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☆ Herman Stone Found Better Ways to Make Polyurethane Foam
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( James R. Hagerty | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Herman Stone obtained two-dozen patents and was an expert witness on mattress flammability. Herman Stone , whose Jewish family fled Germany when he was 14 years old in 1939, adapted swiftly to American life. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry at Ohio State University and worked as a researcher for U.S. chemical companies. He obtained 24 patents, including one for a method of making soft foams used in cars and furniture. He was an expert witness on such matters as the flammability of mattresses.

☆ Meta plans to cut thousands of jobs as soon as this week - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo(Reuters) -Meta Platforms Inc will cut thousands of jobs as soon as this week in a fresh round of layoffs, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, only a few months after the Facebook-parent reduced more than 11,000 people from its workforce. Meta declined to comment on the Bloomberg report when contacted by Reuters. Last month, the Washington Post newspaper had reported that Meta was planning to cut jobs in a reorganization and downsizing effort. Other tech companies, including Google-parent Alphabet Inc and Microsoft Corp, have also cut thousands of jobs.

☆ Brentford beat Fulham to fuel European dream
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - Brentford fuelled their ambition of playing European football with a 3-2 home victory over fellow hopefuls Fulham to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 12 games on Monday. Ivan Toney's second-half penalty and a late effort by Mathias Jensen sealed the points for ninth-placed Brentford against their west London rivals to edge them closer to the European qualification places. Brentford had taken an early lead with a deflected shot by Ethan Pinnock but Fulham hit back shortly before halftime when Manor Solomon scored for the fourth successive league match. The hosts were rampant and Bryan Mbeumo grazed the upright with a free kick before Toney also saw a free kick bounce back off the woodwork. Fulham levelled in the 39th minute when another free kick hit the frame of the goal but this time Andreas Pereira's superb effort bounced down for Israeli Solomon to nod home.

☆ Why the West hasn’t gone after Russian nuclear energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Clare Sebastian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy monopoly Rosatom, which exports and enriches uranium as well as builds nuclear power stations around the world, has been in control of Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region since Russian forces seized it a year ago. Experts say Rosatom remains protected by the vital role it plays in global nuclear power, and the fact it can’t easily be replaced. In 2021, the United States relied on the Russian nuclear monopoly for 14% of the uranium that powered its nuclear reactors. The Akkuyu nuclear power plant as its construction continues in November 2022 Serkan Avci/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesSuch dependency can trump other considerations. It is also one of only several EU countries that rely on nuclear energy for more than 40% of their electricity and it has a long-term financing deal with Rosatom to build a nuclear power plant.

☆ Lethal Liverpool smash Manchester United for seven in record win
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Salah rubbed salt into United wounds with a close-range effort to score a record 129th Premier League goal for the Merseyside club, taking him past the mark of Robbie Fowler. Liverpool had thrashed United 4-0 at Anfield last April but considering the reversal of fortunes for the two clubs since, with United on the rise and Liverpool off the pace, this result was a major surprise. Liverpool's fourth win in five league matches lifted them above Newcastle United into fifth on 42 points, three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand. "Today you could see the energy levels and everything was back, although to be fair the last few Premier League games had shown we were on the right path." Liverpool's previous biggest win over United was a 7-1 victory in 1895 when both clubs were in the second tier.

☆ New documentary reveals how Jared Fogle led a 'double life' as a 'puppet master' who committed child sex acts while pitching sandwiches for Subway
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Jared Fogle became Subway's pitchman after losing 245 pounds by mostly eating the chain's subs. He filmed over 300 ads for Subway before pleading guilty to child sex acts in 2015. Jared Fogle became a pop-culture icon after being tapped as the face of Subway in 2000. A random tip in 2015 finally exposed him as a child sex predator. Here are the most revealing highlights:Jared Fogle led a "double life," according to a documentary about his child sex crimes.

☆ Bournemouth's Billing scores 9.11 seconds after kickoff at Arsenal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - Bournemouth's Philip Billing scored one of the quickest goals ever in the Premier League to put his side in front at leaders Arsenal on Saturday. Relegation battlers Bournemouth launched an audacious raid down the right straight from the kickoff and the ball was played across for Billing to side-foot into the net. Opta, the Premier League's match data partner, timed the goal at 9.11 seconds which makes it the second-quickest in the Premier League era. The quickest goal ever scored in the Premier League was Shane Long's effort 7.69 seconds after kickoff for Southampton against Watford in 2019. Reporting by Martyn Herman Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Arsenal seal thrilling comeback win, Man City maintain chase
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

City's 2-0 win sliced Arsenal's advantage to two points and when leaders Arsenal trailed 2-0 with an hour gone in north London it appeared their hold on top spot was weakening. Fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur's top-four ambitions suffered a dent as they went down 1-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers who are gradually pulling clear of the relegation zone. Arsenal had not won a Premier League game in which they had trailed by at least two goals since 2012 so the omens looked bad for the Gunners as they were stunned by Bournemouth. 'TRICKY GAME'There was no such drama at Manchester City with Phil Foden scoring an early beauty before substitute Bernardo Silva wrapped up the points in the second half. "We won the game, we didn't suffer much at the end -- an incredible result for us because it was a tricky game," City manager Pep Guardiola said.

☆ IFAB agrees extension of VAR broadcast trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - A trial to broadcast the VAR decisions to fans inside stadiums and television audiences was confirmed by soccer's law-making body the International Football Association Board (IFAB) at its annual meeting in London on Saturday. The trial was introduced at the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco last year and will continue at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia in May to June 2023. VAR decisions often take several minutes to be decided, leaving players and fans in limbo and unsure of exactly what methodology is being applied by officials. A decision will then be made as to whether the trial will be continued at other FIFA tournaments later this year. It was also agreed that a more accurate calculation for 'additional time' at the end of matches -- a notable feature of last year's World Cup in Qatar, should be followed in competitions around the world.

☆ EU silence over Pfizer COVID contract talks is problem that won't go away -watchdog
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly speaks during an interview with Reuters in Brussels, Belgium February 28, 2023. The Commission said in June 2022 that it no longer had the texts, which later drew criticism from the EU ombudsman. O’Reilly argued many people would understand why von der Leyen approached Bourla to plead Europe’s case for vaccines, as tens of thousands of people on the continent were dying from COVID-19. It has proposed to other EU institutions that they do the same, the spokesperson added. In February, the New York Times said it was suing the Commission over failure to release the text messages.

☆ Arsenal thrash Everton to go five points clear
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Everton, who now have only one victory from their last 27 league visits to Arsenal, had actually looked capable of taking something from the game. They remained third from bottom with 21 points having played a game more than all the teams around them. While Everton are haunted by the looming prospect of a first relegation from the Premier League, Arsenal are beginning to envisage a first title since 2004, although they still have to visit Manchester City in April. Everton stunned Arsenal 1-0 in Sean Dyche's first game in charge in early February and for 40 minutes they did an extremely effective job at nullifying them again. Everton's Idrissa Gueye gifted Arsenal a second on the stroke of halftime.

☆ Alcaraz signs up for relaunched Hopman Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - World number two Carlos Alcaraz will headline the Hopman Cup as the relaunched mixed-gender team event returns to the tennis calendar after a four-year absence in June. The 19-year-old Alcaraz will be part of the Spain team, one of three confirmed by the International Tennis Federation on Tuesday, alongside Paula Badosa. "Alongside the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup, the Hopman Cup is another ITF event that gives players the opportunity to represent their countries, and compete for something bigger than themselves," ITF President David Haggerty said at a news conference. The last edition of the competition, which began in 1989 and was named after Australian great Harry Hopman, saw Roger Federer lead Switzerland to the title against Germany. The Hopman Cup has a rival in the United Cup mixed-gender team event, featuring 18 nations playing matches across three Australian cities, taking place before this year's Australian Open.

☆ Clinical Man Utd win League Cup in heartbreak for Newcastle
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Final - Manchester United v Newcastle United - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - February 26, 2023 Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire lift the trophy with teammates after winning the Carabao Cup final Action Images via Reuters/Andrew CouldridgeLONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Manchester United crushed Newcastle United's hopes of a claiming a first domestic trophy for nearly 70 years with a clinical 2-0 victory in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday. Kicking towards their fans in the second half Newcastle roused themselves into action and pinned a leggy-looking United back at times but they rarely looked like scoring. The Tyneside club has now lost each of their last nine matches at Wembley, a run that began in the 1974 FA Cup final. Newcastle were full of energy early on with Allan Saint-Maximin dangerous whenever he got the ball. "No complaints with how we played, obviously the scoreline doesn't say that, and that's where football can be cruel," Newcastle manager Howe said.

☆ Here are answers to 5 key questions about the labor board’s severance agreement rule change
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Can my employer no longer ever require that I stay quiet in exchange for severance? Normally there is a six-month window akin to a statute of limitations to bring an alleged violation to the board’s attention. So can employers now never require me to stay mum about the company as a condition of receiving severance? It’s easy to forget, but there is no legal requirement for employers to offer laid off workers severance. “There’s a real risk to employees that the case will have a negative impact on the size of severance packages going forward,” he said.

☆ Howe says Newcastle still have long way to go
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Newcastle United's near 70-year domestic trophy drought will go on a little longer after Sunday's League Cup final defeat by Manchester United at Wembley. Since winning the FA Cup 68 years ago, Newcastle have three times finished as runners-up in the competition and have now lost two League Cup finals as well. There is genuine optimism that Newcastle are heading in the right direction under Eddie Howe, although the manager himself says they still have a long way to go. There is a long way to go to be the team we want to be," Howe told reporters after a disappointing return to Wembley. I hope we are a different Newcastle, but the competition is very high so we have to improve.

☆ Nokia phone maker HMD to set up production in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Supantha Mukherjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BARCELONA (Reuters) - HMD Global Oy, licensee of Nokia-brand smartphones, said on Saturday it is developing capabilities and processes this year to bring 5G device production to Europe. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File PhotoEurope has no big smartphone manufacturing presence, as all the major companies, including Apple and Samsung, make their phones in Asia to cut costs. HMD in 2016 signed an exclusive 10-year licensing agreement with Nokia Oyj, once the world’s largest phone maker, to make Nokia-branded smartphones and tablets. HMD used Nokia’s remaining phone patents and manufacturing facilities of Taiwan’s Foxconn to build a new line of smartphones to compete with other budget Android phone makers. The company also unveiled three smartphones on Saturday - the Nokia G22, Nokia C32 and Nokia C22 - with three-day battery life and said it would begin repairing mobiles in collaboration with repair firm iFixit.

☆ Arsenal go five points clear, Leeds and West Ham boost survival hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Gabriel Martinelli's goal just after halftime sealed the points for Arsenal to crank up the pressure on second-placed Manchester City, who were playing struggling Bournemouth later on Saturday. "We deserved the result and we are so happy with the three points," Martinelli told Sky Sports. Arsenal, bidding for a first title since 2004, have 57 points from 24 games played while champions City are on 52 ahead of their 25th game at Bournemouth (1730GMT). RELEGATION BATTLEThe relegation battle is shaping up to be especially tense this season with clubs changing positions on a weekly basis. West Ham climbed to 16th place with 23 points from 24 games, two above Everton who are third from bottom.

☆ Ukraine has electricity reserves, no more outages planned if no new strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 25 (Reuters) - Ukraine plans no more outages to ration electricity if there are no new strikes and has been able to amass some power reserves, the energy minister said on Saturday, after months of interruptions caused by Russian bombings. "Electricity restrictions will not be introduced, provided there are no strikes by the Russian Federation on infrastructure facilities," Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said in remarks posted on the ministry's Telegram messaging platform. "But our power engineers managed to maintain the power system, and for the third week in a row, electricity generation has ensured consumption needs, we have reserves," Halushchenko said. A Feb. 4 fire that broke out at an overloaded power station left hundreds of thousands of residents without electricity. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Medvedev downs Murray to claim Doha title
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 25 (Reuters) - Daniil Medvedev maintained his winning roll to beat Andy Murray in the Qatar Open final and claim his second title in successive weeks on Saturday. Veteran Murray, bidding for his 47th career title but first since 2019, pushed the Russian hard but succumbed 6-4 6-4 in a battle of former world number ones. Medvedev also triumphed in Rotterdam last week and now has 18 Tour-level titles in his locker. The British three-times Grand Slam champion had the momentum at 4-4 40-0 but Medvedev suddenly rediscovered his brick wall-like resilience to reel off five successive points, sealing a crucial service break as Murray over-cooked a volley. "It was a very tough match because it was windy and we struggled for rhythm," world number eight Medvedev said on court.

☆ Government gives green light to independent regulator for English game
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Once made law, the Government says the independent regulator would have statutory powers to license and sanction clubs, oversee the financial sustainability of the game and prevent unscrupulous owners buying clubs. It would also have the power to prevent English clubs joining breakaway competitions such as the European Super League which six Premier League clubs signalled their intent to join in 2021 before abandoning plans after a fans' backlash. Although the Premier League, launched in 1992, has been an unprecedented financial success, lower down the English pyramid the situation has been grim. Reacting to the publication of the white paper, Derby owner David Clowes said: "Derby County stared extinction in the face for far too long. The Government says the independent regulator would have targeted powers as a "last resort" to facilitate agreement on the redistribution of funds.

☆ ISS urges Apple shareholders to vote for CEO Tim Cook, other execs' pay packages
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Apple Inc logo is seen at the entrance to the Apple store in Brussels, Belgium November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Yves HermanFeb 18 (Reuters) - Proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has urged Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) investors to vote for its director nominees and the pay packages for top executives, including Chief Executive Tim Cook. "Continued monitoring of the pay program is warranted to ensure that pay magnitude is supported by continued strong performance by the company," ISS said in a note. The proposed amendment to the proxy access right would enhance the company's existing right for shareholders while maintaining safeguards on the nomination process, the note added. During last year's annual meeting, Apple shareholders had voted down a proposal requesting that the company report on its gender and racial pay gaps, with 66.4% of votes cast against it.

☆ Shiffrin sets pace in world championships slalom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MERIBEL, France, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Mikaela Shiffrin put herself in pole position to reclaim her slalom title at the world championships with a rock-solid run to lead after the first leg on Saturday. Swiss Wendy Holdener was second, 0.19 seconds off Shiffrin's pace while Canada's Laurence St-Germain was third quickest just over half a second back. The dominant Shiffrin, 27, was unbeatable in world championships slalom as she won in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 but had to settle for bronze in Cortina in 2021. Her long-awaited giant slalom victory took her world championships medal haul to 13, level with Sweden's Anja Paerson with only Christl Cranz (15) having won more. Austria's Katharina Liensberger, who took slalom gold in 2021, could only manage 14th in the first run.

☆ Momentum with Man City as Arsenal seek to regain winning touch
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Had Arsenal beaten City in the top-of-the-table clash they could have been heading into Saturday's lunchtime kickoff at Aston Villa with the chance to move nine points clear. Arsenal's lunchtime kickoff at Villa gives them the opportunity to lay down a marker and move three points clear again. Villa have suffered back-to-back defeats under former Arsenal manager Unai Emery for the first time since he took charge, but the Spaniard would take satisfaction from getting one over Arteta, the man who replaced him at Arsenal. With so much of the focus on Arsenal and City, Manchester United have quietly moved themselves to within touching distance of the top two. Bournemouth, in 19th place, travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers while third-from-bottom Everton host Leeds United who are just one point above them in 17th.

☆ Shareholder votes offer check on unjustified CEO pay at S&P 500 companies, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 16 (Reuters) - Compensation for S&P 500 (.SPX) chief executives has soared in recent years even as investors cast more of their advisory "Say on Pay" votes against management, leading to doubts about the ballots' usefulness. Discovery's total shareholder return for 2021 was minus 22%, versus a gain of 29% for the S&P 500. Warner Brothers Discovery, created last year when Discovery Inc bought AT&T's (T.N) media assets, has not set the frequency of its pay votes. To rank CEOs as "overpaid," As You Sow used criteria including shareholder returns, critical shareholder pay votes and the ratio of CEO to worker pay. It noted the average share of votes cast "against" executive pay at S&P 500 companies climbed to 12.6% last year, from 11.7% in 2021 and 10.4% in 2020.

☆ Don’t Forget These Tax Changes as You Prepare Your 2022 Returns
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Tom Herman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Some of the changes that affect returns for the 2022 tax year could lead to smaller refunds for many filers. Tax Day is about two months away, and there are some changes taxpayers need to be aware of—ranging from this year’s filing deadline to tax breaks that have expired or shrunk. As a result of numerous changes, many people may be surprised by getting smaller refunds for 2022. Others who had been expecting a refund may discover that they owe money for last year, depending on their individual situations and what they did with their withholdings.

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