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☆ UK sells government bond with highest yield since 2007
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - Britain sold a government bond at auction on Wednesday that will pay investors an annual return of 5.668% - the highest yield of any gilt sold since 2007, as markets demand extra returns in anticipation of further Bank of England rate rises. The last time the average yield at a gilt auction was higher was in June 2007, when 2.5 billion pounds of five-year gilts sold at an average yield of 5.790%. Before that, the highest yield was in September 1999 when 2.7 billion pounds of 10-year gilts were sold at an average yield of 5.694%. When the October 2025 gilt was sold at auction last month the yield was 4.874%, and at its launch in January it paid investors a yield of 3.634%. Bond strategists at NatWest last week described it as "one of the cheapest bonds on the UK fitted curve".

Persons: BoE, Andrew Bailey, gilts, David Milliken, Toby Chopra Organizations: Bank of, United, Debt Management, NatWest, Thomson Locations: Britain

☆ UK’s leaky water model faces a growing storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Neil Unmack | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

The fallout raises two big questions: whether the regulatory regime works, and whether Britain’s water companies should still be privately owned. Average UK water bills are 448 pounds in the current year, versus 409 pounds in Scotland. One option would be to squeeze water companies – cutting allowed prices, and imposing bigger penalties on those that allow leaks. For the sector as a whole, Ofwat assumes equity comprises 45% of water companies’ 94 billion pound RCV, or 42 billion pounds. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsFollow @Unmack1 on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSThames Water investors have become more “concerned” about the company’s turnaround, the chief executive of UK water regulator Ofwat David Black told a UK parliament committee on July 4.

Persons: Macquarie’s, Severn, Ofwat, Jefferies, David Black, Iain Coucher, “, Black, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Conservative, Thames, Ofwat, Reuters Graphics Regulators, Yorkshire Water, United Utilities, Scottish, Dwr Cymru, Barclays, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thames Water, Water, Sky News, Thomson Locations: Severn Trent, RCV, Water, Wales, Scotland, Germany, United States, Italy, Ireland, Britain

☆ Prince Harry fights for trial in hacking case against Murdoch's UK group
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - Prince Harry on Wednesday fought to take his phone-hacking lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper arm to trial, asking London's High Court to let him rely on an alleged "secret agreement" between Britain's royal family and the publisher. David Sherborne, representing Harry, argued there was clear evidence of an agreement between NGN and the royal family, which meant Harry was unable to bring his lawsuit earlier. Harry also said his attempts to progress his case against NGN, with the backing of the late Queen Elizabeth, were stonewalled by NGN and royal aides. Sherborne argued in court filings on Wednesday that NGN had not provided any evidence from Brooks and Thomson "despite their evidence having been identified as critical". He became the first senior British royal to appear in a witness box for more than 130 years when he gave evidence in his MGN lawsuit last month.

Persons: Prince Harry, Rupert Murdoch's, London's, Harry, King Charles, NGN, Harry's, NGN's, Hugh Grant, David Sherborne, Prince William's, William, Queen Elizabeth, Rebekah Brooks, Robert Thomson, Sherborne, Brooks, Thomson, Sam Tobin, Devika Organizations: Wednesday, Murdoch's News Group, Sun, Buckingham Palace, NGN, Royal, News, News Corp, British, Mirror Group, Thomson Locations: Buckingham, British, NGN, Buckingham Palace

☆ A 45-year-old tech exec who claims to have reduced his biological age by 5 years says he finishes his last meal of the day by 11 a.m.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Bryan Johnson spends up to $2 million a year on a rigorous program to reduce his biological age. The tech exec recently confirmed he eats his last meal of the day at 11 a.m.His typical "dinner" consists of meals like an orange and fennel salad or a stuffed sweet potato. In order to dramatically reduce his biological age, 45-year-old tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson abides by a rather unconventional eating schedule: He eats his last meal of the day at 11 a.m.Johnson has an $2 million-a-year anti-aging program known as Project Blueprint. Johnson wrote that this behavior had repercussions on his mood, sleep, and performance. Since then only "Morning Bryan" is authorized to make decisions on when, what, and how much to eat, Johnson wrote.

Persons: Bryan Johnson, Bryan Johnson abides, Johnson, Cara Cara, he's, Bryan, overate Organizations: Bloomberg, eBay, OS Fund Locations: Braintree

☆ Scotland to mark coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] King Charles III greets guests during a Garden Party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, as part of the first Holyrood Week since the King's coronation. Jonathan Brady/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - Scotland will mark the coronation of King Charles and his wife Camilla on Wednesday with a grand procession, a fly-past and a service of thanksgiving. Charles and Camilla were crowned in London's Westminster Abbey in May in front of about 100 world leaders in Britain's biggest ceremonial event for seven decades. The 74-year-old succeeded his mother as king of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms when Queen Elizabeth died in September. "Designed and crafted with care by some of Scotland's finest artisans, the Elizabeth Sword is a fitting tribute to the late queen as Scotland prepares to welcome the new king and queen."

Persons: King Charles III, Jonathan Brady, King Charles, Camilla, Charles, Queen Elizabeth, St Giles, Cathedral, Elizabeth Sword, Scotland's James IV, Pope Julius, Humza Yousaf, Elizabeth, Destiny, Prince William, Kate, Graham Smith, Michael Holden, Janet Lawrence Organizations: Party, REUTERS LONDON, London's Westminster Abbey, Scotland, Red Arrows, Thomson Locations: Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, Holyrood, London's Westminster, United Kingdom, England, Scottish, Republic

☆ Sainsbury's says UK food inflation falling as sales rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Q1 like-for-like sales up 9.8%Says has returned to volume growthKeeps profit guidance for full yearLONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Sainsbury's (SBRY.L), Britain's second largest supermarket group, said on Tuesday food inflation was starting to fall as a return to volume growth helped power a 9.8% rise in quarterly underlying sales. The group, which has a 15% share of Britain's grocery market, also maintained guidance for a 2023-24 underlying pretax profit of 640-700 million pounds ($812-$888 million) versus 690 million pounds in 2022-23. "Food inflation is starting to fall and we are fully committed to passing on savings to our customers," Sainsbury's CEO Simon Roberts said, pointing to 60 million pounds in lower prices since March. Last month, market leader Tesco (TSCO.L), reported a 9% rise in first-quarter underlying UK sales and said food inflation had peaked. While the UK government has raised concerns about the surge in food prices it says it is not considering imposing price caps.

Persons: Simon Roberts, James Davey, Sarah Young, Paul Sandle, Jason Neely Organizations: Aldi, Tesco, Thomson Locations: Britain, Sainsbury's, Europe

☆ Player safety key, organisers say, after Centre Court roof delay
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Wimbledon organisers defended their Centre Court roof policy on Tuesday after Novak Djokovic's opening match suffered an 80-minute delay after a rain shower made the grass too slippery. "Every care is taken by the Championships Referee when checking the courts are fit for play following a rain delay, as player safety is our top priority," a statement said. "In this instance, Centre Court took longer to dry than anticipated. Furthermore, given indications that the rain was due to stop imminently, the decision was taken to resume play with the roof open. Defending women's champion Elena Rybakina was scheduled first on Centre Court and the match is likely to be played with the roof closed throughout.

Persons: Novak Djokovic's, Djokovic, Pedro Cachin, Elena Rybakina, Martyn Herman, Ed Osmond Organizations: Wimbledon, Argentine, Court, Thomson

☆ Nigel Farage says set to lose Coutts account, offered NatWest one instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Nigel Farage, the former Brexit party leader, said on Tuesday that British private bank Coutts had told him it was closing his accounts and had offered him a standard one with its parent group NatWest instead. A NatWest spokesperson declined to comment. The BBC reported earlier on Tuesday that Farage fell below the financial threshold required to hold a Coutts account. Coutts' website advises its clients should be able to borrow or invest at least 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) with the bank or hold 3 million pounds in savings. He said he had been offered a NatWest account on June 29 after he complained publicly about losing his accounts, adding he has been given a postponement of a few weeks before his Coutts accounts are closed.

Persons: Nigel Farage, Coutts, Farage, Iain Withers, Alexander Smith Organizations: NatWest, Reuters, BBC, Thomson

☆ Australian firm sues Twitter for $665,000 for not paying bills
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, July 3 (Reuters) - An Australian project management firm has filed a lawsuit against Twitter Inc in a U.S. court seeking cumulative payments of about A$1 million ($665,000) over alleged non-payment of bills for work done in four countries, court filings showed. The Australian firm's lawsuit is the latest alleging non-payment of bills and rent against Twitter since Elon Musk bought the social media platform for $44 billion last year. For those works, Twitter owed the company about 203,000 pounds, S$546,600 and A$61,300, respectively, Facilitate said. In May, a former public relations firm filed a suit in a New York court saying Twitter had not paid its bills, while early this year U.S.-based advisory firm Innisfree M&A Inc sued it, seeking about $1.9 million for what it said were unpaid bills after it advised Twitter on its acquisition by Musk. ($1 = 1.5038 Australian dollars)Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elon Musk, Twitter, Innisfree, Musk, Renju Jose, Sonali Paul Organizations: SYDNEY, Twitter Inc, Corp, United States, Court, Northern, Twitter, Elon, X Corp, Inc, Thomson Locations: Australian, U.S, Sydney, California, London, Dublin, Singapore, Australia, New York

☆ The options for weight loss treatment are about to explode. These are the companies investors need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Wegovy was approved as an obesity treatment in June 2021 , but Ozempic, a Type 2 diabetes treatment, has been used off-label for weight loss. Mounjaro uses GLP-1 and gastric inhibitory polypeptide, or GIP, to help patients lose weight. Eli Lilly's oral drug, orforglipron, has an even better profile . They also could be helpful in assisting patients in maintaining weight loss after they've used the injectable versions, he said. Some have highlighted that oral drugs also may be more manageable for patients who can't handle the idea of giving themselves a once-a-week injection.

Persons: Eli Lilly, we're, Jonathan Wolleben, Wegovy, Lilly's tirzepatide, It's, Mounjaro, Wolleben, Eli Lilly's tirzepatide, Lilly, —, Novo, Eli, it's, they've, FactSet, Altimmune's pemvidutide, Morgan Stanley, Mark Purcell, Purcell, Graig Suvannavejh, Suvannavejh, Roth, Dylan Dupuis, Dupuis, Trung Huynh, Goldman Sachs, Chris Shibutani, Shibutani Organizations: Novo Nordisk, JMP Securities, Citizens Company, Nordisk's Ozempic, Food and Drug Administration, Nordisk, Novo, Zealand Pharma, Shandong Suncadia, GSBR, Biosciences, Fujian Shengdi Pharmaceutical, Mizuho Securities, Terns Pharmaceuticals, American Diabetes Association, Viking Therapeutics, Pfizer, Credit Suisse, AstraZeneca, Therapeutics, Medicare, Medicaid, CNBC Pro's Locations: Danish, Shandong, Fujian, Viking

☆ Bahrain signs deals to invest $1.3 bln in UK economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

July 3 (Reuters) - Bahrain has signed a memorandum of understanding for strategic investments and collaborations with Britain that will see the Gulf state's private sector invest 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in Britain, the Bahraini crown prince's social media account said on Monday. The investments will be through Bahraini sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat, Investcorp, GFH Financial Group, and Osool Asset Management, the twitter account of the crown prince of Bahrain said. ($1 = 0.7881 pounds)Reporting by Yousef Saba and Omar Abdel-Razek Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yousef Saba, Omar Abdel, Mark Potter Organizations: Bahraini, GFH Financial, Osool Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Bahrain, Britain

☆ Ex finance chief of collapsed Carillion hit with 11-year ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Kirstin Ridley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zafar Khan, who stepped down as Carillion's finance director after just nine months in the job shortly before the business collapsed in January 2018, had voluntarily agreed to the disqualification, the Insolvency Service said on Monday. Carillion employed 43,000 people before it collapsed in Britain's biggest bankruptcy in a decade. The Insolvency Service applied for eight directors linked to the business to be disqualified and the Financial Conduct Authority fined three former executives in 2022, including Khan, for "recklessly" publishing misleading financial statements. Litigation is continuing against other directors and a trial has been set for Oct. 16, the Insolvency Service said. ($1 = 0.7881 pounds)Reporting by Kirstin Ridley Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carillion, Zafar Khan, Khan, Ben Drew, Kirstin Ridley, Mark Potter Organizations: Service, Financial, LinkedIn, Litigation, Thomson Locations: British, Fladgate

☆ Leaf-blowers to the rescue at slippery Wimbledon
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Mitch Phillips | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 3, 2023 Groundstaff use leaf blowers to dry the court as the first round match between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Argentina’s Pedro Cachin is suspended due to rain REUTERS/Andrew CouldridgeLONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - Frustrated fans were left wondering quite what was the point of Wimbledon's 80 million-pound ($101 million) Centre Court roof on Monday when Novak Djokovic's match was delayed for over an hour as ball boys took to using leaf-blowers to dry the grass. Defending champion Djokovic had just taken the first set 6-3 against Argentina's Pedro Cachin when light rain took the players off and led to the roof being slid into place - a process that takes 10 minutes. Fans and TV viewers expecting a quick resumption, however, were to be disappointed as, accompanied by tournament referee Gerry Armstrong, Djokovic patrolled the famous square of grass he has ruled for five years, dabbing a toe and a towel at areas he considered dangerously slippery. While play resumed on Court One, it remained suspended on Centre, until, somewhat bizarrely, the roof, completed in a blaze of publicity in 2009, was re-opened and the match resumed after a 70-minute hiatus. ($1 = 0.7883 pounds)Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, Argentina’s Pedro Cachin, Andrew Couldridge, Novak Djokovic's, Djokovic, Argentina's Pedro Cachin, Gerry Armstrong, Mitch Phillips, Ed Osmond Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

If Mayor Sadiq Khan's plan goes ahead, London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will become one of the world's largest to tackle air pollution, encompassing 5 million extra people in the capital's leafier and less-connected outer boroughs. London's transport authority says only one in 10 cars in outer London are not ULEZ-compliant. But Khan, who was diagnosed with asthma and wrote a book this year on air pollution and climate change, says he is determined to face down his critics. "But the further away from the city centre you go, the less you can improve air quality," Verbeek added. "It's absolutely critical that even in a cost-of-living crisis we do not kick the can of air pollution down the road and let more children grow up unhealthy and unwell," she said.

Persons: Toby Melville, Sadiq Khan's, Carl Cristina, Cristina, Khan, Thomas Verbeek, Verbeek, Jemima Hartshorn, Teresa O'Neill, I've, Gavin Jones, William James, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Delft University of Technology, Thomson Locations: Marble, London, Britain, Europe, Rome, Netherlands

☆ This parasitic 'vampire fish' that has circular rows of teeth and sucks the blood out of its hosts is making a comeback in the Great Lakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sea lampreys, also known as "vampire fish," are a highly invasive species in the Great Lakes. The pandemic interrupted population management of the sea lampreys across the lakes. A lake trout from Lake Superior that was bitten by a sea lamprey. The fishery commission touts on its website that sea lamprey populations have been reduced by 90% "in most areas of the Great Lakes." Now, fishery managers say the population of the parasitic fish has ticked up across the Great Lakes, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Persons: —, Jerry Holt Organizations: Service, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Wired, Star Tribune, Getty, Fishery Commission, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Fisheries, Oceans, Street Journal, Undark Magazine Locations: Great, Welland, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Superior, Oceans Canada

LONDON, July 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Canary Wharf may be in trouble once again. While CWG’s average tenancy agreement still has 10 years left, the risk is that itself and the wider Canary Wharf area slip into a vicious circle. Rental incomes on apartments are roughly on a par with offices, per square foot, according to a person familiar with the matter. The 45-storey skyscraper in Canary Wharf has been HSBC's home for more than 20 years. Canary Wharf Group, which runs the east London financial district, declined to comment.

Persons: Paul Reichmann’s Olympia, Morgan Stanley, CWG, Knight Frank, Hong Kong’s Cheung, Bear Stearns, that’s, Liam Proud, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, Docklands, HSBC, York, Saudi Arabian, Canary Wharf Group, Barclays, Estates, Brookfield Property Partners, Qatar Investment Authority, Brookfield, Canary, QIA, Moody’s, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Hong Kong’s Cheung Kei Group, Churchill, NYK, Transport, BT, Thomson Locations: London, Canary, Canadian, Saudi, U.S, Brookfield, That’s, Docklands, Stratford, Wharf, QIA, Canary Wharf, Europe's

☆ US border officers find nearly 900,000 fentanyl pills hidden in shipment of sinks, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Ashley R. Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —US Customs and Border Protection officers in California say they stopped the attempted smuggling of fentanyl pills with an estimated street value of more than $2.5 million. “While screening the vehicle using a port imaging system, CBP officers discovered anomalies within the shipment,” the release says. Authorities inspected the shipment with a canine detection team and found about 858,000 blue pills were hidden in the two sinks, CBP said. Officers seized the synthetic opioids and the cargo van. US border protection officers have seized over 19,800 pounds of fentanyl so far in 2023, CBP data shows.

Persons: ” Rosa Hernandez Organizations: CNN, Customs, Border Protection, Authorities, Homeland Security Investigations, “ Locations: California, San Diego

☆ Lonely adults are driving a boom in stuffed animal sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Grace Mayer | Gloria Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Adults are clamoring for stuffed animals, a craze that is part of a larger toy trend among adults. For some people, stuffed animals help alleviate anxiety and loneliness. She said she created Hugimals, a line of weighted stuffed animals designed to relieve stress and promote sleep, in part for herself. The stuffed animal craze is tied to a larger toy trend among adults, or, as the toy industry has labeled this group, "kidults." Weighing 4.5 pounds, these stuffed animals are designed to replicate a "calming, hugging you back" effect, she told Insider.

Persons: —, it's, Marina Khidekel, Khidekel, Marcella Johnson, she's Organizations: Service, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal Locations: Canada, Legos, London

☆ Toxic algae is making sea lions on Southern California beaches aggressive and unpredictable: It's the ‘new normal,' marine mammal expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

An algal bloom near southern California beaches is causing sea lions to act unpredictably. It's also causing the sea lions to give birth to stillborn pups, a marine mammal expert said. For the past month, beachgoers have spotted sea lions across Southern California's coastlines — from Ventura to San Diego counties — exhibiting peculiar behavior. The cause is a toxic algal bloom that experts have told Insider is the "worst outbreak" in Southern California yet. Sea lions rest at the Marine Mammal Care Center facility.

Persons: It's, unpredictably, John Warner, Warner, we've, There's Organizations: Service, Marine Mammal Care, Mammal Care, beachgoers, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Fisheries, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, USA, Warner, Los Angeles Unified School District, Environmental, Group, ABC News, California's Locations: California, Southern California, Southern, Ventura, San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara

☆ California man convicted for smuggling Byzantine-era Hercules mosaic
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A California man has been convicted for illegally importing an ancient floor mosaic, believed to have been made in modern-day Syria nearly two thousand years ago and valued at almost half a million dollars. The ancient artwork arrived at the port in Long Beach as part of a shipment from Turkey in August 2015. Alcharihi only paid about $12,000 for the antiquity, which an appraisal expert valued at $450,000, according to the US Attorney’s Office. The mosaic weighs a whopping 2,000 pounds and is about 15-feet long and 8-feet tall, according to the release. Alcharihi’s false declarations about the mosaic came just months after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria.

Persons: Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi, Alcharihi, Prometheus Organizations: CNN, US, Office, United Nations Security, ISIS Locations: Syria, Long Beach, Turkey, Los Angeles

☆ UK economic growth unrevised at 0.1% in first quarter of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File PhotoLONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Britain's economy grew 0.1% in the first quarter of this year, unrevised from an initial estimate published last month, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on Friday. "The final Q1 2023 GDP data confirms that the economy steered clear of a recession at the start of 2023. Friday's figures showed that households' real disposable income was 0.8% smaller than the previous quarter, reflecting higher costs for electricity, gas and food. There were also signs that people were saving less in response to the increased cost of living, as the savings ratio fell to 8.7% in the first quarter from 9.4% in the quarter before, its lowest level since the second quarter of 2022 though well above its pre-pandemic average. Stripping out volatile trade in precious metals, the ONS's preferred measure, the underlying current account deficit narrowed to 2.6% of GDP from 3.3% of GDP in the final quarter of 2022.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, Ashley Webb, David Milliken, Andy Bruce, Sarah Young Organizations: REUTERS, Office, National Statistics, ONS, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Germany, Ukraine

☆ Rembrandts of 'extraordinary rarity' could fetch $10 million at auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Two rediscovered Rembrandts, the last known pair of portraits by the Dutch master to have remained in private hands, could fetch around $10 million at auction next week. Signed and dated 1635, the depictions of married couple Jan Willemsz van der Pluym and Jaapgen Carels, who were close to the artist's family, have a price estimate of 5 million - 8 million pounds ($6.35 million - $10.16 million). "They are things of extraordinary rarity,” he said, adding the Amsterdam-based Rijksmuseum had analysed them. The portraits are among the highlights of Christie's July 6 "Old Masters Part I Sale", part of the auction house's Classic Week. Also on offer is a panel by Greek-born Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco, "The Entombment of Christ" (6 million - 8 million pounds) and a bust of Helen of Troy by neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova (2.5 million - 4 million pounds).

Persons: Jan Willemsz van der, Jaapgen Carels, “, they’ve, Henry Pettifer, ”, El Greco, Helen of Troy, Antonio Canova, Fra Angelico, Saint John the, Magdalen, Queen Charlotte, King George III's, Marie, Louise Gumuchian, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Christie’s, International, Reuters, Virgin, Saint John the Baptist, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Spanish, Bayreuth

☆ Prince Harry seeks up to $400,000 in phone-hacking lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, departs the Rolls Building of the High Court in London, Britain June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoLONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Prince Harry is seeking damages of up to 320,000 pounds ($405,000) from Britain's Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), court documents released on Friday revealed as the trial of the royal's phone-hacking lawsuit nears its end. MGN, owned by Reach (RCH.L), is fighting the lawsuit and says there is no evidence for the accusations. The publisher argues Harry should receive no more than 37,000 pounds, even if he wins on all 33 articles, according to the documents released on Friday. MGN said Harry should receive a maximum of 500 pounds in damages for that one incident.

Persons: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Toby Melville, MGN, Harry, Green, Sam Tobin, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Court, REUTERS, Britain's Mirror Group, Daily, Sunday, MGN, Reach, Buckingham, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Harry's

☆ UK's Barratt looks to boost revenue with $212.6 mln homes sale deal with Citra
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 30 (Reuters) - Barratt Developments (BDEV.L) on Friday said it had agreed to sell 604 homes to Lloyds' (LLOY.L) private rental subsidiary Citra Living for 168.4 million pounds ($212.57 million) in cash, as Britain's largest housebuilder looks to diversify revenue. About 500 of the homes will be transferred to Citra's ownership by June 2024, while the remaining homes will be transferred the following year, Barratt said. The sale comes as the UK housing sector braces for a slower recovery due to persistent interest rate hikes which are set to hurt demand. Britain's biggest mortgage lender Lloyds launched its private rental business, Citra Living, in 2021 in a bid to find new revenue sources. "Our goal at Citra is to bring much needed high quality homes to the UK rental market ... Our partnership with Barratt helps us achieve that goal," Citra Managing Director Andy Hutchinson said in a statement on Friday.

Persons: Barratt, David Thomas, Andy Hutchinson, Eva Mathews, Rashmi Aich, Jason Neely Organizations: Barratt, Lloyds, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Thames Water's turnaround plan backed by investor USS
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), one of the largest investors in Thames Water, has given its support to Britain’s biggest water supplier after the abrupt departure of its CEO raised concerns about its viability. The British government is considering temporary state ownership of the company, which supplies a quarter of British households, if it cannot raise more funds to drive its turnaround. “We have given our backing to Thames Water’s turnaround plan and Net Zero roadmap and engage with them regularly to support their long-term strategy,” USS group CEO Bill Galvin said on Friday in a note to its sponsoring employers. Thames Water is struggling with 14 billion pounds ($17.8 billion) of debt and has failed to meet customer and environmental targets, including stemming the flow of raw sewage into rivers. ($1 = 0.7876 pounds)Reporting by Carolyn Cohn; Writing by James Davey; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bill Galvin, ”, USS’s Galvin, Carolyn Cohn, James Davey, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Thames, System, China Investment Corp, Thomson Locations: Thames, Ontario

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