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Often dubbed "Russia's Google", Yandex has struggled to balance domestic pressures with the interests of its Western investors since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Yandex's net income fell to 9.6 billion roubles ($106.8 million) while its adjusted earnings before income, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell 4% to 24.7 billion roubles. Revenue continued to grow, however, gaining 55% to 182.5 billion roubles, Yandex said. Yandex's Dutch-registered holding company is advancing plans to divest ownership and control of most of Yandex Group with a corporate restructuring. U.S. sanctions imposed last week on Alexei Kudrin, the former finance minister now spearheading Yandex's restructuring efforts, could hamper those plans.

Persons: Yandex, Alphabet's, Alexei Kudrin, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Jason Neely, Emma Rumney Organizations: Google, Yandex, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Yandex's, U.S

The figures underscore broader trends in global banking, with investment banks struggling as deals are paused, while higher interest rates are a boon to other divisions. Analysts expect the retail unit will also overtake the investment bank as the main revenue driver for the full year, overturning the investment bank's pole position over the previous three years. Investment banking revenue dropped 11% during the quarter, better than an expected 16% drop. Deutsche Bank set out in 2019 to reduce dependence on its volatile investment bank and rely instead on more stable businesses that serve companies and retail customers as a way to restore profitability. Chief Financial Officer James von Moltke said the shift to the retail bank as the largest breadwinner was "significant" because the perception of the lender had been dominated over years by the investment bank, and Deutsche was becoming more balanced.

Persons: James von Moltke, Deutsche, Jeffrey Epstein, Tom Sims, Matthias Inverardi, Friederike Heine, Jamie Freed Organizations: Deutsche Bank, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, Deutsche, Reuters Graphics Deutsche, U.S . Federal Reserve, U.S, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT

☆ Jeffrey Epstein withdrew up to $80,000 in cash 'several times a month' while he paid girls for 'massages,' court filings say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

At the time, there were reports that he paid cash to girls for "massages" — a code word for sex. When asked about the large withdrawals, Epstein said he needed to pay for jet fuel. JPMorgan's private bank has a policy to "discourage" large cash deposits and spending. Bankers, according to an excerpt of the guidelines filed in court Tuesday morning, are responsible for getting clients to explain their large cash withdrawals. "Issue is he really never stopped the large cash withdrawals," a compliance officer wrote then.

Persons: Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein, Morgan, Jeffrey Epstein's, James, Emily Michot, Ghislaine Maxwell, sexualized massages, Glenn Dubin, Sergey Brin, Bill Gates, Leon Black, Larry Summers, Prince Andrew, Ehud Barak, Thomas Pritzker, Benjamin Netanyahu, JPMorgan, Alexander Acosta, Mr, John Duffy, Mary Erdoes, Erdoes, Duffy Organizations: JPMorgan, Morning, JPMorgan Chase, Private Bank, Banker, Islands, US Virgin Islands, U.S ., Miami Herald, Tribune, Service, Getty, Virgin Islands, police, US, Office, Southern, of Locations: Little St, U.S, U.S . Virgin Islands, Palm Beach, Sultan, Dubai, Prince, Florida, of New York

☆ Singapore's 'squeaky clean' image takes a beating as scandals rock the government
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

watch nowOn Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he decided the incumbent speaker of the Singapore's Parliament Tan Chuan Jin "had to go." Lee Hsien Loong Singapore prime ministerSingaporeans, who are not used to political scandals, have taken to memes to express themselves. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (L) shaking hands with a PAP supporter during a May election rally. SIMIN WANG | AFP | Getty ImagesThe prime minister sought to quickly control the damage, emphasizing the government's zero-tolerance on corruption to allay public concerns. The prime minister is seeking to hand over power to the next generation of leaders in the near future.

Persons: Lee Hsien Loong, Dr Koh Poh Koon, Ang Mo, Suhaimi Abdullah, Eugene Tan, Tan Ern Ser, Tan Chuan Jin, Tan, Cheng Li Hui, SMU's Tan, CNBC's, Ong Beng Seng, Felix Tan, NTU's Tan, SIMIN WANG, Lee Organizations: Action Party, Getty, Singapore Management University, CNBC, Party, National University of Singapore, Singapore's, Public Service, Nanyang Technological University, NUS, Singapore, AFP Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, Asia, Lee Hsien Loong Singapore

☆ American Express is being investigated over sales practices. Salespeople say they have been made scapegoats.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

In late May last year, some 250 salespeople at American Express learned they weren't going to get paid. In addition to earning commissions, the Premium Wire volumes helped them reach higher compensation tiers, known as kickers. For the first time, the Premium Wire product made economic sense. The presentation discussed shifting the sales focus toward Premium Wire and another product to "accelerate revenue growth and meet client's needs." Isserlis said Williams was fired because of misconduct unrelated to Premium Wire.

Persons: Amex, salespeople, Salespeople, Adam Isserlis, Isserlis, Stephen Squeri, John Moore, Amex salespeople, Pablo Ribas, Ribas, Anna Marrs, Marrs, Charles Schwab, Schwab, Mike Peterson, Charlene Luke, they'd, Nick Williams, Williams, Nick, Mr, —, Thomas Zoerner, Zoerner, Amex's, she's, weren't, Carter Johnson Organizations: American Express, Commercial Services, Securities and Exchange Commission, Justice Department, Internal Revenue Service, Street, IRS, Getty, Credit, Employees, Business, SME, Global Commercial Services, Marriott, Express, University of Florida's Levin College of Law, Amex, California Labor, Court, whistleblowing Locations: Brooklyn, California, Manhattan, Canadian, —, Orange County , California, New York, Webex

☆ JPMorgan names new data chief, head of securities services
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Nupur Anand | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Tim Fitzgerald will succeed Heitsenrether as global head of securities services, according to another memo. Since Heitsenrether took over securities services in 2015, the division's revenue has risen by more than 22%, while assets under custody grew by almost $9 trillion, according to the memo announcing her new position. Fitzgerald, based in Dublin, was promoted in 2021 to global head of custody and fund services after joining the lender in 2016. He will report to Marc Badrichani and Troy Rohrbaugh under a newly merged division overseeing markets, sales, research and securities services. Badrichani runs global sales and research at the bank, while Rohrbaugh leads its trading arm.

Persons: Teresa Heitsenrether, Tim Fitzgerald, Heitsenrether, Fitzgerald, Marc Badrichani, Troy Rohrbaugh, Rohrbaugh, Nupur Anand, Lananh Nguyen, Mark Porter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: YORK, JPMorgan Chase &, Reuters Wednesday, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: U.S, Dublin

☆ Disney's parks division is driving big profits, a bright spot as the streaming biz struggles and ESPN's future is unclear. Here's how that could factor into Bob Iger's CEO succession plans.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Disney CEO Bob Iger has reorganized the company into 3 core units: entertainment, ESPN, and parks. Parks' growing prominence comes as the company faces looming decisions over Iger's CEO. Travel bans "dramatically impacted" results for Disney Parks during the intense early years of the coronavirus pandemic, Heger noted, adding that parks are now generating more revenue and operating profit than they did in pre-COVID times. The parks' success is "helping to offset" losses from Disney's "DTC," or direct-to-consumer streaming business, Heger added. Josh D'Amaro, the current chairman for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, would be a likely figure appearing on any shortlist of CEO contenders.

Persons: Bob Iger, Parks, It's, Dave Heger, Edward Jones, Heger, AECOM, Iger, Josh D'Amaro, Christine McCarthy —, Iger's, Bob Chapek, Ron DeSantis, Chapek, Hollywood creatives, Tom Staggs, Iger —, —, Chapek's, it's, you've, Jeffery Merola, he'd, DeSantis, Reed Alexander Organizations: Disney, ESPN, Disney Parks, Walt Disney, Disneyland, Products, Florida Gov, Hollywood, Los Angeles Times, Sunshine State Locations: Tokyo, Shanghai, Orlando , Florida, Anaheim , California, execs, Chapek, Syracuse , New York, Orlando

☆ Somehow 32 school districts in Mississippi are still under federal orders to desegregate
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Michael Goldberg | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But 69 years later, 32 school districts in Mississippi are still under federal desegregation orders. (AP) — There are 32 school districts in Mississippi still under federal desegregation orders, the US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division's assistant attorney general said Thursday. "In our ongoing efforts to fulfill the promise of Brown vs. Board of Education, we currently have 32 open cases with school districts here in Mississippi," Clarke said. In addition to school districts, Clarke said at least five Mississippi jails and prisons have come under federal scrutiny. Clarke declined to offer more details about the case, citing an ongoing federal civil rights investigation.

Persons: Brown, —, Kristen Clarke, Clarke, Rogelio V, Solis Mississippi, Michael Corey Jenkins, Jill Collen Jefferson, JULIAN, Bonita Streeter, Mitzi Dease Paige, Solis, Jefferson Organizations: Service, US Department of Justice's, US Department of Justice's Civil Rights, Justice Department, of Education, Holmes, Community, Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, AP, The Justice Department, Mississippi Delta, Penitentiary, South Mississippi Correctional Institution, Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, Correctional, Sheriff's Deputies, Southern, Southern District of, Solis An Associated Press, Lexington Police Department, The, Department, FBI Locations: Mississippi, LEXINGTON, Miss, Lexington, Jackson, Parchman, Wilkinson, Hinds, Rankin, Southern District, Southern District of Mississippi, Solis An

☆ A New Jersey restaurant had to pay $300,000 to staff after the Labor Department ruled they had been underpaid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A New Jersey restaurant failed to give some staff the minimum wage and overtime pay, the DOL said. The restaurant paid more than $300,000 to 63 members of staff following the DOL's investigation. The DOL's Wage and Hour Division said in a press release that Aquarius Restaurant Group, which runs Aquarius Seafood Restaurant in Fort Lee, had violated minimum wage and overtime pay laws. Aquarius Seafood Restaurant also used checks and cash to pay kitchen staff twice a month, the spokesperson said. They added that the minimum wage violations occurred "sporadically" throughout the period of investigation, which was from April 2019 to April 2022.

Persons: DOL, —, Paula Ruffin Organizations: Service, Department of Labor Locations: Jersey, Fort Lee, New Jersey

May 19 (Reuters) - Deere & Co (DE.N) on Friday topped Wall Street profit expectations on strong sales of its tractors and precision agriculture equipment, and raised its net income forecast for the rest of the year as its order books remain robust. Shares in the world's largest farm equipment maker were up 3.6% in premarket trading after the company reported a 36% rise in second-quarter profit. Net income increased to $2.86 billion from $2.1 billion a year ago. Farmers' demand for new equipment and parts to repair aging machinery has bolstered Deere's sales. Total net sales and revenues rose 30% to $17.39 billion for the second quarter.

Shares in the world's largest farm equipment maker were up 4% in premarket trading after the company reported a 36% rise in quarterly profit. Net income increased to $2.86 billion from $2.1 billion a year ago. Deere expects 2023 net income in the range of $9.25 billion to $9.50 billion, higher than the $8.75 billion to $9.25 billion forecast earlier. Farmers' demand for new equipment and parts to repair aging machinery has bolstered Deere's sales. Total net sales and revenues rose 30% to $17.39 billion for the second quarter.

☆ How the president of Abbot Downing tried to save the Wells Fargo unit for the ultra-rich from being folded
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wells Fargo folded Abbot Downing, which served the bank's wealthiest clients, in late 2020. In late 2020, Wells Fargo disbanded Abbot Downing, the unit that catered to the bank's wealthiest clients. Abbot Downing was folded into Wells Fargo's private bank, which also serves rich clients, but it wasn't a safe haven. Business Wire via APGinter left Wells Fargo in September 2021 to launch a new registered investment advisor the following March. Some ex-Abbot Downing employees refer to Callan the "new Abbot Downing" for its focus on the ultra-rich set.

☆ A Florida sushi restaurant has repaid staff $262,000 after it made servers share their tips with owners and managers, the Labor Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Fort Myers restaurant made its 75 servers share their tips with its chefs, owners, and managers, the DOL said. The sushi restaurant repaid staff $262,000 after the DOL uncovered a number of labor-law violations. The restaurant's manager told The Fort Myers News-Press that it was "all cleared up now." Ginza Japanese Restaurant in Fort Myers made its 75 servers share their tips with its chefs, owners, and managers, the US Department of Labor said in a press release. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers are not allowed to require their staff to share their tips with supervisors, managers, and business owners.

☆ Americans are spending less money even as the Chinese spend more. Take a look at the 5 major US companies winning on China's spending spree.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

As people in China get out of their homes to travel and spend, retail sales have improved in China, rising almost 11% year-on-year in March. In comparison, China's core inflation rose just 0.7% in March from a year ago, according to official data from Beijing. All this means American companies facing a slowdown in US consumption are getting a boost from Chinese demand. He added the MGM China division posted a "swift return to profitability." Net revenues for the MGM China division were also 130% higher from a year ago "amid strong reopening trends," MGM said in its earnings release.

☆ Abbot Downing's president pitched a buyout to save the Wells Fargo unit from being folded. The bank said no, and employees have fled.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

☆ Inside Wells Fargo's 'chaotic' journey to transform its services for the ultrarich
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

In late 2020, some 300 Wells Fargo employees were summoned to a conference call. "I actually welcomed that, although I did like Abbot Downing," he said of folding Abbot Downing into the private bank. One team of legacy Abbot Downing employees with $3.5 billion in assets left for Hirtle Callaghan in June 2021. Today, Ginter runs a registered investment advisor called Callan Family Office, which some former Abbot Downing employees refer to as "the new Abbot Downing." Are you a current or former client of Wells Fargo Private Bank or Abbot Downing?

☆ Google Cloud boss Kurian's rocky path to profit: 'We were not in a very good situation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, right, arrives on stage as Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai exits during the Google Cloud Next event in San Francisco on April 9, 2019. Earlier this week, Alphabet said Google's cloud unit generated $191 million in operating profit, after losing a total of $4 billion in 2021 and 2022. Under Kurian's predecessor, VMware co-founder Diane Greene, critics said Google's cloud business hadn't matured enough to handle enterprises even as it was investing heavily to do so. The cloud division includes the Google Cloud Platform, which competes with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, and the Google Workspace productivity software bundle that goes head-to-head with Microsoft Office. Google Cloud technology chief Will Grannis said Kurian's commitment to improving the division's offerings was evident right away.

☆ Airbus shakes up leadership of A320-family jet programme
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 26 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) has changed the leadership of its A320-family jetliner programme, the profit backbone of the world's largest planemaker, as it faces a steep production ramp-up in the face of industrial pressures, industry sources said on Wednesday. Current programme leader Michael Menking has been appointed head of special projects for the planemaker's core commercial business. Production and deliveries of the A320neo and sister models have been hit by supply chain and industrial problems, though deliveries of the larger A350 have also fallen short recently. While Airbus says deliveries of parts is the chief concern, sources say internal problems have included breakdowns during the past year of the latest robotised assembly line in Hamburg, Germany. The head of engine supplier Safran (SAF.PA) said earlier on Wednesday that supply pressures could continue into 2024, adding that engines themselves were no longer the main source of disruption.

☆ Companies are selling us more stuff by telling us it's 'sustainable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The federal government is updating guides around how companies can prove their environmental claims. Companies are advertising what they plan to do, such as addressing the climate crisis or using more recycled materials in their products. She pointed to a case BBB National Programs' National Advertising Division brought against the American Beverage Association, which represents companies such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. The beverage industry appealed the finding, arguing that the ad was intended to increase awareness that plastic bottles could be recycled. The National Advertising Division's appellate body upheld the original decision.

☆ Leaked document shows Shopify's plan to use 'stealth spear-fishing' recruiting tactics as it flattens its org
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A leaked internal document detailed Shopify's plan to overhaul its recruiting strategy. It said that recruiters needed to raise the bar for the quality of candidates they were bringing on to the company. "To do this, we will exhaustively seek out world class talent, scorching the earth with thoroughness and precision," it continued. The leaked internal document from Shopify cited a January conversation with CEO Tobi Lütke where he emphasized the need to hire fewer people managers and more people who had deep technical knowledge. It also said that Lütke instructed org leaders to "avoid high drama negative talent."

☆ New Jersey's environmental agency called itself out for destroying two endangered birds' protected habitats while creating one for another species
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New Jersey's environmental agency plans to punish itself for damaging land for endangered birds it was supposed to protect. The damage happened when the department was trying to create habitat for another bird species, the American woodcock. The work was designed to create habitat for one species of bird, but actually wound up destroying habitat for two others. Before the work was done, this land was considered suitable habitat for the barred owl, which is listed as a threatened species, and the red-shouldered hawk, an endangered species. The project also cleared and disturbed an additional 12 acres of land near wetlands known as transition areas, which also are protected.

☆ Truck maker Volvo posts record Q1 as sales, margins beat forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Its adjusted operating profit rose 45% to 18.4 billion Swedish crowns ($1.76 billion) for the January-March quarter, well above the 12.9 billion expected by analysts polled by Refinitiv Eikon. Volvo's preliminary net sales for the quarter rose to 131.4 billion crowns from 105.3 billion and topped the 118.6 billion expected by analysts. Net sales in the truck segment rose to 89.6 billion crowns from 69.6 billion, beating a forecast of 79.7 billion. The division's operating profit jumped to 12.7 billion from 8.7 billion while analysts expected a decline to 8.4 billion. ($1 = 10.4303 Swedish crowns)Reporting by Terje Solsvik; editing by Sonali Paul and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Google drops global vaccine requirement to enter buildings, says 'world is in a very different place'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"We put in place emergency measures such as our Covid-19 vaccine policy to keep everyone safe, but now the world is in a very different place. Several hundred Google employees at the time signed and circulated a manifesto opposing the company's Covid vaccine mandate, arguing leadership's decision will have an outsized influence in corporate America. We put in place emergency measures such as our Covid-19 vaccine policy to keep everyone safe, but now the world is in a very different place. Based on this, we’re now lifting our global vaccine policy. Covid-19 vaccines have been a critical part of our overall strategy to keep Googlers safe, especially in the workplace.

☆ China's Alibaba invites businesses to trial AI chatbot -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Alibaba has opened up registration for businesses to conduct testing for its AI application, STAR Market reported without specifying details. Alibaba Cloud did not respond immediately to an emailed request for comment. A formal launch is expected at an Alibaba Cloud event on Tuesday. Others to have joined the AI chatbot race include Baidu Inc (9998.HK), with its Ernie Bot application open only to trial users at the moment. Last week Alibaba announced that it will restructure into six standalone divisions, each with its own board and CEO.

☆ NHL roundup: Carter Verhaeghe nets career-best 4 goals in Panthers' win
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Sabers 6, Flyers 3Alex Tuch scored his second career hat trick to help Buffalo to a win against host Philadelphia. Morgan Frost scored twice and Felix Sandstrom made 23 saves for the Flyers, who had their seven-game point streak snapped. Avalanche 5, Stars 2Nathan MacKinnon had two goals, Mikko Rantanen had a goal and three assists, and host Colorado beat Dallas. Ben Hutton, Zach Whitecloud and Brett Howden also notched goals for Vegas, which is 5-1-1 in its past seven games. J.J. Moser and Milos Kelemen scored for the Coyotes (27-37-13, 67 points), who have dropped seven straight games (0-5-2).

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