U.S. luxury sales increasingly coming from high-end shoppers – Bain

PARIS (Reuters) – Luxury brands focused on wealthier consumers in the United States are performing better than those who appeal to aspirational shoppers on lower incomes who are deterred by the economic uncertainty, consultancy Bain & company said. In its twice-yearly report, Bain increased its annual sales forecasts for the global personal luxury goods market…

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Ambitious plans for US-India technology sharing face hurdles

By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States unveiled agreements this week to sell weapons to India and share with it sensitive military technology, a clear sign of the Biden administration’s desire to deepen ties with New Delhi to counter China’s ambitions in Asia. But those plans, announced on Thursday during a state visit…

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Why U.S. investor Jay Bloom turned down seats on the doomed Titanic submersible

By Joseph Ax (Reuters) – For a year, Stockton Rush had tried to convince Las Vegas-based investor Jay Bloom to buy a couple of spots on his company’s submersible so Bloom and his son could experience the once-in-a-lifetime thrill of visiting the deep-sea wreck of the Titanic. Bloom was intrigued, he said in an interview…

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Two U.S. senators urge automakers not to remove AM radio from new cars

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two U.S. senators wrote seven major automakers on Friday urging them not to remove AM radio from new vehicles. Senator Ted Cruz, the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, and Democrat Ed Markey, who also sits on the panel, wrote to BMW, Volkswagen, Tesla, Mazda, Polestar, Rivian and Volvo…

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As electric cars take off, makers pledge $11.3 billion for US lithium iron phosphate

(Corrects story and headline to say makers pledge $11.3 billion, not $14.3 billion for lithium iron phosphate plants) By Paul Lienert (Reuters) – Interest and investment in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells and materials, used to power electric vehicles, continue to climb in the United States. LFP is a lower-cost competitor to nickel cobalt…

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For EV batteries, lithium iron phosphate narrows the gap with nickel, cobalt

(This June 22 story has been corrected to say makers pledged more than $11 billion, not $14 billion, in paragraph 3) By Paul Lienert DETROIT (Reuters) – As the auto industry scrambles to produce more affordable electric vehicles, whose most expensive components are the batteries, lithium iron phosphate is gaining traction as the EV battery…

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Top Biden aide to Denmark for international talks on Ukraine

By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is traveling to Denmark this weekend to participate in a meeting about Ukraine which may include some countries that have refused to condemn the invasion. The talks in Copenhagen are being organized by Ukraine “to discuss basic principles of peace,” a…

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Pakistan’s economic meltdown spurs more people to risk lives to reach Europe

By Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam KHUIRATTA, Pakistan-administered Kashmir (Reuters) – Hameed Iqbal Bhatti had prospered over two decades working in Saudi Arabia, but after returning to Pakistan three years ago, he was getting desperate. The economy had suffered in the pandemic and his restaurant business closed. With work avenues drying up and sky-high inflation blowing a…

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PwC Australia in talks to spin off units damaged by scandal – source

By Lewis Jackson and Scott Murdoch SYDNEY (Reuters) -PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia is looking to sell its government, education and healthcare practice to private equity firm Allegro Funds, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the firm battles the fall out from a major scandal. The scandal, which first broke in January, centres around a…

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