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☆ Silence Is a ‘Sound’ You Hear, Study Suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Bethany Brookshire | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

What is it that we hear when we hear nothing at all? Or are we just hearing nothing and interpreting that absence as silence? The “Sound of Silence” is a philosophical question that made for one of Simon & Garfunkel’s most enduring songs, but it’s also a subject that can be tested by psychologists. In a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers used a series of sonic illusions to show that people perceive silences much as they hear sounds. While the study offers no insight into how our brains might be processing silence, the results suggest that people perceive silence as its own type of “sound,” not just as a gap between noises.

Persons: Simon, it’s, ”, Rui Zhe Goh Organizations: National Academy of Sciences, Johns Hopkins University

[1/4] Police gather drugs ahead of burning six tonnes of cocaine, hashish and other substances to mark the United Nations' International Day Against Drug Abuse, in Lisbon, Portugal, June 26, 2023. REUTERS/Miguel PereiraLISBON, June 26 (Reuters) - Portuguese police on Monday burned six tonnes of cocaine, hashish and other substances to mark the United Nations' international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking at a time the illegal trade is booming worldwide. Sousa said 11 tonnes of cocaine, 30 tonnes of hashish and smaller amount of other types of drugs have been seized in Portugal so far in 2023, already above the amounts seized last year as a whole. He said most of the cocaine was trafficked from Latin America and the Caribbean, while the hashish came from Morocco. Sousa said Portuguese authorities needed more resources to tackle the surge as the southern European nation, facing the Atlantic Ocean, was a key entry point of drugs into the European continent.

Persons: Miguel Pereira LISBON, Rui Sousa, Sousa, Catarina Demony, Miguel Pereira, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Police, Nations, REUTERS, United Nations Office, Drugs, Portuguese, Thomson Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, America, Caribbean, Morocco, Europe, European

☆ China's JD.com brings back veteran to lead new grocery business as rival Alibaba plans spinoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

JD.com set up an "Innovative Retail" division that houses its grocery business 7Fresh. The "Innovative Retail" unit will house JD's grocery store business 7Fresh and group buying unit Pinpin, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC. Yan Xiaobing, who retired from JD in 2021 after leading the company's international business, will return to head up the Innovative Retail group, the spokesperson said. Alibaba , JD's biggest e-commerce rival in China, split its company into six separate business units this year, the biggest restructuring in its history. One of the business units Alibaba separated out in its restructure is a "local services" group, which covers its food delivery and grocery businesses.

Persons: JD.com, Yan Xiaobing, Yu Rui, Hu Wei, JD's, Daniel Zhang, Alibaba, Eddie Wu, Joe Tsai, Sandy Ran Xu, Xu Lei, Xu Organizations: CNBC, JD, Innovative Retail, JD Logistics Locations: China

☆ Hunting for returns, savers dash for euro zone government debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Leading the way is Italy, which sold a record 18.2 billion euro retail bond this month to increase domestic holdings of its debt. This means around 15% of outstanding Portuguese government debt now sits with retail investors, versus 10% in recent years. Belgium meanwhile has issued 390 million euros of state notes to retail investors this year, the highest since 2011. But individuals still only hold 1% of its 1.3 trillion euro public debt overall, a spokesperson said. Italy first launched retail bonds in 2012 amid the euro zone debt crisis, reducing reliance on international investors as borrowing costs surged.

Persons: that's, Rui Amaral, Amaral, Banks, Maric, Post, Jorge Garayo, Cyril Rousseau, Rousseau, Yoruk, Dhara Ranasinghe, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Spanish Treasury, Spanish, European Central Bank, ECB, Treasury, Generale, Germany, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Spanish, Italy, Belgium, Europe, Spain, France, Germany

☆ Meta Platforms' return to growth index highlights annual Russell refresh
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Chuck Mikolajczak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Peter DaSilvaNEW YORK, June 21 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) will return to its former status as a full growth stock after financial data provider FTSE Russell finishes its annual shakeup of its stock index components on Friday. Every year, FTSE Russell reconstitutes, or refreshes, the components across its indexes, such as the Russell 2000 (.RUT) index of small cap stocks and Russell 1000 (.RUI) index of large-cap names. There are also style indexes such as the Russell 1000 Growth (.RLG) and Russell 2000 Value (.RUJ). FTSE Russell says about $12.1 trillion is currently benchmarked to the Russell US equity indexes. "The growth indexes look more like growth benchmarks and the value indexes look more like cyclical value indices," said Steven DeSanctis, equity analyst at Jefferies in New York.

Persons: Peter DaSilva, Russell, FTSE Russell reconstitutes, RUI, Goldman Sachs, Stocks, Goldman, Bryant VanCronkhite, VanCronkhite, Catherine Yoshimoto, Steven DeSanctis, You've, Thomas Martin, Chuck Mikolajczak, Alden Bentley, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Facebook, Meta, REUTERS, Russell, FTSE, FTSE Russell, London Stock Exchange, Allspring Global Investments, Walmart, Jefferies, Nasdaq, New York Stock Exchange, Globalt Investments, Thomson Locations: Mountain View , California, U.S, Menomonee Falls , Wisconsin, New York, Atlanta

☆ A guy who started a website that tracks orca incidents with boats near Spain and Portugal said that encounters are at least every day now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A man who has been tracking sightings and attacks said there's "one incident every day, on average." In some cases, there's been more than one reported attack in a single day in June, so far. The map shows 10 attacks since June 1 and an additional 12 orca sightings in the same time period. For example, on June 3, there were four identified orca attacks and on June 8, there were two. If you spread the word about something that happens in an area, people will avoid that area," Alves told PBS.

Persons: there's, —, Rui Alves, Alves, They've Organizations: Service, PBS Locations: Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Morocco

☆ China, Its Economy Flagging, Prods Consumers to Save Less and Spend More
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Daisuke Wakabayashi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Why It MattersA reduction in the deposit rates is one lever that policymakers can use to stimulate spending. The hope is that the lower rates will give consumers an incentive to spend or invest money instead of parking their savings in the bank. After China scrapped its Covid restrictions late last year and reopened the economy, there were expectations that pent-up demand would push consumers to start spending freely — but that has not played out in many sectors of the economy. In the first three months of the year, China’s economy grew at 4.5 percent, helped by a pickup in spending on dining out and luxury goods. Betty Rui Wang, senior China economist at the Australia-based bank ANZ, said confidence in the economy is weak across Chinese households and private-sector businesses.

Persons: Larry Hu, Betty Rui Wang, “, ”, Wang, Li You Organizations: China, Macquarie Group, People’s Bank of China, ANZ, Communist, Commerce Locations: China, Australia, Beijing

☆ Subway plans to open nearly 4,000 stores in China in one of its biggest deals ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Subway is planning to add thousands of new sandwich shops in China, increasing its footprint in the country by more than seven times. The world’s biggest sandwich chain announced Tuesday that it would open almost 4,000 new stores across mainland China over the next 20 years. The deal “is the largest master franchise agreement in Subway history and one of the largest across the entire [fast-food restaurant] industry,” Subway said in a statement. The large-scale expansion will be made possible by a deal Subway has inked with a Chinese company, Shanghai Fu-Rui-Shi Corporate Development (FRS). A 5-meter-long Subway sandwich seen in Shanghai on May 30.

Persons: Shanghai Fu, John Chidsey, Chase Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, ”, Corporate, Subway, Publishing, ” Subway Global, JPMorgan Locations: Hong Kong, China, Shanghai, United States, Asia Pacific

NEW YORK, June 6 (Reuters) - Subway reached an agreement with a master franchisee to open nearly 4,000 new sandwich shops across mainland China over the next 20 years, it said on Tuesday. Other companies are also beefing up their presence in China, including Starbucks, which plans to open 3,000 new stores there by 2025. Subway's deal with master franchisee Shanghai Fu-Rui-Shi Corporate Development Co Ltd (FRS) is the largest such agreement in Subway's history. FRS will get exclusive rights to manage and develop all Subway locations in China. "China is a key market with significant long-term growth opportunity, and we look forward to bringing the Subway experience to even more guests in the region," Subway Chief Executive John Chidsey said in a statement.

Persons: John Chidsey, Hilary Russ, Lincoln Organizations: YORK, Starbucks, Shanghai Fu, Corporate Development Co, Asia Investment Capital, Thomson Locations: China, U.S

☆ José Mourinho: What next for Portuguese manager after Roma's Europa League final loss to Sevilla?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And Wednesday’s Europa League final in Budapest was a great example of just that. Mourinho leaves the pitch at the end of the Europa League final. The lads gave absolutely everything this season.”Mourinho (middle) embraces Roma defender Roger Ibañez (right) at the end of the Europa League final. Montiel scores the decisive penalty in the Europa League final against Roma. He has helped guide the team away from relegation and now secured its seventh Europa League title, cementing its title as the ‘King’ of the competition.

Persons: José Mourinho, “, ” Mourinho, Mourinho, Odd Andersen, Germain, Roma’s, “ We’re, Roger Ibañez, tiredness, Mourinho didn’t, it’s, –, Gonzalo Montiel, Montiel, Rui Patrício, José Luis Mendilibar, Marvin Ibo, GES Sportfoto, Yassine Bounou, Bounou, Sevilla, ’, Mendilibar, ”, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Europa League, Sevilla, Roma, Spanish, Sky Sports Italia, Reuters, Portuguese national, Champions League, Europa League –, UEFA, Getty, Real Madrid, Paris Saint, Tottenham, Premier League, Europa Conference League –, Rome, Mourinho, France, Mendilibar Locations: Budapest, Paris, Madrid, Argentina, Argentine

☆ Europa League kings Sevilla beat Roma on penalties to win seventh crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The match was tetchy with referee Anthony Taylor dishing out 14 yellow cards, the most ever in a Europa League game, and playing almost 30 minutes of stoppage time in total. Their run to the final saw them beat PSV Eindhoven, Fenerbahce and Manchester United before downing Juventus in the semis. It was the third consecutive Europa League final that ended in a penalty shootout. The win means Sevilla will compete in next season's Champions League despite finishing outside the top four in the LaLiga. Mourinho had never lost a European final before Wednesday, having last year led Roma to the inaugural Europa Conference League title, becoming the first coach to win all the European trophies.

Persons: John Sibley, Montiel, Mourinho, Jose Mourinho, Sevilla, Gonzalo Montiel, Rui Patricio, Yassine Bounou, Gianluca Mancini, Roger Ibanez, Anthony Taylor dishing, Paulo Dybala, Mancini, Roma, Chris, Lucas Ocampos, Movistar, Fernando Kallas, Toby Davis Organizations: Soccer, Europa, Sevilla, AS Roma, Puskas Arena, Europa League REUTERS, BUDAPEST, Europa League thoroughbreds Sevilla, Roma, France, Europa League, Champions League, PSV Eindhoven, Fenerbahce, Manchester United, Juventus, League, inaugural Europa Conference League, Thomson Locations: Budapest, Hungary, Sevilla, Argentina, Spanish, Portuguese, Madrid

☆ Lakers vs Nuggets Game 2: LeBron James proves he is human after missing an easy dunk in LA loss to Denver
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —LeBron James proved he is human after all as the Los Angeles Lakers fell to a 108-103 Game 2 playoff loss against the Denver Nuggets. With the Lakers up by eight points early in the second, James had a clear run to the basket after being found by Rui Hachimura in transition. Jack Dempsey/APLeBron blowing the easy dunk was just one of the many uncharacteristic errors made by the 19-time All-Star in the Game 2 loss. After the game, James reflected on the 0-2 hole the Lakers find themselves in and said that it wasn’t the end of the world. To go with four steals, five assists and 10 rebounds, Murray scored an incredible 37 points in the huge win.

☆ Napoli’s Serie A title win: From Maradona and financial bankruptcy to Scudetto
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Diego Maradona battles dribbles against Ruud Gullit of AC Milan in the Serie A in 1988. With Maradona’s arrival came a level of success Napoli had previously never seen, culminating in a 1987 title victory; the club’s first ever Scudetto. When Napoli won its first Serie A title in 1987, the Gentleman Ultra website notes: “In the city, mock funerals were held for Juventus. The dark yearsA year after the 1990 title success, the Napoli team began to unwind with players departing, leading to a drop in performances. Napoli fans celebrate the team's Serie A title victory on the streets of Naples.

☆ Napoli on brink of Serie A title before Udinese trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Tommy Lund | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Luciano Spalletti emphasised how sluggish his once invincible squad were after a tough month in April where they managed only two wins in seven games in all competitions and crashed out of the Champions League. JUVE DRY SPELLAfter having their 15-point deduction overturned in April, Juventus now find themselves in a very different position as they jumped from seventh to third, reigniting their Champions League qualification hopes. We were involved in three competitions until last week, which means the season is going well," manager Massimiliano Allegri said. Maurizio Sarri will have an almost complete squad at his disposal against Sassuolo, including striker Ciro Immobile and defender Luca Pellegrini. AS Roma, AC Milan and Inter Milan are all on 57 points as they battle it out for the final Champions League spot.

☆ Lamine Yamal, 15, becomes Barcelona's youngest player in more than a century
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Back in 2007, in the months before Lamine Yamal was born, the first iPhone was released and Lionel Messi was already announcing himself as one of the greatest footballing talents ever. Fast forward to 2023 and smartphones have taken over the world, Messi has won the World Cup and it was Yamal’s turn to announce himself to the footballing world, becoming Barcelona’s youngest debutant in La Liga. Aged 15 years, 9 months and 16 days, Yamal entered the fray after 86 minutes as a substitute for Gavi during Barcelona’s 4-0 victory against Real Betis Saturday. Lamine Yamal turns 16 in July. “At 15 years old, just imagine it… He is special and he could have even scored tonight, but [Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva] saved.

☆ Napoli on verge of first Serie A title in 33 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Tommy Lund | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Napoli on brink of winning titleInter under pressureRoma battling injury issuesApril 27 (Reuters) - Runaway Serie A leaders Napoli could seal their third Scudetto in record fashion this weekend if they beat lowly visitors Salernitana and second-placed Lazio drop points at Inter Milan. Spalletti urged his Napoli players not to get ahead of themselves despite being tantalisingly close to ending the city's 33-year wait for the Serie A title since Diego Maradona led the team to two championships in 1987 and 1990. Salernitana have improved dramatically since Paulo Sousa took over from Davide Nicola in mid-February and have pulled well clear of the relegation scrap. Gian Piero Gasperini's seventh-placed Atalanta, who have 52 points, travel to Torino on Saturday while Juve, with 59 points, visit another mid-table side in Bologna on Sunday. Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ NBA roundup: Anthony Davis, Lakers sprint past Grizzlies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Apr 22, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder (17) shoots the ball against Memphis Grizzlies forward David Roddy (27) in the fourth quarter during game three of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. LeBron James added 25 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers took a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference matchup. D'Angelo Russell had 17 points and Rui Hachimura scored 16 for Los Angeles, which led by as many as 29 points in the wire-to-wire victory. Desmond Bane (18 points) ended the Morant run with a 3-pointer that cut the Los Angeles lead to 108-99 with 1:24 remaining. James Harden collected 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

☆ The growth fund that dodged the worst of the 2022 bear market by leaning on fundamentals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The firm's $1.7 billion Large Cap Growth Fund , with some of the biggest technology names among its top holdings, lost 24.3% in 2022. 'Rigor and process' Kantor and Regenbaum have spent years managing the fund by taking a magnifying glass to the inner plumbing of some of the biggest growth stocks. Indeed, Morningstar says the fund's portfolio has a lower price-to-book-value than other large cap growth funds or Morningstar's benchmark index for the group, and faster book value growth. There were "crazy growth companies that went to the moon," Kantor said, "and then unfortunately at some point had to return to Earth." Investors are at an important moment given the Federal Reserve's campaign to rein in inflation by hiking interest rates, and the interest-rate sensitive nature of growth stocks.

☆ Portugal's government in hot water as TAP airline scandal deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Sergio Goncalves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, April 21 (Reuters) - Portugal's government fired the chief executive of flag carrier TAP last month without a legal assessment of the move, Finance Minister Fernando Medina has acknowledged, deepening a high-profile scandal around the state-owned airline. His remarks in parliament late on Thursday contradicted claims by two fellow ministers a day earlier that the government had obtained a legal opinion backing the decision. This heightens chances of the state losing a potential lawsuit by the sacked executives worth millions of euros. After Ourmières-Widener called her sacking "illegal", the main opposition Social Democrats warned that unless the decision had proper legal backing, the state could lose an eventual court dispute. In a tweet, Liberal Initiative party leader Rui Rocha called the situation a "festival of incoherence and total disrespect for parliament".

☆ NBA roundup: Short-handed Bucks even series with Heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jimmy Butler had 25 points to pace the Heat, and Bam Adebayo added 18 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots and Desmond Bane added 17 points for the second-seeded Grizzlies. LeBron James had 28 points and 12 rebounds and Rui Hachimura added 20 points off the bench for the seventh-seeded Lakers. Michael Porter Jr. scored 16 points and Aaron Gordon had 12 points and 10 rebounds for top-seeded Denver. Denver went on an 8-0 run to open the final quarter, grabbing a 95-89 lead before Minnesota moved in front 99-98.

☆ LeBron James told he is ‘old’ in spat with Dillion Brooks as Grizzlies even playoff series with Lakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“I don’t care, he’s old,” Brooks, who finished the game with 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting during his 23 minutes on the court, told reporters. I know my guys know that.”Four-time NBA MVP James finished Wednesday’s game with 28 points and 10 rebounds. According to ESPN, the only player to score 40 against the Grizzlies in a game Brooks played this season was the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard. He’s LeBron James. He’s shining.’“I can’t be looking at [him] that he’s LeBron James.

☆ Stuttering Juve face Napoli test as they look to get back on track
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Tommy Lund | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

If their appeal succeeded and the points penalty was cancelled, they would jump to third on 59 points. Napoli have one win in their last five games, a run that includes league and Champions League defeats to AC Milan, and are winless in their last three games in all competitions. Lazio will be the first of the top teams in action when they host 11th-placed Torino on Saturday. Simone Inzaghi's fifth-placed Inter Milan take on an Empoli side that beat them 1-0 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, while AC Milan host Lecce. Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ NBA roundup: Heat best Bucks in injury-riddled Game 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Bam Adebayo scored 22 points for the eighth-seeded Heat, who were playing less than 48 hours after qualifying for the playoffs by beating Chicago in a play-in elimination game. He stayed in the game for a bit before going to the locker room and returned briefly early in the second quarter before leaving the game for good. In his sixth career playoff game, Hachimura erupted for a playoff career high in scoring by shooting 11-for-14, including 5 of 6 from beyond the 3-point arc. Kevin Durant had 27 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in his first playoff game for the fourth-seeded Suns. Devin Booker scored 26 points, Torrey Craig added 22 and Deandre Ayton had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Suns.

☆ NBA roundup: Knicks get by Wizards, clinch playoff berth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

[1/4] Apr 2, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) dribbles against Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. New York led by no fewer than eight and by as many as 20 the rest of the way. Atlanta got 25 points from Dejounte Murray, 18 points and 10 rebounds from John Collins and 14 points and 11 boards from Clint Capela. Dallas also got 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists from Doncic and 18 points from Wood. The Rockets' starting backcourt of Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green combined for 44 points with Green adding seven assists.

☆ Brazil's Lula to announce fiscal framework after China visit, criticizes central bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The new framework is considered crucial to addressing fiscal concerns after Lula secured congressional approval for a multi-billion-real package that bypasses the constitutional spending cap to boost social spending and fulfill campaign promises. However, in an interview with local news website Brasil 247, Lula said it wouldn't make sense to announce the fiscal framework and then travel to China. Reacting to the postponement, interest rate futures closed higher at the short end of the yield curve. During the interview, Lula also criticized the country's central bank, saying that an interest rate of 13.75% - its current level - is "irresponsible," adding he will continue to fight the current level to stimulate the economy. Brazil's central bank has been holding its benchmark interest rate at a six-year high since September and, according to economists polled by Reuters, is expected to maintain it unchanged at the Wednesday meeting.

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