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☆ Opposition Grows to U.S. Imports of Refined Russian Oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Ana Swanson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian officials and human rights groups are asking the United States to close what they describe as a loophole that allows Russian crude oil that has been refined in other countries to be shipped to the United States. The Biden administration issued a ban last March on purchasing crude oil and other petroleum products directly from Russia, immediately following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. The European Union, which was heavily dependent on Russia for supplies of energy, banned Russian crude in December and petroleum products the following February. But both the United States and the European Union continue to purchase Russian oil that has been refined in other countries into gasoline, fuel oil and other products. This activity is legal: Once Russian crude oil has been “substantially transformed” by being refined in another country, it legally ceases to be Russian.

Persons: Biden Organizations: European Union, United Arab Locations: United States, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, China, India, Europe, Iran, Venezuela

☆ How an early-stage venture capitalist is trying to separate the winners and losers in A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Susan Caminiti | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Buhler says the biggest difference he sees in the AI landscape today is the accessibility of the technology. LLMs, he adds, didn't change "everything under the hood, they changed the interface and the way people can interact with AI." With almost any company able to integrate AI into any application, he invests in startups that use AI as real leverage. In the most recent CNBC Technology Executive Council survey, nearly half of the companies (47%) said that AI is their top priority for tech spending over the next year. In fact, AI budgets are more than double those of cloud computing, the second-biggest spending area at 21%.

Persons: Konstantine Buhler, Buhler Organizations: Microsoft, Engineers, Sequoia Capital, CNBC Technology, CNBC Locations: Brussels, Belgium, San Francisco

How India Profits From Its Neutrality in the Ukraine War The Gulf of Kutch in India is home to the world’s largest oil refinery. After Russia invaded Ukraine, tankers laden with Russian oil are an increasingly common sight along this inlet of northwestern India. China and India are buying so much Russian oil now that Moscow is selling more crude than it was before it invaded Ukraine. Russian crude shipments in the Gulf of Kutch this year Total barrels shipped between through May 2023. In December, S. Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, was asked in Parliament about India’s decision to buy Russian crude.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Biden, Ukraine Price, —, Mukesh Ambani, India’s, Copernicus, ” Organizations: New York Times, Western, Ukraine, International Energy Agency, European Union, Argus Media, Jamnagar, Reliance Industries, Nayara Energy, Rosneft, Port, Southeast, Center, Research, Energy, Clean, United Arab Emirates, Modi government’s Locations: India, Ukraine, Kutch, Russia, SynMax, United States, Europe, Moscow, West, India China, China, Kpler, East, Jamnagar, Gujarat State, Russian, Gulf, Pipeline, Panipat, Mundra, Vadinar, Jamnagar Port Vadinar Refinery Jamnagar, Port, Nayara, Southeast Asia, Africa, Finland, Turkey, Singapore, Sikka, Asia Europe

☆ 4 Die in Fire That Began at E-Bike Shop Near Chinatown
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Hurubie Meko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Four people were killed, including a 71-year-old man, after a fire tore through an e-bike service store on the first floor of a building near Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood early Tuesday morning, according to the police. The fire, at a six-story mix-use building at 80 Madison Street, started around 12:15 a.m. and spread through the store, which has residential apartments above it, according to officials. Six adults were taken to three area hospitals, where four of them — two women and two men — died. The fire left soot smeared above the broken-out windows of the building, which also houses a deli, a laundromat and a news stand. A mountain of charred e-bikes and scooters was piled up on the corner.

Persons: — Organizations: Madison Locations: Manhattan’s Chinatown

☆ Mike Batayeh, ‘Breaking Bad’ actor and comedian, dead at 52
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Megan Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —Mike Batayeh, a comedian and actor who played laundromat manager Dennis Markowski in “Breaking Bad,” has died, his manager confirmed to CNN. The news was first reported by TMZ, citing Batayeh’s sister, who told the outlet her brother suffered a cardiac arrest at his home in Michigan on June 1. “He will be greatly missed by those who loved him and his great ability to bring laughter and joy to so many,” Batayeh’s family said in a statement. His TV credits over the years include appearances in “CSI: Miami,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” He appeared in multiple episodes of “Breaking Bad” in 2011 and 2012. A memorial service is planned for Batayeh in Plymouth, Michigan next week, according to his manager.

Persons: Mike Batayeh, Dennis Markowski, ”, Batayeh’s, Bernie Mac Organizations: CNN, TMZ, “ CSI Locations: Michigan, “, Miami, Philadelphia, Plymouth , Michigan

In midsized metros Metros with 250,000 to one million residents. An Emerging Divide Mobility has risen for college-educated workers, even as it has fallen for workers without a degree. College-educated workers leaving the most expensive parts of the country are also not spreading out equally everywhere — or even going to parts of the country that are struggling. Net migration among college graduates Loss Gain Among the 12 most expensive metros, net college migration has generally declined or turned negative. “Consumer cities,” as she puts it, are increasingly replacing “producer cities” as the places where college graduates want to live.

☆ This 28-year-old pays $62/month to live in a 25-square-foot dumpster he built for $5,000—take a look inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Harrison Marshall | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Photo: Gergana Popova for CNBC Make ItHow I turned a waste container into a tiny homeI run a small architecture company called CAUKIN Studio. Photo: Gergana Popova for CNBC Make ItFor Wi-Fi, I use a dongle connected to mobile data to watch Netflix and take Zoom calls on my laptop. Photo: Gergana Popova for CNBC Make ItI have four built-in wooden boxes to put my clothes in. Photo: Gergana Popova for CNBC Make ItOn the other end is the kitchen. Photo: Gergana Popova for CNBC Make It

☆ On Malaysia homecoming, Oscar winner Yeoh vows to nurture local film talent
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Yeoh, 60, won the Oscar for her portrayal of Chinese American laundromat owner Evelyn Wang in the science-fiction kung fu comedy "Everything Everywhere All at Once". We have to create platforms that will showcase their talent," Yeoh told a news conference before a fan event. Dressed in loose jeans and a white blouse, Yeoh posed for pictures smiling with her Oscar statuette in front of a sign that said "pride of Malaysia". [1/7] Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh shows her engraved Oscar statuette during a news conference after returning to her home country for the first time since winning her first Oscar for Best Lead Actress, at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia April 18, 2023. "I heard the roar of joy, happiness all across the world to Los Angeles," she told fans, recalling when the winner was revealed.

☆ An Ohio couple found a cheap laundromat on Craigslist. Now they're millionaires.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | Libertina Brandt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In 2010, Dave Menz was working at a telephone company when he decided to invest in a laundromat. Now he and his wife run four laundromats that brought in $1.8 million in revenue last year. It did for Dave Menz, a 46-year-old real-estate investor in Cincinnati, who calls himself the Laundromat Millionaire. The four laundromats Menz operates with his wife, Carla — along with their consulting business helping other laundromat owners get started and grow their businesses — have, indeed, made them rich. Courtesy of Dave and Carla MenzThat location, which opened in January 2011, became profitable within three weeks, Menz said.

☆ 44-year-old's laundry side hustle helped her buy a laundromat—now it brings in $24,000 a month
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Called the Laundry Room, it's profitable, run by four employees and brings in up to $24,000 in revenue per month. Today, she still fulfills 12 hours of laundry requests per day, with her husband and Laundry Room employees filling in the gaps while she's at work. Using the money to buy a laundromatLast year, the laundromat Sanya and her husband tried to buy eight years prior was back on the market. The Laundry Room opened in September 2022 after Sanya and her husband spent an additional $10,000 redoing the floors and freshening its paint. Sanya opened the Laundry Room, which has 40 machines, in September 2022.

☆ TikTok is the 'it' factor that helped me successfully grow my makeup vending-machine business
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Her TikTok videos, especially ones where she pulls cash from machines, have helped her grow. In 2021 she opened her first vending machine, stocking with it her lashes and makeup for locals to buy in person. Janet LeyvaI got my first vending machine a year into my business. I believe I paid about $5,000 for the first vending machine alone, not including inventory. So I went on social media to show that there's a makeup vending machine in Idaho.

☆ San Francisco is forcing couple to remove sidewalk 'obstruction' — or pay $1,400. It's a little free library.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A popular little free library in San Francisco was ordered to be removed, the Wall Street Journal reported. The order was prompted by a call to a city hotline used for complaints about regulatory violations. The library is part of a crackdown in San Francisco on unpermitted objects that interfere with public ways, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Meyers' library is still standing, the Journal reported, as the city sorts out new rules for the small box and many like it. In the end, Susan Meyers told the Journal the original hotline complaint may have been a catalyst for the city to rethink its regulations.

☆ Jubilation as 'pride of Malaysia' Yeoh wins first Oscar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Ebrahim Harris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 (Reuters) - Family and friends of Malaysia's Michelle Yeoh responded with screams, jubilation and pride on Monday at her winning the Academy Award for best lead actress, Asia's first ever winner in the category. There were ecstatic roars and fist-pumps as her triumph was announced at an Oscars viewing party in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, with all eyes on her surprised and delighted mother, Janet Yeoh. Everybody knows it," she told a news conference afterwards, in front of a poster of her daughter that said "Pride of Malaysia". It was Yeoh's first Oscar nomination and she had been widely regarded as the front-runner. Yeoh made her Hollywood breakthrough when she was cast as the first ethnic Chinese Bond girl in 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies" opposite Pierce Brosnan.

☆ Michelle Yeoh wins best actress Oscar for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

By Nichola GroomLOS ANGELES, March 12 (Reuters) - Malaysia's Michelle Yeoh won the Academy Award on Sunday for best lead actress for her role as a Chinese American laundromat owner dealing with family turmoil in "Everything Everywhere All at Once", becoming the first Asian woman to win in the category. Yeoh, 60, was widely regarded as the front-runner for the award after claiming a Screen Actors Guild honor and a Golden Globe award for the role. In "Everything Everywhere," Yeoh's character, Evelyn Wang, is struggling to finish her taxes when she is swept into alternate universes. The science-fiction film was a critical and commercial success and is vying for the best picture Oscar. (Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)((nichola.groom@thomsonreuters.com))Keywords: AWARDS OSCARS/ACTRESSOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jamie Lee Curtis wins best supporting actress Oscar for 'Everything Everywhere'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Jamie Lee Curtis wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" during the Oscars show at the 95th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 12, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaBy Mary MillikenLOS ANGELES, March 12 (Reuters) - Jamie Lee Curtis won the Oscar for best supporting actress on Sunday for her role as the imperious IRS auditor bearing down on a Chinese American laundromat owner struggling to finish her taxes in "Everything Everywhere All At Once." It was the first Academy Award for the 64-year-old Curtis, in her first ever Oscar nomination over a 45-year career in film that kicked off with horror movie "Halloween." The daughter of famous Hollywood actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, Curtis has jokingly called herself "nepo baby" but is known in Hollywood for her lack of pretension. (Reporting by Mary Milliken; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)((mary.milliken@thomsonreuters.com))Keywords: AWARDS OSCARS/SUPPORTING ACTRESSOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Filmmaking duo behind 'Everything Everywhere' win directing Oscar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

By Lisa RichwineLOS ANGELES, March 12 (Reuters) - Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the filmmakers who brought to life the off-kilter action-adventure movie "Everything Everywhere All at Once," won the Academy Award on Sunday for best director. It was the first Oscar for Kwan and Scheinert, who became friends in college and are known professionally as the Daniels. It starred Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe as a farting corpse, the only companion for a man stranded on a deserted island. Prior to their movie careers, Kwan and Scheinert, both 35, directed music videos for artists including DJ Snake and Jack Johnson. On Sunday, the duo beat celebrated filmmaker Steven Spielberg, "Banshees of Inisherin" director Martin McDonagh and others who were nominated for the directing prize.

☆ Oscars 2023: Michelle Yeoh says she 'kung fu'd' glass ceiling with historic best actress win
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Last night, Yeoh, 60, became the first Asian woman to win best actress at the Oscars for her leading performance in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." The Malaysian-born Yeoh is only the second woman of color ever to take home the award. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won seven Oscars including best picture and best director. "I have to thank the academy for acknowledging, embracing diversity and true representation," Yeoh told reporters after her win. "I'm still here today … Finally, after 40 years, I get this," she told reporters backstage while holding up her award.

☆ Champagne carpet and crisis team ready for Oscars celebration on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In case of an unexpected twist, a crisis response team will be on hand at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Several of 2022's biggest hits at the multiplex landed in the best picture race, from "Top Gun" and "Everything Everywhere" to "Elvis" and "Avatar: The Way of Water." To change up the look, organizers swapped out the traditional red carpet for the first time since 1961, opting instead for a champagne color. "Everything Everywhere All at Once," an offbeat story about a Chinese-American laundromat owner struggling to finish her taxes, comes in as the favorite to win best picture. The dimension-hopping kung fu adventure has swept the major Hollywood awards in the weeks leading up to the Oscars.

☆ Offbeat multiverse movie 'Everything Everywhere' dominates the Oscars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The movie claimed seven awards overall, including three of the four acting Oscars for stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis, who built a career in horror films such as "Halloween," won best supporting actress for playing a frumpy tax agent named Deirdre Beaubeirdre. "The Whale" star Brendan Fraser, known for 1990s roles such as "The Mummy" and "Encino Man," won best actor for playing a severely obese man trying to reconnect with his daughter. "Naatu Naatu," a song from the Indian movie "RRR" that created a viral dance sensation, was honored as best original song. The 95th Academy Awards ceremony was broadcast live on Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) ABC network.

LOS ANGELES, March 9 (Reuters) - Hot dogs for fingers, plastic googly eyes, and conversing rocks are hardly staples of mainstream movie-making. Yet, they have became cultural touchstones of "Everything Everywhere All at Once," the at-times baffling and absurdist film that has captivated Hollywood. "It is using all of this apparatus of big storytelling that we've been kind of very accustomed to," Willmore said. "Bringing that large scale to bear on this very small story, I think that is really what has swept people up," she added. Star James Hong alluded to the confusion when the movie was honored at the Screen Actors Guild awards.

"Everything Everywhere All at Once" is now available to stream with a Showtime membership. The Oscar-nominated movie stars Michelle Yeoh as a laundromat owner who jumps across the multiverse. You can also buy film to watch at home from digital retailers like Amazon, Apple TV, and Vudu. How to watch 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'""Everything Everywhere All at Once" is now available to watch at home with a Showtime subscription. Once you've made your digital purchase, you can stream the film as many times as you like with no restrictions.

The movie about a Chinese-American laundromat owner struggling to finish her taxes also claimed three acting awards, for lead female actor Michelle Yeoh and supporting actors Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film honorees are closely watched because actors make up the largest group of voters for March 12's Academy Awards. Quan, a former child star who had given up on acting for years, claimed the trophy for male actor in a supporting role. Jamie Lee Curtis, who played an exacting tax agent in "Everything Everywhere," claimed the award for female actor in a supporting role. Brendan Fraser won best male movie actor for "The Whale."

☆ Hollywood producers honor Tom Cruise and 'Everything Everywhere'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Feb 25 (Reuters) - Hollywood producers celebrated Tom Cruise's career and handed their top film honor to multiverse adventure "Everything Everywhere All at Once" on Saturday at one of the key awards ceremonies ahead of next month's Oscars. The Producers Guild of America honored Cruise with a lifetime achievement award, and several speakers thanked the actor for boosting the pandemic-hobbled movie business with last summer's blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick." "Tom Cruise showed all of us that moviegoing was back," Sherry Lansing, the former CEO of Paramount Pictures, said in her introduction. The 60-year-old Cruise rose to fame as the star of "Risky Business," "Cocktail," "A Few Good Men" and other films. As he accepted his award, Cruise applauded the work of the TV and film producers in the audience.

☆ 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."

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