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☆ Tesla beats claim that it fired factory workers amid union campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Brand new Tesla cars sit parked at a Tesla dealership on October 18, 2023 in Corte Madera, California. A U.S. labor board has dismissed claims that Tesla illegally fired employees working on Autopilot software at a New York factory to put an end to union organizing. A National Labor Relations Board regional official on Friday tossed out a complaint filed in February by Workers United, a union seeking to organize workers at Tesla's Buffalo, New York "gigafactory." Workers United claimed that within days of announcing a union campaign earlier this year, Tesla fired dozens of workers from its Autopilot department. Tesla and Workers United did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Tesla, Kayla Blado, Blado Organizations: National Labor Relations Board, Workers United, Workers Locations: Corte Madera , California, U.S, New York, Tesla's Buffalo , New York

☆ Why EV charging is still such a pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Power show that, despite more and more EV chargers being available, EV owners are actually getting less satisfied with public charging. When it comes to consumer satisfaction, EV charging is in some very poor corporate company. Away from home, charging your EV costs more than charging at home, sometimes twice as much. A ChargePoint electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the Lafontaine Kia dealership in Detroit, Michigan, US, on Thursday, July 13, 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images“Safety is paramount,” said Rick Wilmer, chief operating officer of EV charging provider ChargePoint.

Persons: it’s, “ They’re, ”, Brent Gruber, Gruber, Bing Guan, There’s, Lafontaine, Matthew Hatcher, Nathan Wang, Wang, Justin Sullivan, Rick Wilmer, Wilmer, What’s, it’s Shell, don’t, Mark Hawkinson Organizations: New, New York CNN, J.D, EV, Department of Energy, CCS, Volvo, Bloomberg, Getty, Lafontaine Kia, UL, Vehicles, Bolt, BP, Exxon Locations: New York, ., United States, California, States, Mississippi, Montana, Detroit , Michigan, Corte Madera , California

☆ The ‘Barbie’ movie has people buying ‘emotional support’ dolls. Psychologists say that’s a good thing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The “Barbie” movie is a bona fide cultural moment. Some videos show people carefully roaming toy aisles to pick out dolls that speak to their careers, identities or just their sense of whimsy. In one popular TikTok, a daughter surprises her mom with a Dia De Muertos Barbie, and no one comes away dry-eyed. Greene thought the idea of an emotional support Barbie was a little silly at first, but she found herself in a Target one weekend and caved. When Flora saw the “Barbie” movie with her daughter, she says nearly the whole audience was decked out in pink, sparkles and sunglasses, bubbling over with excitement.

Persons: Barbie, it’s, ”, “ Barbie, ” “, Muertos, “, Kristin Flora, she’s, ” Flora, Cameron Greene, Greene, Justin Sullivan, Flora, Pat Cafaro, tutu, ” Cafaro Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros, Pictures, Warner Bros ., Dia, Franklin College in, “, Retailers, rec Locations: Franklin College in Indiana, Lanham , Maryland, Corte Madera , California, Sarasota , Florida

☆ What really is plus-size fashion? Experts weigh in on the term’s meaning
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But what’s really considered a plus-size body or garment? Mike Coppola/Getty ImagesThough there are no universal criteria for plus-size clothing, the general perception of what constitutes plus-size has changed over time. Sixty-seven percent of US women are considered plus-size, Downing Peters said. The dearth of plus-size clothing adds to a stigma that makes people with bigger bodies feel marginalized, she added. Other stores have meanwhile stopped separating standard and plus-size clothing into different departments, which may help eliminate stigma, Keist said.

Persons: Ashley Graham, Paloma Elsesser, Precious Lee, Tess Holliday, what’s, ”, Lauren Downing Peters, Mike Coppola, “, Marilyn Monroe, ’ ”, Carmen Keist, —, Downing Peters, Monroe wouldn’t, ” Downing Peters, it’s, Emma McClendon, Keist, Jeff Greenberg, ” Keist, ” “, Tim Wimborne, Mina White, White, Jacopo Raule, we’ve, lionizing, ’, Fang, Lane Bryant, Christian Siriano, Michael Kors, I‘d Organizations: CNN, Columbia College Chicago, New York, Bradley University in, Bettmann, Getty, St, John’s University, El, Fashion Group, Reuters, Vogue, Brands, Universal, Dia, Co Locations: Bradley University in Illinois, Korea, United States, United Kingdom, British, New York, El Corte, Spain, Sydney, Florence, inclusivity, Meijer

☆ Sweaty Europe can kill two birds with one pump
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

What may be less immediately obvious is that heat pumps are the best way to do both. In Europe, currently only 16% of residential buildings use heat pumps, according to a study from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) based on data from 21 countries including non-EU Britain and Norway, with 20 million heat pumps installed. On average buying and installing a heat pump could cost up to $13,000 compared to $2,500 for a gas boiler. Heat pump sales rose 35% in Italy last year, making it Europe’s second-biggest marketplace after France, EHPA data shows. To meet net-zero targets by 2030 EHPA estimates Europe would need 60 million more heat pumps installed by 2030.

Persons: Remo Casilli, Olaf Scholz’s, Joe Biden’s, António Guterres, George Hay, Oliver Taslic, Streisand Neto Organizations: Popolo, REUTERS, Remo Casilli LONDON, Reuters, International Energy Agency, IEA, European Union, Pump Association, Reuters Graphics, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Carrier, Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin Industries, El, El Corte Inglés, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Europe, EU Britain, Norway, France, Germany, Poland, Brussels, Britain, United States, U.S, U.N, El Corte

[1/3] A man called David checks his phone as he stands near a fan to cool off, during a heatwave across Italy, in Rome, July 14, 2023. A heat wave has hit southern Europe during the peak summer tourist season, breaking records - including in Rome - and bringing warnings about an increased risk of deaths. Spain is expected to endure higher-than-average temperatures this summer, with two heatwaves already baking the country in June and July. Amazon Business, where companies can order supplies, saw more than a 20% increase in portable air-conditioning unit sales across Spain, Italy, and France this month compared to July last year. Smaller devices, like hand-held fans and fans worn around the neck, were also selling in their thousands.

Persons: David, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Angela Lonardo, Leroy Merlin, Elisa Anzolin, Corina Rodriguez, Helen Reid, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, El, El Corte Inglés, Amazon Spain, Amazon, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, MADRID, MILAN, Southern Europe, Europe, United States, El Corte, Madrid, Spain, Seville, Sensibo, France, Corte, Milan, London

This is why we have seen less activity," said Dirk Albersmeier, co-head of global M&A at JPMorgan. In the fourth quarter, there has been a 56% contraction in global M&A to $641.2 billion, partly caused by a 66% drop in private equity activity. Top rainmakers expect a pickup in cross-border M&A activity. Going forward, private equity funds are expected to kickstart the recovery as they seek assets at a discount. We were probably more optimistic a year ago," said David DeNunzio, global head of M&A at Wells Fargo.

☆ Paramount scraps deal to sell Simon & Schuster to Penguin after weeks after judge rejected merger
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Mike Calia | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster to block the companies from completing a merger valued at $2.175 billion. Paramount Global said Monday it scrapped its $2.2 billion deal to sell book publisher Simon & Schuster to rival Penguin Random House, weeks after a federal judge rejected the merger. Penguin, which is owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann, said it still believes Simon & Schuster is a good fit for its business, but that it accepted Paramount's decision. Paramount also indicated that it would still seek to unload Simon & Schuster. "Simon & Schuster is a highly valuable business with a recent record of strong performance," Paramount said.

In Germany, the HDE retail association is forecasting the strongest slump in Christmas sales since 2007, with retail sales in the crucial November-December period seen dropping by 4% year on year on a price-adjusted basis. In the United Kingdom, a raft of surveys indicate half or more Britons plan to spend less this Christmas. Should September's sharp drop in retail sales be repeated in December, it would be the worst outcome since comparable annual records began in 1989. Official data showed UK retail sales volumes, excluding fuel, dropped 6.2% year on year in September. Another association Acotex expects retailers to offer slight discounts during the holiday season as consumer demand slows.

☆ Energy crisis dims festive sparkle in Europe's shops
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Mimosa Spencer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

PARIS, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Retailers in Europe are having to strike a delicate balancing act with this year's Christmas displays: how to create enough festive sparkle to loosen cash-strapped customers' purse-strings, while acknowledging the impact of the energy crisis. However, the energy crisis has accelerated plans to "reduce consumption to be a good citizen both socially and environmentally", he added. He said the store was moving faster to reach its goal of shifting entirely to LED lighting and began turning lights off at night in September. "It makes a big difference," said Eleanore de Boysson, region president of Europe and the Middle East for LVMH's travel retail division DFS. Other "small" gestures include only partially lighting the store and its offices during early morning cleaning hours, she added.

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