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☆ Pilots at Qantas' unit halt planned two-day strike ahead of further talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Rishav Chatterjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AFAP on Friday said that Network Aviation pilots will stop work on Wednesday and Thursday in a bid to negotiate wages. Australia's industrial relations tribunal, the Fair Works Commission (FWC), presided over a series of talks between pilots and the airline on Monday. AFAP members – who make up 90% of the pilot group at Network Aviation – won't be engaging in protected action until next week's bargaining sessions are completed, the pilots' union said. Meanwhile, Qantas expressed disappointment over the union choosing to "cause disruption and uncertainty" by threatening the strike, a few days before a meeting with the FWC. The airline will continue to work with the FWC over coming weeks to seek a resolution, it added.

Persons: Loren Elliott, AFAP, –, Tim Waterer, FWC, Rishav Chatterjee, Ayushman Ojha, Mrigank Dhaniwala Organizations: Qantas, Kingsford Smith International Airport, REUTERS, Pilots, Network Aviation, Qantas Airways, Australian Federation of Pilots, Qantas Group, Fair Works Commission, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ RIP Touch Bar: Apple is getting rid of MacBooks with the controversial touch screen at the top of keyboards
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Apple has given its controversial Touch Bar the ax. While some users liked the feature, others thought it useless or missed the tactile buttons it replaced. The company is discontinuing the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and with it, the love-it-or-hate-it Touch Bar. Some 13-inch MacBook Pros didn't have a Touch Bar, but either way Apple will no longer sell new 13-inch MacBook Pros. The Touch Bar has been a divisive feature since it was first introduced in 2016.

Persons: —, Siri, Greg Joswiak, Apple's Organizations: Apple, Service, Pro

☆ CIMB, J Trust among suitors for Indonesia's Bank Commonwealth -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Yantoultra Ngui | Thomson Reuters | Yantoultra Ngui Is A Southeast Asia Deals Correspondent With Reuters In Singapore | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Malaysian bank CIMB (CIMB.KL) and Japanese finance company J Trust (8508.T) are among firms vying to buy Indonesia's PT Bank Commonwealth, a deal that could value the lender at $400-$500 million, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. Bank Commonwealth, which is 99% owned by Australia's biggest lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) (CBA.AX), focuses on retail lending as well as corporate banking services for small and medium enterprises. 2 bank, and J Trust have expressed interest and are looking at submitting binding bids, the sources said. CIMB, J Trust, CBA and Morgan Stanley declined to comment. Bank Commonwealth did not respond to a Reuters request seeking comment.

Persons: Bazuki Muhammad, Morgan Stanley, Yantoultra Ngui, Anton Bridge, Kane Wu, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: CIMB, REUTERS, Rights, J Trust, Indonesia's PT Bank Commonwealth, Bank Commonwealth, Australia's, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, CBA, Bank International Indonesia, China's, China's Bank of, SS, Thomson Locations: Kuala Lumpur, Rights SINGAPORE, Malaysian, Indonesia, Southeast, Southeast Asia, China's Bank, China's Bank of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, Singapore, Tokyo

☆ Morning Bid: Yield curve control morphs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It will keep buying bonds, but time will tell whether and how tenaciously it will impede yields rising beyond 1%. After touching an almost 10-year low in morning trade, Japanese government bond futures rallied following the announcement. For the meantime the sense that some sort of anchor remains also spread some cheer to Treasury trade, sparking a brief rally. Falls in Hong Kong and Shanghai led MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan 0.9% lower (.MIAPJ0000PUS). Meanwhile, outside of markets, Hamas said its militants fired anti-tank missiles at Israel's invading forces in Gaza early on Tuesday as the conflict intensified.

Persons: Tom Westbrook, DAOU, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Bank of Japan, Nikkei, Treasury, Bond, Federal Reserve, U.S . Treasury Department, Samsung Electronics, Brookfield consortium, Treasury Wine Estates, Anheuser, Busch Inbev, Bouygues, BASF, BP, Pfizer, Caterpillar, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, U.S, Europe, Asia, Falls, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Pacific, Japan, Australia, Gaza

☆ Australia's NAB targets at least $633 mln in lending to indigenous businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of the National Australia Bank is displayed outside their headquarters building in central Sydney, Australia August 4, 2017. Earlier this year, a review by the country's corporate regulator found banks were falling short of meeting targets for moving First Nations people into low-fee accounts. NAB, the country's second biggest lender, said the new lending target highlights a surge of more than 140% based on its current lending of just A$413 million helping stimulate "sustainable business growth" among indigenous communities. "During the last two years, we have put the building blocks in place to better support our growing First Nations business customer base, from both a commercial and cultural perspective," said Andrew Irvine, NAB Group Executive Business and Private Banking. ($1 = 1.5780 Australian dollars)Reporting by John Biju in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Gray, Andrew Irvine, John Biju, Krishna Chandra Eluri Organizations: National Australia Bank, REUTERS, Nations, NAB, Executive Business, Private Banking, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Brookfield’s climate deal may run out of energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Australian energy company Origin is pictured in Melbourne, Australia, July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Reed/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMELBOURNE, Oct 31 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Australia’s top pension fund has aptly chosen Halloween to try to scare Brookfield Asset Management (BAM.TO) and co-bidder MidOcean Energy to dig deeper in their pursuit of Origin Energy (ORG.AX). AustralianSuper said on Tuesday it intends to vote its near-14% stake against the current A$18.7 billion ($12 billion) offer next month. On that score, the pension fund’s intervention may frighten the deal to death. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Jason Reed, AustralianSuper, Antony Currie, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Asset Management, MidOcean Energy, Origin Energy, X, Vodafone, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, –, Brookfield, MidOcean, Spain

☆ Aussie tycoon doubles down as lithium spoiler
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Oct 30 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Lithium M&A is becoming a dangerous sport Down Under. On Friday, Hancock Prospecting, owned by Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart, revealed it had snapped up an 18.3% stake in Azure Minerals (AZS.AX). Unlike Albemarle, it has not tied its hands by declaring the Azure bid to be its best and final offer. But SQM boss Ricardo Ramos can switch to an off-market offer and try to buy other investors’ stakes first. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Hancock, Gina Rinehart, Chile’s, Rinehart, Albemarle, SQM, Ricardo Ramos, Antony Currie, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: MELBOURNE, Reuters, Australia’s, Minerals, Australian, Liontown Resources, Canaccord, X, Thomson Locations: Western Australia, Liontown

AustralianSuper owns a 13.68% stake in Origin Energy and said the offer was "substantially below" its estimate of long-term value for Australia's biggest energy retailer. Origin shares were down 0.9% in early trade on Tuesday at A$9.10 each, which was above the $A8.81 offer price. Origin shares have been trading above the offer price since the deal got an approval from the country's competition regulator on Oct. 10. Origin shares closed at A$9.17 on Monday, 4.1% above the offer price. "The current offer from the Brookfield and EIG-backed consortium remains substantially below our estimate of Origin's long-term value," the firm said.

Persons: AustralianSuper, Max Vickerson, AusSuper, it’s, Scott Murdoch, Lewis Jackson, Sameer Manekar, Josie Kao, Lincoln, Chris Reese Organizations: Origin Energy, Brookfield, stockbroker Morgans, Frontier Economics, Energy, Thomson Locations: Brookfield, EIG, Sydey, Bengaluru

☆ Australia's Treasury Wine to buy US-based DAOU Vineyards for $900 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Roushni Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Bottles of Penfolds Grange, made by Australian wine maker Penfolds and owned by Australia's Treasury Wine Estates, sit on a shelf for sale at a wine shop in central Sydney, Australia, August 4, 2014. The wine producer has been resetting its strategy in an attempt to diversify outside of China, which used to contribute a third of its profits, after Beijing imposed tariffs on Australian wine in 2021 when Canberra called for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. The winemaker's combined premium and luxury portfolios delivered double-digit gross profit growth in fiscal 2023, according to its annual report. Including cost synergies of more than $20 million, the acquisition is expected to be mid to high-single-digit earnings per share (EPS) accretive in fiscal 2025, the first year of Treasury owning DAOU. Treasury said it would also issue A$157 million of new shares to the existing owners of DAOU.

Persons: David Gray, Penfolds Grange, Frank Family, Phillip Kimber, Roushni Nair, Shailesh Kuber, Krishna Chandra Eluri, Jamie Freed Organizations: Australia's Treasury Wine Estates, REUTERS, China Deal, Wine Estates, Treasury, P Capital, Thomson Locations: Australian, Sydney, Australia, China, Beijing, Canberra, Americas, Bengaluru

☆ Australia's tight rental market forces tenants to make tough choices
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters GraphicsNEARING THE PEAKMany tenants, particularly in the most expensive city Sydney, have already been priced out of houses. PropTrack data showing house rents nationally were unchanged at A$550 per week, or about A$2,380 ($1,508) per month, in the September quarter. Apartment rents nationally jumped 4% during the quarter, double the June quarter rate of increase, to an average of A$520 per week, making them almost as costly. Prices across Australia's entire rental stock rose 7.6% in the third quarter from a year ago, the largest increase since 2009, according to official data, and similar to gains seen in the U.S. where rental costs have also surged. ($1 = 1.5780 Australian dollars)Reporting by Stella Qiu; Editing by Wayne Cole and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lara Weeks, Weeks, Cameron Kusher, Michele Bullock, Christian Postiglione, Tim Beattie, Beattie, Stella Qiu, Wayne Cole, Jamie Freed Organizations: REA, Reuters Graphics, Reserve Bank of Australia, Nationwide, ANZ, Housing, Thomson Locations: SYDNEY, Sydney, U.S, Bondi, Australia, Western Australia, Adelaide

☆ Qantas to fight regulator over cancelled flights tickets sale case
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Qantas aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 30 (Reuters) - Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) on Monday said it will defend itself against Australia's competition regulator's accusations that the flagship carrier sold tickets to thousands of flights after they were after they were cancelled. Qantas said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) case, which accuses it of selling the tickets for flights for more than 48 hours after they were cancelled, does not constitute "fee for no service". "This is consistent with our obligations under consumer law and is what we did during the period the ACCC examined," Qantas said. Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Phil Noble, Sameer Manekar, Grant McCool Organizations: Qantas, Melbourne International Airport, REUTERS, Qantas Airways Ltd, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission's, Australian Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Bengaluru

casey newtonAnd this caused a big sort of emotional reaction that said, wow, that feels like really, really icky. It’s just really, really awful. How do I get really, really good at this? But we have that explosion at the beginning, which is really, really exciting. I’m still interested in smartphones because I think they’re really, really advanced pieces of tech.

Persons: kevin roose, Kevin Roose, ” casey newton, Casey Newton, ” kevin roose, casey newton Oh, casey newton, ” kevin roose You’re, kevin roose That’s, kevin roose I’m Kevin Russo, Marques Brownlee, a.k.a, We’ve, don’t, casey newton Well, Meta, It’s, casey newton Right, casey newton It’s, kevin roose Totally, I’ve, you’re, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, They’re, that’s, kevin roose Casey, Hansel, Gretel, let’s, they’re, casey newton Jewel, ”, Juul, Meta didn’t, we’ve, “ We’re, There’s, Al Capone, They’ve, —, Kevin, casey newton I’ve, casey newton That’s, Marquez Brownlee, Casey, He’s, Marquez, he’s, Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, you’ll, marquez brownlee, casey newton I’m, You’ve, casey newton Let’s, you’ve, it’s, I’m, he’ll, kevin roose Marquez, PewDiePie, marquez brownlee I’ll, they’ve, Ralph, That’s, kevin roose It’s, you’d, we’re, I’d, casey newton Libraries ! marquez brownlee, everyone’s, Samantha, Davis, Fancy, Bard, DALL, Midjourney, ChatGPT, Bing, who’s, it’ll, OpenAI, Pope, kevin roose Pope, — casey newton, casey newton Ah, Mickey Mouse, Eli Lilly, barbecuing, bro, Fabio, Getty, Greg Rutkowski, kevin roose Really, Greg, there’s, Ben Zhao, casey newton We’re, Bob Ross Organizations: The New York Times, YouTube, Meta, pharma, AGs, Netflix, COPPA, Facebook, Congress, Digital Services, Federal Communications Commission, ABC, CBS, FCC, Samsung, casey newton Libraries, VR, Apple, ChatGPT, Enterprise, DALL, Disney, Twitter, Getty, “ MIT Tech, University of Chicago, Adobe Locations: California, Colorado, what’s, you’re, Europe, United States, China, earbuds

☆ Self-made millionaire who paid off $300,000 in loans: Tackle debt first, then invest—'humans suck at multitasking'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

These days, the couple's net worth is nearly $1.5 million. It's a model that Joy recommends to her clients, even if it runs counter to conventional financial planning wisdom. Here's why Joy recommends aiming to become debt-free before you invest. Prioritizing debt payoff can make mathematical senseWhen it comes to putting your income to work, Joy recommends dividing things into three buckets. So what builds your net worth faster: being debt-free or having a big portfolio?

Persons: Bernadette Joy's, she's, Joy Organizations: University of North

☆ US judge orders new congressional map in Georgia, citing harm to Black voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A voter casts his ballot for midterm elections at a polling station in Marietta, Georgia, U.S., November 8, 2022. Democrats need to add only five seats nationally to wrest back the House majority they lost in 2022. The Georgia ruling comes four months after the U.S. Supreme Court found that Alabama's Republican-drawn map illegally harmed Black voters. A panel of federal judges has since approved a new map that added a near-majority-Black district to the state's lone majority Black district. Despite "great strides" in providing Black voters more opportunities over the decades, Jones wrote, "the political process is not equally open to Black voters."

Persons: Bob Strong, District Steve Jones, Jones, Joseph Ax, Alistair Bell Organizations: REUTERS, Republican, U.S, District, Republicans, . House, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Marietta , Georgia, U.S, Georgia

☆ With eye on 2024, Republicans push for early voting despite Trump's rhetoric
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

That could make it difficult for the party to deliver a coherent message on early voting. In an advertisement that aired during the first Republican presidential debate in August, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said into the camera: "When Republicans vote early, we win." With Trump railing against the practice, Democrats have increased their edge in early voting. In 2022, that gap widened, with Democrats accounting for 42.5% of early ballots and Republicans 33.8%. But Youngkin advisers said their data showed the early vote campaign had brought in ballots from low-propensity voters as well.

Persons: Glenn Youngkin, Jonathan Ernst, Donald Trump, Trump, haven't, Youngkin, Ronna McDaniel, Tom Bonier, Bonier, Dave Rexrode, Joseph Ax, Nathan Layne, Colleen Jenkins, Deepa Babington Organizations: Virginia Republican, REUTERS, Virginia, White House, U.S, Senate, Republican, Republican State Leadership Committee, Republican National Committee, Trump, University of Florida, Banking, Democrats, Republicans, Democratic Legislative, Committee, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Chantilly , Virginia, U.S, Virginia, Henrico County, Iowa

☆ Does Your Ex or Former Friend Haunt You? You Could Try Exorcism for Closure.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Shivani Dubey | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Closure is a spectrum, and “modern exorcism methods tend to place less emphasis on external factors and more on internal healing,” Ms. Alderson said. Kimberly Anderson, a relationship coach in Paris, had a client his year who used ax throwing in batting cages to help move on. “She actually visualized her ex as the target, which definitely helped her with her aim in hitting the target,” Ms. Anderson said. But is closure really that necessary, or does a culture of love bombing and then ghosting render it obsolete? “Lack of closure can leave us wondering what went wrong, and if we could have salvaged the relationship,” said Michele Leno, a psychologist in Detroit.

Persons: Ms, Alderson, “, Kimberly Anderson, Anderson, Hania, ”, Michele Leno, they’re, Georgina Sturmer Locations: Paris, London, Detroit, Hertfordshire, England

☆ Macquarie fund to invest in US fiber internet provider SwyftFiber
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/David Gray/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 26 (Reuters) - Australia's Macquarie Group (MQG.AX) said late on Thursday that a fund managed by its asset management arm would invest in U.S.-based telecom services provider SwyftFiber. Although Macquarie did not disclose the financial details of the deal, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Macquarie was investing about $275 million for a majority stake. Neither Macquarie nor SwyftFiber respond to Reuters' requests for comment on deal details. The fund's proposed investment will allow SwyftFiber to speed up the construction of fiber infrastructure in existing and new markets, Macquarie said in a statement. SwyftFiber provides internet and television streaming services to communities in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, it added.

Persons: David Gray, Macquarie, Sameer Manekar, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Macquarie Group, REUTERS, Australia's Macquarie Group, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Louisiana , Arkansas, Mississippi, Bengaluru

☆ Tesla supplier Syrah expects more graphite buys ahead of China export ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 26 (Reuters) - Australian producer Syrah Resources (SYR.AX) on Thursday said it expects buyers outside of China to step up their purchases of natural graphite before stricter export controls on the battery material came into effect on December 1. China, the world's largest graphite producer and exporter, will require export permits as of Dec. 1 for some graphite products, including spherical graphite used by electric vehicle makers. The export controls could mean that automakers and suppliers of battery materials will have to accelerate their search for alterative sources of the mineral. Syrah said that, based on feedback from its customers and analysts, buyers are looking to stockpile graphite to reduce the risk of near-term supply disruptions ahead of the ban, and ahead of China's winter when it tends to produce less natural graphite. "Any disruption or reduction in China anode precursor or AAM export supply without replacement supply would impact battery production outside China," it said.

Persons: Roushni Nair, Melanie Burton, Miral Organizations: Syrah Resources, Tesla, AAM, U.S . International Development Finance Corporation, Thomson Locations: Australian, China, Mozambique, Louisiana, Balama, United States, Bengaluru, Melbourne

Customers seen in the self-service checkout area of a Coles supermarket in Sydney, Australia, June 17, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 26 (Reuters) - Australian retailers are ramping up their tech security initiatives, including placing cameras at self-checkouts and body-worn cameras on staff, to combat a surge in stock theft and customer aggression aggravated by the cost of living crisis. "Unfortunately the data suggests it's continuing to occur," added Thomson, whose firm counts Coles and Woolworths as clients. Reports of store theft surged 23% in Australia's three largest states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, home to three-quarters of the population, in the year to March 2023, according to the latest available government statistics, as COVID-related restrictions ended. Reports of threatening behaviour by shoppers rose to 17% of all security reports logged by Australian store staff in 2023, from 10% three years earlier, according to Auror data reviewed by Reuters.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Phil Thomson, Thomson, Coles, Leah Weckert, Weckert, Brad Banducci, Gerard Dwyer, Rishav Chatterjee, Byron Kaye, Praveen Menon, Christian Organizations: Coles, REUTERS, Woolworths, New, Reuters, National, of, Allied Employees Association, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, New Zealand, Australia's, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Bengaluru

☆ Holiday horror films, like ‘Gremlins’ and ‘Thanksgiving,’ turn jolly tropes on their heads
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —“Gremlins” turned a benign Christmas holiday into a snowy backdrop for cartoonish murders. Holiday horror films work for the same reason holiday tearjerkers do: There’s already an “emotional foundation” with holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, DuPée said. Holiday horror is especially taboo because so many of its tropes are sacred — innocent children in footie pajamas! “It can be exhausting to be constantly faced with scenes of happiness, togetherness and love,” said Alexandra West, an author of several books on horror films and co-host of the “Faculty of Horror” podcast. “Putting a horror spin on these holidays offers an antidote and, in some cases, a reprieve.”Olivia Hussey in "Black Christmas," 1974.

Persons: ”, “, Valentine ”, Eli Roth, Pilgrim finery, Nell Verlaque, ” George Mihalka, ” Mihalka, Matthew DuPée, DuPée, Krampus, Emjay Anthony, ” DuPée, Claus, Malcolm McDowell, Alexandra West, ” Olivia Hussey, ” West Organizations: CNN, Tristar Pictures, Universal, Hollywood, “, Horror Locations: Canadian, tinsel

☆ Australia's Westpac warns of $109 mln hit to fiscal 2023 profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The bank sees an increase in provisions for customer refunds and associated payments and restructuring costs, among others, in fiscal 2023. Westpac reported a net profit attributable of A$5.69 billion in fiscal 2022. The company noted that the notable items recorded in fiscal 2023 are significantly lower than the notable items of A$874 million recorded in fiscal 2022. The net impact of these one-off items will reduce the bank's common equity tier 1 capital ratio by 4 basis points, it added. ($1 = 1.5855 Australian dollars)(This story has been corrected to say Westpac warns of a hit, not lower fiscal 2023 profit, in the headline)Reporting by Roushni Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Roushni Nair, Shailesh Organizations: Westpac, Central Business District of, REUTERS, Westpac Banking Corp, Thomson Locations: Central Business District of Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ US says ready to help Vietnam with rare earth auctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The United States is ready to help Vietnam in preparing auctions for rare earths mines, the U.S. State Department chief economist Emily Blanchard on Wednesday. "If Vietnam chooses to ask for assistance in developing an auction, we would be happy to provide assistance to do so," she said in Hanoi when asked about possible auctions to be arranged by Vietnam for new concessions at unexploited mines. Vietnam's government intends to launch tenders for multiple blocks of its Dong Pao mine before the year's end, Tessa Kutscher, an executive at Australia's Blackstone Minerals Ltd (BSX.AX), which plans to bid for at least one concession, told Reuters last month. Blanchard said that U.S. technical assistance to partner countries can extend to support to craft tenders or bids "to generate the most interest". Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Emily Blanchard, Tessa Kutscher, Blanchard, Francesco Guarascio, Martin Petty Organizations: U.S . State Department, Australia's Blackstone Minerals Ltd, Reuters, Thomson Locations: HANOI, United States, Vietnam, Hanoi, Dong

☆ Australia's surprisingly strong Q3 inflation raises odds of Nov rate hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Markets are wagering both the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank are done with hiking. HAWKISH MESSAGINGThe recent messaging from the central bank has been on the hawkish side. The biggest contributors to the third quarter inflation were fuel, rents, and electricity. Fuel prices rose 7.2% from a year ago, reversing two quarters of price falls, with the conflict in the Middle East potentially set to further stoke inflationary pressures. The central bank forecast in August that inflation was only projected to return to the top of the bank's target band of 2-3% in late 2025.

Persons: David Gray, Worryingly, Adam Boyton, Gareth Aird, Michele Bullock, Woolworths WOW.AX, Taylor Nugent, Stella Qiu, Wayne Cole, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reserve Bank of Australia, Australian Bureau, Statistics, Wednesday, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, ANZ, Economics, CBA, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Woolworths, National Australia Bank, NAB, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Rare-earths miner Lynas jumps as Malaysia allows key plant extension
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Rishav Chatterjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A small toy figure and mineral imitation are seen in front of the Lynas Rare Earths logo in this illustration taken November 19, 2021. The licence extension comes despite concerns raised in recent years by Malaysia regarding radiation levels from the cracking and leaching operations during raw material processing. Science and technology minister Chang Lih Kang said Lynas will be allowed to import radioactive material and continue processing rare earths, provided the firm carries out thorium extraction to remove radioactive waste. The brokerage also lifted its price target on the biggest rare earths miner outside of China by 3% to A$7.70 and upgraded the earnings outlook for a near-term period. Lynas' Malaysia refinery, its first outside China, has been embroiled in a radiation dispute at the plant with Lynas challenging an earlier ruling that would have halted operations.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Chang Lih Kang, Lynas, Rishav Chatterjee, Janane Organizations: REUTERS, Lynas, Macquarie, Malaysian, Thomson Locations: Malaysia, Lynas Malaysia, Pahang, China, Western Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Republicans likely to gain three seats under North Carolina's new congressional map
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

North Carolina's Legislative Building seen in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. on December 19, 2016. The House of Representatives passed the new map along party lines on Wednesday afternoon, after the Senate did the same on Tuesday. The latest map creates 10 safely Republican districts, three Democratic districts and one highly competitive seat, centered in the eastern part of the state. Democrats would have to flip five seats in the 435-seat U.S. House next year to regain control of that chamber. Reporting by Joseph Ax and Gabriella Borter Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jonathan Drake, Roy Cooper, Joseph Ax, Gabriella Borter, Colleen Jenkins, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Carolina's Republican, Democratic, U.S . House, Representatives, Senate, House, Thomson Locations: Carolina's, Raleigh , North Carolina, U.S, North Carolina

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