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☆ Spanish PM apologises over sexual consent law reform loophole
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 16 (Reuters) - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez apologised in an interview published on Sunday to victims of sexual abuse over a sexual violence law that included a loophole enabling at least 978 imprisoned offenders to get their sentences reduced or ended early. The "Only Yes Is Yes" law, which arose partly as a result of public outrage over the so-called Wolf Pack case, centred on consent and was meant to resolve cases where defendants were convicted of the lesser crime of sexual abuse because victims had not resisted out of fear. But because the new law carries a lower minimum sentence - the result of merging the crimes of sexual abuse and aggression - it has enabled some perpetrators convicted before it took effect to successfully seek reduced sentences or early release. "If we have to apologise to the victims, I apologise to the victims." The issue has split the three-year-old coalition, with the Socialists keen to reform the law but their ruling partners Unidas Podemos resisting their suggestions.

☆ A gold miner found a mysterious grapefruit-sized fur ball. It turned out to be a 'perfectly preserved' 30,000-year-old squirrel.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Chris Panella | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But X-ray scans have revealed this grapefruit-sized lump is actually a 30,000-year-old mummified ground squirrel from the Ice Age. A ground squirrel for the agesAn illustration of the mummified ground squirrel curled up in its burrow during hibernation. "I study bones all the time and they're exciting, they're really neat. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images"Some people get really, really excited when they find that giant woolly mammoth leg or, you know, the big tusks or the big skulls. But for me, the Arctic ground squirrel fossils, the nests, and now this mummified squirrel, are really the coolest things that we do have.

☆ Peace, love, and Hitler: How Lex Fridman's podcast became a safe space for the anti-woke tech elite
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

Seemingly overnight, episodes of Fridman's podcast began racking up millions of views. YouTube/Lex FridmanIn his podcast, Fridman asks world-renowned scientists, historians, artists, and engineers a series of wide-eyed questions ("Who is God? But recently, "The Lex Fridman Podcast" has become a haven for a growing — and powerful — sector looking to dismantle years of "wokeness" and cancel culture. Twitter"The Lex Fridman Podcast" offered a rare opportunity to listen to four-hour conversations with luminaries of tech and science. Bhaskar Sunkara, the founder and publisher of the socialist magazine Jacobin who appeared on Fridman's podcast in December, praised Fridman's interviewing style.

☆ Image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope reveals a rare star preparing to explode and die in a supernova
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured a star getting ready to die in stunning detail. The image shows a rare Wolf-Rayet star, expelling its outer layers in the phase before a supernova. A Wolf-Rayet star is "among the most luminous, most massive, and most briefly-detectable stars known," according to NASA. Webb helps investigate a dusty cosmic mysteryThat cosmic dust is of great interest to astronomers. An artist's conception of the James Webb Space Telescope.

Some living above Navigator's proposed sequestration site are also worried that carbon dioxide stored 5,800 feet underground could seep upward and contaminate their groundwater with carbonic acid, which is formed when carbon dioxide meets water. This came two months after a senior ICC engineer recommended that the commission deny the company's application because it had not secured the necessary sequestration site, the commission's docket shows. The company did not share the number or percent of easements it has secured over its proposed sequestration sites. The two other major carbon pipeline projects are working to secure underground carbon storage space. Summit has negotiated easements with landowners for more than 85% of its sequestration site in North Dakota, the company told Reuters.

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Wolfspeed (WOLF.N) will build a $3-billion chip plant and a research and development centre in Germany, it said on Wednesday, expecting to start construction within months provided it receives subsidy approval from the European Union. Automotive supplier ZF (ZFF.UL) will invest $185 million for a stake in the chip fab and will take a majority stake in the research centre, the companies said. Wolfspeed expects to receive 20% of the investment amount in subsidies, Chief Executive Gregg Lowe told German newspaper Handelsblatt. Volkswagen, Europe's top carmaker, earlier this month warned that the chip squeeze meant 2023 would remain volatile and challenging, but expected supplies to improve. The company announced in September a new plant in the United States due for completion in 2030.

☆ Wolfspeed to build $3-bln EV chip plant in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Wolfspeed (WOLF.N) will build a $3-billion chip plant in Germany, with automotive supplier ZF (ZFF.UL) investing $185 million for an equity stake, company officials said on Wednesday, confirming an earlier Reuters report. ZF's share of the factory's chip output will be defined by a separate contractual agreement, the companies said. "This is an important sign that Germany continues to be attractive even in difficult circumstances for high-tech investments," he said. "Amid the concerns that the U.S. wants to divert investments from Europe with its Inflation Reduction Act, we're showing that a U.S. firm wants to invest in Germany," a German government source said. The company announced in September a new plant in the United States due for completion in 2030.

☆ Wolfspeed to announce EV chip plant in Germany, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Feb 1 (Reuters) - German chip supplier ZF Friedrichshafen (ZFF.UL) and U.S. chipmaker Wolfspeed (WOLF.N) will announce plans on Wednesday to build an electric vehicle chip plant in the Saarland region, according to three sources close to the matter. "This is an important sign that Germany continues to be attractive even in difficult circumstances for high-tech investments," he said. "Amid the concerns that the U.S. wants to divert investments from Europe with its Inflation Reduction Act, we're showing that a U.S. firm wants to invest in Germany," a German government source said. Volkswagen, Europe's top carmaker, earlier this month warned that the chip squeeze meant 2023 would remain volatile and challenging, but expected supplies to improve. Wolfspeed specialises in silicon carbide chips, which have been gaining traction with electric car makers as they can handle high voltages and are more power efficient.

☆ Hawaii man imprisoned for 1991 murder and rape of tourist released after judge hears new evidence of innocence
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

A court officer removes Albert Schweitzer's handcuffs at a hearing in Hilo, Hawaii, on Jan. 24, 2023. “Nerves, anxiety, scared.”The justice system is “flawed,” he said, calling himself one of many imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. Some intentional and some unintentional.”Ireland’s relatives couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on the petition and Schweitzer’s release. In 2019, Schweitzer’s attorneys and Hawaii County prosecutors entered into a “conviction integrity agreement” to reinvestigate the case. Despite the lack of evidence linking them to the killing, the two Schweitzers and Pauline were indicted in 1997.

☆ A Ukrainian soldier died on the battlefield in Bakhmut. His death has sparked a fierce dispute between some American veterans and a volunteer trainer.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

While entering a house in Bakhmut, two Ukrainian soldiers were ambushed by Russian troops. While he was doing laundry, Wang said a dark-green SUV suddenly pulled up and he heard a Ukrainian soldier shout, "De medyky?" More muscle than the pork ribsWang, by his own admission, decided to take charge of rescuing the wounded Ukrainian soldier. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesIn the phone conversation with Insider, Wang defended his involvement in the death of the Ukrainian soldier. A wider tapestry of issuesThe SOLI instructors said the Bakhmut deaths were just one part of a wider tapestry of issues caused by Wang's inexperience and overzealousness.

☆ Salesforce dimmed the lights of its Chicago office tower logo after residents complained they were too bright
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Salesforce dimmed the brightness of a logo on its new Chicago office building at the request of an alderman. Salesforce is scheduled to move into the 500,000-square-foot office space in Chicago this year. In early January, Salesforce — which is set to move into a nearly 60-story office space in Chicago later this year— crowned its Midwest headquarters with a bright fluorescent logo. According to Block Club Chicago's report, Brendan Reilly, alderman of Chicago's 42nd Ward, asked Salesforce to tone down the brightness. The adjustment took effect on Wednesday, with Salesforce also consenting to turning off the lights at 11pm every night, Reilly's office told Block Club Chicago.

☆ A Parasite May Explain Why Some People Are Driven to Start a Company
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

When wolves in Yellowstone National Park get infected with a cat parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, they become more likely to leave their packs and start new ones. The Yellowstone wolf data hints that it's just the side effect of a protozoan inhabiting our brains in a failed attempt to make more protozoa. So why would any of this make an infected wolf want to start its own pack? That was the suggestion of an influential 2006 paper titled "Can the Common Brain Parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, Influence Human Culture?" Just because Toxo might drive an alpha male to start a company, that doesn't mean it'll be a successful company.

☆ Russian agents killed 3 men they said were saboteurs sent by Ukraine. A report says they were just gamers in costume.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian state media reported on an FSB operation targeting "pro-Ukrainian saboteurs." Per independent media, the men killed were roleplayers of the video game "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." The state media report appeared to misidentify videogame imagery as genuine militant symbols. A still from a Russian state media Russia-1 report, showing what it claims is a flag showing affiliation with a far-right Ukrainian party Russia-1/Smotrim.ruThe obscured wolf insignia above was attributed by Russia-1 to a fringe political party in Ukraine called Volya. A still from a Russian state media Russia-1 report, showing what it claims is military paraphernalia owned by the men killed.

Lee County suffered none of the state’s 123 Irma deaths. That experience influenced many people’s decisions not to flee Hurricane Ian. “Hurricane Ian is going to be the strongest outreach messaging for southwest Florida ever,” said Gleason, the Charlotte County spokesman. “When you live through it, then that message sinks in deep and forever.”A view of the Matanzas Pass side of Estero Island, home to Fort Myers Beach, Fla. Fort Myers Beach is expected to take years to rebuild. Thomas Simonetti for NBC NewsMichael Yost's two closest friends in Fort Myers Beach drowned in Hurricane Ian.

☆ Tesla stock hits 2-year low after Musk sells $4 bln worth of shares
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Hyunjoo Jin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The latest sale brings the total amount of Tesla stock sold by Musk since last November to about $36 billion - despite his having said earlier that he would sell no more of his shares. Tesla shares have fallen more than 50% since touching a record high on Nov. 4 of last year. With the latest sale of his Tesla stock, Musk "yet again loses more credibility with investors and his loyalists in a boy who cried wolf moment," Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said. Analysts had expected Musk to sell more Tesla shares to finance the $44 billion Twitter deal, but it was not clear whether the sales were related to the Twitter acquisition. It is not clear whether all of the equity investors lived up to their equity commitment.

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, AMC, Kroger, Disney, Robinhood & more
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Evercore ISI upgrades Kroger to outperform from in line Evercore said in its upgrade of the stock that it sees "high teen upside." Wedbush reiterates Tesla as outperform Wedbush says it's concerned about company founder Elon Musk selling shares of Tesla. "For Musk who multiple times over the past year has said he is 'done selling Tesla stock' yet again loses more credibility with investors and his loyalists in a boy who cried wolf moment. Musk is the most important part of the Tesla story by a wide margin and every move he makes has a major impact on Tesla stock." Morgan Stanley reiterates Disney as outperform Morgan Stanley says it's standing by shares of Disney after the company's disappointing earnings report on Tuesday.

☆ These midcap stocks are loved by analysts, including one name expected to double
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investors scrambling to find a home for their money amid this year's market turmoil may want to look at midcap stocks. The S & P Midcap 400 is down 15% year to date, outperforming the large cap S & P 500's 20% drop in that time. Midcap stocks are also outpacing the large- and small-cap names for the quarter. The S & P Midcap 400 index has jumped more than 9% in the fourth quarter, while the S & P 500 and Russell 2000 are up 8% and 5%, respectively. Midcap stocks are typically those with a market cap ranging between $2 billion and $10 billion.

☆ China signals no let-up in its aggressive diplomacy
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Sept 29 (Reuters) - China signalled on Thursday no let-up in its combative approach to foreign policy in a third term for Xi Jinping as leader despite criticism from many Western diplomats that the so-called Wolf Warrior stance has been counterproductive. Xi is poised to break with precedent and secure a third leadership term at next month's once-in-five-years congress of the ruling Communist Party. Xi has urged Chinese diplomats to have more "fighting spirit", an instruction that has seen many Chinese officials take to social media platforms including Twitter, which is blocked in China, with an aggression that has come to be known as "Wolf Warrior" diplomacy, after a patriotic movie franchise. A global survey released this week by the Washington-based Pew Research Center found that public opinion towards China in the United States and other advanced economies had turned "precipitously more negative" under Xi. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWriting by Tony Munroe; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Republicans' next big play is to 'scare the hell out of Washington' by rewriting the Constitution. And they're willing to play the long game to win.
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-31 | by ( Grace Panetta | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

Whether it happens, he said, is highly dependent on Republicans' success winning state legislatures during the 2022 midterm elections. But not everyone in the conservative constitutional convention movement believes such a gathering is so imminent. Constitutional convention boosters include many of Trump's current and former allies, including conservative legal scholar John Eastman, Florida Gov. In 2012, the Republican National Committee went so far as to pass a resolution formally opposing the convention movement. A convention of states would be the first of its kind since the original Constitutional convention in Philadelphia in 1787.

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