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☆ W.N.B.A. Star Takes Over Voting Organization Started by LeBron James
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Tania Ganguli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More Than a Vote, a nonprofit organization founded by LeBron James in 2020, is rebooting this fall with a new focus on women’s issues and reproductive rights. Nneka Ogwumike, a nine-time W.N.B.A. All-Star with the Seattle Storm and president of the players union, will take over James’s role in leading the organization, and has recruited a group of female athletes to her cause. “It’s more than just abortion,” Ogwumike said in an interview. “It’s all about educating people about all the different roles that exist in society that support and protect the freedoms of women when it comes to family planning, I.V.F., birth control, everything.

Persons: LeBron James, Nneka, ” Ogwumike, “, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, James Organizations: Seattle Storm

☆ What’s it like to play Olympic beach volleyball in the Eiffel Tower’s shadow? ‘Iconic’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Brendan Quinn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

And in that sky, directly above this beach volleyball stadium, loomed the Eiffel Tower. Of all 32 sports being played in these Olympics, none has a location that rivals beach volleyball. Beach volleyball’s Olympic history dates back to 1996 and a simple artificial beach stadium in Clayton County Park outside Atlanta. It’s easy to feel impossibly small in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. There are seven more sunsets over Eiffel Tower Stadium for beach volleyball.

Persons: Kelly Cheng, Sara Hughes, Hughes, Cheng, They’ve, Paris . Cheng, ” Cheng, “, Cameron Spencer, de Mars, ”, Kristen Nuss, Nuss, Taryn Kloth’s, ” Hughes, “ I’ve, ” Kelly Cheng, Loyola Stien, Aline Chamereau, Clémence Vieira, ” Chamereau, Champ de, Manoir, Rodolfo Buhrer Organizations: FIVB, University of Southern, NCAA, Hollywood, London, Horse Guards, Canada, Games, Sunday, Eiffel, Loyola, Paralympic, Olympic Locations: University of Southern California, Paris ., Paris, Angeles, Santa Monica, Clayton County Park, Atlanta, St James’s, London, Rio, Copacabana, Tokyo, Shiokaze, American, U.S, Czech Republic, Germany, Eurasia

☆ Come inside star-studded King’s Foundation awards
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Max Foster | Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN —King Charles III was in his element this week as he celebrated a very special moment for his foundation at St. James’s Palace in London. On Tuesday, the 75-year-old monarch attended the inaugural awards of his King’s Foundation, so we thought, why not take our Royal News readers along with us? Now, to rewind for just a moment – King Charles set up the charity back in 1990 when he was still the Prince of Wales. King’s Foundation chief executive Kristina Murrin told CNN that the charity is underpinned by the monarch’s philosophy of working in concert with nature to “build sustainable thriving communities.”King Charles III presents the Harmony Award to Ban Ki-moon, left, the former United Nations secretary-general, at the King's Foundation awards. King Charles III smells a wool sample at the King's Foundation awards.

Persons: London CNN — King Charles III, James’s, King Charles, Prince of Wales, Kristina Murrin, ” King Charles III, Ban, Kirsty Wigglesworth, ” Murrin, Rod Stewart, Penny Lancaster, David Beckham, Sienna Miller, Edward Enninful, Naomi Campbell, Raymond Blanc, King Charles III, we’ve, “, Charles, King, Alan Titchmarsh, ”, Isabelle Pennington, I’d, Beckham, “ we’ll, Murrin Organizations: CNN’s Royal, London CNN, Foundation, Royal News, King’s Foundation, CNN, United Nations, King's Foundation, Dumfries House, King Charles III Harmony, UN, Pipers, National Piping Centre, Rock Choir, King’s, England, Royal Locations: London, St, United Kingdom, Korean, James’s, Edmead, Caribbean, Germany, Iceland

☆ Hong Kong stocks are back from the dead. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index surged more than 7% in April as the best-performing major index in the world. The valuation of Hong Kong stocks has also become more “compelling” relative to the rest of the Asian region after the pullback last year, said Zhikai Chen, head of Asian equities at BNP Paribas Asset Management. He added that there is a shift in investors’ sentiments as Chinese economic data turned more positive. Innes said global investors are currently “underweight” in Chinese markets, including Hong Kong, because of geopolitical tensions and concerns surrounding potential fallout from the upcoming US elections. Stock exchange data showed that southbound investors (meaning investment from mainland China into Hong Kong) have bought nearly $20 billion of Hong Kong-listed stocks in March and the first three weeks of April on a net basis.

Persons: ”, Kelly Chung, Zhikai Chen, Stephen Innes, David Chao, Nomura, Xiaomei Chen, Angelina Lai, Innes, Kong, BNP Paribus Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, Value Partners, BNP, Management, P Global, PMI, Kong's, Reuters, US, People’s Bank of, HK, “ Locations: China, Hong Kong, United States, Beijing, India, James’s, People’s Bank of China

Asked for proof of his claim that Mr. Biden was personally directing the local cases against him, Mr. Trump pointed to purported ties between prosecutors and “Washington,” but provided no evidence that Mr. Biden had been involved in any of the hiring decisions, conversations or meetings that Mr. Trump cited. The writer E. Jean Carroll filed her first lawsuit against Mr. Trump in November 2019, accusing him of defamation. Faulty and irrelevant comparisonsWhat Mr. Trump Said“I got indicted more than Al Capone.”— in a rally in Ohio in MarchFalse. Mr. Hur described Mr. Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” who had “diminished faculties and faulty memory.” He did not declare Mr. Biden mentally incompetent to stand trial. Inaccurate attacks on judgesWhat Mr. Trump Said“Judge Juan Merchan is totally compromised, and should be removed from this TRUMP Non-Case immediately.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, President Biden, Trump’s, ”, Trump Said “ Biden, General Merrick B, Garland, Trump “, Biden, Mr, Doug Mills, Trump Said, Jack Smith, Merrick Garland’s, Fani Willis, Letitia James, Alvin L, Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, —, James’s, Colangelo’s, Bragg ramped, Willis, Willis — Nathan J, Wade, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Kamala Harris, Harris, Crooked Joe Biden, James, Jean Carroll, Smith, Brittainy Newman, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Letitia James ’, Hunt, PolitiFact, Trump Said “, Al Capone, Capone, Brad Schwartz, Hillary, Bill, Bush, Reagan, Hillary Clinton, Clinton, Bill Clinton’s, Taylor Branch, Branch, “, Barack Obama, George W, Bill Clinton, George H.W, Ronald Reagan, Robert K, Hur, Biden’s, Juan Merchan, Loren, Loren Merchan, Merchan, Merchan’s, Justice Merchan, Ahmed Gaber, Arthur F, Justice Engoron, Engoron Organizations: New York, Democratic Party, Trump, Justice Department, The New York Times, The, White House, Trump . Credit, New York Times, American People, Biden Administration, Prosecutors, Mr, Manhattan, Washington, Fox News, New, Times, White, Counsel’s Office, Supreme, Black, Trump Organization, Democrat, Companies, Exxon Mobil, Trump Foundation, Trump University, Associated, National Archives, Records Administration, TRUMP, Twitter, Credit Locations: Manhattan, Georgia, Trump ., Washington, New York, “ Washington, Fulton County ,, Russian, New, Ohio, Fla, South Carolina, Trump’s Florida, Beach

☆ Searching for your Irish ancestry? Guinness’ archives could help you reconnect with your roots
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“It’s, unfortunately, one of the biggest barriers to Irish family history research,” says Crista Cowan, corporate genealogist for Ancestry. The 1.6 million records come from what might sound like a surprising source: the archives of Ireland’s famed Guinness brewery. The Guinness brewery has a storied pastResearchers combing through the newly released files might stumble upon some celebrity connections, too. Courtesy Guinness Archive, Diegeo IrelandArthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on a Dublin brewery in 1759. Courtesy Guinness Archive, Diageo IrelandWorkers generally entered the Guinness workforce at age 14, according to a description of the records on the company’s website.

Persons: “ It’s, ”, Crista Cowan, they’ll, Patrick’s, Cowan, ” Cowan, “, who’s, John O’Brien, Liam Neeson, Graham Norton, Bono, Arthur Purcell, who's, Purcell, Arthur Guinness, “ Guinness, …, Eibhlin Colgan, ” Guinness, Guinness, ‘ Organizations: CNN, Public Records, Ireland’s, Guinness, Diegeo, Records, Brewery, Diageo, Diageo Ireland Workers Locations: Dublin, St, Ireland, Diegeo Ireland, United Kingdom, United States, Diageo Ireland, James’s, James's

“The thing you’ve got to do primarily is set rules and enforce them,” said John S. Martin Jr., a former U.S. District Court judge in Manhattan. In Ms. Carroll’s defamation trial, Mr. Trump seemed almost to be goading Judge Kaplan into throwing him out of the courtroom. After his two recent confrontations with the judges, Mr. Trump held news conferences before cheering supporters in the lobby of his building at 40 Wall Street. Ms. Carroll’s defamation trial is being heard by a nine-person jury in Federal District Court, with Judge Kaplan overseeing the proceedings. During his diatribe, Mr. Trump refrained from attacking any staff members.

Persons: Arthur Engoron, Donald Trump, Donald J, Arthur F, Trump, Mr, ”, Jean Carroll, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan, Ms, you’ve, John S, Martin Jr, “, ” Mr, Carroll’s, Letitia James, Kaplan “, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Trump’s, Engoron’s, Judge Kaplan, Carroll, Jefferson Siegel, The New York Times Judge Kaplan, Bill Clinton, Sam Bankman, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, Osama, Laden, Katherine B, Forrest, Judge Kaplan’s, Michael B, Mukasey, Justice Engoron, Art Garfunkel, —, James, Christopher M, Kise, Engoron, Kate Christobek, Olivia Bensimon, Kirsten Noyes Organizations: Trump, Getty, Court, The New York Times, Mr, New York Times Locations: New York, York, U.S, Manhattan, New Hampshire, Trump’s Manhattan

☆ Frances Sternhagen, Actress Who Thrived in Mature Roles, Dies at 93
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Anita Gates | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Frances Sternhagen, the Tony Award-winning actress who played leading roles in stage productions of “Driving Miss Daisy” and “On Golden Pond” as formidable older women when she was so young that she had to wear aging makeup, died on Monday at her home in New Rochelle, N.Y. She was 93. Ms. Sternhagen won Tonys as featured actress in a play for her performances in two very different productions. In a 1995 Broadway revival of “The Heiress,” based on Henry James’s novel “Washington Square,” she was Cherry Jones’s well-meaning, matchmaking Aunt Lavinia. In “The Good Doctor,” Neil Simon’s 1973 take on Chekhov, she played multiple roles in comedy sketches. She received Tony nominations for her roles in the original productions of “On Golden Pond,” “Equus” and the musical “Angel” and in revivals of “Morning’s at Seven” and “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.”

Persons: Frances Sternhagen, Daisy ”, Tony Carlin, Sternhagen, “, ”, Henry James’s, Cherry Jones’s, ” Neil Simon’s, Chekhov, Alfred Uhry’s “, Ernest Thompson’s “, Tony, “ Morning’s Locations: New Rochelle, N.Y, ”, Brustein’s

☆ Booker Prize 2023 won by Irish writer Paul Lynch’s dystopian novel ‘Prophet Song’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

London, UK Reuters —Irish writer Paul Lynch won the 2023 Booker Prize on Sunday for his novel “Prophet Song,” the story of a family and a country on the brink of catastrophe as an imaginary Irish government veers towards tyranny. “This is a triumph of emotional storytelling, bracing and brave.”A copy of "Prophet Song" pictured prior to the Booker Prize award ceremony on Sunday. He became the fifth Irish author to win the Booker Prize, after Iris Murdoch, John Banville, Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright, the organizers of the competition said. The Northern Irish writer Anna Burns won in 2018. “Prophet Song” is published in the UK by Oneworld which also won the prize in 2015 and 2016 with Marlon James’s “A Brief History of Seven Killings” and Paul Beatty’s “The Sellout.”

Persons: Paul Lynch, Booker, Song ’, Adrian Dennis, Lynch, “, ” Lynch, Iris Murdoch, John Banville, Roddy Doyle, Anne Enright, Anna Burns, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Yann Martel, ”, Marlon James’s “, Paul Beatty’s “ Organizations: Reuters, Esi, Getty, Sunday Tribune, Northern, Oneworld, Seven Locations: London, Irish, Syria, Ireland, AFP, Northern Irish

☆ Paul Lynch wins Booker Prize with dystopian novel 'Prophet Song'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Irish writer Paul Lynch won the 2023 Booker Prize on Sunday for his novel 'Prophet Song', the story of a family and a country on the brink of catastrophe as an imaginary Irish government veers towards tyranny. Lynch, who was previously the chief film critic of Ireland’s Sunday Tribune newspaper, said he wanted readers to understand totalitarianism by heightening the dystopia with the intense realism of his writing. He became the fifth Irish author to win the Booker Prize, after Iris Murdoch, John Banville, Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright, the organisers of the competition said. The Northern Irish writer Anna Burns won in 2018. 'Prophet Song' is published in the UK by Oneworld which also won the prize in 2015 and 2016 with Marlon James’s 'A Brief History of Seven Killings' and Paul Beatty’s 'The Sellout.'

Persons: Paul Lynch, Booker, Lynch, Iris Murdoch, John Banville, Roddy Doyle, Anne Enright, Anna Burns, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Yann Martel, Marlon James’s, Paul Beatty’s, William Schomberg, Giles Elgood Organizations: Sunday Tribune, Northern, Oneworld, Seven, Thomson Locations: Syria, Ireland, Irish, Northern Irish

Representative Elise Stefanik, a member of the House Republican leadership and an ally of former President Donald J. Trump, filed an ethics complaint Friday attacking the judge presiding over Mr. Trump’s civil fraud trial, the latest salvo in a right-wing war against the case. The New York attorney general, Letitia James, has accused Mr. Trump of fraudulent business practices, and in a pretrial ruling Justice Engoron agreed, validating the heart of her case. The letter, to a judicial conduct commission, is unlikely to have any immediate repercussions in the trial, which will determine the consequences Mr. Trump and his company will face as a result of the fraud. The judge has placed narrow gag orders on both the former president and his lawyers, but nothing bars Mr. Trump’s allies from their criticism. “I filed an official judicial complaint against Judge Arthur Engoron for his inappropriate bias and judicial intemperance in New York’s disgraceful lawsuit against President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization,” Ms. Stefanik said in a statement Friday.

Persons: Elise Stefanik, Donald J, Trump, Arthur F, Letitia James, Engoron, Trump’s, “, Judge Arthur Engoron, ” Ms, Stefanik Organizations: House Republican, Democratic, Court, The New, Trump Organization Locations: New York, The New York

After her father’s election loss in 2020, Ms. Trump sought to distance herself from his company — and his mounting legal problems, which now include four criminal indictments. Ms. Trump also hired her own lawyer, separate from the legal team representing her family in Ms. James’s case, a move that rankled some in the former president’s camp, a person with knowledge of the situation said. The last time Ms. Trump testified about her father — before a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — it was a major embarrassment for the former president. In the testimony, broadcast at a prime time congressional hearing, Ms. Trump acknowledged that her father had lost the 2020 election, prompting him to lash out at her for being “checked out” in the final days of his administration. Though their relationship was strained for a time, the two have had something of a rapprochement and speak regularly, the person with knowledge said.

Persons: Trump, — Organizations: Trump Organization, Deutsche Bank — Locations: York

Mr. Trump’s lawyers have long highlighted for him the perils of speaking under oath to those seeking to hold him to account. Mr. Trump, eschewing his instinct to talk and bully his way out of a problem, has chosen silence when the legal stakes are highest. He eventually had a change of heart in the attorney general’s case, answering questions under oath in a deposition this spring. Mr. Trump got off on the wrong foot with the judge, Arthur F. Engoron, who will decide the outcome of the trial. At one point, Justice Engoron summoned Mr. Trump to the witness stand to determine whether he had broken the rule.

Persons: Trump, James, Arthur F, Engoron, Justice Engoron, Mr Locations: Manhattan, Russia

☆ Morgan Stanley’s new CEO inherits rich pickings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( John Foley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

A good place to start is outside Morgan Stanley’s home market. Morgan Stanley’s two last big acquisitions were chunky, at a combined $20 billion, but also filled niches. E*Trade, an online brokerage, brought millions of households and company employees that Morgan Stanley hadn’t previously served. Eaton Vance, a U.S. asset manager, peddles investment products that Morgan Stanley now funnels through sales teams in far-flung markets. CEO Jane Fraser shows no inclination to sell private banking, which for now sits within the group’s $756 billion global wealth management bucket.

Persons: Ted Pick’s, Morgan Stanley, Pick, James Gorman, Morgan, Gorman, Germany’s, Britain’s, Morgan Stanley’s, Morgan Stanley hadn’t, Eaton Vance, Smith Barney, watchdogs, Jane Fraser, It’s, Noel Quinn’s, Ping, Colm Kelleher, Ted Pick, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Credit Suisse, McKinsey ., Morgan, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Infrastructure, Citi, U.S, HSBC, HK, UBS, Thomson Locations: U.S, American, Asia, Pacific, Japan, India, China, French, Europe, Switzerland, HK, Swiss

Donald Trump Jr. has become a high-volume defender of his namesake father, appearing often on television and social media. Eric Trump is more of a businessman than a politician, and has cast himself as the moderating voice within a polarizing family. Eric Trump has continued to attend the trial since, paying close attention to testimony about spreadsheets filled with valuations and the fine print of insurance deals. And when Eric Trump testifies this week, Ms. James’s lawyers are expected to question him aggressively on his role at the company. Eric Trump was, Ms. James’s team wrote in court papers, the company’s “chief decision maker.”

Persons: Donald Trump Jr, Donald J, Trump, “, —, Don, Eric —, ”, Trump’s, Eric Trump, Letitia James, Ivanka —, James, scowled, Eric, James’s Organizations: Trump Organization, Mr, New, Seven Locations: Westchester County, N.Y, Westchester

☆ LeBron James, Peyton Manning and Obamas Plan Basketball Series for Netflix
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Jessica Toonkel | Isabella Simonetti | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Peyton Manning and LeBron James are in talks to create a show that would follow professional basketball players. Photo: Getty Images (2)Two of the biggest legends in sports, LeBron James and Peyton Manning , are looking to join forces in the entertainment world. James’s entertainment company, SpringHill Company, is in talks with Manning’s Omaha Productions to create a show—modeled on the hit Netflix series “Quarterback”—that would follow the lives of professional basketball players, according to people familiar with the situation.

Persons: Peyton Manning, LeBron James, ” — Organizations: SpringHill Company, Manning’s Omaha Productions

☆ The 45 King, Who Produced for Jay-Z and Eminem, Dies at 62
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Orlando Mayorquin | More About Orlando Mayorquin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The 45 King, the influential New York City hip-hop producer who worked with Queen Latifah, Eminem and Jay-Z, died on Thursday. Born Mark Howard James, he took the moniker The 45 King because of his fondness for sampling old, obscure records. His death was announced on social media Thursday afternoon by a fellow hip-hop producer, DJ Premier. Information on the cause or place of death were not immediately available. “His sound was unlike any other from his heavy drums and his horns were so distinct on every production,” DJ Premier wrote, referring to James as DJ Mark The 45 King.

Persons: Queen Latifah, Eminem, Jay, Mark Howard James, James, DJ Mark Organizations: New, DJ Locations: New York

☆ Banks’ wealth-management heyday may have passed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

For wealth managers, that will make revenue growth much harder to come by, shifting the focus to controlling expenses. LOSING ITS SPARKLEIn Wall Street parlance, wealth management is a capital-light business. Little wonder Morgan Stanley boss James Gorman focused on wealth management after taking charge in 2010. The good news for UBS and Morgan Stanley is that they are better placed than most to handle these pressures. The bank’s wealth-management business generated a 35% ROTE, while the division that houses investment banking and trading managed just 8%.

Persons: UBS –, Morgan Stanley’s, Morgan Stanley, James Gorman, Sergio Ermotti, Goldman Sachs, Italy’s, Iqbal Khan, Morgan Stanley’s Andy Saperstein, Peter Thal Larsen, Sharon Lam, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Wealth, UBS, Credit Suisse, HSBC, HK, Lloyds Banking Group, Revenue, Treasury, Big, Thomson Locations: Swiss, United States, Americas, Switzerland, Britain’s St, James’s

☆ P&G price hikes have no-tears effect on US wallets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pampers, a brand owned by Procter & Gamble, is seen for sale in a store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., June 29, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Acquire Licensing RightsWashington/NEW YORK, Oct 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - If Americans are fed up with inflation, their checking accounts aren’t showing it. Procter & Gamble (PG.N) topped earnings expectations on Wednesday after raising prices 7% year-over-year in the third quarter. Imagine all producers of such goods raised prices by 7% in the past year, as P&G did. P&G credits innovation, and if it can squeeze where others can’t, it may even be able to raise prices more.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Forrester, Ben Winck, John Foley, Jean, Pierre Mustier, Atos, Larry Fink, Uncle Sam, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Procter & Gamble, REUTERS, Washington, Reuters, of America, PepsiCo, X, News Corp, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S

☆ Starboard dusts off old plan at News Corp
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view of the signage outside the News Corporation building in New York, U.S., September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Bing Guan Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Oct 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Maybe it takes a pile on to move the Murdoch family’s thinking. Reuters reported on Friday that Jeff Smith’s Starboard is the latest activist to try and unlock value at News Corp (NWSA.O), the publisher of the Wall Street Journal, owner of book conglomerate HarperCollins and Realtor.com. Starboard, which took a position in the $13 billion company, is pushing for a spinoff of the real estate assets, according to the Wall Street Journal. Last year Irenic Capital Management agitated for the same transaction in reaction to the Murdochs’ desire to reunite News Corp with broadcasting company Fox (FOXA.O).

Persons: Bing Guan, Murdoch, Jeff Smith’s, pushback, Jennifer Saba, Jean, Pierre Mustier, Atos, Larry Fink, Uncle Sam, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: News Corporation, REUTERS, Reuters, News Corp, Wall Street Journal, HarperCollins, Wall Street, Capital Management, Fox, X, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Europe

☆ Jean-Pierre Mustier enters Atos last chance saloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Atos (ATOS.PA) is ending its long-running governance farce by starting at the top. Former UniCredit (CRDI.MI) CEO Jean-Pierre Mustier is taking over as chairman of the 540 million euro French IT group. Mustier, who led a recapitalisation for UniCredit in 2017, has his work cut out. On Monday, Atos also delayed the split until the second quarter of 2024, sending its shares down as much as 4%. Atos’s growing cybersecurity unit Evidian, which accounts for two-thirds of its current operating profit, will remain listed after the split.

Persons: Jean, Pierre Mustier, Mustier, Atos, Daniel Kretinsky, Pierre Briancon, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, HSBC, UBS, X, Infosys, Thomson Locations: UniCredit, Czech, Europe

☆ St James’s Place adds extra twist to wealth pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - St James’s Place (SJP.L) is in a tricky spot. Wealth managers around the world are finding it harder to justify their fees as interest rates in countries like the UK have topped 5%. Friday’s 16% drop in the 4 billion pound UK wealth manager’s shares reflects its problematic twist on that trend. The UK firm is under pressure from regulators to overhaul its fee structure to comply with new rules brought in by the Financial Conduct Authority. SJP, run by CEO Andrew Croft, has been facing intense scrutiny due to its complex fee structure and stiff penalties for clients who look to withdraw their cash.

Persons: Andrew Croft, SJP, Aimee Donnellan, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Financial, Authority, Reuters Graphics Reuters, X, Infosys, Ericsson, Thomson Locations: Europe

☆ BlackRock’s Larry Fink squares off with Uncle Sam
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Laurence Fink, founder and chief executive officer of BlackRock, Inc. speaks during the Reuters Global Investment Outlook Summit in New York, U.S., November 13, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Oct 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - BlackRock (BLK.N) calls every dollar it manages a “unit of trust” expressed by clients. The trouble for the investing behemoth led by Larry Fink is that there’s an increasingly reliable custodian of such assets these days: Uncle Sam. Even so, $644 billion has crowded into retail money-market funds this year, crimping BlackRock’s all-important stock portfolios. Fink has been bulking up in infrastructure, credit and other investments that are harder to trade, but which also generate higher fees.

Persons: Laurence Fink, Lucas Jackson, ”, Larry Fink, Uncle Sam, Fink, crimping, Jonathan Guilford, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: Inc, Reuters Global Investment, REUTERS, Reuters, BlackRock, Graphics, Treasury, X, Infosys, Thomson Locations: BlackRock, New York, U.S, Europe

☆ Dollar General bets on old boss’s old magic
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Oct 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Dollar General (DG.N) is reaching back to happier days. In that time, shares plummeted 60%, compared to rival Dollar Tree’s (DLTR.O) gentler decline of roughly a fifth. Meanwhile, Dollar General has repeatedly missed analyst expectations as net profit margin fell from nearly 7% to estimates of 3% for this quarter, according to LSEG. Under his previous stint from 2015 until 2022, shares returned an annualized 19%, beating Dollar Tree, Walmart (WMT.N) and Big Lots (BIG.N). Dollar General faces plenty of challenges shared by all retailers, from rising wages to shifting consumer spending.

Persons: Todd Vasos, Jeff Owen, Vasos, Walt Disney, Bob Iger, Howard Schultz, outperforming, doesn’t, Jennifer Saba, Larry Fink, Uncle Sam, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Walmart, Walt, Starbucks, X, Infosys, Thomson Locations: Europe

☆ Trump Could Lose Trump Tower (and Other Properties) in Fraud Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Rukmini Callimachi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A New York judge put a spotlight on former President Donald J. Trump’s business empire this week, determining in a ruling that he had inflated the value of his properties by considerable sums to gain favorable terms on loans and insurance. If the ruling stands, Mr. Trump could lose control over some of his best-known New York real estate — an outcome the state’s attorney general, Letitia James, sought when she filed a lawsuit last year that accused him of fraud and called for the cancellation of his business certificates for any entities in the state that benefited from deceitful practices. The ruling by the judge, Arthur F. Engoron of the New York State Supreme Court, came before a trial, largely to decide possible penalties, that could begin as early as Monday. Mr. Trump’s lawyers are likely to appeal. Mr. Trump’s lawyers and a leading real estate expert have argued that Ms. James’s lawsuit does not properly factor in the Trump brand’s value or take into account the subjective nature of real estate valuations, with borrowers and lenders routinely offering differing estimates.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Letitia James, Arthur F Organizations: New York, Court, Trump Locations: York

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