Latest News
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Financial Times - Oct 18
The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Headings - EY slims labor force for very first time in 14 years - Sanofi joins competitors buying nuclear cancer treatment - EU thinks about consisting of Elon Musk's service empire to determine potential X fine - UK prepares to place 'buy now, pay later' lending institutions under FCA guidelines - UK checks out plans for new rail line as option to axed HS2 northern leg Summary - Accounting company Ernst & & Young (EY) trimmed its international labor force in the past year as a downturn in need for its consulting services led the Big Four company to post its weakest profits development because 2010. - French drugmaker Sanofi has actually struck a handle the hotly competitive radiopharmaceuticals sector, purchasing a $300. million stake in OranoMed, a subsidiary of French nuclear fuel. business Orano, that is establishing a brand-new cancer treatment. - Elon Musk might face a large fine as the European. Commission take a look at including profits from the billionaire's. company empire to calculate a potential fine against social. media platform X. - The UK government has actually launched a highly expected. assessment to bring buy now, pay later on lenders under the. analysis of the Financial Conduct Authority and the Consumer. Credit Act. - The UK government is exploring proposals for a Birmingham. to Manchester railway line as an option to the axed. northern leg of HS2 high-speed rail network.
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Energy Transfer indications KBR, Technip Energies to develop Louisiana LNG plant
Pipeline operator Energy Transfer has signed an initial contract with a. consortium to construct its proposed Lake Charles melted natural. gas (LNG) plant, a filing with federal regulators on Thursday. shows. The Technip Energies and KBR offer is subject to a final. investment decision (FID) for the Lake Charles LNG job in. Louisiana, Energy Transfer said in a filing to the Federal. Energy Regulatory Commission. Terms were not divulged. Energy Transfer has actually been trying to develop the job in. Lake Charles, Louisiana, given that 2015 but has not signed enough. consumers for the proposed 16.5 million metric tonnes per annum. ( MTPA) facility to move it ahead. It has two missed its targets. for reaching FID. The project also needs a U.S. permit to export the. superchilled gas to nations that do not have an open market. agreement with the United States, so called non-FTA nations. In 2023, the U.S Department of Energy rejected Energy. Transfer's ask for a second extension to export to non-FTA countries and the business consequently. submitted an ask for a new authorization.
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Biden administration to alleviate restrictions on space-related exports to allies
storyp1> Oct 17 (Reuters) The Biden administration is reducing export limitations on U.S. industrial area companies to deliver certain satellite and spacecraftrelated products to allies and partners on Thursday, 2 individuals knowledgeable about the matter stated. The changes are planned to make it much easier for the growing U.S. commercial space market to expand sales while likewise securing nationwide security and foreign policy interests. U.S. area companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX, and large defense professionals with area units like Lockheed Martin LMT.N, L3Harris TechnologiesLHX.N and Boeing BA.N, could take advantage of the brand-new guidelines. Specific products including remote picking up spacecraft or space-based logistics assembly, and servicing spacecraft will no longer require licenses for delivery to Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, one person stated. The rules could also assist the U.S. push ahead with the trilateral AUKUS security pact in between Britain, the U.S. and Australia formed in 2021 to respond to China's growing power in the Indo-Pacific region. Part of the pact is concentrated on innovation sharing. Some less sensitive satellite and spacecraft parts and components will no longer need licenses for delivery to over 40 countries, the individual said. The countries include Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and the majority of the European Union, the second person said. In addition, the Commerce Department will do away with license requirements for the least delicate products like electrical adapters for the majority of the world, however not countries of concern like Russia and China, individuals said. The modifications will be made in brand-new rules due out of the Commerce Department on Thursday, the very first person acquainted with the matter stated. The rules come in response to a sophisticated notification of proposed rulemaking from almost 5 years earlier and a December 2023 National Space Council demand. After the 2019 notification came out, SpaceX advised the United States to consider ways to enhance export control policies for United States commercial area industry to lower administrative concern, decline regulatory compliance expenses and increase exports consequently strengthening the US area business sector and commercial base. The easing is expected to assist expand SpaceX's footprint abroad as it establishes Starship, the company's multiple-use next-generation rocket. SpaceX and officials from the Pentagon and Australia are going over plans to test-land a Starship rocket off the coast of Australia and bring it ashore for recovery, Reuters reported in July. The Starship plan might unlock to a greater SpaceX presence in Australia.
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Romania scrambles jets after drone breaches airspace
storyp1> BUCHAREST, Oct 17 (Reuters) Romania rushed four fighter jets on Thursday after a small flying item, likely a drone, breached national airspace up to 14 km inland in the southeastern county of Constanta, the defence ministry stated. The European Union and NATO state, which shares a 650-km (400-mile) border with Ukraine, has had Russian drone pieces fall onto its territory consistently over the previous year and a half as Moscow attacks Ukrainian port facilities. The radar signal indicated Romania's land border was crossed at around 1600 GMT, the ministry said in a statement, adding the drone was first spotted heading for Romania over the Black Sea. Romania rushed two F-16 fighter jets and two Spanish F-18s which are performing air policing objectives in the nation for the remainder of the year. The pilots did not see the drone. Locals of Constanta county were warned to take cover. Army personnel will look for a prospective crash site on Friday morning, the ministry stated. In early September, Romania and Latvia both had their airspace breached by Russian drones, prompting worries of escalation and defence ministers from NATO's eastern flank collectively called for a robust coordinated reaction from the alliance to drone airspace breaches. A Russian drone breached Romania's air space once again in late September.
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Chinese robotaxi company Pony AI declares United States IPO
Chinabased autonomous driving firm Pony AI, backed by car manufacturer Toyota, declared an going public in the U.S. on Thursday, in another indication of growing investor interest in new listings and easing regulatory pressures. Activity in the IPO market has actually picked up speed in recent weeks, buoyed by the U.S. Federal Reserve beginning its extremely prepared for policy-easing cycle and benchmark indexes trading near record high levels. Pony AI, in which Japan's Toyota owns a 13.4% stake, exposed that its profits almost doubled to $24.7 million in the initially half of 2024. Bottom line attributable to the business was $ 51.3 million in the same duration, compared to $69.4 million last year. The company stated it runs a fleet of over 250 robotaxis, which have actually built up over 33.5 million kilometers of autonomous driving mileage, including over 3.9 million kilometers of driver-less mileage. The business was valued at $8.5 billion when it raised funds in 2022. It likewise secured $100 million from Saudi Arabia's NEOM last year. Even so, analysts and industry professionals keep in mind that establishing robotaxis might still take years, primarily due to the challenges of ensuring safety and dependability. They cite accidents and the innovation's battles to respond to circumstances such as inclement weather, complex crossways and unforeseeable pedestrian behavior. The variety of Chinese companies that pursued stock market flotations in the U.S. dropped in the past couple of years after Beijing clamped down on offshore capital-raising in 2021. EV maker Zeekr's debut in May was the first huge listing by a Chinese business in the U.S. ever since. Earlier this month, carrier shipment firm BingEx also noted on the Nasdaq. Pony AI has actually applied to list on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol PONY. The company did not expose the size of its offering. Goldman Sachs, BofA Securities, Deutsche Bank, Huatai Securities and Tiger Brokers are the underwriters of the offering.
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North Dakota Oct. oil output estimated down by 500,000 barrels, state regulator
Oil output in North Dakota, the thirdlargest producing state in the U.S., is estimated to have actually fallen by around 500,000 barrels through October, after wildfires crossed into essential producing counties previously this month, a state regulator said on Thursday. Exxon Mobil was amongst operators that recently shut in some oil wells and production websites in the state in response to the fires. My finest price quote is around 500,000 total barrels removed from those October numbers, said Justin Kringstad, director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority. There were around 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) impacted in the immediate reaction to the fires, down to around 50-80,000. bpd in the week after, Kringstad included. The state presently has 18 frac teams operating, down. from 20 last month, according to Mark Bohrer, assistant director. of the oil and gas division at the North Dakota Department of. Mineral Resources. We have 40 rigs running today even with the mergers and. acquisitions, our rig count has stayed relatively steady, Bohrer. added. Oil production in the state increased by 9,630 barrels per. day (bpd) in August, to an approximated 1.179 million bpd,. according to state regulators on Thursday. And the variety of producing wells in North Dakota in. August reached a record high, at 19,117 wells. The state has actually also allowed 3 to four four-mile lateral. wells, which will assist operators develop a few of the tier 2. and 3 locations that were formerly financially more. challenging to drill, according to Bohrer.
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Loeb's Third Point developed stake in DSV in Q3, sees 'significant advantage'
Billionaire hedge fund supervisor Daniel Loeb informed investors on Thursday that his company Third Point constructed a brand-new stake in DSV A/S during the third quarter and he sees substantial upside for the Danish freight forwarder and logistics company. DSV will benefit from its organized acquisition of Schenker, the logistics arm of German state rail operator Deutsche Bahn, and a prepared joint venture in between DSV and Saudi Arabia, Loeb composed in a letter to investors seen . The joint venture, which will supply end-to-end supply chain management and establish transport and logistic possessions, must help grow the company's earnings power by 15% by 2028, the letter said. The mix with Schenker must assist drive profits accretion in excess of 30%, he wrote. Loeb also extended support to the business's new CEO, calling Jens Lund, who moved into the leading job previously this year after having worked as primary financial officer, laser-focused on producing investor value. Lund has actually indicated that more acquisitions might be on the horizon. Acquisitions and mergers have assisted grow DSV from a. little trucking business into a worldwide transport and logistics. business. DSV might make more earnings from value-added services. including customs clearance, load consolidation and intervention. when issues take place, the letter stated. We believe DSV can make. more than 100 DKK per share in 2027 and see significant benefit. for among Europe's finest business. Third Point's TP offshore fund got approximately 4% throughout the. 3rd quarter and has actually returned 14% given that the start of the year. Since the company's starting in 1996, the TP fund has acquired an. typical 13.1% a year compared to a return of 9.6% a year for. the more comprehensive S&P 500 index.
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Southwest Airlines enters sustainable air travel fuel handle Valero
Southwest Airlines has participated in a handle a system of Valero Energy for the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to the Chicago Midway International Airport, the carrier said on Thursday. The U.S. Energy Details Administration expects domestic production of biofuels to increase by about 50% in 2024, led by rising production of SAF, which can assist decarbonize the aviation sector. Under the two-year agreement, Illinois' biggest SAF supply deal, Southwest will buy a minimum of 3.6 million gallons of neat SAF for usage in its operations as early as in the existing quarter, the business said in a statement. The provider will also have the option to buy approximately 25 million gallons of cool SAF over the arrangement's term. Southwest said the cool SAF is anticipated to be produced from waste-based feedstocks, consisting of utilized cooking oil, animal tallow, and distiller's corn oil. Diamond Green Diesel, a joint endeavor in between the unit of Valero and Darling Ingredients, will provide the neat SAF, which will be combined with Valero's standard jet fuel and delivered through existing fuel delivery facilities.
Russia has actually begun developing nuclear-powered submarines to export gas, says top official
Russia has begun creating nuclearpowered submarines to export melted natural gas (LNG). from the Arctic to Asia to attempt to almost cut in half the journey time. along the Northern Sea Path (NSR), a senior state official has. stated.
Russia currently uses nuclear-powered ice breakers to pave the. method for such transport via the NSR, which runs along Russia's. Arctic coasts from Murmansk in the west to the Bering Strait in. the east, a path Moscow sees as a faster alternative to the. Suez Canal and has plans to establish.
However Russia is struggling with a shortage of vessels able to. battle thick Arctic ice, a challenge for its brand-new Arctic LNG 2. job which has been sanctioned by the United States over. Moscow's war in Ukraine.
The Arctic LNG 2 center began production of sea-borne. LNG last December. But although the first freights with the incredibly. cooled gas were delivered in early August, it has yet to be passed. on to the end-buyers.
Mikhail Kovalchuk, a close partner of President Vladimir. Putin and director of the Kurchatov Institute, Russia's leading. nuclear research study center, presented the submarine job at an. industry conference in St. Petersburg last week, according to. the event's main site.
This is about the production of a basically new class of. vessel capable of ending up being an alternative to 'standard' gas. providers, which in Arctic conditions are unable to browse all. year-round without icebreaker escort, the Offshore Marintec. Russia 2024 website stated.
It cited Kovalchuk, who held talks in the Kremlin with Putin. on Sept. 24, as informing the conference: The production of. underwater nuclear-powered gas carriers has actually been discussed for a. very long time, because the early 2000s. Now we (the Kurchatov. Institute) and Gazprom have actually started creating one, and this work. will move forward.
The RBC news outlet said the concept was to cut the time it. takes to navigate the NSR from 20 days to 12 and said the. submarines would be able to carry around 180,000 lots of LNG, in. line with a standard Arc 7 ice class gas provider.
The planned submarines would be 360 metres long and no more. than 70 metres wide, it stated, and would be powered by RITM-200. atomic power plants, which Russia uses to power its latest. icebreakers.
Some specialists are sceptical though about the feasibility of. the submarine job.
Alexander Nikitin, a former Russian Navy officer who is a. nuclear expert at the Vilnius-based Bellona Environmental. Openness Center, stated Russia lacked the abilities to. construct such a submarine.
And extra servicing vessels and docks in addition to teams. with unique training would be required too, he said.
My opinion is that people think, 'Perhaps it'll work.' But. given the situation, it's unlikely, he said, calling the. task a bluff.
(source: Reuters)