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☆ JD Sports to buy U.S. rival Hibbett in $1.08 billion sportswear retail deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

(Photo by May James/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)JD Sports Fashion has proposed to buy American athletic fashion retailer Hibbett Inc for about $1.08 billion, the companies said on Tuesday, as Britain's biggest sportswear retailer looks to expand across the southeastern U.S. The deal comes as shares in athletic clothing retailers come under pressure globally after weak outlooks from sports apparel makers such as Nike and Puma. It will pay $87.50 per Hibbett share in cash, representing a premium of about 20% to the U.S. firm's last closing price. JD Sports shares, which have fallen more than 20% so far this year, were up 6% by 0900 GMT. The deal is expected to add to the British firm's earnings in the first full year of ownership, with cost savings expected to be at least $25 million, JD said.

Persons: May James, Foot Locker, Dominic Platt, JD Organizations: UNITED, Getty, Hibbett Inc, Nike, Puma, Adidas, JD Sports, Paris Olympics Locations: UNITED KINGDOM, England, premarket U.S, U.S, North America, Bury, Greater Manchester

In this photo illustration, an emergency alert is displayed from the national Emergency Broadcast System warning of an earthquake in the area on April 5, 2024 in New York City. Earthquakes of Friday's magnitude are relatively rare in the northeastern U.S., and the intensity and duration of Friday's quake startled people across the region. The National Tsunami Warning Center said there was no danger of a tsunami on the East Coast after the quake. The USGS said there was a 46% likelihood of another earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater in the next week. The Federal Aviation Administration inspected runways at the three major airports in New York City and Newark, New Jersey.

Persons: @NYSE, CNBC's Carl Quintanilla, X Organizations: . Geological Survey, Earthquakes, New York Stock Exchange, State, Tsunami Warning, Federal Aviation Administration, Newark Liberty International, United Airlines Locations: New York City, Allentown , Pennsylvania, Whitehouse, New Jersey, Boston, Baltimore, U.S, New York, Manhattan, East Coast, Newark , New Jersey, Newark, JFK, LaGuardia, Philadelphia

☆ The Dali Is a Big Ship. But Not the Biggest.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Ella Koeze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Empire State Building Approximate width 1,454 feet long MSC Irina Biggest container ship in the world 200 feet wide 24,346 containers 1,312 feet Ever Max Biggest container ship to sail into Baltimore 167 feet 15,432 containers 1,201 feet Eiffel Tower 410 feet 1,083 feet Dali 157 feet 9,971 containers 984 feet Container ship of the 1970s ~2,500 containers 66 feet 705 feet Football field Shapes are approximate. 160 feet 360 feet Empire State Building Approximate width 1,454 feet long MSC Irina Biggest container ship in the world 24,346 containers 200 feet wide 1,312 feet Ever Max Biggest container ship to sail in the Port of Baltimore 15,432 containers 167 feet 1,201 feet Eiffel Tower 410 feet 1,083 feet Dali 157 feet 9,971 containers 984 feet Container ship of the 1970s ~2,500 containers 66 feet 705 feet Football field Shapes are approximate. 160 feet 360 feet 1,454 ft. 1,312 ft. 1,201 ft. 1,083 ft. 984 ft. 24,346 containers 705 ft. 15,432 containers 9,971 containers ~2,500 containers 360 ft. 66 ft. 200 ft. 167 ft. 410 ft. 157 ft. 160 ft. Approximate width Empire State Building MSC Irina Biggest container ship in the world Ever Max Biggest container ship to sail into Baltimore Eiffel Tower Dali Container ship of the 1970s Football field Sources: “The Geography of Transport Systems,” by Jean-Paul Rodrigue; VesselFinder; the Empire State Building; the Eiffel Tower; ShipHub; Maryland Port Administration Note: Widths shown are for the widest point for each ship.

Persons: Dali, Jean, Paul Rodrigue, Francis Scott Key, Theo Notteboom, Athanasios Pallis, ”, Rodrigue, “ Organizations: ., Eiffel, Transport Systems, Empire, Francis Scott Key Bridge, Container, Port Economics, Management, Eastern Seaboard, Texas, M University, Galveston, Baltimore . Locations: Baltimore, Port, ShipHub, Maryland, Panama, Eastern U.S, Suez

☆ Lack of Snow Prompts Cancellation of Longest Sled Dog Race in Eastern U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Rebecca Carballo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Jonathan Hayes woke up at 5 a.m. in rural Maine to feed his 20-some dogs Monday morning, and his heart sank when he learned that the sled race they had been training for since the fall was canceled. The Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Race, the longest sled-dog race in the Eastern United States, will be canceled because of a lack of snow for the first time since the race’s inception more than three decades ago, event organizers said. The news came as a blow to the mushers who spent long hours training to prepare for the event, which was to be held from March 1 to March 5 in Fort Kent, Maine, which borders Canada. Mr. Hayes, a high school biology teacher, had spent hours training with his dogs after his family went to bed. “I’ve been pushing myself training and conditioning for the last six months for something that just got canceled,” Mr. Hayes said.

Persons: Jonathan Hayes, Hayes, “ I’ve, Mr, “ Organizations: Eastern Locations: Maine, Eastern United States, Fort Kent , Maine, Canada

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The number of western monarch butterflies overwintering in California dropped by 30% last year, likely due to how wet it was, researchers said Tuesday. Volunteers who visited sites in California and Arizona around Thanksgiving tallied more than 230,000 butterflies, compared to 330,000 in 2022, according to the Xerces Society, an environmental nonprofit that focuses on the conservation of invertebrates. Scientists say the butterflies are at critically low levels in western states because of destruction to their milkweed habitat along their migratory route due to housing construction and the increased use of pesticides and herbicides. On the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, another monarch population travels from southern Canada and the northeastern United States to central Mexico. Scientists estimate that the monarch population in the eastern U.S. has fallen by about 80% since the mid-1990s, but the drop-off in the western U.S. has been even steeper.

Persons: Emma Pelton Organizations: FRANCISCO, Volunteers, Xerces Society Locations: California, Arizona, Pacific Northwest, Rocky, Canada, United States, Mexico, U.S

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Federal wildlife officials announced Wednesday they will consider adding 10 new species to the Endangered Species Act, including a big bumble bee that serves as a key pollinator across the United States. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said they had completed 90-day reviews of petitions to add the species to the list and determined that listing may be warranted. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2022 to include the bee on the Endangered Species List. The agency included Eastern hellbenders who live in Missouri on the Endangered Species List in 2021. More than 1,300 species are listed as either endangered or threatened in the U.S. under the Endangered Species Act.

Persons: It's Organizations: Fish, Wildlife Service, Biological Diversity, U.S . Fish, Lockes, Lockes Wildlife Management, West Virginia . Locations: MADISON, Wis, United States, U.S, Southern, Midwest, Texas, North Dakota, Florida, Queens, Oklahoma, Alabama and Mississippi, Borneo, North Carolina, Lockes Wildlife, Nye County , Nevada, Arizona, Kentucky , Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, West Virginia . U.S, Eastern, Missouri

☆ East Coast prepares for major storm bringing high winds and torrential rain
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-16 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Cities across the eastern U.S. are preparing for a major storm system that will damper weekend plans when it brings torrential rain, high winds and severe thunderstorms to the East Coast. On Sunday, torrential rain is expected for nearly the entire state of Florida. Severe thunderstorms that could bring isolated nocturnal tornadoes in parts of the state, including Tampa and Orlando, are also possible. Heavy rain and strong winds are expected on the Mid-Atlanta coast. The NWS warned, however, that conditions will begin to deteriorate late Sunday into Monday when the storm "brings drenching precipitation and gusty winds to southern New England."

Persons: Kathy Hochul Organizations: Weather Channel, Florida, & Light Company, National Weather Service, Brooklyn, NWS, The New York State Division of Homeland Security, Emergency Services, Boston Locations: U.S, East Coast, Gulf, Mexico, Florida, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, New York, Queens, Long, Connecticut, New London County, Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester, Hudson, Capital, Boston, New England

☆ How Wall Street’s Biggest Forest-Carbon Wager Is Starting to Pay Off
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Ryan Dezember | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Big timber companies have entered the offset market previously dominated by nonprofits, land trusts, tribes and timberland investment managers. Photo: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for For The Wall Street JournalInvestors who made one of the biggest timberland purchases in years with plans to make carbon deals said they sold more than $100 million of so-called forest offsets during the gambit’s first year. Aurora Sustainable Lands, created to carry out the biggest wager yet on forest-carbon markets, said it expects its 1.7 million acres of eastern U.S. forest to annually yield additional offsets worth between $60 million and $150 million at current prices. Aurora paid about $1.8 billion for the properties last year.

Persons: Amanda Andrade, Rhoades Organizations: Street, Aurora Sustainable Lands, Aurora Locations: Aurora, U.S

☆ Protester self-immolates outside Israeli consulate in Atlanta
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, after a temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas expired, as seen from southern Israel, December 2, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko Acquire Licensing RightsDec 1 (Reuters) - A protester with a Palestinian flag self-immolated on Friday outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, authorities said. The protester arrived around 12:17 p.m. at the office building, which houses the consulate as well as several businesses, and used gasoline, police said. Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas after the militant group attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. More than 15,000 Gazans have been killed during Israel's assault, Palestinian officials say, which has destroyed much of the enclave.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Darin Schierbaum, Anat Sultan, Israel, Joseph Ax, Kanishka Singh, Jonathan Allen, Matt Spetalnick, Daniel Wallis, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Palestinian, Police, ABC News, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Atlanta, U.S

[1/5] Passengers make their way through the terminal as they travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, U.S., November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - Millions of Americans headed to the homes of friends and family on Wednesday, the day before the Thanksgiving holiday, on the busiest travel day since the pandemic, undeterred by a sprawling East Coast storm system that disrupted some flights and slowed traffic. Industry group Airlines for America forecast U.S. airlines would carry some 29.9 million passengers between Nov. 17 and Nov. 27. That figure would be an all-time high, 9% higher than last year and up 1.7 million passengers from the levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Out West, a snowstorm in the northern and central Rocky Mountains and adjacent High Plans will likely affect Thanksgiving travel from Wednesday night through Friday, the weather service said.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Hopper, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Trotta, Joseph Ax, Miral Fahmy, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Washington Dulles International, REUTERS, Industry, Airlines, America, U.S . Transportation Security Administration, American Automobile Association, AAA, National Weather Service, Thomson Locations: Dulles , Virginia, U.S, East, COVID, Carolinas, Atlantic, New England, New Hampshire, Rocky

On Tuesday, 2.6 million passengers were screened at airport security checkpoints, the highest ever for a Tuesday before Thanksgiving, according to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration. [1/10]People go to their flight gates ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. November 22, 2023. The two major airports in Houston, Texas were expecting to shatter their record of air travelers from Nov. 16-28. Some 2.4 million people were expected to fly through Houston, up 11% from that period in 2022, the airports' management said. Out West, a snowstorm in the northern and central Rocky Mountains and adjacent High Plans will likely affect Thanksgiving travel from Wednesday night through Friday, the weather service said.

Persons: Mike Arnot, Vincent Alban Acquire, COVID, Hopper, Daniel Trotta, Allison Lampert, Joseph Ax, Gabriella Borter, Miral Fahmy, Jonathan Oatis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: National Weather Service, Airlines for America, U.S . Transportation Security Administration, Ontario . Buffalo Niagara International, O’Hare, REUTERS, American Automobile Association, AAA, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, Canada, Niagara Falls, New York, Ontario, Chicago , Illinois, Houston , Texas, Houston, New England, New Hampshire, Rocky

Heavy rain and snow that could snarl morning travel in parts of the Eastern United States on Wednesday were expected to end by the afternoon and give way to a placid Thanksgiving for much of the nation, forecasters said. A storm that began late Monday and continued overnight Tuesday was expected to leave up to three inches of rain in some areas from the Gulf Coast through the Mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast. Snowfall of up to six inches was possible in parts of New Hampshire and northern Maine, according to the National Weather Service, which would create what the forecasters called a “white Thanksgiving.”

Persons: ” Organizations: Eastern, National Weather Service Locations: Eastern United States, Gulf, New Hampshire, Maine

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Wind energy developer Orsted is writing off $4 billion, due largely to the cancellation of two large offshore wind projects in New Jersey whose financial challenges mirror those facing the nascent industry. Some projects already have been canceled, and many offshore wind developers are seeking better terms from governments with whom they have already contracted. Despite the challenges, some wind projects are moving forward. Orsted said it is proceeding with its Revolution Wind project in Connecticut and Rhode Island. And New Jersey still has several other offshore wind projects in various stages of development, with four new proposals submitted in August alone.

Persons: ” Mads Nipper, “, ”, Louis Knight, Biden, Jeff Van Drew, “ David, Goliath, Robin Shaffer, Orsted, ___, Wayne Parry Organizations: CITY, New, Orsted, Northern, World Meteorological Organization, Sierra Club, “, U.S, Government, Office, Republican, Dominion Energy, Virginia Beach, American Clean Power Association, Oceantic Network, Shell, EDF Renewables, Atlantic Locations: N.J, New Jersey, Danish, U.S, New England, Carolinas, New York, Coast NJ, Connecticut, Rhode, Virginia, Atlantic Shores, EDF Renewables North America, www.twitter.com

☆ Deutsche Bank downgrades three solar stocks as industry demand weakens in the U.S. and Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Softening demand means that investors should consider pivoting away from solar stocks, according to Deutsche Bank. The firm downgraded three solar names to hold from buy: SolarEdge , Sunrun and Sunnova . Deutsche lowered the price target for SolarEdge to $150 — implying a 32% potential upside from the stock's closing price Thursday — from $300. Those comments, along with SolarEdge cutting its third-quarter revenue guidance, put pressure on the broader solar sector. Earnings season for the solar industry kicks off with Sunnova reporting results on Oct. 25.

Persons: Deutsche, Sunnova, SolarEdge, Sunrun, Corinne Blanchard, whittle, Blanchard, there's, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Deutsche Bank, NOVA, Bloomberg Locations: U.S, Northeastern U.S, Southern, China

☆ How El Niño will affect the weather this winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Vehicles drive on the flooded Freeway 5 after an El Niño-strengthened storm brought rain to Los Angeles on Jan. 6, 2016. Lucy Nicholson | ReutersThe El Niño weather pattern is still active heading into the winter this year and it will mean the northern and far west portions of the U.S. will have a warmer-than-usual winter. El Niño, meaning "little boy" in Spanish, and La Niña, meaning "little girl" in Spanish, are opposite weather patterns driven by a change in the trade winds in the Pacific Ocean. This is the first time in four years that El Niño has been active as winter begins, according to the NOAA. While El Niño rains will alleviate ongoing droughts in some regions, it may also drive the development of drought conditions in the Pacific Northwest.

Persons: El, Lucy Nicholson, El Niño, Jon Gottschalck, Brad Pugh, Pugh Organizations: National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Rockies Locations: Los Angeles, El, U.S, Alaska, Pacific Northwest, New England, Gulf, Mississippi, Great Lakes, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It’s been 15 years since the world’s elite gas balloon pilots have gathered in the United States for a race with roots that stretch back more than a century. Their ballooning résumé includes four wins in the America's Challenge long-distance gas balloon race, and third- and fourth-place finishes in previous Gordon Bennett competitions. Unlike the colorful hot air balloons that ascend en masse during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta by using heated ambient air, gas balloons have an envelope filled with a gas lighter than air — usually hydrogen. He recalled the Gordon Bennett competition that occurred after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The gas balloons were the only things in the sky as planes were still grounded.

Persons: — It’s, Gordon Bennett, They're, Willi Eimers, Benjamin, Albuquerque balloonists Barbara Fricke, Peter Cuneo, Fricke, Cuneo, “ You've, ” Fricke, Mark Sullivan, Cheri White, Sullivan, White, Jacques Soukup, ” Sullivan, “, We’re, let’s, ” Organizations: U.S, FAI, Pilots Locations: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M, United States, New Mexico, Albuquerque, U.S, Canada, Belgium, West Texas, Belarus

☆ How to Catch Golfers Who Pad Their Handicaps
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Daniel Mcginn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The head pro at a country club in the southeastern U.S. faced a problem. In 2021, a golfer was piling up wins in the club’s tournaments—mostly due to his suspiciously high handicap. In golf, a player’s handicap represents the number of strokes they are expected to score above or below a course’s par score during an above-average round.

Locations: U.S

☆ Republicans Divided Over Ukraine Aid Ahead of Zelensky Visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

How Cuba Fits Into China’s Global Eavesdropping StrategyChina is using bases in Cuba to monitor communications and gather intelligence throughout the southeastern U.S, a practice known as signals intelligence. Here’s the technology involved, and what the U.S. is doing to defend itself. Illustration: Adam Adada