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[1/2] A woman checks the arrivals and departures board at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska/File PhotoNEW YORK, May 10 (Reuters) - A gloomy forecast from vacation rental firm Airbnb (ABNB.O) weighed on travel-related stocks on Wednesday as an expected slowdown in bookings signaled an impending slump in travel demand with consumers seeking cheaper accommodation amid inflation and recession fears. Airbnb's forecast will heighten caution in the travel sector, which encompasses hotels, airlines, and vacation rental firms, according to an investor note by JPMorgan analysts, led by Doug Anmuth. "We also believe Airbnb's commentary will result in increased caution in the travel space, but more specifically around vacation and the U.S.," the analysts said. Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; Editing by Lance Tupper and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Once known as Square, Block agreed in March 2021 to pay $306 million for an 87.5% stake in Tidal. The pension fund also said Dorsey, a co-founder of Block and Twitter, was Block's only top executive who supported the purchase, and bought Tidal because he and Jay-Z were friends. But in concluding that Block directors did not breach their fiduciary duties, McCormick said she could not "presume bad faith based on the merits of the deal alone." Jay-Z, the rapper and music mogul whose real name is Shawn Carter, joined San Francisco-based Block's board after the Tidal purchase and remains a director. The Delaware case was a derivative lawsuit that sought to have Block's directors or their insurers pay damages to the company for shareholders' benefit.

☆ EU draft rules propose tougher cybersecurity labelling rules for Amazon, Google, Microsoft
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, May 9 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O), Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google, Microsoft (MSFT.O) and other non-European Union cloud service providers looking to secure an EU cybersecurity label to handle sensitive data can only do so via a joint venture with an EU-based company, according to an EU draft document seen by Reuters. The document adds the cloud service must be operated and maintained from the EU, and all cloud service customer data stored and processed in the EU and that EU laws take precedence over non-EU laws regarding the cloud service provider. The latest draft proposal from EU cybersecurity agency ENISA concerns an EU certification scheme (EUCS) that would vouch for the cybersecurity of cloud services and determine how governments and companies in the bloc select a vendor for their business. The latest draft could fragment the EU single market as each country has full discretion to impose the requirements whenever it sees fit, an industry source said. EU countries will review the draft later this month after which the European Commission will adopt a final scheme.

"This is the right's best chance for people to pick a Pinochet constitution without Pinochet's signature," said Patricio Navia a political scientist at New York University. "The political climate in Chile isn't the same as in 2019 or 2020," said political analyst Cristobal Bellolio. An estimated 3,200 Chileans were murdered and another 28,000 tortured by the state during Pinochet's rule. Many of the victims were affiliated with the socialist government of Salvador Allende, who was deposed in a 1973 coup. "The issue is that if it's more right then Pinochet's constitution, people are going to reject it," Navia added, who added the loss for Boric left the leader who once promised to bury Chile's market-led model sorely wounded.

☆ California banking regulator says SVB oversight inadequate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Regulators have since pledged tougher oversight of the banking sector while lawmakers have also complained that officials were too slow to address its poor risk management. Former SVB chief executive Gregory Becker is due to testify before Congress next week. According to the report released Monday, DFPI played a supporting role, with primary oversight for SVB conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, which could devote more staff to supervision. SVB "was slow to remediate regulator-identified deficiencies, and regulators did not take adequate steps to ensure SVB resolved problems as fast as possible," according to the report. In just one eight-hour period on March 9, SVB depositors submitted withdrawal requests amounting to about $42 billion.

☆ Byron Allen sues McDonald's for allegedly lying about commitment to Black media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Entertainment Studios and Allen Media Group, speaks at the 2021 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., October 19, 2021. REUTERS/David SwansonMay 8 (Reuters) - The media entrepreneur Byron Allen has filed a second lawsuit against McDonald's Corp (MCD.N) over the fast-food chain's alleged refusal to advertise with Black-owned media. Allen said he would know if McDonald's were honoring that pledge because his Allen Media Group represents more than 90% of Black-owned media. The case are: Weather Group LLC et al v. McDonald's USA LLC, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, No. 23STCV10045; and Entertainment Studios Networks Inc et al v McDonald's Corp, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No.

LOS ANGELES, May 8 (Reuters) - Writing for a new season of "The Handmaid's Tale" and a coming "Game of Thrones" prequel was halted as a nearly week-long strike by thousands of film and television writers rippled across Hollywood on Monday. Writing of the dystopian drama stopped when the Writers Guild of America (WGA) called a strike last week, Chang told Reuters on Monday. Martin said in a blog post that the writers' room for prequel series "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" was "closed for the duration of the strike." Warner Bros has not announced a release date for "The Hedge Knight." The second season of "House of the Dragon," another "Game of Thrones" prequel, began filming in April, Martin said, and will continue in London and Wales.

☆ Get Ready to See More of the Northern Lights
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( April Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the southern hemisphere, aurora australis, or the southern lights, are typically visible from Antarctica, Australia and south of Argentina. As the sun’s magnetic fields flip over 11 years, this cycle, phases between solar minimum and solar maximum, Dr. Cameron said. Experts predict that solar maximum will be reached in 2025, meaning the auroral oval, or the area on earth where the lights are visible, will widen until then. “When we’re in the minimum part of the solar cycle, the sun is very quiet, basically nothing going on,” Dr. Cameron said. The solar cycle is tied to the sun’s magnetic field, Dr. Cameron said, but doesn’t affect its temperature.

☆ NASA footage reveals 4 types of solar eruptions and 'holes' that could affect Earth as the sun grows more active
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The sun is slamming Earth with solar flares and high-speed eruptions of plasma. Solar flares can have the power of 1 billion hydrogen bombsA solar flare erupts — the bright flash on the bottom right of the sun — on March 28, 2023. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare – as seen in the bright flash on the upper right – on March 3, 2023. CMEs are common culprits of solar storms on Earth, since they can send a powerful flood of solar particles washing over the planet. Coronal holes open a highway for solar windA video from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the massive hole in the sun's atmosphere.

☆ The International Space Station is hiding in this mind-blowing photo, as it passes the sun. Can you spot it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The International Space Station passes the sun in a gorgeous portrait by photographer Andrew McCarthy. Can you spot the space station in this portrait of an increasingly active sun? It erupts high-energy radiation into space, some of which slams into the International Space Station rocketing around Earth. The space station zips across the sun like a fast-moving needle in a haystackMcCarthy's multi-telescope setup to capture his photo of the space station crossing the sun. He used the sunspots as a visual cue, knowing the space station would pass in front of them.

"That's what we are looking towards as we are working with our pilots union to get a deal done." American Airlines, United Airlines (UAL.O) and Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) are all in the middle of contract negotiations with their pilots. The carrier's pilot union said it made no concessions in the deal, which included dozens of work-rule improvements and quality-of-life related items. In an update to its members this week, United's pilot union said it is seeking similar improvements. Casey Murray, head of the Dallas-based airline's pilot union, said it has lost more pilots in the first four months of this year than it did in all of 2022.

☆ Meet Kim Posnett, the powerful Goldman Sachs dealmaker who was just named head of the investment bank's TMT unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Kim Posnett was just named head of Goldman's all-important TMT investment banking group. Posnett, 43, has long been one of the most senior figures at Goldman's investment bank. Posnett was previously the head of Goldman's investment-banking services unit, which acts as a salesforce for the global IB division. The former co-head of Goldman's TMT franchise will become co-chairman of the unit. The former would result in the IB services group, which functions, in effect, as a sales force.

☆ 17 Looks That Did the Most at the Met Gala
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( The Styles Desk | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The guest list for the first Monday in May, as the Met Gala is also known, serves as a Rorschach test for whom Anna Wintour deems important, circa now. Many guests wore black and white or suits and gowns embellished with pearls or flowers — favorite motifs of Mr. Lagerfeld. Doja Cat and Jared Leto each paid homage to Choupette, Mr. Lagerfeld’s feline friend. There were many wonderful dresses that paid respect to Mr. Lagerfeld’s legacy — in fact, there were too many to name. So here’s a reminder: The looks that follow did the most at the Met Gala — not necessarily the best, not necessarily the worst, just the most.

☆ PlayStation, treasure hunts and natural wonders: What life is like onboard a giant oil tanker
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The movies, which feature ambushes, looting and a drunken captain, are far from real life, according to shipping veteran Ralph Juhl. The crew on board an oil tanker operated by Hafnia. Where the ship goes depends on where the demand for oil is and Dixon has sailed to every continent bar Antarctica, he said. An aurora borealis light display in the southern part of Norway, one of the natural spectacles seen by oil tanker captain DSA Dixon during his seafaring life. Oil tanker crew prepare mooring ropes to secure a bunker barge to their vessel for refueling.

☆ College baseball player struck by stray bullet during game in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 1 (Reuters) - A Texas A&M University-Texarkana baseball player who was struck by a stray bullet during a game remains in stable condition in an intensive care unit and has "significant injuries and complications" to overcome, the school said on Monday. DeLaney, 18, is currently being treated at Christus St. Michael Hospital in Texarkana and his family is there with him, the school said. "He has made slight improvements daily but still has significant injuries and complications to overcome. DeLaney and several other players were in the vicinity of the bullpen when the incident occurred. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The Republican-led state is currently enforcing a near-total abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. NORTH CAROLINA: House Republicans have introduced a bill to ban abortion from conception, except to preserve the life or health of the mother. The Senate tabled discussion of a near-total abortion ban on Thursday after it had been approved by the House. PROTECTIONSCALIFORNIA: A Democratic state senator has introduced a bill to protect doctors who prescribe medication abortion pills to patients in other states. ILLINOIS: Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker in January signed a law protecting abortion providers and out-of-state patients from legal attacks waged by other states.

North America has seen the largest increase in planned hydrogen projects in the past six months, according to the Oxford-based consulting firm. Clean hydrogen is a small but fast-growing area of the transition to lower-polluting energy sources. However, low-emission hydrogen production is currently small compared with where analysts believe it will need to be. Europe’s shrinking share of hydrogen projects is “a direct consequence of the bloc’s slow response to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and [its] delay in developing concrete regulation for renewable hydrogen,” said Dilara Caglayan, lead hydrogen researcher at Aurora. Only 1% of the one terawatt of planned hydrogen projects have begun construction, while 86% are in the early planning stages of development.

☆ Canada and U.S. agree to trace guns intercepted at border
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Canada and the United States have agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation to reduce gun violence," Mendicino said. The United States traces guns by requiring firearm dealers to record the serial numbers of the guns they sell and who purchased them. "Data and information sharing are powerful tools in the fight against gun violence," said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was also present. Previously, gun tracing in Canada has been inconsistent. Canada traced only 6-10% of guns involved in crimes, according to 2019 data from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), a federal agency.

[1/2] Solar panels are built at the QCells solar energy manufacturing factory in Dalton, Georgia, U.S., March 2, 2023. The Inflation Reduction Act, which passed last year without a single Republican vote, is a signature Biden accomplishment and offers $369 billion investment to address climate change. This includes $270 billion in tax incentives. Republicans have portrayed the tax credits as a distortion of the free market that gives unfair advantage to clean-energy producers over fossil fuels. Frisone, of CZAR-Power, said he plans to call Republican officeholders to make his case, adding, "This is a political stunt -- why are we doing it?"

☆ Tesla's not even in the top 10 of self-driving firms, according to experts who ranked all of the leading companies working on automation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Research firm Guidehouse Insights regularly ranks companies developing automated driving tech. Tesla didn't make this year's top 10, and ranked last of 16 companies assessed. Moreover, of the 16 companies recently ranked by research and consulting firm Guidehouse Insights (which ranks some of the biggest names working on automated-driving technology each year), Tesla came in last. Tesla ranked last in similar lists in 2021 and 2020. To come up with the list, Guidehouse weighs factors such as a company's vision, go-to-market and production strategies, partners, tech, commercial readiness, and more.

[1/5] Newly elected Mayor of Berlin Kai Wegner and his predecessor and designated Berlin Senator for Economics and Energy Franziska Giffey look on at the city's town hall Rotes Rathaus (Red Townhall), in Berlin, Germany, April 27, 2023. REUTERS/Nadja WohllebenBERLIN, April 27 (Reuters) - Berlin appointed its first conservative mayor in more than two decades on Thursday after the Christian Democrats (CDU) beat Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) in a repeat election in February, dislodging its centre-left coalition. Kai Wegner, 50, a former insurance salesman, was sworn in as mayor after a vote in local parliament, succeeding the SPD's Franziska Giffey who had been Berlin's first female mayor. His CDU won a clear victory in February's election held after a court ruled the 2021 vote invalid due to irregularities. Critics have accused his CDU party of dog-whistle politics.

☆ Continental, Aurora to jointly develop self-driving systems for trucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 27 (Reuters) - German automotive parts company Continental AG (CONG.DE) and U.S.-based self-driving technology firm Aurora Innovation said on Thursday they would jointly design and develop autonomous systems for the trucking industry. Investors and industry executives have been concerned about heavy investments going into self-driving technology and the protracted timelines to develop it. Continental, which will manage the lifecycle of the hardware kits it supplies for the Aurora Driver technology platform, said it expects production to begin in 2027. The companies also said Aurora Horizon is expected to be launched next year. The autonomous freight truck subscription service is based on the technology that Continental will help develop and build.

☆ Cannabis stocks light up after a group of lawmakers again seeks to protect banks that work with legal marijuana businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cannabis stocks jumped Thursday as lawmakers sought again to pass a bill to protect banks that work with legal pot firms. The SAFE Banking Act of 2023 was refiled by Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate. The Secure and Fair Enforcement, or SAFE, Banking Act was refiled late Wednesday by House and Senate lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties. They say the proposal is aimed at dealing with safety concerns stemming from legal cannabis businesses being locked out of banking services. Merkley said there's now a path for the first time for the SAFE Banking Act to move through the Senate Banking Committee and to a Senate floor vote.

☆ SVB's former parent may need new funding after $2bln cash seizure
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Dietrich Knauth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The FDIC has also not fully explained why the cash was seized, Bromley said. FDIC's attorney, Derek Baker, told Glenn that SVB Financial's bank accounts were properly seized as part of FDIC's takeover of the failed bank. The cash is being held as a set-off against the regulator's costs in stepping in to protect SVB customer deposits, and FDIC is working to provide more detail about its claims against SVB Financial, Baker said. Glenn said he needed more information about the FDIC's authority to seize cash and how disputes related to the seizure should be resolved. SVB Financial is also still waiting for the full return of financial records that were seized as part of the bank takeover.

☆ Brazil court suspends Telegram for not complying with order on neo-Nazi groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, April 26 (Reuters) - A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered a temporary suspension in the country of the encrypted messaging app Telegram until it complies with an order to share information on extremist and neo-Nazi groups using the platform. The federal police requested the suspension order after Telegram failed to comply with a previous court decision to handover data about two neo-Nazi groups on the app that were accused of inciting violence in schools. Due to Telegram's non-compliance with the court order, the judge said telecommunications firms in the country should start to suspend access to the messaging service and downloading of the app. Local media reported that the federal police requested the contacts of administrators and members, as well as phone numbers of users from those groups. Telegram brands itself as a messaging app focused on speed and privacy and says its special secret chats use end-to-end encryption that is not stored on its servers.

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