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☆ Hurricane Lisa strikes coast near top Belize port
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Jose Sanchez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BELIZE CITY, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Hurricane Lisa bore down on Belize on Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported in a bulletin, predicting it will later move across the jungles of northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico. Weather models show Lisa's heavy rainfall and powerful winds will likely target tourist destinations in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico's Caribbean-facing Yucatan Peninsula, dotted by beach resorts, pristine coral reefs and Mayan ruins. The eye of Lisa, now at Category 1 strength, is currently located about 5 miles (8 km) south of Belize City, the tiny Caribbean country's commercial hub, as it churns westward. Palm trees buckled as winds picked up in the Caribbean port city, as residents reported water and power outages plus some flooding. The Belize government's emergency services announced on Wednesday afternoon a state of emergency including a curfew across two districts covering large swathes of its Caribbean coast through Thursday.

LISBON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Portugal is likely to scrap its "golden visa" programme giving wealthy foreigners residence rights, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Wednesday, saying that the 10-year-old scheme had already fulfilled its role. Speaking at Lisbon's Web Summit, Europe's largest tech event, Costa said several visa schemes offered by Portugal were currently being re-evaluated and the golden visa was one of them. Costa said Portugal wanted to continue to be attractive, with one example being its recent law, enacted on Monday, that created the so-called digital nomads visa. It gives foreigners with high monthly income from remote work to live and work from Portugal for a year. read moreReporting by Catarina Demony; Additional reporting by Patricia Rua; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dollar eases on improved risk sentiment before Fed; Aussie pares gains after RBA
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Our general sense is that the dollar probably has peaked, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's coming down." The Aussie gained 0.3% to $0.6416, but was off earlier highs after the RBA opted for another 25-bp hike. The Fed is widely expected to raise its benchmark rate by 75 bps on Wednesday, its fourth such increase in a row. But for the December meeting, Fed funds futures are split on the odds of a 75- or 50-bps increase. read moreReporting by Kevin Buckland; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da CostaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dollar retreats amid better risk sentiment ahead of Fed; Aussie rallies before RBA
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The risk-sensitive Australian and New Zealand dollars rose from one-week lows amid a broad lift in market sentiment, even as a Reserve Bank of Australia policy decision loomed. "Our general sense is that the dollar probably has peaked, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's coming down." But for the December meeting, Fed funds futures are split on the odds of a 75- or 50-bps increase. For the RBA, another 25 basis point hike is fully priced for 0330 GMT, but markets also lay better than 1-in-4 odds for a half point increase. read moreThe Bank of England is likely to deliver a 75-basis point hike on Thursday.

☆ Costa Rica cenbank raises 2022 growth projection to 4.3% as tourism recovers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAN JOSE, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Costa Rica's economy is expected to grow 4.3% in 2022, its central bank said on Monday, an upgrade to an earlier projection from boosts expected in tourism and business services. The new estimate for 2022 growth domestic product (GDP) improves on last July's projection by 0.9 percentage points. The central bank, however, also reduced the growth outlook for 2023 from 3.2% to 2.7% because of challenges in the global economy. Costa Rica's economy grew 7.8% last year as it recovered from a 2020 recession brought on by COVID-19 damage to the country's ecotourism. Tourism authorities expect 2 million visitors in 2022, just two-thirds of the 3 million arrivals in 2019, but above the 1.35 million reported for last year.

"Brazil is ready to retake its leadership in the fight against the climate crisis," Lula told a crowd of supporters in Sao Paulo. Silva said that Brazil would demand rich countries provide financing to poor countries to respond to climate change and give compensation for permanent "loss and damage" from climate change. Under Lula, Brazil will also discuss expanding its national targets for cutting climate-related emissions, said Silva, his former environment minister from 2003 to 2008. The firm, with roughly 237 billion euros ($234 billion) in assets under management, only owned about 100 million euros in Brazilian sovereign bonds when the prohibition took effect. Environmental advocates also cheered Lula's proposals for the Amazon, but cautioned that his agenda would face enormous political resistance.

☆ De Bruyne puts Manchester City top, Liverpool suffer shock defeat
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Liverpool's second successive defeat against a team in the bottom three, following last week's reverse at Nottingham Forest, left them in ninth place, eight points off the top four. Chelsea also lost ground as Graham Potter's return to Brighton & Hove Albion ended in a 4-1 hammering. Manchester City have 29 points from 12 games, one point more than Arsenal who host bottom club Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Spurs moved to 26 points from 13 games with Newcastle, who have lost only once all season, on 24. Fulham could have moved level on points with Chelsea but were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Everton.

☆ Exxon's record-smashing Q3 profit nearly matches Apple's
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Its $19.66 billion third-quarter net profit far exceeded recently raised Wall Street forecasts as sky-rocketing natural gas and high oil prices put its earnings within reach of Apple's $20.7 billion net for the same period. Oil company profits have soared this year as rising demand and an under-supplied energy market collided with Western sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. U.S. exports of gas and oil to Europe have jumped and promise to set all-time profit records for the industry. Investors this week pushed up Exxon shares to a record intraday high of $109.58 as oil prices traded above $96 per barrel. In the third quarter, U.S. natural gas prices averaged $7.95 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), up 10% from the second quarter.

☆ Three of China's largest lenders report over 6% rise in third quarter profit
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] People stand at a booth of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) during the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, China September 1, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu WangBEIJING, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Three of China's largest lenders posted third quarter profit rises of over 6% as non-performing loan ratios shrunk. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) (601398.SS), the world's largest commercial lender by assets, said net profit rose 6.8% year-on-year in the third quarter in a Friday filing. All three lenders posted slight falls in non-performing loan ratios in the third quarter. Both ICBC and AgBank posted NPL ratios of 1.4% for the end of September compared to 1.41% at the end of the quarter before.

☆ Top ranked advisors say these are the 3 biggest investing mistakes people make during recessions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

These are some of the biggest investing mistakes, according to top advisors. "But you have to remember the stock market has done well over time." "We're more fixated on what we could potentially lose on paper than what opportunities pass us by that we never capitalize upon," said Josh Reidinger, CEO of Waverly Advisors in Birmingham, Alabama, which ranked No. Josh Reidinger CEO of Waverly AdvisorsThere's a risk of missing future gains when steering clear of the stock market, as research shows some of the best returns may follow the biggest stock market dips. Josh Reidinger CEO of Waverly AdvisorsMistake No.

☆ Gay couples in Cuba marry under new law
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The code was approved after heavy campaigning by the Cuban government, and support by the most vocal advocate for gay rights on the island, Mariela Castro, the daughter of former president Raul Castro. It made Cuba the ninth country in Latin America — following Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Colombia — to legalize gay marriage in recent years. Despite that, a third of the country, 33.15%, voted “no.” The text faced a large campaign against it from evangelical groups that reject gay marriage. Ismael Francisco / APThe new law goes further than equal marriage — which activists tried to include in the Constitution in 2019 without success — or the ability for gay couples to adopt or use surrogates. “I’m happy for what the wedding means,” Laura added to The Associated Press very circumspectly, wiping tears away alongside her mothers.

SINGAPORE, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Standard Chartered (STAN.L) reported a 40% increase in quarterly profit as higher interest rates boosted the emerging markets-focused bank's income and gave it ammunition to upgrade its revenue outlook. The bank expects income to grow 13% this year instead of a previously forecast 10%. "We remain confident in the delivery of our 2024 financial targets," CEO Bill Winters said in a statement on Wednesday. "Our performance this year has been strong, and the pace of economic recovery in many of our footprint markets is encouraging, notwithstanding increasing recessionary pressures in certain Western markets," Winters said. StanChart's statutory credit impairment charges more than doubled to $227 million from a year earlier, reflecting weakness in key economies.

☆ Biden targets Nicaragua’s gold in new move against President Daniel Ortega
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Previous rounds of sanctions have focused on Ortega, his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, and members of their family and inner circle. Together with the Treasury Department’s simultaneous sanctioning of Nicaragua’s General Directorate of Mines, the order all but makes it illegal for Americans to do business with Nicaragua’s gold industry. The Biden administration’s targeting of the gold industry could sap Ortega’s government of one of its biggest sources of revenue. According to Nicaragua’s Central Bank, the country exported a record 348,532 ounces of gold in 2021 and the country’s mining association projects exports totaling 500,000 ounces in 2023. Nicaraguans began fleeing their country in 2018, initially to neighboring Costa Rica, after Ortega violently put down massive street protests.

☆ Gold’s Gym owner was on plane with 5 others when it crashed off Costa Rica
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — The RSG Group of gym outlets, including Gold’s Gym and McFit, confirmed Monday that founder and CEO Rainer Schaller, family and friends were aboard a small plane that disappeared from radar just off Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. “We are shocked, stunned, and full of grief about this tragic accident,” the RSG statement read. Costa Rican authorities said pieces of the twin-engine turboprop aircraft were found in the water Saturday, after the flight went missing Friday. Schaller was in the news in 2010 for his role as organizer of the Berlin Love Parade techno festival. Schaller fought back against the accusations of wrongdoing, noting that his security concept received official city approval.

☆ Gold’s Gym Owner Rainer Schaller, Family Feared Dead in Plane Crash
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gold’s Gym owner Rainer Schaller and his family were among the six people aboard a private plane that crashed off the coast of Costa Rica, his company said Monday. The private plane was headed toward Limon, Costa Rica, from Mexico on Friday, according to Costa Rican authorities. The German entrepreneur was traveling with his partner, Christiane Schikorsky , and their two children, according to a statement from RSG Group. Two other people, including the pilot, were also on board, the company said.

☆ Schedule ahead of World Cup is 'crazy,' says Chelsea's Azpilicueta
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta said the number of games being crammed into the schedule ahead of the World Cup next month is "crazy" and that player welfare is being jeopardised. Azpilicueta's team mate N'Golo Kante has been ruled out of the World Cup after undergoing an operation on a hamstring injury, while Reece James is in a race to be fit for the tournament after injuring his knee. Chelsea have three league fixtures, two Champions League games and a League Cup tie before the World Cup in Qatar begins on Nov. 20. "We are fighting a lot for player welfare because the schedule is crazy. Azpilicueta is expected to feature in Spain's squad for the World Cup, where they have been drawn into Group E alongside Germany, Costa Rica and Japan.

☆ German business owner behind Gold’s Gym among 6 feared dead in small plane crash off Costa Rica
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Six people, apparently including the German businessman behind Gold’s Gym, were feared dead Saturday after a small plane crashed into the Caribbean just off the Costa Rican coast. All five passengers were believed to be German citizens, Security Minister Jorge Torres said. A flight plan filed for the small, charter plane listed Rainer Schaller as a passenger. A man by the same name runs international chains of fitness and gym outlets, including Gold’s Gym and McFit. Costa Rica's Coast Guard personnel unload debris found during the search for a small plane that crashed off the coast in Limon on Oct. 22, 2022.

☆ How a digital nomad mom of 2 used 'geo-arbitrage' to save thousands on food and childcare while working from multiple countries
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Lona Alia and her husband are digital nomads, working remotely while traveling the world with their children. They save money this way through "geo-arbitrage," living in lower-cost countries while earning a US salary. Expenses like food and childcare are much cheaper in the countries she visits than in the US, Alia said. Nearly 17 million Americans describe themselves as digital nomads, a 9% increase from 2021 and 131% from 2019, MBO Partners' 2022 State of Independence study found from a survey of more than 6,000 US adults, including 901 current digital nomads. Alia says the geo-arbitrage of living in lower-cost countries has allowed her family to save "so much money."

☆ U.S. set to meet Dutch in final re-match at 2023 World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Soccer Football - 2023 Women's World Cup Draw - Aotea Centre, Auckland, New Zealand - October 22, 2022 2023 Women's World Cup official mascot Penguin Tazuni and performers after the draw ceremony REUTERS/Shane WenzlickAUCKLAND, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Four-times winners the United States will face the Netherlands in a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final after being drawn with the European side, debutants Vietnam and a playoff winner at Saturday's draw in Auckland for next year's showpiece. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"We've got a good but somewhat tough draw," said U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski. "I think it's going to be exciting (to play the Dutch) because it's a rematch of the last World Cup final, it was also the quarter-final match of the Olympics so two quality teams playing against each other. New Zealand will kickoff the first World Cup to be held in the southern hemisphere against former champions Norway in Auckland on July 20 and will also face the Philippines and Switzerland in Group A. "Canada are a world class team, top-ranked in our group and favourites to win it.

☆ Wreckage of missing airplane carrying German fitness mogul Rainer Schaller reportedly found off the coast of Costa Rica
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wreckage of a plane reportedly carrying German business mogul Rainer Schaller was found off the coast of Costa Rica. "Twenty-eight kilometers from the Limón airport, in the Caribbean Sea, wreckage was located that apparently indicates that it is the aircraft. At the moment we have not located any bodies or people alive," Costa Rican Vice Minister of Public Security Martin Arias said. Schaller is the founder and CEO of RSG Group, which owns McFit, John Reed, and Gold's Gym fitness studios around the world. He bought Gold's Gym after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2020 as part of a $100 million deal.

Rapper Cardi B arrives at the Queens County Criminal Court in Queens, New York, U.S., September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/Oct 21 (Reuters) - A California federal jury on Friday rejected claims that musician Cardi B misused a man's image on the cover of her first 2016 mixtape album. Brophy's 2017 lawsuit sought at least $5 million in damages from Cardi B and an order blocking her from using his likeness. The New York rapper argued that the cover's use of the design qualifies as "transformative" under intellectual property law and is constitutionally protected. The tattoo was used "in an anonymous manner, as a single building block" in the complex cover image, Cardi B said in a court filing.

☆ Costa Rican authorities find wreckage believed to be from plane carrying five Germans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAN JOSE, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Costa Rican authorities said they found wreckage on Saturday believed to be from a plane carrying five German citizens which lost contact along the Caribbean coast. The wreckage was located early on Saturday morning about 17 miles (28 kilometers) from the country's Limon airport, Costa Rica's deputy security minister said. Authorities had not yet located any bodies or survivors. Costa Rican authorities received an alert on Friday night about the missing plane, chartered for a private flight, which was en route from Mexico to Costa Rica's Limon airport, Security Minister Jorge Torres said earlier. The aircraft had lost communication with the control tower near Barra de Parismina, a few minutes from Limon, according to Torres.

Separate official data showed Britain's borrowing grew by more than expected, underscoring the challenge facing new finance minister Jeremy Hunt and whoever succeeds Liz Truss as prime minister next week. Sales volumes fell by 1.4% from August - almost three times the 0.5% fall in a Reuters poll of economists. Separate data published by the ONS showed Britain borrowed 20.01 billion pounds ($22.37 billion) in September, more than the 17.1 billion pounds expected in the Reuters poll of economists. So far in the 2022/23 financial year, which began in April, borrowing stands at 72.5 billion pounds, down about 26% from the same period last year but almost 36 billion pounds more than in the April-September period of 2019, before the pandemic. He said borrowing this year could be almost 200 billion pounds, double the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecast.

☆ In Indian village, residents take to YouTube to fulfil their Bollywood dreams
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Sunil Kataria | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TULSI, India Oct 21 (Reuters) - A man sporting a black cap and pink T-shirt sits on a bullock cart, pile of grass behind him, and busts a rhyme to a camera while riding across the dusty streets of India's Tulsi village. The hip-hop video is just one of many home-grown, Bollywood-inspired productions being created for the village's flagship YouTube channel, which boasts nearly 120,000 subscribers and has more than 200 uploaded videos. They now produce two to three videos a month, from slapstick comedy and action dramas to educational shorts and music videos. But for some, the channel is an opportunity to dream big -- well beyond the confines of the small village. "We want the entire world to know us, not just India," said Verma, 30.

☆ Oil prices rise on possible easing in China COVID quarantine measure
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Emily Chow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Pump jacks operate at sunset in an oil field in Midland, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for November delivery (WTI) , which expires on Thursday, rose $1.29, or 1.5%, to $86.84 per barrel. Bloomberg news reported on Thursday that China is considering cutting the quarantine period for inbound visitors to seven days from 10 days, citing people familiar with the matter. "Short of an unlikely shale oil revival, there are few lasting policy measures the Biden administration can use to effective push oil much lower." "EU sanctions on Russian oil imports will likely become the focus of the oil market in coming weeks... We expect Brent oil futures to average $100 per barrel in Q4 2022 on the back of supply disruption from the EU sanctions," Dhar added.

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