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☆ China's Alibaba says will not join Ant Group share buyback
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, July 23 (Reuters) - China's Alibaba Group (9988.HK) said on Sunday it had decided not to participate in affiliate Ant Group's proposed repurchase of shares, but would maintain its shareholding in the company. Ant Group announced a surprise share buyback of up to 7.6% of its equity interest earlier this month, a day after it was fined $984 million by Beijing for violating laws and regulations. Online retail giant Alibaba, which spun off Ant 12 years ago retains a 33% stake. The fine has fuelled hopes that a years-long regulatory crackdown on the company has ended, which could allow it to secure a financial holding company licence, focus on growth, and eventually, revive its plans for a stock market listing. Reporting by Amy Lv and Dominique Patton; Editing by Jan Harvey and Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ant, Amy Lv, Dominique Patton, Jan Harvey, Barbara Lewis Organizations: HK, Ant Group, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing

☆ China to resume 15-day visa-free entry for Singapore, Brunei citizens
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, July 23 (Reuters) - China will resume 15-day visa-free entry for citizens of Singapore and Brunei from Wednesday, its embassies in the two countries said, more than three years after the visas were suspended to stop the spread of COVID-19. Visa-free entry to China will be available for citizens of Singapore and Brunei with ordinary passports travelling for business, sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends, and in transit, the embassies said in notices on their websites. China lifted many of its zero-COVID measures in December but only began issuing tourist visas again in March. China has also been seeking visa-free travel for its citizens to Singapore. Reporting by Amy Lv and Dominique Patton; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Amy Lv, Dominique Patton, William Mallard Organizations: Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Singapore, Brunei, COVID

☆ Chinese chipmaker Hua Hong seeks up to $2.95 billion in mainland listing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, July 23 (Reuters) - Chinese chipmaker Hua Hong Semiconductor (1347.HK) said on Sunday it aims to raise up to 21.2 billion yuan ($2.95 billion)in a listing on the Shanghai stock exchange. The country's second-largest chip foundry will sell 407.75 million shares priced at 52 yuan per share, it said in a statement to the exchange. The IPO by the chipmaker is set to be the biggest mainland listing this year. It comes as Chinese chipmakers rush to raise capital as Beijing seeks self-sufficiency in an escalating technology war with Washington. ($1 = 7.1861 Chinese yuan)Reporting by Dominique Patton and Amy Lv; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hua Hong, Dominique Patton, Amy Lv, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Hua Hong Semiconductor, HK, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Shanghai, Beijing, Washington, Hua, Wuxi

During those COP27 climate talks last year in Egypt, China's top climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, made an unexpected appearance at a meeting of the Global Methane Partnership, a U.S.-EU led initiative aimed at slashing 2020-level methane emissions by 30% by the end of this decade. Xie said China had drafted a plan with concrete measures to curb methane emissions from energy, agriculture and waste. COAL GASTwo big sources of methane emissions growth in China are livestock and rice production, neither of which are included in the country's climate plans. China is the world's largest source of methane from coal mines, with 28% of the world's biggest methane emissions points, according to Antoine Halff, co-founder of the environmental research group Karryos. "When you look around at the sources of coal mine methane worldwide, China is three or four times bigger than the next country's coal mine methane emissions," Banks said.

Persons: John Kerry, Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, Xie, Jonathan Banks, Joe Biden, Biden, Banks, Antoine Halff, Halff, Valerie Volcovici, David Stanway, Dominique Patton, Timothy Gardner, Katy Daigle, Will Dunham Organizations: Sunday, Methane Partnership, EU, Air Task Force, Program, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Task Force, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, U.S, China, Beijing, United States, Washington ., Glasgow, Sharm el, Egypt, Dubai, Shanxi, Boston, Singapore, Washington

☆ Factbox: China's major germanium and gallium producers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China produces around 60% of the world's germanium, or 180 metric tons in 2022, and over 90% of the world's gallium, about 606 tons last year, according to research firm Antaike. YUNNAN GERMANIUM, AN ESTABLISHED PRODUCERHeadquartered in southwest China's Yunnan province, Yunnan Lincang Xinyuan Germanium Industry Co. Ltd. (002428.SZ) extracts germanium from its own germanium mines and germanium-containing lignite coal mines. It has an annual capacity of 47.6 metric tons of germanium ingot, 60 tons of germanium tetrahydride - used to build 5G infrastructure - and 300,000 germanium wafers for solar cells. CHINALCO, A MAJOR GALLIUM PRODUCERState aluminium giant Chinalco has three gallium production plants, one each in central China's Henan and southwestern Guangxi and Guizhou provinces. It has annual production capacity of 200 metric tons of gallium metal and produced 146 metric tons in 2022.

Persons: Duan Xiangdong, Hope, Zhuzhou, Dominique Patton, David Evans Organizations: . Ltd, Aluminum Corporation of China, Zhuhai Fangyuan, Xing'an, Gallium, AXT Inc, Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, YUNNAN, China's Yunnan, Yunnan, China's Henan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Shanghai, Zhuzhou, China's Hunan, Zhuhai, Guangdong, Shanxi, Nanjing, U.S, Beijing

☆ Gen X Is in Charge. Don’t Make a Big Deal About It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Emma Goldberg | More About Emma Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It’s Gen X’s moment, that generation most known for being crowded out of sweeping cultural age analyses by millennials on one end and boomers on the other. Or as Patton Oswalt, a Gen X comedian, put it: “Gen X is trending, which probably means that, uh … eh, whatever. People are far more complicated than the year they were born — in Gen X’s case, some time between 1965 and 1980. Take Darby Equipment, a manufacturing company in Tulsa, where remote flexibility for years seemed like an alien concept. The former chief executive, Bob Darby, reigned the company, a family business, with a commitment to an in-person regimen.

Persons: —, millennials, Patton Oswalt, X’s, Darby, Bob Darby Locations: Tulsa

☆ Beijing's curbs on niche metal exports threaten China supply glut
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Gallium prices in China have dropped 12% this year, pressured by its slowing economy. China's germanium ingot price has advanced only 1% to 7,250 yuan per kg since Monday. Overseas price offers are rising much faster, amid fears that Beijing may use the permitting system to restrict shipments. The Chinese government enforces export controls that do not target any particular country," spokesperson Shu Jueting told a weekly press conference. China produces around 60% of the world's germanium, and over 90% of the world's gallium.

Persons: Theo Ruas, Willis Thomas, Ruas, Shu Jueting, Amy Lv, Siyi Liu, Seher, Dominique Patton, Kim Coghill Organizations: China's Ministry of Commerce, Washington, Producers, Corporation, Shanghai Metal Exchange, CRU, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Beijing, U.S, London, Bangalore

☆ China's rare earths dominance in focus after it limits germanium and gallium exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Mai Nguyen | Thomson Reuters | Mai Reports On The Nonferrous Metals Markets In Asia. She Writes About Daily Price Movers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Exports: Chinese exports of rare earths have declined. Beijing then curbed global exports of rare earths, saying it was trying to curtail pollution and preserve resources. The chemical properties of rare earths make them difficult to separate from surrounding materials, and processing generates toxic waste. Western countries have ramped up support to boost domestic production of critical minerals including rare earths. Electric vehicle maker Tesla (TSLA.O) is moving away from rare earths in future models to mitigate environmental and supply risks, as the rare earth industry struggles to meet demand.

Persons: Lynas, Mai Nguyen, Melanie Burton, Dominique Patton, Tony Munroe, Barbara Lewis Organizations: United States Geological Survey, Adamas Intelligence, United, RARE, European Union, World Trade Organization, Thomson Locations: China, Japan, Beijing, CHINA, United States, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Russia, Brazil, India, Canada, Las Vegas, California, Hanoi, Melbourne

☆ What are Gallium and Germanium and which countries are producers?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Germanium ores are rare and most germanium is a by-product of zinc production and from coal fly ash. Gallium is found in trace amounts in zinc ores and in bauxite, and gallium metal is produced when processing bauxite to make aluminium. U.S. imports of gallium metal and gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafers in 2022 were worth about $3 million and $200 million, respectively, according to USGS. U.S.-based Indium Corporation also produces germanium, while Belgium's Umicore (UMI.BR) makes both germanium and gallium. "Zinc selenide and germanium glass substitute for germanium metal in infrared applications systems, but often at the expense of performance."

Persons: Belgium's, Eikon, Dominique Patton, Mai Nguyen, Melanie Burton, Pratima Desai, Tom Hogue, Himani Sarkar, Catherine Evans, David Evans Organizations: Alliance, . Geological Survey, WHO, Teck Resources, Shanghai Metal Exchange, Thomson Locations: China, Canada, Finland, Russia, United States, Europe, Japan, U.S, South Korea, Germany, Kazakhstan, Teck, North America, British Columbia, Beijing

☆ Which countries produce strategic materials Gallium and Germanium?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Germanium ores are rare and most germanium is produced as a by-product of zinc production and from coal fly ash. China produces around 60% of the world's germanium, according to the European association Critical Raw Materials Alliance (CRMA), with the rest coming from Canada, Finland, Russia and the United States. Gallium is found in trace amounts in zinc ores and in bauxite, and gallium metal is produced when processing bauxite to make aluminium. U.S. imports of gallium metal and gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafers in 2022 were worth about $3 million and $200 million, respectively, according to USGS. U.S.-based Indium Corporation also produces germanium, while Belgium's Umicore (UMI.BR) makes both germanium and gallium.

Persons: Belgium's, Eikon, Dominique Patton, Mai Nguyen, Melanie Burton, Tom Hogue, Himani Organizations: Alliance, WHO, United States Geological Survey, Teck Resources, Shanghai Metal Exchange, Thomson Locations: China, Canada, Finland, Russia, United States, Europe, Japan, U.S, South Korea, Germany, Kazakhstan, Teck, North America, British Columbia, Beijing

☆ Factbox: Where are strategic materials germanium and gallium produced?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Germanium ores are rare and most germanium is produced as a by-product of zinc production and from coal fly ash. China produces around 60% of the world's germanium, according to the European association Critical Raw Materials Alliance (CRMA), with the rest coming from Canada, Finland, Russia and the United States. Gallium is found in trace amounts in zinc ores and in bauxite, and gallium metal is produced when processing bauxite to make aluminium. Around 80% is produced in China, according to the CRMA. Gallium is used to make gallium arsenide for use in electronics.

Persons: Eikon, Dominique Patton, Mai, Tom Hogue Organizations: Alliance, Shanghai Metal Exchange, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Canada, Finland, Russia, United States, Europe, Japan, U.S, Mai Nguyen, Beijing

☆ Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning actor, dead at 89
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Alan Arkin, the Oscar-winning star of “Little Miss Sunshine,” has died, his family announced Friday. Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Abigail Breslin, Alan Arkin, in "Little Miss Sunshine" in 2006. Alan Arkin and director Ben Affleck on set for "Argo" in 2012. Alan Arkin, Johnny Depp in 1990 in "Edward Scissorhands." May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”“Did ANYONE have the range Alan Arkin had?,” Oswalt tweeted.

Persons: CNN — Alan Arkin, Oscar, “, ”, Adam, Matthew, Anthony Arkin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Abigail Breslin, Alan Arkin, Arkin, Ben Affleck, Claire Folger, Neil Simon’s “, Johnny Depp, Edward Scissorhands, Hunter ”, Argo ”, Viola Davis, Patton Oswalt, ” Davis, ” Oswalt, ” Arkin, Suzanne, Anthony, Molly, Emmet, Atticus, Abigail, Elliott Organizations: CNN, Fox Searchlight, Everett, Bennington College, Warner Bros ., Broadway, Sunshine, Fox, Golden Globe, Netflix Locations: Brooklyn, Russian, Los Angeles

☆ Versatile Oscar-winning American actor Alan Arkin dies at 89
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Actor Alan Arkin poses during the CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada April 23, 2015. Alan Arkin was honored with the CinemaCon Lifetime Achievement Award. His first major movie role also earned him an Oscar nomination - best actor for playing a Soviet sailor in the 1966 Cold War comedy "The Russians Are Coming! He appeared as a deaf-mute in the adaptation of Carson McCullers' novel "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" in 1968, drawing his second Academy Award nomination for best actor. "Did ANYONE have the range Alan Arkin had?

Persons: Alan Arkin, CinemaCon, Steve, Oscar, Adam, Matthew, Anthony, Arkin, Carl Reiner's, Sunshine, Audrey Hepburn, terrorizes Hepburn, Carson McCullers, Joseph Heller's, Ben Affleck's, Michael Douglas, Patton Oswalt, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen, Alan Wolf Arkin, Harry Belafonte, Suzanne, Will Dunham, Danielle Broadway, Bill Trott, Diane Craft, Nick Zieminski, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Caesars, National Association of Theatre Owners, REUTERS, Little, Oscar, Variety, The New York Times, CIA, New, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, Carlsbad , California, Soviet, Iran, Glengarry Glen Ross, Beverly Hills, New York City, Brooklyn, Los Angeles

☆ China lithium price rebound to be capped by growing supply - analysts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Production and sales of EVs in May grew by 53.7% and 71.2% respectively year-on-year, data from the China Passenger Car Association showed. Demand from the energy storage sector, the second biggest user of the battery metal, is also growing rapidly. "We are seeing the energy storage market is boosting capacity expansion of LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries and cathode materials, which in turn sends pressure to the price of lithium carbonate," Zou said. Zou expects the lithium carbonate price in China to average 300,000 yuan a ton this year. "The May growth seen in the auto market, boosted by short-term policy support, is unlikely to last and lithium prices might fall below 200,000 yuan within this year," he added.

Persons: Price, Susan Zou, Zou, Yang Jing, Chen Junquan, Chen, Siyi Liu, Dominique Patton, Andrew Hayley, Emma Rumney Organizations: China Passenger Car Association, Cell, Rystad Energy, EV, Beijing, China Corporate Research, Fitch, Economic Research Institute, Manufacturers, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Beijing, Shanghai

☆ Blinken to wrap up rare visit to China, may meet Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, June 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet China's top diplomat and perhaps its president on Monday, the final day of a rare visit to Beijing aimed at preventing the strategic rivals' many disagreements from further deteriorating relations. But China also made clear that Taiwan is the most important issue, and a potentially dangerous one. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, June 18, 2023. Making the first visit to China since U.S. President Joe Biden took office, Blinken stressed "the need to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation" in his talks with Qin, the State Department said. It could also set the stage for talks between Xi and Biden at multilateral summits later in the year.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Qin Gang, Qin, Wang Yi, Xi Jinping, Sunday's, Leah Millis, Joe Biden, Blinken's, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Xi, Biden, Humeyra Pamuk, Dominique Patton, Katharine Jackson, Arshad Mohammed, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Foreign, State Department, China's Foreign, REUTERS, Washington, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, U.S, China, Taiwan, Washington, Diaoyutai, China . U.S

☆ Blinken in China for rare trip amid frosty ties and dim hopes for progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Having postponed a February trip after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over U.S. airspace, Blinken is the highest-ranking U.S. government official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. The two made small talk as they walked in, Qin asking Blinken in English about his long trip from Washington. After heading into a meeting room, neither Blinken nor Qin made comments in front of reporters who were briefly allowed in. During his stay through Monday, Blinken is also expected to meet with China's top diplomat Wang Yi and possibly President Xi Jinping. [1/8] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, June 18, 2023.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Qin Gang, Blinken, Qin, Hua Chunying, Wang Yi, Xi Jinping, Blinken's, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Xi, Biden, I'm, Leah Millis, Pool, We're, Humeya Pamuk, Dominique Patton, Mike Stone, William Mallard, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Foreign, House, China's Foreign, REUTERS, Pool Biden, State Department, Washington, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, American, China, U.S, Beijing's Diaoyutai, Washington, Bali, Xi Jinping ., Diaoyutai, Indonesian, Taiwan, North Korea, United States, Tokyo

☆ Analysis-In China's lithium hub, mining boom comes at a cost
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Siyi Liu | Dominique Patton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

FILE PHOTO: A vehicle is seen near a lithium smelter in Yichun, Jiangxi province, China March 30, 2023. It has supported mine development by taking stakes in mining companies to help battery materials makers that do not have mines overseas like those owned by China’s top lithium producers Ganfeng Lithium and Tianqi Lithium. Separating lithium from lepidolite can cost as much as 100,000 yuan per metric ton, compared to 40,000-50,000 yuan for brine and 50,000-60,000 yuan for spodumene, analysts said. ‘NATURAL RESOURCES CHAOS’Further dimming the outlook for lepidolite, environmental damage is a growing concern. UBS analysts see China’s supply of lithium from lepidolite tripling to 280,000 metric tons, or 13% of global supply, between 2022 and 2025, well short of Yichun’s target.

Persons: ”, Yang Yaohua, Yang, Wu Wei, Eric Norris, ” Norris, Yongxing, Yichun, Ma Jun, ” Ma, Vicky Zhao, Li Qi Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Australia, Guosen, Macquarie, Gotion High Tech, CRU, Xiamen University, Energy, lepidolite, Reuters, Materials Technology, Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, UBS, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Locations: YICHUN, China, Yichun, Jiangxi province, lepidolite, Beijing, Sichuan, Qinghai, Tibet, Shanghai, Jin, U.S, Jiangxi

It has supported mine development by taking stakes in mining companies to help battery materials makers that do not have mines overseas like those owned by China's top lithium producers Ganfeng Lithium (002460.SZ), (002460.SZ) and Tianqi Lithium (002466.SZ). Separating lithium from lepidolite can cost as much as 100,000 yuan per metric ton, compared to 40,000-50,000 yuan for brine and 50,000-60,000 yuan for spodumene, analysts said. 'NATURAL RESOURCES CHAOS'Further dimming the outlook for lepidolite, environmental damage is a growing concern. As it gets stricter now, lithium resources in Yichun will lose their competitiveness with the higher costs for environmental protection," Ma said. UBS analysts see China's supply of lithium from lepidolite tripling to 280,000 metric tons, or 13% of global supply, between 2022 and 2025, well short of Yichun's target.

Persons: YICHUN, Yang Yaohua, Yang, Wu Wei, Eric Norris, Norris, Yongxing, Yichun, Ma Jun, Ma, Vicky Zhao, Li Qi, Siyi Liu, Dominique Patton, Ernest Scheyder, Tony Munroe, Sonali Paul Organizations: Australia, Guosen, Macquarie, Gotion High Tech, CRU, Xiamen University, Energy, Corp, Reuters, Materials Technology, Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, UBS, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Beijing Newsroom, Thomson Locations: China, Yichun, lepidolite, Beijing, Sichuan, Qinghai, Tibet, Shanghai, Jin, U.S, Jiangxi, Houston

☆ Russia's Lancet drone is hampering Ukraine's counteroffensive, smashing Western gear and exposing poor air defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Footage of destroyed Ukrainian vehicles is spreading, often attributed to the Lancet drone. Russian officials have gleefully shared videos of piled-up wreckage, and often cited as the cause the Russian-made Lancet drone. A still image from a video claiming to show the moment just before Russia's Lancet drones hit a cluster of vehicles. obtf_kaskad/TelegramA still image from a video purporting to show the moment just before Russia's Lancet drones hit a cluster of vehicles. "We should also note that we don't know how many of these new Lancet drones Russia has," he added.

Persons: —, James Patton Rogers, Rogers, Olga Skabeyeva, Vladimir Solovyov, Axel Springer, Patton Rogers, Julian Röpcke, Lancets Organizations: Service, Cornell Tech Policy Institute, University of Southern, Donetsk People's, Russian, IRIS, Air, Ukraine — Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, —, University of Southern Denmark, Donetsk People's Republic, Germany, Ukrainian

☆ World's first vaccine against deadly swine fever nears approval in Vietnam
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Francesco Guarascio | Thomson Reuters | Francesco Leads A Team Of Reporters In Vietnam That Covers Top Financial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

African swine fever has for years disrupted the $250 billion global pork market. The next step will be nationwide authorisation, the first ever for an African swine fever vaccine, and possible sales overseas. "There will be a specific interest obviously," Vilsack said in an interview with Reuters in April, speaking about possible purchases of the Vietnamese vaccines. Use of unlicensed live-virus vaccines in China in past years raised concerns they caused the emergence of new strains of swine fever. Only limited data are available from China's trials on a live-virus vaccine against swine fever.

Persons: Gregorio Torres, Torres, Thomas Vilsack, Vilsack, WOAH, Francesco Guarascio, Phuong Nguyen, Khanh, Dominique Patton, Sonali Paul Organizations: Organisation for Animal Health, Reuters, Rabobank, United States Department of Agriculture, Thomson Locations: Vietnam, Hanoi, world's, HANOI, China, U.S, United States, Khanh Vu, Beijing

The rains are also causing the kernels on his wheat crop to begin sprouting early, which, more crucially, means the grain will produce lower quality flour unsuitable for noodles or bread. "Look, all this wheat has sprouted," Chen told Reuters, pouring kernels into his hand while standing in his fields about 40 km (25 miles) north of the town of Zhumadian. About one-third of China's wheat is grown in Henan province, earning it the nickname the granary of China. A Xiping-based grain dealer surnamed Wang is paying growers 2,100 yuan ($295) per metric ton of germinated wheat, about 75% of the market price for food-grade wheat. "These (sprouted) wheat have a bad taste as they are sticky and doesn't mix well to make dough."

Persons: Chen, it's, Darin Friedrichs, Tang Renjian, Wang, Qin Ningwei, Josh Arslan, Dominique Patton, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Reuters, Sitonia Consulting, El, China's Agriculture, Thomson Locations: COUNTY, China, China's Henan, Zhumadian, Henan province, Henan, Anhui, Shanxi, Shandong, Shanghai, Australia, Ukraine

☆ A Ukrainian drone maker said they're building drones that can carry out surprise attacks to target Russia's 'very expensive' equipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Kelly Mclaughlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Drone maker Valeriy Borovyk told CNN that he's building "very stealthy" drones for Ukraine. He said the drones can be used to carry out surprise attacks on "very expensive" Russian equipment. He told CNN that his team is developing some long-range drones, as well. Drone maker Valeriy Borovyk told CNN that he calls the drones "Vidsyich," which is Ukrainian for "repel." "We mostly concentrate [our attacks] on very expensive [Russian] equipment," he told CNN.

Persons: Valeriy Borovyk, —, James Patton Rogers, Mia Jankowicz, Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, Fedorov Organizations: CNN, Service, UK's Royal United Services Institute, University of Southern, Digital Transformation, Russia Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, University of Southern Denmark

☆ Cargill to sell China poultry unit to private equity firm DCP Capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, May 31 (Reuters) - U.S. agribusiness giant Cargill has agreed to sell its poultry business in China to private equity firm DCP Capital, it said in a statement on Wednesday. The sale of the unit known as Cargill Protein China is subject to regulatory approvals but is expected to close this year, it added. The U.S. company started its China poultry operations in 2011, breeding, raising and processing the chickens. China's DCP Capital has invested in several other food and agriculture businesses including one of China's top poultry producers Fujian Sunner Development(002299.SZ), its website says. It also said the private equity firm was focused on Greater China and led by former members of the KKR and Morgan Stanley private equity businesses.

Persons: Cargill, Morgan Stanley, Dominique Patton, Christian Schmollinger, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Cargill, DCP, Cargill Protein China, Wellhope, Fujian Sunner, KKR, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, United States, Chuzhou, Anhui, U.S, Fujian

☆ Ukraine posts video of rare drone-on-drone warfare where it slams its own unmanned aircraft into a Russian one
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Video posted by Ukraine's security agency showed an odd facet of drone warfare. This clip showed a Ukrainian drone smashing into an enemy drone in flight. A video posted Wednesday by Ukraine's internal security service, the SBU, deviated from that norm. The rest of the video shows more conventional drone operations, aimed at what appear to be Russian military supply trucks. A Ukrainian exploding drone closes in on a truck as two people dive for cover in a video published in May 2023 by Ukraine's SBU security agency.

☆ Bans, betrayals and stalemates: How Thailand's old guard could respond to election results
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Nyshka Chandran | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward Party (center), at a rally in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 18 2023. The vote for PM is expected in August after the Election Commission certifies election results. A Pheu Thai betrayalLed by the daughter of ex-prime minister Thaksin, Pheu Thai is an opposition party that is more careful about its messaging on the monarchy. "Pheu Thai will run the risk of being punished electorally by the pro-democracy voters, who are the key supporters of Pheu Thai in the future," warned Waitoolkiat. When the Future Forward Party was dissolved in 2020, it set off mass youth-led protests.

Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat, Valeria Mongelli, —, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, There's, Pita, Napisa, Susannah Patton Lowy, Thaksin, Susannah Patton, Patton, Pongsudhirak —, electorally, Waitoolkiat, there's Organizations: Party, Bloomberg, Getty, Chulalongkorn University, Chulalongkorn University's Faculty, Political Science, of Security, International Studies, Foreign Relations, Constitutional Court, National, Corruption, Electoral Commission, Constitutional, Human Rights, Center for Strategic, Naresuan University . Conservative, Senate, CSIS, Southeast Asia, Lowy Institute, Conservative, CFR, Pheu, Forward Party Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, parliament's, Pheu Thai

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