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☆ Wildfires spread near Croatia's Adriatic pearl of Dubrovnik
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SARAJEVO, July 25 (Reuters) - Firefighters battled wildfires that were spreading in the area south of the Croatian Adriatic city of Dubrovnik late on Tuesday, with strong southerly winds preventing deployment of aircraft and landmines exploding, local media reported. "A hurricane southern wind blowing in the Dubrovnik-Neretva canton has fuelled a widespread open space fire in the area of the Dubrovnik Plat community," the Croatian Firefighters Community (HVZ) said on its website. The area affected by fire is just 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from the medieval Mediterranean town of Dubrovnik, a top tourist destination in Croatia. Another bushfire occurred in the Split-Dalmatian county on Tuesday, with 65 firefighters and three aircraft battling the flames. Also on Tuesday, two people drowned and several were injured in neighbouring Montenegro when strong southern winds hit its coast, port authorities in the towns of Ulcinj and Petrovac said.

Persons: Petrovac, Daria Sito, Aleksandar Vasovic, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Firefighters, Croatian Firefighters, Canadair, Local, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, Croatian Adriatic, Dubrovnik, Neretva, Croatia, Local Dubrovnik, Du, Dalmatian, Montenegro, Ulcinj, Europe

☆ Patrol dogs are terrorizing and mauling prisoners inside the United States
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Hannah Beckler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +64 min

But prison patrol dogs aren't deployed for chases; they are used inside the prison walls. Tri-State Canines training facility, Warren, OhioVirginia Department of Corrections patrol dogs are typically Belgian Malinois, Czech shepherds, or German shepherds. Department patrol dogs are trained to bite once and hold to minimize flesh tears and lacerations. Patrol dog kennels, Virginia Department of CorrectionsThe patrol dog kennels are even smaller, at 6 feet by 10. A veterinary technician who treated patrol dogs at a clinic in Lebanon, Virginia, said she was told not to touch the patrol dogs in her care without their handler present.

Persons: Santos Cardona, Michael Smith, Smith, Marco, crouch, Mohammed Bollendia, protectively, Ashraf Abdullah Ahsy, Ivan L, Frederick II, Cardona, Abu, John Ketzer, Ketzer, Michael J, Donald Rumsfeld, Rumsfeld, Abu Ghraib, Lane McCotter, Gary DeLand, Terry Bartlett, Richard Billings, Larry DuBois, John Armstrong, Terry Stewart, Charles Ryan, Ryan, Stewart, Adrian Duran, cradled, Duran he'd, Duran, Blackie, growled, he'd, It's, extractions, they're, Jerko, Jeremy Defour, Bert, Antwon Whitten, Virginia, Peter C, Meade, —, Oikeutta eläimille, Dave Blosser, Blosser, Eli Hiller, he's, Matthew Johnson, Oscar, Johnson, Oscar growled, Boris, Cajos, Linwood Mathias, Lucas Pruitt, Mathias, Xavia Goodwyn, sicced Lojzo, Edris, Michael Watson, Watson, Thomas Rose, Rose, Goodwyn, Red, Rick White, Ron Angelone, Wallens, Tyler Parry, Charlton Yingling, Parry, Eugene, Bull, Connor, Bill Hudson, Yingling, Solomon Northup, Solomon, Walter Gadsden, Malcolm X, Michael Brown, Ferguson, They're, Jeffery, White, Curtis Garrett, Garrett, Kathleen Dennehy, Dennehy, Aaron Fedor, Jimmy Stanley, Dora Schriro, Schriro, Omar, Dionisio Paulino, Paulino, Robert Silva, Adrian Duran's, Adrian Duran Duran, Adrian, unwound, Sussex II, Whitten, Western District of Virginia Jeremy Defour, Defour, Kenneth Licklider, Chris Robbins, Rivan, she'd, They've, Stephen McReynolds, McReynolds, Daniel Clinton, Tom, Clinton, basketballs, Clinton's, Fuga, Jamie Elliott, Elliott, Duran couldn't, Bodhi, Jamie, Jawan Lee, Lee, Lee's Organizations: US, Business, Associated Press, Department of, Rights, Department, Justice, Department of Justice, Virginia Department of Corrections Police, Human Rights Watch, Virginia Department of Corrections, University of Virginia School of Law, Sussex II, Police, Kern Medical, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, The Indiana Department of Correction, Delaware Department of Correction, South, New Jersey Department of Corrections, Tri, Warren , Ohio Virginia Department of Corrections, State Canine Services, Court, Western District of, Red, View Regional, Onion, North Correctional Center, Corrections, Goodwyn, FBI, Ku Klux Klan, Human Rights, University of Nevada, University of Louisville, AP, Breeders, Ferguson Police Department, Souza, Baranowski, Commonwealth, Baranowski Correctional, Prentice, Black, United States, District, Massachusetts, Housing, Virginia Commonwealth University Health, Virginia, Housing Unit, Patrol, Southwest, Southwest Virginia Veterinary Services Locations: Abu Ghraib, Iraq, Belgian, Baghdad, Abu, United States, New Mexico, Utah, DeLand, Billings, Bartlett, Arizona, DuBois, Massachusetts, Armstrong, Connecticut, Arizona , Connecticut, Delaware , Indiana , Iowa , Massachusetts , New Jersey, Virginia, Alexandria , Virginia, Los Angeles, backyards, Sussex, lunging, Indiana, Richmond , Virginia, Iowa, Augusta, Ridge, New Jersey, South Woods, Warren ,, Czech, Europe, , Virginia, Western District, Western District of Virginia, Warren , Ohio, Holland, Tri, Canton , Ohio, Wallens, Onion, Red Onion, View, Norton , Virginia, Portsmouth , Virginia, Kentucky, Birmingham , Alabama, Las Vegas, Americas, Caribbean, American, Ferguson , Missouri, Lancaster , Massachusetts, Richmond, Lebanon , Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Lebanon, Waverly , Virginia, chihuahua

☆ Switzerland fights to contain forest fire near Italy border as winds pick up
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Denis Balibouse | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BITSCH, Switzerland, July 18 (Reuters) - Swiss firefighters on Tuesday were battling a forest fire that has forced more than 200 people to evacuate, and authorities warned winds were making the blaze difficult to contain. The fire broke out on Monday on the forested flank of a mountain in Bitsch in the Valais canton near the Italian border. An helicopter carries water to a wildfire on the flank of a mountain in Bitsch near Brig, Switzerland, July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseThe situation could deteriorate further if winds grow stronger, said Adrienne Bellwald, spokesperson for the cantonal police. Its Federal Office for the Environment has warned forest fires could become more frequent, especially in summer, due to an increase in hot, dry weather caused by climate change.

Persons: Mario Schaller, Denis Balibouse, Adrienne Bellwald, Noele Illien, Emma Farge, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Janet Lawrence, Conor Humphries, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Helicopters, REUTERS, Federal Office, Environment, Reuters, World Meteorological Organization, Thomson Locations: Switzerland, Bitsch, Valais, Brig, Europe, Asia, United States

☆ Factbox: Europe sees another year of droughts and wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, heat waves resulted in over 61,600 heat-related fatalities across 35 European countries and triggered devastating wildfires. Below is a list of the most recent blazes and heat-related warnings issued in Europe. **********CROATIAA bushfire near the coastal town of Sibenik quickly spread on July 13, fuelled by strong southerly winds. Emergency services were also dealing with fires on the island of Evia, east of Athens, and Aigio, southwest of Athens. RUSSIAIn central Russia's Urals region, in the small village of Shaidurikha near Yekaterinburg, wildfires spread on July 12 and caused significant damage.

Persons: BRGM, Rhodes, El, Dina Kartit, Gaëlle Sheehan, Piotr Lipiński, Alexandra Hudson, Milla Nissi Organizations: Firefighters, Flames, El Pais, Caldera, SWITZERLAND Swiss, Swiss, TURKEY, Directorate of Forestry, Thomson Locations: Europe, Sicily, CROATIA, Sibenik, Grebastica, FRANCE, Nouvelle, Aquitaine, Occitanie, Grand Est, Bouches, Du, Rhone, Corsica, France, GREECE, Corfu, Evia, Athens, Cyprus, Israel, Italy, ITALY, Calabria, Italian, Rome, Lazio, PORTUGAL Mainland Portugal, May, RUSSIA, Russia's, Shaidurikha, Yekaterinburg, SPAIN, La Palma, Spanish, Spain, Bitsch, Valais, Turkey's, Hatay, Mersin, Canakkale, Turkish

☆ Swiss police evacuate villages due to wildfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, July 17 (Reuters) - Swiss police ordered the evacuation of several mountain villages late on Monday as a forest fire spread, while it was not immediately clear how many people were affected. It later added that three other villages were to be evacuated and warned of rockfalls. Air Zermatt, which operates four of the helicopters, said efforts to extinguish the fire would continue through the night. Valais police posted pictures showing a helicopter dangling a water cannon above a forest fire in the afternoon. loadingThe area is affected by the same Mediterranean heatwave affecting southern Europe, with temperatures set to exceed 30 Celsius in parts of the Valais canton this week, forecasts show.

Persons: Emma Farge, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Josie Kao Organizations: Swiss, Twitter, rockfalls, Air Zermatt, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Valais, Ried, Morel, Brig, Air, Europe

☆ An Art-Filled Swiss Idyll in Lausanne and the Joux Valley
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Christopher Solomon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Many are by Swiss artists, including the Giacomettis, father and son. When I visited, one floor featured a large, temporary exhibition of more than 100 paintings by the Swiss painter Gustav Buchet, an important figure in the avant-garde movements in early-20th-century Switzerland. The building was designed by the Portuguese architects Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus and opened in June 2022, along with the plaza. Many photos reminded how trains can represent escape and adventure, but also a Hail Mary for the desperate. Black-and-white shots of war refugees piling onto trains, taken 70 years ago, felt like they could have been taken last month.

Persons: Gustav Buchet, François Bocion, Bocion, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Rodin, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Francisco, Manuel Aires Mateus, Henri Cartier, Nan Goldin, Mary Organizations: Bresson Locations: Swiss, Switzerland, Lake Geneva, Portuguese

Last week, for instance, Nigeria's central bank allowed the naira currency to drop as much as 36% on the official market. Nestle, which is replacing imported corn starch in Nigeria with cassava starch, told Reuters it has helped seven local suppliers to boost capacity to meet the company's supply needs. ONION POWDER AND TURMERICNestle said it was working to develop local suppliers of vegetables and spices used in Maggi products, for instance onion powder in Nigeria and Senegal, and turmeric powder in Nigeria. Nestle did not comment on whether its position in Nigeria would help insulate it from foreign exchange volatility, neither did it give an indication of the economic impact of the local sourcing. ($1 = 0.8967 Swiss francs)Reporting by Richa Naidu; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Arnd, Kat, Nestle, Richa Naidu, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Swiss, Nestle, REUTERS, LONDON, Reuters, Unilever, Thomson Locations: Bern, Konolfingen, Switzerland, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Swiss, Asia, East, Africa

☆ Two local officials in northeast Syria killed by Turkish drone, Kurdish authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

QAMISHLI, Syria, June 20 (Reuters) - Two local civilian officials and their driver were killed in Syria's Kurdish-run northeast on Tuesday when their car was targeted by a Turkish drone strike, regional Kurdish authorities said. Kurdish medical sources and a security source said a Turkish drone had targeted their car in the village of Tal Shaeer in northeast Syria. It named the figure as Ridvan Ulugana and said he had been active in operations targeting the Turkish military. It did not say that any civilians were killed, or mention Tal Shaeer. (This story has been corrected to fix Chamoun's first name and job title in paragraph 2)Reporting by Orhan Qereman in Qamishli, Syria; Daren Butler and Huseyin Hayatsever in Turkey; writing by Maya Gebeily; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yusra Darwish, Liman Shawish, Gabriel Chamoun, Tal Rifaat, Tal Shaeer, Ulugana, Orhan Qereman, Daren Butler, Huseyin Hayatsever, Maya Gebeily, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: MIT, Turkish, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic, Thomson Locations: QAMISHLI, Syria, Turkish, Kurdish, Qamishli, Tal Shaeer, Tal, Turkey, Syria's, Ankara, United States, Islamic State

But in a statement on April 8 last year, the company said: "Due to recent developments, Acer has decided to suspend its business in Russia." Asked about subsequent exports to Russia via Swiss subsidiary Acer Sales International SA, Acer in Taiwan said in a statement that "we strictly adhere to applicable international regulations and trade laws regarding exports to Russia". Acer did not say why it continued shipping its goods to Russia despite saying it would suspend business there. Reuters was unable to establish where some Acer goods that can still be found on sale in Russia had originated from nor when they had arrived in the country. There were no deliveries of the newly prohibited items by Acer to Russia from Switzerland after that date.

Persons: Dell, Artem Zhavoronkov, Acer, Filipp Lebedev, Gleb Stolyarov, Ben Blanchard, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Mike Collett, White, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Reuters, Dell, HP, Acer, Russia, European Union, Acer Sales International SA, PC, IDC Russia, Nordic Star, Economy Ministry, Economic Affairs, Russia's Ministry of Industry, Trade, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Russia, Ukraine, Acer's, Switzerland, Swiss, St . Petersburg, Japan, Bioggio, WhatsApp, Switzerland's, Tbilisi, Taipei, Geneva

☆ 4 people died after a boat sank on a picturesque lake. All of the passengers had connections to Israeli and Italian intelligence.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Four people died in a boating accident on Italy's Lake Maggiore last month in a violent storm. All 21 passengers were linked to Israeli and Italian defense and intelligence work. All 21 passengers on the 52-foot houseboat were currently or formerly tied to Israeli and Italian defense and intelligence work, officials said, per CNN. Two of those who died had worked for the Italian intelligence authority. Lake Maggiore Mbdortmund/Wikimedia CmmonsSeveral companies that produce both military and civilian technology use are located in Lombardy, the BCC reported.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu, it's Organizations: Authorities, Service, CNN, Reuters, Wikimedia, BCC, BBC, Guardian, BBC News, New York Times Locations: Maggiore, Russian, Israel, Swiss, Italy's Lombardy, Ticino, Lake, Mbdortmund, Lombardy, Switzerland, Milan

☆ Plane crash in Swiss mountains kills three
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, May 20 (Reuters) - Three people died when their light aircraft crashed on Saturday morning in Switzerland's Ponts-de-Martel area close to the French border, the Swiss police said. The crash occurred around 10:20 in the morning local time (0820 GMT) in a forest near the village of La Combe Dernier in the canton of Neuchâtel, the local police said. Rescue operations proved difficult because the crash occurred on particularly steep terrain, the police said. The cause of the accident was not immediately known, but an investigation has been launched, they added. Reporting by Maria Martinez, Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

On Tuesday, the U.S. government accused a former Apple employee, Weibao Wang, of stealing trade secrets from the company's self-driving car division, including the entirety of Apple's "autonomous" source code. Following that, he worked as chief technology officer at Neolix, a Chinese self-driving car company. Wang is the third former Apple employee from China to be accused of stealing trade secrets from Apple's self-driving car division. Xiaolang Zhang, who worked at Apple around the same time as Wang, pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets from Apple in August. Apple has reportedly been working on a self-driving car since at least 2015, although it has never discussed its goals or plans publicly and no car has been announced.

CNN —A Swiss village has been ordered to evacuate amid warnings a large mass of rock looming overhead could come tumbling down in the coming days. Leaders in Brienz held a town hall event on Tuesday evening and told residents they would have to leave by 6 pm local time on Friday. Rebecca Dell, a researcher at the University of Cambridge warns that climate change is driving glacier melt in the Alps. If a slope becomes too unstable, events such as rockslides may occur,” she told CNN. The village, which houses under 100 residents, according to Swiss public broadcaster SRF, is located in Switzerland’s eastern canton of Graubünden.

[1/5] Swiss army soldiers take part in a live ammo exercise during the LUX 23 exercise in Les Pradieres, Switzerland May 4, 2023. The drills, involving 4,000 troops and spread across four cantons over nine days, took place as the country's role in European defence has come into focus amid calls for it to assist Ukraine in fighting the Russian invasion. The LUX 23 drills, planned since 2021, were not organised in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, but the Swiss military said it made the exercise all the more relevant. "This, of course, is directly linked [to the war in Ukraine]." Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Denis Balibouse; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Swiss army displays Leopard 2 tank as Germany hopes for sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Denis Balibouse | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Recruits of the Swiss army Tank School 21 perform an attack exercise with the Leopard 2 tank in Bure, Switzerland May 5, 2023. Switzerland has 134 Leopard 2 tanks in service, some of which were used in training exercises by the country's Tank School 21 in the northwestern canton of Jura this week. But the Leopard 2 tanks that have drawn attention in Switzerland are, in fact, the 96 it keeps in storage. Under its neutrality laws and a separate arms embargo, Switzerland is prohibited from sending weapons directly to a country at war. The German government assured Bern that if it decided to sell its Leopard 2 tanks, these would not be used in Ukraine.

☆ Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, Reassuring Best-Selling Author, Dies at 88
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rabbi Harold Kushner, a practical public theologian whose best-selling books assured readers that bad things happen to good people because God is endowed with unlimited love and justice but exercises only finite power to prevent evil, died on Thursday in Canton, Mass. His death, in hospice care, was confirmed by his daughter, Ariel Kushner Haber. Several of Rabbi Kushner’s 14 books became best-sellers, resonating well beyond his Conservative Jewish congregation outside Boston and across religious boundaries in part because they had been inspired by his own experiences with grief, doubt and faith. At age 3, just hours after the birth of the Kushners’ daughter, Aaron was diagnosed with a rare disease, progeria, in which the body ages rapidly. He weighed only 25 pounds and was as tall as a three-year-old when he died in 1977 two days after his 14th birthday.

[1/3] A staff member attends to visitors at an oven retailer at the China Import and Export Fair, also known as Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China April 16, 2023. REUTERS/Ellen ZhangGUANGZHOU, April 16 (Reuters) - Chinese exporters exhibiting their products at the country's largest trade fair said the weak global economy was hurting their businesses, with many freezing investments and some cutting labour costs in response. Lin said the company cannot afford to sell at lower prices, but it may look to reduce labour costs. Vicky Chen, foreign trade manager at socket producer Qinjia Electric, said she did not expect a big sales boost at the fair, which runs until May 5. "The whole global economy is fairing poorly at the moment, and the fair won't change that."

Despite a rebound in fundraising and block trading activity, year-to-date IPO volumes came in at their lowest level since 2019. Equity capital markets (ECM) advisers, however, are optimistic of a recovery in listing activity in the latter part of the year. In the United States, IPO volumes jumped more than 50% from the fourth quarter of 2022, but were still 11% down from the same period last year. IPOs briefly flickered back to life in February, as companies including solar tech firm Nextracker (NXT.O) and Chinese sensor maker Hesai Group (HSAI.O) pushed ahead with their listings. RECOVERY DELAYEDIn Europe, investment bankers said the market volatility spurred by the banking crisis is likely to affect the pipeline of deals.

Ermotti may need to persuade Switzerland's authorities that UBS should keep "the piece de resistance," Credit Suisse's domestic bank, said Porta's Wittmann. During the financial crash of 2008 it was UBS, not Credit Suisse, that took the lion's share of support from the state. One of Ermotti's biggest challenges may be to prevent Credit Suisse's problems contaminating UBS, which will involve hacking back its investment bank and its unwieldy derivatives. Disentangling Credit Suisse's finances, however, is only a part of the problem. "There are clearly parts of Credit Suisse that have had a bad culture.

☆ Factbox: Five facts about returning UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - Sergio Ermotti has been rehired as the CEO of Swiss banking giant UBS (UBSG.S) to steer its massive takeover of rival Credit Suisse (CSGN.S). * He joined UBS in 2011 after being passed over for the top job at Italian lender UniCredit. Within six months of joining he was appointed interim CEO in the wake of a $2.3 billion trading scandal, before he was picked to run UBS on a permanent basis until 2020. * Ermotti, with long experience in investment banking and wealth management, is credited with executing UBS's turnaround and scaling down its investment banking operations after a series of scandals and losses nearly caused the bank's implosion. Reporting by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Boomerang UBS boss ticks several important boxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

That’s the best explanation for why Chair Colm Kelleher on Wednesday said the Swiss bank was replacing CEO Ralph Hamers with erstwhile boss Sergio Ermotti. Though the move violates several corporate-governance red lines, it improves the group’s chances of successfully absorbing stricken rival Credit Suisse (CSGN.S). Nor was his hesitant delivery in a call with analysts after announcing the Credit Suisse deal. During his previous spell in charge, UBS held talks with Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and discussed a merger with Credit Suisse. Ermotti, a Swiss national, led the Swiss bank for nine years, departing in late 2020, and is currently chair of Swiss Re.

☆ Zurich bank looks to capitalise on Credit Suisse's demise
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Noele Illien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"There is a chance that the situation might accelerate our existing plans," he added, and suggested the bank would be open to looking into purchasing businesses from Credit Suisse, should they become available. "We want to grow and we have stated that we are open to looking at external growth as well, regardless of the situation of Credit Suisse," Baumann said. The Canton of Zurich is liable under the state guarantee for any ZKB liabilities which the bank cannot cover in the event of trouble. Deposits in Swiss bank accounts are usually only protected up to 100,000 Swiss francs. ($1 = 0.9190 Swiss francs)($1 = 0.9168 Swiss francs)($1 = 0.9160 Swiss francs)($1 = 0.9164 Swiss francs)Reporting by Noele IllienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Amazon, other retailers revamp 'free' shipping as costs soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Lisa Baertlein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Alyssa PointerLOS ANGELES, March 24 (Reuters) - There is no such thing as free shipping. "The days of free delivery are numbered," Ken Morris, managing partner at Cambridge Retail Advisors, said of the fast-changing retail marketing tool. It is an open secret that most retailers raise product prices to subsidize free shipping. Postal Service hitting record levels, the industry where nearly three-quarters of e-commerce companies offer some sort of free shipping is rethinking the financial cost of habituating shoppers to free shipping. While retailers like Amazon and fashion purveyor Asos Plc (ASOS.L) have raised thresholds for fast shipping, others are dropping free shipping altogether or taking product prices up again.

☆ An Edible Tour of the Swiss Canton of Vaud
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Taras Grescoe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Travelers to the canton of Vaud in Switzerland will find a rich culinary landscape. Most international visitors who fly into Geneva make a beeline for the ski resorts and Alpine playgrounds in the German-speaking eastern part of Switzerland. That is a shame. The canton of Vaud, adjacent to Geneva, is the heartland of the French-speaking part of Switzerland known as Romandy and may be the richest and most satisfying culinary landscape in the nation.

"Most luxury retailers don't think Hong Kong will return to the dizzy levels of 2014 when the market here peaked," said Simon Smith, Savills' senior director of research and consultancy in Hong Kong. Morgan Stanley (MS.N) forecast Hong Kong visitor numbers this year will reach just 70% of 2018 arrivals. It estimates retail sales will grow 15%, holding at around 80% of retail trade from the pre-COVID year. That outstripped total Hong Kong retail sales from a peak hit in 2013 at HK$494.5 billion ($63.0 billion), according to the city's statistics department. ($1 = 6.8510 yuan)($1 = 7.8498 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Farah Master, Jessie Pang, Anne Marie Roantree, Angel Woo and Donny Kwok in Hong Kong, Sophie Yu in Beijing, and Mimosa Spencer in Paris; Writing by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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