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[1/2] The 3M Global Headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota, U.S. is photographed on March 4, 2020. 3M was scheduled to face trial in South Carolina federal court on Monday in a lawsuit brought by the Florida city accusing the company of manufacturing PFAS, or per- and polyflouroalkyl substances, despite knowing for decades that the chemicals can cause cancer and other ailments. The company and lawyers for the city did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 3M announced in December that it would stop producing PFAS by 2025, amid increased legal and regulatory scrutiny. Bloomberg News reported last Friday that 3M had struck a tentative $10 billion deal with U.S. cities and towns to resolve the PFAS water pollution lawsuits it is facing.

Persons: Nicholas Pfosi, Stuart, Maria Ponnezhath, Clark Mindock, Kim Coghill, Sonali Paul Organizations: 3M Global, REUTERS, 3M, U.S, District, District of South Carolina Charleston Division, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Corteva Inc, Bloomberg News, Thomson Locations: Maplewood , Minnesota, U.S, Stuart, Florida, South Carolina, District of South, Bengaluru, New York

☆ How to build a cheap DIY underground bunker to protect you from nuclear fallout, in 6 steps
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Adam Barnes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In a pinch, this DIY fallout shelter would be better than an above-ground building, an expert said. Turns out, if a nuclear attack is imminent, you can build your own DIY fallout shelter for relatively cheap. Equipment you'll need for a DIY fallout shelterPhoto taken in 1961 of a 77-year-old man who built his own fallout shelter in his backyard. How to build a DIY fallout shelter for cheap in 6 stepsFirst, scout out a location for your fallout shelter. How this DIY fallout shelter would protect youSoil is a great shield from radioactive fallout.

Persons: —, Michael Ochs, Stringer, Cresson H, it's, Sun, bomba, Alex Wellerstein, MAXIM ZHURAVLEV Organizations: Service, Michael Ochs Archives, National Laboratory, Laboratory, Getty, University of Nevada, United States National Locations: Oak, Kearny, Nes, Las Vegas

June 2 (Reuters) - 3M Co (MMM.N) has struck a tentative settlement of at least $10 billion with a host of U.S. cities and towns to resolve water pollution claims tied to "forever chemicals," Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. 3M was scheduled to face trial on Monday against the City of Stuart, Florida. The city has said it is seeking more than $100 million from 3M to pay for water filtration and soil remediation. Litigation over them threatens companies like 3M, DuPont and others with billions of dollars in liabilities. The city claims firefighting foams containing PFAS were regularly sprayed at a local fire station, leading the chemicals to seep into the groundwater.

Persons: DuPont de Nemours Inc DD.N, CTVA.N, Stuart, Priyamvada, Clark Mindock, Brendan Pierson, Devika Syamnath, Alexia Garamfalvi, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Bloomberg, Reuters, DuPont de Nemours Inc, City, 3M, DuPont, Thomson Locations: U.S, DuPont, Stuart , Florida, South Carolina, West Palm Beach , Florida, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Chemical makers settle PFAS-related claims for $1.19 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Clark Mindock | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The companies, which deny the allegations, said that they expect to finalize a formal agreement by the second quarter of 2023. Chemours said it would contribute half the agreed amount, while the remainder would be provided by DuPont and Corteva. A first trial testing those claims against 3M Co. is scheduled to begin next week. Chemours, DuPont and Corteva were originally included as defendants in that trial, but Gergel removed them from the proceedings last month. The companies also face claims in other courts raised by individuals and by state attorneys general in California, Maryland, Washington and elsewhere.

Persons: Chemours, Richard Gergel, Gergel, Sourasis Bose, Clark Mindock, Shounak Dasgupta, Vinay Dwivedi, Alexia Garamfalvi, Sharon Singleton Organizations: DuPont de Nemours Inc, Corteva Inc, DuPont, Corteva, 3M, U.S, District, Thomson Locations: U.S, South, California , Maryland, Washington, Bengaluru, New York

☆ 3M reaches tentative pollution settlement of at least $10 bln - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 2 (Reuters) - 3M Co (MMM.N) has struck a tentative settlement of at least $10 billion with a host of U.S. cities and towns to resolve water pollution claims tied to "forever chemicals", Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of 3M were up about 9% in afternoon trade. Last month, the Dutch government said it would hold 3M liable for polluting the Western Scheldt river with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - dubbed "forever chemicals" because they can last thousands of years in nature without degrading. 3M did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report. Reporting by Priyamvada C in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Priyamvada, Devika Organizations: Bloomberg, Chemours, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Corteva Inc, Thomson Locations: U.S, perfluoroalkyl, Bengaluru

☆ First-ever livestream from Mars will beam back images from the red planet today. Watch it here.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to live stream images from Mars. The European Space Agency (ESA) will be attempting its first-ever live stream of images from Mars today, providing space fans with close-up view of the red planet. The agency will aim to beam back an image of the red planet every 50 seconds from its Mars Express satellite at 12 p.m. It achievement will be an engineering feat for ESA's Mars Express satellite, which was launched 20 years ago today and has been orbiting Mars for nearly as long. A composite of Mars Express images.

Persons: —, ESA's Jorge Hernández Bernal, EHU Organizations: European Space Agency, ESA, Service, Mars Express, Mars, ESA Mars Express, Flickr Locations: Mars, Berlin, EHU Bilbao

☆ How One of New York’s Last Bagel Masters Rolls Thousands by Hand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Priya Krishna | Cc Allen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Without Celestino García, New Yorkers might go without some of their most beloved bagels. Bagels can now be made by machine, so there aren’t many masters of the form left who can roll them by hand. But many bagel enthusiasts swear by the handmade approach, insisting that it produces a fluffier, chewier bite. I spent a day with Mr. García as he went from shop to shop, casually rolling thousands of bagels at a time. And I learned how he became one of the most sought-after people in the New York City bagel business.

☆ 15 Hours on the Job With a Bagel Roller
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sarah Bahr | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. García, 58, cranes his neck to look for the B3 bus, which will take him to the Avenue U subway station. Each episode is about 10 to 20 minutes long and spotlights a day in the life of someone like Mr. García, who is one of the city’s last bagel rollers. Mr. García is used to the early call time. For members of The Times’s Food team, it was a little tougher to get out of bed, though well worth it. The team likes to slowly introduce crew members to their subjects throughout the day of the shoot.

☆ Vivek Ramaswamy's firm courts GOP officials as he pushes businesses to stay out of politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Scott Olson | Getty ImagesRepublican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy built his White House bid around urging companies to stay out of politics. The messages show Ramaswamy's firm actively engaged with GOP state leaders who have defended the fossil fuel industry and criticized environmentally conscious investment standards. Ramaswamy on Thursday defended the firm's engagement with GOP officials, saying bigger firms BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street have conducted similar practices with state officials across the country. Strive has become one of the more vocal opponents of ESG investing and has gained enough notoriety to challenge the likes of fossil fuel giant ExxonMobil . Ron DeSantis, have often attacked ESG investing standards and corporations that support social causes — an increasingly common refrain within the GOP.

Prosecutors have until May 29 to respond to Bankman-Fried's dismissal request, and Kaplan will hear arguments on June 15. EXTRADITIONBankman-Fried has acknowledged that FTX had inadequate risk management but denies stealing funds, and has sought to distance himself from FTX's day-to-day operations. In pleading guilty, Singh admitted to making political donations in his own name that were funded in part by transfers from Alameda. "The campaign finance allegations reveal, yet again, the consequences of the Government's rush to indict Mr. Bankman-Fried," his lawyers wrote. Bankman-Fried has largely been confined to his parents' home since his December arrest in the Bahamas, where he had lived and where FTX was based.

☆ S&P cuts First Republic's credit rating, says default a 'virtual certainty'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 2 (Reuters) - S&P Global on Tuesday slashed First Republic Bank's (FRC.N) credit rating deeper into junk territory after California banking regulators seized the U.S. lender and sold its assets. S&P cut its rating to 'CC' from 'B+' and said it expects default to be a "virtual certainty". Since JPMorgan assumed the substantial majority of First Republic's assets, it is most likely that the lender would default on any other senior financial obligations given what would be an insufficient remaining asset base, S&P said. S&P also lowered credit ratings on First Republic's subordinated debt and preferred stock to 'D' from 'B-.' Reporting by Jyoti Narayan in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann ThoppilOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Canada airlifts over 100 people from Sudan in first evacuation operation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OTTAWA, April 27 (Reuters) - Canada conducted its first evacuation operation in Sudan on Thursday, airlifting over 100 hundred people, including Canadians and other nationals, on two flights from the war-torn North African country, senior government officials said. "I can confirm that a first Canadian evacuation flight from Sudan has taken place using an RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) CC-130 Hercules aircraft," Defence Minister Anita Anand said at a news conference in Enfield, Nova Scotia. There are about 1,800 Canadians in Sudan, out of which at least 700 have requested assistance from the Canadian government. The Canadian defense ministry said on Wednesday it was deploying about 200 troops and positioning two C-130 Hercules aircraft to coordinate evacuations from Sudan. Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A Russian 'inspector' satellite appears to be chasing a secret US military satellite in a game of cat and mouse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Russian satellite appears to be stalking a classified US military satellite in a cat-and-mouse chase. Dickinson added that the US would continue to track the Russian spacecraft. Then, in 2020, a US Space Force general reported that two mysterious Russian satellites were tailing a US spy satellite. The Russian satellite was set to pass its US military target at a distance of about 31 kilometers on April 7, Janssen calculated. This could have been a maneuver the US conducted to evade the close approach of the Russian satellite, Zak reported.

☆ Wrexham: Paul Rudd films emotional moment between Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney after promotion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It was an emotional moment captured by fellow Hollywood stalwart Paul Rudd, who filmed the pair in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s 3-1 win over Boreham Wood. After a moment to themselves, Reynolds and McElhenney then shared a long hug before the latter appeared to wipe away tears from his eyes. Footage and photographs on social media showed Rudd drinking in the local pub and meeting excited Wrexham fans ahead of Saturday’s match. Martin Rickett/PA Images/Getty ImagesMany other celebrities took to social media to congratulate Wrexham after its promotion into the Football League. Rudd appears in photographs alongside Wrexham fans in The Turf Pub ahead of Saturday's match.

☆ Montana's House speaker is preventing a transgender legislator from speaking about bills on the House floor
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Montana House speaker is now refusing to recognize her until she apologizes for her speech. "It is up to me to maintain decorum here on the House floor to protect the dignity and integrity, and any representative I don't feel can do that will not be recognized," the speaker said. Her attempt to speak, however, was futile after House Speaker Matt Regier refused to recognize her. That evening, the Montana Freedom Caucus published a letter to Twitter misgendering Zephyr and calling for the Montana House of Representatives to censure her. Moving forward, Zephyr said she'd continue to show up and advocate for her constituents, even without the ability to speak on the House floor.

☆ MSCHF's latest release is a double-ended sneaker that makes fun of our obsession with putting shoes on fast
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The MSCHF BWD releases April 11 via a one-hour draw on the art collective's website and mobile app. Actor and music artist Donald Glover sported the MSCHF BWD shoes at a recent NBA game. Similar to its Big Red Boot release in February, MSCHF organized a photoshoot for the new BWD sneaker. MSCHFMSCHF additionally commissioned a photo shoot of a model wearing the BWD shoes around New York City. But not all of MSCHF's creations are as wacky as that, or even its upcoming BWD shoes.

Iluka Resources/Handout viaApril 4 (Reuters) - Six projects outside China, which dominates global rare earth production, plan to extract the critical minerals from waste or byproducts. The projects will produce rare earths that are needed to fuel a green revolution of electric cars and wind turbines while trying to avert the shortages expected in coming years. Below are details of the companies and their projects, in order of output of neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr) oxide, the rare earths most in demand. ENERGY FUELS INC (UUUU.A)The main business of U.S. Energy Fuels is producing uranium, but it has moved into rare earths. VHM LTD (VHM.AX)Australia's VHM Ltd is working on the Goschen mineral sands project, which will also produce rare earths.

☆ Frank founder Charlie Javice, who allegedly defrauded JPMorgan out of $175 million, hit with federal charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Katherine Long | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Charlie Javice, who sold her student-aid startup Frank to JPMorgan Chase, was charged with fraud. The bank claimed Javice faked millions of customers to convince it to buy Frank for $175 million. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged Javice with wire fraud affecting a financial institution, securities fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy on Tuesday. JPMorgan acquired Frank in 2021 for $175 million, but began to question the authenticity of the startup's purported 4 million users after an email marketing campaign ended in "disaster," according to the bank's lawsuit and a filing by prosecutors. Out of 400,000 emails sent to Frank users, more than 70% bounced back and only 103 were opened, the bank claimed.

☆ Fact Check-‘15-minute city’ is an urban planning concept that promotes easy access to essential amenities
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

A “15-minute city” is an urban planning model that envisions an environment where people can access amenities within a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or public transport journey from their homes. However, multiple experts who spoke to Reuters said the urban planning idea has been widely misinterpreted online. WHAT IS A 15-MINUTE CITY? Versions of a 15-minute city have been implemented in Paris and Melbourne, while other areas like Ottawa (here) and Scotland (bit.ly/3Hil13x) (page 61) have proposals in place. The 15-minute city is an urban planning concept that envisions a living environment with easily accessible essentials.

☆ N.C.A.A. Bracket Picks: Where Fans and Experts Diverge
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Josh Katz | Alice Fang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

One avenue is examining the differences between the forecasts of mathematical models and the collective choices of fans. For example, fans are much more likely to have Kansas and Alabama in the Final Four than the experts. The table below shows an aggregate view of the difference between the public’s picks and those of forecasting models. But if you pick the same teams as everyone else, your bracket will look the same, too, something you should consider. There is no guarantee that this approach will work, of course, and part of the draw of the N.C.A.A.

☆ Analysis: Bankman-Fried's bid to shift blame complicated by new charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Former FTX technology chief Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison, formerly the CEO of Bankman-Fried's Alameda Research hedge fund, had each previously pleaded guilty and are cooperating. Bankman-Fried previously pleaded not guilty to stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer funds to plug losses at Alameda. The 31-year-old former billionaire and his lawyers have suggested they will attempt to shift blame onto Ellison and dispute her expected testimony at his Oct. 2 trial. In unveiling the new charges in a superseding indictment, prosecutors dismissed the idea that Bankman-Fried was in the dark about his former colleagues' crimes. Despite the hurdles, experts said Bankman-Fried will still likely dispute that he knew former members of his inner circle were breaking the law, Kasten said.

☆ TSMC: Taiwanese chipmaker plans to hire 6,000 employees in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Semiconductor giant TSMC plans to add more than 6,000 jobs this year, despite a broader slowdown in demand for chips. TSMC, which stands for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, produces an estimated 90% of the world’s super-advanced chips. TSMC announced last year that it’s building a second semiconductor factory in Phoenix, and increasing its investment there. The average salary for a new engineer based in Taiwan with a master’s degree would be 2 million New Taiwan Dollars (about $65,400), according to TSMC. That would equate to roughly 533,004 New Taiwan Dollars ($17,426) per year.

☆ Salesforce's strong results are impressive given activist pressure, Wall Street analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Salesforce 's strong earnings were impressive, as it works toward improving profitability in the midst of ongoing activist pressure at the firm, according to Wall Street analysts. The results help Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff fend off pressure from activist investors such as Third Point and Elliott Management that have leaned on the firm. The new price target suggests shares can jump 43% from Wednesday's closing price of $167.35. JPMorgan's Mark Murphy also reiterated an overweight rating on the stock, and raised his price target to $230 from $200 — implying about 37% upside. Nevertheless, he maintained a neutral rating on the stock, with a $182 price target implying just 8% upside.

☆ Former director of engineering at FTX Nishad Singh pleads guilty to criminal charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Kara Scannell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —A former top executive of failed cryptocurrency trading platform FTX pleaded guilty and is cooperating with federal prosecutors investigating the alleged billion-dollar fraud at the now collapsed exchange. Nishad Singh, the former director of engineering at FTX, pleaded guilty to six conspiracy charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate federal campaign finances laws. Singh is the third top executive and close confidante of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors. Gary Wang, co-founder of FTX, and Caroline Ellison, the former head of FTX’s sister hedge fund Alameda Research, both pleaded guilty last year and are cooperating against Bankman-Fried. New York state election records show Singh made a $107,000 donation to the committee on October 28, 2022.

Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder, pleaded not guilty to eight criminal charges filed against him in December. Bankman-Fried now faces 12 criminal charges after prosecutors unsealed a new indictment against him last week. Singh is the third Bankman-Fried close associate to plead guilty and agree to cooperate with prosecutors. Caroline Ellison, who was Alameda's chief executive, and Gary Wang, who was FTX's chief technology officer, pleaded guilty in December to seven and four criminal charges, respectively. Singh was a close friend of Bankman-Fried's younger brother in high school, Bankman-Fried wrote in a deleted blog post.

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