need for crude oil for its leggings and other stretchy clothes presents a hurdle to meeting its climate ambitions. Its first products out this month are two shirts containing at least 50% nylon made from plant-based sugars instead of oil. A new Lululemon shirt contains at least 50% nylon made from plant-based sugars instead of oil. Lululemon’s push into biomaterials is part of a goal to make all of its products with sustainable materials by the end of the decade. Biomaterials also can help Lululemon more swiftly reduce its climate impact because using recycled materials is challenging, Ms. Speck said.

☆ Lam Research forecasts lower quarterly revenue as China export curbs weigh
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 19 (Reuters) - Chip-making equipment supplier Lam Research Corp (LRCX.O) forecast lesser-than-expected June-quarter revenue on Wednesday, as U.S. restrictions on sale of certain technology to China and weakness in the semiconductor market weigh on the business. Wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) makers Lam Research, KLA Corp (KLAC.O) and Applied Materials Inc (AMAT.O), have said their 2023 revenue projections are likely to be hit between $600 million and $2.5 billion due to the export restrictions. Lam Research, whose shares dropped 2.2% after-market, forecast June-quarter revenue at $3.1 billion, plus or minus $300 million, lower than analysts' projection of $3.47 billion, according to Refinitiv. Lam Research cut 7% of its workforce in January and had projected WEF spending is likely fall to mid-$70 billion range this year from mid-$90 billion in 2022. Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ An obscure, 150-year-old morality law has resurfaced in the legal battle over abortion medication
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A federal appeals court discussed an obscure, 150-year-old morality law in its decision on abortion medication mifepristone. A challenge to the legality of sending abortion medications via mail referenced the Comstock Act of 1873. A law professor called the legislation an outdated "zombie law" that was now in danger of being "selectively enforced." The Comstock Act was named after Anthony Comstock, a moral crusader in 19th-century America, according to Middle Tennessee State University's First Amendment Encyclopedia. A 'zombie law' that should've been repealedMurray says invoking this "zombie law" is "rolling back modernity."

☆ Factbox: Tesla sets stage for annual shareholder meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 10 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) has put up five proposals for vote at its annual shareholder meeting on May 16, including the nomination of co-founder JB Straubel to the electric-vehicle maker's board. Tesla shareholders usually vote largely in line with board recommendations. FREQUENCY OF NON-BINDING VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATIONTesla said shareholders will vote on how frequently they would prefer a non-binding, advisory vote on compensation for executive officers. Investors will choose between one, two and three-year intervals for the non-binding vote on executive compensation, the board said, adding that it recommends a three-year interval. The EV maker has urged shareholders to vote against the proposal, saying it "would cause unnecessary competitive harm".

☆ Factbox: What is known about latest leak of U.S. secrets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here is what we know and do not know about what appears to be the gravest leak of U.S. secrets in years:ARE THE DOCUMENTS REAL? Materials marked that way would have been seen by thousands of people with security clearances. But because not all of the documents are marked FVEY, U.S. officials believe whoever leaked them could be American. - China: Predictions about how China would respond to Ukrainian strikes inside Russia, along with details about British plans in the Indo-Pacific region. - South America: Information about Brazilian officials' plan to visit Moscow in April to discuss a Ukraine mediation scheme.

☆ Factbox: The Japanese chipmaking equipment manufacturers navigating export curbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are some of Japan's leading manufacturers of tools used to make semiconductors. In October-December, its chip equipment sales in China fell 22.3% from a year earlier to 102.7 billion yen, accounting for 22.4% of its total chip equipment sales in the quarter. SCREEN HOLDINGS CO LTD (7735.T)Screen is the world's largest manufacturer of equipment used to clean silicon wafers. The company expects shipments to China to make up 20% of chipmaking equipment sales of 375 billion yen for the year to March. About 40% of sales from its lithography machines business, which combines semiconductor lithography and flat panel display lithography equipment, is generated in China.

☆ U.S. seeks to prevent China from benefiting from $52 billion chips funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Flags of China and U.S. are displayed on a printed circuit board with semiconductor chips, in this illustration picture taken February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/IllustrationWASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday released proposed rules to prevent $52 billion in semiconductor manufacturing and research funding from being used by China and other countries deemed of concern. This measure covers chips "including current-generation and mature-node chips used for quantum computing, in radiation-intensive environments, and for other specialized military capabilities." The Commerce Department plans to begin accepting applications in late June for a $39-billion semiconductor manufacturing subsidy program. The Commerce Department on Tuesday said it would reinforce those controls by aligning prohibited technology thresholds for memory chips between export controls and CHIPS national security guardrails and include "a more restrictive threshold for logic chips than is used for export controls."

Despite SVB's demise knocking the value of banks globally, particularly European lender Credit Suisse, U.N. climate envoy Mark Carney said he, too, did not expect a "material" impact on climate tech funding. "At a minimum, this will likely drive continued tightening of investments and a push to have their portfolio companies cut (cash) burn," it said in a note. Mona Dajani, partner at law firm Shearman and Sterling, said most of her clean energy clients either banked with SVB or faced some other impact from its troubles. SVB "cultivated a reputation as being very friendly to clean energy... they were willing to underwrite more risk," she said. "Not all the companies are going to make it and now that’s happening to climate companies."

☆ Factbox: Chinese chipmaking equipment manufacturers filling void left by U.S. export restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Naura's most advanced etching machine supports 55 nm and 28 nm chipmaking technology, well behind the leading edge of chip manufacturing. The firm also makes deposition machines, which apply chemicals and gases to silicon wafers throughout the chipmaking process. It produces machines that can service the 14 nm to 28 nm process nodes of its deposition machines. ADVANCED MICRO-FABRICATION EQUIPMENT INC CHINA (AMEC) (688012.SS)AMEC makes etching equipment used to remove excess material from the surface of silicon wafers. BEIJING E-TOWN SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY CO LTD (BEST)BEST produces degumming equipment used to remove photoresist chemicals during the lithography process.

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