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☆ Church & Dwight lifts annual targets on higher prices, steady demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 28 (Reuters) - Church & Dwight (CHD.N) raised its annual sales and profit forecasts on Friday, betting on higher prices and steady demand for its household and personal care products including liquid detergents and mouthwash. However, investors have now started flagging their concerns about higher prices to consumer good companies as it can put them at a potential risk of losing customers. The consumer products firm's overall average selling prices increased 5.8%, while its volumes decreased slightly during the quarter ended June 30. Church & Dwight now expects full-year adjusted profit to increase by 6%, compared with its earlier forecast of growth of 2% to 4%. The company sees full-year reported net sales growing by 8%, compared with its previous forecast of a 6% to 7% increase.

Persons: CHD.N, & Dwight, Granth, Maju Samuel Organizations: & Dwight, Unilever, &, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ The Life and Death of a ‘Punk Rock Warhol’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Alex Vadukul | More About Alex Vadukul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“Kozik was a punk rock Warhol,” said the artist Shepard Fairey. “He was all about subverting culture. Even his most famous character, Labbit, it might look cute, but it’s about subverting culture. To hear he’s now been unsung, I think, is something he’d have fun being bitter about.”As Mr. Kozik told it in interviews, his penchant for defiance could be traced to his youth. It was there, in the city’s punk scene, that Mr. Kozik found his calling.

Persons: “ Kozik, ”, Shepard Fairey, Warhol, Frank, Kozik, ” Mr, he’s, Francisco Franco’s, Pink Floyd Organizations: Air Force Locations: Madrid, American, Spanish, California, Sacramento, Austin , Texas

☆ A herd of orphan elephants could be the key to bringing back the woolly mammoth
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. But a key question is whether such animals could survive if they roamed the Arctic tundra as their ancestors did thousands of years ago. Eventually, the bonded herd will make its way into the wild, where its progress can be monitored for the next decade. Sign up here to receive in your inbox the next edition of Wonder Theory, brought to you by CNN Space and Science writers Ashley Strickland and Katie Hunt. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Persons: paleobiologist Jordan Mallon, It’s, Esme Ashe, Jepson, Katie Jones, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s, “ Oppenheimer, ”, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Canadian Museum of Nature, University of Cambridge, Southern Resident, for Whale Research, Virgin Galactic’s, CNN Space, Science Locations: Botswana, China, Ottawa, Chile, Chicago . Wild, Pacific Northwest, North America

☆ An Untested Judge in the Trump Documents Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Robert Draper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Judge Aileen M. Cannon, a previously obscure Trump judicial appointee, has been viewed with incredulity by much of the legal establishment ever since she issued a ruling temporarily halting the federal investigation into the former president’s handling of classified documents. After a conservative appeals court slapped her down, Democrats said she was either incompetent or some kind of black-robed Trojan horse for the MAGA movement. “The notion that she’s inexperienced is misplaced and ignores her exceptional résumé before taking the bench,” said Jesse Panuccio, a prominent Florida defense lawyer who served in the Trump administration as acting associate attorney general. “It also penalizes her for being a mild-mannered woman. Over two hours, she left little doubt as to whose courtroom it was.

Persons: Aileen M, Cannon, MAGA, ”, Jesse Panuccio, Trump, Judge Cannon Organizations: Trump Locations: Florida, Fort Pierce, Fla

☆ Rare ‘Trojan’ world may share the same orbit as another planet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Astronomers may have found a rare “sibling” that shares the same orbit of a Jupiter-like planet around a young star. Two Jupiter-like planets, known as PDS 70b and PDS 70c, are already known to orbit the star. Evidence for Trojans beyond our solar system — specifically Trojan planets — has been sparse until now. The signal suggested a cloud of debris with a mass of about twice that of our moon, which could be a Trojan planet or a planet in formation. A cloud of debris (circled by a yellow dotted line) may be a newly forming planet in the same orbit as the planet PDS 70b.

Persons: ”, Olga Balsalobre, Lucy, “ Exotrojans, Jorge Lillo, Itziar De Gregorio, Monsalvo, “, Ruza, ALMA Organizations: CNN —, Astrophysics, Madrid’s, Astrobiology, IAU, Southern, Science, NASA Locations: ALMA, Chile

☆ When Spider-Man Met Jeff Koons
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Max Lakin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“When we talked about the Balloon Dog we said, ‘What could we do with it? Koons, he recalled, “was actually the one who said, ‘You know, one thing about the Balloon Dog is it’s this thing that has a lot to do with breath. But we’ve never actually seen the inside of one. (The scene brought to mind an episode earlier this year, where a collector visiting the Art Wynwood fair in Miami accidentally shattered a 16-inch edition. Koons considered the Balloon Dog’s presence in the film as “truly participating in a larger community where people can rally around it.”

Persons: ” Thompson, Koons, “, ‘, we’ve, Vulture lops, ” Koons, ” Organizations: Art Locations: Miami, Hydra, Greece

☆ Tuberville Blockade Over Abortion Policy Threatens Top Military Promotions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But their efforts have thus far failed to dissuade Mr. Tuberville, who has dismissed his critics by arguing that Senate leaders have options to resolve the impasse. He has dared Senate leaders to circumvent his blockade by voting on the promotions individually, arguing that he would be ready to approve some promotions if forced to take a vote. In the meantime, Mr. Tuberville has steadily rejected the compromises that Senate leaders have offered him. Challenges to the Pentagon’s abortion access policy are expected to figure in the House debate on the defense authorization bill. But they hope that such a public referendum on the Pentagon’s policy would back Mr. Tuberville into a corner, creating public pressure on him to give up his quest.

Persons: Tuberville, Charles Q, Brown, Biden’s, Milley, Randy A, George, Mr, Biden Organizations: Armed Services Committee, Air Force, Joint Chiefs, Army, Republican, Democratic, Republicans, Defense Department, House Democrats Locations: Alabama

EUROPE'S FAR-RIGHT RESURGENCEGains by the far right in Greece mirror a trend in several other European countries. Support for Germany's anti-immigrant AfD party is at its highest since the wake of Europe’s migrant crisis in 2018, in Italy a former far-right activist is prime minister and in Sweden a far-right party has joined the government. Some analysts said Mitsotakis's hard line on migration gave licence to a more xenophobic narrative from the far right. However, some said ultra-nationalists had claimed the turf on the far right because Mitsotakis was shifting to the centre. The Spartans party are led by businessman Vassilios Stigas.

Persons: Ilias Kasidiaris, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Akritas Kaidatzis, Mitsotakis, Akis Georgakellos, Vassilios Stigas, Golden Dawn, Golden, Kasidiaris, Michele Kambas, Renee Maltezou, Edmund Blair, Christina Fincher Organizations: Spartans, Greek coastguard, New Democracy, Aristotle University, EUROPE'S, SPARTA, Twitter, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Europe, Greece, Thessaloniki, Italy, Sweden, Turkey, Athens, Golden, Greece's, Kasidiaris, Golden Dawn

The FTC sued in Amazon in federal court in Seattle, alleging that "Amazon has knowingly duped millions of consumers into unknowingly enrolling in Amazon Prime." The FTC said Amazon used "manipulative, coercive or deceptive user-interface designs known as 'dark patterns' to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions." The FTC said Amazon Prime is the world's largest subscription program, generating $25 billion in revenue annually. Consumers who attempted to cancel Prime were faced with multiple labyrinthine steps to accomplish the task of cancelling, according to the complaint. The FTC complaint said Amazon used the term "Iliad Flow" to describe the process it began in 2016, referencing Homer's epic poem about the lengthy Trojan war.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Lina Khan, Amazon, David Shepardson, Will Dunham, Doina Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, FTC, Amazon Prime, Big Tech, Amazon.com, Thomson Locations: Amazon, Seattle, United States

☆ Amazon's subscription spat is anything but prime
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Amazon.com’s (AMZN.O) Prime service is a club that’s hard to quit - literally. Competition cop Lina Khan filed a complaint on Wednesday alleging that the e-commerce giant enrolled U.S. customers in its subscription product unwittingly and made cancellation unlawfully difficult. When it comes to sharp sales practices, other companies have done worse, but the Amazon case could still hurt. Citigroup analysts estimate that Prime subscribers spend up to 2.5 times more than non-subscribers on Amazon’s marketplace. That extra spending matters: Amazon’s North America segment recorded a razor-thin operating profit margin of 1.2% last quarter.

Persons: Lina Khan, Khan, Wells, isn’t, shouldn’t, Jonathan Guilford, John Foley, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Citigroup, Twitter, Intel, Thomson Locations: U.S, America, Cava

☆ FTC sues Amazon over 'deceptive' Prime sign-up and cancellation process
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The FTC had been investigating sign-up and cancellation processes for Amazon's Prime program since March 2021. Tensions flared between Amazon and the FTC when the agency sought to have CEO Andy Jassy and founder Jeff Bezos testify on the company's Prime practices. Amazon argued the request would be unduly and burdensome, which the FTC rejected. The cancellation process is also difficult to navigate and designed to deter consumers from ending their Prime subscription, the FTC alleged. The complaint marks the third lawsuit the FTC has filed against Amazon in the last month.

Persons: Lina Khan, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Wednesday, Amazon, FTC, Amazon's, Western, of Locations: U.S, of Washington

☆ FTC sues Amazon, alleging it tricked consumers into signing up for Prime
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon on Wednesday, alleging that the e-commerce giant has tricked millions of consumers into signing up for its Prime subscription service through deceptive user interface designs. “Specifically, Amazon used manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs known as ‘dark patterns’ to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically-renewing Prime subscriptions,” the FTC complaint said. With Prime, Amazon is able to generate billions in revenue from subscriptions and incentivize customers to spend more time and money on its platforms. According to Wednesday’s complaint, Amazon took some steps in April, in response to FTC pressure, to simplify users’ ability to cancel their Prime subscriptions but before then had denied customers the ability to easily cancel their Prime subscriptions online. Other than contacting customer service, Amazon offered no alternative to consumers wishing to cancel apart from going through the Iliad process, the FTC said.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy, Amazon, ”, “, —, Lina Khan Organizations: CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Court, Western, of, FTC Locations: of Washington

☆ Daddy, Are You an Influencer?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Charlotte Cowles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“With Instagram, a lot of men were uncomfortable with putting up these edited, staged pictures and captions,” said James Nord, a founder of Fohr, an influencer marketing firm in New York City. And all of a sudden, here’s someone people trust and relate to, talking about new pants that they love. Dads also said they spent about 10 hours a week on household chores in 2016, an increase from four hours in 1965. (Alas, while dads are doing more, a major gender gap persists: Mothers spent about 14 hours a week on child care and 18 hours a week on housework in 2016.) “I think a big reason that what I was doing resonated was that I was honest and genuine about what I was experiencing.”

Persons: dadfluencers, ”, James Nord, TikTok, influencers, Dad influencers, Nord, “, Thomas Piccirilli Organizations: Pew Research Locations: New York City, United States, Monmouthshire, England

Kinmen, Taiwan CNN —As the sun sets over Taiwan’s Kinmen islands, the neon lights of mainland China dazzle in the distance just 2.5 miles away. That lingering potential for invasion might make it seem like an unlikely place to construct a bridge to mainland China. Anti-invasion spikes along the coast of Taiwan's Kinmen islands. During a recent trip to Kinmen, Taiwan Vice President and DPP presidential candidate William Lai said he recognized the sacrifices of the islanders during decades of conflict. “The Taiwanese government looks at the Chinese military threat as something that cannot be accepted and we condemn it,” he added.

Persons: John Mees, Ko Wen, ”, Xi Jinping, Ho Chih, Sam Yeh, Kinmen, Yang Chien, ” Yang, “, Yang, Yang Pei, Huang Li, cheng, Tsai Ing, William Lai, Wu Chia, chiang, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Joseph Wu, ” Wu, Maestro Wu Tseng, Maestro Wu Organizations: Taiwan CNN —, Communist, People’s Liberation Army, CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan’s Presidential, Mainland Affairs Council, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Mainland Affairs, Russo, Getty, Communist China's, Tourism Association, Communist Party, Xi, United States, Taiwan’s, Taiwan Locations: Kinmen, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taipei, Taiwan’s, Xiamen –, Xiamen, Chinese, Ukrainian, Russia, Taiwan's, AFP, Jinsha, “, Fujian, California, Beijing’s

☆ Çanakkale: Where ancient Troy sits beside the modern city
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Nick Hilden | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —An enormous wooden horse presides over the marina in Çanakkale, a small port city southwest of Istanbul. The clapboard animal is a mock-up of the Trojan Horse of mythological fame. Çanakkale (pronounced cha-na-call-ay) stands adjacent to the archaeological site that was once the ancient city of Troy, best known as the setting of the Trojan War in Homer’s “Iliad.”A giant wooden horse watches over Çanakkale. Today when you visit Truva – either via car or a short bus ride from Çanakkale – a second model of the Trojan Horse looms at the entrance. “We know that there were many wars that occurred at Troy,” Rose explains.

☆ 'Big Short' investor Michael Burry broke down his iconic bet against the US housing bubble during a 2008 meeting with a Warren Buffett acolyte - but his warning and advice were ignored.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Michael Burry told a Warren Buffett disciple exactly how to bet against the housing bubble in 2008. However, Mohnish Pabrai ignored the warning and advice from "The Big Short" investor. Burry invited the head of Pabrai Investment Funds to his office, and immediately launched into a detailed explanation of his iconic bet against the housing bubble, Pabrai recalled during a recent Mint interview. "He implored me to go long CDS on MBS," Pabrai said about Burry in a recent tweet. Burry repeatedly sounded the alarm on the housing bubble before it imploded, but virtually nobody listened.

☆ TikTok represents 'strategic' challenge, says top US cyber official
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

RUTHERFORD, California, March 27 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. National Security Agency's cybersecurity directorate on Monday said TikTok represents a "strategic issue" rather than an immediate "tactical" threat to the United States. Joyce said China could use its influence on TikTok to suppress information that might make the nation look bad to Americans. His remarks echo earlier warnings by Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray and National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone, who told U.S. lawmakers that TikTok could be used to carry out sweeping influence campaigns. U.S. President Joe Biden has signaled his support for legislation introduced by a dozen Senators that would give him the power to ban TikTok and other foreign technologies if they pose a national security risk. Reporting by Stephen Nellis in Rutherford, California; Editing by Chris Reese and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. seizes website selling malware that stole computer data
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Zeba Siddiqui | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAN FRANCISCO, March 9 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities said on Thursday they seized an internet domain that was selling malicious software criminals used to steal data from and take control of victims' computers. The site sold NetWire, a type of malware called a 'remote access trojan' (RAT), which is "a sophisticated program capable of targeting and infecting every major computer operating system," the statement said. It allows covert surveillance, creating a "'backdoor' for administrative control and unfettered and unauthorized remote access to a victim’s computer, without the victim’s knowledge or permission," according to court records filed in Los Angeles the statement cited. It was unclear how many times the malware had been bought off the seized website. The seizure comes as U.S. authorities work on improving collaborations with other countries on investigating cybercrimes, which are often cross-border.

WASHINGTON—U.S. officials are growing concerned that giant Chinese-made cranes operating at American ports across the country, including at several used by the military, could give Beijing a possible spying tool hiding in plain sight. Some U.S. officials have compared ship-to-shore cranes made by the China-based manufacturer, ZPMC , to a Trojan horse. While comparably well-made and inexpensive, they contain sophisticated sensors that can register and track the provenance and destination of containers, prompting concerns that China could capture information about materiel being shipped in or out of the country to support U.S. military operations around the world.

☆ Mike Lindell called Ron DeSantis a 'Trojan Horse' for the left in a rant at CPAC
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mike Lindell tore into Gov. Ron DeSantis at CPAC, calling him a "Trojan Horse" for the left. Ron DeSantis at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, on Tuesday. "Now I'll tell you what Ron DeSantis is, and he's got money behind him, did he do anything for Disney? "He is a Trojan Horse, he is the Trojan Horse," Lindell shouted.

☆ Shopify is in talks to add Amazon's Buy with Prime service. Analysts say this is a 'Trojan horse' that could cut into Shopify's core revenue.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But many analysts don't think that Buy with Prime is a good thing for Shopify. Shopify executives continued to strike an optimistic tone about Amazon's Buy with Prime feature during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. Buy with Prime allows sellers to offer Prime benefits — like fast shipping, free delivery, and free returns — on websites outside of Amazon.com. Shopify merchants that try to install it get a pop-up informing them that the checkout feature violates the company's terms of service and could leave their store vulnerable to fraud. Many Shopify merchants choose not to sell their products on Amazon because they want to maintain control over their customer data.

☆ ‘Star Chasers of Senegal’ Review: Between Science and the Sacred
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Orthodox religion and state-of-the-art astrophysics would seem to have a star-crossed relationship at best, but they intersect gracefully in the latest “NOVA” special, which looks both backward and forward in time. The principal of “Star Chasers of Senegal”—and straddler of worlds—is Maram Kaire , a Senegalese astronomer affiliated with the Africa Initiative for Planetary and Space Sciences and a scientist-advocate eager to establish a space agency in his own country. Meanwhile, he assists in projects from abroad, the one at the center of “Star Chasers” being NASA’s most recent deep-space probe, christened “Lucy”—after the fossilized human discovered in 1974, and the song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” The “jewels” the new Lucy is out to observe are the so-called Trojan Asteroids trapped in Jupiter’s orbit, which theoretically predate the creation of the sun and the Earth. Traveling at 15,000 mph, Lucy will have mere moments to make her observations, so it behooves the NASA scientists to have as much advance knowledge as they can collect about the size, shape and speed of Orus.

☆ Democratic Govs. Newsom, Pritzker push back on DeSantis after Florida blocks AP African American studies course
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis after his administration blocked the teaching of an Advanced Placement course on African American studies. J.B. Pritzker is urging the College Board not to appease DeSantis, a likely 2024 Republican presidential candidate, and alter the course curriculum. DeSantis’ administration rejected the AP African American studies program in a letter this month to the College Board, which oversees AP classes. Pritzker meanwhile said that Illinois expects any AP course focused on African American studies "to include a factual accounting of history, including the role played by black queer Americans." The College Board said Tuesday it would release a new framework for the AP course, which it said has been under development since March.

☆ Ben Crump plans to sue DeSantis over rejection of AP African American studies course
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — Civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump is expected to announce Wednesday that he intends to sue Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his administration's decision to block a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies from being taught in high schools. DeSantis' administration rejected the AP's African American studies program in a letter this month to the College Board, which oversees AP classes. On Tuesday, The College Board said it would release a new framework for the AP course, which it said has been under development since March. “We are glad the College Board has recognized that the originally submitted course curriculum is problematic, and we are encouraged to see the College Board express a willingness to amend,” Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement.

☆ Here's the AP African American Studies course Florida rejected
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

For months, the Florida Education Department and the College Board have been at loggerheads over instituting a proposed Advanced Placement African American studies course for high school students. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. discussed the issue publicly for the first time at a news conference Monday. They argue that the course is a Trojan horse for "indoctrinating" students with a left-wing ideology under the guise of teaching about the Black experience and African American history (which is mandated in the state). In a statement last week, the College Board said the course was "undergoing a rigorous, multi-year pilot phase, collecting feedback from teachers, students, scholars and policymakers." Read through the curriculum that Florida has rejected below.

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