The companies didn't disclose a possible sale price. According to a person familiar with the matter, any deal could value U.K.-based Interactive Investor at around GBP1.5 billion, equivalent to $2 billion. The companies are still discussing terms, and the talks could collapse without an agreement.

Blackstone to Invest Up to $250 Million in Autolus Therapeutics of U.K.

Blackstone Inc. is investing as much as $250 million in U.K. biotechnology company Autolus Therapeutics PLC to fund the final stages of development of a new therapy to treat a serious form of leukemia, the companies said.

Of the total investment, as much as $150 million will support the development and commercialization of obecabtagene autoleucel, a cell therapy that targets a condition called acute lymphoblastic leukemia. London-based Autolus will receive $50 million of that upfront, with the rest to be paid as the company achieves certain milestones. In return, Blackstone's life-sciences unit will receive a portion of the therapy's royalties.

Iraq's Prime Minister Targeted in Assassination Attempt

BAGHDAD-An explosives-laden drone attacked the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in Baghdad early Sunday in what Iraqi security officials said was an assassination attempt, marking an escalation of tensions between the country's government and Iran-backed militia groups.

Mr. Kadhimi, who addressed the nation on television shortly after the attack, said he wasn't hurt. The attack followed threats against Mr. Kadhimi from an Iran-backed militia leader, though the armed groups denied responsibility and no one immediately claimed the attack.

Rebels Advance Toward Capital As Ethiopia Moves Deeper Into War

Ethiopian rebel forces advanced toward the country's capital, threatening to widen a civil war raging in Africa's second-most populous nation marked by allegations of ethnically motivated atrocities and man-made famine.

Fighters from the Tigray People's Liberation Front and allied militias in recent days have captured two strategic towns about 230 miles from Addis Ababa, expanding a conflict that for the past year had largely been confined to Ethiopia's north.

Elon Musk's Twitter Poll Results Favor Tesla Stock Sale

Twitter users said Elon Musk should sell 10% of his Tesla Inc. stock, a stake valued at about $21 billion, after the chief executive polled them and pledged to abide by the outcome of the vote.

Voters backed the share sale by a wide margin, with roughly 58% in favor of a sale and 42% opposed, according to the polling data posted on Twitter. More than 3.5 million votes were cast.

Write to paul.larkins@dowjones.com


 
  COP26 ROUNDUP ############### ############### 

Business Is the Game-Changer at COP26 in Glasgow

The 2015 Paris climate conference mostly involved governments pushing businesses to cut emissions. In Glasgow, businesses are the ones pushing governments to act.

From a low base, expectations for the COP26 summit that kicked off this week have been boosted by a flurry of promises. While skeptics grumbled that some were recycled commitments, by Friday the International Energy Agency said that, if delivered, the updated pledges would likely limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius-the first time it has fallen below that benchmark. New national commitments from China and India were central to the new IEA analysis, even if they disappointed some.

Government negotiations continue, yet the real game-changer has arguably been corporate muscle. "The story of this COP is that the private sector has stepped up," said Carol Browner, a lawyer at Covington and former director of the White House office of energy and climate change policy for former President Barack Obama. She stressed the role of the financial sector in particular.

COP26 Negotiators Turn to Plan B as Climate Pledges Fall Short

GLASGOW-After a week of climate talks here at the COP26 summit, negotiators are grappling with a fundamental math problem: The commitments governments have collectively made to slash greenhouse gas emissions don't add up to what scientists think is needed to avoid the most destructive effects of global warming.

Addressing that shortcoming is one of the main tasks of the summit's second week. Negotiators from key governments, including the U.S. and the European Union, are no longer banking on a few big developing countries to come up with deeper cuts during the summit itself, according to officials. Instead, they plan to spend the rest of the conference negotiating how to push governments to make new, more ambitious pledges in the near future.

COP26 Protesters in Glasgow Push for Action From Leaders

GLASGOW-Protesters in the tens of thousands braved rain and gusts to march through Glasgow, host of a United Nations climate summit, part of what organizers said would be a coordinated global demonstration pushing for more action from governments to curb global warming.

Police had blocked off swaths of the city, and organizers said by late afternoon the march and rally drew some 100,000 participants, in a city with a population of about 600,000.

Electric-Vehicle Charging Stations Win Jolt of Energy in Congress

The roughly $1 trillion infrastructure package passed by Congress on Friday provides a spark to efforts to build a national network of electric-vehicle charging stations.

The bipartisan measure touches on nearly every aspect of the electric-vehicle industry and eclipses previous efforts in the U.S. It also includes funding to help transform the nation's aging electric grid by upgrading high-voltage transmission lines and other infrastructure set to become even more crucial as the country electrifies more of its transportation system.

It directs $5 billion to expanding electric-vehicle highway charging, which once in place would let drivers take longer road trips without the fear of running out of power. Proponents consider long-distance charging networks a critical missing ingredient for wider adoption of EVs.

Wind Manufacturers Blown Off Course

Wind turbine makers continue to struggle due to supply-chain woes and uncertainty over the future of federal tax credits, so much so that analysts are projecting slowing growth for U.S. wind power next year.

Despite strong demand amid a shift toward renewable power, many companies are having a hard time delivering turbines on budget and on schedule due to shipping delays, rising steel costs and other problems.

Shares of Vestas Wind Systems A/S fell 18% on Wednesday after the turbine maker said supply-chain problems would slice into margins. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA said on Friday that it expects shortages and bottlenecks to extend into next year and have an impact on operations. Its shares dipped 3% on Friday and were down 20% for the week.

Expected Major Events for Monday

00:01/UK: Oct UK Regional PMI

06:45/SWI: Oct Unemployment

07:00/FIN: Sep Foreign trade

07:00/NOR: Sep Industrial Production Index

08:00/CZE: Oct Unemployment data

08:00/CZE: Sep External trade

08:00/CZE: Sep Industry, Construction

08:00/HUN: Sep Preliminary External Trade

10:00/MLT: Sep Industrial Production Index

10:00/LUX: Oct CPI

11:00/IRL: Sep Industrial Production and Turnover

All times in GMT. Powered by Kantar Media and Dow Jones.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

11-08-21 0030ET