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☆ UK's FTSE 100 opens lower ahead of BoE decision; LSEG falls
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The London Stock Exchange Group offices are seen in the City of London, Britain, December 29, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoSummaryCompanies FTSE 100 down 0.8%, FTSE 250 off 0.3%Aug 3 (Reuters) - UK's FTSE 100 opened lower on Thursday, with shares of London Stock Exchange Group weighing on the index, while investors awaited the Bank of England's verdict on monetary policy tightening later in the day. By 0710 GMT, the blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) fell 0.8%, hovering near a two-week low hit on Wednesday, while the more domestically-focussed FTSE 250 midcap index (.FTMC) lost 0.3%. London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG.L) lost 3.9% after its first-half profit before tax fell 17.6%. Also weighing was BT Group (BT.L), which fell 5.1% as shares of the telecom firm traded ex-dividend.

Persons: Toby Melville, Smith, SN.L, BoE, Shashwat Chauhan, Varun Organizations: London Stock Exchange Group, City of, REUTERS, London Stock Exchange, Bank of, BT Group, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain, Bengaluru

☆ Fact Check-Image of LeBron James dressed in pink is AI-generated
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A viral image showing basketball star LeBron James in a pink outfit was created with AI-based tool Midjourney. While some users were able to discern the image was created with artificial intelligence (AI), others did not. “LeBron James setting a bad example for our Lil boys and money ain't everything,” said one post (bit.ly/3Qi247r). Reuters traced the image of James to Midjourney's Discord, on a channel called “#Newbies-185” (ibb.co/cyDNLb7). Representatives for Midjourney and James did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: LeBron James, ”, “, Midjourney, James, lebron james, Gucci, James ’, Read Organizations: Facebook, Los Angeles Lakers, Lil, Reuters, Midjourney

☆ New BT boss’s biggest test is investor relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 31 (Reuters Breakingviews) - BT’s (BT.L) board faced the challenge of hiring a new CEO willing to implement a turnaround strategy decided by their predecessor. It has solved that problem by appointing one of its own members, Allison Kirkby, to the post vacated by outgoing Philip Jansen. Shares in the Swedish telco sank 4% on news of her departure, suggesting Telia’s loss is a gain for BT. Kirkby won’t take over until January 2024 but, having sat on BT’s board for more than four years, she should be able to hit the road running. Keeping these two investors on her side will be the real test for Kirkby at BT.

Persons: Allison Kirkby, Philip Jansen ., Swedish telco, Kirkby won’t, Patrick Drahi’s, Jansen, Pierre Briançon, Liam Proud, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Telia Company, BT, Kirkby, Deutsche Telekom, Twitter, Soaring, of Japan, Thomson Locations: Swedish, Kirkby

☆ Fact Check-Marjorie Taylor Greene post on ‘Civil War II’ is fabricated
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene did not call for a civil war in a post on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, a spokesperson for Greene said in an email to Reuters. “We don’t need WWIII, what we need is Civil War II,” read a purported screenshot of an X post shared on X and Facebook (here), (here) and (here). An advanced search for the post on X did not produce any results (bit.ly/3QdYcUR). ABC News in February 2023 reported Greene as saying, “We don't want a civil war. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene did not write a post saying the U.S. needs a “Civil War II.” Media have reported Greene talking about splitting the country into Republican and Democratic states in a “national divorce.”This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

Persons: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, ”, Nick Dyer, Greene’s, We're, Read Organizations: Twitter, Reuters, Facebook, NBC, Republican, Democratic, ABC, ” Media Locations: U.S

☆ Estate agent Foxtons says London renters keen on home purchases as rents soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Foxtons CEO Guy Gittins told Reuters that there is an extreme imbalance between supply and demand in the rental market, driving up prices. The number of lettings applicants registering with the company has surged 172% currently compared to pre-pandemic 2019. Foxtons said it expects the wider home sales market to remain challenging as high mortgage costs and tight credit conditions make home purchases less affordable. The company posted a 10% jump in half-year adjusted operating profit at 6.8 million pounds ($8.8 million), mainly on strength of its prime lettings business. The group's revenue from continuing operations grew 9% to about 71 million pounds, while revenue from the lettings division jumped 26%.

Persons: Guy Gittins, Gittins, Foxtons, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Eileen Soreng Organizations: HY, Reuters, Thomson Locations: London's, London, Bengaluru

☆ Reckitt's sales volume dip takes shine off like-for-like sales beat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 26 (Reuters) - Reckitt Benckiser's (RKT.L) sales volume fell in the second quarter as the Dettol and Lysol cleaning products maker increased its price mix to tame soaring raw material costs, sending its shares down more than 2%. Reckitt said on Wednesday sales volume for the second quarter was down 7.3% and its price mix rose 5.5% on a like-for-like basis to combat higher expenses. Rival Unilever (ULVR.L) on Tuesday also smashed underlying sales growth forecasts after again raising prices to offset higher costs. Reckitt on Wednesday raised its dividend to 76.6 pence for the first half, from 73 pence in the year-ago period. Reporting by Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Jane MerrimanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Reckitt, Chandini, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Jane Merriman Organizations: Rival Unilever, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ UK homebuilders under pressure as lofty mortgages deter first-time buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Midcap firms Bellway (BWY.L) and Crest Nicholson (CRST.L) have also pointed to high mortgage rates hampering demand from first-time buyers. Even a potential revival of the government's 'Help to Buy' scheme, which offered incentives to first-time buyers, will not be enough to improve affordability, analysts have said. Persimmon (PSN.L), one of Britain's biggest homebuilders heavily exposed to first-time buyers compared to its FTSE 100 peers, has offered new customers a "10 months mortgage free" deal. Still, the housing sector faces an uncertain path to recovery, given the ultra-elevated mortgage rate levels. Meanwhile, investors will look out for updates on demand when a couple of high-profile homebuilders report half-year results next month.

Persons: Barratt, BDEV.L, Nicholson, Steve Turner, Bellway, Peel Hunt, Sam Cullen, housebuilders, Cullen, Persimmon, Rob Perrins, Jeremy Hunt, Aynsley Lammin, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sweta Singh, Saumyadeb Organizations: Berkeley, Reuters, Home Builders Federation, Bank of, Times, Housing, Thomson Locations: Berkeley, England, Wales, Bank of England, Bengaluru

☆ UK's Virgin Media O2 to lay off up to 2,000 employees by year end
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 24 (Reuters) - British mobile operator Virgin Media O2 said on Monday it was planning to lay off up to 2,000 employees by the end of this year. The company is a joint venture between the US-listed Liberty Global (LBTYA.O) and Spain's Telefonica (TEF.MC). Its rival BT Group (BT.L), Britain's biggest broadband and mobile provider, had cut 55,000 roles or more than 40% of its workforce in May. Earlier this month, the country's communications regulator Ofcom opened a probe, following complaints from users that the mobile operator was making it tough to cancel services. ($1 = 0.9041 euros)Reporting by Urvi Dugar and Mrinmay Dey in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Urvi Dugar, Mrinmay Dey Organizations: Virgin Media O2, Telegraph, Liberty Global, Spain's Telefonica, BT Group, Britain's, . Liberty Global, Vodafone, Ofcom, Thomson Locations: British, Bengaluru

☆ Fact Check-Europe weather map comparison misleads about climate coverage
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A misleading comparison of two European weather maps is being touted online as evidence of escalating climate change fearmongering since the COVID pandemic. One map shows Europe coloured in a light green monotone, and icons – like a sun or clouds – hover over major cities. Thank you,” one Facebook user wrote in their caption, suggesting the green map was published prior to the start of the pandemic in 2020 and the other since. For instance, see the latest WeatherOnline map (here ), and the latest Wxchart for Europe (bit.ly/3DorvfH ). Both weather maps, which are from different sources, were published before the pandemic – and the red map was published a year earlier than the green map.

Persons: Read Organizations: Facebook, Reuters, WeatherOnline Ltd Locations: Europe, Reykjavik, Iceland, Madrid, Spain

☆ Britain's Entain to buy U.S.-based Angstrom Sports for $160 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 17 (Reuters) - Ladbrokes-owner Entain (ENT.L) on Monday agreed to acquire U.S.-based Angstrom Sports for 122 million pounds ($159.5 million) as it looks to widen its footprint in the country. The acquisition of the sports modelling, forecasting and data analytics company will comprise a total consideration of 81 million pounds and contingent payments over three years, the company said in a statement. Over the years, Entain has added several betting groups to its portfolio to expand into Canada, the Netherlands and other parts of Europe. The acquisition of Angstrom is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2023. ($1 = 0.7651 pounds)Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann ThoppilOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Entain, Jette Nygaard, Andersen, BetMGM, Radhika Anilkumar, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: U.S, Sports, MGM Resorts, Angstrom, Thomson Locations: parlay, Canada, Netherlands, Europe, Bengaluru

☆ Fact Check-Claim Garth Brooks cancelled Las Vegas shows stems from satirical site
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The claim that American country music singer Garth Brooks cancelled his remaining shows in Las Vegas, Nevada is fabricated and stems from a satirical website. Users online shared an article published by satirical website The Dunning-Kruger Times, with a headline that reads: “Garth Brooks Cancels His Remaining Vegas Shows: ‘People Stopped Coming’” (archive.is/wip/T0aJq). No such cancellation notice is viewable via Brook’s website or social media channels (www.garthbrooks.com/), (twitter.com/garthbrooks). Reuters has previously addressed satirical stories published by the website that were taken seriously online, with examples pertaining to Brooks viewable (here) and (here). The claim stems from satirical website, The Dunning-Kruger Times.

Persons: Garth Brooks, Dunning, “ Garth Brooks, “ Guess, Brooks, Bud Light, influencer, Dylan Mulvaney, tomfoolery ”, dunning, kruger, Read Organizations: Kruger Times, Country, Defense, Reuters Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, Las Vegas

☆ Teen hacked Uber, Revolut and Grand Theft Auto maker, London court hears
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File PhotoLONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - A teenage member of the Lapsus$ hacking group hacked Uber (UBER.N) and fintech firm Revolut then blackmailed the developers of best-selling videogame Grand Theft Auto, prosecutors have told a London court. Arion Kurtaj, 18, is said to have targeted Revolut and Uber in September 2022, accessing around 5,000 Revolut customers' information and causing nearly $3 million of damage to Uber. Prosecutors allege he hacked Rockstar Games days later and threatened to release the planned Grand Theft Auto sequel's source code in a Slack message sent to all Rockstar staff. Kurtaj later embarked on a solo cyber crime spree, Barry said, first targeting Revolut then Uber two days later before hacking Rockstar Games. He has previously pleaded guilty to two offences under the Computer Misuse Act and one count of fraud.

Persons: Arnd, Revolut, Arion Kurtaj, Uber, Kevin Barry, Kurtaj, Barry, Sam Tobin, Nick Macfie Organizations: Economic, REUTERS, Auto, Prosecutors, Rockstar, BT Group, Nvidia Corp, London's, BT, EE, Computer, Nvidia, Thomson Locations: Davos, Switzerland, London, Lapsus, London's Southwark

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Thames Water has become the poster child for a British water industry under fire for its poor environmental record and financial mismanagement. After a period as a listed company, Thames Water was acquired by German utility RWE (RWEG.DE) in 2001. Thames Water said on Monday they would provide 750 million pounds, and added it had strong liquidity of 4.4 billion pounds. FINANCESNearly 60% of Thames Water's debt is index-linked, according to ratings agency Standard & Poor's, saddling it with higher repayments as inflation soars. Thames Water was fined 3.3 million pounds last week, while Southern Water was fined 90 million pounds in 2021.

Persons: Margaret Thatcher's, Australia's Macquarie, Abu, Hermes, Ofwat, Sarah Young, Chiara Elisei, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Margaret Thatcher's Conservative, Water, Thames, Ontario, BT, China Investment Corp, Thames Water, Macquarie, Yorkshire Water, Severn Trent, United Utilities, The Times, Environment Agency, Southern Water, Thomson Locations: Britain, Here's, Abu Dhabi, Thames, Southern Water, United, England

SummaryCompanies BT boss who spearheaded fibre roll-out to step downJansen simplified former monopoly, retreated from sportsShares nearly halved under his tenureLONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - BT (BT.L) Chief Executive Philip Jansen will step down within the next year, having set plans in motion for Britain's biggest telecoms provider to cut jobs, become leaner and complete the roll-out of a national fibre network. Jansen had informed BT's board of directors that he plans to leave at "an appropriate moment" within the next 12 months, BT said on Monday. Since early 2019, Jansen has steered BT through a crucial period in its 177-year-history, secured funding for a national fibre network for 25 million homes and businesses and handled the arrival of billionaire investor Patrick Drahi on the shareholder register. "We suspect investors will find this transition a little premature given the fruits of BT's fibre investments have still yet to be proven out," analysts at J.P.Morgan wrote in a client note. Analysts named BT's consumer brands boss Marc Allera and Allison Kirkby, a BT board member and chief executive of Sweden's Telia, as possible successors.

Persons: Jansen, Philip Jansen, BT's, Patrick Drahi, J.P.Morgan, Adam Crozier, Marc Allera, Allison Kirkby, Sweden's, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Sharon Singleton Organizations: BT, Britain's, Discovery, Deutsche Telekom, Ofcom, Thomson Locations: France, United States, Portugal, Israel

☆ BT CEO Jansen plans to step down over the next 12 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Britain's BT (BT.L) said on Monday it had started the hunt for a new chief executive after Philip Jansen told the board he planned to step down at "an appropriate moment" within the next year. He also recently set out his longer-term vision for BT, saying it could cut potentially over 40% of its workforce once it has completed the fibre rollout and adapted to new technologies such as artificial intelligence. "This is creating a much stronger BT Group which is starting to drive growth for both investors and the UK." Jansen, a former boss of Worldpay, took over at the top of BT in February 2019. "The succession process to replace Philip is something that the board was well prepared for," Chairman Adam Crozier said.

Persons: Philip Jansen, Jansen, Patrick Drahi, " Jansen, Worldpay, Philip, Adam Crozier, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: BT, Thomson

☆ UK’s leaky water model faces a growing storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Neil Unmack | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

The fallout raises two big questions: whether the regulatory regime works, and whether Britain’s water companies should still be privately owned. Average UK water bills are 448 pounds in the current year, versus 409 pounds in Scotland. One option would be to squeeze water companies – cutting allowed prices, and imposing bigger penalties on those that allow leaks. For the sector as a whole, Ofwat assumes equity comprises 45% of water companies’ 94 billion pound RCV, or 42 billion pounds. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsFollow @Unmack1 on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSThames Water investors have become more “concerned” about the company’s turnaround, the chief executive of UK water regulator Ofwat David Black told a UK parliament committee on July 4.

Persons: Macquarie’s, Severn, Ofwat, Jefferies, David Black, Iain Coucher, “, Black, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Conservative, Thames, Ofwat, Reuters Graphics Regulators, Yorkshire Water, United Utilities, Scottish, Dwr Cymru, Barclays, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thames Water, Water, Sky News, Thomson Locations: Severn Trent, RCV, Water, Wales, Scotland, Germany, United States, Italy, Ireland, Britain

☆ Fact Check-The Guardian headline referring to France riots as ‘reparations’ is fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The fabricated headline reads in full: “I fully support the looting in France by the disenfranchised black youth. In an email to Reuters, a spokesperson for The Guardian said the article in the image has “never been a published Guardian headline or story”. Reuters has previously debunked claims of other The Guardian headlines attributed to Dr. Mos-Shogbamimu (here), (here). Read more Reuters reporting about the riots in France in France here. The Guardian and Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu both say the headline is a fake.

Persons: Dr Shola Mos, Dr Mos, Shogbamimu, Dr, Mos, Read, Shola Mos Organizations: Guardian, Reuters, Twitter, The Guardian Locations: France

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) closed 0.1% higher. That made Spain the first among the euro zone's large economies to have inflation fall below 2%. This followed hawkish comments from U.S. and European central bank policymakers at a European Central Bank meet-up in Sintra on Wednesday, where the underlying theme was that rates are likely to stay higher for longer. Adding to recent hawkish messages from central banks globally, Sweden's central bank raised its policy rate by a quarter percentage point as expected and forecast at least one more rate hike this year. The stock was the top gainer on France's blue-chip index (.FCHI), which rose 0.4% and also helped the automaker sub-index (.SXAP) climb 1.3%.

Persons: Germany's DAX, year's, Claus Vistesen, Daniela Hathorn, Amruta Khandekar, Matteo Allievi, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Rashmi Aich, Conor Humphries Organizations: Pantheon, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Capital.com, Renault, Belgian, Severn Trent, Thames, Semiconductor, Citigroup, Thomson Locations: Spain, Sintra, Severn, Bengaluru, Gdansk

DIRTY BEACHESClean water campaign groups accuse the water companies of failing to invest in infrastructure. She was replaced by two co-chief executives, Chief Finance Officer Alastair Cochran and former Ofwat boss Cathryn Ross, who has been at Thames Water since 2021. Jefferies analysts said Britain's listed water operators Severn Trent (SVT.L), Pennon Group (PNN.L) and United Utilities (UU.L) were better capitalised than Thames Water, but the issues with the largest company meant a "heightened regulatory environment". Daily headlines about rivers and beaches polluted by sewage released by water companies look set to turn water into a major issue at the next general election, expected next year. Thames Water said in its annual report in October that it had not paid a dividend to its shareholders for the last five years.

Persons: Rishi Sunak's, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Bentley, Alastair Cochran, Cathryn Ross, Alix, Ofwat, Australia's Macquarie, Sarah Young, Paul Sandle, Radhika Anilkumar, David Evans, Mark Potter Organizations: Company, British, Sky News, Conservatives, Thames, Times, Ontario, China Investment Corp, Water, Alix Partners, Daily Telegraph, Jefferies, Trent, Pennon, United Utilities, Environment Agency, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: England, Wales, Britain, Thames

☆ Australia urged to ban online gambling ads to curb growing addiction
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The committee made 31 recommendations on how online gambling, which it said was changing the culture of sport, should be regulated and how Australians struggling with addiction should be supported. Australians outspend the citizens of every other country on online gambling, Peta Murphy, chair of the committee said in the report titled "You win some, you lose more". Murphy said online gambling companies advertise deliberately and strategically alongside sport, which has normalised it as fun and harmless and socialble activity. A phased, comprehensive ban on all gambling advertising on all media, broadcast and online, that left no room for circumvention, was needed, the panel said. The gambling problem shifted online to a much greater extent when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of public venues.

Persons: Peta Murphy, Murphy, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Praveen Menon, Robert Birsel Organizations: SYDNEY, Entain PLC, Tabcorp Holdings, ABC Gold Coast, Thomson Locations: Australia, London

☆ China-bashing throws Vodafone a curveball
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Vodafone's (VOD.L) M&A ambitions in Britain are falling prey to anti-China rhetoric. Parliamentarians are also fretting over the security impact on contracts with government departments once the deal goes through. Vodafone may face similar scrutiny, leading to inevitable delays. The fact that CK Hutchison has retained the right to appoint the chief financial officer may be a red flag. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: CK Hutchison's, Li Ka, Franco, Patrick Drahi, Hakan Koc, Pyrros Koussios, Roman Abramovich, CK Hutchison, Pamela Barbaglia, Aston Martin, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, HK, Vodafone, BT, UK's National Security and Investment Act, Twitter, Siemens, Thomson Locations: Britain, China, Hong Kong, Canada

LONDON, June 27 (Reuters) - Reckitt's (RKT.L) Lysol disinfectant brand said on Tuesday that it would start selling in the U.S. an "air sanitizing spray" that kills 99.9% of airborne viruses and bacteria. The spray, which Reckitt said helps reduce the spread of airborne pathogens such as cold, Influenza and Coronavirus, has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Reckitt, Clorox (CLX.N) and other disinfectant makers benefited from a boom in sales of surface cleaners and wipes. At the time, there were no products suited to sanitizing air, though some anxious consumers took to spraying surface cleaners into their surroundings. The formula contains active molecules that are hygroscopic in nature, which allows the molecules to attach to microorganisms suspended in the air.

Persons: Reckitt, We'd, Chris Jones, Richa Naidu, Louise Heavens Organizations: U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ 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

☆ Microsoft says new computing service for chemicals can slash R&D time
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 21 - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) on Wednesday introduced a new computing service aimed at helping chemical companies speed up the research and development of new materials. Azure Quantum Elements, as the service is called, relies on computing power to help chemical companies simulate huge numbers of possible combinations of atoms. In a press release, Microsoft said that the system has helped some early customers speed up their development processes by as much as six months. Microsoft said that BASF (BASFn.DE), AkzoNobel (AKZO.AS), AspenTech, Johnson Matthey (JMAT.L), SCGC and 1910 Genetics have been testing the system. Microsoft said it was also publishing a scientific paper on the milestone but gave few other details ahead of its announcement.

Persons: Johnson Matthey, Satya Nadella, Stephen Nellis, Kim Coghill Organizations: Microsoft Corp, Microsoft, BASF, Thomson Locations: San Francisco

☆ Lab crunch: British science has nowhere to go
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Kate Holton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Property consultants Bidwells put demand for lab space in Cambridge at 1.19 million square feet (110,000 square metres) - but only 7,000 sq ft are available. That has led to an explosion in venture capital, with much of it coming from the United States. Michael Chen moved to Cambridge from the United States in 2012 to do a doctorate in chemistry. She leads a joint venture between Oxford University and Legal & General (LGEN.L) to build lab space and homes. Pioneer Group, which provides funding and lab space in Britain, said action was needed now to address the "crazy" demand.

Persons: Zoe, Toby Melville OXFORD, Ros Deegan, Catherine Elton, Bidwells, Elton, Deegan, Diarmuid O'Brien, Rishi Sunak's, Gordon Sanghera, Michael Chen, Artem Korolev, Anna Strongman, Strongman, Glenn Crocker, Alistair Cory, Qkine's Elton, Kate Holton, Toby Melville, David Clarke Organizations: University of Oxford, Science, REUTERS, European Union, Therapeutics, McKinsey, Oxford, Cambridge Enterprise, U.S, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Reuters, Company, Cambridge, PACE, Laboratory, Oxford University, Legal, Thomson Locations: Kidlington, Oxford, Britain, England, Cambridge, United States, London, U.S, France, Boston, North America, Europe, Asia, China

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