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☆ ‘I’ll Be Strong for You.’ A Former Hostage Awaits Her Husband’s Release.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Nadav Gavrielov | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Hamas released video last month of Keith Siegel, an American-Israeli hostage held in Gaza, it was the first sign in months that he was still alive. Ms. Siegel, 63, was held captive with her husband until late November, when she was one of 105 hostages released as part of a cease-fire deal. They were taken from their home at Kibbutz Kfar Azza on Oct. 7 during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel. Nearly eight months into the war, the families of hostages have grown increasingly alarmed. Mr. Siegel, who is 65, has a medical condition, and Israeli soldiers have recently recovered the remains of several hostages in Gaza.

Persons: Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, couldn’t, Ms, Siegel, António Guterres, Mr, ”, “ Organizations: United Nations, Kibbutz Kfar Locations: American, Gaza, New York, Kibbutz Kfar Azza, Israel, Qatar, Egypt, United States

☆ Keith Siegel: American-Israeli hostage appears in Hamas video for first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Lauren Izso | Eyad Kourdi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Hamas on Saturday published a video of two hostages, American-Israeli Keith Siegel and Israeli Omri Miran. In the video, Siegel, who appears to be speaking under duress, pleads for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate a hostage release deal with Hamas. This is the first video released of Siegel since he was kidnapped by Hamas alongside his wife from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7. Former Hamas hostage Aviva Siegel wears a T-shirt showing a her husband Keith during her visit to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on February 28, 2024. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty ImagesThis is the second hostage video released by Hamas in recent days.

Persons: Keith Siegel, Omri Miran, Siegel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Miran, “, Aviva Siegel, Keith, Fabrice Coffrini, Hersh Goldberg, Polin, Goldberg, “ Keith, ”, Ilan, Israel Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Minister’s, UN Human Rights, Nova, Hostages Families, Aviva, Independence Locations: Kfar Aza, Israeli, Geneva, AFP, Israel, Egypt, Gaza

☆ British billionaire Joe Lewis fined $5 million by U.S. judge for insider trading
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

British billionaire and former owner of the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Joe Lewis arrives at federal court for his sentencing in an insider trading case on April 4, 2024, in New York City. U.S. District Judge Jessica Clarke in Manhattan sentenced Lewis, who pleaded guilty in January to one count of conspiracy and two counts of securities fraud. Lewis in January entered a plea deal with prosecutors agreeing to a $50 million fine of his Bahamas company, Broad Bay. Under the agreement, Lewis' fine will be included in the total. Lewis has since remained in the country, posting $300 million bail secured by his yacht and a private aircraft.

Persons: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Joe Lewis, Lewis, Joe Lewis, Jessica Clarke, Mr, Mark Herr, Prosecutors, Boxer Capital, Patrick O'Connor, Bryan Waugh Organizations: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, US, Office, Southern, of New York, Tavistock Group, Aviva, London's Tottenham Hotspur, Boxer, Forbes, Prosecutors, Mirati Therapeutics, Boxer Capital, Tango Therapeutics Locations: New York City, U.S, Manhattan, London's, Bahamas, Broad Bay, London, New York

Banners at the protests called on the Prime Minister to resign and for Israel to hold new elections. Thousands gathered in Jerusalem on Sunday to call for Netanyahu to step down. “They stood outside the Kirya (the Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv), screamed their souls out, and nobody heard. Sunday’s demonstration outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem was dispersed by force, but protesters appear to be readying themselves for more protests. The US and Israel are set to hold a virtual meeting on Rafah today, a US official told CNN.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, “ You’ve, ”, Ilan Rosenberg, Ronen Zvulun, Israel, Aviva Siegel, ” Siegel, Yair Lapid, “, ” Lapid, Israel papered, Benny Gantz, CNN’s Xiaofei Xu, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Gul Tuysuz, Arlette Saenz Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Hamas, Reuters Police, Aviva, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, Israel’s, Israeli Locations: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, United States, Washington, Rafah, Gaza’s, Egypt

☆ Israel’s repudiation of a deal with Hamas draws fury from hostages’ families
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Survivors of the October 7 terror attack and the families of hostages were furious at the uncompromising repudiation of a deal that – ultimately – could have resulted in the return of all the remaining hostages in Gaza. Moshe’s words carried power – she was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz and held hostage in Gaza for seven weeks. The families of the hostages held in Gaza have emerged as a leading voice and they attract huge support among Israelis. Protesters demand a hostage deal amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 1, 2024. These anti-government protests are still strictly separate from the hostage families’ events, which tend to take place just down the road at what has become known as the Hostage Plaza.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ” Netanyahu, –, Adina Moshe, Netanyahu, Sahar Kalderon, Aviva Siegel, Nili Margalit, Sharon Aloni Cunio, Susana Vera, I’m, ” Moshe, Nir Oz, David, Sa’id, Moshe, Lital Shochat, Shochat, ‘, Shochat Chertow, Shiva, ”, Doron Shabtai, Shabtai, Ivana Kottasova, Yair Lapid, ” “, Bibi ”, Evyatar Cohen, … Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv CNN, State, Wednesday, Reuters, Protesters, Israel Democracy HQ, Hamas, CNN, Israeli, Yesh Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, Sderot, Jerusalem, Israel’s, Lebanon

☆ Gaza endgame: Inching toward a deal to end the war
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Elliott Gotkine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

On Monday Axios reported Israel had proposed a two-month truce in exchange for the release of all the 100-plus hostages still held in Gaza. The sticking point there appears to be that Hamas wants a “package deal” which would include a second-phase agreement to end the war. For now, though, such talk remains moot, with an Israeli official telling CNN there’s no concrete deal on the table. “But at the same time we can’t gamble on the future of Israel [by leaving Hamas in control of Gaza]. Any deal Israel is looking to seal, says Ziv, would be more likely to come into effect once the Khan Younis operation is complete.

Persons: Ofer Shelah, Axios, Israel, David Barnea, Yahya, Shelah, ”, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Thani, Antony Blinken, it’s, wouldn’t, Yasser Arafat, Israel doesn’t, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Aviva Siegel, Netanyahu, Israel Ziv, there’s, ” Ziv, Khan Younis, Ziv, There’s, Israel’s, Gadi, “ Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, Street Journal, Reuters, Qatari, ’, Israel, Israel Democracy Institute Locations: Gaza, Israel, Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Beirut, Tunis, United States, “ Israel

☆ British billionaire Joe Lewis pleads guilty to U.S. insider trading charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

British billionaire Joe Lewis pleaded guilty to U.S. insider trading charges on Wednesday, and apologized to a judge for his conduct. Lewis, 86, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and two counts of securities fraud, as part of an agreement with the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. Addressing U.S. District Judge Jessica Clarke, Lewis said he knew at the time that what he was doing was wrong. Lewis was charged by federal prosecutors with 16 counts of securities fraud and three counts of conspiracy, for alleged crimes spanning from 2013 to 2021. While Lewis will not plead guilty to the other counts under the terms of his deal, Clarke said she may consider them for sentencing purposes.

Persons: Joe Lewis, David Zorno, Valerie Figueredo, Lewis, David Zornow, Jessica Clarke, Patrick O'Connor, Bryan Waugh, Clarke, Damian Williams Organizations: U.S, Tottenham Hotspur, Tavistock Group, Forbes, Aviva, Prosecutors, Mirati Therapeutics, BCTG, Tango Therapeutics, Manhattan U.S Locations: Manhattan, New York City, United States, New York , Florida, Georgia, Mirati

The first video, released Sunday, showed clips of the three hostages – Noa Argamani, Itai Svirsky and another man, whose family have requested his name be withheld - speaking to a camera. The third video, released later Monday, appeared to show the dead bodies of two of the hostages, Itai Svirsky and the other man. ‘Please know that I love you very much’Hamas and other groups took around 240 hostages into Gaza on October 7. Argamani was seen in a video, released by Hamas at the time, being dragged away on a motorbike. According to his family, one of the hostages released in November contacted his sister to let her know he was alive after memorizing her phone number.

Persons: CNN — Israel, ”, Yoav Gallant, – Noa Argamani, Itai Svirsky, Noa Argamani, Argamani, Daniel Hagari, ” Hagari, “, ” Naama Weinberg, Manu Fernandez, Avinatan, Leora, “ Noa, ” Svirsky, Be’eri, Orit, Rafi – Svirsky’s, –, Aviva Sela, Grace Cabrera, Svirsky Organizations: CNN, Monday, Israeli, Hamas, IDF, Nova, Aviva Locations: Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv

☆ ‘Nothing is moving:’ Families’ anger grows in Israel as hostages mark 100 days in Hamas captivity
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

A hostage release deal agreed between Israel and Hamas in late November ended after six days, with more than 100 freed. Others are angry at what they see as a failure by the Red Cross to help them. Cohen accused the Red Cross of failing in its mission to protect civilians. He was also critical of the Red Cross, which he accused of failing in its mission to protect civilians. “The countries that support the Red Cross should turn off the tap and tell them there’s no more money,” he said Monday.

Persons: There’s, It’s, ” Naama Weinberg, Itai Svirsky, Be’eri, ” Weinberg, “, Itai, Orit, Rafi – Itai’s, Aviva Sela, Grace Cabrera, Weinberg, Dror Weinberg Almog, ”, Saleh, Lianne Kolirin, Svirsky’s, Israel’s, Yahya Sinwar, they’ll, Shai Wenkert, Omer, Ilia Yefimovich, Wenkert, Echoing Weinberg, Benjamin Netanyahu, Clodagh Kilcoyne, Reuters Wenkert, Cross, “ Omer, Kfir Bibas, Bresler, Noa Argamani, ” Bresler, ” Moshe Cohen, Cohen, ’, Moshe Cohen, Argamani, She’s Organizations: CNN, Aviva, IDF, Hamas, Nova, Forum, Reuters, International Committee, Hostage, Nvidia, Ministry of Health, ICRC Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv’s, Lebanon, Arouri, Gaza, Tel Aviv's, Bresler, South America, Mexico, Geneva, Switzerland

For years, the school psychologist has been active in Muslim-Jewish interfaith dialogue, but the Israel-Hamas war left her reeling. These conversations are becoming increasingly difficult, with the war and its polarizing reverberations in America testing and straining some interfaith relationships more than ever. “We’re very courageous, you and I, because we don’t stop talking,” Seltzer told Quaizar. The Kaufman Interfaith Institute held a meeting that highlighted the challenges ahead, said Fred Stella, who is a member of the organization’s advisory board. At the Sisterhood conference, Quaizar said communicating with Jewish members has helped her through her anger.

Persons: Shireen Quaizar, ”, Quaizar, Aviva Seltzer, ” Seltzer, ” Quaizar nodded, “ We’re, Atiya Aftab, Roberta Elliott, who’s, ” They’ve, ” Aftab, She’s, she’s, Elliott, ’, “ We’ve, we’ve, Aftab, “, ” Andrea Hodos, we’re, Fred Stella, they’ve, there’s, ” Hodos, — Rawda Elbatrawish, Liora Pelavin, Jewish —, Elbatrawish, Pelavin —, who's, —, Seltzer Organizations: Aviva, ”, Los, Kaufman Interfaith Institute, ” Interfaith, Jewish, Israel Defense Forces, Sisterhood, “, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Israel, New Brunswick , New Jersey, Salaam Shalom, America, Los Angeles, Teaneck , New Jersey, Egypt

☆ UK's FTSE 100 lags regional peers as banks, insurers fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Shashwat Chauhan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index dipped 0.1%, while the pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) rose 0.5%. The life insurance sector (.FTNMX303010) fell 0.4%, with Prudential (PRU.L) slipping 0.7% after Deutsche Bank reduced its price target on the stock. Banks (.FTNMX301010) slipped 1.7% following a 2.3% fall in HSBC (HSBA.L), which was the biggest weight on the FTSE 100. Among individual stocks Halfords Group (HFD.L) plunged 21.1% after the bicycles-to-car parts retailer narrowed its annual profit forecast range. Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann Thoppil and Eileen SorengOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Toby Melville, Andrew Bailey, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey, Eddie Cheng, Banks, Shashwat Chauhan, Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Eileen Soreng Organizations: London Stock Exchange Group, REUTERS, Aviva, Bank of England, Prudential, Deutsche Bank, U.S . Federal Reserve, Allspring Global Investments, HSBC, Halfords, Thomson Locations: City, London, Britain, Europe, United States, Bengaluru

☆ 'Vote of confidence': UK hails $37 billion of foreign investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Australian funds IFM Investors and Aware Super will pump 10 billion pounds and 5 billion pounds, respectively, into projects ranging from infrastructure and energy transition to affordable housing, Sunak's Downing Street office said in a statement. It added that Spanish power giant Iberdrola (IBE.MC) would add 7 billion pounds to its investment plans in Britain, which include transmission and distribution electricity networks. France has overtaken Britain as the European country with the highest number of new FDI projects. President Emmanuel Macron announced 13 billion euros ($14 billion) of investment commitments in France at a similar FDI gathering in May. "It wants to deal with one person," investment minister Dominic Johnson told Reuters, adding ministers could then have "very strong, frank discussions with the international investment community about how we can make the environment more investable".

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Kemi Badenoch, Sunak's, Iberdrola, Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Stephen Schwarzman, David Solomon, Goldman Sachs, Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan Chase, Amanda Blanc, Dominic Johnson, IFM, King Charles, William Schomberg, Alistair Smout, Louise Heavens, Mark Potter Organizations: British, Global Investment, Business, IFM, Microsoft, Blackstone, LBC, Nissan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hampton, East Molesey, Surrey, Britain, France, Germany, England, Buckingham

☆ Israel confirms 17 hostages released, including four-year-old American girl
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Israeli Prime Minister's office confirmed that 17 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were released on Sunday, including four-year-old Israeli-American Abigail Mor Edan. The Prime Minister's office said that 14 of the individuals were Israeli citizens, while the other three were foreign nationals. Fifty Hamas hostages are due to be freed over the four days under the terms of an agreement between Israel and Hamas. In the first two days of the temporary cease-fire, 24 hostages were released from Gaza in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners. There is a clause within the current Israel-Hamas agreement that would extend the military pause if Hamas agrees to release additional hostages beyond the initial 50.

Persons: Abigail Mor Edan, Abigail Edan, Alma Avraham, Aviva Adrian Siegel, Ron Cariboy, Hagar Brodetz, Yuval Brodetz, Uriah Brodetz, Chen Goldstein Almog, Agam Goldstein Almog, Gal Goldstein Almog, Tal Goldstein Almog, Ella Elikim, Joe Biden, Abigail, she's, Liz Hirsh Naftali, Noa Naftali, Edan's, Biden, presser, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Ronen Neutra, Omer Neutra, Orna, We're, Omer's Organizations: Aviva, United States National, Qatari, CBS, U.S, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Press Locations: Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Israeli, Qatar, Egypt, Long Island , New York

☆ Susan Sarandon was dropped by her talent agency in the wake of comments about the Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon has been dropped by United Talent Agency. She drew criticism for comments made at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City. AdvertisementSusan Sarandon has been dropped by her talent agency over comments she made at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York last week, a spokesperson from the agency told Deadline. The Oscar-winning actress, who has been represented by United Talent Agency (UTA) since 2014, has attended several rallies about the Israel-Hamas war, but drew criticism for comments she made during a speech at Union Square. In another clip of the rally Sarandon says being anti-Palestinian is the result of "brainwashing and conditioning for years and years."

Persons: Susan Sarandon, they've, —, Sarandon, Pink, Roger Waters, He's, Aaron Sorkin, William Morris, William Morris Endeavor Entertainmnet, she's, Melissa Barrera Organizations: United Talent Agency, Service, UTA, The New, The New York Post, Aviva, UN, Guardian, Israel, New York Times, Palestine, Pacific Press, CAA, William Morris Endeavor Locations: New York City, Hollywood, Israel, New York, The New York, Manhattan

☆ Opinion: Bad behavior test isn’t just about George Santos
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Michael Ryan | Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

What they do results from neurons firing in assorted regions of the brain, the product of an array of causes they can’t control. Every now and then someone bursts out crying — a member of his family has been killed, or his house destroyed. • Join us on Twitter and FacebookThere was no visible sign of progress on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Writing before the summit, Frida Ghitis noted, “Biden may want Xi to help bring down the temperature on the world’s ongoing wars and help prevent new ones from igniting. “Today’s miseries of flying derive from this choice to deregulate airlines and unleash them into the Hunger Games of ordinary incentives.

Persons: Robert M, Sapolsky, ”, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Douglas Heye, Tim Burchett, Kevin McCarthy, elbowing, McCarthy, Heye, Burchett, tortuously, Mike Johnson, Johnson, George Santos, “, ” Drew Sheneman, Julian Zelizer, Santos, ” “ Santos, Trump, ” Zelizer, John Avlon, Clay Jones, Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley's, Nikki Haley, Haley, she’d, Cupp, Hussein Ibish, ” “, Israel —, Abbas —, Fatma, Khan Younis, there’s, —, Jessica Rosenberg, Joe Biden, ” Biden, Rosenberg, “ Biden, “ Aviva Klompas, speechwriting, Laden, Osama bin Laden, Peter Bergen ,, bin, bin Laden, ’, Walt Handelsman, Joan Steinau Lester, Xi Dana Summers, Biden, Xi Jinping, Frida Ghitis, Xi, ” Peter Bergen, Juvenal, Stephen I, Vladeck, they’ll, Stephen Brobeck, ” Trump’s, Donald Trump, Dean Obeidallah, “ I’m, Barack Obama, Peter Bergen, Megan Fox, Mike Coppola, Megan Fox isn’t, Patricia Grisafi, Tupac Shakur, Billy Corgan, Alicia Keys, Mary Lambert, Florence Welch, Halsey, Lana del Rey, Bob Dylan, Grisafi, Ganesh Sitaraman, Sitaraman, ” Don’t, Fareed Zakaria, Jill Filipovic, Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift Judi Ketteler, Noah Berlatsky, Nicolas, Elizabeth Debicki, Diana, Daniel Escale, Holly Thomas, Princess Diana, irresistibly, ” Thomas, Prince Charles ’, Camilla Parker, Bowles, Mohamed Al, Dodi, Spencer, Diana cavorting Organizations: CNN, Teamsters, House Republican, “ Tennessee Republican, Democrats, George Santos of New, Content Agency Santos, Long Island Republicans, GOP, Guinness, World Records, Democrat, CNN Former UN, New Hampshire, Trump, Fox News, West Bank, Gulf States Institute, Fatah, Palestinian Authority, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, “ Aviva, United Nations, Guardian, Agency, Biden, San Francisco Wednesday, China, Twitter, Consumer Federation of America, Democratic, Fox, “, Hunger Games, Liberty ’, Netflix Locations: George Santos of, George Santos of New York, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New, Israel, Gaza, Washington, Gaza City, Minneapolis, Iran, United States, America, al Qaeda, San, Ukraine, China, Mexico, Kansas City , Missouri, New Hampshire, Nazi Germany, Ohio, Al

☆ UK insurer Aviva posts 13% rise in nine-month premiums
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man walks past an AVIVA logo outside the company's head office in the city of London March 5, 2009. REUTERS/Stephen Hird (BRITAIN)/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - British insurer Aviva (AV.L) on Thursday posted a 13% rise in its general insurance gross written premiums for the first nine months of the year, saying it would continue to return surplus capital to shareholders. Insurers have dealt with issues such as rising inflation and the higher cost of claims by increasing premiums. The life and general insurer, whose main markets are Britain, Canada and Ireland, reported premiums of 8 billion pounds ($9.91 billion), up from 7.2 billion a year earlier. "We see significant opportunities to generate further higher return, capital-light growth in the future as we prioritise these segments."

Persons: Stephen Hird, Amanda Blanc, Blanc, Eva Mathews, Carolyn Cohn, Huw Jones, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Jason Neely Organizations: AVIVA, REUTERS, Aviva, RSA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: London, BRITAIN, British, Britain, Canada, Ireland, Bengaluru

A man walks past an AVIVA logo outside the company's head office in the city of London March 5, 2009. British life insurer Aviva on Thursday said it was maintaining its dividend, soothing concerns the payout could be cut to conserve capital, and reported annual profits that broadly met forecasts. REUTERS/Stephen Hird/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 14 (Reuters) - India's tax inspectors searched the office of British insurance giant Aviva's (AV.L) life insurance unit near New Delhi last week and seized documents as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion, sources familiar with the matter said. In a statement, Aviva Life Insurance, India, told Reuters "we can confirm that GST officials visited our head office site, we are in full cooperation with them." UK's Aviva has a 74% stake in Aviva Life Insurance in India, with the rest owned by India's Dabur Invest Corp. Aviva's life insurance business has a less than 0.5% market share on the basis of first-year premium collections in India.

Persons: Stephen Hird, Asit Rath, Sonali Athalye, UK's, India's Dabur, Aditya Kalra, Sharon Singleton Organizations: AVIVA, Aviva, Goods, Services Tax, Intelligence, Aviva Life Insurance, Reuters, Indian, Companies, Insurance Corporation, Bajaj Allianz, UK's Aviva, India's, India's Dabur Invest Corp, Thomson Locations: London, DELHI, New Delhi, India

☆ Unilever's new CEO lays out plans to simplify business, shares fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Klondike, a brand of Unilever, is seen on display in a store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Unilever's (ULVR.L) new chief executive Hein Schumacher on Thursday laid out long-awaited plans to simplify the business after admitting it had underperformed in recent years, but shares fell as some investors were unimpressed. Unilever reported a 5.2% rise in underlying sales, meeting analysts' average forecast, a company-provided consensus showed. Underlying price growth for the third quarter was 5.8% while underlying volumes were down 0.6%. The company also announced a senior executive shake-up, naming Fernando Fernandez, currently president of the beauty and wellbeing business, as its new chief financial officer.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Hein Schumacher, Schumacher, Richard Saldanha, Alan Jope, Nelson Peltz, we've, Graeme Pitkethly, Fernando Fernandez, Richa Naidu, Mark Potter, Jason Neely Organizations: Unilever, REUTERS, Aviva, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Europe

☆ Springbok hooker Mbonambi cleared to play in World Cup final
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

World Rugby were subsequently asked to review a similar incident in a match between the two teams in London last year. "Any allegation of discrimination is taken extremely seriously by World Rugby...," it said in a statement. World Rugby added that it accepted that Curry made the allegation in good faith, "and that there is no suggestion that the allegation was deliberately false or malicious." "World Rugby is also concerned by the social media abuse that both players have been subjected to this week. There is no place in rugby or society for discrimination, abuse or hate speech, and World Rugby urges fans to embrace the sport’s values of respect, integrity and solidarity."

Persons: Rassie Erasmus, Lorraine O'sullivan, Bongi Mbonambi, Tom Curry, Mbonambi, Curry, Tom Curry’s, Siya Kolisi, Kolisi, Nick Said, Jason Neely, John Stonestreet Organizations: Aviva, REUTERS, Rights, Saturday’s Rugby, Rugby, England, Springbok, New Zealand, South Africa, World Rugby, Rugby Football Union, RFU, Springboks, Twickenham, Thomson Locations: Africa, Ireland, South Africa, Dublin, New, Paris, London, Mbonambi

A 0.25 mg injection pen of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy is shown in this photo illustration in Oslo, Norway, September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON/NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The growth in demand for appetite suppressing anti-obesity drugs like Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) Wegovy presents opportunities for food manufacturers and the market's initially downbeat reaction may be overdone, investors say. Still, the stock market impact left some food manufacturers "trembling," said John Plassard, senior investment specialist at Nestle investor Mirabaud Group. The uptake in appetite suppressing drugs seems to be a U.S.-led dynamic, said My Nguyen, research analyst at Legal & General Investment Management America. "Elsewhere, trends such as wealthier, more mobile middle classes in emerging countries can support shifts towards snacking and convenience foods."

Persons: Victoria Klesty, Richard Saldanha, Wegovy, Kiran Aziz, Mark Schneider, John Plassard, Brian Frank, Frank, Nguyen, Richa Naidu, Matt Scuffham, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Walmart, Nestle, Aviva, Novo Nordisk, EY, Industry, Health Sciences, Wellness, Mirabaud, Tyson Foods, Arcos Dorados, Legal, General Investment Management America, Germany's, Investments, Unilever, Coca Cola, Thomson Locations: Oslo, Norway, Victoria, United States, Denmark, Germany, Arda, Ural, U.S

☆ Insurance companies have discovered devious new ways to rip you off
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Jathan Sadowski | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Unfortunately, as premiums for everything from home insurance to car insurance skyrocket, more of us are being forced to dwell on the opaque and convoluted insurance industry. AdvertisementAdvertisementTo determine that magic price tag, insurance companies drill down into the nitty-gritty details of your life. I'll go even further: To boost their own profits, insurance companies are becoming increasingly antisocial and antagonistic. To boost their own profits, insurance companies are becoming increasingly anti-social and antagonistic. The stuff of insurance is far too important to be left to the insurance industry.

Persons: Søren Holm, Duncan Minty, Kengo Sakurada, you've, Colm Holmes, —, Holmes, Inga Beale, Beale, ProPublica, Cigna Organizations: Consumers, Caliber, Insurance, Sompo Holdings, Aviva, Allianz Holdings —, of Actuaries, State Farm, Farm, New York Times, of Information Technology, Monash University Locations: London, State

[1/3] People react as residents of Tel Aviv show support and solidarity with the families of hostages who are being held in Gaza in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 21, 2023. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate Hamas and Israeli troops could enter Gaza at any moment, but many families are urging him to focus solely on the hostages. Israel has a long experience of dealing with hostage crises, but has previously shied away from attempting rescue operations in the densely populated Gaza Strip. Some of the freed Palestinians returned to the ranks of Hamas, including its current leader in Gaza, Yahya Al-Sinwar. We have to help these hostages very fast," said Daniel Lifshitz, whose grandparents, aged 83 and 85, were abducted and have vanished into Gaza.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Noam Alon, Inbar, Isaac Herzog, Carmel Gorni, Yiftah Gorni, Gorni, Ilan, Sandy Feldman, Herzog, Keith Siegel, Jonathan Dekel, Chen, Sagui, Netanyahu, Gilad Shalit, Yahya Al, Shalit, Gal Hirsch, Daniel Lifshitz, Crispian Balmer, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Aviva, Reuters, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Gaza, Israel, Gaza Israel, Jerusalem, Palestinian, Qatar, Qatari

Real internal growth (RIG) - or a measure of sales volumes - fell 0.6%, meeting expectations. "The ultimate catalyst for the stock's multiple to improve is going to be seeing that volume number going positive." Analysts had on average expected organic sales growth of 8.1%. Nestle confirmed its full-year outlook of organic sales growth between 7% and 8% and underlying trading operating profit margin between 17.0% and 17.5%. The drug's popularity has prompted concerns in the consumer and retail industry over whether food sales will be impacted.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Nestle, Mark Schneider, Schneider, Richard Saldanha, Maggi, Novo, Richa Naidu, Christopher Cushing, Jason Neely Organizations: Nestle, REUTERS, Gillette, Aviva, Novo Nordisk's, Walmart, Thomson Locations: Romont, Switzerland, Ukraine

☆ These 'magic seven' global stocks pay a 7.8% dividend yield on average, Berenberg says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Investors searching for income in today's volatile markets may want to look at the "magic seven" U.K. stocks identified by Berenberg. "The U.K. equity market is cheap," Berenberg analysts Jonathan Stubbs and Leoni Externest said in a note to clients on Oct. 13. "The median U.K. dividend yield is back to 3.6% and close to the highs of last year (3.8%)." Berenberg's analysis shows dividend yields above 4.5% have resulted in median returns near 30% for Rio Tinto, with a more-than-90% success rate. Aviva The insurer's 7.8% dividend yield has rebounded from below 2% during Covid-19.

Persons: Berenberg, Jonathan Stubbs, Leoni Externest Organizations: Tobacco, Rio Tinto, Aviva, Legal, General, British Locations: London, Rio, British, U.S, Germany, Rio Tinto

☆ Transition Plans Are The Latest Climate Action Trend
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Rochelle Toplensky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

The Transition Plan Taskforce published a framework for companies looking to create transition plans. Photo: London Stock Exchange GroupCompanies have a new climate-action tool: transition plans. Some companies, such as Mars and Allianz , have recently published transition plans. The U.K.’s Transition Plan Task Force published its framework Monday, offering a template for companies looking to create transition plans. Even though disclosure requirements are currently voluntary, transition plans are a live issue for many businesses that can help them shift the conversation to how they can achieve their net-zero goals.

Persons: ”, Mary Schapiro, Amanda Blanc, David Schwimmer, ’ ”, Sue Lloyd, Rochelle Toplensky Organizations: London Stock Exchange Group, Mars, Allianz, London Stock Exchange, Glasgow Financial Alliance, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Force, Business, Aviva Group, ’, Rochelle, rochelle.toplensky@wsj.com Locations: United Nations, Dubai

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