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☆ In Nigeria's long war, a young woman is brutalised by both sides
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

It was a pleasant evening in the summer of 2014, in her Nigerian village near the Cameroon border. Reuters could not reach representatives of Boko Haram or its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, for comment. But by October 2014, the militants were enforcing extreme sharia law in her village, Aisha said. Boko Haram men often came looking for them, knocking on their door and forcing them to hide. But she did not believe she could do so with Bana, as boys were particularly valued in the Boko Haram community.

☆ 13 Unique Gifts for the Mom Who Doesn’t Want Anything
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

The woman forever insisting she doesn’t need anything for the holidays, her birthday or Mother’s Day. With 200-plus thoughtful prompts and quick-hitting questions (What food do you like to have made for you when you’re sick? For the fragrance fanThis cool subscription service makes a unique gift for any mom, delivering an 8 mL bottle of perfume to her door every month. For the mom who’s tired of getting flowersThink of succulents as the gateway into plant parenthood. For the mom who could use a pick-me-upDare we say this is the sort of offering that will have her buzzing?

☆ December is the month for eating all the cookies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Casey Barber | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Editor’s Note: Food writer Casey Barber says December is the month for baking cookies. Freezing cookies can also help save time in the long run by allowing you to start your holiday baking early. Lin makes cookies weeks in advance of his parties and thaws them at room temperature up to two days before an event. If you are short on timeBar cookies are Lin’s secret weapon when it comes to holiday baking. Many cookies, such as Lin’s red velvet crackle cookies, require that the dough be chilled before portioning and rolling, so it’s key to take that into consideration.

☆ Takeaways from the 2022 Georgia runoff: Warnock's win expands Democratic power in the Senate as his own star rises
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | Sahil Kapur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

ATLANTA — Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock wrapped up his “one more time” tour with a victory Tuesday in the runoff, defeating Republican rival Herschel Walker to secure a six-year term. But this electoral success is sure to elevate his star, possibly into the echelons of presidential or vice-presidential contenders. Walker improved his margins in some rural counties, particularly in northern Georgia, but it wasn't enough. Warnock's top advisers said they focused heavily on swing voters, and their strategy paid off. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, won their races on Election Day, topping 50% and avoiding a runoff.

☆ Nestlé May Shed Peanut Allergy Treatment as Sales Disappoint
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Denise Roland | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Palforzia exposes patients to gradually higher doses of peanut powder. The treatment requires visiting a doctor every two weeks for four to five months. The world’s only approved peanut allergy drug has so far proved a flop. Nestlé SA said Tuesday it would explore strategic options for the treatment, effectively putting the drug up for sale, following lower-than-expected demand from doctors and patients. The move comes just two years after the packaged-food giant agreed to buy the developer of the drug, called Palforzia, in a $2.6 billion deal.

☆ Nestle nudges 2022 sales outlook higher again
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Kit Kat chocolate covered wafer bars manufactured by Nestle are seen in London, Britain, July 25, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Photo Illustration/File PhotoSummarySummary Companies Now sees organic sales up 8.0-8.5% vs around 8% beforeMakes progress on share buyback programmeLaunches review of peanut allergy treatmentZURICH, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) has nudged its 2022 sales outlook higher again, the world's largest packaged food company said ahead of an investor seminar on Tuesday. The company said it now expected organic sales growth of 8-8.5%, up from an October forecast of around 8%, and an underlying trading operating profit margin of around 17.0%. Nestle confirmed it was aiming to repurchase 20 billion Swiss francs ($21.09 billion) worth of shares from 2022 to 2024 and said it had already bought around 9.7 billion francs worth. Nestle shares were indicated 0.8% higher in pre-market activity.

☆ Nestlé U-turn is refreshing example of M&A candour
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It’s less common for them to admit as much and reverse tack after just two years. Nestlé originally touted potential annual sales of $1 billion for the drug, which had received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. Nestlé Chief Executive Mark Schneider can arguably afford to be honest, rather than trying to bury the M&A flop within his $330 billion behemoth. That’s because his overall acquisition strategy seems to be working. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

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☆ Shopper turnout hit record high over Black Friday weekend, retail trade group says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Melissa Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The industry group said Tuesday that the figure topped the turnout of 179 million during last year's holiday weekend. The NRF, which began tracking the figure in 2017, had forecast a turnout of 166.3 million for this year. Figures from Adobe Analytics showed that online spending hit record highs on key days during the holiday shopping weekend. Black Friday sales hit $9.12 billion and Cyber Monday sales hit $11.3 billion, according to the company, which tracks sales on retailers' websites. It could also signal a return to the pre-pandemic timetable of holiday shopping, with people concentrating their gift-buying around Black Friday and in the final sprint before Christmas Day.

☆ Zero-Based Budgeting, Currency Hedges Among the Tools CFOs Can Use to Weather Headwinds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Nina Trentmann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

One area to which finance chiefs scouting for efficiencies have turned is zero-based budgeting, a tool that gained popularity early in the pandemic and requires finance executives to question and justify each line item in every new budget period. Reese’s peanut-butter cup maker Hershey Co., based in Pennsylvania, regularly goes through every line of its profit and loss statement, Finance Chief Steve Voskuil said. Detroit-based General Motors Co. is slowing and in some areas even freezing hiring, and homing in on other fixed costs, Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson has said. Facing high inflation and an uncertain outlook, finance chiefs are using zero-based budgeting to lower expenses in areas including operations, real estate, logistics, sales and marketing. Finance executives at large U.S. companies, including Coca-Cola Co. and materials-science company Dow Inc., are increasing their foreign-currency hedges and covering longer time periods.

My family has a Thanksgiving tradition. Countless people who don’t — or can’t (or both) — eat traditional Thanksgiving food such as turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie will be the butt of the joke when families gather around the table on Thursday. Or what if the pumpkin pie is so good one slice isn’t enough? I’d love to start a new Thanksgiving tradition this year: sitting poolside in Palm Springs or getting sand between my toes as I hike at Malaga Cove would be great. I’ll be with my relatives and a punchline to a joke that never was funny, because that’s my family’s Thanksgiving tradition.

☆ Joe Biden pardons turkeys Chocolate and Chip, gives thanks for 'no ballot stuffing' and 'no fowl play'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Biden quipped that there had been "no ballot stuffing" and "no fowl play" during the midterms. He also said the "only red wave this season" would be if his dog, Commander, knocked over cranberry sauce. "The votes are in, they've been counted and verified, there's no ballot stuffing, there's no fowl play," Biden said on the White House South Lawn, according to a transcript of the speech. "The only red wave this season is gonna be if German Shepherd, Commander, knocks over the cranberry sauce on our table." Biden's quips came after a widely-touted "red wave" for the Republican Party failed to materialize during the midterms.

☆ Plant milks or dairy: What's better for you and planet Earth?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The advertisement featuring a pearly white, cow’s milk mustache on a smiling face sends a message often repeated at home: Dairy milk is good for you. Fat, sodium and cholesterol: Compared to dietary cholesterol in whole dairy, most plant milks are good choices — plant foods never have dietary cholesterol, Gardner said. Sodium levels are relatively equal between plant milks and dairy at about 100 milligrams of sodium. “No need to fear the fat of most plant-based milks — unsaturated fats are considered healthful in the modest quantities found in plant-based milks,” Gardner said. Plant milks have no such advantage, and this is where nutrition can stumble, Gardner said.

☆ Kraft Heinz turns to gimmicks and nostalgia to revive its ‘dusty’ brands
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Because they’re incredible.”More than half of Kraft Heinz’s business comes from just eight brands — the aforementioned three, plus Kraft Mac and Cheese, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Heinz, Lunchables and Ore-Ida. For Kraft Heinz, which is relying on Patricio to execute a comeback, there’s a lot on the line. So we have more loyalty.”For that reason, Kraft Heinz has leaned in to promoting its legacy brands — and with sometimes outrageous marketing. Kraft HeinzOther Kraft Heinz brands have also used attention-grabbing marketing campaigns. Kraft Heinz’s brands now have a presence on gaming platforms like Roblox, in addition to social media channels and other platforms.

Amid persistent inflation, investors have been nervously eyeing how consumer spending pans out during the crucial holiday season, when retailers make more than a third of their annual profits. The world's largest retailer by sales forecast holiday quarter U.S. same-store sales, excluding fuel, to increase about 3%, below estimates of a 3.4% increase. The company's comments follow those of FedEx and Amazon, which have also warned of muted holiday season demand in recent weeks. Home improvement chain Home Depot (HD.N) on Tuesday left its annual forecasts unchanged, adding to holiday season concerns amid a slowing housing market. read moreFor the full-year, Walmart forecast net sales to rise 5.5%, above its previous forecast of a 4.5% increase.

☆ 2 women stopped binge eating after an implant started zapping their brains with electricity, a small study found
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A brain implant reduced two patients' binge eating for at least six months. The two patients were fitted with a brain implant to zap the part of the brain linked to cravings. The idea of targeting brain waves to fight cravings has been appealing, so much so that Elon Musk recently said his Neuralink brain implant could one day fight morbid obesity. The implant used in the study learned to recognize those brainwaves and zap that region with electricity to scramble them, which seemed to cut the cravings short. With just two patients, the scientists can't prove for sure that it was the implant causing the weight loss.

☆ Couple sentenced in plot to sell U.S. submarine secrets by hiding intel in peanut butter sandwich
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

In one of them, Diana Toebbe told her husband to flush the letter down a toilet after reading it. Prior to sentencing, Jonathan Toebbe described his battles with stress in taking on additional duties and his own battle with alcohol. The couple was arrested in October 2021 after Jonathan Toebbe placed a card in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Prosecutors had sought three years for Diana Toebbe. An FBI agent posing as a foreign government’s representative made contact with Toebbe, ultimately paying in cryptocurrency for the information Toebbe was offering.

ATLANTA — The Georgia Senate race is headed to a runoff, NBC News projected Wednesday, with neither Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock nor Republican challenger Herschel Walker topping the necessary 50% required under state law to win on the first ballot. The runoff will take place on Dec. 6, according to the Georgia secretary of state’s office. If Democrats finish with 49 Senate seats prior to the runoff, the runoff will decide which party controls the chamber. In 2020, Georgia held two Senate contests that went to a runoff. Both GOP incumbents were defeated by Democrats, including Warnock, giving the party just enough votes to capture the Senate.

☆ Get them on social media and keep it authentic, Gen-Z consultants advise candidates
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Irie Sentner | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

“The Gen Z electorate can make or break the election in some of our key races,” said Ashley Aylward, 26, a research manager at HIT Strategies, a Washington-based public opinion research firm focusing on youth and minority voters. The firm was started in 2019 “because we were seeing so many political operatives kind of just dismissing the emerging electorate — young people, people of color,” she said. As more of Gen Z reaches voting age, experts have advised candidates to change their strategies to appeal to new voters. Experts said social media — and TikTok specifically — are key in strategizing for the Gen Z vote in the 2022 election. Experts emphasized that Gen Z cares about authenticity and casualness; candidates can “miss the mark” when they “don’t use the language that young people do," Aylward said.

☆ 11 Unique Gifts for the Mom Who Doesn’t Want Anything
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

The woman forever insisting she doesn’t need anything for the holidays, her birthday or Mother’s Day. For the mom who’s an open bookQuestions About Me Tell Me Your Life Story, Mom: A Mother’s Guided Journal and Memory Keepsake Book $10 at AmazonHere’s a way to give Mom what she really wants: a connection to you. With 200-plus thoughtful prompts and quick-hitting questions (What food do you like to have made for you when you’re sick? For the mom who’s tired of getting flowersThink of succulents as the gateway into plant parenthood. For the mom on the goThink of this elegantly shaped hat as an upgrade to her standard pony or top knot.

☆ Rep. Sanford Bishop faces off against Republican Chris West in Georgia's 2nd Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Sanford Bishop is running against Republican Chris West in Georgia's 2nd Congressional District. The 2nd District encompasses Georgia's southwestern corner, including Albany. Georgia's longest serving congressman, Rep. Sanford Bishop, looks to fend off Republican Chris West in Georgia's 2nd Congressional District. Georgia's 2nd Congressional District candidatesBishop, first elected to Congress in 1992, hasn't faced much competition in the past. Voting history for Georgia's 2nd Congressional DistrictGeorgia's 2nd Congressional District encompasses Georgia's southwestern corner, including Albany and parts of Macon, Columbus, and Warner Robins.

☆ Why Costco, Trader Joe's stopped selling your favorites
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Fans run social media accounts dedicated to tracking discontinued products at Trader Joe’s, and others blog about long-lost items at Costco. “We understand that it can be disappointing — devastating, even,” Trader Joe’s says on its “discontinued product feedback” contact page for customers. There are several reasons Trader Joe’s, Costco (COST) and other stores suddenly stop selling customer favorites. Also, for stores like Costco and Trader Joe’s, discontinuing items can reinforce the treasure hunt-like appeal of these stores. One major factor: It’s difficult to get shelf space inside Trader Joe’s and Costco and stay there.

☆ Hershey Boosts Guidance After Third-Quarter Sales Rise 13%
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Sabela Ojea | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Hershey Co. raised its guidance for the year after reporting a 13% rise in third-quarter sales on higher-than-expected demand for its snacks and candy despite raising prices. The maker of Reese’s peanut-butter cups and Twizzlers candy on Friday said higher prices helped it offset higher supply-chain costs and advertising expenses, with the latter aimed at boosting consumer spending on its treats.

☆ Candy maker Hershey raises sales outlook ahead of holiday season
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 4 (Reuters) - Hershey Co raised its full-year net sales and profit forecasts on Friday, signaling strong Halloween candy demand that it expects to continue into the holiday season despite higher selling prices. Hershey said its overall average selling prices increased by 7.7% in the third quarter while volumes rose 4.1%. The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup maker's revenue rose 15.6% to $2.73 billion in the quarter ended Oct. 2. The company said it now expects full-year 2022 net sales to grow between 14% and 15%, compared to the previous forecast of 12% to 14% growth. It forecast a 14% to 15% rise in its 2022 adjusted profit per share, above the prior forecast of a 12% to 14% increase.

☆ 11 Best Gifts for Dog Lovers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

For the bakerThe Dash Dog Treat Maker—a small waffle iron with bone-shaped plates—lets your pal whip up homemade dog treats. It makes up to eight bone-shaped dog treats at a time, and it includes sweet and savory recipes. Dockx eased her golden retriever’s separation anxiety while she was at work with a Snuggle Puppy, a plush toy with a battery-powered heartbeat. To brush up on dog speak, DeWillems recommends “Doggie Language: A Dog Lover’s Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend,” which decodes canine body language through illustrations that highlight subtle nuances in their mannerisms. For the devoted dog dadDog Dad Hats Custom Dog Dad Hats $69 at Dog Dad HatsAny proud parent will dig a Dog Dad Hat, with a custom embroidered illustration of their pet’s portrait.

☆ Rising inflation forces Halloween candy prices to climb more than 13%, with the highest price increases impacting Skittles and Starbursts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

As Americans prepare for Halloween festivities, candy prices have shot up. Candy prices rose more than 13% in September compared with a year ago, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Skittles shot up by 42% in price since last year, while Starbursts rose by 35%, Datasembly told The WSJ. According to the Labor Department, candy prices went up more than 13% in September compared with a year ago. Consumers plan to spend $100 on average for Halloween candy, cards, costumes, and decorations, the National Retail Foundation reported in its 2022 survey.

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