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☆ Amazon employees learned they were laid off by email, not a face-to-face with managers or HR. Read the email they were sent.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Eugene Kim | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon notified laid-off employees by email only, not face-to-face meetings, multiple sources said. Amazon started reaching out to laid-off employees on Wednesday by email as the company embarked on the largest job cuts in company history. Employees were individually notified just by email, not by face-to-face meetings with their respective managers or with human resources personnel, according to five people who spoke to Insider. Amazon's HR boss Beth Galetti told employees on Wednesday that those affected will soon have meetings with their leaders, as Insider previously reported. Access to internal email, Chime, and AtoZ will be available on your non-Amazon device throughout the remainder of your tenure.

☆ As Amazon conducts its largest layoff, its HR boss sent another email to employees urging 'support and care' for those laid off
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Beth Galetti, Amazon's HR boss, sent an email asking employees to show support for those affected. As Amazon embarked on the largest layoffs in company history, HR boss Beth Galetti urged employees to show support for each other. In her email, Galetti reiterated that most of the layoffs will affect the retail division (Amazon Stores) and HR (People Experience and Technology). Conversations with impacted employees took place around the world today, and this morning, Pacific Time, notification messages were sent to all impacted employees in the U.S., Canada, and Costa Rica. In other regions, we are following local processes, which may include time for consultation with employee representative bodies and possibly result in longer timelines to communicate with impacted employees.

☆ China's BYD takes cautious approach to U.S. in global EV push
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Norihiko Shirouzu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] The logo of BYD is pictured at the 2022 Paris Auto Show in Paris, France October 17, 2022. While BYD has not fully articulated its global ambitions in public, a concerted worldwide push has become the single most important strategic focus for China's biggest EV maker, four sources familiar with BYD management's thinking said. "BYD is taking a cautious approach to the U.S.," the person said. "I would say BYD at this point is already better positioned than Tesla in the EV era." "America is going to be a key, key part of this global push strategy," one said.

☆ Read the emails Amazon's HR and retail bosses sent to employees as its largest layoff in company history starts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Amazon's HR and retail bosses sent out the following emails to employees on Wednesday. In response, Amazon's HR boss Beth Galetti and most senior retail executive Doug Herrington sent out the following emails to their respective teams. I understand how difficult this news is for our entire team, especially for those employees who are directly impacted. Notification emails will be sent out to impacted employees shortly, and we expect all notifications in the U.S., Canada and Costa Rica to be completed by end of the day today. Although other companies might have balked at the short-term economics, we prioritized investing for customers and employees during these unprecedented times.

☆ Kenyan data labelers were paid $2 an hour to label child sexual abuse, bestiality, and other horrific content for ChatGPT creator OpenAI, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kenyan workers were reportedly paid up to $2 an hour to label explicit content used to train ChatGPT. OpenAI confirmed that it used Kenyan workers to help build out a tool that tags problematic content, according to a statement to Time. "Classifying and filtering harmful [text and images] is a necessary step in minimizing the amount of violent and sexual content included in training data and creating tools that can detect harmful content." Still, the nature of the work has caused severe distress for some data labelers, according to the report. Sama told Time that it provides one-on-one mental health counseling and wellness programs for employees to de-stress.

☆ Read the memos Amazon execs sent to employees about job cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Employees were notified of the cuts in emails sent by Doug Herrington, the company's worldwide retail chief, and human resources head Beth Galetti, CNBC confirmed. Amazon's human resources and stores divisions are likely to be among the organizations most severely impacted by the job cuts. Notification emails will be sent out to impacted employees shortly, and we expect all notifications in the U.S., Canada and Costa Rica to be completed by end of the day today. Although other companies might have balked at the short-term economics, we prioritized investing for customers and employees during these unprecedented times. Conversations with impacted employees took place around the world today, and this morning, Pacific Time, notification messages were sent to all impacted employees in the U.S., Canada, and Costa Rica.

Travel insurance weekly rates at a glance:Average premium: $288.99Average trip cost: $5,763.06Average trip length: 16 daysGet your free travel insurance quote with SquareMouth »What is travel insurance? Insider's Featured Travel Insurance Companies World Nomads Travel InsuranceAllianz Travel InsuranceTravelex travel insurance Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Policy type Average days between purchase to trip Average trip length (days) Average trip cost Average cost of travel insurance Cancellation 53 13 $5,763.06 $288.99 Non-cancellation 16 21 N/A $95.86Source: SquareMouthWhen is the best time to travel? When calculating your travel insurance premium, travel insurance providers consider the likelihood of a medical emergency. Get your free travel insurance quote with SquareMouth »Travel Insurance Rates FAQsHow much does travel insurance cost?

☆ We asked House lawmakers about scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos. Most Republicans want nothing to do with him.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

But Santos is clearly a problem for House Republicans. But three days later, Miller — who actually represents Ohio's 7th district — became the eighth House Republican to publicly call for Santos to resign. said Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, who said that Santos "seems nice" even as he appeared unaware of the extent of his controversies. At a press conference on Thursday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pointedly declared that Santos was "an issue that Republicans need to handle." Santos and Ocasio-Cortez briefly spoke on the sidelines of a gaggle of GOP lawmakers on the House floor on Wednesday, January 4.

☆ Analysis: Investors snap up record $39 bln emerging market sovereign bond splurge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The scale of borrowing dwarfs the previous record of $26 billion raised in the same period in 2018, data from Morgan Stanley shows. ROARING STARTWhile emerging bond markets are off to a roaring start, that might not translate into a bumper year overall. That is well above last year's multi-year low of $95 billion, but well short of 2020's record $233 billion. "The blessing for 2023 is that we haven't got a huge spike in Eurobonds maturities for the frontier," said Gregory Smith, emerging markets fund manager at M&G Investments, referring to what are perceived as the riskiest of emerging markets. "Kenya and Angola will need to tap the market, while South Africa is staying away completely this year," she said.

What are credit card and bank rewards points worth? One great feature of the program is that all points are equal, so any account that earns Membership Rewards points has access to transfer partners. If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards customer, you'll earn 25% to 75% more points, depending on how much you have on deposit, but your rewards points are still worth 1 cent apiece. You can transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, and Citi ThankYou to JetBlue, but the ratio varies depending on the rewards program. However, those miles expire after 36 months regardless of your account activity, so only transfer miles when you have immediate plans to redeem them.

Travel insurance weekly rates at a glance:Average premium: $275.52Average trip cost: $5,652.66Average trip length: 16 daysWhat is travel insurance? Insider's Featured Travel Insurance Companies World Nomads Travel InsuranceAllianz Travel InsuranceTravelex travel insurance Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Policy type Average days between purchase to trip Average trip length (days) Average trip cost Average cost of travel insurance Cancellation 53 13 $5,652.66 $363.74 Non-cancellation 16 21 N/A $95.86Source: SquareMouthAverage cost of travel insurance by ageA traveler's age is a significant factor in determining the cost of travel insurance. When calculating your travel insurance premium, travel insurance providers consider the likelihood of a medical emergency. Travel Insurance Rates FAQsHow much does travel insurance cost?

☆ Global leaders condemn assault on Brazilian government buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Brazil's democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined. Using violence to attack democratic institutions is always unacceptable. BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT LUIS ARCE"We strongly condemn the assault on the Brazilian Congress, Palace and Supreme Court by anti-democratic groups. A return to normality is urgently needed and we express solidarity with Brazilian institutions. We categorically condemn the assault on the Brazilian Congress and make a call for the immediate return to democratic normality."

☆ A teacher in Wisconsin who missed her $4,000 honeymoon cruise after Southwest canceled her flight still hasn't gotten her luggage back after 11 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two teachers from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, were among thousands to have Southwest flights canceled. Marcus and Andrea Grasenick said they missed their honeymoon cruise after a canceled flight. Eleven days later, Andrea Grasenick was still waiting on her two suitcases to be returned. "I could see our bags outside in the snow from inside the airport," Andrea Grasenick told Insider. The airline canceled over 2,900 flights on December 26, accounting for about half of all canceled flights across the world that day.

☆ I work in party hostels all around the world. I clean gross rooms and host all-night pub crawls in exchange for a free place to live — here's what it's like.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jenny Powers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Taylor Futch works at party hostels and does everything from leading pub crawls to manning the desk. I worked at 4 hostels in 2022After Brazil, I worked at one of Europe's famous party hostels, Rising Cock Party Hostel in Lagos, Portugal, for two months and had an incredible experience. My job is to get to know the guests and host a series of nightly events like beer pong and pub trivia. You're bound to find some interesting things while cleaning inside a party hostel. My birthday fell on a Thursday, which is when my hostel has its weekly party, so I wound up DJing.

☆ Meet a 36-year-old broker who rents luxury vacation villas to tech billionaires and celebrities paying up to $25,000 a night
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Now, she manages a private portfolio of luxury villas in Greece that cost up to $25,000 a night. Categorized by five, six, and seven-star properties, Kennedy's multi-million dollar villas are not your typical vacation rental — and you won't find them on Airbnb. Nightly rates for her portfolio of ten villas in Greece range, for example, from $4,000 to $25,000. A spokesperson said Elon Musk has also stayed in one of the Mykonos villas, but declined to share documentation or additional details regarding his trip, citing NDA restrictions. Not all rich people are made equalTesla CEO Elon Musk was photographed on board a luxury yacht this July in Mykonos, Greece.

Travel insurance weekly rates at a glance:Average premium: $298.10Average trip cost: $5,844.48Average trip length: 16 daysWhat is travel insurance? Insider's Featured Travel Insurance Companies World Nomads Travel InsuranceAllianz Travel InsuranceTravelex travel insurance Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Policy type Average days between purchase to trip Average trip length (days) Average trip cost Average cost of travel insurance Cancellation 53 14 $5,844.48 $371.67 Non-cancellation 16 21 N/A $96.17Source: SquareMouthAverage cost of travel insurance by ageA traveler's age is a significant factor in determining the cost of travel insurance. When calculating your travel insurance premium, travel insurance providers consider the likelihood of a medical emergency. Travel Insurance Rates FAQsHow much does travel insurance cost?

☆ U.S. Treasury says consumer leases can qualify for EV tax credits
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The announcement is a win for South Korea and some automakers that earlier this month sought approval to use the commercial electric vehicle tax credit to boost consumer EV access. The $430 billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed in August ended $7,500 consumer tax credits for purchases of electric vehicles assembled outside North America, angering South Korea, the European Union, Japan and others. Treasury said it was using "longstanding tax principles" to determine consumer leasing could qualify for the EV tax credit. The commercial credit does not, however, have the sourcing restrictions of the consumer credit. That law lifts the 200,000-vehicle per manufacturer cap that had made Tesla (TSLA.O) and General Motors (GM.N) ineligible for EV tax credits starting Jan. 1.

The average cost of travel insurance has increased over the past week, according to travel agency Squaremouth. Travel insurance weekly rates at a glance:Average premium: $188.33Average trip cost: $4,778.06Average trip length: 16 daysWhat is travel insurance? Insider's Featured Travel Insurance Companies World Nomads Travel InsuranceAllianz Travel InsuranceTravelex travel insurance Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. When calculating your travel insurance premium, travel insurance providers consider the likelihood of a medical emergency. Travel Insurance Rates FAQsHow much does travel insurance cost?

☆ The world's in a 'polycrisis' — and these countries want to quash it by looking beyond GDP
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Mostly led by women, Finland, Iceland, Scotland, Wales and New Zealand are all members of the Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership. "Which I think is why we're seeing such growing interest in the well-being economy approach, both here in Scotland and around the world." A post-growth society is one that resists the demand for constant economic growth. Mostly led by women, Finland, Iceland, Scotland, Wales and New Zealand are all members of the Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership. 'GDP is not a way to measure richness'The push to look beyond economic growth comes at a time of growing calls to end fossil fuel production worldwide.

☆ Most House members didn't show up in person to vote on a $1.7 trillion government funding bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The House passed a $1.7 trillion government funding bill Friday, sending it to President Biden's desk. But a majority of House members were not physically present for the vote due to proxy voting. But most members of the House weren't there for the vote — at least in person. Below is a list of the members who voted by proxy, acccording to the the House Clerk. "For the first time in history, a bill in the House was passed without a physical quorum present – meaning more people voted from home than in the House Chamber," said McCarthy.

☆ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been vacationing in Costa Rica during one of the most consequential legislative weeks of the year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been vacationing in Costa Rica this week. The entire time, the Georgia congresswoman was vacationing with her kids — and her ex-husband — in Costa Rica. Greene boarding a flight to Liberia, Costa Rica at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday, December 18. Greene looking at her phone at baggage claim at the airport in Liberia, Costa Rica on Sunday. "Now that COVID is over and we're back to normal life, Congresswoman Greene is ready to end proxy voting," Greene spokesman Nick Dyer told Insider in May.

☆ 5 ways reading 'Atomic Habits' changed how I live and work for the better
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

She read "Atomic Habits" by James Clear to improve her productivity and address distractions. Here are five ways that my life changed for the better after I tried Clear's principles:1. I beat distractions in my spaceAccording to "Atomic Habits," the first law of behavior change is to "make it obvious." After reading "Atomic Habits," I set an alarm for 20 minutes so I'd get it done under pressure and separated everything into three piles: essentials, nice-to-have, and extras. One of my goals last year was to get really good at recording Instagram Reels and posting every day, and "Atomic Habits" gave me a tangible strategy that helped me achieve this.

The average cost of travel insurance has increased over the past week, according to travel agency Squaremouth. Travel insurance weekly rates at a glance:Average premium: $240.24Average trip cost: $5,571.95Average trip length: 16 daysWhat is travel insurance? Insider's Featured Travel Insurance Companies World Nomads Travel InsuranceAllianz Travel InsuranceTravelex travel insurance Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Policy type Average days between purchase to trip Average trip length (days) Average trip cost Average cost of travel insurance Cancellation 53 14 $5,571.95 $379.28 Non-cancellation 16 21 N/A $96.07Source: SquareMouthAverage cost of travel insurance by ageA traveler's age is a significant factor in determining the cost of travel insurance. When calculating your travel insurance premium, travel insurance providers consider the likelihood of a medical emergency.

☆ Factbox: 10 memorable impressions from the Qatar World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SAUDI ARABIA STUN ARGENTINAArgentina were cruising in their opening Group C game after Lionel Messi scored a first-half penalty. RONALDO EXITS FINAL WORLD CUP IN TEARSPortugal's talisman became the first male player to score in five World Cups with a penalty against Ghana. FIRST FEMALE REFEREE AT A MEN'S WORLD CUPFrenchwoman Stephanie Frappart was handed control of Germany's final Group E clash against Costa Rica, becoming the first female referee to officiate at a men's World Cup. Costa Rica coach Luis Fernando Suarez described it as a big step forward in 'sexist sport' and the 39-year-old Frappart produced a calm and assured display in Germany's victory. Germany needed a win over Costa Rica and for Spain to beat Japan to go through as runners-up, and at halftime that was exactly what was happening.

☆ REVIEW Soccer-Whatever the ending, Qatar World Cup duly delivered
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Both scenarios would be an appropriate final act to the first World Cup staged in an Arab country. But for a month the so-called beautiful game did, in the words of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, spread some joy. The marquee names of Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo delivered storylines. In five second-half minutes Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari wrote themselves into Saudi sporting folklore by scoring the goals to overturn a Messi penalty and seal the biggest statistical shock in World Cup history. Messi, channelling his inner-Maradona, inspired Argentina to beat Croatia and few would begrudge the diminutive number 10's record-breaking 26th World Cup appearance ending with him holding aloft the gleaming trophy.

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