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☆ Christian radio host Dave Ramsey faces $150 million lawsuit from listeners who say they were defrauded by a timeshare exit company he promoted
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Dave Ramsey faces a $150 million lawsuit from listeners over his promotion of a timeshare exit group. Lawyers say Ramsey was paid $30 million to promote Reed Hein over a period of six years. Christian radio host Dave Ramsey is facing a $150 million lawsuit from 17 listeners who claim he played a role in defrauding them by promoting a timeshare exit company. The suit said Ramsey was paid millions to advertise Timeshare Exit Team, operated by Kirkland, Washington-based Reed Hein & Associates. Ramsey promoted Reed Hein between 2015 and 2021, and only ceased when the company stopped paying him, according to the suit.

Persons: Dave Ramsey, Reed Hein, Ramsey, Bob Ferguson, it's, Reed Hein's, didn't Organizations: Morning, Ramsey, Hour Media, Washington Western, Court, Religion News Service, Reed Hein & Associates, Lawyers, Washington State, Happy Hour Media Group, Happy Hour Locations: Washington, Kirkland , Washington, Washington State

☆ Tens of thousands gather in Serbia's anti-government protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] People attend the protest "Serbia against violence" by Serbia's opposition parties in reaction to the two mass shootings in the same week, in Belgrade, Serbia, June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Marko DjuricaBELGRADE, June 3 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Serbs joined an anti-government protest in Belgrade on Saturday, blaming a culture of violence for the deaths of 18 people in two mass shootings and calling on the interior minister to resign. The protest marked the one-month anniversary of the country's first school shooting on May 3, when a teenager killed ten in an elementary school. In response to the shootings, the government announced school summer holidays would start on June 6, two weeks earlier than planned. Recent Serbian reality TV shows have featured convicted criminals, including murderers, and shown men beating up women.

Persons: Marko Djurica, Aleksandra Vucic, Vucic, Nenad Hadzi Maricic, Bratislav Gasic, Aleksandar Vulin, Aleksandar Saran, Ivana Sekularac, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Marko Djurica BELGRADE, Protesters, Secret, Pink TV, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Serbia, Belgrade, Serbian

☆ Szymon Marciniak: Champions League final referee to remain in role after apologizing for appearance at event organized by hardline nationalist party leader in Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sammy Mncwabe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Referee Szymon Marciniak will officiate next weekend’s UEFA Champions League final after apologizing for his appearance at an event organized by a hardline right-wing Polish politician, the European football governing body confirmed in a statement on Friday. According to the Guardian, Marciniak was a keynote speaker at an event entitled “Everest” organized by Slawomir Mentzen, the leader of the nationalist Confederation party in Katowice, Poland on Monday. The party is known for its slogan, “We stand against Jews, gays, abortion, taxation and the European Union,” the Guardian reports. Marciniak officiated the World Cup final between Argentina and France in December, 2022. Marciniak, who refereed the World Cup final between Argentina and France in December, said he was “gravely misled and completely unaware” of the event’s affiliation.

Persons: Szymon Marciniak, Marciniak, Slawomir Mentzen, Hannah Mckay, Mentzen, “, ” Marciniak, ” Organizations: CNN, UEFA Champions League, Guardian, Confederation, European Union, UEFA, Reuters, Champions League, Manchester City, Inter Milan Locations: Polish, Katowice, Poland, Argentina, France, Istanbul, Turkey

☆ Bank of China chairman visits Papua New Guinea amid Sino-US strategic rivalry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, June 2 (Reuters) - Bank of China (601988.SS) chairman Ge Haijiao has travelled to Papua New Guinea (PNG) as the world's fourth-largest bank seeks an operating licence in the Pacific Islands nation, which is seeking to boost China trade while expanding U.S. defence ties. China, a major infrastructure lender and creditor in the Pacific Islands, struck a security pact with PNG's neighbour Solomon Islands last year. State-owned Bank of China has applied for a commercial operating licence that is still being processed. China had grown from a rural economy to the second-largest on earth, he said, urging Bank of China to fill gaps in the PNG banking market. Bank of China said in a statement it was the first branch of a Chinese bank to open in the Pacific Island country and it would play a role in local economic revitalisation.

Persons: Ge Haijiao, Antony Blinken, James Marape, Ge, Marape, Xi Jinping, Kirsty Needham, Tang, Jamie Freed Organizations: SYDNEY, Bank of China, U.S, of, Bank of, Initiative, Thomson Locations: Papua New Guinea, China, Washington, Beijing, Solomon, Australia's Torres Strait, State, of China, Islands, Bank of China, Sydney

[1/3] A man looks at job information at an employment fair beside a street in Zhengzhou, Henan province, February 19, 2014. REUTERS/Jason LeeHONG KONG, June 1 (Reuters) - China's Henan province has unveiled a 100-day plan to "dynamically clear" youth unemployment as concern grows over record levels of joblessness among young adults, with millions more students due to graduate this year. The goal is to ensure "zero-dynamic clearing" for long-term unemployment and the "smooth employment of college graduates", the provincial Department of Education said in a social media post this week. Economists expect youth unemployment to become increasingly common in coming years as graduates enter the job market. The "dynamic zero clearing" term the education department used is reminiscent of the language authorities used in the fight against COVID, reflecting the level of concern about unemployment.

Persons: Jason Lee HONG, Farah Master, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Department of Education, COVID, Thomson Locations: Zhengzhou, Henan province, Jason Lee HONG KONG, Henan, China, Beijing

☆ Museveni says Uganda won't be swayed after anti-LGBTQ law triggers aid cut threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

His comments were the first since he signed the bill into law, triggering widespread Western criticism including threats by U.S. President Joe Biden and others to cut aid to Uganda and impose other sanctions. If you try to recruit people into a disorientation, then we go for you. And that one I totally support, and I will support.”The law also imposes a life sentence for same-sex intercourse and a 20-year sentence for promotion of homosexuality. Firms including media and non-governmental organisations that knowingly promote LGBTQ activity will also incur harsh fines, the law says. Homosexuality was already illegal in the conservative and highly religious East African country, and homosexuals faced ostracism and harassment by security forces.

Persons: Pres Museveni, Yoweri Museveni, Joe Biden, Museveni, George Obulutsa, Hugh Lawson Organizations: U.S, Resistance Movement, Thomson Locations: Uganda KAMPALA, Uganda

☆ Here's why Diddy is suing Diageo over his vodka and tequila brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Diddy attends The After, hosted by the entrepreneur and Doja Cat, powered by Ciroc Premium Vodka and DeLeon Tequila at Club Love in New York City, May 1, 2023. Sean "Diddy" Combs is suing multinational spirits giant Diageo for alleged racial discrimination in the handling of his vodka and tequila brands, which Combs claims the company typecast as "Black brands." In a lawsuit filed Wednesday with the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, Combs' lawyers accuse Diageo of neglecting his Ciroc vodka and DeLeon tequila brands, and of marginalizing their appeal by marketing them as "urban" brands. Following the success of the partnership, Diageo co-purchased the DeLeon tequila brand with Combs' company in 2013. Diageo, a multibillion-dollar, publicly traded spirits company based in London, owns more than 200 brands, including the Don Julio tequila brand.

Persons: Diddy, DeLeon Tequila, Sean, Combs, DeLeon, Puffy, George Clooney's, Clooney's, Bump Williams, Don Julio, Stephen Rust, Martha Stewart, Rust, They're Organizations: Diageo, New York Supreme, Clooney's Casamigos, Nielsen, CNBC Locations: New York City, Manhattan, London, Ciroc

☆ Russian legislators are targeting transgender people. It's the latest move that copies GOP talking points from the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian legislators are targeting transgender people in a move that mirrors US GOP politics. A new bill in Moscow would ban gender affirming care for any reason other than birth defects. According to state media, the bill would also ban gender changes in public record information. The bill, put forward on Tuesday, would ban gender-affirming surgeries and care, according to Russian state media outlet TASS. Seventy-eight bills targeting transgender care have passed this year, while 373 bills are currently being actively considered, according to Trans Legislation Tracker.

☆ G7 reaffirms commitment to a highly decarbonised road sector by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 20 (Reuters) - The Group of Seven (G7) nations on Saturday reaffirmed their commitment to a highly decarbonised road sector by 2030 and committed to the goal of achieving net-zero emissions on roads by 2050. A G7 statement highlighted various actions countries are taking, including policies for achieving 100% or the overwhelming penetration of sales for zero-emission vehicles in the light-duty vehicle (LDV) category by 2035 and beyond. The policies include actions to achieve 100% electrified vehicles for new passenger car sales by 2035 and promotion of infrastructure and sustainable carbon-neutral fuels, including sustainable bio- and synthetic fuels, it said. "We note the opportunities that these policies offer to contribute to a highly decarbonised road sector, including progressing towards a share of over 50% of zero emission LDVs sold globally by 2030," the document added. Reporting by Reuters G7 team; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nina Gold on creating film stars, audition tapes, and why she'll never act
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Thomas Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

This is the same Nina Gold who’s made a successful career casting some of the defining films and TV shows of this century. “I still don’t really understand what it is that makes acting good,” she says. For “Bad Sisters’” smarmy, abusive antagonist John Paul, Gold cast Claes Bang. For Gold and her team – rising to six people, depending on projects – it’s a lot of logistics and audition tapes. Gold cast Taylor-Johnson in his breakout role as John Lennon in “Nowhere Boy” (2009) at age 18-20, she guesses, but had been auditioning him since about the age of nine.

☆ Controversial 'Homecoming' film director attends Cannes premiere with cast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the film "Le retour" (Homecoming) in competition - Red Carpet Arrivals – Cannes, France, May 17, 2023. Director Catherine Corsini, producer Elisabeth... Read moreCANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - French director Catherine Corsini appeared on the Cannes Film Festival's red carpet flanked by a cluster of cast members on Wednesday for the premiere of her drama "Homecoming," which has been the subject of some controversy in recent months. The director walked between producer Elisabeth Perez and actor Aissatou Diallo Sagna, who won France's Cesar award for best supporting actress in Corsini's 2021 film "The Divide." The movie had faced controversy after concerns were raised about an intimate scene involving minors. Wednesday's red carpet appearance was briefly interrupted by a protester at the barricades in a red dress, who flashed her pregnant stomach with the word "Surrogacy" and a barcode on it.

☆ Kaitlan Collins, Moderator of Trump Forum, Is Named CNN’s 9 P.M. Anchor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Michael M. Grynbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

CNN has selected Kaitlan Collins to host a new weeknight show at 9 p.m., elevating her to one of the most coveted time slots in cable news a week after she moderated a contentious town hall with former President Donald J. Trump. The new role for Ms. Collins was announced by CNN’s chairman, Chris Licht, on Wednesday, just ahead of a presentation to advertisers in Midtown Manhattan hosted by Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company. Her show, which does not yet have a title, is set to begin in June. “She is a smart and gifted journalist who we’ve all seen hold lawmakers and newsmakers accountable,” Mr. Licht wrote in a newsroom memo.

☆ American jailed for spying by China rubbed shoulders with senior Chinese officials, CNN reporting shows, CNN reporting shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“He’s a very famous person, known by many overseas Chinese in the southern US,” Tang said. Reports published by Chinese-language media in Texas and China’s state media show Leung’s long-running access to senior Chinese officials. In 2014, he met with the director of Jiangsu Provincial Overseas Chinese Affairs Office during a visit to Nanjing, the provincial capital. This photo shows John Leung with Wang Hua, the former director of Jiangsu Provincial Overseas Chinese Affairs Office. It also comes as American and Chinese officials are resuming high-level engagements since a dispute over a suspected Chinese spy balloon shattered efforts to mend ties earlier this year.

[1/4] Twitter, X Corp., and Tesla CEO Elon Musk poses with French President Emmanuel Macron prior to their talks, Monday, May 15, 2023 at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. Some 200 business leaders attending the event in Versailles close to Paris have so far made commitments to invest a combined 13 billion euros ($14 billion), the most since Macron first held the summit in 2018, his office said. Musk, who also lunched with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, said he was confident Tesla would make "significant investments" in France in the future, without giving a timetable. "No announcement today but I am very impressed with President Macron and the French government and how welcoming they are," he told reporters. Morgan Stanley plans to increase headcount in France by 200 by 2025, bringing total staff in the country to 500.

PARIS, May 14 (Reuters) - France is poised to win record foreign investment pledges when President Emmanuel Macron receives global business leaders, including Tesla's Elon Musk, on Monday at the annual Choose France summit in Versailles. Executives attending the event in Versailles close to Paris have so far made commitments to invest a combined 13 billion euros ($14 billion), the most since Macron first held the summit in 2018. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla (TSLA.O), met Macron at his official residence the Elysee Palace. France previously tried to convince Musk to build a European gigafactory in the country, but he chose Germany, his only European gigafactory so far. PALATIAL BACKDROPOver the last five years, Macron has invited top CEOs to the opulent Versailles Palace to try to secure billions in foreign investments.

☆ Trader Joe's long-time CEO and the brains behind the 19-cent banana announces his retirement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trader Joe's CEO Dan Bane will retire in July, the grocery store chain said on Monday. "I take great pride that together we have made Trader Joe's the best grocery store in America," Bane said, according to Trader Joe's. With Bane's retirement will come the promotion of Bryan Palbaum to Chairman and CEO and Jon Basalone to Vice CEO, Trader Joe's said. Under Bane, Trader Joe's stuck to a leaner operating strategy than most other US grocery stores. California-based Trader Joe's is owned by the same family who owns Aldi Nord, a German chain of discount grocery stores.

☆ Can the UK afford to host Ukraine’s Eurovision? It can’t afford not to
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

watch nowThe U.K. will host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on May 13. What is the Eurovision Song Contest? The U.K. is hosting the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023, as the war remains ongoing in Ukraine, 2022's winners. For one, the competition can be a great advert for the host city — and country — which can endure well after the party is over. Electro-pop duo Tvorchi is representing Ukraine in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

☆ The real reasons stores are closing in big cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

These big chains and others have closed stores in major US cities recently, raising alarm about the future of retail in some of the country’s most prominent downtowns and business districts. How policymakers remake their downtowns — with retail as a crucial attraction — will be crucial to cities’ fiscal health and regional economies. People who are being employed in those stores are losing their jobs” because of crime, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said in February. San Francisco lost around 6% of its retail establishments from 2019 to 2021, according to the think tank’s research. For example, chain-store closures in New York City have correlated to the products most frequently bought online.

☆ 'iCarly' writers join the WGA strike as showrunner Ali Schouten calls out Hollywood studios' 'corporate greed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Insider spoke to Ali Schouten, the showrunner behind Paramount+ series "iCarly," about what's at stake. The "iCarly" writers will link up with the picket line outside the lot where the show is filmed, according to Ali Schouten, the series' showrunner and executive producer. Ahead of the "iCarly" writers' picketing on Thursday, I spoke with Schouten to understand what she and her colleagues are fighting for. Lisa Rose/Paramount+The last writers' strike resulted in $2 billion worth of losses for the California economy, and some experts predict the impact of this work stoppage could be even greater. How is the writers' strike impacting you, your business, or your family?

☆ Disinformation researcher who led now-defunct DHS unit sues Fox News for defamation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The researcher, Nina Jankowicz, briefly served in the Biden administration as head of the now-defunct Disinformation Governance Board, which was housed in the Department of Homeland Security. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of high-profile defamation cases brought against Fox News in recent years. The network last month settled a lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, the largest publicly known settlement in US history. Smartmatic’s case survived a motion to dismiss filed by Fox News last year and continues to move through the court system. Lachlan Murdoch, the chief executive of Fox Corporation, the parent company of the right-wing channel Fox News, said on Tuesday that the company will fight Smartmatic’s lawsuit.

☆ Tucker Carlson is popular with the boomers, but at Twitter he will be courting a different — and much younger — audience
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The median age of Twitter users is much younger than that of Fox News viewers, reports show. Tucker Carlson is officially moving to Twitter, but whether his loyal — and older — Fox fans will follow is yet to be seen. In a video, Carlson touted the social media platform to his seven million followers as a place of "free speech." Back at Fox News, the median age of an average viewer was 65, according to Nielsen ratings. A Pew Research study shows a stark difference: The median age of a Twitter user is 40.

☆ Tucker Carlson announces plans to relaunch his show on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Right-wing extremist Tucker Carlson announced Tuesday that he will relaunch his program on Twitter, which he praised as the only remaining large free-speech platform in the world after Fox News fired him late last month. Carlson made the announcement in a video posted to the social media website, which Elon Musk acquired last year. Twitter has devolved in recent months into a chaotic platform where the traditional press has come under assault from the billionaire. He did not mention Musk has censored speech on Twitter, including banning several prominent reporters from the website just last year. Although Carlson did not directly address his abrupt firing from Fox News in the video, he strongly alluded to it.

☆ Iran hangs two men for blasphemy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, May 8 (Reuters) - Iran has executed two people who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy, the judiciary's news website Mizan reported on Monday. Yousef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare were executed for crimes including blasphemy, insulting the religion of Islam, the prophet and other sanctities, Mizan reported. The two were running dozens of online anti-religion platforms dedicated to the hatred of Islam, the promotion of atheism and insults to sanctities, Mizan reported. U.N. experts have called on majority Shi'ite Muslim Iran to stop persecution and harassment of religious minorities pointing out an Iranian policy of targeting dissenting beliefs or religious practices, including Christian converts and atheists. Reporting by Elwely Elwelly; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israel publishes tenders for new West Bank settlement units
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, May 7 (Reuters) - Israel has published tenders for more than 1,000 new housing units in settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite a commitment it made in U.S.-backed talks in February that discussion of new settlement units would be halted for the next four months. Since the meeting in Jordan, attended by U.S., Egyptian, Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli officials, the Israel Land Authority has published on its website separate tenders for 1,248 new housing units in West Bank settlements. The settlements include Beitar Illit, Efrat, Kiryat Arba, Ma'ale Efraim and Karnei Shomron in addition to 89 units in the East Jerusalem settlement of Gilo. The expansion of settlements in the West Bank has been among the most contentious issues between Israel and the Palestinians and the international community for decades. Israel disputes that and cites biblical, historical and political ties to the West Bank, as well as security interests.

☆ Chase cardholders can buy Apple products with Chase points through Ultimate Rewards with up to a 50% bonus for a limited time
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Joseph Hostetler | Jasmin Baron | Credit Cards Reporter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Chase points are unusually valuable for Apple products in May 2023. You'll get a 10% to 50% bonus (1.1 to 1.5 cents per point) depending on the Chase card you have. Normally, Chase points are worth 1 cent apiece toward Apple purchases made through Chase. Earn 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out. Earn 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out.

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