DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Already given one career lifeline this season, Ricciardo missed the last five races with a broken left hand. But he returns this week to the U.S. Grand Prix, where the 34-year-old Australian has a history of having some cheeky fun. Long time no see," Ricciardo said to the group of his fellow drivers when he walked into Thursday's news conference. The hand feels good,” Ricciardo said, adding that the bone break that required surgery was worse than initially expected. Eventually there will have to be a serious side to the racing, which has not been so good for Ricciardo in recent years.

Persons: Daniel Ricciardo, Ricciardo, “, ” Ricciardo, I'm, ”, Red Bull, Lando Norris, AlphaTauri, Nyck De Vries, Liam Lawson, It’s, Lawson, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, “ Charles, ” Haas, Kevin Magnussen, Hamilton, let's, ” Hamilton, Williams, Logan Sargeant, Aston, Lance, Estebon Ocon, ” Sargeant Organizations: U.S, University of Texas Longhorns, Renault, McLaren, Austin, FIA, Qatar Grand Prix Locations: AUSTIN, Texas, Americas, Austin, Ricciardo, Hungary, Belgium, TEXAS, Qatar

France, where Ryanair serves cities such as Marseille and Bordeaux, has floated proposals for a minimum ticket price in an effort to reduce pollution from aviation. The French price proposal, which EU officials said has drawn some support from the Netherlands and Belgium, got short shrift from senior Ryanair executive Eddie Wilson. Having established a strong position in large parts of Western Europe, Ryanair is now looking east to countries such as Poland for further growth. Europe's main airlines lobby group expressed relief and called on more European coordination to support the sector. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr has said a stronger ITA will reinvigorate competition in the Italian market but Ryanair's Wilson is unperturbed, describing ITA as a sideshow.

Persons: Eddie Wilson, Wilson, Andrea Giuricin, Giorgia, Giuseppe Cocuzza, Ourania Georgoutsakou, Carsten Spohr, Ryanair's Wilson, Rome Fiumicino, Sacbo, Angelo Amante, Keith Weir, Joanna Plucinska, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Ryanair, Europe's, European Union, Ryanair DAC, Alitalia, TRA Consulting, European Commission, Airlines for, ITA, Lufthansa, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Thomson Locations: Italy, ROME, France, Marseille, Bordeaux, Sicily, Sardinia, Netherlands, Belgium, Europe, Western Europe, Poland, Rome, Catania, Airlines for Europe, Bergamo, Milan, Malpensa, Brescia, London

☆ EU migration ministers address militant Islamist attacks, risks from Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A teacher was slain in northern France last week in an attack President Emmanuel Macron condemned as "Islamist terrorism". The killings occurred at a time of heightened security concerns across much of Europe linked to the Israel-Hamas war. The attack in Brussels underlined persistent failings of the EU's troubled migration and asylum systems, including security gaps and ineffective returns. The EU, a bloc of 450 million people, has recorded some 250,000 irregular arrivals this year, in large part aided by smugglers. Last year, the EU took in several million refugees for Russia's war in the neighbouring Ukraine.

Persons: Darrin, Morocco Broad, Emmanuel Macron, Israel, Gabriela Baczynska, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Geo, Medecins Sans Frontieres, REUTERS, France Ministers, Palestinian, EU, Thomson Locations: Italy, Libya, Belgium, France, Israel, Egypt, Morocco, BRUSSELS, Europe, Brussels, EU, Gaza, Afghanistan, Syria, Tunisia, Tunis, Ukraine, East, Africa

Those include two pro-secession Catalan parties who led the unsuccessful 2017 breakaway attempt and who now find themselves holding the key votes in Parliament that Sánchez requires. They have made an amnesty law as a prerequisite for supporting Sánchez. “Pedro Sánchez needs the amnesty law to pass so he can get the four votes he is lacking,” Nebrera told the AP. Spain granted a sweeping amnesty during its transition back to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. But legal experts are divided over the constitutionality of an amnesty for the Catalan separatists.

Persons: Oriol Calvo, Calvo, Pedro Sánchez, “, ” Calvo, Sánchez, Carles Puigdemont, Spain can’t, ”, Pablo Seco, Montserrat Nebrera, ” Nebrera, Felipe González, Francisco Franco, Xavier Antich, Hernán Muñoz Organizations: —, Socialist, International University of Catalonia, AP, Omnium Locations: BARCELONA, Spain, — Barcelona, Catalonia’s, Madrid, Catalonia, Belgium, Barcelona, Montserrat, Sánchez, Catalan

The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Meta Platforms Inc FollowOct 18 (Reuters) - A shareholders' proposed class action accusing Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) of concealing sweeping misuse of Facebook users' data in 2017 and 2018 was revived by a U.S. appeals court on Wednesday. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco restored shareholders' claim that the company, then known as Facebook, falsely said that user data "could" be compromised. At the time, the company was already aware that the UK-based consulting firm Cambridge Analytica had violated its privacy policies, shareholders allege. Circuit Judge Patrick Bumatay dissented, saying that Facebook's disclosures concerned the type of risks involved in its business, not whether or not a data breach had occurred.

Persons: Yves Herman, Cambridge Analytica, Margaret McKeown, Darren Robbins, Donald Trump's, Patrick Bumatay, Jody Godoy, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Meta, Inc, Facebook, U.S, Circuit, Cambridge, Shareholders, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, San Francisco

They spoke after paying tribute to the victims of Monday's attack in the Belgian capital, home to the EU institutions, and condemning what they branded a brutal terrorist attack. Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Europe's open-border Schengen zone would not survive unless the EU's external frontiers were better protected from unwanted immigration. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the EU also needed a more effective system of returning unauthorised immigrants. The 45-year-old gunman arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2011 and then lived in Sweden before claiming asylum in Belgium. EU migration ministers will discuss the plans in Brussels on Thursday, as will national leaders next week.

Persons: Ulf Kristersson, Alexander De Croo, Yves Herman Acquire, Margaritis Schinas, Abdesalem Al Guilani, RTBF, Abdesalem, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Johnny Cotton, Anna Ringstrom, Benoit van Overstraeten, Gabriela Baczynska, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Swedish, Belgian, REUTERS, Sweden's, EU, STV, European Commission, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: Sweden, Brussels, Belgium, BRUSSELS, Tunisia, Swedish, Belgian, Europe, Lampedusa, Israel

☆ Options for G7 discussion for a ban on Russian diamonds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Enforcement would be government regulated through customs at a single point of entry for rough diamonds and several G7 entry points for polished stones. The proposal said a single entry point would be needed for rough diamonds without specifying where. Antwerp would be the favoured option for Belgium and the city also already handles most of the rough diamond trade. WORLD DIAMOND COUNCILThe World Diamond Council, which includes the world's largest rough diamond producer by value, De Beers, has proposed a version of the ban that is largely self-regulating. Any diamond sellers would then have to include with the stone they sell a declaration called the "G7 Diamond Protocol Declaration" that the diamond is not Russian.

Persons: De Beers, Sellers, De, WDC, Julia Payne, Jan Strupczewski, David Evans Organizations: Reuters, World Diamond Council, Belgian, Export Promotion Council, WORLD DIAMOND, Diamond Council, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Belgium, India, France, BELGIUM, Antwerp, Russian, Botswana, INDIA, Surat, Mumbai, FRANCE

It has since emerged that the attacker had been ordered to leave Belgium in 2021. Bernard Clerfayt, a Brussels minister who is also the mayor of the Brussels borough where the killings took place, called for de Moor's resignation. Official figures showed that only 5,497 of the 25,292 people who received an order to leave Belgium in 2022 have respected it. Despite the attack, Belgium is one of the better performers when it comes to deportation. Theo Francken, a lawmaker from the right-wing Flemish nationalist party N-VA, said Belgian authorities should be stricter with criminals and radicalized individuals.

Persons: —, Ulf Kristersson, Alexander De Croo, De Croo, ”, “, ” De Croo, Kristersson, Vincent Van Quickenborne, Nicole de Moor, Frédéric Van Leeuw, Bernard Clerfayt, de Moor's, ” Van Leeuw, didn’t, Jesper Tengroth, Samira, Theo Francken, ” Nils Duquet, It’s, Raf Casert Organizations: Sweden’s, Belgian, ”, Authorities, Premiere, Swedish Migration Agency, European Union, Flemish, Flemish Peace Institute Locations: BRUSSELS, Swedish, Brussels, Belgium, Belgian, Sweden, Nigerian, Africa

REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Facebook-owner Meta Platforms (META.O) on Wednesday introduced temporary measures to limit "potentially unwelcome or unwanted comments" on posts about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The social media company added it will disable the ability to see the first one or two comments on posts while scrolling the Facebook feed. Earlier this week, some users who posted in support for Palestine or Gaza citizens accused Meta of suppressing their content. Other Instagram users reported their posts and stories about Palestine were not receiving views. "This bug affected accounts equally around the globe – not only people trying to post about what’s happening in Israel and Gaza – and it had nothing to do with the subject matter of the content," Meta said.

Persons: Yves Herman, Meta, Instagram, Katie Paul, Sheila Dang, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Facebook, Meta, Wednesday, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Israel, Palestine, Gaza, New York, Austin

The logo of Johnson & Johnson is seen on a Brussels' office of the company in Diegem, Belgium September 21, 2023. J&J raised its annual profit forecast, helped by strong sales from its pharmaceutical business, and shares of the U.S. healthcare conglomerate were off about 1%. Excluding its consumer health unit, J&J now expects 2023 adjusted profit of $10.07 to $10.13 per share, up from its previous view of $10.00 to $10.10. Sales at J&J's medical device unit came in at $7.46 billion, shy of Wall Street estimates of $7.58 billion. J&J finalized the biggest shake-up in its 137-year history in August with the spinoff, but retained a 9.5% stake in its iconic consumer health business.

Persons: Johnson, Yves Herman, J, Vamil Divan, Joseph Wolk, Ozempic, Wolk, Bhanvi Satija, Sriparna Roy, Patrick Wingrove, Shounak Dasgupta, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Johnson, REUTERS, Guggenheim Partners, Vamil, Reuters Graphics, J, Thomson, &' $, & $, & $ Locations: Brussels, Diegem, Belgium, Bengaluru, New York

The logo of Johnson & Johnson is seen on a Brussels' office of the company in Diegem, Belgium September 21, 2023. Investors are focused on how J&J, now a standalone pharmaceutical and medical devices company, will reach its goal of $57 billion in drug sales by 2025. Johnson & Johnson recorded a $21-billion gain in the third quarter from the spin-off of its consumer health unit. Stelara, J&J's top-selling anti-inflammatory drug, brought in sales of $2.86 billion in the quarter, above LSEG estimates of $2.61 billion. Excluding its consumer health unit, J&J now expects 2023 adjusted profit of $10.07 to $10.13 per share, compared with its previous outlook of $10.00 to $10.10 per share.

Persons: Johnson, Yves Herman, MedTech, Cantor Fitzgerald, Louise Chen, Stelara, Joseph Wolk, Wolk, J, Bhanvi Satija, Sriparna Roy, Patrick Wingrove, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: Johnson, REUTERS, Innovative Medicine, Reuters, Thomson, & $, & $ Locations: Brussels, Diegem, Belgium, Stelara, U.S, United States, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Macron says 'Islamist terrorism' rising in Europe, all states at risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TIRANA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Europe is seeing a rise of "Islamist terrorism" and all states are threatened, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday during a visit to Albania, after Islamist killings of a teacher in France and two Swedish football fans in Belgium. Macron spoke a day after a 45-year-old attacker, who identified himself as a member of Islamic State and claimed responsibility in a video posted online, killed the two Swedes fans in Brussels. All European states are vulnerable, and there is indeed a resurgence of Islamist terrorism," Macron said after talks with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana. "Here, we reiterate our solidarity with our Belgian friends," Macron said. "Israel's security, the fight against all terrorist groups, as well as the peace process and the political solution, are all interconnected," he said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Florian Goga, Fatos, Hedy Beloucif, Marine Strauss, Ivana Sekularac, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Islamic, Albanian, Edi Rama, Thomson Locations: TIRANA, Europe, Albania, France, Belgium, Islamic State, Brussels, Paris, French, Arras, Tirana, Israel, Pristina

Inventories reached 102 million barrels on Oct. 6, up from 85 million barrels a year earlier, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (“Weekly petroleum status report”, EIA, Oct. 12). Stocks were 13 million barrels (+15% or +1.18 standard deviations) above the prior seasonal average for 2015-2022 and just 1 million barrels below the all-time high of 103 million set in November 2015. Inventories ended winter 2022/23 around 10 million barrels (+22% or +0.98 standard deviations) above the seasonal average and the surplus has continued to swell despite strong exports. U.S. petroleum refineries also produced 59 million barrels of propane between January and July 2023, unchanged from the same period in 2013. Shipments to the Netherlands (25 million barrels), Singapore (18 million), Indonesia (17 million), Brazil (14 million), Belgium (14 million), Spain (14 million) and Chile (13 million) took the share to more than 80%.

Persons: Terry Wade, Stocks, John Kemp, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Apache Corp, REUTERS, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Thomson, Reuters Locations: West Texas, Mont Belvieu, Texas, U.S, Chartbook, East Asia, Latin America, Europe, Japan, Mexico, China, South Korea, Netherlands, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil, Belgium, Spain, Chile, Asia, Saudi

Learn moreHit singer Olivia Rodrigo is heading on her second solo tour in 2024, with tickets still on sale for prospective Guts World Tour concert goers. If you want to buy tickets to the 2024 Guts World Tour, we've got you covered with a link for every individual Olivia Rodrigo Guts World Tour tour date appearance below. Olivia Rodrigo 2024 tour scheduleThe Guts World Tour begins in Palm Springs, CA, on February 23. Major cities tend to have higher prices for Olivia Rodrigo tickets, with concert dates in San Francisco, New York City, and Boston being among the most costly locations. As with standard tickets, original VIP tickets for Olivia Rodrigo's 2024 tour have also been sold out on Ticketmaster.

Persons: Olivia Rodrigo, Rodrigo, Olivia Rodrigo's, we've, Olivia Rodrigo Guts, Chappell Roan, Remi Wolf Organizations: North, Orlando, FL, St, Saint, New, Kansas City, UT, San, Ticketmaster, Silver Star, The Breeders, Breeders Locations: North America, Europe, Palm Springs , CA, American, United States, Canada, Springs, CA, Phoenix, AZ, Houston, Austin, Dallas, Orleans, LA, Miami, Charlotte, NC, Nashville, TN, Louis, Omaha, Saint Paul, Milwaukee, Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, MI, Montreal, Toronto, ON, Boston, New York City, NY, Dublin, Ireland, Manchester, England, Glasgow, Scotland, Birmingham, London, Antwerp, Belgium, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Oslo, Norway, Copenhagen, Denmark, Berlin, Germany, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, Bologna, Italy, Zurich, Switzerland, Cologne, Paris, France, Barcelona, Spain, Madrid, Lisbon, Portugal, Philadelphia, Washington, Atlanta, Lexington, KY, Kansas, Oklahoma, Denver, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, WA, Vancouver, BC, Portland, Inglewood, Palm Springs, San Francisco , New York City, Southern, The

☆ Brussels attacker arrived in Italy's Lampedusa in 2011 - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A member of Belgium soccer team boards a bus at King Baudouin Stadium after play was suspended after a shooting in Brussels, Belgium, October 17, 2023 REUTERS/Yves Herman Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The Tunisian man suspected of shooting dead two Swedish football fans in Brussels arrived in Italy's Lampedusa island in 2011, two Italian government and security sources said on Tuesday, confirming a report by the ANSA news agency. The suspect spent some time in Italy before moving to Sweden, but was expelled from there under the EU's "Dublin" rules and returned to Italy, one of the sources said. Italian authorities lost track of him some time in 2016 and presumed he had again moved abroad, the source added. In Brussels, Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne said his country had received an unconfirmed report in 2016 from a foreign police service indicating that the suspected attacker had a "radicalised profile" and wanted to go to a war zone to wage jihad. Reporting by Angelo Amante and Alvise Armellini, editing by Cristina Carlevaro and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yves Herman Acquire, radicalisation, Vincent Van Quickenborne, Angelo Amante, Alvise, Cristina Carlevaro, Alex Richardson Organizations: Belgium soccer, King Baudouin, Rights, Belgian, Thomson Locations: Belgium, Brussels, Swedish, Italy's Lampedusa, Italy, Sweden, Dublin, Bologna

LUXEMBOURG, Oct 17 (Reuters) - A stand-off between France and Germany over the future competitiveness of their industries will be the central point of discussion when EU energy ministers meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday, EU diplomats said. The new rules seek to protect consumers from volatile fossil fuel markets with a shift to more long-term, fixed-price contracts. Berlin fears that France, with its vast nuclear fleet, will be able to offer such contracts to its existing nuclear energy fleet - then use excess revenues generated by these contracts on subsidising industries. Central and eastern European countries that have nuclear expansion ambitions of their own are backing France. Spain, which holds the EU presidency until the year-end, has tried to find a compromise and at one point suggested axing article 19b entirely.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Julia Payne, Kate Abnett, Christina Fincher Organizations: European Commission, Thomson Locations: LUXEMBOURG, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Europe, Berlin, Central, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Spain

☆ Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Brussels Attack - Group's Channel on Telegram
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility for Monday's attack in Brussels, according to the group's channel on Telegram on Tuesday, which said one of its fighters carried out the attack that killed two people. A man suspected of shooting dead two Swedish football fans and wounding another in Brussels was a 45-year-old Tunisian who had an asylum application rejected in 2020 but continued to live in Belgium illegally, according to Belgian officials. After an overnight manhunt, police fatally shot the suspect at a cafe in the Schaerbeek district of northern Brussels on Tuesday morning,(Reporting by Yomna Ehab and Enas Alashray; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Persons: Yomna Ehab, Chizu Nomiyama Organizations: Reuters, Islamic State Locations: Islamic, Brussels, Swedish, Belgium, Schaerbeek

BRUSSELS (AP) — Sweden players were returning to their clubs Tuesday after taking an overnight flight home from Brussels following the suspension of their European Championship qualifier against Belgium at halftime because a gunman killed two Swedish nationals before kickoff. It was around 4 a.m. local time when the last of the Swedish supporters — totaling about 650, according to the Swedish Football Association — left the stadium under police surveillance, along with some staff from the federation. All hotels where Swedish supporters were staying were also guarded by police, the federation said. Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesThe Swedish FA confirmed to The Associated Press that the national-team players were now making their way back to their clubs. Brussels mayor Philippe Close told La Premiere radio that the game had not been regarded as a high-risk match.

Persons: Swedish Football Association —, “, Annelies Verlinden, Martin Fredman, ”, ” Fredman, Caroline, Philippe Close, Thomas Meunier, Meunier, ___ ___ Douglas, Sylvain Plazy, Raf Casert, Lorne Cook Organizations: —, European Championship, Belgium, UEFA, King Baudouin, Swedish Football Association, Swedish FA, Associated Press, Belgian, Belgian Red Devils, Swedish, Brussels, Premiere Locations: BRUSSELS, — Sweden, Brussels, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Swedish, Antwerp, Sundsvall

He lost his case in October 2020 and, the following March, was issued an order to leave Belgium. With at least three EU countries involved, the case points up the challenges the EU faces tracking people across the bloc's Schengen open-travel zone that is mostly free of border checks. Proponents of the EU's new migration pact - which has been tentatively agreed by most EU countries and is now being further negotiated with the European Parliament - say it would support returns by shortening time for migration and asylum procedures. "Those who are not allowed to stay in the EU must leave Europe. "This is a wake-up call for those who are not ready to accept ... the migration pact."

Persons: Alexander de Croo, Vincent Van Quickenborne, Manfred Weber, Marine Strauss, Bart Meijer, Angelo Amante, Gabriela Baczynska, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Belgium Case, EU, Immigration, Belgian, Frontex, Eurostat, Reuters, European People's Party, Thomson Locations: Italy, Sweden, Belgium, BRUSSELS, ROME, Tunisia, Europe, Israel, Germany, Brussels, Tunis, ITALY, SWEDEN, BELGIUM, Lampedusa, Poland, Hungary, East, Africa, Rome

[1/8] Police barricade tape is seen at a cordoned-off area after a police operation in Schaerbeek near Brussels, Belgium October 17, 2023. REUTERS/Bart Biesemans Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Belgian police on Tuesday shot and wounded a 45-year-old Tunisian suspected of killing two Swedish football fans in Brussels, Belgian media said. Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said earlier the wounded man was suspected of being the gunman. The suspected gunman, calling himself Abdesalem Al Guilani, claimed in a video on social media that he was a fighter for Allah. According to a media transcript of the video message recorded by the self-declared perpetrator, he said he had killed Swedes to take revenge in the name of Muslims.

Persons: Bart Biesemans, Annelies Verlinden, Verlinden, Philippe Close, BFM, Alexander De Croo, De Croo, de Croo, Vincent Van Quickenborne, Abdesalem Al Guilani, Philip Blenkinsop, Bart Meijer, Benoit van Overstraeten, Jan Strupczewski, Tassilo Hummel, Zhifan Liu, Ingrid Melander, Gerry Doyle, Christina Fincher, Nick Macfie Organizations: Police, REUTERS, Rights, Belgian, Islamic State, Red Devils soccer, Palestinian, Thomson Locations: Schaerbeek, Brussels, Belgium, Rights BRUSSELS, Belgian, Sweden, Israel

☆ Umicore cuts investment target after expanding EV battery materials production
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Umicore SA FollowVolkswagen AG FollowOct 17 (Reuters) - Belgium's Umicore (UMI.BR) said on Tuesday it had lowered its net capital expenditure target for 2026 after expanding its battery materials production facilities to North America, with plans to build a new plant in Canada. Umicore expects total net capital expenditure between 2022 and 2026 to reach 3.8 billion euros ($4.01 billion). The group had previously said it planned to carry out phased investments of around 5 billion euros between 2022-2026. Analysts at brokerage Jefferies said that the difference between both figures does not necessarily mean a drop in overall gross capex spending. Umicore also announced a new target for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margins, which they expect to be above 25% from 2026.

Persons: Umicore, Jefferies, Victor Goury, Louise Heavens Organizations: Volkswagen, Thomson Locations: North America, Canada

☆ Brussels attack: Two Swedes shot dead in Belgian capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Two people were shot dead in the Belgian capital Brussels on Monday evening in what the government described as a terrorist attack. The suspect was still at large hours later, Belgian media reported, as authorities raised the terror alert in Brussels to its highest level. “Horrified by the terrorist attack that claimed two victims in the heart of Brussels,” Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib posted to X. Following the attack, the terror threat level for Brussels was raised to 4, the highest level. I am closely following the situation, together with the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs from [the Belgian Crisis Center].

Persons: Hadja Lahbib, Philippe Close, ”, “, Alexander De Croo Organizations: CNN, Brussels, Police, Justice, Home Affairs, Belgian Crisis Locations: Belgian, Brussels, Belgium, Sweden

☆ Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels; Belgium raises terror alert to top level
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The likely motive for the attack was the Swedish nationality of the victims, the prosecutor said. The suspected assailant, calling himself Abdesalem Al Guilani, claimed in a video on social media that he was a fighter for Allah. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the victims were Swedish. "I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish PM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels," de Croo said on X. France is tightening controls at the border with Belgium after the deadly attack in Brussels, Belgian media said.

Persons: Abdesalem Al Guilani, Alexander de Croo, de Croo, Gunnar Strommer, King, Yves Herman Acquire, Ulf Kristersson, Emmanuel Macron, Allahu Akbar, Al Guilani, hamdoulelah, Salam Aleykoum, Philip Blenkinsop, Marine Strauss, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik, Richard Lough, John Cotton, Gabriela Baczynska, Stephanie Lecocq, Tassilo Hummel, Benoit van Overstraeten, Tommy Lund, Jan Strupczewski, Silvia Aloisi, Hugh Lawson, Matthew Lewis, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Islamic State, Palestinian, European Commission, Belgian, Twitter, PM, Sweden's, Reuters, Swedish, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, Belgium, Sweden, Belgian, Israel, Swedish, France, Islamic State

☆ Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels, Belgium raises terror alert to top level
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The suspected assailant fled the scene after the shooting as a football match between Belgium and Sweden was about to start, triggering a massive manhunt and prompting Belgium to raise its terror alert to the highest level. The federal prosecutor said the third victim, who was wounded but not in life-threatening condition, was a taxi driver. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the victims were Swedish. "I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish PM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels," de Croo said on X. France is tightening controls at the border with Belgium after the deadly attack in Brussels, Belgian media said.

Persons: Abdesalem Al Guilani, Alexander de Croo, de Croo, Gunnar Strommer, Ulf Kristersson, King, Yves Herman Acquire, King Baudouin, Emmanuel Macron, Allahu Akbar, Al Guilani, hamdoulelah, Salam Aleykoum, Philip Blenkinsop, Marine Strauss, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik, Richard Lough, John Cotton, Jan Strupczewski, Silvia Aloisi, Hugh Lawson, Matthew Lewis Organizations: State, Palestinian, European Commission, Belgian, PM, Sweden's, Reuters, Government, Swedish, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, Belgium, Sweden, Belgian, Israel, jihadists, Swedish, France, Islamic State

☆ Mediation collapses between Meta and Kenyan moderators, rights group says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNAIROBI, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Settlement talks have collapsed between Facebook's parent company Meta (META.O) and Kenyan content moderators over a lawsuit alleging unfair dismissal, a tech rights group working with the moderators said on Monday. British tech rights group Foxglove said in a statement on Monday that the negotiations had broken down, accusing Meta and Sama of making "very little attempt to address core issues raised by the petitioners". The moderators also allege that Meta is trying to terminate their contracts in defiance of an earlier court order. A hearing on their petition to find Meta and Sama in contempt of court is scheduled for Oct. 31, Foxglove said.

Persons: Yves Herman, Meta, Foxglove, Mercy Mutemi, Sama, Majorel, George Obulutsa, Aaron Ross, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Meta, Facebook, Kenyan, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Rights NAIROBI, British, Sama, Kenya, Ethiopia

Search resuls for: "Belgium"

25 mentions found