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☆ Whale fossil may be the heaviest animal ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —A colossal ancient whale discovered in Peru might be the heaviest animal on record, according to a new study. What’s more, Perucetus likely weighed two to three times more than the blue whale, which today weighs a maximum of 149.6 metric tons (330,000 pounds). Giovanni Bianucci“Discoveries of such extreme body forms are an opportunity to re-evaluate our understanding of animal evolution,” wrote J.G.M. “It seems that we are only dimly aware of how astonishing whale form and function can be,” they added. The lifestyle of a colossal whaleThe findings suggest that gigantism or peak body mass among cetaceans had been reached around 30 million years earlier than previously thought, according to the study.

Persons: Giovanni Bianucci, “, ” Bianucci, Perucetus, ”, ’, Bianucci, pacificus, Mystacodon selenesis, Mario Urbina Schmitt, Schmitt, Thewissen, David A, Waugh, weren’t, Ingalls, Brown, ” Thewissen Organizations: CNN, University of Pisa’s, sirenians, Peru “, National University of San, Ohio Medical University Locations: Peru, Italy, Ica, Peruvian, National University of San Marcos, Lima

☆ Ancient whale from Peru may be most massive animal ever on Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Giovanni Bianucci/Handout via REUTERSAug 2 (Reuters) - Move over, blue whale. The biggest-known blue whale weighed around 190 tons, though it was longer than Perucetus at 110 feet (33.5 meters). Its skeletal mass alone was estimated at between 5 and 8 tons, at least twice that of the blue whale. The researchers suspect Perucetus lived like sirenians - not an active predator but an animal that fed near the bottom of shallow coastal waters. The researchers said it was unlikely Perucetus was a filter-feeder like today's baleen whales including the blue whale.

Persons: Giovanni Bianucci, Perucetus, Bianucci, Olivier Lambert of, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, University of Pisa, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Thomson Locations: Peru, Handout, Italy, Argentina, sirenians, Brussels, hoofed, Washington

☆ Harvard professor Francesca Gino was accused of faking data. Now her million-dollar empire is crumbling — and scholars are eyeing who's next.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Kate Taylor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

"We believe that many more Gino-authored papers contain fake data," the Data Colada professors wrote. Data Colada found that the raw data showed clear anomalies, such as a distribution infinitely more likely to be produced by a random-number generator than actual people. Soon after, Data Colada ran an article alleging that Gino tampered with data in at least one of her honesty-pledge experiments. A post on Data Colada or a tweet from Brown is like a bomb going off in the behavioral-science world. Others who attempted to build on Gino's studies are grappling with having wasted time, money, and energy.

Persons: It's, Francesca Gino, Gino, Michael Sanders, Greg Burd, —, Hugo Boss, Gino coauthoring, Swarthmore College's Bhanot, Maurice Schweitzer, Simine Vazire, Sanders, Goldman Sachs, Schweitzer, they'd, Uri Simonsohn, Joe Simmons, Leif Nelson —, Data Colada, Dan Ariely, Ariely, Chris Goodney, Harvard, Colada, Nick Brown, Brown, Jeff Lees, Lees, There's Ariely, Brian Wansink's, HBS's Amy Cuddy's, Cuddy, Amy Cuddy's, Marie Claire's, Allison Williams, Astrid Stawiarz, Marie Claire Simonsohn, Simmons, Nelson, they're, Gordon Pennycook, Pennycook, it's, Bhanot Organizations: TED, Twitter, LinkedIn, Harvard, Wharton, Swarthmore College, Harvard Business School, Alaska Airlines, King's College London, Tione, University of Trento, Sant'anna, Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, University of North, Wired, Forbes, Google, Swarthmore, University of Melbourne, Disney, Lavin Agency, Data, Duke University, who's, NBC, BuzzFeed News, Bloomberg, Getty, Privately, Higher Education, Hill, Duke, US Department of, Cornell University, New York Times Locations: Trento, Pisa, University of North Carolina, HBS, Guatemala, Boston, New York, British, Guatemalan

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationLONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - Corporate credit quality is weaker than financial markets currently price in, while defaults are likely to pick up in the second half of the year, a report by Janus Henderson Investors said on Friday. Tighter lending standards, higher refinancing costs and a slowing economy would take their toll on the credit quality of corporates, the report said. This suggests that defaults could pick up in the second half, even if the pace of defaults is slower than in previous cycles, it added. Additionally, a recent trend of small businesses being forced to file for bankruptcy is likely to spread more broadly into capital markets, Janus Henderson noted. "As recession fears scaled back, markets have been pricing in a more muted credit default cycle.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Janus Henderson, Jim Cielinski, Chiara Elisei, Dhara Ranasinghe, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Janus Henderson Investors, P Global, U.S, Casino, Thomson Locations: industrials

☆ Smart ways to save money in Europe this crazy, crowded summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“Last-minute flight prices, especially international ones, are expensive,” says Katy Nastro of Going.com (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) about airfares from North American to Europe. “Their best value comes when cash prices are high, and there’s no time more expensive than last-minute summer travel,” Nastro says. CNN Travel talked to travel agents, experts and expert travelers, too, for their tips on saving money on European travels this unprecedented summer. “Most travelers going to Europe have a few destinations in mind, “ says Henley Vazquez, co-founder of luxury travel advisor group Fora. These places he calls “the Chicagos of Europe” include Marseille in France, Hamburg in Germany and Liverpool in England.

Persons: CNN —, “, Katy Nastro, you’ll, Nastro, you’ve, ” Nastro, Hevelyn Villar Silva, Hevelyn Villar, ”, Colleen McDaniel, Henley Vazquez, Fora, ” Eurail, Eurail, Ethan Williams, Austria’s, Georgia Bird, Rome Ciampino, Rome Fiumicino, snagging, Ignacio Eguren, ” Eguren, Eguren, Booking.com, aren’t, Rick Steves, ” Steves, Steves, … Organizations: CNN, Cruise, Magnifica, MSC Cruises, MSC Magnifica, Caribbean’s Symphony, Palma de Mallorca, Milan Central Station, Getty, Czech Railways, Saint, Alamy, “, Smart, Library, Rembrandt, Best, Premier Faubourg, CNN Travel, Liverpool, Scala, Scala Santa Holy, Scotsman Locations: Europe, North American, ”, Tampa , Florida, Genoa, Valencia, Spain, Pisa, Portofino, Italy, France, Palma de, Athens, Svalbard, Bergen, Norway, “, Germany, Czech, Czech Republic, Rome, Saint Martin, Paris, mauritius, Checkin Cantabria, Cantabria, Paris ’, Copenhagen, you’ll, Oslo, Marseille, Hamburg, England, Scala Santa

Specialist asset managers minted CLOs worth more than half a trillion dollars in 2021, a year of heavy post-pandemic monetary stimulus. S&P Global estimates that more than one in 25 U.S. businesses and almost one in 25 European companies will default by March 2024. That has squeezed equity returns, and without equity investors, CLOs cannot be put together. S&P calculates that while CLO equity investors were able to get a 15% annual return before 2022, deals priced now would offer about 7%. "The (CLO) equity doesn't make enough money to justify buying it."

Persons: Florence Lo, CLOs, Morgan, Rob Shrekgast, KopenTech, Neha Khoda, It's, Marta Stojanova, You've, Aza Teeuwen, Laila Kollmorgen, Kollmorgen, tranches, BoFA, Naomi Rovnick, Chiara Elisei, Dhara Ranasinghe, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of America, Casino, Bed, TwentyFour, PineBridge Investments, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: CLOs, U.S

[1/2] The HSBC headquarters is seen in the Canary Wharf financial district in east London February 15, 2015. The ripple effects of so many companies slashing office space has significantly impacted wider markets. 'GENIE OUT OF THE BOTTLE'HSBC for its part has one of the most aggressive targets to cut office space among major employers, with a commitment to axe around 40% globally. Canary Wharf Group, the Docklands commercial landlord, declined to comment. One of the Canary Wharf estate's newer developments, the YY building - a recently completed redevelopment of Thomson Reuters' former headquarters opposite Canary Wharf station - remains vacant, Bloomberg has reported.

Persons: Peter Nicholls, Tony Travers, Travers, Knight Frank, Weil, Gerardine Davies, HSBC's, Moody's, YY, Andrew Mawson, Iain Withers, Chiara Elisei, Sinead Cruise, Paul Sandle, Mark Potter Organizations: HSBC, REUTERS, Companies, London School of Economics, of, Perenna Capital Management, BT, UBS, City of London Corporation, Canary, Canary Wharf Group, Docklands, Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, Workplace Associates, Employees, Thomson Locations: Canary, London, St Paul's Cathedral, of London, Real, Sweden, Aldgate, City, Swiss, Docklands, Canary Wharf

☆ Luciano Spalletti and the Power of Walking Away
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Rory Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Luciano Spalletti’s farm sits high on a ridge outside Montaione, a peaceful, strikingly pretty Italian village set on a hilltop an hour or so southwest of Florence. It is picture-perfect Tuscany: cobbled piazzas lined with cafes; echoing, cobbled streets; a panorama of deep blue skies and verdant olive groves on rolling hills. The stretch of the Tuscan countryside Spalletti calls home is not quite so well-touristed as, say, Chianti. But Spalletti grew up here, in the medieval walled city of Certaldo, and he saw in the farm the chance to draw more people to the region. The view stretches all the way from Pisa, in the west, to the Apennines in the east.

Persons: Luciano, Spalletti Locations: Montaione, Florence, Tuscany, Certaldo, Pisa

Media tycoon Berlusconi founded Forza Italia when he entered politics in 1994. "I expect Brothers of Italy to be attractive to Forza Italia members," Lorenzo De Sio, a politics professor at LUISS University in Rome, said. The relationship between Berlusconi and Meloni repeatedly came under strain since they won general elections together last year. That triggered a long process which ended up in a merger between Forza Italia and MSI's heir Alleanza Nazionale in a single party. Althea Spinozzi, fixed income strategist at Saxo Bank, said the risk associated with investing in Italy can decrease with a downsized Forza Italia.

Persons: Marina, Silvio Berlusconi, Giorgia Meloni, Berlusconi, Matteo Salvini's, Meloni's, Giuliano Cazzola, Lorenzo De, Meloni, Alleanza, Brothers, Sergio Mattarella, Yara, Eugenio Pizzimenti, Antonio Tajani, Pizzimenti, Althea Spinozzi, Marina Berlusconi, Angelo Amante, Giuseppe Fonte, Antonella Cinelli, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Forza Italia, Media, Matteo Salvini's League, Forza Italia's, Forza, Reuters, Analysts, LUISS University, Italian Social Movement, Berlusconi's, Alleanza Nazionale, REUTERS, Pisa University, Union, Saxo Bank, Meloni, Thomson Locations: ROME, Italy, Rome, Ukraine, Brussels

Rome and Pisa CNN —Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister, has been admitted to a hospital in Milan, his spokesman has told CNN. Berlusconi’s latest stay at the San Raffaele hospital comes ahead of a big meeting of his party planned for Saturday. The 86-year-old leader of the Forza Italia party was released from his last stint in hospital on May 19 after a 45 day stay for a lung infection. In a statement on Friday, the hospital said Berlusconi was there for “scheduled examinations related to his known hematological pathology.”Berlusconi has previously been diagnosed with leukemia and was hospitalized in April with breathing problems. He made a return to frontline politics in 2022 when he won a seat in Italy’s Senate, representing the northern municipality of Monza.

Persons: Pisa CNN — Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi’s, San Raffaele, Berlusconi, ” Berlusconi, “ Organizations: Pisa CNN, CNN, San, Forza Italia Locations: Rome, Pisa, Milan, Italy’s Senate, Monza

Banks typically sold these perpetual bonds - known as AT1 bonds - with five years before an option to repay was triggered. In the past, investors got their money back, and banks replaced the bonds with new ones, but some are changing tack. The banks' actions show how the wipeout of billions of dollars of Credit Suisse AT1 bonds still reverberates around this market, which is estimated at roughly $275 billion. "The AT1 market is splitting," said Alessandro Cameroni, a portfolio manager at asset manager Lemanik. SHOCK ABSORBERThe AT1 bonds were designed to help banks absorb losses, and they count towards their capital buffers.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Banks, Alessandro Cameroni, Lemanik, Peter Harvey, Federated Hermes, Italy's, Morgan Stanley, Karsten Junius, J . Safra Sarasin, Chiara Elisei, Carlo Giovanni Boffa, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Suisse, Raiffeisen Bank, Reuters, Deutsche, Aareal Bank, Credit Suisse, Investors, Federated, Lloyds, Societe Generale, UBS, Santander, J ., Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Ukraine, Swiss, Schroders, Russia

LONDON, May 17 (Reuters) - Holders of credit insurance linked to Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) bonds will not get a payout after a committee that adjudicates on disputes in the derivatives market said on Wednesday the bank's state-engineered merger with UBS did not constitute a credit event. The CDDC said it had come to the conclusion following an examination of the ranking clauses for the AT1 bonds listed in the request made by the investor. The investor said the AT1 bonds were pari passu, in other words ranking at the same level, with the reference bond underlying the CDS contracts, which included a subordinated bond that matured in 2020. A panel of eleven finance companies, including Barclays, Citibank, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs as well as Elliot Investment Management and PIMCO came to a unanimous decision, the CDDC statement said. Credit Suisse, which is still listed as a member of the EMEA CDDC on the group's website, was not listed as having taken part in the decision.

There are some signs that the broader $275 billion AT1 market is recovering. Reuters GraphicsLast month, Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T) was the first major global bank to sell AT1s since the March rout. With time, analysts expect UBS to sell AT1s aplenty to meet its capital requirements. It has a 700 million Singapore dollar ($755 million) AT1 bond repayable in November followed by a heftier $2.5 billion bond in January. RATINGS GAMEInvestor appetite for a UBS AT1 could also hinge on its future credit profile.

☆ Italians judge Spanish pizzeria as the best in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Enter 50 Top Pizza, an international guide run by Italians that produces a series of annual rankings rewarding some of the best pizzerias on the planet. The 2023 European list has just been published – and, according to 1,000 anonymous “inspectors” across the continent, the best pizza in Europe is in… Spain. The entity – a pizza guide, which has been ranking restaurants since 2017 – has separate listings for the 50 best pizzerias in the cradle of pizza. The best pizza was judged to be Panatieri's "Salsa de tomates cherry asados, mozzarella y holandesa de albahaca." Today this is not the case.”As for the Italy rankings, they will be revealed in Rome on July 12.

☆ Nearly 200 ancient Roman coins found in Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Upon closer inspection and excavation, researchers determined that the find included 175 silver Roman denarii coins. Nearly all were in good condition, making this one of the few hoards of ancient coins found intact, according to the group. The coins were dated to 157 or 156 BC, and the latest up to 83 or 82 BC. Almost all 175 coins were intact and in good condition, except for two that were fragmented but can be restored. “It is one of the very few hoards of ancient coins found intact and provides a lot of numismatic, historical and social information,” Alderighi said.

☆ Nemo’s Garden: The future of farming could be under the sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Michelle Cohan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Nemo’s Garden uses hydroponics – a technique that uses water-based nutrients instead of soil, the same method used in most indoor vertical farms. Studies ranging in nature from pharmaceutical to culinary have been conducted on Nemo’s Garden. “In our studies Nemo’s Garden has 58% more fish than the surrounding environment, so it has a repopulation effect,” he adds. Equipment inside Nemo's Garden is powered by renewable energy like solar panels and wind turbines. The team at Nemo’s Garden has plans for even bigger biospheres in the future, as well as other locations.

German specialised property lenders such as Aareal Bank (ARLG.DE), Deutsche Pfandbriefbank (PBBG.DE) and Berlin Hyp, have a bigger concentration of real estate exposure, analysts added. Blackstone (BX.N) recently blocked withdrawals from its $70 billion real estate income trust after facing a flurry of redemption requests. Open-ended real estate funds in Britain have also battled to meet strong demand for redemptions. In Europe, CRE exposure for smaller banks, more at risk of deposit flight, is estimated at under 30% of all loans, Capital Economics said. "On the other, real estate owners themselves are going to face quite material increase in costs."

The investors, who hold some Casino bonds maturing in 2026 and 2027, are seeking to move quickly before details of the tie-up are agreed, the sources added. Other debt being left out of the joint venture could have lower prospects to recover its full value. Casino does not require consent from bondholders to potentially push their holdings into the joint venture, according to two sources. Unrestricted status would allow the joint venture to potentially list on a stock exchange and receive capital from a third party. Casino and Teract said in a joint statement in March that discussions have already started with potential investors about providing the additional capital.

The most surprising appointment was that of the new Enel chief Flavio Cattaneo, a seasoned corporate manager who leaves his role as vice president of high-speed train operator Italo to lead the country's biggest utility. He leap-frogged Stefano Donnarumma, the current chief executive of power grid Terna (TRN.MI), widely seen as Meloni's first choice. Enel shares were down 4% on Thursday, with investors fretting over Cattaneo's lack of expertise in the renewable energy sector. Leading politicians in Meloni's right-wing coalition said this issue was a major stumbling block for Donnarumma, along with pressure from League chief Salvini, a strong supporter of Cattaneo. Besides concessions on Enel, Meloni kept a tight grip on the rest of the main appointments.

☆ Wanted: new owner to run The Crooked House, Britain's 'wonkiest pub' that's been serving pints for almost 200 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ambitious buyers have the chance to own what's been dubbed the "wonkiest pub" in Britain. The Crooked House near Dudley has gone on the market at a guide price of just over $800,000. If you don't mind tilting your head a bit, The Crooked House could be the one for you. "This is a chance to own what has been called Britain's wonkiest pub and Britain's drunkest pub. A Marston's representative told The Times that The Crooked House was expected to remain as a pub under a new owner.

☆ Remnants of 5,000-year-old tavern discovered in Iraq include an oven, refrigerator, benches for customers, and even an ancient beer recipe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Archaeologists found the remains of a 5,000-year-old tavern in Iraq, CBS News reported. The site is known to be among the earliest urban centers of the Sumerian civilization. A primitive refrigerator and a recipe for beer were among items uncovered. Archaeologists also found a recipe for ancient beer at the site, CBS News reported. Pittman told AFP the archaeologists also found a refrigerator, as well as "hundreds of vessels ready to be served" and "benches where people would sit."

☆ On Pluto you could throw a baseball over the Great Pyramid of Giza, a scientist's animation reveals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An astronomer's animation reveals how far the average person could throw a ball on different worlds. On Pluto, your baseball could clear the Great Pyramid of Giza. Watch a ball throw on each planet in our solar system, plus Pluto and the moon, below. At just two-thirds the diameter of our moon, Pluto has such weak gravity that your baseball could clear the 455-foot-tall Great Pyramid of Giza — with room to spare. The video plays out in "real time," showing how long each ball throw would take, O'Donoghue said.

☆ Italy's election humbles former populist heroes Salvini and Di Maio
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Gavin Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio listens to the opening remarks of Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi during the opening session of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia July 8, 2022. They picked unknown lawyer Giuseppe Conte as their prime minister, a compromise figure widely seen as a puppet, and installed themselves as his two deputies to dictate policy. In the last four years Di Maio gradually shed all his populist ardour, serving as deputy premier, labour minister, industry minister and foreign minister before eventually quitting 5-Star to form his own centrist party. Eugenio Pizzimenti, politics professor at Pisa University, said that unlike the more charismatic Salvini, Di Maio's support was strongly dependent on that of his party. ECLIPSED BY MELONISalvini's popularity soared during his government with Di Maio, which he brought down after 14 months in a failed bid to become prime minister.

☆ Partidul Puterea Oamenilor vrea să fie vocea copiilor în următorul Parlament
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-17 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +1 min

Partidul Puterea Oamenilor vrea să fie vocea copiilor în următorul ParlamentPartidul Puterea Oamenilor, condus de fostul primar interimar al capitalei, Ruslan Codreanu, susține că va lupta pentru ca banul să urmeze copilul. „Vom construi grădinițe noi, vom exclude plățile ilegale, vom avea grijă de cadrele didactice care au fost lăsate în voia sorții și vom aduce serviciile medicale mai aproape de părinți”, promit cei de la Puterea Oamenilor, transmite IPN. Partidul Puterea Oamenilor vrea să soluționeze toate problemele copiilor și vrea să fie vocea copiilor în următorul Parlament al Republicii Moldova”, se menționează într-un comunicat de presă al formațiunii. Reprezentanții partidului susțin că în anul 2021, 23 de mii de copii nu au acces la un dispozitiv tehnic. Alte obiective enunțate sunt modernizarea curriculumului național, modernizarea învățământului vocațional, profesional și tehnic, dar și digitalizarea integrată a procesului de învățare.

Persons: Ruslan Codreanu Organizations: Partidul Puterea Locations: Republica Moldova, Republicii Moldova, PISA

☆ Muzeul Național de Istorie a Moldovei te invită la expoziția „Cartând Marea Neagră”
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-16 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +2 min

Muzeul Național de Istorie a Moldovei vă invită la vernisarea expoziției „Cartând Marea Neagră (Marea Neagră în cartografia europeană)”. Expoziția va fi prezentată la Muzeul Național de Istorie a Moldovei în perioada 18-30 iunie 2021. Cea mai veche dovadă cartografică a coastei Mării Negre din antichitate este o hartă a Mării Negre, realizată pe piele, care cuprinde perioada anilor 230-240 d.Hr. Abraham Ortelius a fost printre primii europeni care au creat hărți istorice, inclusiv una a Mării Negre. Partenerii proiectului sunt: Municipiul Nessebar, Muzeul de Istorie Națională și Arheologie Constanța și Muzeul Național de Istorie a Moldovei.

Persons: Moldovei, Petrus Vesconte, Abraham Ortelius, Nicolas, Guillaume Sanson, Guillaume, Johann Baptist Homann, Isaak Tirion, Johann van der Organizations: Istorie, Uniunea Europeană, Arheologie Locations: Negre, Mării Negre, Dura, Siria, Veneția, Genova, Ancona, Amalfi, Angelino, Mallorca, Pisa, Mării, Municipiul, Arheologie Constanța

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