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☆ BTS agency HYBE seeks U.S. deals after withdrawing bid for SM Entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Members of K-pop boy band BTS pose for photographs during a news conference promoting their new album "BE(Deluxe Edition)" in Seoul, South Korea, November 20, 2020. The company's efforts to expand its portfolio of music labels and fan community platforms come after HYBE on Sunday withdrew its plan to take over rival label SM Entertainment (041510.KQ) after a weeks-long battle with social media giant Kakao (035720.KS). HYBE owns multiple subsidiary labels and management companies including Ithaca Holdings, boasting a range of artists including BTS, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. The slowdown was largely, but not exclusively, due to the absence of BTS, who are currently on a break as a group, he said. Bang declined to comment on details of a new partnership deal with Kakao Entertainment on fan platform businesses, but added he was "personally satisfied" with the arrangement despite losing the bid to acquire SM Entertainment.

Using the U.S. government’s latest estimates, Argentina’s corn and soy yields are set to fall 29% and 33%, respectively, from the long-term trends. Corn and soy yields fell 13% and 28% below trend in 2009, respectively, and they each fell 24% in 2018. Corn and soy yields: Argentina, Brazil, USAUSAComparable U.S. drought events include 1988 and 2012, where corn yields fell a respective 28% and 24% below trend. The only other year since where corn losses came anywhere close was 1993, when extreme flooding cut corn yield by 19%. Corn yields fell more than 40% below trend in Illinois and Indiana in 2012, and in Iowa and Minnesota in 1993.

☆ Hundreds of migrants try to force their way into US at Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Jose Luis Gonzalez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, try to cross the barrier of the Mexican army, to enter the Paso del Norte international bridge, during a protest to request asylum in the United States, seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, March 12, 2023. Frustrated with problems securing appointments to seek asylum using a new U.S. government app, the migrants gathered at the frontier in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, but could not breach the crossing connecting the two countries. At one point, some migrants attempted to hurl an orange, plastic barrier at the U.S. line, Reuters images show. Neither U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) nor the Mexican government's national migration authority immediately replied to requests for comment. They say the app is beset by persistent glitches and high demand, leaving them in limbo in perilous border regions.

☆ 'Mexico is safer than the U.S.', Mexican president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Dave Graham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MEXICO CITY, March 13 (Reuters) - Mexico's president said on Monday his country is safer than the United States, pushing back against U.S. critics of his security record following a deadly kidnapping this month near the border that claimed the lives of two Americans. The March 3 attack on four Americans in the Mexican city of Matamoros and their subsequent abduction was covered closely by U.S. media and sparked recriminations from politicians in the U.S., particularly Republicans. By the time Mexican authorities found the Americans, two of them were dead. "Mexico is safer than the United States," he told reporters when questioned about the warnings at a news conference. Additional reporting by Isabel Woodford and Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City and Julia Harte in New York; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Another friend traveled all the way to Texas with the 4 Americans who were kidnapped in Mexico but didn't cross the border with them because she didn't have her ID
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A friend of the four kidnapped Americans in Mexico traveled all the way to Texas with the group. But the woman stayed behind at a hotel in Texas because she didn't have her ID, the AP reported. That's all, and this happened to them," Orange told the AP. Zalandria Brown, Zindell Brown's sister, previously told the AP that her brother was worried about crossing the border. Meanwhile, Williams' wife, Michelle Williams, told WBTW that she had no clue her husband was headed to Mexico.

☆ Americans Kidnapped, Killed in Mexico Were Victims of Violent Border City
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Juan Montes | José De Córdoba | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MEXICO CITY—The four Americans who came to the border city of Matamoros last week looking for medical treatment stumbled into a city under the control of powerful factions of the historic Gulf Cartel that extort businesses, traffic migrants and smuggle fentanyl and other drugs across the Rio Grande. Matamoros, a city of 500,000 on the border with Brownsville, Texas, is a key commercial hub in the state of Tamaulipas, and has in recent years drawn Americans in search of affordable medical treatment and low-cost surgeries. It is also the birthplace of the Gulf Cartel, one of Mexico’s oldest and most powerful criminal organizations, and home to a recent rise in armed violence between drug gangs, Mexican authorities and security analysts say.

☆ Americans Kidnapped, Killed in Mexico Stumbled Into Violent Border City
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Juan Montes | José De Córdoba | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ CERAWEEK-TotalEnergies CEO talk briefly interrupted by protestor
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Ron Bousso | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Patrick Pouyanne, the CEO of TotalEnergies, listens to a question from Daniel Yergin, the vice chairman of S&P Global, during the CERAWeek 2023 energy conference in Houston, Texas, U.S., March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Callaghan O'HareCompanies TotalEnergies SE FollowHOUSTON, March 8 (Reuters) - A protestor briefly interrupted an on-stage discussion with France's TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne at an energy industry conference in Houston on Wednesday. The protestor unfurled a banner and shouted "stop your greenwashing and lies." She was ushered away before the on-stage discussion between Pouyanne and U.S. energy historian Daniel Yergin continued. The CERAWeek energy conference is the biggest annual gathering of oil executives and officials and takes place in Houston, the capital of the U.S. energy industry.

☆ Wife of American man kidnapped in Mexico didn't know he was crossing the border. He just said he needed to help out a couple of friends.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The wife of one of the Americans kidnapped in Mexico didn't know he was headed there. Michelle Williams, the wife of Eric Williams, told WBTW in an interview that she only knew her husband was helping out two friends. I just knew he was going somewhere to help two friends," the wife told the news outlet. Meanwhile, Brown's sister, Zalandria Brown, told the Associated Press that her brother was worried about crossing the border. "This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from," Zalandria Brown told the AP.

☆ The 4 Americans who were attacked after crossing the Mexican border were traveling to get a tummy tuck procedure, relatives say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Chris Panella | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two of the four Americans kidnapped in Mexican are dead, while the other two were found alive. Relatives told CNN and ABC News the group traveled for one of them to get a tummy tuck procedure. Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal said the other two Americans were found alive in Tamaulipas, according to Latinus journalist Claudio Ochoa Huerta. Obrador confirmed at a press conference Monday that the group was abducted on March 3 in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, near the Rio Grande and southern US border with Brownsville, Texas. It was originally reported by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that the group traveled to buy medication.

Diverse creators are building incubators, their own production pipelines and venues where they can screen work and receive feedback and support each other. Of the 13,252 Oscar nominees since 1929, 6% are from underrepresented ethnicities, a USC Annenberg Inclusion at the Academy Awards report concludes. Located in Atlanta and Los Angeles, it creates collaborative spaces for diverse talent to support each other. As the most underrepresented group in the industry, Latino talent is also keen to change their narrative. There were 32 years without Latino nominees at the Academy Awards, with the most recent shutout in 2002.

GMO wheat has never been grown for commercial purposes due to consumer fears about allergens or toxicities in the staple crop used worldwide for bread, pasta and pastries. The association was against adopting GMO wheat previously, but changed its stance after a survey it commissioned showed more than 70% of Brazilians would not mind consuming products containing it. Bioceres has said its GMO wheat "showed higher yields than conventional varieties across all environments, with an average 43% yield improvement in targeted environments." In November 2021, Brazil became the first country in the world to allow imports of flour made with GM wheat. "The approval for planting, imports and commercialization of GMO wheat resolves this issue, bringing peace of mind to different market actors," Abitrigo said in a statement.

Hong Kong/Seoul CNN —The billionaire mastermind behind some of the world’s biggest K-pop stars is pushing back on accusations that he’s trying to monopolize the Korean music industry. “It wouldn’t be correct to say that we’re trying to take over the whole industry,” Bang told CNN in an exclusive interview in Seoul. Bang Si-Hyuk, who chairs the HYBE management agency, spoke with CNN's Richard Quest on Tuesday. “When the two companies are combined, a monopoly and oligopolistic group of companies that account for approximately 66% of total market sales will be created,” it told CNN. The company would then announce the outcome and next steps, it told CNN on Friday.

☆ Passenger says airline offered him an 8-hour bus ride to his destination after his connecting flight was canceled
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A passenger said WestJet offered him an eight-hour bus trip after a connecting flight was canceled. The Canadian airline said it was arranging a bus service, which would depart at 4:30 pm to ferry passengers from Calgary to Regina. Other passengers in the line weren't so lucky and had to wait until Wednesday to fly to Regina, Henderson said. A spokesperson for WestJet told Insider in a statement the flight cancellation was due to "unscheduled aircraft maintenance." Ground transportation was arranged to offer a travel option to impacted customers who couldn't wait for another flight, the spokesperson added.

☆ Factbox: As Tesla prepares a Mexico plant, a look at auto plants in Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A general view shows the General Motors assembly plant in Ramos Arizpe, in Coahuila state, Mexico February 11, 2021. REUTERS/Daniel BecerrilFeb 28 (Reuters) - Mexico has long been a manufacturing hub in North America for multiple automakers, and the country is trying to position itself for the wave of electric vehicles (EVs) to come. The auto sector is a driver of Mexico's major manufacturing industry, which is heavily integrated into U.S. and Canadian supply chains. Mexican officials on Tuesday said Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) is the latest automaker with plans to build a plant in Mexico. Here are major automakers with plants in Mexico -General Motors Co (GM.N)Silao Plant in the central city in Guanajuato state, produces Chevrolet and GMC full-size pickup trucksRamos Arizpe Plant in the northern city in Coahuila state, builds the Chevrolet Equinox and Blazer SUVs now and will build the 2024 Blazer EV and Equinox EVSan Luis Potosi Plant in the state capital of the central state of San Luis Potosi, produces the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC TerrainFord Motor Co (F.N)Cuautitlan Assembly plant in the central city of Cuautitlan Izcalli, produces Ford Mustang Mach-EHermosillo Assembly Plant in the state capital of the northern state of Sonora, produces Ford Bronco Sport and Ford MaverickToyota Motor Corp (7203.T)Toyota Motor Manufacturing de Baja California in the northern border city of Tijuana, Baja California, produces the Toyota Tacoma pickupToyota Motor Manufacturing de Guanajuato in Apaseo el Grande, Guanajuato, produces the Toyota TacomaStellantis (STLAM.MI)Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant in the state capital of Coahuila, produces Ram light and heavy-duty pickupsSaltillo Van Assembly Plant, makes the Ram ProMaster vanToluca Assembly Plant, produces the Jeep CompassNissan Motor Co (7201.T)Nissan Mexicana (Cuernavaca) in the central city of Jiutepec, produces NP300 pickup truckNissan Mexicana (Aguascalientes 1 Plant) in the central city of Aguascalientes, produces March, Versa, KicksNissan Mexicana (Aguascalientes 2 Plant), produces SentraNissan also has a joint venture plant with Mercedes (MBGn.DE) in Aguascalientes, making the Infinti QX 50 and 55 SUVs, and Mercedes GLB SUVHonda Motor Co (7267.T)Honda de Mexico (HDM) in Celaya, Guanajuato, produces HR-VVolkswagen (VOWG_p.DE)Volkswagen de México in Sanctorum, Puebla, produces Jetta, Tiguan, TaosVW's Audi unit in San José Chiapa, Puebla, produces Audi Q5 premium SUV and plans to start manufacturing EVs by 2027Mazda Motor Corp (7261.T)Mazda de Mexico Vehicle Operation (MMVO) in Salamanca, Guanajuato, produces Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda CX-30Kia AmericaHyundai Motor Co's (005380.KS) Kia has a plant in Pesqueria, Nuevo Leon, produces Kia Forte, RioBMW AGBMW Plant in San Luis Potosi, produces BMW 3 Series, 2 Series and will produce fully electric "Neue Klasse" modelsSOURCES: Carmakers and Auto Forecast SolutionsCompiled by Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ AI-generated audio of Joe Biden and Donald Trump trashtalking while gaming is taking over TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Allegra Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

On TikTok, faked audio created by AI of Joe Biden and Donald Trump gaming has become a hit meme. But the ease with voice AI can be used for jokes also shows how easy it is to fake convincing quotes. The Biden Cinematic UniverseOn the @bidenandfriends TikTok account, "Sleepy Joe" plays Minecraft and other video games with his best (and worst) buddies. Other political and celebrity figures pop up in various installments, but the core trio of Trump, Biden, and Obama seems to persist across the lore. "I remember when people thought AI would kill us all, but this is how we use it," commented one TikTok user.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves after hours: Nvidia, Etsy, Lucid, Bumble, Moderna and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Etsy posted revenue of $807 million, smashing estimates of $752 million, according to Refinitiv. The company also forecast current quarter revenue of $600 million and $640 million, compared to estimates of $622 million. eBay — The online auction platform reported fourth quarter earnings of $1.07 per share excluding items, on revenues of $2.51 billion. Bumble — The online dating site jumped nearly 5% after it reported better-than-expected fourth quarter earnings and revenue. Bumble posted revenue of $191 million, above the $186 million estimated by analysts polled by FactSet.

☆ Lucid's revenue falls short of estimates as it guides to higher EV production in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( John Rosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Electric vehicle start-up Lucid on Sept. 28, 2021 said production of its first cars for customers has started at its factory in in Casa Grande, Arizona. Electric vehicle maker Lucid on Wednesday reported fourth-quarter revenue that fell short of expectations after building just 7,000 of its Air luxury sedans last year amid manufacturing challenges. But the company said it expects to make between 10,000 and 14,000 vehicles in 2023. The company's bottom line likewise improved, coming in narrower than the 64-cent loss per share it posted in the year-ago period. The company said in April that Saudi Arabia's government had agreed to buy up to 100,000 of its vehicles over the next 10 years.

☆ Not so quiet on the BAFTA front as anti-war remake tops the billing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Albrecht Schuch, Edward Berger, and Malte Grunert arrive at the world premiere of "All Quiet on the Western Front" at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 12, 2022. REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File PhotoLONDON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - A German remake of anti-war classic "All Quiet on the Western Front" leads the contenders at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, the country's highest accolade for the industry. "Banshees", about two feuding friends on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, and "Everything Everywhere" each have received 10 nominations. Bill Nighy ("Living"), Paul Mescal (Aftersun") and Daryl McCormack ("Good Luck to You, Leo Grande") complete the leading actor nominees list. BAFTA Chief Executive Jane Millichip said while Grozev would not attend the ceremony, the film's nominated producers would.

☆ And the winner is... London rolls out red carpet for BAFTA Film Awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Banshees", about two feuding friends on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, and "Everything Everywhere" each received 10 nominations. Bill Nighy ("Living"), Paul Mescal (Aftersun") and Daryl McCormack ("Good Luck to You, Leo Grande") complete the leading actor nominees list. "Woman King" director Gina Prince-Bythewood is the only woman in the running for the director award, but the outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer category features all female nominees. They’re one of the only big award shows that actually shares voting members with the Academy," Riley said. "The Screen Actors' Guild... obviously share some overlap... but BAFTAs really are first look at what the Oscars may be thinking."

☆ Putin's plan is to 'out-suffer' Ukraine and win by sending hundreds of thousands of Russians to die, retired US general Petraeus says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

David Petraeus thinks Vladimir Putin hopes to beat Ukraine by sacrificing more lives. Petraeus was referring to two major conflicts that Russia managed to win, but at an enormous cost. Putin announced a partial military mobilization in September, drafting 300,000 people from Russia's reservists to fight in Ukraine. "Russia still has enormous military capacity and is certainly still a nuclear superpower, as well as a country with enormous energy, mineral, and agricultural blessing," Petraeus said. Petraeus in January also called for more aid for Ukraine from the West, saying that the war with Russia is now at a pivotal point.

After a dearth of plant approvals last decade, developers have secured dozens of long-term contracts to finance new multibillion-dollar LNG plants. The United States was long an importer of LNG, but natural gas discoveries and production from the shale revolution flipped the country into an LNG exporter in 2016. U.S. LNG exports hit 10.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in 2022, making the country the second biggest LNG exporter behind Australia. But their production volumes will allow the United States to remain ahead of output from Australia and Qatar. The seven U.S. export plants already in service, including Freeport LNG, can turn about 13.8 billion cubic feet of gas into LNG each day.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -The confirmation of more bird flu cases in South America raised alarm bells in Brazil, which remains free of contagion even after its close neighbors Argentina and Uruguay confirmed cases there on Wednesday. Until now, bird flu cases had been detected in commercial farms in Bolivia, which borders Brazil, and in Peru and Ecuador, Favaro said. On Wednesday, cases in wild birds were confirmed in Uruguay and Argentina, sparking a health emergency in both. In recent days, Brazil also investigated suspected cases of the highly pathogenic bird flu. It has never registered a bird flu case.

Corn planting pace in ParanaParana’s 2021 safrinha crop was its latest planted since at least 2009, so it was especially subject to frost and freeze toward the end of the season. 2 producer of first crop corn, but it does not plant a second crop. Corn planting pace in Mato GrossoAlthough Mato Grosso’s planting pace is not necessarily alarming, it may reduce the corn’s resilience to any potentially tough weather conditions later, and last year provides a great example. May followed the exact same pattern, though Mato Grosso’s corn yields were very respectable last year. Mato Grosso’s biggest risk of late corn planting is the onset of dry season, as early as April.

☆ LNG developer NextDecade blasts inaction by U.S. energy regulator
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HOUSTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - U.S. liquefied natural gas developer NextDecade Corp (NEXT.O) on Monday criticized regulator the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for what it called "inexcusable" delays in reviewing information that would allow it to move ahead with a $15.7 billion export project. The court asked FERC to revisit its environmental review but did not invalidate the original approval. He called on FERC Chairman Willie Phillips to put the project on the commission's meeting agenda this month. The inaction "far exceeds the length of time FERC has taken to respond to other federal appellate court remands," wrote Schatzman. Reporting by Gary McWilliams in Houston Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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