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☆ DeSantis' second inauguration as governor will have a 'Free State of Florida' theme, an intimate candlelight dinner, and a toast to moms supporting the GOP governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The overarching theme is "The Free State of Florida," the Florida Standard first reported. "The Free State of Florida" is a motto mirroring DeSantis' 2022 campaign theme. Officials stand on stage during an inauguration ceremony where Ron DeSantis was sworn in as Florida Governor, Tuesday, January 8, 2019, in Tallahassee, Florida. This inauguration, DeSantis is considering turning down donations from Big Tech companies, The New York Times reported. "I support Governor DeSantis and am honored to have been invited to his inauguration," GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida told Insider.

☆ New York prepares for possible flooding from snowmelt while the West girds for heavy rain and snow
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Kathryn-Prociv.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Kathy Hochul on Wednesday directed state agencies to prepare to respond to flooding caused by the snowmelt. And the Buffalo Airport — where nearly 52 inches of snow fell during the storm, according to the weather service — reopened Wednesday. Moderate to heavy snow could also fall across northern Nevada by Friday night, the agency said. On New Year’s Eve, heavy rain will fall in the Southeast up to the Ohio Valley during the day and the mid-Atlantic into the Northeast during the evening, while the West will face a flood risk and continued heavy mountain snow. On New Year's Day, lingering rain showers are expected in New England, above-average temperatures are set for the South and rain and snow are expected in the Southwest.

☆ Travel ban lifted in Erie County as road conditions improve
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Claire Cardona | Claire Cardona Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In Texas. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A travel ban has been lifted in New York’s Erie County, days after it was put into place as a deadly blizzard swept across the region, at times reducing visibility to zero. Though the ban has been lifted, a travel advisory was in place for Erie County as cleanup continues and a county-wide state of emergency remained. At least 76 people died in the storm, according to an NBC News tally. Erie County accounted for 37 of the deaths, 29 of which were in Buffalo. In Erie County, 17 of the people who died in the blizzard were found outside and four were in a vehicle, according to County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

☆ How Gerry Cardinale became the go-to dealmaker for the likes of the Yankees, AC Milan, and Ben Affleck
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

He bought the soccer club AC Milan in August, earning the attention of the Italian press. This past spring, AC Milan won its first national title in 11 years. Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images Show less Cardinale at a training session for AC Milan. For instance, the teams sell each other's merchandise in their stadiums, and the YES Network airs AC Milan games. "Now we have a new phase of expansion and internationalization of AC Milan with Gerry."

☆ Australia says no change to rules regarding travellers from China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Australia is making no change to its rules around allowing travellers from China into the country, despite measures by some countries to require mandatory COVID-19 tests, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday. [nL8N33I04R]Australia and China recently resumed diplomatic dialogue after relations between the countries hit a low point following criticism by Australia of China's handling of COVID-19. In 2020, China imposed trade sanctions on several major Australian exports. This month, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong became the country's first government minister to visit China since 2019. Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell plans to visit China in early 2023, Australian media reported on Thursday.

☆ Death Toll From Buffalo Storm Rises to At Least 28
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Joseph Pisani | Douglas Belkin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

At least 28 people have died in the Buffalo, N.Y., area as the result of the brutal storm that swept through the area in recent days, with officials warning that the death toll could continue to climb in days to come. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown on Tuesday said the death toll was likely to rise.

It’s whatever you can grab,” said Scott McCandless, 54, who lives in Orchard Park, a suburb southeast of Buffalo. When his driveway was finally plowed at 9 a.m., McCandless set out looking for open supermarkets. We’re buried in the snow.”The “once-in-a-lifetime” blizzard — which killed at least 57 people nationwide, including 27 in western New York’s Erie County — has left many in dire predicaments. On Monday, snow continued to blanket Erie County, leaving roads in many areas impassable, including the majority of Buffalo, County Executive Mark Poloncarz said at a news conference. But at least 20 stores in the rest of Erie County were still closed Monday afternoon.

He urged people from areas where conditions had improved not to travel to Buffalo to rescue family and friends. More than 20,000 of those customers were in Buffalo, Poloncarz said. “This will go down in history as the most devastating storm in Buffalo’s long, storied history of having battled many battles, many major storms,” she said on Sunday. At least 35 people have died in weather-related incidents across the United States, according to an NBC count of reports from officials. “We’ve had other storms, the storms just four weeks ago that dumped 7 feet of snow on the southtowns.

☆ Zimbabwe's night markets cushion crisis-weary citizens from inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Nyasha Chingono | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Clothes and shoes are displayed for sale at a roadside night market in central Harare, Zimbabwe December 12, 2022. Tinotenda Taruberekera, a 21-year-old clothing vendor, says he makes more money selling at night than during the day. "In the afternoon, there are constant battles with police so selling at night helps," said Taruberekera. The street traders often undercut prices in mainstream shops, which have costly overheads, and this can eat into the retailers' market share. For college student Obert Chinganyama, street vendors offer bargains he cannot get in stores.

☆ Australia blocks Telstra-TPG wireless internet deal, sparking legal fight
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Australia's antitrust regulator blocked an asset transfer deal between Telstra and TPG, the country's No.1 and No.2 wireless internet firms, citing competition concerns, setting the scene for a legal battle over access to four million customers. In a deal announced in May, Telstra Group (TLS.AX) was to buy spectrum - airwaves which carry wireless internet - and transmission towers from TPG Telecom Ltd (TPG.AX), while TPG would keep selling 4G and 5G coverage using what would become Telstra's infrastructure. 3 wireless internet provider Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI), opposed the deal saying it would build Telstra's market dominance. The decision sets up a second legal showdown between TPG and the ACCC in just over two years. "By knocking back this deal, the ACCC has helped ensure that our regional communities will continue to benefit from competition," said Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin in a statement.

☆ Australian stock exchange's blockchain failure burns market trust
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

That 96% of that software is working," Hogben told a Stockbrokers and Investment Advisers Association conference, in footage seen by Reuters. More than a dozen brokers, other market participants and people directly involved in the blockchain project told Reuters the failure had shaken trust in the Australian exchange operator. After New York startup Digital Asset Holdings showed ASX executives a test transaction on its blockchain software, ASX in early 2016 signed the little-known company to begin exploratory work on an overhaul. From an initial plan to run about 12 of CHESS's 400 data transfers per transaction on blockchain, ASX decided the new system would include all 400 transfers, the person said. Its spokesperson told Reuters there was "no off-the-shelf solution available to meet the needs of the Australian market".

☆ Intrepid bankers will find Boutique Blvd jam-packed
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Jeffrey Goldfarb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The situation complicates things for rainmakers considering their next steps in a weaker environment for mergers and acquisitions. Making the well-trod move from Wall Street to Boutique Boulevard will be much harder in 2023. The entrepreneurial spirit often hits investment bankers when times get tough, and their mega-bank employers start cutting staff or restricting access to the balance sheet. It's easy to see how the likes of Blair Effron’s Centerview, Robey Warshaw and Ken Moelis’ eponymous firm established themselves. Absent those kinds of industry-specific or geographic relationships, idle investment bankers may find themselves just spending more time with their families.

☆ EU greenlights only half of global tax deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The European Union has at last found unanimity on the global minimum tax, half of an almost 140-nation pact to clamp down on global tax avoidance. Hungary finally dropped its veto this week, only for Poland to provide last-minute drama before finally allowing the EU to proceed. Whack-a-mole objections have become EU routine on tax matters, which require the unanimity of the 27 member states. The other half of the global deal, struck under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development auspices in 2021, concerned big digital services companies. In the meantime, trade wars over a hodgepodge of national digital services taxes are likely to continue.

Several insiders of corporate America spent big on their own stock as part of their holiday shopping, often finding major discounts. This move is in addition to the roughly $2.3 million worth of shares that Soto scooped up earlier this year. The fintech stock has struggled mightily this year, falling more than 70% to trade below $5 per share. Insider buying and selling is a metric tracked by many professional investors as one measure of a company's quality. Melamed had previously been a seller, so whose recent moves represent a notable reversal, according to Verity.

☆ Australian regulator sues comparison site over crypto product
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Australia's corporate regulator sued the country's biggest comparison website on Thursday in relation to a cryptocurrency product, accusing it of conducting unlicensed financial services and breaching consumer protection laws. ASIC Chairman Joe Longo said in parliament this month that the regulator wants to test in court whether crypto assets count as financial products under the law. As of September, Finder Wallet owed A$20.8 million ($14.2 million) to consumers in the absence of legal protections, the cour filing added. A Finder.com spokesperson told Reuters the company did "not share ASIC's view that Finder Earn can be regarded as a debenture" and said all customer money was returned when the product was closed in November. ($1 = 1.4646 Australian dollars)Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia takes aim at Apple, Microsoft over child protection online
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The disclosure confirms gaps in the child protection measures of some of the world's biggest tech firms, building public pressure on them to do more, according to the commissioner. Meta Platforms Inc, (META.O) which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and Snapchat owner Snap Inc (SNAP.N) also got demands for information. The responses overall were "alarming" and raised concerns of "clearly inadequate and inconsistent use of widely available technology to detect child abuse material and grooming", commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement. Microsoft and Apple "do not even attempt to proactively detect previously confirmed child abuse material" on their storage services, although a Microsoft-developed detection product is used by law enforcement agencies. An Apple announcement a week ago that it would stop scanning iCloud accounts for child abuse, following pressure from privacy advocates, was "a major step backwards from their responsibilities to help keep children safe" Inman Grant said.

☆ It's the most wonderful time of the year: PE giants Blackstone and Apollo just dropped their holiday videos with starring roles for their billionaire CEOs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Private-equity giants Blackstone and Apollo released their holiday-themed videos on Thursday. In Apollo's, employees are chefs and cook up a holiday meal for the firm at the CEO's request. So it goes in the world of private-equity firms' holiday videos, where straight-laced investors and billionaire chief executives get very into their starring roles and the jokes are a little on the nose. The secret thing that makes Blackstone, Blackstone," he responds. Finally, as he puts on a Santa hat, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman says the secret is the great people they hire.

The Securities and Exchange Commission, based in Washington, told Arqit Quantum that its action was ‘a fact-finding inquiry,’ the U.K. company said. British cybersecurity company Arqit Quantum Inc. is facing an investigation from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over its merger with a special-purpose acquisition company last year, the company disclosed Wednesday. Arqit saw its market value rise from $1.4 billion to over $4.5 billion soon after it completed the SPAC merger—a form of public listing—in September 2021 as investors embraced the company and its projections of surging revenue and profits in the emerging sectors of digital security and advanced cryptography. Its shares have since fallen significantly amid a broad investor retreat from SPACs and young high-growth companies.

☆ Danske slap confirms pay-what-you-can principle
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

That’s one takeaway from the $2 billion slap it delivered late on Tuesday to Denmark’s Danske Bank (DANSKE.CO), which pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Danske’s Estonian unit processed $160 billion of potentially illicit payments through U.S. banks on behalf of foreign customers, including Russians, the DOJ said. BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) in 2014, by contrast, agreed to pay roughly $9 billion for moving $8.8 billion for sanctioned clients. In Danske’s case, the bill is roughly 1% of suspicious flows, whereas BNP’s was around 100% of illicit payments. Danske will be able to keep using U.S. correspondent banks for dollar payments, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The kidnappings are a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants as they travel across Mexico, crisscrossing areas rife with drug violence and weak rule of law. The National Guard confirmed the details in a separate statement. Fernando Reverte, president of Mapimi, a municipality which the migrants passed through after their capture and release, said the group of kidnapped migrants totaled about 1,500. [1/6] Members of the security forces work on a rescue operation of kidnapped migrants, in Ciudad Lerdo, Durando, Mexico in this handout image released December 6, 2022. The migrants broke down the building's front door, and found members of the National Guard, the Army and the INM outside.

☆ DeVante Parker: NFL says it is reviewing an apparent head injury incident during Monday's Patriots game
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +27 min

CNN —The NFL and the NFL Players Association are looking into an incident in which an apparent head injury to New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker seemingly went unnoticed by medical staff and spotters, league spokesman Brian McCarthy tells CNN. Jeff Dean/AP Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams catches a pass against Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard on December 11. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson dives for a two-point conversion during the Vikings' 29-22 victory over the Chicago Bears. Gerald Herbert/AP Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is tripped up by Denver Broncos cornerback K'Waun Williams. Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports/Reuters New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas makes a reception against Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J.

☆ Rent prices conceal better U.S. inflation picture
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The U.S. battle against inflation is faring even better than its own data suggest. The country’s Consumer Price Index rose just 0.1% in November, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Tuesday. Yet a lag between market trends and CPI data means that true inflation is lower than the government’s reading. According to the government’s measure, shelter prices rose 0.7% last month, but Zillow’s (ZG.O)gauge of nationwide rent prices fell for a second consecutive month in November, by 0.4%. Once CPI catches up, the inflation picture is going to look much more encouraging.

☆ Ukraine’s Nestlé boost is as important as EU aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Consumer group Nestlé (NESN.S) on Monday announced a small war-time investment in Ukraine which may be as important for the country’s future as an 18 billion euro European Union aid package agreed on the same day. Nestlé will invest 40 million Swiss francs (41 million euros) in a new facility that will help to produce cold sauces, seasonings, soups and instant food. The Swiss consumer group, which already has 5,800 employees in the country, will add 1,500 new jobs in the process. Meanwhile the EU struck a deal with holdout Hungary that will allow it to disburse aid to Ukraine next year. While still at war with Russia, Ukraine needs Western aid to help the government pay its teachers, doctors and soldiers, and start rebuilding railroads and power plants.

☆ Nuclear fusion triggers an overreaction
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Dec 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A fusion breakthrough unveiled on Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Energy is a scientific tour de force, and a commercial irrelevancy. It’s a notable feat that researchers produced more energy from fusing atoms together than they used to start the process. Unless there are more breakthroughs, fusion probably would take place in massive facilities like today’s fission plants. The cost of power from a new nuclear plant runs about five times more expensive than a solar equivalent, Lazard analysts estimate. Making fusion cheaper and practical could be as big a challenge as fusion itself.

☆ Cardinals vs Patriots: Arizona's woes continue as Kyler Murray hurt in 27-13 loss to New England
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +27 min

Jeff Dean/AP Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams catches a pass against Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard on December 11. Gary McCullough/AP Green Bay Packers wide receiver Samori Toure is tackled by Detroit Lions safety Will Harris. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson dives for a two-point conversion during the Vikings' 29-22 victory over the Chicago Bears. Gerald Herbert/AP Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is tripped up by Denver Broncos cornerback K'Waun Williams. Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports/Reuters New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas makes a reception against Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J.

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