Death toll rises to 23 after Russian shelling of Ukraine’s Kherson – governor

By Elizabeth Piper and Carlos Barria KHERSON, Ukraine (Reuters) – Russian shelling killed 23 people in and near the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Wednesday, hitting a hypermarket, a railway station and residential buildings, the regional governor said. “The enemy’s targets are the places where we live. Their targets are our lives, and the…

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Capgemini posts weaker revenue growth in first quarter

By Matteo Allievi and Victor Goury-Laffont (Reuters) – French IT consulting group Capgemini on Thursday reported weaker revenue growth in the first quarter of 2023, compared with the year-ago period, citing a tense economic environment with clients adopting a “wait-and-watch stance”. Still, the company’s quarterly revenue reached 5.73 billion euros ($6.35 billion), 10.9% above the…

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Hollywood unions back striking writers as TV production slows

By Lisa Richwine and Rollo Ross LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Striking film and television writers met with union leadership on Wednesday, the second day of a work stoppage that has thrown Hollywood into disarray as the industry deals with changes brought on by the streaming TV boom. Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) turned…

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Ed Sheeran copyright case goes to jury in New York

By Brendan Pierson NEW YORK (Reuters) -A jury will now decide whether British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran ripped off Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” after hearing closing arguments on Wednesday in a week-long copyright trial. Sheeran’s lawyer, Ilene Farkas, told the jurors in Manhattan federal court that similarities in the chord progressions and rhythms of…

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US regional bank PacWest says in talks with potential partners, investors

(Reuters) -PacWest Bancorp said on Thursday that it has been approached by several potential partners and investors, and that those talks are ongoing as it continues to evaluate all options to maximize shareholder value. The Los Angeles-based lender said it has explored strategic asset sales, including moving its $2.7 billion lender finance loan portfolio to…

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IMF sees uncertainty over Japan’s monetary policy, spillover globally

By Leika Kihara (Reuters) -The International Monetary Fund on Thursday warned of “uncertainty” around the direction of Japan’s monetary policy, saying a possible shift from ultra-low interest rates could have a significant impact on global financial markets. Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, also pointed to risks surrounding Asia’s economic outlook…

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China’s skidding factory sector taps brakes on economic recovery

By Ellen Zhang and Ryan Woo BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s factory activity unexpectedly contracted in April as orders fell and poor domestic demand dragged on the sprawling manufacturing sector, a private survey showed on Thursday, imperilling the broader economic outlook for the second quarter. The Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 49.5 in…

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Indonesia cuts tax breaks to discourage low quality nickel investment-minister

By Fransiska Nangoy, Stefanno Sulaiman JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia has cut tax incentives to limit investment in lower quality nickel products as it aims to extract as much value as possible from its rich nickel reserves and push for further downstream investment, a cabinet minister said on Wednesday. The government is aiming for around $95 billion…

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Albemarle agrees $1.5 billion plan to double Australian lithium hydroxide output

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Albemarle has agreed to double the capacity at its lithium hydroxide processing operations in Western Australia to 100,000 tonnes by 2026 and spend around $1.5 billion to build two more trains at the facility, Albemarle said on Wednesday. Construction is expected to start immediately at Albemarle’s Kemerton operations south of Perth, with the…

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