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☆ Johnnie Walker-maker Diageo beats first-half sales estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky now owned by Diageo, which beat first-half sales forecasts. Diageo , the world's largest spirits maker, beat first-half sales forecasts on Thursday as it raised prices and more people drank premium spirits. The growth reflected organic volume growth of 1.8%, indicting 7.6 percentage points of higher price growth. "If you look at the consumer, the consumer is very savvy," Menezes told CNBC. Since the pandemic, Diageo has also benefited from people buying more expensive types of alcohol while staying home under lockdown.

☆ In China, Young Women Become Accidental Symbols of Defiance
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Shen Lu | Liyan Qi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Late on Nov. 27, book editor Cao Zhixin, who was about to turn 26 years old, joined a protest near Beijing’s embassy district with a few of her friends. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision that accidentally made them symbols of the most public display of defiance in a generation—as well as the state’s forceful response. The rally was billed as a vigil for victims of a deadly fire in an apartment building in China’s west that had been under Covid-19 lockdown. Ms. Cao and her friends brought flowers and candles and sang, along with the crowd, the traditional Chinese lament “Farewell.”

☆ Tourists swarm gambling hub Macau over Lunar New Year after COVID curbs dropped
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Macau has seen a resurgence of tourists from mainland China since Jan. 8 after the special Chinese administrative region dropped all COVID-19 testing requirements for inbound travellers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Macau welcomed more than 71,000 visitors on Monday, the highest single day record since the pandemic, its government said in a statement late on Tuesday. It was lifeless during lockdown and not very good," said a man surnamed Lam, who travelled to Macau from Jiangmen in nearby Guangdong province in southern China. More than 94% of visitors to Macau over the first three days of the Lunar New Year, Jan. 21-23, came from mainland China and neighbouring special administrative region Hong Kong. Local residents said they hoped the rise in visitors would bring a permanent boost to the city's beleaguered economy.

☆ Ketamine is being sold as a depression wonder drug. For some, it's making everything worse.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +42 min

The infusions at the ketamine clinic in his West Texas hometown were a Christmas gift from his grandmother. About five years ago, more and more of my friends started using ketamine recreationally. IV ketamine treatment centers charging $400 to $2,000 an infusion popped up all over the country. "Ketamine used as directed in an appropriate clinical setting very rarely leads to any dependence," Mindbloom says on its website. Like Nadia, most of the people I interviewed said when they started using ketamine, they didn't think it was possible to become dependent on it.

☆ Nobel economist Paul Krugman says we're not in a debt crisis, but the US could still be facing a lot of economic problems in a few years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US isn't in a debt crisis, but it'll soon be facing the problem of its $31 trillion debt, Paul Krugman said. But we're not in a crisis yet, Krugman said in an op-ed for the New York Times on Tuesday. "We are not in any kind of debt crisis. Decreasing the deficit will hinder economic activity, but that can be remedied by lowering interest rates. And once we hit near-zero interest rates, paying off the debt could lead to trouble, since rates can't be lowered any further.

☆ High yields have investors piling into money market funds. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

High yields and a volatile stock market have investors piling into money market mutual funds. Yet for retail funds, inflows are still climbing — the week ended Jan. 18 saw a $4.97 billion increase into retail money market funds, to bring net assets to a total of $1.74 trillion. One thing to keep in mind is that a money market fund is not FDIC-insured, while a money market account at a bank is insured. "If your money market fund yield is lagging, you probably have a high expense money fund." The net asset value of money market funds is normally maintained at $1 share.

☆ North Korea locks down capital city over 'respiratory illness' - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Authorities in the North Korean capital Pyongyang have ordered a five-day lockdown due to rising cases of an unspecified respiratory illness, Seoul-based NK News reported on Wednesday, citing a government notice. On Tuesday, the website reported that Pyongyang residents were appeared to be stocking up on goods in anticipation of stricter measures. North Korea acknowledged its first COVID-19 outbreak last year, but by August had declared victory over the virus. The secretive country never confirmed how many people caught COVID, apparently because it lacks the means to conduct widespread testing. State media have continued to report on anti-pandemic measures to battle respiratory diseases, including the flu, but had yet to report on the lockdown order.

Shares of household product giant P & G have been hit hard over the past few weeks due to a market rotation out of defensive companies that outperformed last year. P & G lost about 7% in 2022's terrible year, much less than the S & P 500 's more than 19% decline in 2022. Sure the 6% decline in sales volume was more noticeable from the prior quarter when volume fell 3%. For example, 1 percentage point of the volume decline was due to P & G cutting its Russia portfolio in half due to Moscow's unprovoked war on Ukraine. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

☆ North Korea locks down capital city over 'respiratory illness'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The notice made no mention of COVID-19 though cited an "increase in winter cases of recurrent flu and other respiratory diseases". The lockdowns were first reported by South Korea's NK News, which monitors secretive North Korea. On Tuesday, the website reported that Pyongyang residents appeared to be stocking up on goods in anticipation of stricter measures. North Korea acknowledged its first COVID-19 outbreak last year, but by August had declared victory over the virus. Instead, Pyongyang reported daily numbers of patients with fever, a tally that rose to some 4.77 million, out of a population of about 25 million.

☆ Europe could dodge a recession. But the UK economy is in a mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Business activity across the 20 countries that use the euro expanded in January for the first time in six months, according to data published Tuesday, providing fresh evidence that Europe’s economy could confound expectations and dodge a recession this year. The UK survey is conducted in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. “Weaker-than-expected PMI numbers in January underscore the risk of the UK slipping into recession,” Williamson said. The UK economy lost more working days to strikes between June and November 2022 than in any six-month period over the previous 30 years, according to data published last week by Britain’s Office for National Statistics. Separate data published by the ONS on Tuesday showed that UK government borrowing hit £27.4 billion ($33.7 billion) in December, the highest figure for that month since records began in 1993.

China's own production of refined tin was flat year-on-year at 165,900 tonnes in 2022, according to Shanghai Metal Market. ShFE tin price, market open interest and stocksSHIFT IN POSITIONINGWhile China has reshaped tin's fundamental picture, the price recovery has forced an equally significant shift in fund positioning. Investment funds turned net short on the LME tin contract in September as the price was imploding. Tin market open interest collapsed from 102,106 to 71,218 contracts in the week before the Lunar New Year holidays, indicating a big clean-out of short positions. GOLDILOCKS PRICEThe tin price is now in the Goldilocks zone, not high enough to frighten off physical users, and not low enough to threaten existing supply.

☆ At least five injured after blast at mayor's office in Mogadishu
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Somali policemen prepare to take their positions near the mayor's office following a blast in Mogadishu, Somalia January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Feisal OmarMOGADISHU, Jan 22 (Reuters) - At least five people were injured in a blast on Sunday at the gates of the mayor's office in Somalia's capital Mogadishu and gunfire continued to sound, a member of the ambulance service and a witness said. Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of Aamin Ambulance Services, told Reuters that ambulance staff had so far evacuated five injured people from the scene of the blast. "We were in the office and we were deafened by a blast, we ran out, gunfire followed," Farah Abdullahi, who works in the mayor's office, told Reuters. The mayor's office is located in the local government headquarters building in a well guarded area of Mogadishu.

☆ Police fine U.K. PM Rishi Sunak for failing to wear a seatbelt in Instagram video
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was fined by police Friday, for failing to wear a seatbelt whilst filming a clip for social media in a moving vehicle. It is also the second fixed penalty notice Sunak has received in less a year. His lack of seatbelt was quickly spotted by eagle-eyed viewers and Lancashire Constabulary said Friday it was fining Sunak. A spokesperson for Sunak described this as a “a brief error of judgment,” according to Reuters. “Of course it shouldn’t have happened,” Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told British broadcaster Sky News Saturday.

☆ Here are the companies that have laid off employees this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Tech firms went on a hiring spree. “Over the past two years we’ve seen periods of dramatic growth,” CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email to employees. The crypto brokerage announced in early January that it’s cutting 950 people – almost one in five employees in its workforce. Departments from human resources to the company’s Amazon (AMZN) Stores will be affected. They’re not in heavy people expansion mode every year,” CEO Andy Jassy said in a memo to employees.

[1/2] Chris Hipkins speaks to members of the media, after being confirmed as the only nomination to replace Jacinda Ardern as leader of the Labour Party, outside New Zealand's parliament in Wellington, New Zealand January 21, 2023. We are different people though, and I'm sure that people will see that," Hipkins told a news conference on Saturday after emerging as the only candidate to lead the ruling Labour Party. First elected to parliament in 2008, Hipkins became a household name fronting the government's response to the pandemic. He was appointed health minister in July 2020 before becoming the COVID response minister at the end of the year. Hipkins is known around parliament for his sense of humour - including an ability to laugh at himself.

☆ College professors are considering creative ways to stop students from using AI to cheat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some professors say students are using new tech to pass off AI-generated content as their own. Some professors say students are using OpenAI's buzzy chatbot, ChatGPT, to pass off AI-generated content as their own. The issue has led to professors considering creative ways to stamp out the use of AI in colleges. Blue books and oral exams"I'm perplexed about how to handle AI going forward," Aumann told Insider. Bartel agreed that students could get away with using AI very easily.

☆ Polar bear emerged unseen from snowstorm to kill mom and son before it was shot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

It was the first fatal polar bear attack in 30 years in Alaska, the only U.S. state that is home to the animals. The view from the front of the school in Wales, Alaska, on Sunday. However, polar bears see humans as prey, said Geoff York, the senior director of conservation at Polar Bear International. Polar bears are the largest bear species, according to the U.S. Polar bears generally feed on seals, but also walruses and beluga whales.

LOS ANGELES — "Will & Grace" actor Leslie Jordan, who was found without a pulse after a car crash in Hollywood last year, died of sudden cardiac dysfunction, officials said Thursday. Jordan, 67, experienced sudden heart failure due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the Los Angeles County medical examiner said. Jordan's agent, David Shaul, had previously said that Jordan had likely suffered a medical emergency that caused him to lose control of his car. "The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan,” Shaul said in October. During the pandemic, Jordan's fan base grew as he delivered daily Instagram videos that offered comedic reflections on life during a lockdown.

LONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - British police fined Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday for travelling in the back seat of a car without wearing his seat belt while filming a social media clip, a potentially embarrassing blow as he tries to revive his party's fortunes. Sunak, who apologised on Thursday for a "brief error of judgement", filmed a video in the back seat of his car while travelling in the north of England, without wearing a seat belt. "The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised. It is the second penalty Sunak has received from police after last year they found he broke COVID-19 lockdown rules, along with then-prime minister Boris Johnson. Sunak becomes the second prime minister after Johnson to have been fined in such a manner.

☆ Read the memo Google sent to UK staff as the company lays off 12,000 employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

In the UK, the company will conduct a consultation process to determine where reductions may occur. Google announced on Friday that it will lay off 12,000 employees, succumbing to investor pressure amid rising interest rates and a sagging economy. Pichai in a memo regarding the layoffs told employees that he took "full responsibility for the decisions that led us here." Companies ranging from Microsoft to Snap, Meta, and Amazon have all recently announced layoffs in the tens of thousands following more than two years of aggressive expansion. Read the full memo to Google's UK employees from Matt Brittin, the company's president of EMEA:

☆ I secretly spend winters in the Canary Islands and only go to the office a few months of the year. I'm happier, healthier, and more productive.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

A remote worker based in Germany secretly works from the Canary Islands during the winter. I'm more productive at work because I'm living a happier and healthier lifestyleThe warmer climate and more active lifestyle has improved his physical and mental health, the remote worker said. I'm making the best use of my time and being productive and efficient while doing what I love. I'm a very motivated person — I have very specific work goals both within my company and externally. I love the freedom that remote work allows but value in-person collaborationNow that I'm moving into more leadership positions, team building is a larger part of my job.

☆ This 28-year-old turned her fashion blog into a clothing line that sold $3.5 million worth of products in 2022. Here's how she built her lucrative online business.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sarah Ashcroft started her blog in 2013 after trying to land a job in fashion public relations. Since then, Ashcroft has taken her influence and turned it into a clothing line called SLA the Label, which launched in 2019. In 2022, that number jumped to $3.5 million (2.9 million pounds). "It's just amazing how something so simple has just grown so big," said Ashcroft, 28, who has more than 1.4 million followers across social media. During her job hunt, employers frequently asked her whether she had a fashion blog, Ashcroft said, because they were looking for someone with a fresh understanding of blogging.

☆ Mother, politician, trailblazer. How Jacinda Ardern became an icon for millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Aina J. Khan | Aina Is A Freelance Reporter With Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

In the six years since then, she has become an icon of the left and a champion for women in public life, bringing a compassionate and authoritative energy to the hypermasculine realm of world politics. Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister, during a news conference in Sydney in June. Data released last year to New Zealand’s Newshub media outlet showed police recorded 18 threats to the prime minister in 2019, 32 in 2020 and 50 in 2021. If that person receives more than two-thirds of caucus support, Ardern said, she will resign soon after and the new leader will be sworn in as prime minister. Ardern said she plans to remain in Parliament until April, avoiding the need for a snap vote in her suburban Auckland electorate.

SHANGHAI — Patients are crammed into hallways, stairwells and lobbies, and still the sick keep coming. After international criticism that it had not been transparent about the severity of the outbreak, the Chinese government said last weekend that it had recorded 60,000 Covid-related deaths since Dec. 8. But that figure covers only those who have died in hospitals, suggesting the true death toll could be much higher. “My father had no symptoms but still died,” one 31-year-old woman said outside a hospital in central Shanghai. On the day my father moved into the hospital, almost all patients in the emergency department died.”

☆ The case for investing in China's reopening is strong. Here's how to proceed with caution
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Strategists see China's markets easily scoring double-digit gains this year. The case for investing outside the U.S. is strong, particularly with the dollar coming off its highs and looking at further downside. "While China's reopening is undoubtedly a turning point, there remain reasons to be cautious," wrote Barclays equity strategists. But still the prospects for China's economy are much brighter than they were just several months ago. The Covid lockdown has been so damaging to the Chinese economy, they want to get back to a growth path in 2023."

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