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☆ The $25,000 electric vehicle is coming, with big implications for the auto market and car buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

And as the Biden administration pushes changes that seek to aggressively remake the car market in favor of EVs more quickly than previously anticipated. Tesla's lowest-priced model today is the Model 3 base MSRP of $41,990. There are also more financing options available in the auto loan market designed specifically for environmentally friendly cars. "There's nothing wrong with having a basic car as a first car. Tesla said its overall efforts have driven the cost of drive units, which include the car's electric motor, as low as $1,000.

☆ Oh Canada, is this the year the Stanley Cup comes home?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Not since the Montreal Canadiens beat the Los Angeles Kings in 1993 has the Stanley Cup been paraded through a Canadian city, an ego-deflating run of failure that has scarred a generation of fans. After winning the Stanley Cup in 1967, Maple Leafs defenceman Larry Hillman allegedly jinxed the team, saying they would not win it again until the club settled a contract dispute and paid him the $2,400 plus interest he believed he was owed. The Maple Leafs' big misfortune is playing in the same division as the Boston Bruins, who this season set NHL records for wins (65) and points (135), and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Stanley Cup finalists for the last three years. These two teams are once again hurdles that must be cleared on the way to a Stanley Cup. When the playoffs open on Monday, the Oilers will be the first of the Canadian teams to hit the ice, hosting the Los Angeles Kings in Game One of their best-of-seven series.

☆ A composer of classical music blasted in the LA metro to force unhoused people out of a station demanded the system stop using his work, saying 'no form of art should be used to discourage or limit fr
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The LA Metro blasted classical music in one of its stations to deter people from hanging out there. But the composer said he wasn't informed his music was being used and demanded Metro stop using it. But that came to an end when one composer was informed his work was being used as a deterrent. But it faced pushback when news outlets reported that it was blasting music, including Barcelona-based composer Adrián Berenguer's four-minute piece "Immaterial", which it played on loop. The Westlake/MacArthur Park station played different classical music by long-dead composers, including Beethoven and Bach, at lower volumes on Thursday, L.A. Taco reported.

☆ Honduras deploys hundreds of military agents to fight crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEGUCIGALPA, April 3 (Reuters) - Honduras' government deployed soldiers across the country as part of a plan to fight criminal groups, authorities said Monday, with official images showing hundreds of soldiers being commissioned for the project. "In this new stage we have the task of ending drug trafficking, crime and also capturing the leaders of maras (violent street gangs) and gangs. We will guarantee peace for the life of the Honduran people," Defense Minister Jose Manuel Zelaya said at a ceremony. The state of emergency, which suspends some constitutional rights, is set to last until April 20. Honduras registers an average of 10 homicides a day, according to security authorities.

☆ I've been a fortune teller since I was 4 years old. I've had plenty of skeptics — but for me, it's not about predicting the future.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Melissa Petro | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Jezmina Von Thiel is a fortune teller from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Von Thiel began her training as a fortune teller at age 4, and started working professionally at 16. I started my fortune teller training when I was just 4 years oldRoma are a diasporic ethnic group originally from Northern India around the 10th century. Courtesy of Jezmina Von ThielMy grandmother taught me that fortune telling was something that I could always fall back on if needed. Fortune telling is an undeniable part of the history, culture, and achievements of our people.

☆ Americans love to buy more car than they need. It's making electric cars more expensive.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But Americans love SUVs and trucks, and they're going to have to pay for them in the near term. A lot of prospective EV buyers just haven't yet found the types of EVs they're looking for. They don't necessarily need more luxury electric sedans — they want the trucks and SUVs they're used to. A recent study found most car-buyers don't want to spend more than $50,000 to go EV, but they also want electric trucks and SUVs that inherently cost more. Bigger vehicles are often just more expensive, largely because they require bigger batteries — the most expensive part of these new EVs.

☆ Lebanon has 'no other way out' than IMF deal, U.S. official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Retired Lebanese army officer holds Lebanese pound banknotes during a protest over the deteriorating economic situation in Beirut, Lebanon March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie MadiBEIRUT, March 30 (Reuters) - Lebanon has no alternative for economic recovery but to make progress on a deal with the International Monetary Fund, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. Leaf said in an online briefing she had urged Lebanese officials to make progress on the full deal and to end a months-long vacuum in the presidency. Leaf said that talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials in Egypt and Jordan in recent weeks had "very slowly, painstakingly" been moving towards de-escalation. Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Alex Richardson, Alison Williams and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ These electric vehicles need their batteries replaced most often
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

EV battery replacements could cost anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000, according to Recurrent. Recurrent studied how common it was for early EV models' batteries to be replaced. Including the two well-known EV battery pack recalls raises that percentage of battery replacements to 6.5%, according to Recurrent, or 975 of the 15,000. The Tesla Model 3 had one of the lower rates of battery replacement. David Zalubowski/APWhy does the likelihood of battery replacement matter?

☆ Electric cars I'd never buy, after driving 24 different models
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I've driven more than 20 different electric vehicles. Those models are the the GMC Hummer EV, Nissan Leaf, and ElectraMeccanica Solo. GMC Hummer EVThe GMC Hummer EV Edition 1. Nissan LeafFast-charging the 2022 Nissan Leaf. 2023 Nissan Leaf.

☆ Morning Bid: Calm returns: Investors switch to bank fundamentals
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Anshuman DagaTurbulence in global markets is gradually giving way to stability. A day after regional U.S. lender First Citizens BancShares moved to scoop up the assets of failed Silicon Valley Bank, brave investors can probably begin to ask, "Is the worst over?" A strong show of confidence is coming from U.S. authorities as bank regulators say the system is sound but rules need review. A recover in U.S. markets, especially in beaten-down bank shares, lifted Asian stocks on Monday while the safe-haven dollar declined. While the analysts expect a continuation of declining credit growth which is consistent with monetary tightening, they don't expect any credit crunch.

☆ ECB may copy Bank of England's way of steering rates: Schnabel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, March 27 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank could take a leaf from the Bank of England's book as it looks for new ways of managing liquidity in the banking sector and steering short-term interest rates on the market, ECB board member Isabel Schnabel said on Monday. The ECB is now rapidly shrinking its balance sheet but this is unlikely to fall back to its level of before the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, so policymakers are now studying a new way to steer short-term interest rates in a new normal. Using the same rate for providing and remunerating reserves ensures that money market rates will trade closely to the policy rate, Schnabel argued. Another benefit of such a demand-driven framework is that it offers more flexibility on how the central bank provides reserves. "A third benefit is that the Bank of England’s approach may potentially lead to a leaner balance sheet depending on banks’ demand for reserves," Schnabel said.

☆ African migrants stuck in Tunisia say racism persists after crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Sudanese refugee, Awadhya Hasan Amine, reacts during a protest asking for evacuation, outside the headquarters of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in Tunis, Tunisia March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Jihed AbidellaouiTUNIS, March 24 (Reuters) - Weeks after a violent crackdown on migrants in Tunisia that triggered a perilous rush to leave by smuggler boats for Italy, many African nationals are still homeless and jobless and some say they still face racist attacks. Outside the United Nations refugee agency in Tunis, dozens of African migrants stood protesting this week by the temporary camp where they have lived, including with children, since authorities urged landlords to force them from their homes. While the official crackdown appeared to end weeks ago, migrants say they still face abuse. "Tunisia is an African country.

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - The United States is "actively" working on re-establishing a diplomatic presence in Libya, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, although he declined to provide an exact time on when the U.S. embassy can be reopened. U.S. Special Envoy for Libya, Richard Norland, has operated out of the Tunisian capital, and took occasional trips into Libya. "I can't give you a timetable other than to say that this is something we're very actively working on. I want to see us be able to re-establish an ongoing presence in Libya," Blinken said at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. The United Nations' special envoy for Libya last month moved to take charge of a stalled political process to enable elections that are seen as the path to resolving years of conflict.

☆ Mexico makes lots of electric cars, but few Mexicans drive them
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Aida Pelaez-Fernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, BMW and Volkswagen's Audi unit also are producing EVs in Mexico, or plan to. "There are still a number of issues that need resolving in Mexico before there's a massive influx of electric cars," said Mario Hernandez, KPMG's lead manufacturing partner in Mexico. Hernandez said drawbacks included a lack of subsidies for buyers, high costs for installing charging devices at homes and a shortage of public charging stations, vital for longer journeys. Mexico has about 1,100 charging stations nationwide, mostly in the capital and other major cities, according to AMIA. Pedro Corral, director of operations for EV charging stations platform Evergo, drives his all-electric i3 BMW around Mexico City.

☆ Volkswagen beats Elon Musk in the race to cheap EVs, revealing a car it plans to sell for $26,600
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Tim Levin | Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

2all concept car won't ever make its way to the US. 2all concept: a small, battery-powered hatchback that it plans to sell for 25,000 euros ($26,600) or less when it goes into production in 2026. The Volkswagen ID. Volkswagen AGMusk's complicated, yearslong journey with the $25,000 EVIn 2020, Musk promised a fully autonomous, $25,000 vehicle as battery costs came down. At Tesla's first-ever Investor Day earlier this month, which many anticipated would bring news about a sub-$30,000 model, Musk mentioned almost nothing of the sort.

☆ Cocaine production is taking root in a new region
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Gavin Voss | Insight Crime | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The countries are still not major cocaine producers, but the seizures reflect the crop's hardiness. Honduras, on the other hand, has shown minimal cocaine production capabilities, with rudimentary labs capable of producing small amounts of cocaine. While they have limited cocaine production ability, increasing coca cultivation in traditionally non-producing countries could be a sign of bigger things to come. For anti-narcotics authorities around the region, the danger posed by up-and-coming coca producers is palpable. The US State Department has recognized this in its latest report, dubbing coca production in Honduras and Venezuela "troublesome."

☆ Hey, Bing, Help Me Overcome My Fear of College Basketball
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

I’m still learning so I appreciate your understanding and patience.🙏Do you know a lot about college basketball, and do you enjoy talking about it? Why are people so obsessed about the college basketball brackets? I've never filled out a college basketball March Madness bracket, and I heard that it's virtually impossible to do completely accurately, even if you predict the winner. When filling out my college basketball bracket, should I just guess according to what team names I like the best? :)I’m afraid I can’t fill out a March Madness bracket, as I’m just a chat mode of Microsoft Bing search.

☆ Guerrilla Gardeners Meet Billionaire Doomsayer. Hurly-Burly Ensues.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Dwight Garner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Catton resembles one of those teachers who can take a student’s simple-minded question and, without condescending, shape it into an ingenious one. The bullets really fly in “Birnam Wood.” The big explosion will probably go off. The Birnam Wood collective makes sure its apolitical Facebook page is sunny and welcoming. Birnam Wood has this cockeyed, D.I.Y. She’s aching to leave the collective, and she may not be as sensible as we think she is.

But production is running at least a third below plan, keeping the Ariya from shipping to new customers, according to three of the people and production planning notes reviewed by Reuters. Implementation has proved "an extremely, extremely high challenge" and the advanced paint line has become a persistent headache, one of the people said. In a statement to Reuters, Nissan said Ariya production had faced challenges including supply of semiconductors, disruptions in components shipments and the factory's paint line. EVs accounted for just 4.5% of Nissan's global sales of 3.2 million vehicles in 2022. Output over the next two months is expected to fall short of that, according to production planning notes from last month reviewed by Reuters.

☆ Nissan to overhaul electric powertrains for EVs, hybrids in search of cost cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Japanese automaker said it will use the same components across models to make electric powertrains - the assembly which propels a vehicle - smaller and lighter, and reduce development and production costs by 30% within three years versus 2019. "Materials that don't use such expensive precious metals are being developed, which will be a major factor in reducing costs," Hirai said. The effort is among many by automakers trying to make new-energy vehicles more affordable, such as by reducing the cost of electric powertrains which have yet to achieve parity with those used in traditionally powered vehicles. Nissan will apply its streamlined approach to powertrains to different sizes of vehicles, expecting to equip such vehicles as micro "kei" and mid-sized cars from 2024 or 2025, Hirai said. Nissan became one of the first mass-market electric-vehicle makers with its Leaf model more than a decade ago.

☆ Dutch historian finds medieval treasure using metal detector
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Charlotte Campenhout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Part of the 1000-year-old medieval treasure discovered in Hoogwoud, Netherlands, consisting of jewellery and silver coins, is shown in this undated handout picture obtained by Reuters. Archeologie West-Friesland/Handout via REUTERSAMSTERDAM, March 9 (Reuters) - A Dutch historian found a unique 1,000-year-old medieval golden treasure, consisting of four golden ear pendants, two strips of gold leaf and 39 silver coins, the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden) announced on Thursday. Lorenzo Ruijter, 27, who told Reuters he has been treasure hunting since he was 10, discovered the treasure in 2021 in the small northern city of Hoogwoud, using a metal detector. "Golden jewellery from the High Middle Ages is extremely rare in the Netherlands," the museum also said. Given its archaeological significance, the treasure was given as a loan to the museum which will display it, but it will remain the official property of finder Lorenzo Ruijter.

☆ NHL roundup: Connor McDavid's historic multi-goal streak hits 5
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

McDavid has scored two goals in each of the past five games and has an NHL-leading 52 for the season. Klim Kostin and former Maple Leaf Zach Hyman added a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who had lost their previous two games. Mitchell Marner logged a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who had a three-game winning streak end. Owen Tippett and Scott Laughton scored one goal apiece for the slumping Flyers, who have dropped four in a row. Jordan Staal and Martin Necas scored goals for Carolina, which took its second straight loss.

☆ Dollar Tree Has Turned Over a New Leaf
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Jinjoo Lee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Dollar Tree is no longer looking wilted under new management. Further growth won’t come cheap, though. The retailer said on Wednesday that comparable-store sales grew 8.7% for the Dollar Tree chain in the quarter ended Jan. 28 compared with a year earlier—better than the 7.2% growth analysts polled by Visible Alpha were expecting.

☆ Britain's coronation throne gets revamp ahead of King Charles' crowning
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] The inside of Westminster Abbey in central London is seen in this general view taken April 20, 2011. Charles will follow some of his famous forebears, such as King Henry VIII, Queen Victoria and his own mother Elizabeth II, in being crowned on the chair. It has featured in coronation ceremonies since 1308, and has been the chair used to crown monarchs since Henry IV in 1399, the Abbey says. "The coronation chair is extremely fragile. It has a complex layer structure which means that the gilding layers on it often flake off," Blessley said.

☆ Nissan raises global EV targets; to boost U.S. input
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nissan now aims to have electrified vehicles - which include its advanced hybrid e-power cars - make up over 55% of global sales by fiscal 2030, up from a previous goal of 50%, it said. The EV mix will increase to 44% by fiscal 2026 from an earlier target of 40%, Nissan said. REUTERS/Mike BlakeThe automaker plans 27 new electrified vehicles by that year, 19 of which will be all-battery EVs, it said in a statement. That compared with its previous plan of 23 electrified vehicles including 15 all-battery EVs. Nissan is confident it will be in compliance with the Act due to the localisation of battery production starting from 2026.

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