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☆ OpenAI just launched advanced voice mode for audio chats with ChatGPT. Here's how to use it
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

OpenAI said Tuesday that its popular chatbot now has an advanced voice feature for people who pay for the premium service. Legal counsel working on behalf of Johansson sent OpenAI letters claiming the company didn't have the right to use the near-identical voice, and OpenAI paused using it in its products, CNBC reported. OpenAI got a head start in the generative AI chatbot market, when it launched ChatGPT in late 2022. The advanced mode is only available to those with subscriptions to OpenAI's Plus, Team or Enterprise plans. The most affordable option is the Plus tier at $20 per month.

Persons: ChatGPT, OpenAI, it's, Scarlett Johansson, Johansson, Sam Altman, OpenAI's, It's Organizations: OpenAI, CNBC, Microsoft, Google, Reuters, Meta, Facebook, Enterprise Locations: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland

☆ Startups are using ‘rock dust’ to make agriculture carbon friendly
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Agriculture is responsible for more than 10% of global carbon emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But while agriculture is a massive carbon offender, it could now be part of a solution, as startups are trying new ways of using nature to save itself. Startups like Lithos, UNDO Carbon and California-based Eion are experimenting with several types of carbon-absorbing rocks that can accomplish what lime does while permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere at the same time. "We apply a rock dust onto farms, and that helps farmers condition the soil or make the soil better for improvements," said Anastasia Pavlovic, CEO of Eion. "Then over time, that manages to secure and sequester carbon, permanently removing it from the atmosphere."

Persons: Anastasia Pavlovic, Eion, " Pavlovic, Dan Prevost, Prevost, Elon, Pavlovic, Lisa Rizzolo Organizations: U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Farmers, Eion, Midwest, CNBC Locations: California, Norway, Mississippi, Illinois

☆ A woman who lost 159 pounds shared the biggest lesson she learned about losing weight and keeping it off
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Rachel Hosie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Maria Kirkeland lost 159 pounds by focusing on consistency over motivation. She learned about calories, protein, and strength training to break free from fad weight-loss diets. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! That's the biggest lesson Maria Kirkeland learned when she lost 159 pounds. She broke free from that cycle and lost weight in a healthy, sustainable way when when she learned about calories, and started eating more protein and strength training.

Persons: Maria Kirkeland, Kirkeland, — Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Norway

☆ A rare polar bear showed up on the shores of Iceland. Police shot it
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London AP —A rare polar bear that was spotted outside a cottage in a remote village in Iceland was shot by police after being considered a threat, authorities said Friday. “In this case, as you can see in the picture, the bear was very close to a summer house. The bear shot on Thursday was the first one seen in the country since 2016. It also found there was a healthy bear population in east Greenland where any bear was likely to have come from. After the shot bear was taken away, the woman who reported it decided to stay longer in the village, Jensson said

Persons: Helgi Jensson, “, ” Jensson, Jensson, Anna Sveinsdóttir, Sveinsdóttir Organizations: London AP, Environment Agency, Westfjords, Associated Press, Icelandic Institute of, Wildlife Society, United, Coast Guard Locations: Iceland, Reykjavik, Greenland, Canada, Norway, Russia, United States

☆ European markets set to open lower following slew of central bank decisions
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Shoppers on the high street in the Kingston district of London, U.K.LONDON — European markets were poised to open lower Friday as investors digested a slew of central bank rate decisions this week and their impact on the global economy. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 was seen opening 41 points lower at 8,291, Germany's DAX down 59 points at 18,939, France's CAC 2 points lower at 7,604 and Italy's FTSE MIB down 124 points at 33,913, according to IG data. The regional Stoxx 600 closed higher Thursday, after the U.K.'s Bank of England and Norway's Norges Bank both held rates steady, drawing a contrast with the U.S. Federal Reserve's bumper rate cut a day prior.

Persons: Germany's DAX Organizations: LONDON, CAC, Bank of England, Norway's Norges Bank, U.S Locations: Kingston, London, U.S . Federal

☆ The West's restrictions on Ukraine's weapons are making its F-16s less effective, military experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewWestern restrictions on how Ukraine can hit targets in Russia make its F-16 fighter jets less effective, military experts told Business Insider. This, in turn, leaves Russia's weaponry more free to hit Ukrainian jets, making them more vulnerable and less able to fly close to the front lines. A still from footage by Ukraine's air force that shows a Storm Shadow missile being launched. A limited number of F-16sThe effectiveness of Ukraine's F-16s faces other challenges, too. Ukraine and its allies, as well as warfare experts, also describe Ukraine's F-16 program as being in its infancy.

Persons: —, George Barros, Barros, DIMITAR DILKOFF, Michael Bohnert, Gordon B, Skip, Davis, Jr, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Vitalii, it's, Czarek, Michael Clarke, Volodymyr Zelensky, Keir Giles, Oleksiy, Zelenskyy, Ukraine's Organizations: Service, Business, Getty, RAND Corporation, Shadow, YouTube, Ukrainian Air Force, AP, Chatham House's, Air, Libkos, Ukraine US Locations: Ukraine, Russia, AFP, Kursk, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Chatham House's Russia, Eurasia, Russian, Ukrainian, Shepetivka, Britain

☆ We expect to keep policy rate at 4.5% until end of the year, Norway central bank chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe expect to keep policy rate at 4.5% until end of the year, Norway central bank chief saysNorges Bank Governor Ida Wolden Bache discusses the decision to hold interest rates in September.

Persons: Norges Bank Governor Ida Wolden Bache Organizations: Norges Bank Governor Locations: Norway

☆ 'Definitely not smart': Philadelphia man pleads guilty after making mass shooting threat following fantasy football beef
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | David K. Li | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A Philadelphia man admitted to reporting a hoax mass shooting and then a bomb threat in retaliation over a fantasy football argument, authorities said Wednesday. "On August 15th a man named (the victim) is headed around oslo and has a shooting planned with multiple people on his side involved. Norwegian authorities spent 900 man hour investigating and disproving that threat, Fish said. “While already being prosecuted for one hoax threat spurred by, of all things, his fantasy football league, Matthew Gabriel inexplicably decided to send another,” U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said. Court documents did not outline the nature of Gabriel's beef with the University of Iowa student and Fish declined to reveal those details.

Persons: Matthew Gabriel, Gabriel, he's, Lonny Fish, ” Fish, ” Gabriel, Fish, Gabriel —, —, “, Jacqueline Romero Organizations: U.S, States, Office, NBC, University of Iowa, Norwegian Police Security Service, Hello University of Iowa, ” Locations: Philadelphia, Norway, oslo, America, ” U.S

☆ Jailed Cuban dissident leader wins Norwegian human rights award
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian human rights foundation gave its annual prize on Thursday to jailed Cuban dissident leader Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara for his “fearless opposition to authoritarianism through art”. Four past laureates of the Rafto prize — Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, East Timor’s Jose Ramos-Horta, South Korea’s Kim Dae-jung and Iran’s Shirin Ebadi — later went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This year’s Peace Prize will be announced on Oct. 11 in Oslo. “The 2024 Rafto prize aims to highlight the importance of the work of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and other artists in challenging power structures and defending democracy and human rights, both in Cuba and globally,” the Norwegian foundation said in a statement. On Thursday, the Rafto foundation called on the Cuban government to release him, joining similar calls by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Persons: Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Jose Ramos, Kim Dae, Shirin Ebadi — Organizations: San Isidro Movement, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International Locations: OSLO, Norway, Norwegian, Cuban, Suu Kyi, East, Horta, South, Oslo, Cuba, Havana

☆ ‘Billions’ of golf balls could be lost every year. Where do they end up?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

Found Golf Balls CEO Shaun Shienfield, whose company recovers and resells millions of lost balls across the US and Canada each year, told CNN that he gauged the average to be between three and four each round. Using Shienfield’s low estimate, that’s over 1.5 billion balls lost in the US every year since 2020. “While precise global estimates are challenging … the worldwide figure could easily exceed 3 to 5 billion golf balls lost each year,” Petersen told CNN. Mitchell Schols, founder of Canada-based Biodegradable Golf Balls, put a “very conservative” estimate for North America at one million balls lost to oceans annually. One UK-based man told CNN in 2015 that he could earn up to £100,000 (about $114,000) annually by diving to retrieve golf balls from lakes on golf courses.

Persons: Woods, Jonathan Ferrey, Shaun Shienfield, Torben Kastrup Petersen, ” Petersen, Loch, Cam Bauer, fairways, Jae C, Paula Gallani, Jack Taylor, Bonifas, Paul Barker, Alex Livesey, Josh Noel, Richard Heathcote, Sam Greenwood, Mohammed Afzal Abdul Afghanistan'shas, Mohammed Afzal Abdul, Shah Marai, Africa's, Alf Caputo, Mi Jung Hur, Michael Cohen, Matthew Savoca, Davis, Alex Weber, Savoca, Weber, Jack Johnston, Ezra Shaw, ” Savoca, “, there’s, ”, Mitchell Schols, Petersen, Kevin C, Cox, Schols, Albus Golf, ” Schols, Jared C, Tilton, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, United States Golf Association, National Golf Foundation, Danish Golf Union, La, Don Mueang International Airport, Getty, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service, La Paz Golf Club, AFP, Soviet Army, Kenya, Ladies European, Indy Women, Tech, University of California, Carmel High School, Monterey Bay National, National, Canada, North America, “, USGA, Pebble Beach Resorts Locations: Pebble Beach , California, Stillwater, Monterey , California, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Hawaii, France, Bangkok, Don, AFP, North, South Korea, Washington, Uummannaq, Coeur D'Alene, Death Valley , California, South Carolina, Bolivia, Kabul, Kenya, Australia, Ceduna, Kalgoorlie, Monterey Bay, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Carmel, California, Monterey, Japan, England, Germany, America, –, Spanish, London, Florida

☆ European markets set to open higher following Fed cut; Bank of England rate decision in focus
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bank of England in the City of London as economists and mortgage holders await this week's interest rate announcement on 28th July 2024 in London, United Kingdom. LONDON — European markets were poised to open higher as investors digested the U.S. Federal Reserve's first interest rate cut in four years and looked ahead to the Bank of England's rate decision later in the session. Back in Europe, investor attention is now turning to the Bank of England, with the central bank largely expected to hold rates steady at 5%. The Fed's jumbo rate cut is unlikely to impact the Bank of England, according to economists, as the central bank ratified its decision around lunchtime Wednesday, hours before the U.S. announcement. Also on Thursday, Norway's central bank will deliver its latest interest rate decision.

Persons: Germany's DAX, Tiina Lee, CNBC's Organizations: of England, City of, LONDON, . Federal, Bank of, FTSE, France's CAC, Fed, Bank of England, Citi UK Locations: City, City of London, London, United Kingdom, ., Trading, Asia, Europe, U.S, Norway's

☆ Fantasy football feud leads to fake bomb threat, international investigation and federal charges, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Josh Campbell | Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Gabriel wrote that the fellow fantasy football player was “headed around Oslo and has a shooting planned with multiple people on his side involved. Law enforcement officers in Norway and the US dedicated five days and hundreds of hours to investigating the threat, prosecutors said. While investigating Gabriel for the international hoax in Norway, prosecutors said they learned that Gabriel emailed another fictitious threat earlier this year – this time to the University of Iowa. In March, Gabriel emailed the university indicating the same fantasy football group member was threatening to “blow up the school,” which Gabriel knew was untrue, prosecutors said. Romero warned in her statement that hoax threats are a crime.

Persons: Matthew Gabriel, Gabriel, “, ”, Jacqueline Romero, ” Gabriel, Romero, ’ ” Organizations: CNN, Philadelphia, US Justice Department, US, Office, Eastern, Eastern District of, Norwegian Police Security Service, FBI, University of Iowa, Eastern District of Pennsylvania Locations: Philadelphia, Eastern District, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Norway, Oslo

☆ Totò Schillaci: Tributes pour in for Italy soccer legend after his death aged 59
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Aleks Klosok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Former Italy and Juventus striker Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci, who was the top scorer at the 1990 World Cup on home soil, has died at the age of 59, his former club announced in a statement on Wednesday. “Salvatore Schillaci, known by everyone as Totò, the striker from the magic nights of Italia ’90 with our national team. Bon voyage, champion.”Schillaci played a starring role for Italy at the 1990 World Cup. In the aftermath of the World Cup, Schillaci would go on to score only once more for his country, a goal in a 2-1 defeat to Norway the following year in a qualifier for the 1992 UEFA European Championships. Schillaci announced his retirement from the game in 1999.

Persons: Salvatore “ Totò, Schillaci, “, Totò, Giorgia Meloni, “ Salvatore Schillaci, ” Schillaci, Paolo Bruno, d’Or –, –, Lothar Matthäus, Lorenzo Casini, ”, Japan’s J.League, Jubilo Iwata, Gabriele Gravina Organizations: CNN, Italy, Juventus, Argentina, England, Juve, Italy’s, ’, Getty, UEFA European, Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup, Inter Milan, Inter, Serie Locations: Italy, Italy’s, West Germany, Norway, Japan’s, Italian

☆ A secretive Russian submarine unit could sabotage the subsea network of cables that powers the internet
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewRussia's threat to the subsea cables the West relies on for the internet is growing more acute amid surveillance from a specialist undersea sabotage unit, a NATO official said. "Allies have long warned of the risk that Russian spy ships and sabotage vessels patrolling subsea cable routes could pose to critical underwater infrastructure." Known by its Russian acronym, GUGI, the unit's goal is to surveil and possibly destroy the undersea cables the West relies on for the internet. But as the world has become more dependent on internet data, the potential for disruption caused by sabotage has become greater. Sybille Reuter via Getty imagesThere is already evidence that Russian units may have tampered with undersea cables, with experts saying that Russian units likely played a role in the disappearance of miles of the cables near Lofoten off the coast of Norway in 2021.

Persons: —, Dmitry Medvedev, Sidharth, GUGI, Kaushal, Sybille Reuter, Mark Cancian Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Russia's General Staff, Directorate, Allies, CNN, General Staff, Research, Pentagon, Russia, Russian Ministry of Defense, Getty, CSIS, Atlantic Council Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, North America, Lofoten, Norway, NATO, Washington ,

☆ It's a big week for central banks around the world, with a slew of rate moves on the table
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Kevin Dietsch | Getty ImagesA flurry of major central banks will hold monetary policy meetings this week, with investors bracing for interest rate moves in either direction. The U.S. central bank is widely expected to join others around the world in starting its own rate-cutting cycle. Elsewhere, Brazil's central bank is scheduled to hold its next policy meeting across Tuesday and Wednesday. Traffic outside the Central Bank of Brazil headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil, on Monday, June 17, 2024. The central bank delivered its first interest rate cut in more than four years at the start of August.

Persons: Jerome Powell, William McChesney Martin, Kevin Dietsch, John Bilton, CNBC's, Bilton, David Volpe, Volpe, 25bps, Wilson Ferrarezi, BOE, Ruben Segura Cayuela Organizations: Federal Reserves, Washington , D.C, Federal, Traders, The Bank of England, Norway's Norges Bank, South Africa's, Bank, Bank of Japan, Morgan Asset Management, European, Bank of England, ECB, Emerald Asset Management, Banco Central, TS Lombard, Central Bank of, Bloomberg, Getty, Reuters, Bank of America Locations: Washington ,, U.S, Brazil's, Brazil, Central Bank of Brazil, Brasilia, South Africa, Norway, Japan

☆ The US is considering a sovereign wealth fund. Alaska already has one, and it's funding a universal basic income.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewBipartisan momentum is building around a sovereign wealth fund that could help the United States reduce its national debt or fund ambitious projects. And former President Donald Trump recently called for a similar state-owned investment fund to finance "great national endeavors" during a campaign stop at the Economic Club of New York. AdvertisementAlaska's fund offers benefits that mimic a universal basic income — a no-strings-attached, recurring payment distributed to people regardless of socioeconomic status. Federal lawmakers likely see a sovereign wealth fund serving a different purpose, like supporting industries or financing supply chain initiatives. Sovereign wealth funds — like Alaska's or Norway's Government Pension Fund Global, which is the largest in the world — are often funded by wealth generated from state-owned natural resources.

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, Sarah Cowan, Winston Ma, Hunt, Ma Organizations: Service, White, Economic, of New, Business, Alaska Permanent Fund, NYU, Unicorns, Fund Locations: United States, of New York, American, Alaska

☆ Greenland: Mystery of a mega-tsunami that made the Earth vibrate for 9 days has been solved
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —It started with a melting glacier that set off a huge landslide, which triggered a 650-foot high mega-tsunami in Greenland last September. And no place was immune; the signal traveled from Greenland to Antarctica in about an hour, he added. Eastern Greenland had never experienced a landslide and tsunami like this before, Svennevig said. The threat goes beyond Greenland, Svennevig said; similar-shaped fjordsexist in other regions, including Alaska, parts of Canada and Norway. Recent rock avalanches in the Arctic as well as in Alpine regions, are “an alarming signal,” she told CNN.

Persons: Stephen Hicks, ”, Seismologists, Søren Rysgaard, Svennevig, Dickson, sloshing, “, Hicks, Paula Snook, ” There’s, Lena Rubensdotter Organizations: CNN, University College London, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Geological Survey Locations: Greenland, Denmark, Dickson, Dickson Fjord, Antarctica, Eastern Greenland, Alaska, Canada, Norway

☆ The 10 countries with the best quality of life
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Denmark tops quality of life rankings by U.S. News & World Report and Wharton School. The rankings evaluated affordability, job stability, healthcare quality, and individual freedom. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Denmark was ranked first for quality of life by U.S. News & World Report in partnership with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Denmark ranked 10th overall for best countries, which was released Tuesday and considered quality of life among 10 factors.

Persons: —, Denmark — Organizations: U.S . News, Wharton School, Service, University of Pennsylvania, Business Locations: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland

☆ South Korea was the world’s biggest ‘baby exporter.’ New evidence shows some mothers were forced to give up children
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korea has for decades been known as the world’s largest “baby exporter” – sending hundreds of thousands of children overseas after the country was ravaged by war and many mothers left destitute. Searching for their rootsMore than 200,000 South Korean children have been adopted overseas since the 1950s following World War II and the Korean War, according to authorities. While adoptions continue today, the trend has been declining since the 2010s after South Korea amended its adoption laws in an effort to address systematic issues and reduce the number of children adopted overseas. “It’s truly terrifying to hear how systemic these issues were, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily surprising,” said Susanné Seong-eun Bergsten, who was adopted from South Korea and grew up in Sweden. “There is still much about Korean adoption that has not been formally acknowledged.”

Persons: ”, adoptees, “, Susanné Seong, Mark Zastrow, Bergsten Organizations: South Korea CNN, Commission, CNN, Korean Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, Korean, Daegu, Sejong, United States, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Europe, It’s, Sweden, adoptees

☆ Large supplies of military gear Britain sent to Ukraine were 'due to be scrapped or replaced' anyway, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe UK donated military equipment to Ukraine that was so old it would have been thrown away, according to a new report from the National Audit Office (NAO) published on Wednesday. For example, in March 2022, the UK donated 17,010 pairs of unused army boots that were "nearing the end of their usable life," the report said. It comes against a backdrop of criticism over Western-supplied military equipment to Ukraine. Related storiesUkraine has been receiving military aid from its allies throughout Russia's full-scale invasion, which started in February 2022 . In July, the global military alliance NATO pledged to continue supporting Ukraine with the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, or NSATU, a new initiative to coordinate the supply of military aid and training.

Persons: —, NAO, Gareth Davies Organizations: Service, National Audit, UK's Ministry of Defence, Business, MoD, Financial Times, Politico, Russia, NATO, Assistance, Training, Ministry of Defence Locations: Ukraine, Germany, Russia's, Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Kosovo, Australia, Ukrainian

☆ How to pick the best cruises to see the northern lights, eclipses, and galaxies, according to an astrophysicist
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

He's seen some spectacular sights on cruises, including the northern lights and other galaxies. Here are Oluseyi's tips for the best stargazing on cruise lines, including seeing eclipses, galaxies, the northern lights, and meteor showers on your next cruise. "The most amazing one was a trip to Norway on a cruise called Chasing the Northern Lights," he said. The northern lights are visible most often in northern latitudes including Canada, Alaska, and northern Scandinavia. The fall and spring equinoxes are the best time for viewing the northern lights, NOAA notes.

Persons: —, Hakeem M, Oluseyi, Paul Grigsby, Holland, I'm, GOH CHAI HIN, Grigsby, Igor Chekalin, readjust Organizations: Service, Princess Cruises, Discovery, Business, Viking Cruises, NASA, Holland, Southern, Northern, Hemisphere, BBC Locations: stargaze, Norway, Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia, Islands, Chile, Greenland, Seattle, London, Iceland, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Holland America, Southern Hemisphere, Royal Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, South America

☆ A Porsche-backed startup is building a massive battery recycling plant to boost Europe's EV industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A massive battery recycling plant is being built in Germany by Cylib, a startup looking to reduce waste from EV batteries that have reached the end of their life. Cylib says its facility will be the largest end-to-end lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Europe. Cylib said the new plant would primarily serve automotive, battery manufacturing and chemicals clients. “Cylib reaching industrial scale production will be a key driver in building a robust European battery infrastructure,” Schwich said in a press statement. “Battery recycling is pioneering the circular economy, proving that economic success is compatible with reduced environmental impact,” she added.

Persons: Cylib, Lilian Schwich, Gideon Schwich, Paul Sabarny, “, ” Schwich Organizations: Cylib, EV, Porsche, Bosch, Hydro, CNBC, European Union, World Fund, Porsche Ventures, Climate Fonds Locations: Germany, Dormagen, North Rhine, Westphalia, Europe, Norway, Hydrovolt, Chempark

☆ ‘Russian spy’ whale probably died after stick became lodged in its mouth, police say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The body of Hvaldimir – a combination of the Norwegian word for whale and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin – was spotted a week ago floating in the sea by a father and son fishing in southern Norway. Norway and Russia share a maritime border in the Arctic, leading to jokes that the whale was a Russian spy. Norwegian police had opened an investigation into the death of the animal after two animal rights groups filed a complaint. An autopsy showed a stick measuring 35 centimeters in length (14 inches) and 3 centimeters wide (1.2 inches) was stuck in the whale’s mouth, police for the South West district said in a statement. The animal rights groups had alleged the whale had been shot dead.

Persons: –, Vladimir Putin –, Hvaldimir Organizations: Norway Reuters, South Locations: Oslo, Norway, Russia, Russian, South West

☆ Trump and Biden agree: The US should finally start a sovereign wealth fund
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-08 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

So it is noteworthy that Democratic and Republican leaders both appear to want to establish a sovereign wealth fund to help the United States pay for stuff. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which manages about $925 billion in assets, reported a $36.8 billion profit for 2023, according to Reuters. This isn't the first time Washington has toyed with the idea of a sovereign wealth fund. Last March, a group of bipartisan lawmakers led by Sen. Angus King and Sen. Bill Cassidy began discussing a sovereign wealth fund to pay for Social Security. The White House's interest in a sovereign wealth fund stems partly from its desire to compete with China, which has multiple state-owned funds itself.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, Daleep Singh, Biden, Donald Trump, LIV Golf, Sen, Angus King, Bill Cassidy, Mitt Romney, John Paulson, Larry Summers Organizations: Service, Democratic, Republican, National, Bloomberg, Business, White, Economic, of New, Fund, Reuters, Norges Bank Investment Management, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Blackstone, LIV, Social Security, America, Bloomberg Television Locations: United States, of New York, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Norway's, PIF, Heathrow, American, Washington, China

☆ China halts foreign adoptions of its children
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-05 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — The Chinese government is no longer allowing foreign adoptions of the country’s children, a spokesperson said Thursday. The only exception will be for blood relatives adopting a child or a stepchild, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said. Many foreigners have adopted children from China over the decades, visiting the country to pick them up and then bringing them to a new home overseas. China suspended international adoptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government later resumed adoptions for children who had received travel authorization before the suspension in 2020, the U.S. State Department said in its latest annual report on adoptions.

Persons: Mao Ning, Greg Baker, Denmark’s Organizations: Foreign, U.S . State Department, State Department, NBC Asian Locations: BEIJING, China, U.S, NBC Asian America

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