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* Indonesia President orders closure of illegal tin mines -Antara * Tin prices rise as much as 2.9% in London, 3.9% in Shanghai (Adds detail, comment from tin trading sources) By Tom Daly LONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters) – Tin prices rose to their highest in almost six months on Monday as reports of a crackdown on mining in key producer Indonesia sparked fears of supply shortage. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the closure of around 1,000 illegal tin mines in the key tin-producing region of Bangkia Belitung off the east coast of Sumatra, where mined tin was being smuggled out on small boats and ferries, state news agency Antara reported on Monday. "There are one thousand illegal mines in the region. Starting September 1, I ordered related parties to conduct a large-scale operation in Bangka Belitung, shutting down nearly 80% of the smuggled tin," Antara quoted Prabowo as saying. Two tin trading sources said the number of mines Prabowo referred to appeared to be incorrect or exaggerated. Nonetheless, benchmark three-month tin on the London Metal Exchange rose as much as 2.9% to $35,510 a metric ton, the highest since April 4. The metal, used in circuit-board soldering for products like mobile phones and in electric cars, was trading at $35,485 as of 1537 GMT. Meanwhile, in top metals consumer China, the most active tin contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange climbed as much as 3.9% to 283,000 yuan ($39,750) a ton in evening trading, the highest since April 3. Refined tin production in Indonesia fell to just under 50,000 tons in 2024, the lowest in more than 20 years, the International Tin Association said in May. Indonesian production accounted for around 13.5% of the global total of 371,200 tons last year. ($1 = 7.1194 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Tom Daly; additional reporting by Pratima Desai and Polina Devitt; Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Tasim Zahid and Leroy Leo)

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(Updates shares, adds details, statement from Ancora in paragraph 7, analyst comment in paragraph 8) By Nathan Gomes Sept 29 (Reuters) – CSX Corp has named veteran executive Steve Angel its CEO, replacing Joe Hinrichs, as the U.S. railroad operator fends off pressure from an activist investor against the backdrop of rapid consolidation in the industry. The company's shares rose about 3% in morning trading on Monday. Angel headed industrial gas firm Praxair, and became the CEO of the combined company in 2018 following its deal with Linde . He became the chair in 2022 after he stepped down from the CEO role. He plans to retire from Linde's board in January. Angel began his career at General Electric where he worked directly with the locomotive and rail operations. He held a variety of management positions for over 22 years at the U.S. industrial conglomerate. CSX has faced pressure from Ancora Holdings to pursue merger options or to replace Hinrichs. Ancora on Monday welcomed Angel's move to CSX and forecast that he would be ready to find another railroad to merge with. Since Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern's surprise $85 billion merger in the industry's largest-ever buyout, there has been mounting speculation about more big mergers, including one involving CSX. Easing antitrust concerns under the Trump administration have only added to the optimism. "The incoming CEO may position the rail more strategically, though don't expect this to suggest any near-term deal activity," said TD Cowen analyst Jason Seidl. CSX has said it was open to exploring all ways to boost the value of its stock. The company on Monday reiterated that it expects full-year volume growth. Toms Capital Investment Management also requested a meeting with the board at CSX in August after buying a stake. (Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala, Leroy Leo and Sriraj Kalluvila)

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* Talks taking place in Paris * Source says deal not imminent (Changes sourcing, adds bond reaction, context) By Duncan Miriri NAIROBI, Sept 29 (Reuters) – Ethiopia has entered formal talks with a group of investors in its $1 billion international bond on how to restructure the debt, a source with knowledge of the process told Reuters on Monday, confirming earlier news reports. The talks are taking place in Paris, the source said, confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg. An official at Ethiopia's finance ministry confirmed a government delegation had travelled to Paris, without providing more information. "There were some meetings scheduled with bondholders," the source said, adding that a readout of the talks could be provided later, but a deal was not imminent. Ethiopia's new central bank governor, Eyob Tekalign, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative of an ad hoc committee of bondholders also did not respond to requests for comment. PATH TO FORMAL TALKS Ethiopia's sole international bond rose by as much as 2.6 cents, to bid at 94.88 cents on the dollar, after news of the talks came out, Tradeweb data showed. The East African nation defaulted on the bond in late 2023 and opted to rework its debt under the G20's Common Framework initiative, which requires similar treatment of all debt owed to bilateral, Eurobond and other commercial creditors. The government has been engaging with bondholders on potential paths to restructuring for months. However, signing temporary non-disclosure agreements between bondholders and a borrowing government marks the start of a set period of formal talks, during which the two sides can potentially close a concrete deal and are restricted from discussing the negotiations with outside parties. The government formalised a restructuring deal with bilateral creditors in July, which the finance ministry said would provide cashflow relief of more than $3.5 billion, paving the way for talks with bondholders. DISPUTE OVER SOLVENCY STATUS But talks with bondholders have been beset by a dispute over whether the government faces a solvency issue – and needs investors to accept debt writedowns known as haircuts – or a liquidity issue, indicating a short-term cashflow problem that can be resolved without them. The government had proposed a 20% haircut, citing the International Monetary Fund's debt sustainability analysis. But a group of investors representing bondholders rejected the proposal, and have said that Ethiopia's export earnings data indicate a liquidity issue, which means the default could be managed by stretching the repayment period or other measures. Strong export earnings growth in recent months could support the bondholders' case, but the IMF has warned there are downside risks to balance of payments forecasts, mainly due to the potential for lower-than-expected aid flows and foreign direct investment. (Reporting by Duncan Miriri, editing by Karin Strohecker, Aidan Lewis)

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NEW YORK, Sept 29 (Reuters) – Ancora Holdings on Monday welcomed news that railroad operator CSX has replaced its chief executive officer and forecast the new chief would be ready to find another railroad to merge with. CSX's decision to replace CEO Joe Hinrichs with Steve Angel comes after the activist investor pressured the company to pursue a merger or find another leader. Ancora said last month that it would be ready to pursue a proxy fight to push for these changes. (Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss)

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Sept 29 (Reuters) – Zhongguancun Science-Tech Leasing Co Ltd: * TO BUY COMPUTERS FOR RMB36.8 MILLION Further company coverage:

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JERUSALEM, Sept 29 (Reuters) – Israel's parliament gave final approval on Monday to raise the country's 2025 budget deficit ceiling to 5.2% of gross domestic product from 4.9% due to the need to raise defence spending to be fund the war in Gaza. Lawmakers voted 55 to 50 to boost spending by an extra 31 billion shekels ($9.35 billion), a parliament spokesman said. ($1 = 3.3160 shekels) (Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Alison Williams)

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(Updates to add in paragraph 4 that hearing is virtual) * Robinson faces procedural hearing for defense counsel appointment * Prosecutors seek death penalty if Robinson is convicted * Kirk's assassination sparks political violence concerns and media fallout * Robinson allegedly confessed to murder in private texts * Trump targets left-wing groups after Kirk's assassination By Jim Urquhart and Steve Gorman PROVO, Utah, Sept 29 (Reuters) – The Utah trade school student charged with murdering right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was due back in court on Monday for a largely procedural hearing expected to formalize the appointment of his legal defense team. Tyler Robinson, 22, is accused of firing the single rifle shot from a rooftop sniper's perch that took Kirk's life on September 10 while Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was addressing a crowd on a university campus in Orem, Utah. Robinson, arrested after a 33-hour manhunt, has been jailed without bond on charges of aggravated murder and several other criminal offenses, and prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted. He has not entered a plea and will not do so on Monday, his second proceeding before Utah Fourth District Judge Tony Graf in Provo. Robinson will participate virtually from the Utah County jail. He made his initial court appearance in a live video feed from jail on September 16. Monday's hearing will focus on finalizing the appointment of Robinson's legal counsel, Kathryn Nester, a private criminal defense attorney based in Salt Lake City. The Utah County Commission has already approved Nester's contract, as required by state law. Nester may be required to affirm for the record that her team is qualified to handle capital murder cases, likely a perfunctory matter, according to Deputy County Attorney Christopher Ballard. "I suspect that Kathryn Nester would not have thrown her hat in the ring unless she met the qualifications," he said. The judge also may address procedures necessary to ensure that "information is flowing from the prosecution to the defense" as it should through the routine sharing of evidence known as discovery, Ballard said. The next major step in the case will be a preliminary hearing, where prosecutors must show the judge there is sufficient evidence to establish probable cause that the defendant committed the crimes with which he is charged. Assuming the prosecution succeeds, the judge would then set an arraignment for Robinson to enter a plea. Kirk's assassination, captured in graphic video clips that went viral on the internet, unleashed a wave of partisan finger-pointing and deepened fears about rising political violence. Fallout has included a national furor over comments about the killing by late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel, whose show was suspended for nearly a week under pressure from the head of the Federal Communications Commission and a boycott of the program by two major TV station groups. On Thursday, Trump signed a directive seeking to crack down on what he characterized as organized efforts by left-wing groups to commit or incite political violence, though no evidence has emerged connecting Robinson with any outside group. In their charging documents, prosecutors included electronic writings in which Robinson was alleged to have privately confessed to the murder in an exchange of texts with his live-in romantic partner. In it, Robinson allegedly said of Kirk, "I had enough of his hatred." (Reporting by Jim Urquhart in Provo, Utah; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Kim Coghill and Nick Zieminski)

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BLS: BLS WILL SUSPEND ALL OPERATIONS IN EVENT OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

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PARIS, Sept 29 (Reuters) – TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne said on Monday that the oil major had asked to extend its Namibia license to produce for longer and to extend its production plateau, but the company would see if it could take an investment decision on Namibia in the next six months. Pouyanne said Namibian authorities would like first oil by 2029, while the company, which has submitted its development plan, believed it was possible by 2030. (Reporting by America Hernandez; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by GV De Clercq)

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Sept 29 (Reuters) – Bookrunner: * BEAUTY TECH GROUP LTD IPO: BOOKS ARE COVERED, FURTHER GUIDANCE TO FOLLOW – BOOKRUNNER Further company coverage:

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