Australia
Syrah Resources well set to capitalize on new trends in post-coronavirus global graphite markets
Syrah Resources Ltd (ASX:SYR) could end up being one of the major beneficiaries of the economic transformations that are likely to take place in the post-coronavirus crisis world.
Major themes are already emerging: supply chains are likely to become increasingly localized, the electrification of the worlds vehicle fleet is set to gather pace, and markets in general are becoming more wary of the monopolistic tendencies of some countries as regards commodities.
With its graphite production in Mozambique Syrah covers all these bases and, as its shares are currently trading at a relatively lowly A$0.31, also offers investors an entry point to the future at a reasonable price.
But what exactly is possible here?
Well, for context, its worth noting that when the Australian graphite boom was in full swing Syrahs shares were trading at around 20 times higher than they are now. Back then though, there was a bubble mentality in the market and actualization of the companys plans was still some..

Syrah Resources Ltd (ASX:SYR) could end up being one of the major beneficiaries of the economic transformations that are likely to take place in the post-coronavirus crisis world.
Major themes are already emerging: supply chains are likely to become increasingly localized, the electrification of the worlds vehicle fleet is set to gather pace, and markets in general are becoming more wary of the monopolistic tendencies of some countries as regards commodities.
With its graphite production in Mozambique Syrah covers all these bases and, as its shares are currently trading at a relatively lowly A$0.31, also offers investors an entry point to the future at a reasonable price.
But what exactly is possible here?
Well, for context, its worth noting that when the Australian graphite boom was in full swing Syrahs shares were trading at around 20 times higher than they are now. Back then though, there was a bubble mentality in the market and actualization of the companys plans was still some way off.
This time round the market is in a fairly sober mood, following months of coronavirus-related lockdowns, but Syrah is now that much closer to becoming one of the worlds major players in anode graphite production.
Indeed, at the start of the year, as graphite prices stumbled, Syrah took the decision to cut back on production to some degree, in order to assist in balancing the market. Once youre taking decisions like that, you know youve reached a position of some relevance.
The questions now are: what will that market do next, and what will Syrah do next?
A key point of departure when it comes to answering both of these questions is to consider Syrahs ongoing expansion into upstream operations in the USA.
In 2019 the company sold of the order of 160,000 tonnes of natural graphite, of which around 120,000 tonnes of fines graphite went into the Chinese market, one of the biggest in the world.
That key market will remain in place for Syrah in the years ahead, but opening up America too puts the company much further up the value chain. Currently, 100% of anode precursor, the processed material that actually ends up being used in batteries, is produced in China. And 100% of coated precursor, the finished product, is produced in Asia.
But that is about to change.
“The aim,” says Syrahs Kristian Stella, “to become the first ex-China vertically integrated producer of finished anode material from natural graphite.”
The anodes in question are the negative electrodes of lithium ion batteries, which almost everyone expects to proliferate in the coming years. Vehicle sales as a whole took a hit during the coronavirus crisis, but it was notable that in the US Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) outsold everybody else. Meanwhile, charging infrastructure is increasingly being rolled out and, with the word just having reminded itself of what a major reduction of atmospheric emissions would feel like, there is plenty of positive sentiment around.
And unlike many companies around, Syrah is already well positioned to take advantage. In 2018 the company bought a site in Louisiana, where it subsequently produced unpurified spherical graphite and sent out a batch of samples to potential customers.
“The intent ultimately is to address the ex-Asia market,” says Stella.
“We initially established in the USA, but since that time European electric vehicle sales have gained momentum. So, we see the potential to export from the USARead More – Source
Australia
Saudi women in Sydney: Sisters’ bodies lay undiscovered for a month

Australian police are baffled after the bodies of two Saudi women, believed to have lain undiscovered for a month, were found in a Sydney apartment.
Sisters Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead on 7 June in separate beds at home in the suburb of Canterbury.
Police, who were called to the property for a welfare check, said the women are believed to have died in early May.
But despite “extensive inquiries”, they still do not know how or why.
The sisters moved to Australia from Saudi Arabia in 2017 and may have sought asylum, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Police refused to confirm this, saying they do not comment on residential status.
A human rights organisation said it should be established whether the women fled Saudi Arabia because of domestic violence or harsh laws governing women. However, there is no evidence this is the case.
Police said they had been in contact with the women’s family, which is assisting them with inquiries.
Lina al-Hathloul, head of monitoring and communications at Saudi human rights organisation ALQST, said it “would not be the first case” of Saudi women who were killed abroad after fleeing domestic violence.
“There are no protections for women who are victims of domestic violence in Saudi Arabia, so they flee abroad,” she told the BBC.
She added: “I’m not saying that is the case here, just that we need a thorough investigation. It is frustrating not to have any information.”
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, there had been signs that something was wrong.
Last year, the women told their building manager they thought someone was tampering with their food deliveries, the paper reported.
A plumber who visited the apartment also said he believed there was “something mysterious” going on, and that police had been called in the past over concerns for the women.
New South Wales Police issued a renewed plea to the public on Wednesday, saying “any piece of information” could be the key to solving this case.
The local community is close-knit, police said in a statement, asking anyone who may have known or seen the women to come forward.
A report from Australian current affairs programme Four Corners in 2019 found 80 Saudi women had tried to seek asylum in Australia in recent years. Many of them were fleeing male guardianship laws.
Read from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-62331116
Australia
Australia election: Why is Australia’s parliament so white?

Australia
Scott Morrison effectively ditches his promise to establish a federal anti-corruption commission

Scott Morrison has effectively abandoned his promise to establish a federal anti-corruption watchdog, confirming he would only proceed with legislation in the new parliament if Labor agreed to pass the Coalition’s heavily criticised proposal without amendments.
Morrison pledged before the 2019 election to legislate a federal integrity body in the parliamentary term that has just ended. The prime minister broke that promise, failing to introduce his own proposal before the 46th parliament was prorogued.
On the hustings on Wednesday, Morrison was asked – given his previous undertaking to create the body – whether he would promise to put his proposal to a vote in the next parliament in the event the Coalition won the 21 May election.
Morrison declined to make that promise. “Our position on this hasn’t changed,” the prime minister said. “Our view has been the same – when the Labor party is prepared to support that legislation in that form, then we will proceed with it.”
The prime minister has attempted to inoculate himself from criticism about breaking an election promise by saying he tabled the integrity commission proposal in the parliament.
Tabling an exposure draft, which is what the prime minister did, is not the same as introducing finished legislation to the House of Representatives or the Senate that is then debated and voted on.
As well as repeatedly fudging what happened in parliament, Morrison has also created the impression the proposal can only proceed if Labor agrees to its passage without amendments.
All governments routinely introduce legislation for debate without any undertaking that it will be passed by the opposition. Labor favours a stronger model than the Coalition’s proposal.
Morrison’s lack of urgency on the issue created tensions within government ranks. Late last year, the Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer crossed the floor to support independent MP Helen Haines’ bill to establish a federal integrity commission. Archer accused the government of “inertia” over the issue.
At that time, Archer said she was “perplexed” at her own government’s failure to release a revised bill almost three years after it was promised before the last election.
While Morrison clearly wants to move on from the issue, he will face renewed pressure from crossbench independents if the coming election is close enough to deliver a hung parliament.
A number of independents running against Liberals in metropolitan seats have made it clear that establishing a credible national integrity commission will be a key demand in the event any new government – Liberal or Labor – is seeking agreements for confidence and supply.
Haines blasted Morrison’s comments on Wednesday. “Mr Morrison broke an election promise to introduce an anti-corruption commission and his pathway to creating one is still as vague as it was in the last parliament,” she said.
The crossbench independent said it was “nonsense” for the prime minister to claim that he could not proceed unless Labor agreed with the Coalition’s proposal without seeking any amendments. “It would appear we are in the same void as we were before,” Haines said.
-
Australia3 years ago
Button and Diane Powellpark the school bus after three decades
-
Australia4 years ago
60th Annual Louth Cup 2018 | Photos
-
Australia4 years ago
A good attendance for planning ahead
-
Australia4 years ago
Severe, unusual weather likely to cause damage
-
Australia4 years ago
Ten ways to scrap plastic without breaking the bank
-
World4 years ago
Сhinese navy jets master daring night maneuvers on aircraft carrier (VIDEO)
-
World4 years ago
Know-how: Canadian hospital first to сure patients with virtual reality
-
fun5 years ago
Will Gompertz reviews Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton ★★★★★