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☆ Judge resets cypto couple plea hearings ahead of Trump appearance in D.C. court
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Trump was charged Tuesday on four felony counts related to his efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. The former president was summoned to appear in U.S. District Court in Washington at 4 p.m. The bitcoin couple, Ilya "Dutch" Lichtenstein and Heather "Razzlekahn" Rhiannon Morgan, were already due to appear in the same court on the same day for separate plea hearings at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. respectively. Court filings last month suggested that they will plead guilty at those hearings. But on Wednesday, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly moved Lichtenstein's hearing to 9:30 a.m. and his wife Morgan's hearing to 11 a.m. Thursday.

Persons: Thursday's, Donald Trump, Barrett Prettyman, Trump, Joe Biden, Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, Ilya, Dutch, Lichtenstein, Heather, Razzlekahn, Rhiannon Morgan, Colleen Kollar, Kotelly Organizations: Washington , D.C, Justice Locations: Washington ,, U.S, Washington

☆ A couple hasn't paid for flights since 2018 and lives in homes for free. Here's how they quit their corporate jobs for house-sitting gigs all over the world.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Claire Turrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Marco Ilagan, 42, and Fran Cassaniti, 30, left their jobs at Accenture to travel in 2018. The couple live in other people's homes for free in return for looking after their pets. The couple needed to look after a dog and a cockatiel called Tweetie who would fly free around the house. They also spent four months looking after two relaxed German Shepherds in a beach retreat in Grenada, as the retired owners would go sailing during the winter months. They are currently driving it in Costa Rica, where they will spend the next four months looking after two dogs and ticking off those goals they created.

Persons: Marco Ilagan, Fran Cassaniti, Ilagan, they'd, Instagram, Cassaniti, Tweetie, They've, they've, hasn't Organizations: Accenture, Service, Thrones Locations: Wall, Silicon, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Chicago , Illinois, India, Thailand, Brazil, Krabi, Philippines, Hawaii, Anchorage , Alaska, TrustedHousesitters, Utah, Grenada, Chicago, Florida, Scotland, Inveraray, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, England, Ireland, Europe, America, Cozumel , Mexico, Mexico, US, Texas, Belize, Costa Rica

☆ Madonna reflects on hospitalization one month later: 'I realized how lucky I am to be alive'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —One month after Madonna was hospitalized in the ICU after suffering a bacterial infection, the queen of pop is reflecting on how her loved ones are helping her heal. “Love from family and friends is the best Medicine,” Madonna wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday, showcasing a series of photos with two of her six children. Madonna shares one daughter, Lourdes Leon, with Carlos Leon, and a son, Rocco Ritchie, with director Guy Ritchie. Madonna wrote that she sobbed when she received Oseary’s gift because “I realized how lucky I am to be alive. Earlier this month, the Grammy winner announced she was rescheduling the start of her international “Celebration” tour to October.

Persons: Madonna, ” Madonna, “, ” “, Lourdes Leon, Carlos Leon, Rocco Ritchie, Guy Ritchie, – David Banda, Chifundo, Mercy ” James, Stella, Estere, Guy Oseary, Keith Haring “, Michael Jackson’s, Andy Warhol, ” Oseary, ” Organizations: CNN, ” CNN, Vogue

☆ Somalia says Russia grants relief on debt worth $684 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOGADISHU, July 27 (Reuters) - Russia has granted debt relief on over $684 million owed by Somalia in a deal finalised on the sidelines of a Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, officials from the Horn of Africa nation said. Emerging from decades of civil war, Somalia is seeking to secure sweeping external debt relief under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank's Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The agreement signed on Wednesday between Egeh and Russian deputy finance minister Timur Maksimov concerned Paris Club loans, Somali Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Somalia owed Moscow nearly $695 million in 2019, according to the IMF. Reporting by Hereward Holland, Abdi Sheikh and Rachel Savage; editing by Joe Bavier and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bihi Egeh, Timur Maksimov, Salah Ahmed Jama, Jama, Vladimir Putin, Putin, pare, Hereward Holland, Abdi Sheikh, Rachel Savage, Joe Bavier, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Somali Finance, Moscow, Paris Club, RIA Novosti, African, IMF, Thomson Locations: MOGADISHU, Russia, Somalia, Africa, St Petersburg, Horn of Africa, Egeh, Paris, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Opinion | At the University of Chicago: Was It Free Speech, or Harassment?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If contact information is disseminated about an individual, be it an email address, a phone number or a street address, it’s not reporting. It took me about 30 seconds to come up with “The Problems of Defining Whiteness,” “The Ambiguity of Whiteness” or “The Fluidity of Whiteness” as more authentic titles. Journey as a way to help her end a truly senseless controversy in time for the course to be taught. To borrow a word from the article, if Dr. Journey has prepared a solid, interesting course, it doesn’t need a “provocative” title inconsistent with its content.

Persons: it’s, It’s, David Friedman St, Rebecca Journey, I’m, Journey, Dallas Lea Alexandria Locations: James, La

☆ China and Pakistan sign $4.8 billion nuclear power plant deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Pakistan and China signed a $4.8 billion deal on Tuesday to build a 1,200-megawatt nuclear power plant, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, hailing the investment by a country that Pakistan views as its most dependable ally. Pakistan’s total nuclear energy production capacity rose to 1,400 mw, when the country’s sixth nuclear power plant opened two years ago. It is unclear whether the new investment is part of the $65 billion that China has pledged in infrastructure building for Pakistan under its Belt and Road Initiative. Instead, he said, the Chinese had disbursed an initial $104.53 million (30 billion Pakistani rupees) to start the project. CNN has reached out to China National Nuclear Cooperation and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Sharif, ” Sharif Organizations: PTV, China National Nuclear Cooperation, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, “, Initiative, CNN, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Pakistan, China, Punjab, Karachi

ISLAMABAD, June 20 (Reuters) - Pakistan and China signed a $4.8 billion deal on Tuesday to build a 1,200-megawatt nuclear power plant, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, hailing the investment by a country that Pakistan views as its most dependable ally. Pakistan's total nuclear energy production capacity rose to 1,400 mw, when the country's sixth nuclear power plant opened two years ago. Located in the southern port city of Karachi, that 1,100 mw plant was also constructed with Chinese assistance. It is unclear whether the new investment is part of the $65 billion that China has pledged in infrastructure building for Pakistan under its Belt and Road Initiative. Instead, he said, the Chinese had disbursed an initial 30 billion Pakistani rupees ($104.53 million) to start the project.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Sharif, Asif Shahzad, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: PTV, China National Nuclear Cooperation, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, Initiative, Thomson Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, China, Punjab, Karachi

BUENOS AIRES/NEW YORK, June 18 (Reuters) - Argentina and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have a $44 billion dilemma, with the two sides set to meet for crunch talks to revamp the country's huge, wobbling debt deal, key to avoiding default on billions in looming debt payments. Economy Minister Sergio Massa is expected in Washington as early as this week to try to unlock talks to accelerate IMF disbursements and ease economic targets attached to the deal, with investors and traders watching closely. "The fund knows that Argentina is a problem, it is its main debtor, but it seems to me that the negotiation has stagnated. Reuters Graphics'DAMAGE CONTROL'The government is hoping to bring forward over $10 billion in IMF disbursements scheduled for this year, though is reluctant to agree to tough austerity measures with an eye on October general elections where it faces likely defeat. "Investors are paying real attention to signs from the IMF negotiations," said economist Gustavo Ber.

Persons: Sergio Massa, Ricardo Delgado, Massa, Hugo Godoy, Gustavo Ber, Walter Bianchi, Rodrigo Campos, Adam Jourdan, Daniel Wallis Organizations: BUENOS AIRES, International Monetary Fund, Economy, IMF, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, Institute of International Finance, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: BUENOS, Argentina, Washington, Argentine, Buenos Aires, China

CNN —A string of sports games and practices have been postponed as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to choke the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast parts of the United States. Around 75 million people are under air quality alerts as wildfire smoke shrouds major US cities, with Major League Baseball (MLB), the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) forced to postpone games due to concerns over dangerous air quality. Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies warms up at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday. Following consultation with the NWSL Medical and Operations staff, it was determined that the match could not be safely conducted based on the projected air quality index,” the NWSL said in a statement. Smoke from Canada’s fires has periodically affected the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for more than a week, raising concerns over the harms of persistent poor air quality.

Persons: Zack Wheeler, Mitchell Leff Organizations: CNN, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Women’s Soccer League, MLB, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Citizens Bank, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Yankee, WNBA, New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx, New York Racing Association, NWSL, Operations, Phillies, Tigers, Yankees, White Sox, Belmont Locations: Northeast, United States, Belmont, New York, New Jersey, Harrison, Canada, Alberta, Elmont , New York

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - China’s commerce minister will visit the United States next week for meetings with the commerce secretary and Washington’s top trade official, the spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington said on Thursday, as the U.S. seeks engagement with Beijing to salve damaged ties. A source familiar with planning for the meetings said that Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao will meet with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in Washington next week before traveling to Detroit for a meeting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers. He will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on the sidelines of that gathering, scheduled for May 25-26. Washington has expressed eagerness for high-level meetings with China in an effort to keep increasingly tense relations from veering toward conflict. Blinken, Raimondo, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen have all expressed interest in visiting China.

☆ Imola F1 race called off as floods devastate region
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Last year's race drew a weekend crowd of 129,000 and 64,000 on the Sunday. Officials said at least eight people had died and thousands were evacuated from their homes in towns and cities across the region. The race was scheduled to be the sixth round of the season and the first in Europe. Red Bull have won every race so far and double world champion Max Verstappen is 14 points clear of team mate Sergio Perez. "We support the decision... safety to all those involved and in the region is paramount and has to take priority," the team said on Twitter.

☆ Argentina raises economic defenses against inflation 'onslaught'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Walter Bianchi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BUENOS AIRES, May 15 (Reuters) - Argentina's government is bolstering its economic defenses as it battles runaway inflation that hit 109% in April, fast draining central bank foreign currency reserves, a weakening peso and simmering market fears of a sharp-shock devaluation. The economy ministry announced a package of measures on Sunday including new interest rate hikes, more central bank intervention in currency markets and fast-tracked deals with creditors after inflation overshot all forecasts last week. Investment bank J.P. Morgan said an "onslaught of inflation" had forced the government to take "emergency measures". That's created a dilemma for the government: how to tame inflation and avoid a crash in the currency, while protecting the scarce foreign currency reserves in the bank. "If the BCRA (central bank) speeds up a devaluation, it will be adding more gasoline to the fire.

☆ Brazil's Lula reschedules China trip, will meet Xi on April 14 in Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, March 31 (Reuters) - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 14 in Beijing, his office said on Friday, rescheduling a visit that was postponed last week after he was diagnosed with a mild pneumonia last week. Lula will leave for China on April 11 and intends to stick to the original agenda, including the signing of some 20 agreements with Brazil's largest trading partner. The trip's aim is to upgrade relations with China now that Lula is back in office and seek new Chinese investment in the Latin American country. It will still be a state visit, with meetings with Xi, the Chinese Prime Minister, Li Qiang, and an event at the National People's Assembly, Lula's presidential office said. Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The 4-day workweek may not be the answer to workplace productivity and flexibility
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The four-day workweek was also discussed in a panel at the World Economic Forum earlier this year. "We have had a static, for many countries, five-day week for about a century," Grant said Thursday at his panel discussion called "The Four-Day Week." While a four-day workweek seems like an obvious answer, there are some key factors to consider before making the change, they agreed. But there are productivity benefits to giving employees more time to invest in themselves, which could come through the four-day workweek or other rescheduling methods. Flexibility through reorganizationWhether it be a four-day workweek or another method of schedule restructuring, a focus on both flexibility and productivity also benefits companies, van 't Noordende said.

☆ Cheddar News has seen so many exits that managers have asked staffers to delay scheduled vacations, while promising that reinforcements are on the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Cheddar News has lost more than 10 newsroom staffers since the start of 2023, sources told Insider. As of March, Cheddar appears to have plans to hire at least five news-related roles, according to Altice's jobs portal. a former Cheddar producer said. The two executives are said to have denied speculation that Altice has any plans to combine Cheddar and News 12. Sources previously told Insider that, throughout 2022, the Cheddar newsroom had contracted by roughly a third.

☆ Shopify is 'flattening' its org structure to incentivize more employees to become individual contributors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Shopify is making changes to its managerial structure that will likely result in fewer middle managers, "flattening" its organizational structure. Starting in mid-March, employees will choose to become either a full-time manager or a "crafter," as Shopify calls individual contributors. Silas added that Shopify expects to have fewer managers overall, referring to the change as a "flattening" of the organization. Shopify also removed all employee meetings that were scheduled for Wednesdays and limited large team events to specific hours on Thursdays. If you're a Shopify employee with a story to share, contact this reporter at mstone@insider.com or on the encrypted messaging app Signal at (646) 889-2143 using a nonwork phone.

☆ Zambia rejects China's call for World Bank to join its debt restructuring - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In an interview with the newspaper, Situmbeko Musokotwane said that "time is of the essence" to finish a restructuring of about $13 billion of external debt this year and signalled that China's demand was a distraction from talks for reducing the loans. "Under the common framework of the Group of 20, it has played a constructive role in dealing with Zambia's debt," he added. The People's Bank of China and the Ministry of Finance both did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Government data showed Zambia owed Chinese creditors nearly $6 billion of the total of $17 billion external debt at the end of 2021. China, for its part, argues that multilateral institutions should also be required to accept reductions in the debt they are owed.

☆ Southwest faces Senate hearing over holiday travel chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Passengers check in for a Southwest Airlines Co. flight inside Terminal 1 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California, on August 10, 2022. Southwest Airlines ' chief operations officer is scheduled to face questions from a Senate panel on Thursday over the carrier's December meltdown that stranded thousands of passengers over the holidays. Andrew Watterson plans to apologize for the travel chaos before the Senate Commerce Committee. The president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, Casey Murray, will tell the panel that the carrier ignored warning signs about its operation, according to written testimony reviewed by CNBC. Core values were forgotten," Casey Murray said in written testimony ahead of Thursday's hearing.

WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) and its pilot union will offer sharply contrasting reasons for the low-cost carrier's meltdown in December that disrupted travel plans for two million customers, ahead of a U.S. Senate committee hearing on Thursday. While Southwest has cited weather impacts, the union will single out poor preparation and a failure to modernize technology, according to written testimonies for the hearing, seen by Reuters. "What began as a weather event on December 21st turned into a crew scheduling event by December 24th," said Watterson. Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) said the union has been sounding the alarm about the carrier's crew scheduling technology and "outdated" operational processes for years. The committee had asked Jordan to testify but Southwest said the hearing conflicted with other commitments, including an employee rally in Baltimore on Wednesday.

☆ Southwest CEO Jordan finds himself in eye of storm after airline's holiday debacle
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Rajesh Kumar Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

CHICAGO, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Bob Jordan, Southwest Airlines Co's (LUV.N) CEO, faces the biggest challenge yet in his 35-year career at the airline that has built a customer-friendly reputation. Southwest's struggles reached a notable low on Jan. 28 when comedy sketch TV show "Saturday Night Live" lampooned the Dallas-based airline's technology and service. The carrier will now answer to U.S. Congress on Thursday when Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson testifies before the Senate Commerce Committee. In October, Jordan, who started his career at Southwest in 1988 as a computer programmer, put Watterson in charge of the airline's operations. Last week, Jordan also named a chief information officer who will help manage the airline's technology investments, upgrades and system maintenance.

☆ Southwest CEO maps out a recovery after holiday meltdown: 'We have work to do'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesSouthwest CEO Bob Jordan's message, after a holiday meltdown derailed the travel plans of millions, is clear: "I can't say it enough. The low-cost airline is working with General Electric to improve the capabilities of software that helps Southwest work out crew reassignments. Southwest said it offered premium pay to flight attendants and $45 million in "gratitude pay" to pilots because of the meltdown. He said that a recent fare sale was successful and that many customers are redeeming the frequently flyer points for Southwest flights. "This payment constitutes full and final settlement of your claim with Southwest Airlines."

☆ The 4-day workweek may not be the answer to workplace productivity and flexibility, Davos panelists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, included a panel on the four-day workweek. "We have had a static, for many countries, five-day week for about a century," Grant said Thursday at his panel discussion called "The Four-Day Week." While a four-day workweek seems like an obvious answer, there are some key factors to consider before making the change, they agreed. The four-day week "is very much a discussion for the upper class," van Gennip said. Flexibility through reorganizationWhether it be a four-day workweek or another method of schedule restructuring, a focus on both flexibility and productivity also benefits companies, van 't Noordende said.

☆ Southwest CEO says all options 'on the table' after carrier's meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Southwest Airlines is looking at all options to ensure the operational meltdown it suffered last month is not repeated, Chief Executive Bob Jordan said on Thursday. The Dallas-based carrier has been dealing with customer outrage and regulatory scrutiny after a systems meltdown last month left thousands of passengers stranded. Southwest has hired consultancy Oliver Wyman to investigate the disruption, Jordan told Reuters in an interview. Jordan said New York-based Oliver Wyman is interviewing company staff and union members to reconstruct the recent debacle in order to identify gaps in the carrier’s operations. He said last month’s disruption was not due to the structure, but said the airline could set up more crew bases if Oliver Wyman recommends that.

☆ Exclusive: Southwest eyes operational changes after airline's meltdown -CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Rajesh Kumar Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CHICAGO, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) Chief Executive Bob Jordan said on Thursday the company is looking at all options to ensure the operational meltdown it suffered last month is not repeated. The Dallas-based carrier has been dealing with customer outrage and regulatory scrutiny after a systems meltdown last month left thousands of passengers stranded. Southwest has hired consultancy Oliver Wyman to investigate the disruption, Jordan told Reuters in an interview. Southwest's board has set up a new Operations Review Committee to oversee management following last month's systems collapse, Jordan said. With the exception of 1% of bags, the airline has delivered all the luggage which went missing back to customers.

☆ Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan takes responsibility for the company's holiday flight meltdown: 'It just can't happen again'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan took responsibility for the recent holiday chaos, saying this " just can't happen again." Shareholders filed a class action lawsuit on Thursday against Southwest over the flight disruptions. "I have put everything on the table here because it just can't happen again," Jordan told Reuters. Southwest has engaged consultancy Oliver Wyman to investigate the operational failures and has set up a new committee to review its operations, Jordan told Reuters. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli last Friday demanded to know how the carrier plans to prevent another operational meltdown.

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