Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Meatpacker JBS USA paid a ransom equivalent to US$11 million (C$13.3 million) following a cyberattack that disrupted its North American and Australian operations, the company’s CEO said in a statement Wednesday. The subsidiary of Brazilian firm JBS halted cattle slaughtering at all of its U.S. plants and its Alberta beef plant for a […] Read more
JBS says it paid US$11 million in bitcoin for ransom
Cyberattack disrupted plants in North America, Australia
Nutrien to boost potash output on global demand
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Fertilizer company Nutrien said Monday it expects to increase potash production by about half a million tonnes in the second half of the year compared to earlier expectations, due to strong global demand. As crop prices rise, farmers have greater incentive to use fertilizer and maximize yields, boosting potash demand and spurring a […] Read more
Trans-Pacific trade partners agree for U.K. to start joining process
Reading Time: < 1 minute Tokyo | Reuters — Member nations of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on Wednesday officially agreed to allow the United Kingdom to start the process of joining the pact, Japan’s economy minister said. Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters he welcomed the start of Britain’s joining process after hosting an […] Read more
JBS Australian, North American servers hacked
Reading Time: < 1 minute Melbourne | Reuters –– Australian and North American units of the world’s largest meat works were hit over the weekend by an organized cyber attack on its information systems, Brazil’s JBS said in a statement. The attack caused its Australian operations to shut down on Monday. The company said it was working to resolve the […] Read more
WTO creates panel in China-Australia barley row
Reading Time: < 1 minute Sydney/Geneva | Reuters — The World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed on Friday to establish a dispute settlement panel to resolve a row over anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed by China on Australian barley, a trade source attending the meeting said. Australia launched a formal appeal to the WTO last year, seeking a review of China’s […] Read more
Hexo steps up cannabis M+A spree with Redecan deal
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Hexo Corp said on Friday it would buy Redecan, a privately-owned Niagara-region cannabis producer, for $925 million in cash and stock, as the pot producer bolsters its portfolio to tap surging demand and position itself as a top recreational weed supplier. Cannabis demand surged last year as many people turned to pot during […] Read more
BHP reported in talks with Nutrien on potash partnership
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — BHP Group is in discussions with fertilizer maker Nutrien about a partnership in the miner’s massive potash project in Saskatchewan, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing sources. Potential options include Nutrien acquiring a stake in BHP’s mine at Jansen, Sask., or becoming the mine’s operator and selling the potash through its channels, the report said, […] Read more
Kansas City Southern sticks with CN as CP won’t raise bid
CN confident of regulatory approval
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Kansas City Southern on Friday reiterated that Canadian National Railway’s offer was “superior” after Canadian Pacific Railway refused to raise its bid, moving a step closer to creating the largest-ever merger of North American railways by transaction value. The Canadian rivals have been locked in a takeover battle for the U.S. railroad operator […] Read more
CN shareholder urges changes to Kansas City Southern deal
Fund manager also holds stake in CP
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Billionaire hedge fund manager Chris Hohn on Tuesday urged Canadian National Railway to abandon its $33.6 billion bid for Kansas City Southern unless the Canadian railway changed its agreement to drop a key feature that could invite more regulatory scrutiny. Hohn’s TCI Fund Management, which has a 2.93 per cent stake in CN, […] Read more
CN bid for U.S. railway poses greater risk to competition, DOJ says
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — The U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday that Canadian National Railway’s bid for U.S. railway operator Kansas City Southern appears to pose greater risks to competition than a rival agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway. The development comes as KCS on Thursday accepted CN’s $33.6 billion acquisition offer, upending the $29 billion deal […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
