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☆ Ford CEO Jim Farley says Chinese automakers such as BYD are its greatest EV rivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Michael Wayland/CNBCDETROIT — Ford Motor's largest competition in electric vehicles isn't U.S. leader Tesla or crosstown rival General Motors — it's Chinese automakers, CEO Jim Farley said Thursday. Farley said Chinese companies such as Warren Buffett-backed BYD are ahead of the large U.S. automakers and startups on electric vehicles, specifically battery chemistry and other emerging technologies. And they were always committed to electric," Farley said when asked which company is doing EVs right. Farley's comments echo those of industry experts and investors regarding the growth of BYD and other Chinese automakers, which have government backing in China. Farley also noted BYD's battery advantages compared to the current U.S. industry standard of lithium-ion batteries.

☆ US Women's Open: Nine-year-old Brazilian Bella Simoes becomes youngest ever to attempt qualification
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

At nine years old, the Brazilian is the youngest player ever to attempt qualification to the tournament, set to tee off at California’s acclaimed Pebble Beach course for the first time in its 78-year history in July. Follow along @FSGA ➡️ https://t.co/622czXdhXk pic.twitter.com/4aYolLLL21 — U.S. Women's Open (USGA) (@uswomensopen) May 9, 2023Yet that should come as no surprise given Simões’ already-impressive résumé. Aged 14 in 2004, she bested many of the world's top men's players' and major winners at the Sony Open (pictured) despite narrowly missing the cut. The Brazilian shot 23-over par, as two players – Lindy Duncan and Brooke Matthews – secured automatic qualification with scores of 10-under and 8-under respectively. Kimberly Williams, a 60-year-old pro from Bethesda, Maryland, was the oldest player to attempt qualification this year, according to the USGA.

☆ I left Miami for a remote village in Pakistan. I have no running hot water and limited electricity — but my quality of life here is infinitely better.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Samantha Shea | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

She moved to Hunza Valley in Northern Pakistan in 2021, where she's lived ever since. I live in Hunza Valley, 8,500 feet above sea level on the border with Western China, where I work as a digital nomad. A drone shot of Hunza Valley in early May. A Hunza Valley local drying apricots. Though my solo journey to Pakistan started as a trip, Hunza Valley is now my home.

Exxon has held eight exploration and production contracts in Colombia, including the fracking pilot. All either have been or are being ended, suspended or liquidated, Colombia's National Hydrocarbon Agency (ANH) told Reuters. The proposed bill would ban development of non-conventional energy projects including fracking. "We will continue to have constructive dialogue with the Colombian government on a comprehensive assessment of our unconventional investments," Exxon spokesperson Michelle Gray told Reuters. Exxon said it continuously evaluates and prioritize investments, including those in Colombia.

☆ Colombia's Ecopetrol criticizes new attacks on oil pipeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Ecopetrol SA FollowCenit Ag FollowBOGOTA, March 22 (Reuters) - Colombia's majority state-owned oil company Ecopetrol (ECO.CN) on Wednesday criticized new attacks against an oil pipeline run by its subsidiary Cenit, saying the attacks harm the country's population and the economy. The Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline has been the target of five attacks by armed groups and two installations of illicit valves so far this year, Ecopetrol said in a statement. Colombia's oil infrastructure is the frequent target of theft and attacks by leftist rebels. Thousands of barrels of oil are stolen from pipelines each day, refined into bootleg fuels and used in making cocaine. In early March, an attack on an oil pipeline led to environmental damage near a refinery in the Colombian city of Barrancabermeja.

☆ China battery giant CATL's $5 billion Swiss listing delayed amid Beijing regulatory concerns, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But the process is taking longer than expected, all three sources told Reuters. In early February, sources said CATL aimed to go ahead with the listing as early as May. Private placementThe sources said the Chinese regulator has concerns over the vast scale of CATL's GDR offering. At $5 billion, the GDR deal would easily be the largest such listing by a Chinese company in Switzerland, according to Refinitiv data. Chinese companies began listing in Switzerland last year after the launch of cross-listing platform to allow companies to raise capital by issuing and listing GDRs on the Swiss exchange SIX.

☆ Colombia's Viva Air grounds fleet after Avianca merger hold-up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Viva Air said it has temporarily suspended operations as the indebted low-cost carrier awaited a ruling by Colombia's civil aviation authority on its proposed merger with Avianca (AVT_p.CN). Viva Air said late on Monday it had halted ticket sales and grounded its entire fleet after the regulator allowed five other airlines including Aerolineas Argentinas and JetSMART to take part in the merger process. Low-cost carrier JetSMART and regional giant LATAM Airlines have both expressed an interest in buying Viva Air. LATAM, Avianca and local airline Satena will offer alternatives to stranded passengers on some routes at no additional cost, the civil aviation authority said. Colombia's superintendency of transportation will open an investigation against Viva Air, which could result in possible sanctions, it said.

☆ Colombian airline Viva Air weighs local restructuring process
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Low-cost Colombian airline Viva Air has voluntarily started a local debt restructuring process, the company said late on Friday, as it awaits authorization of its merger with Avianca (AVT_p.CN) airlines. "Viva accepts this voluntary recovery process that lasts 90 days, in order to restructure its debts through negotiation with its main creditors to continue operating under sustainable conditions," it added. The airline said it entered the process after much consideration, as it awaits a decision on the Avianca merger. The announcement came after ultra-low-cost airline JetSMART Airlines also announced its intention to buy 100% of Viva Air. The airlines filed an appeal and in January the aviation governing body annulled the merger process citing procedural irregularities, and restarted it.

☆ Web browser Opera is planning to incorporate ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this article OPRA300418-CN Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTOpera ranks among the top five mobile browsers by worldwide market share, according to Statcounter. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Imageswatch nowNorway-based Opera, which also operates a browser specialized for gaming, had an average of 321 million monthly active users as of the third quarter. The company said its gaming browser business helped boost revenue in the third quarter, for 28% growth year-on-year to $85.3 million. Parent company Kunlun Tech is based in Beijing and listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange. Kunlun Tech's shares are up more than 40% for the year so far.

China's e-commerce market was valued at $2 trillion in 2022, according to GlobalData, and the country also has a rapidly growing middle class, making it an attractive market for American companies. Amazon entered the China market in 2004 through a $75 million acquisition of Joyo.com, an online book and media seller. The joint venture rebranded to Amazon China at the domain Amazon.cn in 2011. Between 2011 and 2012, Amazon's market share hovered at approximately 15%, but it later plunged to less than 1% by 2019, according to iResearch. Amazon officially closed its China online marketplace in July 2019.

☆ Ecopetrol says CEO Bayon to leave his post on March 31
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Colombian majority-state-owned energy company Ecopetrol (ECO.CN) on Thursday said Chief Executive Felipe Bayon will leave his post on March 31, following more than five years in the position. Choosing Bayon's replacement will involve a rigorous selection process by the company's board of directors, the company said in a statement. "Ecopetrol expresses its gratitude to Felipe Bayon for his management and wishes him success in his new professional projects," Ecopetrol said. According to his Linkedin, Bayon spent just over 20 years at London-listed oil giant BP before joining Ecopetrol in 2016 as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He took on the mantle of chief executive a year later and steered the company through the coronavirus pandemic and celebrated surging profits as oil prices recovered.

☆ China's navy is showing off a huge new ship designed to carry other warships around
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Liu Zhen | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Yinmahu is a semi-submersible heavy-lift ship that could ferry equipment and damaged ships. Chinese state TV recently showed the ship doing various maneuvres but didn't reveal its specifications. Footage showed the Yinmahu's departure, submerging, ship loading, lifting and transporting. The Chinese navy's first heavy-lift vessel, the Donghaidao (hull number 868) is known to have entered service in 2015. The semi-submersible heavy-lift ship can carry vessels over 100,000 tonnes.

☆ Two bodies found in undercarriage of Avianca airplane in Bogota
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The bodies of two young men, who were possibly from the Dominican Republic, were found in the undercarriage of an Avianca (AVT_p.CN) airplane during maintenance in Colombian capital Bogota, the airline and the attorney general's office of Colombia said on Saturday. "At its arrival to the El Dorado airport in Bogota, personnel from the airline discovered the bodies of two people who flew irregularly (stowaways) in the undercarriage of the airplane," Avianca said in a statement, adding the discovery was made on Friday evening. "The technical investigation body of the attorney general's office is carrying out urgent actions to identify the nationality and origin of the bodies aged between 15 and 20, Afro-descendent, which were found inside the airplane," the attorney general's office said in a statement. The plane was last given regular maintenance on Dec. 27, the attorney general's office added, and has since traveled to Bogota, Guarulhos, near Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Santiago. Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz and Julia Symmes Cobb in Bogota Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Casino's GPA prepares to spin off Colombian supermarket operator Exito
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Brazilian retailer GPA (PCAR3.SA) said on Friday it had taken the first steps towards spinning off its Colombian subsidiary Almacenes Exito SA (IMI.CN) and plans to distribute its shares to existing shareholders. In a securities filing, GPA said Exito had applied to be a publicly-held company in Brazil and list Brazilian Depositary Receipts (BDRs) on the Sao Paulo stock exchange. Exito also plans to list American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) in New York. Exito, which operates supermarkets and shopping malls in South America, has market value of some $925 million, according to Refinitiv data. Following the spin-off, GPA will retain a 13% stake in Exito, down from its current holding of nearly 97%.

Hong Kong CNN —James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” has premiered in China, 13 years after the original film took the country by storm. A poster of film 'Avatar: The Way of Water' is seen at a cinema on December 11, 2022 in Beijing, China. I immersed myself in the plot and enjoyed an unprecedented audio-visual feast.”Shot in the armThe “Way of Water” is expected to buoy China’s pandemic-depressed box office. By mid-December, China’s box office reached only 28.8 billion yuan ($4.1 billion), down nearly 40% from last year. The “Way of Water” accounted for 80% of screenings scheduled for Friday, the Maoyan data showed.

☆ Morocco airline cancels World Cup fans flights, citing Qatar restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The CN-ROP Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737 makes its final approach for landing at Toulouse-Blagnac airport, France, March 20, 2019. "Following the latest restrictions imposed by the Qatari authorities, Royal Air Maroc regrets to inform customers of the cancellation of their flights operated by Qatar Airways," the airline said in an emailed statement. The Qatari government's international media office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The RAM spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. Qatar Airways did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

☆ Colombia's Ecopetrol to invest up to $6.2 bln in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Colombia's majority state-owned oil company Ecopetrol will invest up to around 30 trillion pesos ($6.2 billion) in 2023, it said on Friday, with the main focus on energy security rather than energy transition. Third-quarter net profits more than doubled to 9.51 trillion pesos, Ecopetrol reported last month. Ecopetrol plans to invest between 25.3 trillion pesos and 29.8 trillion pesos. Of that, between 15.8 trillion pesos and 18.9 trillion pesos will ensure Columbia's energy security and financial stability and boost the country's trade balance, it said. Other investments include some 3.6 trillion pesos to 4.1 trillion pesos will go towards ensuring Colombia's self-sufficiency in gas, while 5.9 trillion pesos to 6.8 trillion pesos will fund the company's energy transition, it said.

☆ Death of co-pilot who mysteriously exited plane midflight during emergency landing was an accident, autopsy says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The death of a pilot who fell out of a twin-engine plane in North Carolina in July was an accident, according to his autopsy report. The autopsy said the plane then encountered turbulence and Crooks told the pilot he was not feeling well. Crooks declared an emergency and coordinated with air traffic controllers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, according to the report. After Crooks fell from the plane, the commanding pilot alerted air traffic controllers and went searching for Crooks, the report says. I think he got that when he was a sophomore,” Crooks told the station.

☆ Colombia's Nutresa shares down more than 28% after failed public offer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Shares in Nutresa (NCH.CN), Colombia's largest food producer, closed 28.6% lower on Monday following a failed public offer for a large portion of shares in the company. Nutresa shares closed at 38,990 pesos in comparison to a close of 54,600 per share on Friday. An offer for Nutresa shares by Abu Dhabi's International Holding Company (IHC) was declared void after it failed to receive the minimum number of shares. Nutresa's fall helped send Colombia index MSCI COLCAP (.COLCAP) down 3.84% to 1,233.44 points. Shares in Grupo SURA (SIS.CN), Nutresa's biggest shareholder, were down 1.22% to 40,500 pesos per share.

☆ Videos captured a fireball flashing across the Toronto skyline before it struck Earth near Niagara Falls
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The object's impact on Earth was predicted, marking the sixth time in history that has occurred. The European Space Agency said such detection technology for small objects is improving. The fireball was captured in several videos, including one that showed it appearing to pass by the city's CN Tower. The European Space Agency said the event marked only the sixth time in history the impact of a space object with Earth was successfully predicted. Mike Hankey of the American Meteor Society told The New York Times its possible meteorites — debris from a space object — from Saturday's event could be discovered near Niagara Falls.

☆ Colombia's Grupo Aval posts 23.2% decrease in Q3 net profit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Colombian financial conglomerate Grupo Aval (GAA.CN) reported third quarter net profit down 23.2% from a year earlier on Wednesday, landing at 929.8 billion pesos ($193.4 million), citing a higher effective tax rate and increased costs. The conglomerate's portfolio includes Colombian banks Banco de Bogota (BBO.CN), Banco Popular (BPO.CN), Banco AV Villas (VLL.CN) and Banco de Occidente (BOC.CN). The central bank of Latin America's fourth-largest economy has raised its benchmark interest rate to 11% - its highest level in 21 years - in continued efforts to respond to rising inflation. Grupo Aval, controlled by business magnate Luis Carlos Sarmiento, said its consolidated portfolio grew 16.5% during the quarter compared to 3Q21. (1 dollar = 4,806.07 Colombian pesos at end-September)Reporting by Aida Pelaez Fernandez and Carolina Pulice, Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Brendan O'BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Colombia's Grupo Argos Q3 net profit drops 9.2% after jump in costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MEXICO CITY, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Colombian industrial conglomerate Grupo Argos' third-quarter net profit fell 9.2% from a year earlier, the company said Monday, following a jump in costs and expenses. The company, made up of power utility Celsia (CEL.CN), Cementos Argos (CCB.CN) and road and airport concession company Odinsa, posted a net profit of 192 billion pesos ($39.9 million)for July to September, down from 211.4 billion pesos last year. The firm said revenues grew 23.6% to 5.1 trillion pesos, but reported a 25% jump in costs and expenses. The company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) grew 9.5% to 1.3 trillion pesos. ($1 = 4,806.07 Colombian pesos)Reporting by Noe Torres; Editing by Isabel WoodfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. says six airlines issue $622 million in refunds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department said Monday that six airlines were slapped with $7.25 million in penalties and agreed to issue $622 million in passenger refunds as the agency vows to aggressively enforce consumer protections. "It shouldn't take enforcement action from (USDOT) to get airlines to pay the funds that they're required to pay." Buttigieg said under the settlements ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines (ULCC.O) was required to pay $222 million in refunds and will pay a $2.2 million penalty, while Tata Group-owned Air India will pay $121.5 million in required refunds and a $1.4 million fine. State-owned TAP Portugal will issue $126.5 million in required refunds and pay a $1.1 million penalty, and Colombia's Avianca (AVT_p.CN) will pay $76.8 million in required refunds and pay a $750,000 penalty. El Al Israel Airlines (ELAL.TA) will issue $61.9 million in required refunds and pay a $900,000 penalty, and Mexico's Aeromexico (AEROMEX.MX) will pay $13.6 million in required refunds and a $900,000 fine.

☆ Colombia's Ecopetrol more than doubles Q3 net profit as oil demand, prices rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Colombia's state oil company Ecopetrol (ECO.CN) on Tuesday reported its third-quarter net profit more than doubled to 9.51 trillion pesos ($1.90 billion), rising 150% from a year earlier, as both sales and prices shot up. The firm's revenues climbed 86% to 43.44 trillion pesos, while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) doubled to 21.14 trillion pesos during the period, it said in a filing. Production rose 5.4% in the third quarter of the year to an average of 720,400 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), up from 683,600 boed over the year-ago quarter. High crude prices have led U.S. oil majors Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) and Chevron (CVX.N) to record blockbuster quarterly profits, though Mexican state oil firm Pemex posted a loss, stemming from a weaker currency and higher sales costs. ($1= 5,013.20 Colombian pesos)Reporting by Kylie Madry and Noe Torres; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Oliver Griffin and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China to host press conference on targeted COVID prevention on Nov 5
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Nov 4 (Reuters) - China health authorities will host a press conference on targeted COVID-19 prevention on Nov. 5 at 3 pm (0700 GMT), according to an official notice. Experts and officials from China's National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention will attend the meeting, according to the notice published on China.com.cn, where China releases official press conference schedules. Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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