Latest News
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Sixty bodies retrieved from closed South African cash cow
South African authorities have pulled at least 60 bodies from the shaft of a. closed gold mine more than 2 km (1.2 miles) underground where an. unidentified number of guys are still feared trapped, following a. siege in a crackdown on illegal mining. The siege, which started in August at the mine in the town of. Stilfontein, about 150 km (90 miles) from Johannesburg, cut off. food and water materials for months in an effort to require the. miners to the surface area so that they might be detained. On Monday, authorities used a metal cage to begin recuperating. males and bodies from the shaft, in an operation expected to run. for days. We do not know precisely the number of individuals are remaining there,. South African Authorities Minister Senzo Mchunu informed broadcaster. eNCA. We are concentrating on getting them, assisting them out. It was tough to state when all the miners would be brought. up, he said, including, When each one of the miners who are. underground went there, nobody was counting. In a statement, authorities said 51 bodies had actually been recovered by. Tuesday night, following nine the previous day. The 106 survivors pulled from the mine on Tuesday were. jailed for prohibited mining, swelling the figure of 26 a day. previously, they included. For decades, South Africa's precious metals industry has. battled prohibited mining, which costs the government and market. numerous countless dollars a year in lost sales, taxes and. royalties, a mining industry body estimates. Typically, it is centred on mines deserted by companies as. they are no longer commercially viable on a large scale. Unlicensed miners, known locally for taking a chance, go in to. extract whatever may be left. The South African government has stated the siege of the. Stilfontein mine was essential to combat illegal mining, which. Mining Minister Gwede Mantashe called a war on the economy. But homeowners and rights groups have criticised the. crackdown, part of an operation called Close the Hole.
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Most significant IKEA merchant to invest $1 billion in recycling firms
The investment arm of Ingka Group, the greatest international IKEA retailer, said it will invest 1 billion euros ($ 1.03 billion) into recycling business as it aims to better handle the waste developed when IKEA furnishings, bed linen or mattresses are discarded and wind up incinerated or in landfill. The financial investment comes as the European Union is developing legislation that would charge retailers a charge for every single textile or clothing product offered in the bloc, to raise cash for arranging and recycling ever-increasing quantities of disposed of fabrics that are frustrating waste management services. Ingka Investments has actually allocated around two-thirds of the cash - 667 million euros - for new, as yet unannounced investments into recycling companies, with a specific concentrate on fabrics. The rest will be invested in additional financing for business Ingka has already purchased, consisting of mattress recycling firm RetourMatras and plastics recycler Morssinkhof Rymoplast. Ingka is also looking to purchase recycling of wood, a secret material for IKEA furniture. The high carbon footprint for the majority of these products, plus the capacity scarcity for recycling, has encouraged us to invest in these classifications, Lukas Visser, investment director at Ingka Investments, stated in an interview. The circular economy is in the extremely early phases, so we need to narrow down where we focus. Ingka, which also invests in forests, solar and wind energy, and real estate, has an objective of recycling as many mattresses, plastics, and fabrics as IKEA sells, by 2030. Peter van der Poel, handling director of Ingka Investments, said the aim was to announce a financial investment in textile recycling this year. We feel it is so needed to develop scale and volume, not only for IKEA's needs but likewise for market requires going beyond that, stated van der Poel. Legislation might assist push companies to favour recycling over incineration, van der Poel stated, and the EU's prepared Extended Producer Obligation legislation could assist level the playing field between recycled materials and virgin materials, which are currently less expensive. Ingka Group is the biggest IKEA franchisee, operating IKEA shops in 31 nations and accounting for 90% of international IKEA sales.
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MORNING quote EUROPE-Inflation duo takes centre stage
A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Stella Qiu Bond investors might have drawn some convenience from the benign miss out on in U.S. manufacturer rate information but a duo of CPI reports from Britain and the U.S. is set to decide whether the ruthless offering in the international bond market resumes. And the threats to inflation appear directly to the upside, with Donald Trump set to go back to the White Home and release a. blizzard of executive orders next Monday. Some experts warned. that even a consensus outcome for U.S. CPI will not alleviate the. bearish pressure on bonds. In Asia, shares struggled for direction. MSCI's broadest. index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased. 0.1%, while Japan's Nikkei swung between gains and. losses, however was last flat. U.S. equity futures were flat, while Pan-European STOXX 50. futures edged up 0.1% and UK FTSE futures were. 0.2% higher ahead of British consumer price data due at 0700. GMT. Headline inflation is expected to stay constant at 2.6% in. December, while the core measure is seen reducing a tad to 3.4%. from 3.5% the prior month, according to a Reuters poll. Anything higher would use the best excuse for. speculators to brief gilts, where yields have skyrocketed to 16-year. highs in the middle of fret about Britain's financial health under the. leadership of financing minister Rachel Reeves. It will likewise stack pressure on the pound, which is pinned. near a 14-month trough and checking an essential chart level of $1.2056. The next hurdle, probably more substantial, for investors is. the U.S. CPI information. Projections are for a monthly increase of 0.2% in. the core measure, with the variety tight at 0.2% to 0.3%. A reading of 0.3% or more would trigger another bout of. heavy selling in Treasuries, with 10-year yields headed to the. 5% mark, raising the dollar and pummelling stocks. Traders will. further pare back expectations for policy reducing from the. Federal Reserve this year, from the current 29 basis points. A reading of 0.2% or below will likely see risk cravings. return a little and a relief rally in bonds. U.S. fourth-quarter 2024 revenues will likewise kick off in. earnest on Wednesday, with results from a few of the greatest U.S. banks - including Citi and JPMorgan. Lenders were anticipated to report stronger earnings, fuelled. by robust dealmaking and trading. Offered lofty expectations, the. threat to miss out on is high. Key advancements that could affect markets on Wednesday: -- UK CPI for December -- France CPI for December -- Euro zone industrial production figures for November -- US CPI for December -- Fed's New york city President John Williams talks,. along with Chicago President Austan Goolsbee and Richmond. President Thomas Barkin
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Oil inches up, however unpredictability over sanctions impact caps gains
Oil prices rose on Wednesday cutting losses from the previous day, as the focus reversed to possible supply disruptions from sanctions on Russian tankers, though gains were capped as the marketplace waited for more clarity on their impact. Brent crude futures edged up 11 cents, or 0.1%, to $ 80.03 a barrel by 0515 GMT, after dropping 1.4% in the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 23 cents, or 0.3%, to $77.73 a barrel after a 1.6% decline. Prices slipped on Tuesday after the U.S. Energy Details Administration forecasted oil would come under pressure over the next two years as supply would surpass need. The dominant driver has actually been everything about the Russian oil sanctions lately, compounded by a streak of more powerful U.S. financial information, stated Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG. The key question remains on just how much Russian supply will be lost in the global market and whether alternative measures can offset the shortfall, stated Yeap, including that in the near term oil might quit some of its sharp gains from the previous week. The market likewise found some assistance on Wednesday from a. drop in unrefined stockpiles in the U.S., the world's greatest oil. customer, reported by the American Petroleum Institute late on. Tuesday. Oil rates are trading firmer in morning trading in. Asia today after API numbers showed that U.S. petroleum. inventories fell more than anticipated over the recently, said. ING experts. The analysts included that while crude oil stocks in the. nation's flagship storage center Cushing, Oklahoma, increased by. 600,000 barrels, stocks were still traditionally low. Cushing in the shipment area for WTI futures agreements. The API reported U.S. petroleum stocks fell by 2.6 million. barrels in the week ended Jan. 10, according to market sources. mentioning the API figures. They included that fuel inventories. increased by 5.4 million barrels while distillate stocks climbed up by. 4.88 million barrels. A Reuters poll revealed analysts expected U.S. crude oil. stockpiles fell by about 1 million barrels in the week to Jan. 10. Stock information from the Energy Details Administration,. the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Energy, is due at. 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT). On Tuesday, the EIA trimmed its outlook for global need in. 2025 to 104.1 million barrels daily, while anticipating supply of. oil and liquid fuel to typical 104.4 million bpd. It predicted Brent prices would fall 8% to typical $74 a. barrel in 2025, then fall further to $66 a barrel in 2026, while. WTI would balance $70 in 2025 and fall to $62 next year.
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British Service - Jan 15
The following are the leading stories on business pages of British papers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not guarantee their accuracy. The Times - Britain will utilize new regulatory powers to examine Google's search services to see how they impact consumers and organizations, including marketers and rivals, following U.S. contacts us to separate the tech giant. - U.S. personal equity group KKR has appointed Sir Jeremy Darroch, former CEO of Sky, as an executive advisor to help it grow its telecoms, media and innovation activities. The Guardian - The owner of Sports Direct, Frasers Group, told MP's that two-thirds of its retail workforce stay on zero-hour agreements, which do not guarantee any weekly working shifts, and did not receive compensation even if shifts were altered at the eleventh hour ahead of brand-new legislation developed to limit their usage. The Telegraph - British finance minister Rachel Reeves, facing criticism for her management of the economy after a sharp increase in the expense of government loaning, stated on Tuesday that she would stay with her financial guidelines at all times. - The UK is set to settle the handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius on Wednesday as the two countries reached a. agreement pact following last-minute talks in London. Sky News - Tulip Siddiq has resigned as the anti-corruption minister. after she was named in a number of corruption probes in. Bangladesh including her auntie, the nation's previous prime. minister, Sheikh Hasina.
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Bibby Marine Inks Shipbuilding Contract for eCSOV with Spanish Shipyard
Bibby Marine has signed a new shipbuilding contract with Spanish shipyard Armon to build its electric Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (eCSOV) for offshore wind industry.The eCSOV will feature a battery system complemented by dual-fuel methanol engines offering alternative green operating solutions.With the capability to operate solely on battery power for a typical full day of operations, the range of the vessel will allow for passage from field to port and return.Integrating digitalization and AI into the vessel’s design will be key to maintaining and improving its efficiently over its life, according to Bibby Marine.Located in Vigo, Spain, Armon has been operating since 1963, and its selection follows Bibby Marine’s move away from the original shipbuilders Gondan.“We are excited to launch this vessel, as we understand that its delivery will be a game changer for our industry, speeding up our journey to achieve net zero emissions and leave other operators in our clean wake.“We are thrilled to be working alongside our new partners Armon and move to the next stage of our project. The delivery of this vessel will bring our clean vision to life, confident it will mean significant advancements to our industry,” said Nigel Quinn said, Bibby Marine’s CEO.“The complexity of the eCSOV underscores its importance, not only as a technological challenge but as a statement of commitment to a cleaner and greener future.”“At Armon, we have been deeply focused on developing solutions that significantly reduce emissions, and this vessel allows us to further demonstrate the expertise we have built in this critical area,” added Laudelino Alperi, Armon’s CEO.
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Nippon Steel wants to deal with Trump administration on United States Steel offer, Mori informs WSJ
Japan's Nippon Steel stays thinking about working with the inbound administration of Donald Trump to attempt to seal a takeover of U.S. Steel, its vice chairman Takahiro Mori stated a viewpoint piece in the Wall Street Journal. Recently, Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel filed 2 lawsuits after U.S. President Joe Biden obstructed a $14.9 billion buyout of the American steelmaker by the Japanese company. President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday. Enforcement of Biden's order, which gave the celebrations 1 month to loosen up the deal, was postponed up until June after the companies sued the U.S. president, declaring he violated the constitution by denying them of due procedure when he obstructed the offer. Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel will do whatever it requires to close this deal, Mori said in the WSJ piece. Our company believe our case is strong, and we eagerly anticipate our day in court. Cleveland-Cliffs, whose earlier bid for U.S. Steel was rejected by the latter's board, is partnering with peer Nucor to prepare a potential all-cash bid for the company once again, a source told Reuters this week. We remain thinking about checking out possible collaborations with the brand-new administration to buy and grow U.S. Steel to advantage American workers, consumers, and nationwide security, Mori, Nippon Steel's crucial arbitrator on the offer, said in the opinion piece. The choice to submit lawsuits was not ignored, Mori said, while reiterating that Japan is one of U.S. closest allies and the business did not think there was any national security issue relating to the takeover. Major companies in allied nations wish to buy the U.S. and employ Americans. Now they wonder if they'll be dealt with as partners or political pawns, Mori stated.
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Copper costs retreat from one-month high on dollar strength
Many base metals decreased on Wednesday, with copper drawing back from a onemonth high, weighed down by a strong U.S. dollar. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange ( LME) slid 0.5% to $9,112 per metric load by 0337 GMT. The dollar's rally slowed due to warn ahead of the highly expected U.S. consumer inflation report, due later in the day, prompting doubt in taking on new positions. The dollar index, which determines the U.S. currency versus 6 other systems, stood at 109.24 - not far from the 26-month high of 110.17 touched on Monday. A stronger dollar makes greenback-priced commodities more costly for holders of other currencies. U.S. manufacturer rates rose less than expected in December as higher costs for goods were partly offset by steady services rates, suggesting inflation remained on a down pattern but did not change the view that the Federal Reserve would not cut rates before the second half of the year. The possible impact of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's. planned tariffs and the Fed's careful position on rate cuts have. increased Treasury yields and enhanced the dollar. The U.S. dollar is quite strong these days, applying. pressure on metals prices. On the other hand, investors embrace a. wait-and-watch attitude before Trump's inauguration, a trader. said. The most active copper contract on the SHFE was. down 0.2% at 75,150 yuan ($ 10,250.15) a load by the close of the. Asia morning trade session. LME aluminium was flat at $2,560 a load, tin. fell 1.1% to $29,445, nickel slipped 0.8% to $15,825,. lead slid 0.9% to $1,948.5 and zinc lost 1.4% to. $ 2,822. SHFE aluminium moved 1.0% to 20,090 yuan a load,. nickel was down 0.5% to 127,200 yuan, zinc. fell 2.5% to 23,575 yuan, lead acquired 0.2% to 16,530. yuan and tin shed 1.3% to 245,300 yuan. For the leading stories in metals and other news, click. or.
CORRECTED-Shell's Singapore refinery sale and its market significance
Oil huge Shell said on Wednesday that it has consented to sell its Bukom refinery in Singapore among the world's largest oil refining and trading centres to a joint endeavor of Indonesian chemicals firm PT Chandra Asri and global trading home Glencore, culminating a. process that started last year.
Here are the key information and what's next:
WHY IS SHELL SELLING ITS SINGAPORE CROWN GEM REFINERY?
The sale of the complex, which opened in 1961, becomes part of. CEO Wael Sawan's strategy to reduce the company's carbon footprint. and to concentrate on its most lucrative businesses.
In 2015, Shell said it was conducting a tactical evaluation. of its Singapore properties.
WHO ARE THE PURCHASERS?
Chandra Asri is bulk owner of the joint endeavor with. Glencore, called CAPGC Pte. Ltd. (CAPGC).
Chandra Asri runs Indonesia's sole naphtha cracker which. can each year produce 900,000 tons of ethylene and 490,000 tons. of propylene, which are standard basic materials that are processed. into other petrochemicals. It is a joint endeavor between numerous. Thai and Indonesian firms consisting of Siam Cement Group, Thai Oil. and PT Barito Pacific.
Glencore is a Swiss-based producer and marketer of. products such as copper, cobalt, zinc, nickel and. ferroalloys. It markets aluminium and alumina and iron ore, and. trades oil and fuel products.
WHAT IS BEING OFFERED?
Shell's Bukom refinery complex consists of several crude. distillation units with total processing capability of 237,000. barrels each day (bpd) and a 1 million-ton-per-year steam. cracker.
Its Jurong Island center has other derivative. petrochemical units making items such as monoethylene glycol. and styrene, which are essential feedstocks for the polyester and. plastic industries.
The deal is set to nearby year-end, pending regulatory. approval.
HOW WILL THE OFFER AFFECT REGIONAL TRADE IN PETROLEUM AND. FINE-TUNED PRODUCTS?
Glencore will likely provide cashflow for Chandra Asri's. procurement of crude oil feedstock for its Bukom operations and. take fine-tuned fuel products such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. either for its own agreement shipments or for area sales, a. source with direct understanding of the matter stated.
It's really normal for a trading house to supply trade. finance to refiners and in return they earn money by freights. This. method, a trading house can protect long-lasting steady product. supply, stated Beijing-based director of downstream consulting at. S&P Global Product Insights Harry Liu.
Glencore decreased to comment.
It is most likely that the refinery will continue to procedure. mostly sour crude as it is a relatively complex refinery with a. recurring fluid catalytic cracker, a mild hydrocracker and a. vacuum gas oil desulphurisation system, unless the economics. favour sweet crude, said FGE head of Asia refining Ivan Mathews.
In the longer run, however, there could be a shift in focus. from fuel production to chemicals rather since of economics.
The website produces about 60% transport fuels and about 14%. chemicals. Offered the long-term worth add from chemicals, we. could see a much deeper shift from transportation fuels to chemicals at. the site. This will depend on how conversations work out. between Chandra Asri and Glencore, stated Wood Mackenzie's. research director Sushant Gupta.
From the downstream part, Chandra Asri is most likely to take. naphtha from the Bukom center to feed its steam cracker,. according to a source straight involved in the matter along with. experts.
The ownership of Shell's refinery will offer (Chandra Asri). additional versatility in feedstock sourcing. Chandra Asri can. Tap into Glencore's logistical abilities to improve the. synergy in between the two producing websites, stated Wood. Mackenzie primary analyst Catherine Tan.
Chandra Asri may likewise opt to shelve an earlier cracker. expansion at its Cilegon website, rather using the recently gotten. Jurong Island site as its 2nd complex, two sources familiar. with the plant operations added.
While we are not expecting any instant impact to. supply/demand in the near to medium term as the offer will take. a long time to close, the offer will likely impact Chandra Asri's. prepare for CAP2, which might be shelved, Tan stated, referring to. a 2nd naphtha cracker.
Chandra Asri did not instantly respond to a request for. comment.
WHICH OTHER REFINERIES STILL OPERATE IN SINGAPORE?
ExxonMobil operates a 600,000-bpd refining site in Jurong. Island and Tuas, while Singapore Refining Co has a 290,000-bpd. refinery at Jurong Island.
WHAT OTHER ASSETS DOES SHELL HAVE IN SINGAPORE?
Shell states it owns over 57 retail fuel stations in the. city-state, and has stakes in two petrochemical plants, the. Petrochemical Corp of Singapore
(source: Reuters)