News

September 16, 2021 JAKARTA (Reuters) – Green groups on Thursday urged Indonesia to extend a moratorium on new palm oil permits and improve its implementation, warning of a risk of losing millions of acres of forest to plantation expansion. Indonesia, the world’s top palm oil producer, launched the moratorium in September 2018 to try to […]

September 16, 2021 By Byron Kaye SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s two most populous states are trialling facial recognition software that lets police check people are home during COVID-19 quarantine, expanding trials that have sparked controversy to the vast majority of the country’s population. Little-known tech firm Genvis Pty Ltd said on a website for its […]

September 16, 2021 PARIS (Reuters) – Shares in France’s Lagardere surged 20% on Thursday after media group Vivendi said it would buy another stake in the company, paving the way for a full takeover. Canal+ owner Vivendi, which already owns 27% of Lagardere, said it had agreed to buy Amber Capital’s 17.9% holding for 24.10 […]

September 16, 2021 A look at the day ahead from Danilo Masoni. As pressure builds on China’s tech and real estate moguls and its economic growth falters, markets worldwide are starting to get uneasy. But it’s Europe, with its export-oriented economy and supercharged luxury stocks reliant on affluent Asian shoppers, which is likely to feel […]

September 16, 2021 MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian real estate developer PIK is considering options to increase its free float, including a secondary share offering, as it approaches the requirements for the MSCI index inclusion, chief executive Sergei Gordeev said on Thursday. “We are considering various options to increase the liquidity and free float of our […]

September 16, 2021 BERLIN (Reuters) – German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has reached a pay deal with train drivers, ending a dispute that led to three rounds of strike action over recent weeks, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Both Deutsche Bahn and the GdL train drivers’ union declined to comment ahead […]

September 16, 2021 TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said on Thursday that it aims to reach net zero emissions by 2050, matching a plan announced by President Tsai Ing-wen in April. “TSMC is deeply aware that climate change has a severe impact on the environment and […]

September 16, 2021 By Foo Yun Chee and Marine Strauss LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) -Belgium on Thursday lost its fight against an EU regulatory ruling that tax breaks granted to Magnetrol, BP and more than 30 other multinationals constituted an illegal aid scheme after Europe’s top court backed competition enforcers. The ruling by the EU Court of […]

September 16, 2021 (Reuters) – Hezbollah began importing Iranian fuel to Lebanon via Syria on Thursday, a move the Shi’ite Islamist group says aims to ease a crippling energy crisis but which its opponents say may expose the country to the risk of U.S. sanctions. Organised by Hezbollah, the shipment L1N2QI0CC marks a significant expansion […]

September 16, 2021 By Alasdair Pal (Reuters) – A U.N. envoy has met Afghanistan’s new interior minister who was for years was one of the world’s most wanted Islamist militants and is now part of a government trying to head off a humanitarian crisis. The meeting between Deborah Lyons, head of the U.N. mission in […]

Less than 3% of genetic material used in global pharmaceutical research is from Africa. The staggering gap is quite surprising because Africans and people of African descent are reported to be more genetically diverse than any other population. Since launching in 2019, African genomics startup 54gene has been at the forefront of bridging this divide […]

The climate crisis is creating massive demand for data capture as industries grapple with how to decarbonize. Put simply, you can’t cut your carbon emissions if don’t know what they are in the first place. This need to gather data is a big opportunity for startups — and a wave of early companies have already […]

September 16, 2021 Fernando Tatis Jr. and Adam Frazier contributed four hits apiece to a 16-hit attack Wednesday night as the visiting San Diego Padres ended the San Francisco Giants’ nine-game winning streak by overcoming four home runs for a 9-6 victory. Jurickson Profar had the Padres’ lone homer, a two-run shot in the seventh […]

September 16, 2021 (Reuters) -American Alberto Salazar, who has coached some of the world’s top long-distance runners, had his four-year suspension for a series of anti-doping rule violations upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it said on Thursday. The 63-year-old, who guided Britain’s Mo Farah to Olympic titles, was banned by the […]

September 16, 2021 BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s commerce ministry said on Thursday that it would follow through on the consensus reached by Chinese and U.S. leaders during a phone call last week, when asked if there has been any progress on trade. Trade teams from both sides have maintained communications, Shu Jueting, ministry spokesperson told […]

September 16, 2021 (Reuters) – British online fashion retailer ASOS Plc said on Thursday it aimed to become carbon neutral in its direct operations by 2025, as part of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. The company would also ensure all of its own-brand products and packaging are made from more sustainable or recycled […]

September 16, 2021 SYDNEY (Reuters) – Virgin Australia said on Thursday it will require all its staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, in line with domestic rival Qantas Airways Ltd and a growing number of airlines in the Asia-Pacific region. Pilots, cabin crew and airport workers will need to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 15, […]

September 16, 2021 PARIS (Reuters) – France will look to ensure any financial hit to Naval Group from a cancelled Australia submarine deal is limited, French Armed Forces Florence Parly said on Thursday. Parly did not rule out France seeking compensation from Australia. “We are studying all avenues,” Parly told French radio RFI when asked […]

September 16, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – British retailer, the John Lewis Partnership, on Thursday reported a return to first half profit after a COVID-pandemic hit loss last year. The employee-owned group, which runs John Lewis department stores and upmarket supermarket chain Waitrose, said it made a first half profit before exceptional items of 69 million […]

September 16, 2021 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States will struggle to meet President Joe Biden’s climate goal to decarbonize the power grid by 2035 as technology and policy take time to develop, natural resources consultancy Wood Mackenzie said on Thursday. Biden, who took office in January, has reversed many of his predecessor Donald Trump’s […]