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For now, by building in Ohio, Foxconn can offer customers access to U.S. federal incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, Daiwa Capital Markets analyst Kylie Huang said. That's a selling point as traditional automakers juggle building gasoline-powered vehicles with plans to build their own EV capacity. "If they don't get one this year, next year will be more difficult," Huang said of Foxconn's search for an EV contract with a traditional automaker. "Sooner or later, maybe the top, traditional (automakers) say, 'Hey, I want to become a product marketing company. Foxconn wants to build around 300,000 EVs at the plant, Ian Upton, director of production control at Foxconn Ohio, told Reuters.

☆ Paramount Global considers selling majority stake of BET Media Group, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Paramount Global is considering selling a majority stake of BET Media Group, the owner of the BET cable network and studio, VH1, and the streaming service BET+, according to people familiar with the matter. While other assets at Paramount Global are closely intertwined with its flagship streaming service Paramount+, BET has its own streaming service, its own ad sales team, and an investment from actor and producer Tyler Perry. Selling a majority stake in BET Group would allow Paramount Global to get added capital to spend on programming for Paramount+ and Pluto TV, its free ad-supported streaming service. Paramount moved VH1 into BET Media Group in October. BET Media Group is run by BET CEO Scott Mills.

☆ Energy Industry Wrestles Over Going Green Too Fast
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Collin Eaton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Some U.S. oil companies reported record profits as domestic gasoline prices hit historic highs in the past year. While the race to develop cleaner energy intensified over the past year, an uneasy consensus emerged on a parallel track: At least in the short term, the world needs more oil and gas, too. The dueling—and sometimes conflicting—imperatives are expected to be core topics in Houston starting Monday when oil executives, climate hawks and government officials gather at the industry’s premier annual energy summit.

☆ I make up to $9,500 a month renting out my home while my family lives in a trailer in the driveway. Here's how I set up my Airbnb and VRBO business.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Perri Ormont Blumberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Alexi McKinley rents out her home and lives in a trailer in her driveway for a few weeks every month. Her family makes up to $9,500 a month from vacation-rental platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. Now we spend around two weeks every month living in our trailer so we can rent out our house on Airbnb and VRBO. We just pack what we want depending on how long the Airbnb guests are staying. The living space in the trailer.

☆ I quit banking to clean up crime scenes and homes where people have died. It can be absolutely horrific.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Lola Christina Alao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She quit her job at a bank to work as a domestic cleaner before training in the specialty. So in March 2019 I left my job, and in April I started working as a domestic cleaner, cleaning an office. When the pandemic hit, I also started working alongside the council doing COVID cleans. When the council offered me a cleaning job involving needles, I was terrified and turned it downI was always scared of injections. If a job is small and urgent, like cleaning a house after someone's been stabbed, I work on it alone.

The effort comes as the United States seeks to sustain its liquefied natural gas, or LNG, exports to Europe to displace Russian fuel, while also promoting efforts to fight global warming. A credible market for certified natural gas could help it tackle both goals at once. Crabtree said he hosted a workshop in October with gas industry representatives, including a new industry group called the Differentiated Gas Coordinating Council (DGCC), to discuss standards for certified gas. While gas burns cleaner than other fossil fuels, its main component is the powerful greenhouse gas methane, which can leak into the atmosphere from drilling, processing, shipping and distribution. Palti-Guzman said certified gas could also be key to securing a longterm role for U.S. LNG in Europe where carbon prices last month hit a record 100 euros per tonne.

☆ Britain's FirstGroup to add another 117 electric buses to fleet by 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies FirstGroup PLC FollowMarch 2 (Reuters) - Britain’s FirstGroup (FGP.L) will add another 117 electric buses to its fleet by next year after the public transport operator secured new funding as part of the country's move towards cleaner travel. The group was able to secure 25 million pounds of government co-funding in partnership with local authorities through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) funding programme. Britain is on the road to investing heavily in policies that promote public transport, including buses, providing incentives for operators to convert diesel buses to electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles. The company, which runs First Bus and First Rail, was also awarded funding under the first ZEBRA scheme last March. The new funding will take the total number of electric buses in its fleet to more than 600 by March 2024.

☆ I worked in Tesla's Nevada Gigafactory. I loved my job, and it had little to do with Elon Musk.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Tesla production associate said they loved their job at the Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada. They said their work was challenging and inspiring, and rarely directly involved Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Working at Tesla isn't all about Elon MuskI wish people understood that working at Tesla is not like what you see in the news. The production associate said their work had little to do with Elon Musk. The people that pushed carts with supplies could get 20,000 to 30,000 steps and it could be a really labor intensive job.

Several climate scenarios suggest that to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, the world needs to be investing $4 in renewable energy for every $1 invested in fossil fuels by 2030. In 2021, bank financing for energy supply totalled $1.9 trillion, just over $1 trillion of which went to fossil fuels and $842 billion to low carbon energy projects and companies, according to the report. The bank financing ratio, of 81 cents to $1, was below the global energy supply investment ratio of 90 cents to $1. Individual banks' financing ratios varied. The report's findings differ from another study published by environmental groups last month which said the share of bank financing going to renewables had stagnated.

☆ Japan to promote gas, LNG, hydrogen investments during G7 presidency - METI
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Japan plans to emphasise the importance of investments in natural gas, liquefied natural gas as well as cleaner fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia during the country's presidency at the G7 summit later this year, a senior energy official said. Takeshi Soda, director, petroleum and natural gas division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), told a conference on Tuesday that such investments would be central to solving potential future energy shocks. Reporting by Katya Golubkova and Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fisker reports higher orders, maintains annual production target
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Electric-vehicle startup Fisker Inc (FSR.N) on Monday flagged increased orders for its sports utility vehicle Ocean and maintained its production forecast for the year, sending its shares higher by 7% in trading before the bell. Fisker said reservations for the first model of Ocean rose to more than 65,000 as of Feb. 24, 2023, from 62,000 as of Oct. 31, 2022. In August, Fisker said it was exploring options to manufacture in the United States in 2024. Its net loss stood at 54 cents per share, compared with analysts' average estimate of 42 cents per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Last year, its net loss was $138.4 million or 47 cents.

☆ Reflecting sunlight to cool the Earth must be studied before climate change gets much worse, urges group of 60 scientists
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Greenhouse gas emissions must be immediately and urgently reduced, as that's the only permanent way to limit global warming. "Even with aggressive action to reduce GHG emissions it is increasingly unlikely that climate warming will remain below 1.5-2°C in the near term," the scientists wrote. "Aerosols from human activities are currently estimated to be offsetting about a third of greenhouse gas climate warming," the scientists wrote. Cirrus cloud thinning, CCT, which involves putting aerosols into cirrus clouds to reduce the amount of infrared radiation that the Earth retains. In some cases, they might be less harmful if used in some combination, the scientists wrote.

☆ Lithium-ion battery recycling company Li-Cycle scores $375 million conditional loan from Energy Department for Rochester plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Pippa Stevens | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Battery recycling company Li-Cycle said Monday it's secured a conditional $375 million loan from the Department of Energy to develop a recycling facility for key battery materials near Rochester, New York. The Rochester facility will significantly expand Li-Cycle's reach. "I think of course we need both primary, meaning mine sources, and secondary…every unit counts of lithium, nickel, cobalt. I think with the overlay of the IRA and the overlay of the corporate targets around sourcing for these materials, recycling is going to be very important." Li-Cycle said it expects the loan to close during the second quarter, with the company planning to initiate commissioning of the Rochester facility late this year.

☆ People who moved to Tennessee for cheaper homes and a laid-back life say they're happy — for the most part
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The 50-year Florida resident decided to pack up and move to Memphis, Tennessee, for a more manageable mortgage payment while on a fixed income. Foster said clients have recently moved to Tennessee from New York, New Jersey, and California. He traded snowy Buffalo for the ease of southern livingMichael and Danielle Ekstrum moved to Tennessee after becoming empty nesters in 2018. A retiree fed up with California's overcrowding bought a home in Tennessee without thinking twiceMichael and Bonnie Tyler moved from Sacramento, California, to Jonesborough, a historic town in eastern Tennessee. "There's too much traffic, too many people, it's way too expensive, and there's no water," Tyler told Insider.

Meta's LLaMA, short for Large Language Model Meta AI, will be available under non-commercial license to researchers and entities affiliated with government, civil society, and academia, it said in a blog. Large language models mine vast amounts of text in order to summarize information and generate content. "Generative AI is a new application of AI that Meta has less experience with, but is clearly important for the future of their business." It described its 65-billion-parameter LLaMA model as "competitive" with Google's Chinchilla70B and PaLM-540B, which are even larger than the model that Google used to show off its Bard chat-powered search. Meta in May last year released large language model OPT-175B, also aimed at researchers, which formed the basis of a new iteration of its chatbot BlenderBot.

☆ Nigerians vote for new president, delays seen at some polling stations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Anamasere Igboereteonwu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/8] People looks for their names on voters list put up on a wall at a polling unit, during Nigeria's Presidential election in Agulu, Anambra state, Nigeria February 25, 2023. Polling stations were scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT), though Reuters reporters at locations across the country saw a mixed picture, with delays of several hours in some places while voting got underway more swiftly at others. In the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the vice presidential candidate from the ruling party, Kashim Shettima, arrived to cast his ballot but was unable to do so as his designated polling station had not opened. In another northeastern city, Yola, opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar was able to vote, surrounded by a chaotic scrum of media and supporters. Vote-counting will begin as soon as polls close and results will be posted outside polling stations, according to the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).

☆ Life and death in shattered Mariupol - a survivor's tale of war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MARIUPOL, Russian-controlled Ukraine, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Shells were exploding nearby but Tatiana Bushlanova didn't flinch when she spoke to Reuters in front of the shattered remains of her home in Mariupol last May. Tatiana, who is still in Mariupol, said the death and destruction visited on the city had hardened people's hearts. Their old apartment block was demolished - "the excavator stood there and took the building down bit by bit" - but getting compensation is a drawn-out process. "They said we'd find out in 70 days' time (if they get the handout) and if not, they'll probably put us in the queue for an apartment," Tatiana said. Reporting by Reuters; writing by Mark Trevelyan/Andrew Osborn; editing by Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ David Oreck, Master Marketer of the Mundane, Starred in Vacuum-Cleaner Ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( James R. Hagerty | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Company founder David Oreck started selling his vacuums to hotel chains in a plan for them to become known for durability. When David Oreck started selling Oreck vacuum cleaners weighing less than 9 pounds in the 1970s, rivals scoffed that anything that light must be flimsy. Mr. Oreck, a self-trained master marketer of the mundane who grew up in Duluth, Minn., responded by selling his vacuums to hotel chains. If Orecks could stand up to heavy-duty work in hotels, he reasoned, homeowners would be sold on them too. He ran advertisements showing a small, gray-haired hotel maid hoisting an Oreck vacuum above her head.

☆ Brookfield consortium trims offer for Australia's Origin Energy to $10.5 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Scott Murdoch | Thomson Reuters | Scott Murdoch Has Been A Journalist For More Than Two Decades Working For Thomson Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - A Brookfield-led consortium trimmed its offer for Origin Energy by 1% on Wednesday, valuing Australia's no.2 power producer and energy retailer at A$15.33 billion ($10.5 billion), after government moves to cap gas prices hit valuations in the sector. The consortium's first offer in November of A$9 per share was a near 55% premium to its previous close and valued Origin A$15.5 billion. Argo Investments, Origin's ninth largest investor, said the revised offer was still good value for the takeover target. The revised offer comprises A$8.90 apiece for the first 100,000 Origin shares. Almost 75% of Origin's shareholders own fewer than 100,000 shares, according to its annual report.

In a country of 1.4 billion people, job fairs are one of the most efficient ways for employers and workers to connect. There will be more job seekers battling for offers this year." About 60% cited the "uncertain economic environment" as the main factor affecting their confidence, up from 48.4% in 2022. Policymakers are expected to aim for growth of about 5%, which would still be below the blistering pre-pandemic pace. ($1 = 6.8767 Chinese yuan renminbi)Additional reporting by Xiaoyu Yin Editing by Marius Zaharia and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ You're a sucker if you trust ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Matt Turner | Dave Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But first: Adam Rogers, a senior tech correspondent at Insider, breaks down why ChatGPT is for suckers. Well, social scientists don't really know why anyone believes anything, from kooky stuff they read on Twitter to closely held ideals. Faced with those conditions, Gen Z has adapted to a new normal: When in doubt, find a new job. It has rankled some of the academics and advocates whose work helped kick off the psychedelics renaissance in the first place. Insider spoke to more than a dozen industry participants to chart its rise and its role in the psychedelics boom.

☆ Recycling wind turbine blades is nearly impossible. Veolia North America thinks it can keep them out of landfills.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Katie Nixdorf | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

But most of the cement industry's emissions come from heating limestone in kilns, so this process probably won't make much of a dent. A furnace used in industrial cement production. Artur Osypian/Getty ImagesCement factories burn the turbine blades for fuel — replacing some of the coal the factories usually use. Veolia says its product burns cleaner.

☆ Bing's first week with AI superpowers was a Wild West of excitement, misinformation, and dystopia — and showed Google has nothing to worry about just yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Microsoft Bing had an up-and-down first week after relaunching with new AI superpowers. Bing, Microsoft's search engine, has been revamped with artificial intelligence superpowers. Google's eponymous search engine is getting the same treatment. For one, its launch hasn't gone completely to plan — and even Microsoft admitted Bing has gone rogue in certain circumstances. And in Google, Bing faces a mighty foe.

☆ Meet the GOP leaders in charge of critical House environmental committees
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Westerman, a representative for Arkansas's fourth congressional district, has a background in engineering and is a licensed forester. He's also introduced legislation to plant 1 trillion trees globally by 2050 in order to pull carbon out of the atmosphere. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of House Committee on Energy and CommerceRep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) during a House Energy and Commerce Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on April 2, 2019 in Washington, DC. "We'll be focusing on promoting innovative technologies to facilitate our clean energy transition," Lucas told CNBC. Lucas said the committee would also conduct "robust oversight" of the spending being distributed to advance the country's clean energy sector.

☆ Column: South Asia's LNG import appetite on radar after price plunge
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LNG imports by regionA key factor that complicates the outlook for South Asian LNG demand is how cost-sensitive buyers are across the region. In 2022, South Asian imports of LNG dropped by their most on record in response to the steep climb in LNG prices to record highs, ship tracking data from Kpler shows. FUEL MISMATCHThe 16.5% drop in LNG imports in 2022 from 2021 was the first annual decline in South Asia's LNG imports since 2013, according to ship tracking data from Kpler. That reversed a declining trend in coal imports into South Asia since 2019, and pushed up coal purchases by more than any other region last year. South Asia LNG imports vs benchmark LNG pricesIndia relies on imports for roughly half of its natural gas supplies, mainly in the form of LNG, so higher LNG imports look likely at least until the coal ban is eased.

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