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HONG KONG, June 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A government-led buyout signals more uncertainty ahead for a chip industry grappling with oversupply and geopolitics. The state-backed Japan Investment Corp will take over JSR (4185.T), which makes light-sensitive chemicals vital to manufacturing semiconductors, among other things. In recent years, the conglomerate has pivoted from a low-margin business of selling synthetic rubber used to make tyres to focus on semiconductor materials - primarily photoresists - and biopharmaceuticals. Yet JIC's mandate to boost the country’s global competitiveness and its focus on consolidating industries helps to justify the hefty premium. Either way, the government's focus on elevating national chipmaking champions creates fresh uncertainty for JSR's foreign customers like South Korea's Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (2330.TW).

Persons: Sharp, Eric Johnson, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Japan Investment Corp, Renesas Electronics, chipmakers, Samsung Electronics, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Japan Investment Corporation, Mizuho Bank, Development Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Tokyo, Taiwan, Japan, United States, South Korea, South

☆ It could take 131 years for the world to close the gender gap, report shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Minneapolis CNN —Progress on achieving global gender equality is languishing. A new report from the World Economic Forum estimates that women won’t attain parity with men for another 131 years. The overall gender gap — a measurement of equality across the realms of the economy, politics, health and education — closed by a mere 0.3% as compared to last year, according to the WEF’s “Global Gender Gap Report 2023,” released Wednesday. “Today, some parts of the world are seeing partial recoveries while others are experiencing deteriorations as new crises unfold.”The WEF’s Gender Gap Index measures gender parity in 146 countries and across four areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment. “Accelerating progress towards gender parity will not only improve outcomes for women and girls but benefit economies and societies more widely, reviving growth, boosting innovation and increasing resilience,” Zahidi wrote.

Persons: ”, Saadia Zahidi, ” Zahidi, “ Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, “, United Locations: Minneapolis, Iceland, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, Nicaragua, Namibia, Lithuania, United States

☆ Charles M. Blow on ‘Rapper’s Delight’ - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Charles M. Blow | Charles Blow | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

America Is An Island Where the Rules Never Changepick the one piece of culture thatbest captures the country. America Is ... We asked 17 columnists topick the one piece of culture thatbest captures the country. Opinion America Is Black Pain and Joy“Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang was the first rap song I remember hearing. Struggle and pain are often a kiln for creativity, and that has meant that much of American culture is born of the story of Black American life. It took the crosscurrents of Black life and produced of them a chorus, and America — and the world — was enthralled.

Persons: topick, Joy “, Eric Reese, I’m, America — Organizations: Library of Congress, Sugarhill, America Locations: America, South, New Jersey

Opinion What a Motherless Son Knows About FatherhoodWhen I was 8, maybe 9 years old, there was a day when students in my class could bring their parents to school. I’ve no memory of this proclamation of my paternal dreams, but I know I’ve long perceived fatherhood as a noble pursuit. My father-figure admiration likely originated from watching my dad, flummoxed by grief, in the years after the plane crash in which my mother died at age 37. My older brother, Brandon, age 6, and my identical twin, Spencer, were on the same plane sitting right beside her. The film fastidiously re-enacts the events of the plane crash and its immediate aftermath.

Persons: I’d, Frances Lockwood Bailey, Francie, Brandon, Spencer, Charlton Heston, Al Haynes, fastidiously, Kevin Costner, I’ve, it's Organizations: United Airlines Flight, Sioux Gateway, Nikon, “ FIRE, Sioux Gateway Airport Locations: Sioux City , Iowa, Iowa, Denver, Chicago

Axiom Space recently completed its second human spaceflight mission traveling to and from the International Space Station via a SpaceX Dragon Capsule. CNBC's "Manifest Space" podcast sat down with the retired NASA astronaut to discuss her return to space, the commercialization of human spaceflight and her outlook on the private space economy. You're back at the space station, you're somebody who's commanded the space station, you've been there multiple times before. And a part of being a NASA astronaut, I had many experiences where we trade responsibilities in command. And although I was a farm kid and a farm girl, I didn't really know if that would ever be an option for me.

Persons: Peggy Whitson, She's, Whitson, Morgan Brennan, who's, you've, You've, who've, it's, followership, Neil Armstrong Organizations: NASA, Kennedy Space Center, International Space, SpaceX, Soyuz, Space Locations: Saudi Arabia, United States, Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S

☆ A former waitress who lived paycheck-to-paycheck bought her first home in Detroit for $6,300 using her tax return. She explains how she scaled up to 35 units and achieved financial independence before
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ashley Hamilton was living paycheck-to-paycheck when she decided she wanted to buy real estate. In 2009, she used her $7,000 tax return to purchase a $6,300 foreclosure in Detroit. Since, she's scaled up to 35 units and is financially independent thanks to rental income. Hamilton didn't have the cash at the time, but was anticipating a big tax return later that year. Hamilton, 36, owns 35 units in Detroit, Michigan and is financially independent from her rental income.

Persons: Ashley Hamilton, Hamilton, didn't, you'd, Hamilton didn't, I'm, she's, you've, they've Organizations: Detroit, MLS, Bank of America Locations: Detroit, Detroit , Michigan, Zillow

☆ Japan demographic woes deepen as birth rate hits record low
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Kiyoshi Takenaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - Japan's birth rate declined for the seventh consecutive year in 2022 to a record low, the health ministry said on Friday, underscoring the sense of crisis gripping the country as the population shrinks and ages rapidly. The fertility rate, or the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime, was 1.2565. That compares with the previous low of 1.2601 posted in 2005 and is far below the rate of 2.07 considered necessary to maintain a stable population. The pandemic has exacerbated Japan's demographic challenges, with fewer marriages in recent years contributing to fewer births and COVID-19 partly responsible for more deaths. The number of newborns in Japan slid 5% to 770,747 last year, a new low, while the number of deaths shot 9% higher to a record 1.57 million, the data showed.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

☆ I'm a cruise musician on an adults-only ship. I make thousands of untaxed dollars each month and get to travel the world.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Jack Nolan, 32, is a guitar player who lives and works on a Virgin Voyages cruise ship. He was starting his own cruise ship band and he asked me if I wanted to play guitar. Our drummer already knew the process of how to get a cruise ship gig, so he led the way. That's a really sweet part of being a full-time cruise ship musician, to save so much money. Jack Nolan makes $4,000 per month as a cruise ship musician, he told Insider.

Persons: Jack Nolan, Nolan, I'm, Valiant, Elvis, Etta James, Bruno Mars, It's, I've, we've, we're, Greece — it's, haven't, it's Organizations: Virgin, Morning, Celebrity, British, Kangaroos Locations: England, Australia, New Zealand, Norwegian, Greece, LA, California

☆ The Maestro’s Latest Opus: A Video Game to Save Classical Music
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Simi Horwitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Asked which of his many roles most defines him, Mr. Dubal responded with some drama: “I never want to define myself.” His eyes grew wide. Nietzsche said that.” Like a judge pounding a gavel, he slapped his palm onto his coffee table. Every day.”Mr. Dubal was born around 1944 (he would prefer not to say exactly) and was raised in Cleveland. One day, while sitting in the dentist’s chair, he learned about an opening for the job of music director at WNCN, a classical music station. Despite his dire cultural predictions, Mr. Dubal expresses a quirky optimism and a healthy dose of irony.

☆ These are the 10 best states to retire based on quality of life—Florida isn't in the top 3
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

WalletHub ranked the best states to retire based on quality of life and Massachussets ranked the highest. 1 state to retire for high quality of life: MassachusettsMassachusetts is the best state for retirees based on the quality of life. 2 best state to retire in 2023 based on quality of life, according to WalletHub. Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty ImagesTop 10 best states to retire based on quality of lifeMassachusetts Minnesota Pennsylvania Florida New Hampshire Maine Vermont Ohio Wyoming New York Minnesota ranked second on the list. Pennsylvania ranks as one of the best states to retire based on several factors including, affordability and quality of life.

CNN —A younger Congress may be a thing of the past. Ten years after meeting the age requirement for the Senate, age 30, baby boomers landed four seats, with millennials unable to get a single one. Millennials overtook baby boomers as America’s largest generation in 2020, according to Pew Research. Millennials and Generation Z (11-26) are winning their very first House seats faster than the previous four generations, CNN’s analysis shows. In the Senate, however, it’s taken more than 10 years for both Generation X and millennials to join Congress.

☆ China's Tencent Music revenue beats estimates on jump in paying users
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 16 (Reuters) - China's Tencent Music Entertainment Group (1698.HK), topped quarterly revenue estimates on Tuesday as the Spotify-like music streaming platform benefited from growth in paying users, sending its U.S. shares 2% higher in premarket trading. That helped the Tencent Holdings Ltd-controlled company, which owns platforms including QQ Music, Kuwo Music and WeSing, snap five consecutive quarters of revenue declines. Total revenue rose 5.4% to 7.00 billion yuan ($1.01 billion) in the first quarter, beating analysts' estimates of 6.86 billion yuan, according to Refinitiv data. "We are glad to achieve a record-high online music paying ratio and expand ARPU for the fourth consecutive quarter. Net profit attributable to equity holders was 1.15 billion yuan, compared with 609 million yuan a year earlier.

Her mother Sarah — a former deli shop owner — was bored with retirement and had decided to open an ice cream shop in Bethesda, Maryland. "To be honest, at first I was like, 'ice cream shop?'" Running the ice cream shopDespite Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream successful grand opening, it took over six months for the business to become "a well-oiled machine," Park says. Instead, Park and her mother donate ice cream to local nonprofits and community organizations, which has attracted loyal customers in the Bethesda area. Within a few months of opening the first store, Park realized the business didn't have to be limited to just "a mom-and-daughter shop."

☆ Travel costs fell in April's inflation reading. The dip may be short-lived, experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Typical trip costs increased by 9% in the first quarter of 2023, according to the NerdWallet Travel Price Index, which includes prices for flights, hotels, car rentals and dining out. When expressed in dollar terms, travelers would have paid an extra $180 per person for a $2,000 trip, NerdWallet found. "As has been the case ever since the onset of the pandemic, travel prices have been volatile," said Sally French, a travel expert at NerdWallet. "I think you're going to enjoy it a little bit more," Griscavage said of off-season travel to popular cities. Use your rewardsMany people built up frequent flier miles during the pandemic by using their credit cards that carry travel rewards benefits, Josephs said.

☆ Fact Check-Underwater photograph of plane shows a diving site, not MH370 wreckage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A photograph of an aircraft sunk in the Red Sea, off the coast of Jordan, to create an artificial diving site has been mislabeled by users as showing the submerged remains of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which mysteriously disappeared in 2014. However, the photo is a screenshot from a video posted by scuba diving company Deep Blue Dive Center in Aqaba, Jordan (here) showing a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar aircraft with the caption: "Tristar Airplane Wreck Red Sea, Aqaba JO”. The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), which owns the aircraft, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The Malaysian Airlines flight en route to Beijing went missing over the Indian Ocean after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014. The photograph shows an airplane hull in the Red Sea used as a diving spot, not the wreckage of the lost flight MH370 aircraft.

☆ The Star Wars timeline: All movies and shows in chronological order
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

These details are pulled from the official “Star Wars” resources “Ultimate Star Wars” and “Star Wars Character Encyclopedia,” as well as experts from outlets like USA Today and the AV Club. ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (animated series)Ahsoka is Anakin's padawan in "The Clone Wars," and he lovingly calls her "Snips." ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’"Solo" shows how Han and Chewie became best friends. ‘Star Wars Rebels’Kanan Jarrus, Zeb Orrelios and Sabine Wren take on the Empire in "Star Wars Rebels." ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’Heroes attempt to find the plans to blow up the Death Star in "Rogue One."

The last two times U.S. corn exports were lower than the 2022-23 expectations were 2019-20 (36.1 million tonnes or 1.78 billion bushels) and 2012-13 (16.5 million tonnes or 730 million bushels). CHINA BOWING OUTOn Thursday, USDA confirmed the week's second cancellation of U.S. corn sales to China, bringing the total to 560,000 tonnes (22 million bushels). As of April 20, China had 8.6 million tonnes of U.S. corn on the books for 2022-23 delivery, and 3.7 million still awaited shipment. Outstanding corn sales to China are comprised mostly of new purchases since March, implying those are among the ones now being cancelled. China only began accepting Brazilian corn shipments at the end of last year, though Japan frequently imports several million tonnes.

HONG KONG, April 27 (Reuters) - Embattled property developer China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) will get a signal on Thursday of the level of creditor backing for its offshore debt restructuring proposal, with investors to be given an incentive for early support. While some major creditors have already agreed to support the restructuring proposal, others are eager to cut ties with the debt-laden company and move on. The proposal requires approval from more than 75% in creditor value in each debt class in order to pass. A Chinese institutional investor said the restructuring terms were unappealing but his firm planned to accept the offer because its holding was small and it could not see a better option to quickly wrap up dealings and move on. Houlihan Lokey's Gale said the restructuring terms were more complex than other property sector deals because Evergrande had "a lot of voices and a fragmented holder base".

[1/2] A surveillance camera is seen near the logo of the China Evergrande Group at the Evergrande Center in Shanghai, China, September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoHONG KONG, April 27 (Reuters) - Embattled property developer China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) said on Thursday it would extend the deadline for receiving an incentive for its debt restructuring proposal to May 18 as the company disclosed levels of support from offshore debt-holders for its proposal. Evergrande said that 77% holders of class-A debts and 30% holders of class-C debts have submitted their respective support for the restructuring proposal, among others. While some major creditors have already agreed to support the restructuring proposal, others are eager to cut ties with the debt-laden company and move on. Houlihan Lokey's Gale said the restructuring terms were more complex than other property sector deals because Evergrande had "a lot of voices and a fragmented holder base".

☆ NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell exits after an 'inappropriate relationship,' shocking insiders, and Comcast won't rush to replace him as corporate exec Mike Cavanagh steps up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell's exit shocked company insiders and all of Hollywood. NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell's bombshell departure on Sunday night was a surprise to the well-regarded executive and also to his closest colleagues. Deadline reported that Shell's relationship was with CNBC's senior international correspondent, Hadley Gamble, which lasted 11 years but had ended a couple of years ago. "Comcast is as buttoned-up and straight as ever — this is a black eye for Brian Roberts," the Comcast CEO. A second company insider, however, said that Cavanagh is expected to remain in the role for some time.

☆ Opinion | Biden Should Take Voters’ Concerns About Age Seriously
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But candidates shouldn’t pretend, as Mr. Biden often does, that advanced age isn’t an issue. If Mr. Biden runs again, as he recently said he intends to, questions will persist about his age until he does more to assure voters that he is up to the job. The current Senate, where the average age is 63.9 years, is the second oldest since 1789. The House, where the average age is 57.5 years, is the third oldest. By comparison, the average age in the United States is 38.8 years.

☆ Benjamin Millepied Uses Movement to Reinvent ‘Carmen’ on Camera
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Roslyn Sulcas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

For IndieWire, David Ehrlich wrote: “‘Carmen’ is stretched across a few too many borders to ever feel like it’s standing on solid ground. “It’s an unsteady composition, a frenzied combination of willowy movement pieces, an ecstatic score and a too-loose narrative,” Lovia Gyarkye wrote in The Hollywood Reporter. Over coffee, Millepied discussed the critical reaction to the film, the allure of “Carmen” and working with actors. Early on, when I was starting to think about the story, I had dinner with [the director] Peter Sellars and mentioned I wanted to make a “Carmen” film. He got kind of passionate, and said, “You have to reinvent it, it’s a terrible story.” I thought he was right.

☆ Tech drags Hong Kong stocks, dollar squeezed as US inflation slows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SINGAPORE, April 13 (Reuters) - Asian stocks struggled on Thursday, dragged by selling in Hong Kong tech shares, while the dollar was under pressure and short-dated bonds were firm as softening U.S. inflation seemed to suggest the U.S. rate hike cycle was nearing its end. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) slid 0.3%, largely pressured by a 1.5% drop in Hong Kong tech stocks (.HSTECH) in the wake of the Financial Times reporting SoftBank was selling down its Alibaba stake. Alibaba shares (9988.HK) were down 3% in early trade and SoftBank (9434.T) shares flat and neither immediately responded to Reuters enquiries. Elsewhere oil prices held sharp gains made in the wake of the inflation data, with Brent crude futures steady at $87.22 a barrel. Shares of embattled Chinese property developer Sunac China (1918.HK) resumed trade after a more than year-long suspension in Hong Kong, with the company in the midst of a debt restructure.

☆ What is autism? An expert explains
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Matt Villano | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

To mark Autism Awareness Month, CNN talked with him about what autism is and what causes it. Geschwind: About a decade ago, the term “autism spectrum disorder” was adopted to encompass everything that we called autism into one rubric. When I started researching autism 25 years ago, the autism rate was 1 in 1,000 or 1 in 2,000. You can calculate a risk score for having autism based on genetics, (but) right now, the risk score for autism is not that predictive because we haven’t done enough research. The problem is that for many autistic individuals, current therapies are not that effective.

[1/2] An Air India Airbus A320neo passenger plane moves on the runway after landing at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, in Ahmedabad, India, October 22, 2021. In another sign of the formerly government-owned carrier's whirlwind transformation under its new owner Tata Group, Air India is testing ChatGPT, OpenAI's popular chatbot, to replace paper-based practices. Air India is not only reworking every aspect of operations - from systems to supply chains - but integrating four Tata-related airlines, with Air India due to merge with Vistara while low-cost Air India Express and AirAsia India also converge. Airline mergers in India have had little success with Air India still hobbled by the botched integration of Indian Airlines in 2007. Air India's planes are already a mix of Airbus (AIR.PA) and Boeing (BA.N) jets with multiple cabin configurations.

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