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☆ Rainforest destruction soared in 2022 despite global pledges to halt deforestation, new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Caolán Magee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The destruction of the world’s rainforests ramped up last year, despite global pledges to end deforestation by 2030, according to a new report. The country’s rate of forest loss rose 15% from 2021 to 2022. Bolivia saw a record-high level of primary forest loss last year, with a 32% increase compared to 2021. It came in third behind only Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for area of primary forest loss, the report found. Despite the global increase in deforestation, there has been a sharp reduction in forest loss in Indonesia and loss levels in Malaysia have remained low, according to the report.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Moreno, Jair Bolsonaro’s, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Boris Johnson, Jane Barlow, Rod Taylor, ” Organizations: CNN, World Resources, Watch, University of Maryland, Democratic, UN, WRI’s Locations: Switzerland, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Bolivia, Democratic Republic of, Congo, Glasgow, Indonesia, Malaysia

☆ Chris Christie, Mike Pence, and Doug Burgum are all about to enter the GOP primary — and that's excellent news for Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Jake Swearingen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The primary is likely a contest between Trump supporters and those who want an alternative. And GOP primary voters know Trump's "brand." The GOP primary base appears to split into two even camps: Trump supporters and those looking for an alternative. Primary contenders not named Donald Trump will likely be fighting over the same group of moderate GOP supporters. As Michael Tesler of FiveThirtyEight points out, Trump now commands a majority of "very conservative" primary voters, despite losing those voters in 2016.

Persons: Chris Christie, Mike Pence, Doug Burgum, —, Donald Trump, Christie, Pence, Mitt Romney, Donna Brazile, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Michael Tesler, Trump Organizations: Trump, Service, Republican, New, New Jersey Gov, North Dakota Gov, GOP, CNN, Republican Party Locations: New Jersey, Manhattan

☆ Out-of-control tip culture meets summer travel: Are you ready for a $19 daily charge for staff tips and $50 'check-in fee'?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

On top of a nightly charge of as much as £918, or about $1142, the hotel charges guests a daily £15, or $19, service fee. The Dreamcatcher DW in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is another hotel that charges an undisclosed $15 a night "hotel fee." "We do have a $50 check-in fee that started at the beginning of this year," a spokesperson for Hanalei Bay Resort told Insider. More general resort fees that are tacked onto customer bills are not new. Hrubant says that resort fees started to become standard in major cities in 2018, functioning as an ancillary fee that can "gouge clients."

Persons: —, Alexa Moore, I've, Eric Hrubant, Hrubant, aren't, Henrik Helgesen, bellman, gratuity —, costumers Organizations: Service, Resort, New, CIRE, Street Journal Locations: Montague, London, San Juan , Puerto Rico, Kauai, Hawaii, New York, California, Arizona

☆ Bitcoin is on track for its first monthly drop of the year, stalling 2023's huge rally as macro uncertainty builds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The European Central Bank is tightening as well to combat surging prices, with rates at levels not seen since the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. In addition, central bank tightening can also lead to a decline in bitcoin prices." "There's no doubt that bitcoin's price as well as wider crypto market movements are directly impacted by the US Federal Reserve and central bank policies. "We can therefore expect a continued disenfranchisement with the US dollar and uptake of bitcoin and other crypto assets. This will be reflected in price and we can surely expect upward price movements in bitcoin, even in 2023," Caselin told Insider.

Persons: Bitcoin, —, Tacking, Christine Lagarde, Birgham Santos, Santos, Ben Caselin, bitcoin, Caselin Organizations: Service, Traders, Federal, European Central Bank, Lama, US Federal Reserve Locations: solana, bitcoin

☆ Nebraska legislature passes bill to restrict abortions at 12 weeks, gender-affirming care for those under 19
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jack Forrest | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A Nebraska bill combining a ban on most abortions after 12 weeks and restrictions on gender-affirming care for transgender Nebraskans under 19 is poised to become law after the state’s unicameral legislature voted for its passage Friday. It will also severely restrict most abortions at 12 weeks after legislators added a last-minute amendment to the bill on May 17. The bill makes it illegal for medical personnel to perform an abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy — with exceptions for sexual assault, incest and medical emergencies. The bill does not define “medical emergency.”The bill also bans a range of treatments that fall under the umbrella of gender affirming care. Others, like puberty blockers and other hormone treatments, are the standard of care for many trans and nonbinary youth.

☆ What does India's BJP losing Karnataka elections mean for Modi?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lost its only stronghold in the country’s south after voters in Karnataka state rejected the Hindu-nationalist policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party in crucial local elections last week. The opposition Congress party won 135 seats in the state’s legislative assembly, versus 66 for the BJP, giving Modi’s opponents a boost as they prepare to challenge India’s populist leader in next year’s general election. “Were they to lose some or all of the remaining state elections this year, including three big states in the (central and northern) Hindi belt, that may be further indication of waning support,” he said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd during campaigning for state elections in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on May 7. “A lot would depend on how Congress Party does in upcoming state assembly elections,” Verma said.

☆ Eric Adams Says He’s a Progressive. Democrats Beg to Differ.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Emma G. Fitzsimmons | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When a homeless man was choked to death on the New York City subway earlier this month by another passenger, Mayor Eric Adams had an uncharacteristically guarded response. For more than a week, he did not denounce the killing, as many of his Democratic colleagues immediately had, or express much sympathy for the victim, Jordan Neely. Instead, the mayor chose a more detached view, noting that there were “serious mental issues in play here.”“I was a former transit police officer, and I responded to many jobs where you had a passenger assisting someone,” he said on CNN. “And so we cannot just blatantly say what a passenger should or should not do in a situation like that.”The mayor’s response was the most recent example of him tacking away from the city’s left, creating a wedge with some of his Democratic colleagues. Mr. Adams has been pushing more moderate, sometimes even conservative, views on issues like rent, religion and his signature theme, improving public safety — a sharp turn from his Democratic predecessor, Bill de Blasio, and from progressive leaders who have recently won mayoral elections in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles.

☆ Amazon is offering shoppers $10 to pick up purchases in-store in a bid to address rising delivery costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon is offering some shoppers $10 to collect purchases in-store, rather than having them delivered. The e-commerce giant is among a number of retailers who are rethinking free shipping options. Amazon is offering shoppers $10 to collect their purchases in-store rather than getting them delivered in a bid to address rising shipping costs, Reuters reported Monday. Kohl's partnered up with Amazon in 2019 to accept Amazon returns at its stores. In recent months, Amazon has made changes to its delivery and returns offering due to rising costs.

☆ Opinion: Vladimir Putin’s anxious time
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. He imagines a boy sitting “upon the high and giddy mast” of a ship tossed by wind and waves. “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” concludes the king in Shakespeare’s play. Russia said that President Vladimir Putin was the intended target of a foiled Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin, an allegation Ukraine denied. The unfortunate monarch who was the last to own the original St. Edward’s Crown, King Charles I, was convicted of treason and beheaded on January 30, 1649.

☆ Real estate agents are tacking ludicrous 'junk fees' on to every home purchase
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The fee goes by many names: an administrative fee, a transaction fee, or even a "regulatory compliance" fee. Despite the controversy, all signs indicate that brokerages large and small have increasingly embraced the admin fee in recent years. The vast majority of real-estate agents are independent contractors who rely on commissions to earn a living. Admin fees may be one of the most polarizing topics among real-estate agents today. "I'm in a place in my business right now where I can justify paying that," the Las Vegas agent told me.

☆ The Supreme Court Takes Up ‘Home-Equity Theft’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Christina Martin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Images: Reuters/Shutterstock Composite: Mark KellyGeraldine Tyler never thought she’d end up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court—especially at 94. Ms. Tyler is a victim of what’s often called home-equity theft, but this form of robbery isn’t criminal; in fact, it’s legal in a dozen states. The Supreme Court, which hears oral arguments Wednesday in Tyler v. Hennepin County, has the opportunity to end these predatory tax foreclosures once and for all. To collect what it was owed, Hennepin County seized and later sold the one-bedroom condo for $40,000. You might think the county would settle the $15,000 debt and return the $25,000 balance to Ms. Tyler.

☆ Wise’s tougher times raise risk of mission drift
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

He now has 6.1 million customers, results released on Tuesday showed, up 33% from a year ago. Wise’s volumes per retail customer dipped 7% year-on-year during the three months ending on March 31. Raising prices and tacking on other revenue-generating services could help to offset the hit to Wise’s top line. But pulling harder on those levers would arguably undermine one of the appeals of Wise’s business model for investors and customers: simplicity and ever-lower prices. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

April 4 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) lost a bid to register part of a federal trademark for "Apple Music" on Tuesday after a U.S. appeals court ruled for a jazz musician who challenged the tech giant's application. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected Apple's argument that it had priority over trumpeter Charlie Bertini's "Apple Jazz" trademark rights based on its ownership of an earlier trademark from the Beatles' music label Apple Corps Ltd. The court allowed Bertini to block Apple's bid for a federal Apple Music trademark covering live performances, one of several trademark uses Apple sought to secure. Apple launched its streaming service in 2015 and applied the same year for a federal "Apple Music" trademark covering several categories of music and entertainment services. It said Apple could not "tack" its trademark rights for live performances to the Apple Corps trademark for sound recordings, a different category of goods.

Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). However, some vendors make that cost explicit by tacking on a fixed fee or percentage of the transaction to credit card payments. To avoid getting scammedMany credit card scams involve cardholders being victimized after willfully handing over their card or account information. To buy cash equivalentsMany credit cards offer cash advances, which allow you to borrow cash against your credit limit. Her credit history was pristine, but she only had two credit cards with low credit limits that she nearly exhausted each month on business and personal expenses.

The Nor'easter left about 190,000 homes and businesses in New York and New England without power as of Wednesday morning, according PowerOutage.com, a tracking service. In California, about an equal number of customers had no electric service on Wednesday in the wake of the latest in a series of atmospheric river storms to churn through the state this winter. [1/3] A California plate is seen at an area affected by floods after days of heavy rain in Pajaro, California, U.S., March 14, 2023. Along California's coast and lower inland areas, the heavy rain and melting alpine snow triggered renewed flooding from rain-swollen rivers and streams, compromising levees. "It's a little too soon to say for sure if it's another atmospheric river, but the storm is coming," he said.

☆ A millennial mom will 'basically do whatever it takes' to avoid a full-time job so she can be with her kids. Here's how she's scraping together part-time work and 2 side hustles.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In addition to caregiving, she had to get a part-time job to help support her family. She's among the millions of Americans choosing to work part-time due to burnout, childcare obligations, and to earn extra income. Her solution involves a part-time job and two side hustles, but at least she feels some ownership over her time. Megan is one of the over 22 million Americans working part-time voluntarily, according to Labor Department data. "I can spend the rest of my life working if I want, but my kids are only kids for so long."

☆ U.S. pressures airlines to commit to ending family seating fees
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - Three U.S. airlines agreed to commit in writing to eliminating family seating fees if adjacent seats are available during booking, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) said on Monday. USDOT is unveiling a new government dashboard highlighting airline commitments after its four-month review found no airlines previously guaranteed fee-free family seating. Airlines for America, which represents large U.S. airlines, says its carriers do not charge for family seating but many do not include commitments in customer service plans. Alaska Airlines said it has "always cared for families on our flights and family seating is something we’ve never charged for." USDOT has begun drafting regulations to end family seating fees but that could take years to finalize.

☆ How Gen Z and the Great Resignation created a wave of overinflated job titles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Aki Ito | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Way back in 1993, the Financial Times ran a column bemoaning the grandiose job titles that were popping up in the US and the UK. Compared with enticements like higher pay and better benefits, tacking an extra "senior" onto somebody's job title is free. Some are mashing together a bunch of old words, resulting in monstrosities like "senior executive vice president" — not to be confused with senior vice presidents and executive vice presidents. Still, despite the downsides of title inflation, I think there are some redeeming qualities to the state of things today. It goes to show how our job titles aren't just a summary of our day-to-day responsibilities or an indicator of our place in the org chart.

☆ NBA roundup: Magic rally to end Sixers' win streak
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

James Harden amassed 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Tobias Harris also had 17 points. Josh Giddey added 21 points for Oklahoma City, which has alternated wins and losses over the past six games. Patty Mills also finished with 21 points as he and Thomas combined to shoot 15 of 25 and hit eight 3-pointers. Bradley Beal added 21 points for the Wizards, with Kristaps Porzingis hitting for 17 and Kyle Kuzma scoring 16. Jeremy Sochan had 17 points, Zach Collins had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Stanley Johnson added 10 points.

☆ Before accepting 'manager' in your title, make sure it's not just a way for your company to avoid paying you overtime
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new study finds that firms may be using fake managerial titles to get out of paying employees overtime. Workers with a manager title, who make over a certain amount weekly, are exempt from overtime. Firms gave many more workers who make that cut-off wage manager titles, according to the study. They found that, during that time, there was a 485% increase in managerial titles for workers just over that overtime threshold. In essence, firms give workers title bumps without tacking on new duties — or higher pay.

Insider's rising stars of real estate span roles in leasing, affordable housing, and urban planning. We asked the young achievers about the books that influenced their careers or personal growth. For some of Insider's rising stars of 2022, the subject matter might surprise you. Other rising stars told Insider they wanted to learn from the trials and tribulations of successful people, like the Nike cofounder Phil Knight. Below, find the selection of 29 books that influenced the rising stars, along with their musings of what they learned or how they applied the lessons to their practices.

☆ Luka Doncic Is Playing With His Back to the Basket and His Eye on the MVP
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Robert O'Connell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Just over a minute into an early-December game against the Phoenix Suns, Luka Doncic dribbled behind a teammate’s screen. This routine action becomes, in the hands of the Dallas Mavericks’ 23-year-old dynamo, a drastic and multifaceted threat. Doncic might sling a pass across the span of an overanxious defense, to an unmarked teammate in the distant corner. That evening, Doncic went with another option, sticking his rump into Devin Booker and scooting him backward into the lane. By the time Doncic raised up for a 8-foot push shot, Booker could only smack his arm, tacking a free-throw onto the bucket.

☆ Premarket stocks: Why the market is obsessed with unemployment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Stocks plunged earlier this month after the closely watched November jobs report showed a resilient labor market. They fell again on Thursday when weekly numbers showed the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell, indicating a still-tight labor market. “There’s an imbalance in the labor market between supply and demand,” he said, adding that it will take a “substantial period” to fix that imbalance. That path to the Fed’s 2% inflation target is through the jobs market. “There will be some softening in labor market conditions,” Powell said.

☆ Holiday discounts are already hard to resist. The best bargains are yet to come
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Stores are drowning in a glut of merchandise this holiday season, keeping the discounts fast and furious in the runup to Christmas. With Christmas Day falling on a Sunday, and Christmas Eve falling on the preceding Saturday, Super Saturday this year is on Dec. 17th. With eight days to go until Christmas Day, and drop-dead shipping deadlines approaching, people have a lot more buying to do. Well ahead of the final full weekend before Christmas, stores this year were already offering discounts of 50% to 60% off, and tacking on free shipping for online orders. “Retailers want to start selling for the next big holiday, which is Valentine’s Day,” said Davis.

☆ Blended travel lets people switch from work to leisure with ease. Here's how hospitality and travel companies are accommodating this experience.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Crowne Plaza Hotels | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For business travelers, this means combining work with leisure or blended travel. Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts reimagined its hotel spaces, amenities, and service culture to help travelers flex between work and leisure. "Many other hospitality brands put the blend into bleisure, but at Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, we know the future is about flexibility." Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts"It's vital to provide these transitional moments for the new breed of connected traveler," Taggart said. Book your blended travel experience at Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts.

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