DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Amputations in Ukraine are as widespread as in the trenches of World War I due to Russia's heavy use of mines and artillery: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

These are levels not seen since World War 1, according to The Wall Street Journal. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. Before the war, Ukraine had several thousand amputations annually. That figure has risen to around 50,000 since the start of the war, 17 months ago, the outlet said. During World War I (1914-1918) around 41,000 Britons required amputations, and around 67,000 Germans, the publication notes.

Persons: Hans Georg Näder Organizations: Wall Street, Service, St, Houp Foundation, Ottobock Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Why Russia's defenses are so effective: Deep minefields, adaptable drones, and electronic warfare are proving formidable in Ukraine, experts say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's defenses are proving effective in frustrating the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Its use of mines, adaptable drones, and electronic warfare are particularly formidable, experts said. He said there were often more than four rows of minefields in front of the Russian defensive lines. A retired Australian general Mick Ryan appears to agree with Lewis, telling The Economist on Monday that Russia's defensive lines are "much more complex and deadly than anything experienced by any military in nearly 80 years." Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow with RUSI, told Newsweek that Ukraine's "Beaver" drones appear to be vulnerable to Russia's electronic defense systems.

Persons: Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Maxar David Lewis, Mick Ryan, Lewis, it's, Steve Wright, Wright, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Justin Bronk, RUSI, Russia doesn't, Mark Milley, Birmingham's Jaroslava Barbieri Organizations: Service, BBC, Royal United Services Institute, Storm, Ukrainian, Police, Moscow International Business, Getty Images, Newsweek, Moscow Sunday, Reuters, Associated Press, University, Birmingham's, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Kherson, Dnipro, Russia's, Australian, RUSI, AFP, Ukrainian, Kyiv

☆ Russian land mines pose a persistent and deadly threat in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

What lies beneath Land mines left by Russian forces in Ukraine pose a deadly threat to Kyiv's military - and civilians in liberated territory. On average, anti-vehicle mines caused more incidents with multiple fatalities than anti-personnel mines did. GICHD has documented at least 12 types of anti-personnel mines and nine types of anti-vehicle mines in use in Ukraine. Formerly occupied towns in Kyiv; Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv oblasts all saw a large number of mines, especially anti-personnel mines, left in place, Mathewson said. Ukraine is a signatory to the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, and had been destroying its anti-personnel mines when the war began.

Persons: Mark Hiznay, ”, Adam Komorowski, Tymur Pistriuha, Hiznay, PARM, GICHD, Andro Mathewson, “, Komorowsi, Mick Ryan, Mathewson, Nacho Doce, Pistriuha, Komorowski, ” Ryan, Ryan, Jack Watling, Watling, ” Watling, demining Organizations: Russian, Reuters, HALO Trust, Human Rights Watch, Advisory, Geneva International Centre, Humanitarian, Ukrainian Deminers Association, Ukrainian, U.S . Army, Australian Army, REUTERS, HALO, Mines, Royal United Services Institute, United, Surveyors, State Emergency Service, Dnipro River’s Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Eastern Europe, South America, Caribbean, Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Germany, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia oblast, Kherson, Iraqi, Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, ”, Vuhledar, United Nations, Nova, Izium

Three Russian attack helicopters swooped in low over the city of Kreminna, strafing Ukrainian frontline positions just outside the city. Russian drones circled overhead while Moscow’s ground forces fired heavy machine guns to flush out Ukrainians from foxholes hidden in the dappled light of the pine forest. As exploding artillery shells shook the ground around him on Saturday morning, Vlad, a 27-year-old Ukrainian drone operator, spotted a Russian armored personnel carrier bringing more troops to the battle. “They are constantly attacking us,” said Lt. Col. Matviychuk Oleh, a 49-year-old battalion commander with Ukraine’s 100th Territorial Defense Brigade. So far they have been able to prevent a major Ukrainian breakthrough.

Persons: Vlad, ”, Matviychuk Organizations: 100th Territorial Defense Brigade Locations: Russian, Kreminna, Ukraine, Ukrainian

☆ Is Ukraine's counteroffensive failing? Defense experts say the risks facing Kyiv are growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesFor Michael Clarke, a defense analyst and former director-general of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank, there's a risk that the first phase of the counteroffensive, designed to probe Russia's defenses, takes too long. Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesKonrad Muzyka, a military intelligence specialist and president of Rochan Consulting, said "the weather has always been the factor" for Kyiv. But Kyiv says its forces are conducting counteroffensive actions in at least three areas and are operating against a backdrop of increased Russian offensive operations. Ukraine's defense ministry claims that its forces have liberated around 210 square kilometers (81 square miles) of occupied territory since June. Anatolii Stepanov | Afp | Getty Images

Persons: —, Michael Clarke, Clarke, Konrad Muzyka, Muzyka, Yuriy Sak, Sak, Anatolii Stepanov Organizations: 110th Brigade, Territorial Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Military, Royal United Services Institute, CNBC, Rochan Consulting, Kyiv, Afp Locations: Novodarivka, Luhansk, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Kherson, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Donetsk, Russian, Russia, Vuhledar, Yuriy, Siversk

☆ Former Special Forces engineer says Russian minefields are unlike anything he has ever seen and battling these hidden death traps is 'exhausting'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The former US Special Forces engineer says the overwhelming numbers of land mines is wildly different from anything he saw in Afghanistan. "There are millions and millions of mines in Ukraine," many put down by the Ukrainians, but significantly more by the Russians. The Russians have "the capability to lay millions and millions of land mines, and they do," he said, stressing that "the biggest shaping factor of this war is land mines." "Any movement, offense, or counteroffense, assaults, or anything like that, the commander has to take into account land mines," Hendrickson said. "The casualties that the Ukrainians are suffering on this offensive," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff US Army Gen. Mark Milley said this week, "they're from minefields — minefields that are covered with direct fire from anti-tank hunter-killer teams, that sort of thing."

Persons: Ryan Hendrickson, Hendrickson, Ercin, Getty Images Hendrickson, Valery Zaluzhny, Mark Milley Organizations: US Special Forces, Ukrainian YouTube, Service, US Army Special Forces, Green Berets, Ukrainian Toronto Television, 35th Marine Brigade, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Rights, Toronto Television, Group, Getty Images, Washington Post, Joint Chiefs, Staff US Locations: Ukraine, Afghanistan, Ukrainian, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Donetsk, Laos, Cambodia

The country recorded massive increases in generation from hydro (+64 billion kWh), solar (+13 billion kWh) and wind farms (+9 billion kWh). As a result, there was a sharp decline in thermal generation (-66 billion kWh) including gas (-45 billion kWh), oil (-10 billion kWh), coal (-8 billion kWh) and biomass (-3 million kWh). Hydro power was +43 billion kWh (+11%) above the prior ten-year average in 2022 and the highest for any year since 2011. In consequence, gas-fired generation was -24 billion kWh (-37%) below the prior ten-year average and the lowest since 2011. LNG IMPORTS DOWNBrazil relies on imports to cover more than a quarter of its gas consumption – rising to almost half in years when gas generation is high.

Persons: John Kemp, Barbara Lewis Organizations: U.K . Energy Institute, Hydro, HYDRO, National Electric, ., Ministry of Mines and Energy, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Brazil, Europe, Chartbook, Bolivia, United States, Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago, Asia, Midwest

☆ Russia calls on NATO to discuss Ukraine nuclear plant at summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 9 (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday that the leaders of the U.S.-led transatlantic NATO defence alliance should discuss Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant at their summit this week. Accusing Ukraine of "systematic infliction of damage" to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Zakharova said that "the NATO summit's key attention should be devoted to it." "After all, the vast majority of the alliance members will be in the direct impact zone" (if something were to happen at the plant), Zakharova said on the Telegram messaging app. Vilnius is some 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the nuclear plant, Europe's largest. Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of planning to attack the plant, which is located on Russian-held territory in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, near the front line of Russia's conflict with Ukraine.

Persons: Maria Zakharova, Zakharova, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Lidia Kelly, Kim Coghill Organizations: Foreign, NATO, Ukraine, International Atomic Energy Agency, Thomson Locations: U.S, Vilnius, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Melbourne

☆ The war in Ukraine will define Biden’s legacy, but peril and uncertainty lie ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

They include:— A war of words between Ukraine and Russia over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of readying a bomb attack. The back-and-forth is raising fears of another alarming new dimension to a war already marred by alleged war crimes and terrible suffering among civilians. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that the potential for “sabotage” by Ukraine at the plant was high. Given Russia’s previous nuclear rhetoric and fog of war misinformation, many Western observers are likely to give Zelensky the benefit of the doubt. Zelensky argued in the interview that the uprising exposed splits inside Russia over the war and an erosion of Russians’ positions.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Wagner, Vladimir Putin’s, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Zelensky, Dmitry Peskov, –, CNN’s Christian Edwards, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Zelensky, Putin, Mike Turner of, CNN’s Jake Tapper, ”, Burnett, “, Hanna Maliar, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Xi Jinping, what’s, ” McConnell, “ That’s, it’s, McConnell Organizations: CNN, NATO, Kremlin, UN, International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagner Group, Senior, House Intelligence, Ukrainian, Republican, Senate, Kentucky Republican, America, Trump Locations: Ukraine, Lithuania, Baltic, Soviet Union, Russia, readying, Russian, Belarus, Moscow, Mike Turner of Ohio, Klishchiivka, Bakhmut, Washington, Europe, Fort Knox

☆ IAEA has seen no sign of explosives at Zaporizhzhia yet, more access needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Francois Murphy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday accused each other of plotting to stage an attack on Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, where the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned of potential catastrophe from nearby military clashes. "The IAEA experts have requested additional access that is necessary to confirm the absence of mines or explosives," it added. loadingIt was not clear from the IAEA statement why the agency wanted access to those two reactor units' rooftops. The IAEA said it was aware of reports that mines and other explosives have been placed in and around the plant. "With military tension and activities increasing in the region where this major nuclear power plant is located, our experts must be able to verify the facts on the ground," the IAEA said.

Persons: Francois Murphy, Alex Richardson, Conor Humphries Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, British Ministry of Defence, Thomson Locations: VIENNA, Russian, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Zaporizhzhia: Ukraine warns Russia might blow up nuclear power plant. How worried should we be?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Russian troops have placed “objects resembling explosives” on roofs at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address Tuesday that instantly sparked concerns around the world. That is, Russia may claim that any explosion at the power plant was the result of reckless Ukrainian shelling, rather than its own explosives. Grossi points on a map of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, March 2022. “The whole thing was saying: Russia’s basically going to have to kill me, in order for me not to make this nuclear power plant more safe. The Zaporizhzhia plant seen from the banks of the Dnipro on June 16, after the Nova Kakhovka dam collapse.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Zaporizhzhia, “, Kyrylo Budanov, ”, ” Karolina Hird, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, –, Rafael Grossi, Petro Kotin, Joe Klamar, William Alberque, ” Alberque, Russia’s, Alberque, Alina Smutko, ” Cheryl Rofer, Stringer, Xi Jinping, Putin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Institute for, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, United Nations, Russian, Grossi, Getty, Technology, International Institute for Strategy Studies, CAN, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Rescuers, Reuters, Russia, Financial Times Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia oblast, Kyiv, Europe –, Dnipro, Enerhodar, Russian, AFP, Nova, Moscow, ZNPP, Pennsylvania, India, Pakistan

☆ The risk of nuclear disaster in Ukraine skyrocketed with the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. Residents nearby are preparing for the worst.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In June, a controlled explosion caused the Ukrainian Kakhovka hydroelectric dam to collapse. The nearby Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant relies on water reserves to cool its power reactors. He also said the loss of the dam could also endanger the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which draws on the reservoir at nearby Kakhovka for cooling. The security of the Zaporizhzhia plant — Europe's largest nuclear power plant — has been of paramount concern since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin targeting the plant early on. Recently, however, the IAEA has received reports of mines placed around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a violation of the UN principles and a significant risk to the security of the nuclear reactors.

Persons: —, Nadiya Hez, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Rafael Mariano Grossi, Grossi Organizations: Service, New York Times, Reuters, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, United Nations Security Council, UN Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kyiv

☆ Ukrainian soldiers say US Bradley IFVs saved their lives. In old Soviet armored vehicles ‘we would all probably be dead after the first hit.’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian soldiers said their lives were saved by the US-supplied Bradley IFVs they were riding in. One soldier said that if they were in a Soviet carrier "we would all probably be dead after the first hit." The soldiers are part of Ukraine's 47th brigade, according to ABC News, which is fighting near Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine. The US has sent 109 Bradleys to Ukraine, and this month pledged to send 30 more. While Ukraine is getting modern weapons and ammunition from Western partners, many Ukrainian soldiers still have to rely on Soviet-era weaponry.

Persons: Bradley IFVs, Bradley, —, Serhiy, Andriy, It's, Rob Lee, Hanna Maliar, Oryx, Bradleys, Pat Ryder, Insider's Chris Panella Organizations: Service, Bradley, Russian, ABC News, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Twitter, Russian Grad, US, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Ukraine's, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Soviet, Russian

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Putin's latest war claim deemed preposterous; Kyiv sees tough fighting in sluggish counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Ukrainian soldier of the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade fires at Russian positions at the front line near the town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, on June 17, 2023. Ukraine's counteroffensive has produced only limited gains so far, with eight settlements reclaimed in the last two weeks. Ukrainian officials are the first to admit that the country's armed forces face a "tough duel" with Russia in the weeks and months ahead. They're dug in so deep, that we already had a very good idea that this will be not an easy task," he added. Read more on the story here: 'Tough duel' ahead for Ukraine as Russia mounts fierce resistance to counteroffensive— Holly Ellyatt

Persons: It's, Yuriy Sak, Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Mechanized Brigade, CNBC Locations: Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Donetsk, Ukraine, Russia

☆ 'Tough duel' ahead for Ukraine as Russia mounts fierce resistance to counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian officials are the first to admit that the country's armed forces face a "tough duel" with Russia in the weeks and months ahead. Nonetheless, there is mounting pressure on Ukraine to produce solid results — and analysts told CNBC that expectations could be far too high. Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker, told CNBC Tuesday that it was too early in the counteroffensive to make a judgment call. Urging patience, Ukraine defense advisor Yuriy Sak told CNBC: "We understand that everybody — and us more than anybody else — wants [the counteroffensive] to be progressing faster." Anders Fogh Rasmussen, chair of Rasmussen Global and former Secretary General of NATO, told CNBC Tuesday that "we are much too slow."

Persons: Anatolii Stepanov, Yuriy Sak, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Oleksiy, —, Sak, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Putin, Fogh Rasmussen, Oleksiy Goncharenko, Oscar Del Pozo Organizations: AFP, Getty, CNBC, Ukrainian, Google, Defense, NATO, Rasmussen Global, Afp Locations: Blagodatne, Donetsk, Ukraine, Russia, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Spanish, San Gregorio, Zaragoza

☆ Kakhovka dam collapse has made Black Sea a ‘garbage dump and animal cemetery,’ Ukraine warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Floodwaters are receding following the collapse of the Kakhovka dam, but debris washed along the Dnipro river is turning Odesa’s Black Sea coastline into “a garbage dump and animal cemetery,” according to Ukrainian authorities. “The Dnipro river flows into the Black Sea, bearing many signs of the devastation caused by Russians,” the ministry said. The collapse of the dam in southern Ukraine on June 6 is one of the biggest industrial and ecological disasters in Europe for decades. Several Western officials have blamed the collapse of the Russian-occupied dam on Moscow. Call for international supportThe developments came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for international support to help rescue victims of the dam collapse in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

Persons: ”, it’s, Oleksandr Prokudin, Prokudin, ” Prokudin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, “, Justin Trudeau Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Ministry, Internal Affairs, “, Russian Foreign, Armed Forces of, State Emergency Service, Ukraine Saturday, Canadian Locations: Dnipro, ”, Ukraine, Europe, Russian, Moscow, Kherson, Ukrainian, Kherson region, “ Russia, Mykolaiv, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk, Nikopol, Afanasivka, Canada

☆ With Probes of Russian Lines, Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Takes Shape
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Andrew E. Kramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine’s army has sent forward German Leopard 2 tanks and American Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, upgrading its aging fleet of Soviet-legacy armored vehicles. In all, Ukraine has received hundreds of Western tanks, armored vehicles and machines for breaching minefields. The Ukrainian government has been mostly silent about its opening moves, citing the need to maintain an element of surprise. The Russian government has been triumphal in claims of fending off attacks while offering little evidence. American officials, who said in recent days that the counteroffensive appeared to be underway, have said it is too early to make broad assessments, although they have generally been bullish on the prospects for Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

Organizations: American Bradley, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Orikhiv, Donetsk, Velyka Novosilka, crisscrossed, Crimean, Moscow

☆ 4.9 magnitude quake strikes southern Haiti; 4 dead, dozens injured
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The town of Jeremie in Haiti's southwest region was struck by a moderate earthquake on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (Patrick Farrell/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 struck southern Haiti early Tuesday, killing at least four people and injuring 36 others, authorities said. The quake struck before dawn near the southwestern coastal city of Jeremie at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. "There were so many people out on the street, and a lot of panic," he recalled of the moments after the quake struck. The earthquake struck almost two years after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti and killed more than 2,200 people, with Les Cayes sustaining the most damage.

Persons: Patrick Farrell, Eric Mpitabakana, Les Cayes, Frankel Maginaire, Mpitabakana, Claude Prepetit, Paul Pierre, Pierre, Prince, Ariel Henry Organizations: Miami Herald, Tribune, Service, Getty, . Geological Survey, Food, Associated Press, Civil Protection Agency, Haiti's Civil Protection Agency, Haiti's, of Mines and Energy, Radio, AP Locations: Jeremie, Haiti's, Haiti, Port

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailInside the world's largest lithium producerAlbemarle, the world's top producer of lithium and the operator of mines in Australia, Chile and the U.S., says it plans to bring its Kings Mountain, North Carolina mine online by 2027. The company, along with its main competitors SQM and Pilbara, control about 40% of the world's lithium supply, according to KeyBanc Capital Markets. Lithium is a critical mineral in electric vehicle batteries. CNBC got an inside look at Albemarle's operations in the U.S. and Chile.

Persons: Albemarle Organizations: KeyBanc, CNBC Locations: Australia, Chile, U.S, , North Carolina

☆ The rise of Albemarle, the world's largest lithium producer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Shawn Baldwin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Demand for lithium, a key component for electric vehicle batteries, is expected to surge, from 500,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate in 2021 to three to four million metric tons in less than a decade, according to McKinsey & Company. Albemarle, the world's top producer of this critical metal and the operator of mines in Australia, Chile and the U.S., says it plans to bring another domestic lithium mine online by 2027 — Kings Mountain in North Carolina. Albemarle is also building a $1.3 billion processing facility in South Carolina, where it will process battery-grade lithium hydroxide. The plant will support the manufacturing of 2.4 million electric vehicles annually and be able to process lithium from recycled batteries. Despite that growth, Albemarle faces a number of potential headwinds including a possible economic downturn that could slow the demand for EVs, new battery chemistries that could reduce the need for lithium, battery recycling and additional competitors.

Persons: Tesla Organizations: McKinsey & Company, CNBC, U.S . Locations: Australia, Chile, U.S, North Carolina, Nevada . Albemarle, South Carolina, Albemarle, Texas

☆ Ecuadorean authorities detain former energy minister in bribery probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

QUITO, May 15 (Reuters) - Ecuadorean authorities have detained a former energy minister amid an investigation into alleged bribery linked to state oil firm Petroecuador, the attorney general's office said on Monday. An investigation of Xavier Vera, Ecuador's former minister of mines and energy, began last October following several corruption allegations, including that he arranged jobs at Petroecuador in exchange for bribes. "The attorney general's office, with the support from (Ecuadorean police) executed an arrest warrant against Xavier V., within an investigation for alleged bribery," the attorney general's office wrote in a message via Twitter, referring to Vera. He isn't running away from the investigation, he isn't running away from the process," Vera's lawyer, Carlos Sanchez, told local television channel Ecuavisa. Reporting by Alexandra Valencia in Quito Writing by Sarah Morland Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Yannick Kergoat, director of "Tax Me If You Can," hopes the film makes learning about tax evasion fun. The French filmmaker had trouble getting funding and TV pickup for his new documentary about tax evasion, "Tax Me If You Can." He pretends you're in a bar to show you news footage about why the US is the country losing the most tax revenue because of tax evasion. Houser's course included movies like "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Office Space" to teach students about banking and economics of scale, respectively. The repercussions of tax evasion include "incredible increases in wealth for some and constant impoverishment for others."

☆ Colombian president asks cabinet to resign ahead of reshuffle - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, April 25 (Reuters) - Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has asked his cabinet ministers to resign ahead of a reshuffle, two sources told Reuters late on Tuesday, as the leftist leader said he had lost his majority coalition in Congress. "The political coalition agreed as a majority has ended today due to decisions of some party presidents," Petro said in a message via Twitter late on Tuesday. Petro has largely backed his ministers, including Velez, though disagreement over the health reform proposal already lead to the exit of the education minister, Alejandro Gaviria. Interior Minister Alfonso Prada could be take over as defense minister, said one government source who declined to be identified. Others, including Velez, could hold on to their posts, the source said.

☆ Pre-rolled Joints and TikTok Feuds: This Is the Diamond District?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Corey Kilgannon | Dar Yaskil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Zev Weitman’s angular frame was hunched over his sooty workbench in a cramped diamond-cutting shop several floors above the buzz of Manhattan’s diamond district. But his mind was roaming a crystalline chamber, tweaking facets to coax a brilliant symphony of light from the diamond he was working against a cutting wheel. Back then, there were also thousands of cutters like Mr. Weitman, many of them shaping and perfecting diamonds from rough stones straight out of mines. Now, Mr. Weitman says, only a few hundred remain in the district, focusing on repairs, rush jobs and the kind of high-end work he does. None of his four children — nor, presumably, any of his 28 grandchildren — will follow him into his trade.

☆ Copper Shortage Threatens Green Transition
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

In 2021, refined copper demand stood at 25.3 million tons, according to the International Copper Study Group. Mined output globally in 2022 was 21.8 million tons according to the International Copper Study Group, rising only 1 million tons over the previous three years. According to Congo’s Ministry of Mines, copper metal exports totaled 2.3 million metric tons in 2022, up from 1.8 million metric tons in 2021, less than half of Chile’s output. According to analysts it is more of a “when” not an “if” copper demand is likely to surge. Changes in technology should ease some copper demand pressures.

Search resuls for: "of Mines"

25 mentions found