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☆ Apple is looking for a top sales executive to spearhead a giant advertising push in sports and streaming. Here are 16 execs who could score the job.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Netflix also conducted a search before hiring two Snap executives, Jeremi Gorman and Peter Naylor, to lead its new ads business. XandrLesser, a longtime digital ad executive, has extensive experience working on issues around the future of digital marketing. McDonald has a ton of other digital ad sales and publishing experience. She helped launch Modi Media, ad buying giant GroupM's addressable TV business, before joining TV adtech startup Cadent. UnivisionValentino runs Disney's digital ad business as EVP, client and brand solutions.

☆ Trip.com CEO shares travel outlook and trends as China reopens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTrip.com CEO shares travel outlook and trends as China reopensIn a CNBC fireside chat with Karen Tso, Trip.com Group CEO talks about the expectations of the travel industry in China as it moves to reopen.

☆ Lufthansa Bids to Buy Stake in Alitalia’s Successor, Betting on Air Travel Recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Mauro Orru | Benjamin Katz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lufthansa wants to expand in Italy because of its importance as one of Europe’s biggest economies and most popular vacation destinations. Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa AG said it had submitted a bid to buy a stake in ITA Airways, the Italian carrier formerly known as Alitalia, in a bet on the continued recovery in air travel. Lufthansa said Wednesday it was seeking exclusive talks with the Italian government to initially acquire a minority stake in ITA Airways, with an option to buy the remaining shares at a later date. The move comes after a consortium including Air France-KLM Group and Delta Air Lines Inc. failed to reach a deal to buy a stake in ITA after entering talks last year.

☆ Stellantis, Vulcan Energy to develop renewable energy assets in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Automaker Stellantis (STLA.MI) has teamed up with lithium group Vulcan Energy Resources (VUL.AX) to develop geothermal energy projects in Germany to help decarbonise production of electric vehicles at Rüsselsheim, the two companies said on Tuesday. Stellantis' Rüsselsheim facility is where the world's third largest carmaker by sales produces its DS 4 and Opel Astra models. War in Ukraine has tightened Europe's energy supply, causing uncertainty for manufacturers already suffering from strained supply chains for raw materials and components such as semiconductors. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the partnership with Vulcan reinforced the group's commitment to greater use of cleanenergy. The carmaker, formed two years ago through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA, already has a deal with Vulcan for lithium supply from the miner's project in the Upper Rhine Valley in Germany.

☆ Silvergate Capital reports net loss of $1 billion for the fourth quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Hannah Lang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Silvergate Capital Corp (SI.N) reported a net loss of $1 billion in the fourth quarter, after reporting earlier this month that investors spooked by the collapse of crypto exchange FTX pulled out more than $8 billion in deposits in the last three months of 2022. The company sold $5.2 billion of debt securities at a loss of $718 million in the fourth quarter to maintain liquidity. The bank said it would take an impairment charge of $196 million in the fourth quarter on assets purchased for the payment solution venture. Founded in 1988, Silvergate ventured into crypto in 2013. Company filings show that the bank received $4.3 billion in advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco in the fourth quarter.

☆ Defeated Republican charged with attacks on New Mexico Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico was charged on Tuesday with contracting four gunmen to shoot at the homes of Democratic officials after he visited them to dispute his 2022 election defeat. Pena, described as a "radical right election denier" by Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, was arrested on Monday. Pena, who has previously been convicted of felonies such as burglary, faces a 1 p.m. pre-trial detention hearing on Wednesday. Pena wrote in July in the New Mexico Audit Force Telegram group in response to a claim of fraud in Nevada. Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Additional Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: European companies cut jobs as economy sputters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Stephane MaheJan 17 (Reuters) - Decades-high inflation and the impact of war in Ukraine have forced companies across Europe into lay-offs or hiring freezes. * HUSQVARNA (HUSQb.ST): the garden equipment and tools maker announced in late October it will cut 1,000 jobs, the vast majority of them related to the shift from petrol to battery-powered tools. * SIEMENS GAMESA (SGREN.MC): the Spanish wind turbine maker in late September said it plans to cut 2,900 jobs, mostly in Europe, as part of a plan to return to profitability. * CLAS OHLSON (CLASb.ST): the Swedish hardware store chain said in December it would cut about 85 full-time jobs amongst other measures to deliver cost savings and reduced depreciation. BANKS AND FINANCIALS* KLARNA: Dagens Industri reported in May the Swedish payments company would lay off about 10% of its 7,000 employees.

☆ Davos 2023: Trip.com hopes China overseas travel capacity back to normal by Q3
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Brenda Goh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Travel website operator Trip.com Group Ltd (9961.HK) is working with airlines and airports to encourage recovery in China's cross-border travel capacity and hopes levels will return to normal by the third quarter, its CEO Jane Sun said on Tuesday. "Domestic travel for Chinese people travelling within China has already recovered to 2019 levels very rapidly," Sun told Reuters on the sidelines of the forum in the ski resort of Davos. At least one study has also pointed to some hesitancy over outbound travel among Chinese residents. The pandemic had reshaped demands from Chinese travellers, Sun said. Trip.com is one of the world's largest online travel agencies with over 400 million users, most of them in China.

☆ Sri Lankan court orders ex-leader to pay victims of 2019 Easter bombings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday that inaction by the country’s former president and four others led to Easter Sunday bomb attacks in 2019 that killed nearly 270 people and ordered them to pay compensation for violating the basic rights of the victims and their families. A seven-judge bench of the top court ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena to pay 100 million rupees ($273,300) from his personal funds. It also ordered the police chief, two top intelligence officials and the secretary to the ministry of defense at the time to pay a total of 210 million rupees ($574,000). “This dismal failure on the part of former President Sirisena resulted in disastrous consequences for this country. A presidential commission earlier recommended criminal procedures against Sirisena for alleged negligence, but it has not been followed up.

☆ Vodafone plans hundreds of job cuts in cost-saving measures - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 13 (Reuters) - Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L) is planning to shed several hundred jobs, most of which are located at its London headquarters, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people briefed on the discussions. The report follows Vodafone's November announcement of cost-saving measures worth 1 billion euros ($1.08 billion) in the wake of a deteriorating market outlook. Earlier this week, Vodafone agreed to the sale of its business in Hungary to local IT company 4iG and the Hungarian state for a total of 1.7 billion euros ($1.82 billion) in cash, a deal that was first announced in August last year. Vodafone did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment. ($1 = 0.9225 euros)Reporting by Lavanya Ahire in Bengaluru; Editing by Eileen Soreng and Sohini GoswamiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 2022 was one of the top 10 hottest years on record and the warmest La Nina year on record, according to government scientists
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

New data from the U.S. government shows that 2022 was one of the top 10 hottest years on record, with data going back to 1880. And of particular note, 2022 was the warmest year on record when there was a La Nina trade winds pattern, which is a weather event that has a cooling effect on global temperatures. According to both NOAA and NASA scientists, global temperatures were about 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit above their respective baseline averages from the 20th century. 2022 had a La Nina weather pattern, which generally lowers global temperatures compared to what they would have been in a normal weather pattern year. El Nino and La Nina refer to opposite weather patterns determined by trade winds that blow in the Pacific ocean.

☆ Top DAZN exec reveals how the streamer is gearing up to super-serve fans in 2023, moving beyond boxing, and betting big on women's sports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

We've also invested heavily in women's boxing. You are starting to see real, meaningful growth in women's sport now and that comes in different forms. The professionalism of the production in women's sport, we've been central to driving that forward. In the US, boxing fans in this country are disproportionately Hispanic relative to the wider population. The real business for us is the ongoing monthly subscription relationship that we have with boxing fans in this country, or soccer fans in Germany or Italy, and baseball fans in Japan.

☆ Olam’s Saudi-Singapore IPO sign of shifting times
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Signs of deepening ties between Asia and the oil-rich Gulf are coming thick and fast. A planned Saudi Arabia-Singapore dual listing this year for Olam Agri, a trader of grains and seeds, is the latest example. Corporate and financial moves underscore how the global pin-code, as Olam’s co-founder and Chief Executive Sunny Verghese puts it, is changing. Between population trends, the Russia-Ukraine war and polarising geopolitics, expect the Gulf and Asia to get cosier. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ U.S. greenhouse emissions show signs of slowing — but not quickly enough
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. greenhouse gas emissions increased by about 1.3% in 2022, rebounding for a second straight year after pandemic disruptions to high-emitting industries like shipping and travel. Before the pandemic, emissions were on a slightly downward track. “Greenhouse gas emissions are still not back up to 2019 levels. “Additional policy action will absolutely be necessary to achieving those targets.”The U.S. is aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% from 2005 levels by 2030. The Environmental Protection Agency publishes official, detailed greenhouse gas inventories about 15 months after year’s end.

☆ Hungary exempts sale of local Vodafone unit from competition scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Hungary's government has declared local IT firm 4iG's purchase of a 51% stake in Vodafone's Hungarian unit a transaction of national strategic interest, exempting the deal from competition scrutiny, according to a decree published late on Monday. British telecom group Vodafone (VOD.L) said on Monday it had agreed to the sale of its Hungarian business to local IT company 4iG and the Hungarian state. Under the plan, 4iG will hold a majority 51% stake while the Hungarian state will hold 49%, and the transaction is expected to close later this month. In the decree, the government said 4iG's acquisition of the Vodafone stake served the country's "security of telecoms services supply" and would therefore qualify as a deal of "national strategic significance." "The classification excludes, inter alia, the jurisdiction of the Hungarian Competition Authority," brokerage Equilor said in a client note on Tuesday.

"We had such a hard time, and I would rather have more Chinese people come than the government restricting their entry so I can do business." "Tour bus operators who have had their vehicles idly parked for over three years are now gearing up for (bus) inspections," said Thai Tour Bus Association President Wasuchet Sophonsatien. Thailand, Japan, the United States, South Korea, Australia, Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan were the most-searched destinations. Yue Hua Entertainment Korea, which manages Tempest, did not respond to a request for comment. "The pandemic outbreak on the mainland is still vigorous and needs time to recover, while domestic consumption remains weak on the mainland."

☆ Olam Group targets Olam Agri dual IPO as early as first half of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Yantoultra Ngui | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Singapore commodity trader Olam Group on Tuesday said it plans to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) for majority-owned Olam Agri Holdings as early as the first half of this year, listing the unit domestically and concurrently in Saudi Arabia. A concurrent listing on the Saudi Exchange would make Olam Agri the first company to list in both countries and the first non-Gulf Cooperation Council incorporated business to list in Saudi Arabia. The plan comes weeks after Olam Group completed the sale of 35.43% of Olam Agri to Saudi Agricultural & Livestock Investment Co for $1.24 billion, giving the unit an equity valuation of $3.5 billion. Olam Group continues to own the remainder. Olam Group said the IPO may involve a domestic and global sale of shares it holds in the unit as well as new Olam Agri shares.

☆ Chinese travelers say new restrictions are 'unfair' — but they're angry at some countries more than others
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

But it's not out of spite, said several Chinese travelers who spoke to CNBC. 'I think it's unfair'Reactions from Chinese travelers who spoke to CNBC were varied, ranging from indifference to confusion to anger. Last week, the European Union recommended that its members require Chinese travelers to take Covid tests before entering. Rein said Chinese travelers are now headed to Singapore and Thailand because "both countries are welcoming us." Of the top destinations Chinese nationals searched after the border reopening announcement, those are the only two that haven't imposed new restrictions on incoming Chinese travelers.

☆ Vodafone to receive $1.8 bln from sale of Hungarian unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SummarySummary Companies Sells Hungarian unit to 4iG and Hungarian stateLONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - British telecom group Vodafone (VOD.L) said it had agreed the sale of its Hungarian business to local IT company 4iG and the Hungarian state, and would receive a total cash consideration of 1.7 billion euros ($1.82 billion) from the deal. Vodafone said on Monday that the proceeds from the sale would be used to pay down debt. Under Read, Vodafone, once one of the biggest mobile operators in the world, has been selling assets to focus on its core European and Africa operations. The group's interim chief executive Margherita Della Valle said in a statement that the Hungarian disposal would increase competition and accelerate competition in Hungary. Under the plan, 4iG will hold a majority 51% stake while the Hungarian state will hold 49%.

☆ Deere to Allow Farmers to Repair Their Own Equipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Patience Haggin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Deere & Co. has reached an agreement with a farm group that gives farmers access to resources needed to repair their high-tech equipment. Machinery manufacturer Deere & Co. signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation on Sunday that the group said ensures farmers can repair their own farm equipment or take it to independent repair shops. The agreement addresses a debate that has grown in recent years, as the farm industry has implemented high-tech equipment like software and sensors in machinery like tractors and harvesters aimed at boosting harvests and speeding planting.

☆ The first ever orbital space launch from the UK is due to take off on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The modified Boeing 747 plane, named "Cosmic Girl", will take off from Spaceport Cornwall in southwest England. LONDON — The first orbital rocket launch in Western Europe is set to take place in the U.K. on Monday evening. Virgin Orbit had lowered its forecast for launches in 2022 to three, having initially expected to make between four and six earlier in the year. On announcing its third-quarter results for 2022 in November, Virgin Orbit also said it raised $25 million to boost its depleting cash reserve. Shares of Virgin Orbit hit a three-week high Friday, trading at $2.11.

NSO had argued that it is immune from being sued because it was acting as an agent for unidentified foreign governments when it installed the "Pegasus" spyware. "NSO's spyware has enabled cyberattacks targeting human rights activists, journalists and government officials," Meta said. In one notorious case, NSO spyware was used - allegedly by the Saudi government - to target the inner circle of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi shortly before he was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. According to court papers, the accounts of 1,400 WhatsApp users were accessed using the Pegasus tracking software, secretly using their smartphones as surveillance devices. The U.S. government in November 2021 blacklisted NSO and Israel's Candiru, accusing them of providing spyware to governments that used it to "maliciously target" journalists, activists and others.

☆ Deere & Co. will allow farmers to repair their own equipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( P.J. Huffstutter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

CHICAGO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - The American Farm Bureau Federation and machinery manufacturer Deere & Co (DE.N) signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday that ensures farmers have the right to repair their own farm equipment or go to an independent technician. The Farm Bureau's memorandum of understanding with Deere "will ensure farmers everywhere are able to repair our own equipment," Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall said, speaking at the federation's convention in Puerto Rico. It benefits farmers and independent repair facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico, for the "lawful operation and upkeep of Agricultural Equipment," the MOU states. For Deere and rival equipment manufacturers such as CNH Industrial and AGCO Corp, repairing machinery has given them a solid boost for their parts and services business. Duvall said Farm Bureau officials will meet regularly with Deere to discuss "solutions to the challenges farmers are facing in repairing their equipment", and said he hoped other farm equipment makers would take similar steps.

☆ How Anti-Abortion Activists Bought Access to the Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Katherine Long | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

In exchange for as little as a few thousand dollars in contributions to the nonprofit, these people received easy access to events where Supreme Court justices would be. Supreme Court Historical society trustee Jay Sekulow, center, represented President Trump during the latter's impeachment trial in 2020. Anti-abortion advocates cheer in front of the Supreme Court after the decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores was announced in 2014. Alito did not respond to a request for comment on his involvement in the Supreme Court Historical Society. Supreme Court justices, though, aren't even required to stay within those weak guardrails because no code of ethics governs justices' behavior.

It’s the start of a class known as high-intensity interval training, a combination of treadmill and weight-lifting, at the boutique fitness studio Barry’s. The brothers and Rondeau, who now serves as Planet Fitness’ chief executive, hit upon a concept. Planet Fitness’ tag, “judgement free zone” is true to form. Part of the appeal is its $10 a month basic membership fee – which hasn’t changed – that Planet Fitness primarily collects through electronic funds transfers. Still, with solid and regular profits and a reasonable amount of debt, Planet Fitness has staying power, even if shareholders lose their shirts while its valuation comes in line.

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