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☆ The incredible oblivion of Judge Marvin Isgur
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +45 min

On a mild Houston day in March 2021, Judge Marvin Isgur prepared to oversee the only case on his docket that morning. In October 2023, the Fifth Circuit Court rebuked Judge David Jones but said that his longtime colleague, Judge Marvin Isgur, had been "unaware" of Jones' inappropriate relationship. "But only Judge Isgur knows what he knew or didn't know about the relationship." Much of this work was in cases before either Judge Isgur or Judge Jones. Isgur can continue to hear the case, he ruled, writing in the December 2023 opinion that lawyers for the creditor "failed to demonstrate much other than that former Judge Jones and Judge Isgur are close friends."

Persons: Marvin Isgur, David Jones, Jones, Elizabeth Freeman, Jackson Walker, Isgur, Michael Van Deelen, he'd, Freeman, Matthew Cavenaugh, Cavenaugh, Michael Van Deelen Van, Judge Jones, who'd, Steve Smith, Smith, Michael Lewis, Van Deelen, I'm, Van Deelen's, Tom Kirkendall, Gary Cruciani, Judge David Jones, Nancy Rapoport, University of Nevada Las Vegas William S, Kirkendall, " Jones, Trump, she's, Sarah, Porter Hedges, —, — Elizabeth Freeman, John Higgins, Whitney Ables, Josh Wolfshohl, Amy Lucas, Porter, Wesley Steen, Fifth Circuit —, that's, Liz, Bruce Markell, it's, Judge William Greendyke, Lynn LoPucki's, Patricia Tomasco, Christopher Lopez, Manges, Greendyke, Albert Alonzo, Alonzo, Jones Isgur, Susan Tran Adams, Matt Cavenaugh, Veronica Polnick, Genevieve Graham, cookout, Graham, Tran, Christina Morrison, David, I, Neiman Marcus, J.C, Penney, Freeman hadn't, hadn't, Jim Wilkinson, Ellis, Kirkland, Ellis —, Veronica Polnick —, Polnick —, Elizabeth, COVID, Jackson, Kirkland Ellis, they'd, — Greendyke, Wilkinson, Judge Isgur, Mike Warner, Eduardo Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Isgur's, Judge Lopez —, Lopez, Alfredo Perez, Weil, Perez, Richard Schmidt, Jack Newsham Organizations: Business, Southern District of, McDermott International, Southern, Houston, Fifth Circuit, Appeals, Department of Justice, Fifth, University of Nevada, Boyd School of Law, Circuit, University of Houston, American Bankruptcy Institute, Emory Law School, Emory, Facebook, Big Law, Reuters, Bloomberg, Northwestern's Pritzker School of Law, Enron, LinkedIn, Southern District of Texas, Judicial Conference, Texas, Chesapeake Energy, Big, Kirkland, Cavenaugh, UPS, Technologies, Candy Club, Omni, Norton Rose, GWG Holdings Inc, Brands, Southern District's, Southern District, US, Former Locations: Texas, Southern District, Southern District of Texas, Houston, New Orleans, United States, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Kirkendall, Galveston, Carolina, Porter, Harris, Nevada, Southern District of Texas , Delaware, New York, Delaware, Weil, Southern, disgorge, Sorrento, Corpus Christi, prefacing

☆ Chemical toxin exposure in the womb linked to greater health risks for children ages 6 to 11
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Chemical toxins are everywhere — in our water, food, air and soil. Children born to European mothers exposed to four families of chemicals that disrupt the body’s endocrine (hormone) system had elevated levels of metabolic syndrome at ages 6 to 11. Metabolic syndrome can include obesity, elevated blood pressure, and abnormally high cholesterol and insulin resistance, which is a precursor to type 2 diabetes. Metabolic syndrome is typically associated with adult cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke, but the growing epidemic of childhood obesity has seen symptoms appearing in kids at younger and younger ages. Having metabolic syndrome as a child is highly predictive of chronic disease as an adult, experts say.

Persons: Nuria Güil, ”, Oumrait, Vicente Mustieles, Mariana Fernández, Carmen Messerlian, Messerlian, phthalates, “, Jane Houlihan, ” Houlihan, Houlihan, PFAS, EWG Organizations: CNN, Icahn School of Medicine, JAMA, Biomedical Research, University of Granada, Harvard, of Public Health, International Council for Chemical Associations, American Chemistry Council, EPA, Food, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, NSF, National Sanitation Foundation Locations: Mount Sinai, New York City, Spain, Messerlian, Chan, Boston, United States

☆ Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi: 28 of her artworks mysteriously disappeared three decades ago. They’ve finally returned home to South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Gertrude Kitongo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Johannesburg, South Africa CNN —It was a phone call that changed everything. “We have some good news.”Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi had been waiting to hear those words for more than 30 years. Origins of an artistSebidi was born in 1943 near Hammanskraal, South Africa, north of Pretoria. One of artist Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi's early works, which often depict traditional, rural scenes of a time before European colonization came to the African continent. “We need those freedoms.”Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi’s exhibition is on display at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery until May 17, 2024.

Persons: ”, Helen Sebidi, ” Sebidi, Sebidi, “, John Koenakeefe Mohl, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi “, Mark Read, Everard, “ Helen, Read, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi's, Helen Sebidi “, –, – Sebidi, Kim Berman, ’, Helen Sebidi's, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi Sebedi, Gabriel Baard, ” Baard, ” Berman, Thabo Mbeki –, Jesper Osterberg, Gabriel Baard Baard, Everard Read, Helen Sebidi’s Organizations: South Africa CNN, South, CNN, Johannesburg Art Foundation, Everard Read, Galleries, Federated Union of Black Artists, Millary Colony, Arts, Nyköping Folk, School, University of Johannesburg, “, Smithsonian, Folk High School, Swiss Air Freight, University of Johannesburg Art, Swedish Embassy Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Sweden, Hammanskraal, Pretoria, New York, Swedish, Nyköping, Black, “, Stockholm, Sebidi

☆ Author Maryse Conde, winner of ‘alternative’ Nobel Literature Prize, dies at 90
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Paris (Reuters) — Guadeloupe-born author Maryse Conde, who wrote about colonialism, slavery and the French-Caribbean diaspora, died in southern France on Monday at the age of 90. Often cited as a potential winner of the Nobel prize for literature, Conde was awarded the New Academy Prize in Literature in 2018, created after the Swedish Academy postponed that year’s literary Nobel in the aftermath of a rape scandal. “A literary giant, Maryse Conde paints a picture of sorrow and hope, from Guadaloupe to Africa, from the Caribbean to Provence. “Segu” won Conde several awards, including a Fulbright scholarship, and she went on to teach literature at Columbia University in New York, several other US universities and at the Sorbonne in Paris. French Foreign Trade and Language minister Franck Riester said Conde was a leading light of French literature and theatre.

Persons: Maryse Conde, Conde, Emmanuel Macron, “, ” Conde, “ Segu ”, Salem, Mamadou Conde, Richard Philcox, Philcox, Franck Riester Organizations: Paris, —, New, Swedish Academy, New Academy, Columbia University, Sorbonne, Agence France, Presse, Foreign Trade Locations: — Guadeloupe, French, Caribbean, France, Guadaloupe, Africa, Provence, Mali, Brazil, New York, Paris, Pointe, Guinean, Apt

☆ Opinion: The heroism of Ukraine and the nihilism of Mike Johnson
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Opinion Amelia Glaser | Marci Shore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Yevhenii Zavhorodnii/Global Images Ukraine/Getty ImagesIn Ukraine the air raid alerts are incessant. Kyiv has the best air defense in Ukraine; the country lacks the resources to defend other cities this way. He noted that Ukrainian air defense had done a spectacular job that morning intercepting every single missile launched at Kyiv. The United States has essentially cut off Ukraine, and Ukrainian air defense is quickly running out of ammunition. After we landed back in JFK, we turned off the air raid sound on our phones.

Persons: Amelia Glaser, Marci Shore, Read, Mike Johnson, Vladimir Putin’s, Covid, ” –, Andrii, you’re, Oleksandr Roytburd, Roytburd, Alla Horska, Tymofiy Mylovanov, Amelia, Iya Kiva, Marci, Tetyana Ogarkova, Volodymyr Yermolenko, Putin, Tucker Carlson, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Carlson, Khmelnytsky, Oleksandr Halenko, Gleb Garanich, texted, ”, Sergii, “, Alina Smutko, Sergii’s, Mark Hamill –, Luke Skywalker, Agiya Zagrebelska, Arad, “ Pessimists, Rob Bauer, ” Bauer, “ I’m, Iaroslava Strikha, beholden, Donald Trump, Johnson, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, ” Putin Organizations: UC San Diego, Yale University, CNN, of Decorative, Applied Arts, Design, Warsaw —, Kyiv School of Economics, KGB, Ukrainian, Fulbright, NATO, National Agency on Corruption, Kyiv Security, United, Kyiv, National, Security Forum Locations: Russia’s, Crimea, Kyiv, New York, JFK, Warsaw, Polish, Chelm, Bucha, Russian, Yevhenii, Ukraine, Sens, Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar, KSE, Muscovy, Russia, Poland, Syria, Murmansk, Kyiv oblast, Austrian, texted, United States

☆ I managed billions at JP Morgan but lived paycheck to paycheck. I finally got control of my finances by doing these 7 things.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-20 | by ( Anne Lester | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

She said she had to make more "friction" between herself and spending money to curb her bad habits. Understanding I wasn't alone helped me change my spending habitsI have always been a spender and often lived paycheck to paycheck. I was barely contributing to my retirement savings. Saving money is hard for many people at all income levels. Digital payment has removed a lot of friction from the act of spending money.

Persons: Anne Lester, Lester, —, Morgan, I'm, I've, Ofer Zellermayer Organizations: Morgan Asset Management, Service, Capitol, Chase Bank, Carnegie Mellon, Research Locations: Tokyo, Italy, J.P

☆ Europe is trying to regulate AI. That could backfire.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

One AI expert said it risks creating "AI policy tax havens" as countries try to attract investment. "Europe is NOW a global standard-setter in AI," Thierry Breton, the European internal market commissioner, said on X. Other countries, including China, have already brought in rules around specific uses of AI. AdvertisementThe legislation has been questioned by some commentators, such as AI and deepfakes expert Henry Ajder, who called it "very ambitious." The EU legislation plans to assign the risks of AI applications into three categories, with applications that cause unacceptable risk set to be banned.

Persons: —, Thierry Breton, Henry Ajder, Neil Serebryany, Avani Desai, Schellman, Marcus Evans, Norton Rose Fulbright Organizations: EU, Intelligence, Service Locations: Europe, China, EU, California

It is a three-way race for the presidency among current Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and two former provincial governors, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo. While he is the oldest candidate, his running mate is the youngest: 36-year-old Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Widodo's son. His running mate is Mohammad Mahfud, who resigned as security minister to focus on campaigning. He is also a former defense minister, justice minister and chief justice of the Constitutional Court. His choice of Muhaimin Iskandar as his running mate in Wednesday's election is viewed as an attempt to rebuild that support.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Prabowo Subianto, Anies, Subianto, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Suharto, Widodo's, Raka, —, GANJAR, Pranowo, ” Pranowo, Mohammad Mahfud, ANIES, Baswedan, Widodo, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Muhaimin Iskandar, Iskandar’s, ” Organizations: SUBIANTO, Gerindra Party, Constitutional, Indonesian Democratic Party of, Central Java, FIFA, Islamic, Fulbright, Awakening Party, Ulama, Associated Press Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Jordan, Surakarta, Central, Israel, Jakarta, Chinese, Wednesday's, Nusantara, Borneo

☆ Factbox-Candidates for Indonesia's Presidential Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

(Reuters) - Indonesia holds a presidential election on Feb. 14, with three contenders vying to succeed incumbent Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, as leader of the world's third-largest democracy and its most populous Muslim-majority nation. He is not a member of a political party but is backed by three parties, including a secular party in the ruling coalition and the conservative Islamic Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). He is the nephew of the late Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur, a well-respected former president and religious leader. After losing the 2019 election, he was appointed defence minister by Jokowi, a move analysts say helped heal divisions. Prabowo chairs the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) party, which endorsed him as its presidential candidate last year.

Persons: Joko Widodo, ANIES BASWEDAN, Jokowi, Anies, Basuki Tjahaja, Muhaimin Iskandar, Imin, Abdurrahman Wahid, Gus Dur, Ganjar, Mahfud, Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin, Suharto, Prabowo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Gibran, Ananda Teresia, Stanley Widianto, Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty Organizations: Reuters, Fulbright, Islamic Prosperous Justice Party, National Awakening Party, Ulama, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Israel, Islamic, NU, Mahfud, Great Indonesia Movement, Constitutional Locations: Indonesia, Jakarta, Chinese, East Java, Central Java, Surakarta

☆ Man Arrested on 77 Counts of Murder in Johannesburg Building Fire
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Lynsey Chutel | John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The South African police have arrested a man who confessed to having caused a fire that killed 77 people in a derelict building in downtown Johannesburg last year after a drug dispute led him to strangle a man and set the body alight, a police spokeswoman and a victims’ advocate said on Wednesday. The man, a 29-year-old whose name has not been released, was arrested on Tuesday on 77 counts of murder and 120 counts of attempted murder, said Col. Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, a spokeswoman for the police in Gauteng Province, which includes Johannesburg. Colonel Nevhuhulwi initially gave the figure as 76 counts, but then clarified that it was 77. The man made his confession during a hearing of a special commission investigating the fire, which tore through an overcrowded four-story building in the early hours of Aug. 31. The commission was later told that the exact death toll was unclear because of how badly some of the bodies were burned.

Persons: Dimakatso, Nevhuhulwi, incriminated, ”, Andy Chinnah, Norton Rose Fulbright Organizations: South, Norton Rose Locations: Johannesburg, Gauteng Province

The inflation rate fell to 2.3% in November. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected inflation to ease to 2.6%. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, fell to 3.8% in November from 4.3% the previous month. "But the inflation rate will fall to below 3% as early as the beginning of next year," Wollmershaeuser said. Economists pay close attention to German inflation data, as Germany publishes its figures one day before the euro zone inflation data release.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Timo Wollmershaeuser, Wollmershaeuser, Commerzbank's, Ralph Solveen, Solveen, Bert Colijn, Colijn, Miranda Murray, Maria Martinez, Linda Pasquini, Sharon Singleton, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Union, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany, Spanish

The economy and finance ministry declined immediate comment. "So the ruling could have a negative impact on economic growth," the source added. Last month, the economy ministry predicted 1.3% growth for next year. Although the Greens want additional spending, the Free Democrats (FDP), which heads the finance ministry, reject additional debt and higher taxes. "There is a clear political decision in favour of Intel and nothing has changed yet," said an economy ministry spokesperson on Friday.

Persons: Liesa, Olaf Scholz's, Christian Lindner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Joerg Kraemer, Robert Habeck, Habeck, Friedrich Merz, Christian Haase, Commerzbank's Kraemer, Maria Martinez, Andreas Rinke, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Madeline Chambers, Matthias Williams, Clarence Fernandez, Gerry Doyle, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thursday, Greens, Free Democrats, Transformation, Intel, U.S, Christian Democratic Union, ESF, Economic, Stabilization, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Europe's

☆ Germany's budget committee pauses 2024 budget deliberations -panel members
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Maria Martinez | Thomson Reuters | Maria Martinez Is A Reuters Correspondent In Berlin Covering German Economics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Germany's budget committee paused final deliberations on the 2024 draft budget early on Friday morning, according to the chief budget officers of the coalition government, after a constitutional court ruling threw negotiations into disarray. The contents of the ministries' budgets were finalised during the committee meeting, the budget officers said. On Wednesday, the constitutional court decision prompted the government to postpone the formal vote of the budget committee until next Thursday. Despite the court ruling, the 2024 budget is expected to be passed as planned at the end of the Bundestag's budget week on Dec. 1, according to members of the budget committee. The chief budget officers of the coalition government accused the opposition of refusing to cooperate in budget deliberations.

Persons: Liesa, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Joerg Kraemer, Friedrich Merz, Commerzbank's Kraemer, Maria Martinez, Holger Hansen, Clarence Fernandez, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Greens, Free Democrats, European Commission, dpa, Bundestag's Energy, CDU, CSU, Christian Democratic Union, ESF, Economic, Stabilization, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

Underscoring the frustration, Economy Minister Robert Habeck, a member of the pro-spending Greens, called the verdict "a huge blow to industrial policy". Speaking to parliament, Habeck warned the court ruling put at risk support for the steel sector, which is counting on subsidies to decarbonise and stay competitive. Finance Minister Christian Lindner meanwhile said it was too early to discuss the consequences of the court ruling. "The steel industry alone can contribute to reducing a third of total industrial emissions - and thus has enormous leverage to save millions of tons of CO2 in the coming years." "The political bottom line is that many coalition disputes will reopen as serious budget constraints kick in.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, BERLIN, Wednesday's, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Habeck, Yesenn, DBRS Morningstar, hawkish Lindner, Lindner, Bernhard Osburg, Carsten Brzeski, Eurointelligence, Maria Martinez, Christian Kraemer, Andreas Rinke, Markus Wacket, Tom Kaeckenhoff, Matthias Williams, Alexandra Hudson, Susan Fenton Organizations: Finance, Climate, Economy, Greens, CHANGE, Budget, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: United States, Berlin, Germany

And while the local government says Berlin has sufficient space to build over 100,000 apartments, there is no sign the housing crisis gripping the city will ease. But as Europe's largest economy teeters near recession, economists warn that high rents will feed inflation and reduce household consumption. In Berlin, local opposition has frustrated plans to build, while regulation creates a two-tier rental market that is cheap for some long-term tenants and expensive for new renters. Rising property demand saw private companies develop luxury apartments that offered a higher yield - in part, Buch said, because government permissioning for more affordable housing projects was so slow. OPPOSITIONSome building projects have since faced local opposition while a recent attempt to curb rent increases backfired.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Rolf Buch, Buch, you've, Konstantin Kholodilin, Marwa, Monika Neugebauer, Goldman Sachs, Neugebauer, Gesa Crockford, Martin Pallgen, Anna Hohnrath, Hohnrath, Matthias Inverardi, Matthias Williams, Catherine Evans Organizations: Berlin, REUTERS, Rights, Vonovia, Reuters, DIVISION, International Union of Tenants, European, West, Foreigners, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, San Francisco, California, City, Tempelhof, Valencia, Spain

[1/3] FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz looks on as he meets NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin, Germany, November 9, 2023. Wednesday's decision by the constitutional court could also set a precedent for fiscal responses to future crises. "FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES""The court ruling has far-reaching consequences for fiscal policy in Germany," said Clemens Fuest, President of the Ifo economic institute. This was done with the Second Supplementary Budget Act 2021, which retroactively amended the Budget Act for 2021. The constitutional court ruled that this act was incompatible with Germany's Basic Law and so was void.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Jens Stoltenberg, Liesa, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Christian Lindner, Lindner, Scholz, Robert Habeck, Clemens Fuest, Ralph Solveen, Habeck, Friedrich Merz, Maria Martinez, Christian Kraemer, Ursula Knapp, Matthias Williams, Kirsti Knolle, Madeline Chambers, Susan Fenton, William Maclean, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Union, Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Christian Democratic Union, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

Sustainability-linked loans (SLL), which were first used in 2017, offer slightly cheaper borrowing, typically around 2.5-10 basis points less, if companies meet goals such as cutting their carbon emissions or improving board diversity. These let banks strip the sustainability-linked label from the loans if targets are no longer deemed appropriate. The banks' tougher standards are discouraging some borrowers from using SLLs entirely, bankers and lawyers told Reuters. The Engie spokesman said the utility would not agree to linking an event of default to sustainability targets. "We have stated our willingness to walk away when sustainability targets were too soft," said Brittany Agostino, vice president in the environmental, social and governance group at Los Angeles-based Ares.

Persons: Toby Melville, Banks, Constance Chalchat, Pascale Forde Maurice, Elliot Beard, Simmons, Beard, I've, David Milligan, Norton Rose Fulbright, Gemma Lawrence, Pardew, Brittany Agostino, Fredrik Altmann, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Isla Binnie, Shankar Ramakrishnan, Simon Jessop, Alexander Smith Organizations: FCA, Financial, Authority, REUTERS, LONDON, BNP, Corporate, Institutional Banking, Reuters, JPMorgan, Ford Motors, SLLs, CIB's, European, Sustainable Investment Banking, Simmons, Norton Rose, Market Association, BMW, Porsche, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, North America, Asia, Los Angeles, New York

A steel worker of ThyssenKrupp stands amid sparks of raw iron coming from a blast furnace at a ThyssenKrupp steel factory in Duisburg, western Germany, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 7 (Reuters) - German industrial production fell more than expected in September, data showed on Tuesday, as a recent slump in incoming orders took its toll on production. There are few figures that summarise the state of the German economy as well as industrial production, Thomas Gitzel, chief economist at VP Bank, said. "The industry-heavy German economy is dependent on production in order to achieve reasonable economic growth rates," he said, noting that industrial production this year has been weak. "Even though there isn’t any hard data for the fourth quarter yet, recent developments have clearly increased the risk that the German economy will end the year in recession," Brzeski said.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Thomas Gitzel, Carsten Brzeski, Brzeski, Maria Martinez, Miranda Murray, Rachel More Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, VP Bank, ING, Thomson Locations: ThyssenKrupp, Duisburg, Germany

And now Ben Hammou faces another blow as the German government moves to end pandemic-era tax breaks for the hospitality industry. The fiscally hawkish FDP party, which has control of the finance ministry in the three-way ruling coalition, backs letting the tax break expire, calculating that it would cost 3.3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) to keep it going in 2024. Many restaurants operate on tight margins, which makes them quite sensitive to tax increases. In Spain, Italy and France, the VAT on restaurants is at 10%, considerably lower than the expected 19% in Germany from 2024. The question is whether German restaurants are still struggling or have recovered well enough from the pandemic to withstand having the tax break removed, according to Tomas Dvorak, senior economist at Oxford Economics.

Persons: Omar Ben Hammou, Ben Hammou, Christian Lindner, Guido Zoellick, Thijs Geijer, Ingrid Hartges, DEHOGA, Steffen Marx, Tomas Dvorak, Maria Martinez, Christian Kraemer, Tanja Daube, Ulrike Heil, Belen Carreno, Giselda Vagnoni, Thomas Leigh, Matthias Williams, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Restaurant Association, ING, Reuters, Oxford Economics, Thomson Locations: Bavaria, BERLIN, Berlin, Russia, Ukraine, COVID, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Munich, Madrid, Rome, Paris

☆ Fact Check: Pro-Palestinian Halloween billboard pictured in Tunisia, not Chicago
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Multiple pro-Palestinian billboards were put up in the North African country of Tunisia before Halloween, despite online posts sharing an image that miscaptions one of these billboards as in Chicago, Illinois amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Various social media users have shared these displays naming the location as Tunisia, including one on Oct. 26 that shows the same billboard as in the miscaptioned social media posts. The billboard, camera angle, streetlamp and buildings in the background match the image shared on social media. Humzah Khan, a Fulbright fellow in Tunisia, shared an image of the billboard on X with the caption, “several billboards like this in Tunis. A pro-Palestinian Halloween billboard seen on social media comes from Tunisia, not the city of Chicago in the U.S.

Persons: Hannachi Issam, Mohamed Bouazizi, VI, Humzah Khan, ” Khan, Al Jazeera, Read Organizations: IN CHICAGO, Chicago, Tunis Tribune, Facebook, Carthage International, Tunisian, Chicago Department of Buildings, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tunisia, Chicago , Illinois, Israel, Chicago, PALESTINE, Tunis, Gaza, Carthage, la Marsa, Menzah, Marsa, Carrefour, Al, U.S

Looking ahead, the ongoing pass-through of the European Central Bank's monetary policy tightening, still no reversal of the inventory cycle and new geopolitical uncertainties will continue weighing on the German economy, Brzeski said. "The German economy looks set to remain in the twilight zone between minor contraction and stagnation not only this year but also next year," Brzeski said. The contraction in the third quarter is not seen as an outlier as Commerzbank expects the German economy to contract again in the winter half-year. Economists will pay close attention to national inflation data from Germany and Spain, as they are published one day before the euro zone inflation data release. Euro zone inflation is expected to ease to 3.2% in October from 4.3% in September, according to economists polled by Reuters.

Persons: Arnd, Carsten Brzeski, Brzeski, optimists, Joerg Kraemer, Claus Vistesen, Maria Martinez, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Miral Fahmy, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Gross, Reuters, ING, European Central, Macroeconomics, Thomson Locations: Konstanz, Germany, Spain

Known as a passionate and provocative theater advocate who pushed for boundary-breaking works and for classics to be adventurously modernized, Brustein founded both the Yale Repertory Theatre and the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard. He was dean of the Yale School of Drama from 1966-1979 and during that time founded the Yale Repertory Theatre. “They'll have an unresolved experience.”After a painful, highly publicized dismissal from Yale, Brustein in 1979 switched to Harvard, where he taught English and founded the American Repertory Theatre in 1980. At both Yale Rep and A.R.T., Brustein told The Boston Globe in 2012, he embraced popular theater with a nationalistic streak: “We were trying to liberate American theater from its British overseers. The light, absurd comedy, which gently mocks the lavishness of other musicals, premiered in 1994 at the American Repertory Theatre and was close to making it to Broadway.

Persons: — Robert Brustein, Brustein, Gideon Lester, Lester, Doreen Beinart, “, ”, Tony, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, Cherry Jones, Sigourney Weaver, James Naughton, James Lapine, Tony Shalhoub, Linda Lavin, Adam Rapp, William Ivey Long, Steve Zahn, Wendy Wasserstein, David Mamet, Peter Sellars, Lee Strasberg, Marilyn Monroe, William Shakespeare, Shakespeare, August Wilson, Isaac Bashevis Singer, ” “ Chekhov, Ice, George Polk, Barack Obama, Daniel, Norma Brustein, it’s, ___ Mark Kennedy Organizations: Fisher, Bard University, Yale Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Harvard, New York Times, Tea Party, Suffolk University, Harvard University, The New, Fulbright, Cornell, Vassar, Yale School of Drama, Yale Rep, Broadway, Los Angeles Times, Yale, Institute, Advanced Theatre, Time, Boston Globe, “, Vineyard, Washington , D.C, Abington Theatre, Theatre, Globe, Journalism, American Academy of Arts and, Theatre Hall of Fame, Arts, White, Carr, for Human Rights, Kennedy School of Government Locations: Cambridge , Massachusetts, The New Republic, New York City, Amherst, Columbia, Brustein, American, Washington ,, New York, New, “, United States

☆ The World Is Becoming More African
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Declan Walsh | Hannah Reyes Morales | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +37 min

Old World Young Africa As the world grays, Africa blooms with youth. The World Is Becoming More African Part one of a series on how the youth boom is changing the continent, and beyond. But while a handful of African countries are poised to ride the demographic wave, others risk being swamped by it. In the West, racists and right-wing nationalists stoke fears of African population growth to justify hatred, or even violence. The age gap between geriatric leaders and restless youth is “a major source of tension” in many African countries, said Simon Mulongo, a former African Union diplomat from Uganda.

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☆ Bertie Bowman ran away from home at 13 to sweep the steps of Capitol Hill. He died at 92 as the the longest-serving African-American Congressional staffer.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Yoonji Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Herbert "Bertie" Bowman was the longest-serving African-American staffer on Capitol Hill in US history. AdvertisementAdvertisementBertie Bowman, the longest-serving African-American staffer on Capitol Hill in history, died at 92 years old on Wednesday morning. Sen. John Kerry hugs Bowman after his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for Secretary of State on January 24, 2013. AdvertisementAdvertisementBowman escorts Hillary Clinton at a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 2, 2011. Bowman had continued to work in the Capitol until his death, becoming the longest-serving African-American congressional staffer in US history.

Persons: Herbert, Bertie, Bowman, —, Bertie Bowman, Andrew Desiderio, Sen, Ben Cardin, Burnet Maybank, Maybank, Chris Dodd, Tom Williams, I'd, talkshow, Tavis Smiley, Lyndon Johnson, Strom Thurmond, John Kerry, Ken Cedeno, Jesse Helms of, J, William Fulbright of, Bill Clinton, Elvis, Clinton, Chip Somodevilla, he'd, Hillary Clinton, Alex Wong, Helms Organizations: Capitol, Senate, Service, Punchbowl News, Foreign, Station, Senate Foreign, State, William Fulbright of Arkansas, US, Foreign Relations, Washingtonian, Military Force, Islamic Locations: Washington , DC, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Summerton, South Carolina, Washington ,, Washington, Jesse Helms of North Carolina, Vietnam, Islamic State

☆ Patience Haggin — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Patience Haggin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Patience HagginPatience Haggin is a reporter covering digital advertising and broadband in The Wall Street Journal's media bureau in New York. She writes frequently on privacy, political advertising and competition. She was part of a team that won the Gerald Loeb Award for Beat Reporting for the investigative series "Amazon's Abuses" in 2021. Patience previously covered venture capital and startups in the Journal's San Francisco bureau. She began her career at the legal affairs newspaper The Recorder in San Francisco.

Persons: Patience Haggin Patience Haggin, Gerald Loeb, Patience Organizations: Princeton University Locations: New York, San Francisco

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