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☆ US heatwave: high temperatures forecast, northeast braces for rain
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Agricultural worker Ernesto Hernandez takes a water break while enduring high temperatures in a tomato field, as a heat wave affects the region near Winters, California, U.S. July 13, 2023. The heat warnings spread from the Pacific northwest, down through California, through the Southwest and into the Deep South and Florida. Temperatures of over 115 Fahrenheit (46 Celsius) are forecast for areas of southern California's high desert, along with Arizona and Nevada. The NWS said widespread record-breaking high temperatures are likely to be recorded across the Southwest, in the western Gulf Coast and also in south Florida. "The combination of sizzling temperatures and oppressively high dew points will result in sultry heat throughout theSouth into the upcoming week," the NWS wrote.

Persons: Ernesto Hernandez, Loren Elliott, Brad Brooks, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, National Weather Service, NWS, U.S . Census, Weather Service, Thomson Locations: Winters , California, U.S, New England, California, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, Gulf Coast, Pacific, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Montpelier, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Gulf, Lubbock , Texas

The referendum, which comes amid a wider reckoning over race relations, proposes to change the constitution and establish an advisory body called the Indigenous Voice to Parliament to give Indigenous Australians a direct say in policies that affect them. Five of those polled were funding or planned to fund the "Yes" campaign, while none endorsed nor were contributing to "No". Commonwealth Bank told Reuters it plans to fund the "Yes" campaign and had hosted two panel discussions with Indigenous speakers. Rio Tinto, which faced criticism in 2020 for destroying Indigenous rock shelters, said the Voice would bring an "additional lens" to government decision-making. Aurora Milroy, a lecturer in Indigenous affairs at the University of Western Australia, said supporting the Voice was easy publicity for companies.

Persons: Rita Wright, Loren Elliott, Anthony Albanese, Intifar Chowdhury, Albanese, Meg O'Neill, Ross Piper, Baker McKenzie, Thomas Mayo, Kate Gillingham, Peter Dutton, Coles, Rio Tinto, Fortescue, Aurora Milroy, Byron Kaye, Praveen Menon, Melanie Burton, David Crawshaw, Devayani, Anant Chandak, Veronica Khongwir, Sujith Pai Organizations: Australian, REUTERS, Australia's, BHP, Rio Tinto, Woodside Energy, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Labor, Voice, National, Nine Entertainment, Reuters, Commonwealth Bank, Ethical Investment, Qantas, Australian Financial, Liberal, Fair Australia, Miners, Fortescue Metals, University of Western, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Rio, Western Australia, Woodside, Queensland, University of Western Australia, Melbourne

☆ Apple’s new challenge: making VR headsets look cool
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But behind this speculation is a more serious potential problem: even Apple may struggle to make VR headsets look cool. The new headset, which blends both virtual reality and augmented reality, is Apple’s most ambitious – and riskiest – new hardware product in years. In one early marketing image, a woman is shown wearing the headset while dressed in very chic clothing and lounging in an upscale living room. Apple’s silhouette ads in the early 2000s somehow managed to make not just iPods look cool, but also wired headphones. People use phones as Apple's Vision Pro headsets are on display at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. June 5, 2023.

Persons: Tim Cook, Palmer Luckey, Oculus, memed, It’s, Robert Scoble, Larry Page, “ Robert, “ They’re, ” Lisa Peyton, “, Loren Elliott Loren Elliott, Reuters “, ” Marcus Collins, Collins, “ you’re, Alan Dye, it’s, ”, ” Peyton, “ It’s, they’ll Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, Facebook, Google, University of Oregon, CNN, Developers, REUTERS, Reuters, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan Locations: New York, —, Cupertino , California, U.S

☆ What it's like to try Apple's new Vision Pro headset
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] Apple's Vision Pro headset is on display at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. June 5, 2023. REUTERS/Loren ElliottCUPERTINO, California, June 5 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on Monday let analysts and media, including Reuters, try its $3,499 Vision Pro headset. The Vision Pro headset has a "digital crown" similar to an Apple watch crown, which can be tapped and turned to make the display transition fluidly between the real world outside and the virtual world inside. Even when fully immersed in a virtual world, exterior cameras keep an eye out for other humans. If another person approaches the user, that person starts to materialize through the virtual world.

Persons: Loren Elliott CUPERTINO, Carolina Milanesi, Apple, Stephen Nellis, Sam Holmes Organizations: Developers, REUTERS, Apple Inc, Monday, Reuters, Apple, Creative, Meta Platforms Inc, Vision Pro, Thomson Locations: Cupertino , California, U.S, Loren Elliott CUPERTINO , California, Hollywood

☆ Apple to sell Vision Pro AR headset for triple Meta's top-line price
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/4] People use cameras as Apple's Vision Pro headsets are on display at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. June 5, 2023. Apple's headset will be available early next year in the U.S. with more countries coming later in 2024. The Vision Pro has two hours of use with an external battery, which Apple said would reduce the weight on the user's head. Investors and tech fans alike are focused on how much Apple's view of the virtual reality market overlaps with Meta's. In addition to Meta, Sony Group Corp (6758.T) and ByteDance-owned Pico both recently released virtual reality devices.

Persons: Loren Elliott CUPERTINO, Apple, Alan Dye, Tim Cook, Walt Disney's, Mark Zuckerberg, there's, John Ternus, Apple's, Craig Federighi, Stephen Nellis, Yuvraj Malik, Dawn Chmielewski, Katie Paul, Peter Henderson, Aditya Soni, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Developers, REUTERS, Apple Inc, Pro, Apple, Vision, Reuters, Adobe, Microsoft, Unity, Meta, Sony Group Corp, Pico, Research, IDC, Mac Pro, Mac, Intel, Thomson Locations: Cupertino , California, U.S, Loren Elliott CUPERTINO , California, Bengaluru, Dawn, Los Angeles, New York

☆ ‘California is meant to burn': Experts teach landowners art of prescribed burns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Nathan Frandino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Volunteer David Palmer takes part in a broadcast burn in advance of wildfire season near Blodgett Forest Research Station in Georgetown, California, U.S., May 20, 2023. Teaching locals is exactly what Susie Kocher is hoping to accomplish through the El Dorado Amador Prescribed Burn Association. Founded in 2021, the association teaches private landowners about prescribed burns, including how to plan and carry them out safely. California last year launched a strategic plan for wildfire and forest resilience with the aim of expanding prescribed burns to 400,000 acres annually by 2025. The Saturday class for two dozen volunteers – mostly college students and a few private landowners - at the Blodgett Forest Research Station west of Lake Tahoe turned out just as the experts had hoped.

Persons: David Palmer, Loren Elliott GEORGETOWN, Susie Kocher, Amador, it's, Kocher, Sarah Fischbach, haven't, ” Fischbach, we're, ”, Ariel Roughton, Cathy Mueller, we've, ” Mueller, Nathan Frandino, Mary Milliken, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Research, REUTERS, El, Burn, “, Blodgett, Thomson Locations: Blodgett, Georgetown , California, U.S, Loren Elliott GEORGETOWN , California, California, Sierra Nevada, Lake, “ California

☆ Qantas expects international unit to be twice as profitable as tourism rebounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Qantas planes are seen at Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia, March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File PhotoMay 30 (Reuters) - Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) on Tuesday forecast its international divisions to be twice as profitable in the post-COVID era on strong recovery in tourism, with earnings at domestic and loyalty divisions also projected to improve. Qantas also expects its Loyalty division to reach its fiscal 2024 earnings before interest and taxes target of A$500 -A$600 million, rising further to A$800 million to A$1 billion by fiscal 2030. Qantas reaffirmed its 2024 capital expenditure forecast provided in February of between A$3 billion and A$3.2 billion. Qantas shares were trading 1.8% higher as at 0300 GMT, marking their biggest intraday gain in nearly a week.

☆ Gun-loving Texas, where most households own a firearm, has become an epicenter of mass shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Emma Tucker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as a shooting that injures or kills four or more people, not including the shooter. They argue that more firearms and higher gun ownership increases public safety – a stance that continues to be at odds with gun violence experts and data. The area around the Robb Elementary School signs has become a memorial dedicated to the victims of the May 24 mass shooting. Mass shootings are just a piece of that, and the strategies that we’re laying out will impact mass shootings. They’ll also impact a lot of other types of gun violence and that’s absolutely critical to saving lives,” Horwitz said.

☆ Environmental Issues Complicate Glencore’s $23 Billion Merger Fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Julie Steinberg | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Glencore says that by 2050 it will run down its coal operations, like this one in Ravensworth, Australia. Photo: Loren Elliott/REUTERSMining company Glencore ’s roughly $23 billion offer for Teck Resources of Canada has injected a new variable into the calculus for big global deal making: ESG. Usually, the stumbling blocks to a big deal involve some combination of price, control or strategic fit. Teck, however, is also publicly raising environmental, social and governance issues in its refusal so far to engage with Glencore about a potential tie-up.

May 1 (Reuters) - Regulators seized First Republic Bank (FRC.N) and sold its assets to JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) on Monday, in a deal to resolve the largest U.S. bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis and draw a line under a lingering banking turmoil. Shares of JPMorgan rose 2% on Monday, while those of mid-tier banks fell and the KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) closed down 2.7%. [1/3] People walk past a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. "This is not the world financial crisis, this is not the savings and loan crisis. The failed bank's 84 offices in eight states will reopen as branches of JPMorgan Chase Bank from Monday, it added.

Shares of JPMorgan and some of the other the largest U.S. banks rose on Monday, while those of mid-tier banks fell. [1/3] People walk past a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. "This is not the world financial crisis, this is not the savings and loan crisis. JPMorgan also entered into a loss-share agreement with the FDIC on single family, residential and commercial loans it bought, but will not take First Republic Bank's corporate debt or preferred stock. The failed bank's 84 offices in eight states will reopen as branches of JPMorgan Chase Bank from Monday, it added.

First Republic was one of the major casualties of the banking crisis triggered in March, when depositors fled en masse from some U.S. lenders to institutions such as JPMorgan that they thought were safer. [1/2] People walk past a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. JPMorgan has assumed all of the bank's deposits, it said, and will repay $25 billion of the $30 billion big banks deposited with First Republic in March. JPMorgan said it expected to achieve a one-time, post-tax gain of about $2.6 billion after the deal. The failed bank's 84 offices in eight states will reopen as branches of JPMorgan Chase Bank from Monday, it added.

STEPPING UPA security guard stands outside a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. The FDIC estimated in a statement that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) would be about $13 billion. JPMorgan has assumed all of the bank's deposits, it said, and will repay $25 billion of the $30 billion big banks deposited with First Republic in March. New York-based JPMorgan will take on $173 billion of loans, $30 billion of securities and $92 billion of deposits. "Our government invited us and others to step up, and we did," said Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chairman and CEO.

First Republic Bank customers pulled around $100 billion in deposits in a matter of days. Photo: LOREN ELLIOTT/REUTERSThe Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is reviewing bids for First Republic Bank and preparing to seize the lender, according to people familiar with the matter, weeks after a $100 billion deposit run shattered its business model. Big banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and PNC Financial Services Group Inc. submitted offers for the troubled lender earlier Sunday, the people said, and the FDIC went back to the bidders with questions in the evening. The agency is expected to name a winner before First Republic opens Monday morning, the people said.

☆ US FDIC asks JPMorgan, PNC for final First Republic bids due Sunday - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People walk past a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Loren Elliott(Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp has asked banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co and PNC Financial Services Group to submit final bids for First Republic Bank by Sunday after gauging their initial interest earlier in the week, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday. The banking regulator reached out to banks late Thursday seeking indications of interest, including a proposed price and estimated cost to the agency’s deposit insurance fund, the report said. Based on those submissions on Friday, FDIC invited at least two firms to the next step in the bidding, the report added, citing people familiar with the matter. If the San Francisco-based lender falls into receivership, it would be the third U.S. bank to collapse since March, after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

First Republic Bank customers pulled around $100 billion in deposits in a matter of days. Photo: LOREN ELLIOTT/REUTERSBig banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and PNC Financial Services Group Inc. are vying to buy First Republic Bank in a deal that would follow a government seizure of the troubled lender, according to people familiar with the matter. A seizure and sale of First Republic could come as soon as this weekend, the people said.

☆ FDIC prepares to place First Republic under receivership -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Greg Roumeliotis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is preparing to place First Republic Bank under receivership imminently, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, sending shares of the lender down nearly 50% in extended trading. A person stands in front of a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. First Republic said earlier this week its deposits had slumped by more than $100 billion in the first quarter. First Republic and FDIC representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Shares of some other regional banks also fell with PacWest Bancorp down 2% after the bell while Western Alliance was down 0.7%.

☆ Ex-Peru president Toledo surrenders to US authorities, extradition imminent
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A media member streams their news desk on their phone screen while reporting outside Robert F. Peckham Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on the day Peru's former President Alejandro Toledo, wanted in his home country on charges of taking millions of dollars in bribes, is expected to turn himself in for extradition, in San Jose, California, U.S. April 21, 2023. REUTERS/Loren ElliottApril 21 (Reuters) - Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo surrendered to U.S. authorities on Friday, a U.S. Marshals Service official told Reuters, a day after his bid to block his extradition to Peru over corruption charges was denied. The former president was arrested in the United States in July 2019 after a formal request by Peru for his extradition.

☆ 'Judas betrayal': Indigenous Australians denounce opposition for rejecting referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Praveen Menon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File PhotoSYDNEY, April 6 (Reuters) - Senior Indigenous leaders on Thursday criticised Australia's main opposition party's "Judas betrayal" for declaring it would campaign against a proposal to constitutionally recognise the country's Aboriginal and Torres Island people. Noel Pearson, an Indigenous leader and a key campaigner for the community, said he had a sleepless night after hearing the decision of the Liberal Party. "I was troubled by dreams and the spectre of the Dutton Liberal party's Judas betrayal of our country,” he told ABC radio. Uluru Dialogue spokeswoman and Indigenous leader Pat Anderson said the Liberal decision was a vote for “business as usual”. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government has staked significant political capital on the referendum, but no referendum has succeeded in Australia without bipartisan support.

☆ Australia govt introduces Indigenous referendum bill in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Introducing the bill in parliament, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the referendum, to be held between October and December, would be an opportunity to acknowledge history and help Australians come together "for a more reconciled future." The main opposition Liberal party has not yet decided if it would support the proposed constitutional amendments but its junior coalition partner, the rural-based National Party, has said it would oppose them. A Guardian poll last week showed public support for the referendum was down 5% but was still backed by a majority, with 59% in favour. Any constitutional alterations in Australia require a national referendum. To succeed a referendum requires a national majority of votes as well as a majority of votes in at least four of the six states.

☆ The road to First Republic Bank's collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The exterior of a First Republic Bank branch is pictured in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File PhotoMay 1 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) is buying most of First Republic Bank's (FRC.N) assets, which had been seized by United States regulators, in a last-ditch rescue for the strained lender, marking the third major U.S. bank to fail in two months. Last week, First Republic reported a more than $100 billion plunge in deposits in the first quarter that sparked a brutal sell-off in the lender's shares. Banks have been staring at the biggest crisis since 2008 after two U.S. lenders collapsed in March and the turmoil has ratcheted up fears of a contagion and prompted action from the U.S. Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury and the private sector. Below is a timeline of key events:Sources: company statements, press conferences, media reportsReporting by Mehnaz Yasmin amd Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath and Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australian exporters rekindle China ties amid diplomatic thaw
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Australian business leaders are following the political signals. Fortescue Metals (FMG.AX) founder Andrew Forrest, BHP (BHP.AX) head Mike Henry and Tim Ford, chief executive of tariff-hit winemaker Treasury Wine Estate (TWE.AX), have scheduled visits to China in March. At least 15 vessels carrying Australian coal were bound for China last week as traders bet already-reduced trade barriers will fall further. "People are starting to get on the front foot," Grain Trade Australia Chief Executive Pat O'Shannassy told Reuters. A shipment of Australian coal diverted to Vietnam last week after waiting at a Chinese port for five days without unloading.

☆ Sabalenka says Grand Slam win has fuelled hunger for success
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

I believed in myself but I was waiting for so long, working so hard and couldn't get it. I had tough losses in the semi-finals," said Sabalenka, who will return to the tour for the first time since her Melbourne Park triumph. Sabalenka said her major win had "definitely changed" her mindset a little bit but she would not get complacent. Adelaide champion Sabalenka, who is unbeaten in 11 matches this year, will meet Jill Teichmann or Linz champion Anastasia Potapova in the Dubai second round after being handed a bye but said she was not too focused on the draw. Sometimes you look too far, then you lose the first match because you're already thinking about your semi-final match," Sabalenka said.

☆ U.S. sweep Uzbekistan in Davis Cup qualifiers, Sweden and France through
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

With 24 nations competing in the qualifiers this weekend, the 12 winning teams will qualify for the Davis Cup Finals group stage in September alongside 2022 champions Canada and runners-up Australia. Denis Kudla then stepped on court for his Davis Cup debut in the third singles rubber to beat Amir Milushev 6-4 6-4 to seal a 4-0 victory for the record 32-times Davis Cup winners in Tashkent. And I'm already looking forward to the finals," Mikael said. Playing in Davis Cup means a lot for me because it's an unbelievable competition and I'm very proud of myself today," said debutant Humbert, who had also won his first singles rubber on Friday. Serbia also qualified after Nikola Cacic and Filip Krajinovic won their doubles match 6-4 3-6 6-3 against Norway to give their team a 3-0 lead.

SYDNEY, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Australia will replace the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on its A$5 banknote with a new design to reflect and honour the history of its Indigenous culture, the country's central bank said on Thursday. The decision follows consultation with the federal government, which supports the change, the Reserve Bank of Australia said in a statement. The Reserve Bank said it would consult with Indigenous groups in designing the A$5 banknote. The A$5 banknote is the only Australian banknote to carry the image of the Queen. Australian coins are mandated to carry the image of the British monarch and new coins will have the effigy of King Charles.

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