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☆ Major global firms warn of slow China sales as post-pandemic surge fades
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Aug 2 (Reuters) - From consumer goods giant Unilever (ULVR.L) to automaker Nissan (7201.T) and machinery maker Caterpillar (CAT.N), global firms have warned of slowing earnings in China as the world's second-largest economy loses its post-pandemic bounce. A continued rebound has been limited to a handful of sectors such as dining and luxury goods, driving double-digit China sales growth for the likes of Starbucks (SBUX.O) and LVMH (LVMH.PA). Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) cut its full-year sales target last week due to a sales dip in China, its top market. "Unfortunately, our (China) sales outlook is now falling far below our production capacity," Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said last week. "We mentioned during our last earnings call that we expected sales in China to be below the typical 5% to 10% of our enterprise sales.

Persons: Graeme Pitkethly, we're, Makoto Uchida, Jim Umpleby, Jacob Stausholm, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Jean, Jacques Guiony, Mimosa Spencer, Sophie Yu, Brenda Goh, Richa Naidu, Melanie Burton, Daniel Leussink, Victoria Waldersee, Miranda Murray, Rishav Chatterjee, Deborah Sophia, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Yuvraj Malik, Miyoung Kim, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Unilever, Nissan, Caterpillar, Starbucks, Procter, Gamble, L'Oreal, Global, Volkswagen, Samsung, SK Hynix, Apple, Rio Tinto, Tinto, Yum, HK, KFC, Kailyn, Thomson Locations: China, KS, Rio, Yum China, Kailyn Rhone, New York, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Victoria, Berlin, Bengaluru

Unilever's ice cream business, which includes the Wall's brands, accounts for about 15% of group turnover. "Will we see more ice cream sales? In quarterly results it reported on Tuesday the company said out-of-home ice cream underlying sales grew by a double-digit percentage with positive price and volume growth. Unilever owns, loans and maintains 3 million ice cream freezers around the world, according to its website. Some analysts expect the global market for impulse ice cream buying to grow 5.7% between 2023–2028.

Persons: Jerry's, Graeme Pitkethly, Pitkethly, Richa Naidu, Jason Neely Organizations: Unilever, World Meteorological, Thomson Locations: Europe

☆ Unilever quarterly sales beat estimates, boost shares
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoSummaryCompanies Underlying sales, price, volume growth beat forecastsPast peak cost inflation -finance chiefFocus is on volume growth -finance chiefShares jump 5%LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) - Unilever (ULVR.L) on Tuesday beat underlying sales growth forecasts after again raising prices to offset higher costs, boosting shares in the maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. The British company reported a 7.9% rise in underlying second-quarter sales, beating analysts' average forecast of 6.4%, a company-provided consensus showed. The company said it expects underlying sales growth for the full year to be above 5%, ahead of its multi-year range, with underlying price growth continuing to moderate through the year. Unilever said the percentage of its "business winning market share" had reduced to 41%. The metric assesses what percentage of the company's revenue is coming from areas in which it is gaining market share on a rolling 12-month basis.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Hein Schumacher, Alan Jope, Jochen Kurz, Alan, Kurz, Graeme Pitkethly, Janus Henderson, Bernstein, Bruno Monteyne, Hein Schumacher’s, Richa Naidu, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, Unilever, British, Kurz, Rivals, Nestle, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ The world’s biggest ice cream company says heat waves may not help sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Can it ever be too hot for ice cream? “When it gets too hot, people move away from ice cream and buy a cold drink instead,” he said. The consumer goods giant commands a fifth of global ice cream sales, according to Euromonitor. The company’s overall ice cream sales grew 5.7% in the first half of the year in value terms, compared with the same period in 2022. Price rises across Unilever’s products helped push up its sales by 9.1% in the first half, even though volumes fell marginally.

Persons: Cornetto, ”, Graeme Pitkethly, Jerry’s, Carte d’Or, Hein Schumacher, Schumacher —, FrieslandCampina — Organizations: London CNN, Unilever, UL, Health Locations: Europe, Spain, Italy, Greece, Ukraine

☆ Brian Harman powers to 2023 Open Championship victory, clinching first career major
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

CNN —Brian Harman won the 151st Open Championship on Sunday, sealing the first major of his career in dominant fashion. When Faldo birdied at the subsequent hole, Hoch's hopes of a first major win similarly went up in the air. David Cannon/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images Lorena Ochoa, US Women's Open (2005) Ochoa secured a top-four finish at the 2005 US Women's Open. Not when you led at the final hole. A par at the final hole would have been enough to put the American into the playoff, but an agonizing missed putt [pictured] epitomized her painful afternoon in San Francisco.

Persons: Brian Harman, Australia’s Jason Day, Austria’s Sepp Straka, Tom Kim, Jon Rahm, Harman, “ I’m, ” Harman, Osullivan, Brooks Koepka, Wyndham Clark, Rahm, Kim, Rory’s, Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, ” McIlroy, “, ”, Luke Walker, Greg Norman, France’s Jean van de Velde, –, McIlroy, Andrew Redington, Sam Snead, Snead, Lew Worsham, Louis, Arnold Palmer, Palmer, Billy Casper, Casper, Ed Sneed, Sneed, Fuzzy Zoeller, Tom Watson, Watson, Scott Hoch, Hoch, Nick Faldo, skyward, Faldo birdied, Hoch's, Mark Calcavecchia, Calcavecchia, Colin Montgomerie, Germany's Bernhard Langer, Norman, Faldo, David Cannon, Jean Van De Velde, Van De, Van De Velde, Frenchman, Barry Burn, Paul Lawrie, Lorena Ochoa, Ochoa, Birdie Kim, Harry, Phil Mickelson, Mickelson, Lefty, Geoff Ogilvy, Ezra Shaw, Stewart Cink, Warren Little, Dustin Johnson, Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Donald Miralle, Jason Dufner, Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Bradley, Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Scott, Jordan, Buddy, Jordan Spieth, Danny Willett, Spieth, Jim Watson, Lexi Thompson, Yuka Saso, Thompson, Sean M, Mito Pereira, Pereira, Justin Thomas, Will Zalatoris, Christian Petersen, Van de Velde, Stuart Franklin, Ghostbuster Harman, Tommy Fleetwood, Read, Brian Harman shrugs, unflappable Organizations: CNN, 151st, PGA, Reuters, Northern, Royal Liverpool, PGA Championship, North, Louis Post, Bettmann, Augusta, Augusta National, Getty, Ryder, American, Scottish, Team Europe, . Augusta National, Barry Burn . Pictures, South Korean, Chevron, Royal Lytham, Nasa, Mito, Southern Hills Country Club, eventual Locations: Royal Liverpool, South, Georgia, Carnoustie, Augusta, North America, San Francisco, Kiawah, Europe, Jean Van De Velde , British, Scotland, Mexican, British, Turnberry, Atlanta, American, New York, St, Annes, squander, Tulsa, Liverpool, Harman’s

☆ FTC chair defends tenure as lawmakers battle over consumer agency's impact
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Diane Bartz | David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Representative Kevin Kiley, Republican from California, asked Khan about the cases that the agency had lost. “We fight hard when we believe there was a law violation, and unfortunately things don’t always go our way,” responded Khan. The agency also lost a fight to stop Facebook parent Meta Platforms from buying VR content maker Within Unlimited. Democrats on the committee sought to defend Khan, occasionally joined by Republicans on the panel including Rep. Ken Buck. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican, however, worried about investors in small businesses losing their exit strategies.

Persons: Lina Khan, Lina M, Khan, Bill Nelson, Graeme Jennings, Activision Blizzard, Kevin Kiley, “, don’t, ”, ” Kiley, ” Khan, Darrell Issa, Trump, Ken Buck, Michael Kikukawa, Scott Fitzgerald, “ you’re, you’re, Black Knight, Jim Jordan, Elon, Jerry Nadler, Nadler Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Republican, Commerce, Science, NASA, Capitol, Committee, Microsoft, “, Activision, Facebook, Republicans, White House Press, Rep, Black, Horizon Therapeutics, Twitter, FTC, Democrat Locations: Washington , U.S, California, U.S

☆ Solomon Islands leader visits security partner China with focus on infrastructure
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, July 9 (Reuters) - Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare arrives in China on Sunday for his first visit since striking a security deal, pledging to "remain neutral" amid rising China-U.S. competition and prioritise his nation's development needs. Western analysts said Sogavare would be feted after signing the security pact that alarmed Washington and some Pacific Islands neighbours including Australia last year. China's foreign ministry said China and the Solomon Islands had "contributed to peace, stability and development in the region", and the two countries leaders would discuss international and regional issues. China has constructed the stadium, is advising on security, and will train 80 Solomon Islands athletes arriving in China this week. Solomon Islands has one of the closest relationships with China in the region, said Meg Keen, director of the Lowy Institute's Pacific Islands program.

Persons: Manasseh Sogavare, Sogavare, Graeme Smith, Meg Keen, Lowy, Kirsty Needham, Kim Coghill Organizations: SYDNEY, Solomon Islands, Papua New, Huawei, Pacific Games, Solomon, Australian National University, Thomson Locations: Solomon, China, U.S, Washington, Australia, Papua, Papua New Guinea, Britain, Honiara, Chinese, Honiara's, Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong, India, Gulf, Taiwan, Pacific, Japan

☆ Xi faces being humiliated by his 'no limits' friendship with Putin. But he can't back out of it now.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China's Xi Jinping has formed close ties with Vladimir Putin's regime in Russia. But the Wagner rebellion exposed that Putin's authority is shakier than Xi realised, an analyst told Insider. If Russia loses against Ukraine, Xi would face global humiliation. If there are further signs Putin's grip on power is weakening, and chaos could engulf Russia, Xi faces a tough choice. "It's unlikely that Xi will go out of his way to support Putin's regime if that entails significant risks to China itself.

Persons: China's, Jinping, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Wagner, Xi, —, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Graeme Thompson, Moscow —, Thompson, Jonathan Ward, Ward Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Ukraine, Eurasia Group, Reuters, Atlas Group, Russia, West, Beijing Locations: Russia, Ukraine, China, Moscow, Taiwan, Beijing

☆ Tim Cook bets his legacy on augmented reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

David Paul Morris/Getty Images Cook speaks in front of an image of an iPhone 4S at Apple headquarters in 2011. Yui Mok/PA Images/Getty Images Tim Cook puts on a Boston Red Sox jersey before a baseball game between the Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers in June 2017. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Tim Cook signs the box of a new iPhone X at an Apple Store in Palo Alto in November 2017. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images Cook speaks via video conference at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on online platforms and market power in July 2020. In pictures: Apple CEO Tim Cook Prev NextFollowers of the company are divided on what the headset could ultimately mean for Cook.

Persons: Tim Cook, Steve Jobs, Cook, It’s, … it’s, ”, Margaret O’Mara, Andrew Burton, Phil Schiller, Jobs, David Paul Morris, Apple, Tom Williams, Marcio Jose Sanchez, Bono, Justin Sullivan, Tony Avelar, Stephen Lam, George Washington University's, Alex Brandon, Stephen Colbert, Jeffrey R, Pope Francis, Shutterstock Cook, Maddie Ziegler, AirPods, Monica Davey, James Corden, Pharrell, Beck Diefenbach, Reuters Cook, Yui Mok, Billie Weiss, Donald Trump, Jonathan, Oprah Winfrey, Win McNamee, Theresa Goh, Edgar Su, Andrew Harrer, Graeme Jennings, Noah Berger, Sajid Moinuddin, India's, Francis Mascarenhas, Brooks Kraft, it’s, Mike Bailey, “, Tim Bajarin, ’, ” Bajarin, Bajarin, they’ll Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, Vision, Apple Watch, University of Washington, Washington Post, Getty, Reuters, Alamy, Homeland Security, Governmental, Flint Center, Performing Arts, Cook, CBS, Serviziofotograficoor, Primary School, Boston Red Sox, Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, American Technology, White House, Steve Jobs Theatre, Carnegie Library, Central Public Library, Bloomberg, Singapore, Apple Worldwide, Conference, Epic Games, Apple Inc, FBB Capital Partners, Jobs Locations: New York, Cupertino , California, Cupertino, Palo Alto , California, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Down, London, Washington , DC, Oakland , California, Mumbai

PinnedThe PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the insurgent league bankrolled by billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, said on Tuesday that they had agreed to a merger, ending a bitter and costly fight for supremacy of men’s professional golf that had divided top players, everyday fans and corporate sponsors. Now, by merging with the PGA Tour, it has gained a foothold that guarantees it outsize influence in the game’s future. The PIF also will have right of first refusal on new investments in the merged tour, according to the statement announcing the merger. “Going forward, PIF will have the exclusive right to further invest in the new entity, including a right of first refusal on any capital that may be invested in the new entity, including into the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour.” The PGA Tour will appoint a majority of the board, the statement said, and hold a majority voting interest in the combined entity. In a memorandum to PGA Tour players on Tuesday, Monahan said the wealth fund would have a minority position in the new for-profit company that will control men’s golf.

Persons: LIV Golf, bankrolling LIV, “, PIF, LIV, Jay Monahan, we’ve, LIV . Monahan, Yasir al, Monahan, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, LIV signees, Graeme McDowell, “ It’s, ” Organizations: PGA, Premier League soccer, Public Investment Fund, PGA Tour, ”, Public Investment, U.S Locations: Saudi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

☆ FTC's Lina Khan presses ahead with sprawling antitrust plans in the face of GOP opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

As she made history in leading the agency, Khan's sprawling oversight plans and focus on fair competition in markets drew pushback from GOP leaders who denounced them as "politicized." The backlash to Khan's antitrust platform has come from across the Republican caucuses in Congress — even as many GOP lawmakers have backed antitrust policies or slammed Big Tech companies. watch nowKhan has defended her positions, telling CNBC on May 10 that the FTC enforces antitrust laws passed by Congress. Jordan and other GOP House members have criticized the plan as a "power grab." But an FTC spokesperson said Khan's agency has jurisdiction over all fees except banking and airlines.

Persons: Lina M, Khan, Graeme Jennings, Lina Khan, Pete Buttigieg's, Rohit Chopra, Christine Wilson, Noah Joshua Phillips, Joe Biden's, Matt Stoller, Stoller, Lina, Republican Sens, Chuck Grassley, Mike Lee, Ken Buck, Jim Jordan, Grassley, David Cicilline, Sen, Amy Klobuchar, Elon Musk, Musk, Jordan, Jon Schweppe, Jordan tweeting, they're, Mo Cayer, Khan . Jordan, noncompetes, Trump, Wilson, Leslie Overton, Harkrider, Biden Organizations: Commerce, Science, Capitol, AFP, Getty Images, Biden, Federal Trade, Southwest Airlines, Republicans, Consumer Financial Protection, FTC, Yale University Law School, Washington , D.C, New Yorker, Columbia Law School, American Economic Liberties, Big Tech, Republican, GOP, CNBC, Congress, Rhode Island's, Committee, Twitter, GOP House, Elon, The New York Times, Times, University of New, Democratic, Junk Locations: Washington , DC, London, Washington ,, New, Iowa, Utah, Colorado, Ohio, House, Minnesota, University of New Haven, Connecticut, Khan ., Axinn

May 30 (Reuters) - Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) said on Tuesday Chief Financial Officer Graeme Pitkethly would leave the consumer goods giant by the end of May 2024 after more than two decades. Pitkethly, who has been with the maker of Dove soap since 2002, succeeded Jean-Marc Huët as finance chief in 2015. The 56-year-old previously served as executive vice president of Unilever's UK and Ireland business, including head of M&A and head of treasury. Unilever, which did not say why Pitkethly planned to "retire from the company", said it would proceed with a formal internal and external search for his successor. "Eight years as CFO of a multinational is a decent time and retiring in May 2024 should enable a useful handover to a new CFO."

LONDON/BERLIN, May 30 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S), the world's biggest packaged food company, said on Tuesday it had hired the London Stock Exchange Group's (LSEG) finance chief Anna Manz as its new chief financial officer. Manz will replace Francois-Xavier Roger, who the company said is stepping down to "pursue new professional challenges" after eight years in the role. Nestle, whose more than 2,000 brands include Kit Kat, Haagen-Dazs and Nescafe, said Manz will join Nestle as soon as she is released from her current duties. "We trust that Anna will pursue Francois' legacy, considering her strong career at Diageo," Vontobel analyst Jean-Philippe Bertschy said. Rival Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) also said on Tuesday that CFO Graeme Pitkethly would leave the consumer goods giant by the end of May 2024 after more than two decades.

☆ GOP megadonor Harlan Crow says he doesn't understand the Supreme Court enough to talk law with Clarence Thomas. He says they chat about Motown.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The GOP megadonor said he knows too little about the law to discuss Supreme Court cases with Thomas. He told The Atlantic he isn't a "law guy" and instead chats with Thomas about Motown and sports. But in an interview with The Atlantic, Crow brushed off any accusations of corruption or impropriety with an unusual defense — his ignorance. Being friends means that "work-related issues" do occasionally come up in conversation, Crow told The Atlantic. Those conversations were casual and not about jurisprudence, he said, with Crow describing the discussion of specific Supreme Court cases as "off limits."

Outright short positions have mushroomed by 68% to 58,157 contracts in the space of three weeks. Outright long positions have been scaled back to 41,987 contracts, almost half the level of the February peak when investors were betting on a full-throttle post-COVID recovery in China. Fund managers are now net short of CME copper to the tune of 16,170 contracts, the largest collective bear bet since August last year. Investment funds have slashed their net long positioning from 25,737 contracts on April 14 to just 4,813 contracts as of May 5. Investment funds slash LME copper long positions as mood turns bearishWEAK RECOVERYChina's recovery from the stringent zero-COVID policy of last year has so far fallen short of expectations from a metals perspective.

☆ The funniest joke suggestions for Elon Musk's Twitter CEO successor, from Elizabeth Holmes to Meghan Markle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk announced Thursday he would be handing over the Twitter CEO role to a woman. But Twitter users have been having fun suggesting several joke candidates. Months after Twitter users voted for Elon Musk to step down as the company's CEO, the billionaire announced Thursday that he'd found someone to takeover the position. Musk tweeted. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Yaccarino is in talks to take over as Twitter CEO.

☆ There's a real-life 'Succession' drama playing out among the children of Bernard Arnault, the world's richest person and head of luxury behemoth LVMH
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But there's a similar legacy battle going on inside LVMH, the French luxury house run by Bernard Arnault. The children of the world's richest man are vying for influence within LVMH in a "Darwinian" fight. Showrunner Jesse Armstrong says his fictional Roy family is inspired by several famous dynasties, such as the Hearsts — the family behind Hearst Communications — and the Redstones — the controlling influence behind Paramount Global. There's still plenty of rivalry between the progeny of Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury goods behemoth LVMH and world's richest person. The Roy family of "Succession."

☆ Pras Michel Convicted of Involvement in Foreign-Influence Scheme Linked to 1MDB
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pras Michel, former member of the Fugees, exits federal court in Washington. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg NewsWASHINGTON— Pras Michel , who rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Fugees hip-hop trio, was found guilty Wednesday of serving as the linchpin of a multimillion-dollar foreign-influence scheme that spanned two presidencies and combined celebrity with political intrigue. After a monthlong trial, a jury in Washington convicted Mr. Michel on charges he improperly injected millions of dollars in donations to then-President Barack Obama ’s re-election campaign in 2012 and, years later, illegally lobbied the Trump administration.

☆ FTC chair met UK antitrust officials last week but did not talk deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERSWASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan met with the heads of other antitrust enforcers, including Britain's, last week but no mergers were discussed, according to an FTC official who spoke amid allegations the FTC and UK are working together to block Microsoft's bid for Activision. The FTC official, speaking on Thursday, was responding to comments made by the game-maker's CEO, Bobby Kotick, who told CNBC he believed that the U.S. agency had pushed Britain's CMA to stop the planned acquisition. Kotick said: "I was surprised to learn that Lina Khan and the head of the CMA had a meeting a week and a half ago in Washington. The FTC official, who was not authorized to speak on the record but who was present at the virtual meeting, said that officials had no discussions of any mergers being reviewed or other ongoing investigations. When a deal appears blatantly anticompetitive then independent antitrust regulators can simply make their own judgments," said spokesperson Douglas Farrar.

The 10.7% increase in prices was, however, lower than in recent quarters, adding to signs inflationary pressures might be easing as input costs declined. Packaged goods companies have been hiking prices as they grapple with a surge in costs of everything from sunflower oil and shipping to packaging and grain. Unilever reported a 10.5% rise in underlying first-quarter sales to 14.8 billion euros ($16.4 billion), beating analysts' average forecast for a 7.2% increase, according to a company-provided consensus. That included a 10.7% increase in prices and a 0.2% dip in volumes. Rivals P&G (PG.N) and Nestle (NESN.S) have also recently reported stronger than expected quarterly sales, with price hikes offsetting lower volumes.

"It's principally around the costs of labour, logistics and energy and what our suppliers see in their own production bases," finance chief Graeme Pitkethly said. On Thursday, Unilever said it had raised prices by 10.7% in the first quarter. "People are looking towards the second half of this year for some relief in costs - we'll see if that actually plays out," Richard Saldanha, a fund manager at Unilever and Nestle investor Aviva, said. "Clearly these companies are still displaying a pretty decent ability to push pricing ... Unilever is able to manage what is still a very elevated cost environment." Reporting by Richa Naidu Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The British company, which sells Cornettos cones and Talenti tubs, on Thursday reported a 0.2% dip in overall quarterly sales volumes, but a more than 4% decline in ice cream volumes. Its ice cream prices rose 10.5% in the quarter, driving turnover of 1.7 billion euros ($1.9 billion). About 60% of Unilever's ice cream business is "in-home" - bought from stores - while the rest is eaten in parlours and other venues. "Ice cream is the most discretionary category that we have across all of our categories," finance chief Graeme Pitkethly said. When consumers are under pressure, because ice cream is more discretionary, ice cream gets dropped from the basket."

☆ Former Fugees Rapper Pras Michel Convicted of Role in Foreign-Influence Scheme Tied to 1MDB
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pras Michel, former member of the Fugees, leaving federal court in Washington earlier this month. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg NewsWASHINGTON— Pras Michel , who rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Fugees hip-hop trio, was found guilty Wednesday of serving as the linchpin of a multimillion-dollar foreign-influence scheme that spanned two presidencies and combined celebrity with political intrigue. After a monthlong trial, a jury in Washington convicted Mr. Michel on charges he improperly injected millions of dollars in donations to then-President Barack Obama ’s re-election campaign in 2012 and, years later, illegally lobbied the Trump administration.

☆ US FTC leaders will target AI that violates civil rights or is deceptive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERSWASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - Leaders of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday the agency would pursue companies who misuse artificial intelligence to violate laws against discrimination or be deceptive. Bedoya said companies using algorithms or artificial intelligence were not allowed to violate civil rights laws or break rules against unfair and deceptive acts. "It's not okay to say that your algorithm is a black box" and you can't explain it, he said. Khan agreed the newest versions of AI could be used to turbocharge fraud and scams and any wrongdoing would "should put them on the hook for FTC action." Slaughter noted that the agency had throughout its 100 year history had to adapt to changing technologies and indicated that adapting to ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools were no different.

☆ Opinion | Harlan Crow Is Not a Nazi, but That’s Beside the Point
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Ben Shapiro is a right-wing media personality who does not appear to have any direct ties to Crow, but he defended him all the same. Harlan Crow, by his own testimony and according to his defenders, goes to get angry. I don’t think Crow is a Nazi or an admirer of dictators and authoritarians. But I don’t think we should take his explanation for his collection at face value either. A monument to Robert E. Lee stood for Robert E. Lee.

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