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☆ Annie Nightingale, Pathbreaking British D.J., Is Dead at 83
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Richard Sandomir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Annie Nightingale, who became the first female disc jockey on BBC Radio 1 in 1970 and remained a popular personality there until her final show, late last year, died on Jan. 11 at her home in London. Her family announced the death in a statement but did not cite a cause. “This is the woman who changed the face and sound of British TV and radio broadcasting forever,” Annie Mac, a longtime BBC Radio D.J., wrote on Instagram after Ms. Nightingale’s death. Ms. Nightingale became well known in music circles in the 1960s as a columnist in British newspapers. And she was a familiar face to stars like the Beatles, whom she interviewed at the Brighton Hippodrome in 1964.

Persons: Annie Nightingale, Annie Mac, Ms, Nightingale, Derek Taylor, Mark Lewisohn Organizations: BBC, BBC Radio D.J, Brighton Hippodrome, Apple, Beatles Locations: London, British

☆ Sunak Quells Rebellion on Immigration, for Now
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Stephen Castle | Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain dodged a potentially dire threat to his leadership on Wednesday, preserving for now his beleaguered government’s immigration plan to put asylum seekers on one-way flights to Rwanda. In an effort to overcome resistance from British courts, the lawmakers in Parliament voted to back legislation declaring Rwanda a safe country for asylum seekers. But the victory, by a vote of 320 to 276, came after two tense days of debate that exposed deep divisions within Mr. Sunak’s governing Conservative Party, having prompted a rebellion Tuesday of around 60 of his lawmakers who tried unsuccessfully to toughen the legislation. The government gained the upper hand over the rebels on Wednesday by presenting them with the stark choice of voting in favor of the bill or risking a parliamentary defeat that could have wrecked the Rwanda policy altogether and delivered a crushing blow to the prime minister at the start of an election year.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak’s Organizations: Conservative Party Locations: Rwanda

☆ Princess of Wales to Be Hospitalized for 10 Days After Abdominal Surgery
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two of the most senior members of Britain’s royal family have been hit by health concerns, with Catherine, the Princess of Wales and the wife of Prince William, undergoing abdominal surgery in London on Tuesday, while King Charles III will receive treatment for an enlarged prostate next week. Catherine will be hospitalized for 10 to 14 days, according to the couple’s office in Kensington Palace, and will convalesce for two to three months after that. The king’s recovery is expected to be swifter, according to Buckingham Palace, which described his treatment as a “corrective procedure” for a common, benign condition. “Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales was admitted to the London Clinic yesterday for planned abdominal surgery,” Kensington Palace said in a four-paragraph news release. It added: “She hopes the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”

Persons: Catherine, Princess, Wales, Prince William, King Charles III, “, ” Organizations: London Clinic Locations: London, Kensington Palace, Buckingham, Kensington

☆ Princess of Wales Is in the Hospital After Abdominal Surgery
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Mark Landler | More About Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Catherine, the Princess of Wales and the wife of Prince William, underwent abdominal surgery in London on Tuesday, and will remain hospitalized for 10 to 14 days, according to the couple’s office in Kensington Palace. The office did not offer details on Catherine’s diagnosis or prognosis, other than to say that the surgery had been planned and was successful. It said the princess, who is 42, would continue to recuperate at home after she left the hospital and would not return to public duties until after Easter. “Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales was admitted to the London Clinic yesterday for planned abdominal surgery,” Kensington Palace said in a four-paragraph news release. She and Prince William, along with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, have moved to the foreground of the family since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and the rupture between the family and Prince Harry, William’s younger brother.

Persons: Catherine, Princess, Wales, Prince William, “, Kate Middleton, Prince George , Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry, William’s Organizations: London Clinic Locations: London, Kensington Palace, Kensington

☆ The Trump Voters in Swing States Who Are Returning to the Fold
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +11 min

To try to understand his enduring appeal, Reuters spoke to five Trump supporters in five general election battleground states: Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Trump currently leads Democratic President Joe Biden in several swing state general election polls, suggesting he will be highly competitive in a likely re-match next November. None are full-blown "election deniers" backing Trump's false claims that he, and not Biden, won the 2020 election. The second issue that swung Ruiz back behind Trump was the multiple criminal charges against him. Johnson likes Trump's tough stance on migration, and believes Trump will slow the crossings and deport as many migrants as feasibly possible.

Persons: Tim Reid, Nathan Layne, James Oliphant, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Biden, Adolf Hitler, MARK LIPP, Mark Lipp, Ron DeSantis, Lipp, DeSantis, CAMILLA MOORE, Trump's, Camilla Moore, Moore, who's, Fani Willis, Barack Obama's, CARLOS RUIZ, ARIZONA Carlos Ruiz, Ruiz, MEGAN CHUDEREWICZ, ADAMS, PENNSYLVANIA Megan Chuderewicz, Adams, shutdowns, Anthony Fauci, RANDY JOHNSON, Randy Johnson, Johnson, isn't, he's, Press Johnson, Ross Colvin, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Reuters, Republican, U.S, Capitol, Trump, Democratic, Florida Governor, Palestinian, CITY, Georgia Black Republican Council, Fulton, Georgia Republican, Republicans, Chuderewicz, Plum Borough School District, Press, U.S . Capitol Locations: Nevada , Georgia, Arizona , Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa, Haiti, Nazi, NEVADA, Florida, Las Vegas, Ukraine, United States, Bronx, Israeli, China, Israel, Gaza, GEORGIA, Georgia, Atlanta, Fulton County, ARIZONA, Tucson, Mexico, PENNSYLVANIA, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN, Adams Township, Johnson, U.S

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhy the U.S. will remain the world's leading economy for longer than expectedEconomists believe the U.S. could lose its ranking as the world's leading economy in the 21st century, as measured by gross domestic product. But the U.S. is set to extend its run through the 2020s, on the back of slower-than-expected growth trends in China. Investors are now placing fresh bets on emerging markets as the working-age population booms in the Indo-Pacific.

Organizations: Investors Locations: U.S, China

☆ The 'phantom debt' of buy now, pay later is growing and will soon hit some Americans hard
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Buy now, pay later plans gained popularity in 2023 as an alternative to high-interest credit cards. Buy now, pay later use surged recently and those bills are now dueThe use of buy now, pay later plans skyrocketed during the 2023 holiday season. According to Adobe, which tracks online sales, buy now, pay later plans use was up 47% on Black Friday and 43% on Cyber Monday. According to PYMNTS' survey, 39.6% of respondents used buy now, pay later plans for clothing and accessories and 33.7% used them for groceries. Buy now, pay later debt can be advantageous if used correctly.

Persons: —, Rather, Peter Cade, PYMNTS, Tim Quinlan, Shannon Seery Grein, Selcuk, Mark Luschini, Janney Montgomery Scott, Maria Bartiromo, Luschini, Warren Buffett, Buffett, I've Organizations: Service, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Adobe, Household Economics, Science Research Network, Economic, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Wells, US Locations: Wells Fargo

☆ Mary Ellen Mark: Vintage photos offer rare glimpse of Mumbai’s red-light district
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-05 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —Mary Ellen Mark couldn’t forget Falkland Road. Despite being harassed and intimidated, legendary photographer Mary Ellen Mark spent 10 years trying to take photos on Falkland Road. Mary Ellen Mark A young woman and her customer photographed by Mary Ellen Mark. Mary Ellen Mark Falkland Road's infamous cages, where sex workers were displayed to passersby and potential customers. Mary Ellen Mark A young woman and a child seen reflected in a mirror.

Persons: Mary Ellen Mark, Mary Ellen Mark couldn’t, ”, Falkland, ” Meredith Lue, Lue, didn’t, Mark, “ Saroja, ’, Mary Ellen Mark Friends, “, ” Lue, she’s, Asha, Mumtaz, Usha, Mary Ellen Mark Late, Mary Ellen Mark Falkland, wouldn’t, Champa, Martin Bell, ” Mark, Mary Ellen Mark Hidden, ” Bell, Mark’s, ’ ” Lue, Ward, They’re, they’ve, It’s, ” Mary Ellen Mark Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Mary Ellen Mark Foundation, GEO, Olympia, Mental Institution, Ward, Times, “ Locations: Mumbai, Bombay ”, Bombay, —, Falkland, “, Mumbai's, South India, America, Berlin, Germany, India, Seattle, Oregon

The political branch of the powerful Koch network is facing scrutiny as operatives chafe against a decision to endorse Nikki Haley for president that many see as out of step with their values. A day later, Maidment was "terminated" from the organization, he said, and he told NBC News that he is not the only one within the Koch-backed group who is disappointed in the Haley endorsement. As the group started to see public criticism from those with ties to AFP, Seidel sent some AFP leaders an email about the overall response. "Some of you may have seen some recent public posts from some colleagues who disagree with AFP Action's endorsement," Seidel wrote in the email. If Trump feels Koch moved the needle for Haley, he'll have more interest in working with them.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Koch, —, Chris Maidment, Haley, Maidment, Mark Lucas, Donald Trump, Trump, Lucas, Ron DeSantis, Emily Seidel, Seidel, Mark Holden, Marc Short, Mike Pence, he'll, I'm, Jamie Dimon Organizations: U.S, United, Prosperity's, PAC, GOP, Prosperity, NBC News, Koch, AFP, Trump, White, NBC Locations: Hooksett , New Hampshire, U.S, New Hampshire, Iowa, Cedar Rapids, Florida, AFP

The world also said goodbye to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died Nov. 29. Political Cartoons View All 1277 ImagesAnother political figure who died this year was former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19. Among the entertainers who left the world this year was singer Tina Turner, who died May 24. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2023 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Fred White, 67. A Hall of Fame forward who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup Final.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, Henry Kissinger, Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, Silvio Berlusconi, Dianne Feinstein, James Buckley, James Abourezk, Nigel Lawson, Pervez Musharraf, Sandra Day O’Connor, Li Keqiang, Martti Ahtisaari, United Nations Bill Richardson, Gov, Sheila Oliver, Theodoros Pangalos, Tina Turner, Ike Turner, Suzanne Somers, Matthew Perry, Raquel Welch, Richard Belzer, Chaim Topol, Jacklyn Zeman, Lance Reddick, Alan Arkin, Paul Reubens, David McCallum, Richard Roundtree, Tom Sizemore, Jimmy Buffett, Sinéad O’Connor, Rita Lee Jones, Burt Bacharach, David Crosby, Fito Olivares, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Astrud Gilberto, Coco Lee, Tony Bennett, Harry Belafonte, Cormac McCarthy, William Friedkin, Bob Barker, Jerry Springer, Louise Glück, Jeff Beck, Mary Quant, Kaija Saariaho, Lloyd Morrisett, Fred White, Maurice, Verdine White, Ken Block, Walter Cunningham, Fay Weldon, ” Jan, Russell Pearce, Charles Simic, Lynette “ Diamond ” Hardaway, Donald Trump, Diamond, Constantine, Jan, Tatjana Patitz, George Michael’s, Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley, Robbie Knievel, Evel Knievel, Ray Cordeiro, Elmo, Cookie, Gina Lollobrigida, Chris Ford, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Cindy Williams, Shirley, “ Laverne, Billy Packer, Sylvia Syms, Alex ”, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield, “ Papa, Rollin ’ Stone, Tom Verlaine, Patti Smith, Bobby Hull, Paco Rabanne, Harry Whittington, Dick Cheney, Hsing Yun, ”, San Jose ”, Carlos Saura, Spain’s, Hugh Hudson, Oscar, “ Greystroke, Hans Modrow, David Jude Jolicoeur, Huey “, ” Smith, Little Richard, Lloyd Price, “, Leiji Matsumoto, Yamato ”, Tim McCarver, Stella Stevens, Jerry Lewis’s, John Munch, Ahmed Qureia, Betty Boothroyd, Ricou Browning, Gill, Gérard Latortue, Fontaine, Barbara Everitt Bryant, Ryan ”, Kenzaburo Oe, Judy Heumann, Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Georgina Beyer, Traute Lafrenz, Rose, Peterson Zah, Tevye, Robert Blake, Jiang Yanyong, Bud Grant, Dick Fosbury, Pat Schroeder, Gloria Bosman, Jacqueline Gold, Britain’s Ann Summers, John Wick ”, John Jenrette, Juana La, Willis Reed, Darcelle, Paul O’Grady, Lily Savage, Emperor ”, Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter, Margaret Thatcher, Ben Ferencz, Nuremberg, Elisabeth Kopp, Michael Lerner, Jack Lipnick, “ Barton Fink, Bugsy Calhoun, Anne Perry, Thomas Pitt, William Monk, Al Jaffee, magazine’s, Charles Stanley, Richard Riordan, Todd Haimes, Tony Awards, Barry Humphries, Tony, Dame Edna Everage, Len Goodman, Carolyn Bryant Donham, Emmett Till, LeRoy “ Lee ” Carhart, Larry “, ___ Gordon Lightfoot, Tori Bowie, Vida, Grace Bumbry, Rock ”, Ovelha, Denny Crum, Heather Armstrong, Bobbie Spencer, Rolf Harris, Kenneth Anger, Doyle Brunson, Jim Brown, Timothy Keller, Andy Rourke, Ray Stevenson, Thor ”, Ed Ames, George Maharis, Carroll Cooley, Miranda, John Beasley, Kaija, George Winston, Ipanema ”, Robert Hanssen, Richard Snyder, Simon & Schuster, Françoise Gilot, Pablo Picasso —, Pat Robertson, Theodore “ Ted ” Kaczynski, Roger Payne, Treat Williams, Glenda Jackson, Daniel Ellsberg, Richard Nixon, Big, George Frazier, Lee Sarokin, Rubin “, ” Carter, Winnie Ewing, Sheldon Harnick, Jerry Bock, “ Fiorello, John Goodenough, Peg Yorkin, Sue Johanson, Yan Mingfu, John Berylson, James Lewis, poisonings, Mikala Jones, André Watts, Jane Birkin, Kevin Mitnick, San Francisco ”, Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga, Hugh “ Sonny ” Carter Jr, Jimmy, Randy Meisner, Herman, Angus Cloud, Fezco, ” O’Neill, ___, Mark Margolis, Hector Salamanca, Saul, Sixto Rodriguez, flamed, Robbie Robertson, Tom Jones, Magoo, Timbaland, Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Clarence Avant, Quincy Jones, Bill Withers, Ada Deer, Jerry Moss, Herb Alpert, Alpert, Michael Parkinson, Muhammad Ali, Miss Piggy, Jiri Cerny, Betty Tyson, Richard Nixon’s, John Warnock, Ron Cephas Jones, Howard Hubbard, Samuel “ Joe ” Wurzelbacher, Joe, Barack Obama, Gil Brandt, Tom Landry, Tex Schramm, Bill Richardson, Steve Harwell, Shabtai Shavit, Jordan, Ian Wilmut, Dolly, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Roy Kidd, Eno Ichikawa, Michael McGrath, Fernando Botero, Giorgio Napolitano, Matteo Messina Denaro, Michael Gambon, Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter ”, Mankombu Sambasivan, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Hosni Mubarak, Tim Wakefield, Dick Butkus, Michael Chiarello, Michael Chiarello ”, Masters, Burt Young, Paulie, Sylvester Stallone, Hughes Van Ellis, Kevin Phillips, Louise Meriwether, Mark Goddard, Major Don West, Rudolph Isley, Isley, unblinking, Piper Laurie, Chrissy Snow, Bobby Charlton, Bishan Bedi, Richard Moll, Xi Jinping, Wu Zunyou, Chandler Bing, Ken Mattingly, Bob Knight, Frank Borman, Steve Norton, Don Walsh, Mariana Trench, Terry R, Taylor, Daisaku Ikeda, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Ussery, George “ Funky ” Brown, Joanna ”, Marty Krofft, Pufnstuf, Donny, Marie ”, Terry Venables, Tim Dorsey, Serge A, Frances Sternhagen, ” “, Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Gerald Ford, Shane MacGowan, Bernard McGhee Organizations: Wagner Group, Russian, White House, U.S, Supreme, United Nations, Greek Foreign, Republican, Hong, Boston Celtics, NBA, NBC, CBS, Television, Fame, Chicago Blackhawks, ”, New, of Fame, Louis Cardinals, “, Palestinian, Israel, South Dakota Democrat, Arab, Arab American U.S, Britain’s, Commons, . Census Bureau, Alabama ”, Zealand, Navajo, Minnesota Vikings, People, Playboy, Capitol, Juana La Cubana, New York Knicks, Guinness, World Records, Hollywood, Treasury, Southern Baptist Convention, Los Angeles, Roundabout Theatre Company, Air Force, Harlem Globetrotters, Janeiro Games, baseball’s, Germany’s Bayreuth, NCAA, Hall of Famer, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Legion, Ames, Phoenix, FBI, Simon &, Christian Broadcasting Network, Republican Party, Christian Coalition, Harvard, Feminist Majority Foundation, “ Little, Communist Party, Millwall, New York Philharmonic, San, Brigade, Wing, Eagles, HBO, of Indian Affairs, M, Police, Carpenters, Adobe Systems, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dallas Cowboys, escapist, Democratic, Zulu, Eastern, AA, Broadway, Communist, U.S . Senate, Red Sox, Yankees, Boston, Chicago Bears, Major, Isley Brothers, New York Times, Manchester United, India, Indiana, Nevada — Resorts, Atlantic City —, Navy, Associated Press, Soka Gakkai, Kentucky Derby, Kool, The, European, Barcelona, Tottenham, City Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russian, U.S, Finnish, New Mexico, New Jersey, British, Greece, American, Hong Kong, Italian, America, New York, Spanish, catwalks, Texas, Taiwan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, San, New Orleans, Rosebud, Arab American, Haiti, “, African, Brooklyn, London, Los, Mississippi, United States, Rivers, Georgia, Savannah, Louisville, New York City, Irish, HBO’s “ Rome, Brazilian, Ipanema, Moscow, Virginia, Montana, Vietnam, Canada, Asia, Chicago, Hawaii, France, South Africa, Wisconsin, Los Angeles, Czech, Eastern Kentucky, Colombian, ”, California, Tulsa, Finland, China, Nevada, Atlantic City, Florida, Berkshire

☆ Here’s how activist Elliott could build shareholder value amicably at Phillips 66
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Kenneth Squire | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Business: Phillips 66 is an energy manufacturing and logistics company. Percentage Ownership: n/a Average Cost: n/a Activist Commentary: Elliott is a very successful and astute activist investor. On Wednesday, Elliott sent a letter to Phillips 66, announcing that it has taken a $1 billion stake and is seeking up to two board seats. While we do not generalize like that, it is hard to imagine a more amicable and constructive activist campaign than what Elliott is proposing at Phillips 66. When implemented, Phillips 66 saw costs increase relative to peers, burning shareholders' confidence in the management team's ability to achieve its goals.

Persons: Phillips, Elliott, Mark Lashier, Ken Squire Organizations: Phillips, Chevron Phillips Chemical, Valero Energy, Marathon Petroleum, Valero, 13D Locations: Chevron, U.S, Europe, COOs

Foundation models like the one built by Microsoft (MSFT.O)-backed OpenAI are AI systems trained on large sets of data, with the ability to learn from new data to perform various tasks. In a meeting of the countries' economy ministers on Oct. 30 in Rome, France persuaded Italy and Germany to support a proposal, sources told Reuters. Until then, negotiations had gone smoothly, with lawmakers making compromises across several other conflict areas such as regulating high-risk AI, sources said. France-based AI company Mistral and Germany's Aleph Alpha have criticised the tiered approach to regulating foundation models, winning support from their respective countries. Other pending issues in the talks include definition of AI, fundamental rights impact assessment, law enforcement exceptions and national security exceptions, sources told Reuters.

Persons: Carlos Barria, Thierry Breton, Geoffrey Hinton, Alpha, Mistral, Mark Brakel, Supantha Mukherjee, Josephine Mason, Alexander Smith Organizations: Technology, Intelligence, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Foundation, Microsoft, European Commission, Mistral, Lawmakers, Life Institute, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, Rights STOCKHOLM, BRUSSELS, LONDON, France, Germany, Italy, Rome, Spain, Belgium, Stockholm

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Five homeless people were shot in Las Vegas on Friday, two of them fatally, and police were searching for a lone suspect, authorities said. The shooting occurred around 5:30 p.m. near a freeway overpass in the northeastern part of the city, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Mark Lourenco. “We believe this is an isolated event," Lourenco responded in a text when asked if there was an active shooter situation. One shooter was involved, but a suspect had not been captured, he said Friday evening. Political Cartoons View All 1277 ImagesThe shooting comes after police in Los Angeles announced Friday they are searching for a suspect in the fatal shootings of three homeless people in separate incidents last month.

Persons: Mark Lourenco, Lourenco, “ Organizations: LAS VEGAS, —, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Locations: Las Vegas, Las, Los Angeles

☆ GOP Officials in Arizona Charged With Conspiring to Delay Election Results
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Jan Wolfe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Peggy Judd and Terry ‘Tom’ Crosby were charged with conspiracy and interference with an election officer. Photo: Mark Levy/Associated Press; Alberto Mariani/Associated PressTwo Republican county officials in Arizona were charged with felonies Wednesday over their initial refusal to certify the results of the November 2022 midterm elections in which a slate of GOP candidates backed by former President Donald Trump lost. The indictment, announced by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, is the latest instance of Democratic officeholders charging Republican local officials who amplified voter-fraud claims with attempting to undermine democracy.

Persons: Peggy Judd, Terry ‘ Tom ’ Crosby, Mark Levy, Alberto Mariani, Donald Trump, Kris Mayes Organizations: Associated Press, Press, Republican, Arizona Locations: Arizona

☆ How a Book Publishing ‘Mistake’ Reignited the U.K.’s Royal Racism Furor
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As book rollouts go, the one for Omid Scobie’s latest offering about the British royal family, “Endgame,” has been a hot mess — splashy, gaudy, tantalizing but ultimately a bit withholding — which is to say, par for the course for a putative tell-all account of the world’s most covered, least decoded family. The withholding part involves an unconfirmed, thoroughly radioactive nugget that turned up in the Dutch edition of Mr. Scobie’s book, published on Tuesday: the identity of two members of the royal family who once reportedly expressed concerns about the skin color of the unborn child of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan. Mr. Scobie’s Dutch publisher, Xander, quickly withdrew the book from shelves and online sites in the Netherlands at the behest of the author and his agent, citing an unspecified “mistake” that it said would be corrected in time for the book to go back on sale on Dec. 8. The family members are not identified in either the British or American editions, which were published by imprints of HarperCollins. It all led to a nursery school’s worth of peekaboo headlines in London tabloids on Wednesday.

Persons: rollouts, Omid, ”, Scobie’s, Prince Harry, Meghan, Mr, Xander Organizations: HarperCollins Locations: Scobie’s Dutch, Netherlands, Amsterdam, London

☆ Elliott takes $1 billion stake in Phillips 66, seeks two board seats
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Elliott Investment Management has taken a $1 billion stake in Phillips 66 and is seeking as many as two board seats in a push to improve the company's performance, according to a Wednesday letter from the activist investor. Elliott's push for the board seats comes as Phillips has underperformed its competitors Marathon Petroleum and Valero . Elliott backed CEO Mark Lashier's plan to improve the company's performance. The CEO plans to do this through a more than $1 billion improvement in Phillips' refining segment, selling $3 billion in noncore assets and increasing the company's long-term capital return policy. Elliott said Phillips 66's stock has an upside of 75% from its last closing price of $118 if the company executes on these goals.

Persons: Phillips, CNBC's David Faber, Elliott, John Pike, Mike Tomkins, Mark Lashier's Organizations: Elliott Investment Management, Phillips, Marathon Petroleum, Valero

A general view of the Phillips 66 Company's Los Angeles Refinery, which processes domestic & imported crude oil into gasoline, aviation and diesel fuels, in Carson, California, U.S., March 11, 2022. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - Elliott Investment Management has taken a $1 billion stake in Phillips 66 and is urging the U.S. oil refiner and pipeline operator to revamp its board to boost lagging performance. Phillips 66 has lagged its U.S. refining rivals at a time when fuel demand and margins have soared for the industry. Phillips 66 Chief Executive Mark Lashier acknowledged discussions with Elliott but did not say whether the company was open to adding two Elliott-recommended directors to its board. Phillips 66 currently has 13 board members.

Persons: Bing Guan, Phillips, Mark Lashier, Elliott, Lashier, John Pike, Mike Tomkins, Garfield Miller, Miller, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Laura Sanicola, Gary McWilliams, Anil D'Silva, Bernadette Baum, Mark Porter Organizations: Phillips, Los, Los Angeles Refinery, Elliott Investment Management, Marathon Petroleum, Energy, Exxon Mobil, Aegis Energy Advisors, Elliott, Svea, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles, Carson , California, U.S, Houston, Providence, New York, Bengaluru

Bernstein named Taiwan Semiconductor a "best idea" for 2024, raising its price target on the stock. — Alex Harring 7:01 a.m. In addition to the best-pick honor, analyst Steve Scala has an outperform rating and $86 price target. Analyst Michael Lavery downgraded the stock to neutral from overweight and slashed his price target by $40 to $200. ET: Morgan Stanley hikes PDD price target, calls stock a top pick following earnings Morgan Stanley named Chinese e-commerce name PDD Holdings a top pick following its latest quarterly earnings report.

Persons: Bernstein, Morgan Stanley, LSEG, Bank of America's Tal Liani, Morgan Stanley's Hamza Fodderwala, Alex Harring, Craig Siegenthaler, Blackstone, That's, — Alex Harring, Ken Hoexter, Hoexter, TD Cowen, Steve Scala, Scala, Jefferies, John Colantuoni, bode, Colantuoni, Neil Beveridge, Josh Silverstein, Silverstein, JMP, Baldwin, Mitch Germain, Germain doesn't, Germain, Piper Sandler, Michael Lavery, Lavery, elasticities, HSY's, Hershey, Eddy Wang, Wang, Mark Li, Li, — Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Taiwan Semiconductor, Holdings, Wall, Bank of America, Bank of America's, KKR, Apollo Global Management, Pacific, Transport, AstraZeneca, pharma, Airbnb, Toyota, UBS, Exxon Mobil, Natural Resources, Exxon Mobil's, Hershey, PDD, U.S, LSEG, Commerce, PDD's U.S, Apple, Huawei Locations: Tuesday's, Ivory Coast, Ghana, 4Q23, Taiwan, China

☆ Disney’s Bob Iger Plays Down Asset Sales, Vows to Build Modern Version of Company
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger. Photo: Mark Lennihan/Associated PressDisney Chief Executive Bob Iger told employees Tuesday that the task he faced after returning to the company a year ago was harder than expected, and he played down his previous comments suggesting major asset sales were on the table. “I knew that there were a myriad of challenges…I must say there were many more of them than I expected,” said Iger, who was interviewed by ABC News anchor David Muir at a companywide town hall at New York’s New Amsterdam Theatre.

Persons: Bob Iger, Mark Lennihan, “, …, ”, Iger, David Muir Organizations: Disney, Associated Press Disney, ABC News, New York’s New Amsterdam Theatre Locations: New

☆ Americans broke a record for spending on Black Friday, but it is just hiding a bigger problem for the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Cork Gaines | Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Many are delaying the cost as buy now, pay later programs are expected to have their biggest month ever. Many are paying via "buy now, pay later" platforms such as Klarna or Afterpay, which let shoppers pay in installments every week or month. Buy now, pay later also allows people to borrow less expensively as they get the pricing interest-free if paid off in time. Indeed, the Fed's "2022 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking" found that 83% of respondents paid off their buy now, pay later programs on time. Compounding the problem is that people tend to spend more when using buy now, pay later programs, suggesting an overconfidence in what they can afford.

Persons: —, Salesforce, Beryl Tomay, Klarna, Mark Luschini, Janney Montgomery Scott, Maria Bartiromo, Luschini, Michael Landsberg, Landsberg Bennett, Kraig, Foreman Organizations: Black, Service, Adobe, Mastercard, CNBC, Business, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Household Economics, Social Science Research Network, Wealth Management Locations: Landsberg

☆ Americans broke a record for spending on Black Friday, but it's just hiding a bigger problem for the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Cork Gaines | Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

☆ Opinion: An anti-Muslim tirade inspires a beautiful response
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Opinion Dean Obeidallah | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The former government official made vile anti-Muslim comments while jeering at the Egyptian food cart worker about the Israel-Hamas war with remarks such as, “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian children, you know what? Alarmingly, it appears one such horrific incident may have occurred on Saturday in Burlington, Vermont, when three Palestinian students were shot. Even before Seldowitiz was charged, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said on social media: “This Islamophobic bigotry is absolutely reprehensible. As CBS New York reported, “what happened at the food cart has seemingly only brought people together.” One of the food cart workers, Bahaa Hassan, told CBS: “We have mostly Jewish customer in this building. Unbeknownst to us at the time, we filmed this video last weekend in the very neighborhood where Seldowitz had been taunting the Arab food cart worker.

Persons: Dean Obeidallah, Obama, Stuart Seldowitz, jeering, Seldowitz, “, Fayoume didn’t, Mohamed Hussein, Seldowitiz, Mark Levine, Bahaa Hassan, Stephanie Merabet, Max Brooks —, Facebook Max, Mel Brooks —, Abdul Organizations: CNN, CNN —, National Security, New York Police Department, Hamas, Defamation League, Cornell University, Islamic Relations, CAIR, ADC, CBS, East, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Manhattan, Israel, New York, Alarmingly, Burlington , Vermont, New York City, York, United States

For the past two years, Greece’s government has conducted delicate negotiations with the British Museum over the future of the Parthenon marbles, the ancient Greek antiquities brought to Britain in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin. Now, Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, appears to be throwing cold water on those discussions. On Monday evening, Mr. Sunak abruptly canceled a planned wide-ranging meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece, which had been scheduled for Tuesday. Mr. Mitsotakis said on the BBC television program that sculptures had been stolen and needed to be reunified in Athens. Mr. Mitsotakis has made similar comments throughout his terms in office, and Mr. Sunak has also repeatedly stated he would not change British law to allow the sculptures, sometimes known as the Elgin Marbles, to leave the British Museum permanently.

Persons: Lord Elgin, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, ”, Mona Lisa Organizations: British Museum, BBC, Acropolis Museum, Elgin Marbles Locations: Britain, Greece, Athens, “, London

☆ White House Eyes Possible Threat to Good Friday Agreement
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Mark Landler | More About Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The British government’s effort to salvage its contentious policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda is drawing attention from the White House, which wants to make sure any revamped legislation does not undermine the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, according to two Biden administration officials. “Definitely all keeping an eye on Northern Ireland,” said a senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. That a British immigration policy involving one-way flights to an East African country would have implications for Northern Ireland is one of the strange, second-order effects of Britain’s membership in the European Convention on Human Rights, an international accord it helped draft after World War II. And the fact that it would catch the eye of Washington speaks to the sensitivity of Northern Ireland in the trans-Atlantic relationship. President Biden, a proud Irish American, has shown a keen interest in the Good Friday Agreement, which was brokered under another Democratic president, Bill Clinton, and ended decades of sectarian strife.

Persons: ”, Biden, Bill Clinton Organizations: White, Biden, Human Rights, Irish, Democratic Locations: British, Rwanda, Northern Ireland, East, Washington

☆ Dean Phillips says he doesn't agree with the Kamala Harris gossip, but felt a need to pass along that lots of people say she 'doesn't have the right disposition' to be president
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Phillips recently told The Atlantic that "others" told him Harris doesn't have the chops to be president. But Phillips told CNN he's been "impressed" by Harris and believes she is "well-prepared." "She is not well prepared, doesn't have the right disposition and the right competencies to execute that office," Phillips told Leibovich. And the congressman also told Phillip he didn't "recall" making comments critical of the vice president. (The president's name isn't on the ballot due to the state's defiance of the DNC presidential primary calendar.)

Persons: Dean Phillips, Kamala Harris, Phillips, Harris doesn't, CNN he's, Harris, —, Mark Leibovich, Biden, Leibovich, doesn't, Abby Phillip, You've, Phillip, I've, She's, @deanbphillips, b4JzTc6fIE, Abby D, @abbydphillip, — Phillips, Robert Garcia of, Garcia, Donald Trump, they'd Organizations: Democratic, CNN, Service, Dean Phillips of, Robert Garcia of California, University of New Locations: Dean Phillips of Minnesota, New, South Carolina, Granite State, University of New Hampshire

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