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☆ Netball Australia: Gina Rinehart pulls sponsorship in dispute over father's racist comments
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —When Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart threw a financial lifeline to Netball Australia, she triggered a debate about sponsorships and the role of social and political issues in the sporting sphere. Donnell Wallam of the Firebirds is a rising star in Australian netball. On Monday, Kathryn Harby-Williams, CEO of the Australian Netball Players’ Association told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that Wallam had asked for an exemption not to wear the logo and was refused. Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan told Nine News the loss of Hancock sponsorship was “disappointing” but a “strong balance” needs to be struck between social issues and funding. “When done well, sport sponsorship is brand transforming for both the sport and sponsor.”

☆ A Trump White House lawyer wrote in an email that he was 'concerned' about the former president signing a sworn statement verifying inaccurate information on voter fraud, per Axios report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Eric Herschmann, a former White House lawyer, was concerned about a sworn statement Trump ultimately signed. An email obtained by Axios shows the lawyer warned against signing off false claims of voter fraud. The message concerned a lawsuit Trump and his legal team were preparing to file against Georgia Gov. In a statement to Axios Herschmann said, "I am not discussing my conversations with the president or the surrounding circumstances." "The Court finds that these emails are sufficiently related to and in furtherance of a conspiracy to defraud the United States," Carter wrote.

☆ BoE's Mann: bond purchases for stability were targeted and temporary
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann said on Saturday that bond purchases by the central bank in the days after the government's "mini-budget" fiscal plan last month to calm financial markets were "very targeted and temporary." "The financial stability approach, the requirements for financial stability was very targeted, and temporary," Mann said during an event organised by the Marshall Society at Cambridge University. The BoE announced it would intervene in Britain's government bond market on Sept. 28 after prices slumped following the announcement of planned tax cuts by former finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng. Its purchase programme ended on Oct. 14. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by William Schomberg, writing by Muvija MOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann files defamation lawsuit seeking $100M in damages over cheating allegations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

American chess grandmaster Hans Niemann filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against world champion Magnus Carlsen and others seeking $100 million in damages over cheating allegations that have rocked the chess world in recent weeks. “My lawsuit speaks for itself,” Niemann, 19, tweeted Thursday, sharing a copy of the lawsuit. Niemann, Carlsen, Nakamura and Chess.com did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC News. The lawsuit comes weeks after Carlsen, 31, first accused Niemann of cheating after the two chess players competed at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis on Sept. 4. And you know, ‘Chess speaks for itself.’ That’s all I can say.”

☆ These artists found out their work was used to train AI. Now they’re furious
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Rachel Metz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

AI Image/Stable DiffusionHanson, who’s based in McMinnville, Oregon, is one of many professional artists whose work was included in the data set used to train Stable Diffusion, which was released in August by London-based Stability AI. Once available only to a select group of tech insiders, text-to-image AI systems are becoming increasingly popular and powerful. A piece by illustrator Daniel Danger that was included in the training data behind the Stable Diffusion AI image generator. But removing pictures of an artist’s work from a dataset wouldn’t stop Stable Diffusion from being able to generate images in that artist’s style. Hanson, for her part, has no problem with her art being used for training AI, but she wants to be paid.

☆ With GOP Ukraine skeptics poised to gain in Congress, lawmakers look to lock in billions in military aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Dan De Luce | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Congress last month approved $12 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine, but the package being contemplated would be dramatically larger, the sources said. The amount would be enough “to make sure [Ukraine] can get through the year,” a Republican senator with knowledge of the matter told NBC News. Congress has allocated a total of $65 billion in funding to Ukraine since Russia attacked the country in February. “They don’t want to deal with it next year,” said Vajdich, a former Republican congressional staffer. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a staunch supporter of military aid to Ukraine, said last month that he had discussed the issue with McCarthy and that he agreed other countries need to do more to assist Ukraine.

A former Denver Lyft driver has been charged with sexually assaulting multiple women over the course of almost four years, the district attorney said Wednesday. John Pastor-Mendoza, 41, of Denver, allegedly assaulted or attempted to assault 10 women who had requested rides, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said in a statement. “The behavior described is absolutely appalling, and the driver has been permanently removed from the Lyft community,” a Lyft spokesperson said Wednesday. In one case, a woman from Boulder requested a ride and the app showed a woman driver would be arriving. People there recognized the description as a regular patron who was a Lyft driver and said they would report sightings to police, the affidavit says.

☆ Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann sues champion Magnus Carlsen, others for $100 million over cheating claim
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Jack Stebbins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann filed a $100 million lawsuit against world champion Magnus Carlsen and others for alleged defamatory statements claiming that Niemann cheated in competition. The suit claims that the defendants, including Chess.com, inflicted "devastating damages" against Niemann by "egregiously defaming him" and "unlawfully colluding" to bar him from the professional chess world. But he denied claims that he cheated in an over-the-board match against Magnus Carlsen this year. Carlsen withdrew from the Sinquefield Cup in September after losing to Niemann, and eventually came forward with concerns that Niemann had cheated in the match in which he defeated Carlsen. The suit claims that Carlsen's comments were a retaliatory attempt to keep Niemann from damaging his reputation.

WASHINGTON — An ex-police officer "betrayed" his sworn oath by warning a fellow Donald Trump supporter who entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to remove his Facebook content about the attack, a federal prosecutor told a jury Tuesday. Afterward, Riley told Hiles he would give him a tour of the Capitol next time. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Dohrmann told jurors Tuesday that "there was nothing legal or funny about what happened at the Capitol on Jan. "He was duped" by Hiles, Macchiaroli said. "He made a mistake, he had a lapse in judgment," Macchiaroli added, arguing that Riley didn't intend to obstruct a federal grand jury.

Now, Netflix is gunning for the last reel of the pay TV business: its estimated $153 billion pool of global advertising revenue. The company and some analysts see its new, cheaper ad-supported service, detailed in a rosy quarterly report on Tuesday, as a way to lift revenue as customers trim spending amid economic gloom. As TV's audience shrinks, it becomes less attractive for advertisers - and a plum target for Netflix to disrupt. Netflix plans to launch an ad-supported version of its service in the United States and 11 other countries in November. Some Wall Street analysts said the ad-supported version of the Netflix service might entice some price-sensitive existing subscribers to switch to the less-expensive option.

☆ Netflix will start charging for password sharing in early 2023, potentially adding up to $3 for each additional user
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Netflix will begin charging for password sharing beginning in early 2023. The "extra member" feature will allow additional users to have their own sub-account for a fee. The streaming giant announced on Tuesday it officially will begin charging for account sharing early next year, after hinting at a crackdown in recent months. The move comes as other streaming companies begin identifying ways to prevent and limit password sharing. According to a March survey from the Leichtman Research Group, an estimated one-third of US Netflix subscribers currently share their log-ins.

☆ January 6 trial: Ex-Capitol police officer 'betrayed' his oath by warning a rioter to delete Facebook posts, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Prosecutors accused a former Capitol police officer of telling a January 6 rioter to delete evidence. But the following day, prosecutors say, Riley messaged Hiles directly over Facebook to urge him to remove posts — including selfies and videos — admitting his presence inside the Capitol. Kicking off Riley's trial on Tuesday, Dohrmann displayed several messages Riley exchanged with Hiles over Facebook in the weeks after January 6. "You see, the defendant never wanted these Facebook messages to see the light of day," she said. Despite Riley's encouragement to delete his Facebook messages, Hiles never removed them, allowing them to be used as evidence against the former Capitol police officer, Dohrmann said.

☆ Index Ventures VCs say vertical software can be 'mission critical' for companies to survive the downturn. Here's what they're looking for in their next investment
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Index Ventures VCs Nina Achadjian and Paris Heymann are betting on vertical software in the downturn. Here's how founders of vertical-software companies can pitch them. Vertical software, or software tailored to specific industries, is poised to do well amid the current economic downturn, two VCs at Index Ventures said. When considering vertical-software companies to invest in, the most important thing they look for is the right kind of founding team. For vertical-software companies, it's important that the founders are familiar with the industry they're trying to sell to, they said.

☆ Credit Suisse chairman pledges reform after 'horrible' year
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Pete Schroeder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse's (CSGN.S) chairman pledged on Friday to reform the bank after a "horrible" 2021 in which it lost billions of dollars. Lehmann took over in January at the Swiss bank, which has been hit by a corporate spying scandal, investment fund closures, heavy losses and a string of lawsuits. Lehmann said Credit Suisse had a tier-one capital ratio (CET1) of 13.5% half way through the year and a "strong commitment that we will certainly ... somewhere be between 13 and 14." Credit Suisse is scheduled to release details of a much anticipated strategic review alongside third-quarter results on Oct. 27. To underpin sustainable profit, Credit Suisse is aiming to streamline its investment bank and expand its wealth management business, which soaks up less capital.

☆ German car industry baulks at supplier demands over energy hikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Victoria Waldersee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

More and more suppliers are calling on the industry to renegotiate contracts to include energy clauses so they can cover the cost of rising bills. "We're asking for help with raw material costs, for clauses incorporating inflation - but the red line is energy costs. 'NO GOOD OPTIONS'While contracts in the automotive supply chain in Germany often include clauses that adapt prices according to the cost of raw materials, energy clauses are much less common. They can be problematic because they are complicated to calculate and require suppliers to share details on their margins, the production process and their energy contracts. "At a car manufacturer it's a lot of effort," he said, adding that his company only had energy clauses with a few important suppliers.

☆ Supply chain snarls loosen for U.S. companies, but plenty of problems remain
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Timothy Aeppel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Some parts of his supply chain have clearly improved, said the vice president of global supply for Graco Inc (GGG.N), the Minneapolis-based maker of fluid handling equipment such as paint sprayers. But the complex nature of global supply chains means that companies like Graco are still struggling, since the shortage of just one part can hobble them. The COVID-19 pandemic set off a crisis in global supply chains, which is showing signs of healing. This suggests falling prices for some goods and services are still far from working their way fully through the economy. The regional bank’s Global Supply Pressure Index tracks data on shipping costs, delivery times, backlogs and other statistics into a single measure compared to historic norms.

Exxon says it will transport and store underground 2 million metric tons of CO2 per year produced starting in 2025, when CF Industries opens a $200 million CO2 compression facility in Louisiana to process emissions from its ammonia production. He declined to comment on financial terms of the deal with CF Industries. Exxon signed a parallel agreement to use Enlink Midstream's network to transport the CO2 to the storage site. While critics view carbon sequestration as greenwashing by polluters, Exxon says the business can achieve double-digit percentage returns while limiting planet-warming gases. The Louisiana initiative is part of the company's planned $15 billion investment by 2027 in low carbon operations.

☆ BoE's Mann highlights case for front-loading rate rises
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann said on Wednesday there was a strong case to front-load interest rate increases, especially at times of rising inflation expectations. Mann declined to comment on the market situation, but referred back to a report she gave to the British parliament last month on research which supported taking firm action to tackle rising inflation expectations. "In an environment where inflation expectations are drifting, and the data is very clear that they are drifting ... front-loading policy to affect the inflation process and also to affect inflation expectations puts us in an environment where the trade-off is less," she said. Mann was part of a minority on the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) which voted for a 0.75 percentage point rate rise in September, in contrast to the majority which backed a 0.5 percentage point increase to 2.25%. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by David Milliken, Editing by Paul SandleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rocketing energy costs are savaging German industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“We don’t need a crystal ball to see a further weakening of German industry in the coming months. The full impact of higher energy prices will only be felt in the last months of the year,” he said. Energy prices started rising last fall, and then shot even higher when Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, sparking an energy standoff between Europe and Moscow. Energy costs at Prysmian’s six German factories are expected to soar to €20 million ($20 million) this year from just €5 million ($5 million) in 2021. “German industry, the so-called ‘Mittlestand’, the small and medium [sized] companies, are quite resilient and adaptable,” he said.

☆ Sterling drops 1% as PM Truss defends economic plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Sterling fell as much as 1% on Thursday after British Prime Minister Liz Truss defended economic plans that have triggered chaos in the country's markets. Truss said big tax cuts were the right path for Britain and refused to consider reversing the so-called "mini budget" laid out last week. Sterling bounced on Wednesday to close at $1.0877 as investors digested the BoE's plans. However, it resumed its long-running slide on Thursday as Truss came out to defend her government's policies. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Harry Robertson; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Energy, inflation crises risk pushing big economies into recession - OECD
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Leigh Thomas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Global economic growth is slowing more than was forecast a few months ago in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as energy and inflation crises risk snowballing into recessions in major economies, the OECD said on Monday. The Paris-based policy forum was particularly pessimistic about the outlook in Europe - the most directly exposed economy to the fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine. "The global economy has lost momentum in the wake of Russia's unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. GDP growth has stalled in many economies and economic indicators point to an extended slowdown," OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said in a statement. The OECD forecast that the world's biggest economy would slow from 1.5% growth this year to only 0.5% next year, down from June forecasts for 2.5% in 2022 and 1.2% in 2023.

☆ Energy, inflation crises risk pushing big economies into recession: OECD
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Global economic growth is slowing more than was forecast a few months ago in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as energy and inflation crises risk snowballing into recessions in major economies, the OECD said on Monday. "The global economy has lost momentum in the wake of Russia's unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. GDP growth has stalled in many economies and economic indicators point to an extended slowdown," OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said in a statement. The OECD was particularly gloomy about Germany's Russian-gas dependent economy, forecasting it would contract 0.7% next year, slashed from a June estimate for 1.7% growth. The OECD warned that further disruptions to energy supplies would hit growth and boost inflation, especially in Europe where they could knock activity back another 1.25 percentage points and boost inflation by 1.5 percentage points, pushing many countries into recession for the full year of 2023.

☆ These 5 former House candidates might've been the next AOC, but entrenched politicians blocked their path
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam competed in this year's Democratic primary for North Carolina's 4th Congressional District. And we need to have an infrastructure like that on the Democratic Party side. Former House candidate John Isemann faced ex-state lawmaker Tom Kean Jr. in the Republican primary for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District. Jay Nixon and also worked for the Missouri Democratic Party — decided to jump into the race himself. "We talk about the Democratic Party being a big-tent party," she said.

The arrival of thousands of migrants in New York, Washington, Chicago and beyond has sent officials in those cities scrambling to establish a system of support services, with mixed success. The Office of Migrant Services in Washington, D.C., will offer urgent medical care and connection to resettlement services. Phillips said migrants have been calling volunteer groups in the city “constantly” with problems, leaving volunteers in rapid-response mode. Mental health services are lackingStill, Enriquez said, there is a major hole in that care: mental health services. Mental health screenings are also part of the initial medical checkups at city health centers, Jochum said.

☆ Embattled CEO Werner Baumann enters his final chapter at Bayer, aiming to turn the German pharma giant into a cancer powerhouse
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Andrew Dunn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

With a successor search underway, Werner Baumann is entering his last chapter as Bayer's CEO. Baumann told Insider he's more excited today about Bayer's future than several years ago. The exec wants Bayer to become a top 10 cancer player by 2030, and recently opened a Cambridge lab. CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — Within his first month as CEO of the German giant Bayer, Werner Baumann took a big, legacy-making swing. Baumann says Bayer's future is in oncologyWerner Baumann, right, CEO of Bayer, and Werner Wenning, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bayer.

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