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☆ Argo Blockchain to sell its mining facility Helios for $65 mln
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 28 (Reuters) - Crypto miner Argo Blockchain Plc (ARB.L) said on Wednesday it will sell its mining facility Helios for $65 million and refinanced a new asset-backed loan agreement, in an attempt to avoid filing for bankruptcy. Argo will sell its Helios facility to Canada-listed investment management company Galaxy Digital Holdings (GLXY.TO). The transactions include refinancing loans with a new $35 million credit with Galaxy, which will help reduce its total indebtedness by $41 million, the company said in a press release. Digital currency miners such as Argo Blockchain use computers to solve cryptographic problems and receive a reward in the form of cryptocurrency. Reporting by Amna Karimi and Sinchita Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane VenkatramanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SummarySummary Companies Crystal Amber proposes removal of chairman, CEO and CFOProposes appointment of two new directorsShares up 5%Dec 23 (Reuters) - Hurricane Energy's (HUR.L) largest shareholder Crystal Amber Fund (CRSL.L) is calling for the removal of top management at the British company and the appointment of two directors from another firm that the fund says could invest in Hurricane. Activist investor Crystal Amber, which holds 28.9% in the North Sea oil and gas producer, said on Friday it had issued a requisition notice for a shareholder meeting, seeking to remove Hurricane Chairman Philip Wolfe, CEO Antony Maris, and finance chief Richard Chaffe. If the two are appointed, Crystal Amber said it would be supportive of bringing on Albion as an investor in Hurricane to raise funds for the company to spend on drilling programmes. Hurricane said it was reviewing the requisition notice from Crystal Amber and that all participants in its sale process had been requested to submit their bids by Jan. 7. "The Fund has concluded that in the continuing absence of a firm offer that reflects the value of Hurricane, it would be better served under new management," Crystal Amber said in a statement.

☆ Exclusive: Afghan government officials helped smugglers sneak almost $1 billion in cash and gold out of Afghanistan as the US-backed government neared collapse, documents show
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | Edris Lutfi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The office of Ashraf Ghani, the US-backed Afghan president, had been informed about the problem, insiders say. The smuggling flouted Afghan laws requiring travelers to declare cash or gold worth $10,000 or more and a strict ban on exporting $20,000 or more. The documents identify the two men as being part of the 2021 smuggling ring; they do not allege who was behind the $824 million smuggled in 2019 and 2020. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani meets with President Joe Biden in June 2021. The UAE is also the home of Ghani and Noor, the former provincial governor with alleged ties to the Hairatan smuggling ring.

☆ EU regulator backs gene therapy to treat rare bleeding disorder
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies CSL Ltd FollowUniqure NV FollowDec 16 (Reuters) - The European Union's health regulator on Friday said it had recommended granting a conditional marketing authorisation for a gene therapy by Australian drugmaker CSL Ltd (CSL.AX) and partner uniQure N.V. , to treat haemophilia B, a rare bleeding disorder which is caused by genetic anomalies. About one in 40,000 people are affected by the inherited disorder, caused by a gene mutation that hampers the body's ability to make clotting protein factor IX. If approved, the treatment, branded Hemgenix, will be the first gene therapy in the European Union for the condition that is usually treated by regular injections of factor IX, the European Medicines Agency said. CSL had acquired exclusive global rights to Hemgenix in May last year from uniQure N.V. Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mike Ashley's Frasers buys JD Sports' premium fashion brands for $58 mln
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 16 (Reuters) - British retailer Frasers Group (FRAS.L) said on Friday it has bought shares in premium fashion brands of JD Sports (JD.L) for about 47.5 million pounds ($57.7 million), as the Mike Ashley-owned company continues its drive into a more premium market. Frasers, formerly called Sports Direct, also acquired and transferred shares of more than 10 of the premium fashion brands, including Pretty Green, Cricket and Topgrade Sportswear, which the sports retailer held. JD Sports, in a separate statement, said it has divested 15 of its UK-based businesses to Frasers. JD Sports said these divestments will allow the company to focus on the international and digital expansion of the core premium sports fashion platforms. Frasers, which is on an acquisition spree, recently boosted its maximum exposure to German fashion house Hugo Boss (BOSSn.DE) and snapped up a more than 5% stake in struggling British online fashion retailer ASOS (ASOS.L).

But other potential Chinese investors were less sure. Most investors had decided to head home ahead of Chinese New Year, said Yu. GUNFIRE, PANICNews of the hotel attack spread fast to the investors running China Town - a cluster of 10-storey blocks about 20 minutes drive away, overlooked by snow-topped mountains. After security forces secured the hotel, Yu got through to some of the guests by phone. In all, about 35 Chinese investors were in the hotel, he said - about a third of the number he estimated were in Afghanistan at the time.

☆ This former tech worker is helping change laws for people who get laid off
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Ifeoma Ozoma’s path as an advocate for tech workers started with a series of tweets one morning in June 2020. She emerged as a passionate advocate for tech workers by seeking legal protections for whistleblowers. “So many people reached out when I told my story, and most of them were tech workers or workers within the tech industry,” she said. The 30-year-old mentors activists and other people fighting all over the world against workplace discrimination. After leaving Pinterest, Ozoma moved to a farm near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she grows her own vegetables and raises a flock of chickens nicknamed the Golden Girls.

☆ Ifeoma Ozoma is a passionate advocate for tech whistleblowers. It all started with tweets
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

On Tuesday, those criticizing the team made their voices heard: This was the Islamic Republic's loss, not Iran's. Meanwhile, there were thousands of tweets in Persian, or in English from prominent Iranians, saying how happy they were their own team had fallen at the first hurdle of the competition. Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images"For 43 years the regime brainwashed Iranians to hate America," Masih Alinejad, a New York-based Iranian journalist and activist, tweeted . "But see how people across Iran are celebrating the victory of the U.S. soccer team against the Islamic Republic." Reuters TVWhere the Iranian soccer team fits into all this has been a subject of debate among Iranians and those watching from abroad.

☆ Ali Karimi: Iranian soccer great alleges death threats made against him by the Iran government after supporting protesters
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Artemis Moshtaghian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Iranian soccer great Ali Karimi has alleged that death threats have been made against him, while his family and close friends have been intimidated and harassed by the Iranian government following his support of ongoing protests in the country. Kai-Uwe Knoth/APDuring the frequent government induced internet blackouts in Iran, Karimi informed protesters on his social media accounts on how they could bypass internet restrictions using VPN and other workarounds. Increased threatsUntil nearly four months ago Karimi and his family resided in Iran but then left for Dubai. Karimi notes that the threats made against him, his family and friends are incomparable to the dangers that protesters in Iran are facing. “Reading those comments and posts gave me the courage to become active [on social media] again.”The Iranian government has not responded to the claims made in Karimi’s interview.

☆ U.N. condemns Iran's crackdown on protests, establishes probe into alleged abuses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The U.N. Human Rights Council voted Thursday to condemn the bloody crackdown on peaceful protests in Iran and create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses, particularly those committed against women and children. Thursday’s session in Geneva is the latest international effort to put pressure on Iran over its crackdown, which has already drawn international sanctions and other measures. “The only answer we received was more violence, more death.”Protesters wave Iranian pre-Islamic revolution flags in front of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva on Thursday. The U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk, expressed concerns that Iran’s government has not been listening to the world community. The council will now set up a “fact-finding mission” to investigate rights violations “especially with respect to women and children” linked to the protests that erupted on Sept. 16.

☆ U.N. decides to set up investigation into Iran protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

GENEVA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The United Nations' top human rights body on Thursday decided by a comfortable margin to establish a new investigative mission to probe Iran's suppression of mass protests that have roiled the country since September. The motion passed with 25 in favour, six against and 16 abstentions. Activists cheered after the result was read out by the council president and some diplomats applauded. Tehran's representative at the Geneva meeting Khadijeh Karimi earlier accused Western states of using the rights council to target Iran, a move she called "appalling and disgraceful". Reporting by Emma Farge, editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.N. rights council votes to probe Iran's ongoing crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSGENEVA/DUBAI, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The U.N. Rights Council voted on Thursday to appoint an independent investigation into Iran's deadly repression of protests, passing the motion to cheers of activists amid an intensifying crackdown in Kurdish areas over recent days. Tehran's representative at the Geneva meeting Khadijeh Karimi earlier accused Western states of using the council to target Iran, a move she called "appalling and disgraceful". CRACKDOWNThe crackdown has been particularly intense in Kurdish areas, located in western Iran, with the U.N. rights monitor this week noting reports of 40 deaths there over the past week. Iranian authorities have arrested a number of soccer players for expressing their support for protests. Asked on Thursday about the unrest at home Iran national team striker Mehdi Taremi said they were in Qatar to play soccer.

☆ Tosca Musk, Elon’s sister, has a business venture of her own – and it’s all about romance and female sexuality
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Faith Karimi Cnn Photographs Austin Steele | Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

It’s their first public film premiere since the pandemic started. Musk, 48, is the force behind Passionflix, which adapts romance novels into movies and streams them to a devoted niche audience. “Passionflix focuses on adapting romance novels exactly as the fan and the author envision it,” Musk says in a separate CNN interview. From left to right: Tosca Musk, Kimbal Musk, mother Maye Musk and Elon Musk at Maye's 50th birthday party in 1998. One of the founding members, she says she spent the pandemic years curled up on her couch, watching Passionflix movies.

☆ Their IVF journeys did not end with children. Here's what they want you to know
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

"I stopped to protect my physical, emotional and mental health," says Katy Seppi, 40, of her decision to end her infertility journey. Seppi says she believes Aniston’s openness about her own IVF journey helps validate the experiences of many people who are involuntarily childless. "For someone like myself with ADHD, the decision fatigue was at times overwhelming," Sherrae Lachhu, 45, says about the IVF process. It can help others not feel so alone.”She felt like a failure when her IVF didn’t workApril Barsby, 32, had one cycle of IVF in September of last year. The couple put their IVF journey on pause for now and Barsby says she’s not sure what to do next.

☆ Refugee who inspired Tom Hanks movie after living in a departure terminal for 18 years dies in Paris airport
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an Iranian-born refugee, died in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Saturday. His life story inspired "The Terminal" — a 2004 movie produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks. Nasseri, 76, had a heart attack in Terminal 2F of the airport around midday on Saturday, according to a Paris airport authority official, per Sky News. Mehran Karimi Nasseri stands by his possessions in Charles de Gaulle airport in 2004. Nasseri's astonishing story inspired the 2004 movie "The Terminal," produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Stanley Tucci.

☆ Iranian man who inspired Steven Spielberg film 'The Terminal' dies at Paris airport
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS — An Iranian man who lived for 18 years in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport and inspired the Steven Spielberg film “The Terminal” died Saturday in the airport, officials said. Merhan Karimi Nasseri died after a heart attack in the airport’s Terminal 2F around midday, according an official with the Paris airport authority. Police and a medical team treated him but were not able to save him, the official said. He had been living in the airport again in recent weeks, the airport official said. His saga inspired “The Terminal” starring Tom Hanks, and a French film.

☆ UK pubs call for beer duty freeze ahead of tough Christmas
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Britain's pubs want the government's help in keeping prices of a pint affordable this Christmas, as surging inflation is driving up costs for businesses and hampering consumers' purchasing power. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), in a letter dated Nov. 11 to finance minister Jeremy Hunt, called on the government to bring back a freeze on beer duty in its budget announcement due on Nov. 17. "We need the beer duty freeze reinstated to alleviate at least some of the cost pressure on our pubs and brewers and to avoid undermining the crucial Alcohol Duty reform measures," Chief Executive of BBPA Emma McClarkin said in a statement on Saturday. The industry body warned that failing to introduce the beer duty freeze would take the tax to its highest ever for the sector, adding that a freeze would channel about 360 million pounds ($423.5 million) back into the industry. ($1 = 0.8500 pounds)Reporting by Amna Karimi and Muhammed Husain in Bengaluru; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Women stopped from entering amusement parks in Afghan capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KABUL, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Afghan women were stopped from entering amusement parks in Kabul on Wednesday after the Taliban's morality ministry said there would be restrictions on women being able to access public parks. Bilal Karimi, a deputy spokesperson for the hardline Islamist Taliban administration, did not respond to a request for comment. At a Kabul amusement park containing rides such as bumper cars and a Ferris wheel, Reuters witnesses observed several women being turned away by park officials, with Taliban agents present observing the situation. Two park operators, who asked to remain anonymous to speak on a sensitive matter, said they had been told by Taliban officials not to allow women to enter their parks. The Taliban say they respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law.

SummarySummary Companies Sees FY profit between 860 mln euros-900 mln eurosSees consumer demand suppression in Q4, 2023Shares rise 4%Nov 8 (Reuters) - Coca-Cola HBC AG (CCH.L) raised its full-year profit forecast on Tuesday, as the soft drinks bottler benefited from resilient demand and said price rises and promotions would protect profits. Inflation at multi-year highs has pinched household budgets and forced consumers to cut their spending, but Coca-Cola is among the packaged food makers enjoying steady demand. Chief Executive Zoran Bogdanovic said trading in the fourth quarter and 2023 "might get harder because of consumer demand suppression," but added the company planned to overcome it with pricing and promotional plans. Chief Executive Zoran Bogdanovic told Reuters its factories in Russia had reduced operations and it had cut jobs in double digits. HBC raised its expectations for comparable operating profit to between 860 million euros and 900 million euros ($860.43 million and $900.45 million) for 2022, compared with an earlier forecast of between 740 million euros and 820 million euros.

Ramon Abbas, known to his millions of Instagram followers as Ray Hushpuppi, pleaded guilty in April last year to conspiracy to engage in money laundering. On social media, where Abbas had posted videos of himself tossing wads of cash like confetti, he referred to himself as a real estate developer. His social media account was a treasure trove of information for investigatorsFederal investigators have described Abbas as a prolific money launderer who leveraged his social media platform to gain notoriety and brag about his wealth. In a 2020 affidavit, federal officials detailed how his social media accounts provided details needed to confirm his identity. Even Abbas’ Instagram birthday party photos helped the investigation.

☆ Former CEO says plan to rescue British furniture retailer Made.com fails
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Made.com's (MADE.L) co-founder and former chief executive Ning Li said his proposal to save the British online furniture retailer has been rejected, making the way for its collapse. The news comes almost a week after the company said it would appoint administrators after running out of cash, becoming one of the most high profile British retailers to fail this year partly as a result of a squeeze on household budgets. "Apparently, it would be preferable to break the company up and sell it in pieces to generate a little more cash," Ning added. In Oct., the struggling company suspended taking customer orders after talks to find a buyer failed. Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ GSK's blood cancer drug fails main goal of trial, shares fall
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Pushkala Aripaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Data calls into question existing drug approval -analystsGSK in talks with health authorities, other trials continuingShares fall 3%Nov 7 (Reuters) - GSK's (GSK.L) blood cancer drug Blenrep failed the main goal of a late-stage study designed to show it was better than an existing treatment on the market, the company said on Monday. In April, the company agreed to buy U.S. drug developer Sierra Oncology, gaining access to its main experimental drug for a rare blood cancer and complementing GSK's Blenrep. In the trial, Blenrep was compared with a combination of pomalidomide and low doses of the steroid dexamethasone. Pomalidomide was developed by Celgene, now part of Bristol-Myers Squibb , and was approved in 2013 as a treatment for multiple myeloma. The drug belongs to a promising category of treatments called antibody drug conjugates, which are engineered antibodies that bind to tumour cells and then release cell-killing chemicals.

☆ UK new car sales up by nearly a quarter in October - SMMT
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] New cars are pictured at a car dealership, as Britain's car industry body releases monthly new car sales figures, in Cheshire, Britain October 5, 2020 REUTERS/Jason CairnduffNov 4 (Reuters) - British new car registrations rose for the third consecutive month in October, up by around a quarter, according to preliminary industry data released on Friday. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said it expects a market recovery in 2023. The SMMT will provide the final figures for the month at 0900 GMT. Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'This is not our national team' - why some Iranians want their own country banned from World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Peter Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Last week, in conjunction with a Spanish law firm, they sent a letter to world soccer's governing body FIFA demanding their own country be withdrawn from next month's World Cup. "Iran is different to any other country," former wrestling world junior champion and national team coach Sardar Pashaei told Reuters. They should be banned until we have a democratic country like any other country in the world." "One of the important reasons for banning this football team by FIFA is everybody across the world will ask, 'What happened to Iran?'" "Russia attacked Ukraine, killed people, so it was the right decision they got banned - the same should happen to Iran.

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