By Guy Faulconbridge MINSK (Reuters) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed on Thursday a description that he was “Europe’s last dictator”, saying that he was not a dictator but that if he were, he would certainly not be the last. Lukashenko, 68, has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994 and in an interview…
By Pratima Desai LONDON (Reuters) – China’s abrupt announcement this week that it will restrict exports of some germanium and gallium products from Aug. 1 is expected to disrupt global supply chains for semiconductors. For metals such as aluminium, copper and zinc traded on the London Metal Exchange, the price reaction to disruptions or the…
ROME (Reuters) – A man convicted of colluding with the Mafia, who was a close friend of Silvio Berlusconi, said on Thursday he was moved to tears by the late Italian prime minister’s decision to bequeath him 30 million euros ($32.7 million). Marcello Dell’Utri spent more than five years in detention after being found guilty…
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese battery maker CATL said on Thursday it has developed new materials for lithium-ion batteries that would sharply improve charging efficiency for electric vehicles, especially in extreme cold. Wu Kai, CATL’s chief scientist, told a forum in Shanghai that the company, the world’s largest battery supplier, had developed new electrolyte materials that…
By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The metaverse, shared virtual worlds accessible through the internet, has not triggered any concerns so far or the need for legislation to rein it in, EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said on Thursday. An initiative that she will present on the metaverse next week aims to help competition regulators…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. private payrolls increased more than expected in June, indicating that the labor market remains strong despite growing risks of a recession from higher interest rates. Private payrolls jumped by 497,000 jobs last month, the ADP National Employment report showed on Thursday. Data for May was revised lower to show 267,000 jobs…
MILAN (Reuters) – Details of how billionaire Italian tycoon Silvio Berlusconi divided up his assets have been made public on Thursday after the will of the former prime minister, who died on June 12, was unsealed. Under Italian law, the deceased’s heirs have a right to inherit two-thirds of his wealth in equal parts, while…
By Amruta Khandekar and Siddarth S (Reuters) – Foreign hedge funds have been lapping up Argentinian equities at cheap valuations in anticipation of a change in political regime and given sky-high inflation, pushing the country’s benchmark stock index to a record high. Argentina’s S&P MerVal index has more than doubled in the first six months…
By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis will travel to Mongolia at the end of August, the Vatican confirmed on Thursday, indicating that his health is improving well enough after surgery to be able to go to the remotest area he has ever visited. The Vatican issued a detailed schedule for the Aug….
By Marine Strauss BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A jury in the trial of 10 men accused of involvement in the triple suicide attack at Brussels airport and the city’s metro claimed by Islamic State in 2016, is set to consider its verdict, bringing to an end the country’s largest court case. The Brussels bombings killed 15…
