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☆ Electric vehicles row overshadows S.Korean president's first U.S. visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

He will fly to Canada on Thursday for the last leg of his trip before returning home on Saturday. Seoul officials have asked Washington to postpone the new rules until Hyundai completes building its Georgia factory in 2025. A number of high-level South Korean officials have been mobilised in recent weeks to relay concerns to their U.S. counterparts and press for exemptions, though solutions are far from clear. Trade Minister Lee Chang-yang will travel to the United States this week to discuss the IRA, the ministry said on Tuesday. However, the South Korean government is focusing on bilateral dialogue for now, he said, when answering a lawmaker's question in parliament.

☆ Scientists calculated the global population of ants: there are 20 quadrillion, or 2.5 million per person
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists have estimated the number of ants on earth, which is "unimaginable," a study author said. Per the study, there are 20 quadrillion ants on earth— 20 followed by 15 zeros. That's about 2.5 million ants per human. The astonishing number — 20,000,000,000,000,000 — means there would be about 2.5 million ants per single human living today. "We simply cannot imagine 20 quadrillion ants in one pile, for example.

☆ EXCLUSIVE U.S. Treasury official criticizes China's 'unconventional' debt practices
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yellen's counselor Brent Neiman plans to criticize China's "unconventional" debt practices and its failure to move forward with debt relief at an event at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a text of his prepared remarks obtained by Reuters shows. Neiman's critique of China's debt practices marks the latest salvo by Western officials and the leaders of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, who have grown weary of delays and broken promises by China and private lenders. He noted that China had engaged in "unconventional" practices that had allowed the IMF to move forward without obtaining standard financing assurances. "In many of these cases, China is not the only creditor holding back quick and effective implementation of the typical (debt restructuring) playbook. But across the international lending landscape, China’s lack of participation in coordinated debt relief is the most common and the most consequential."

☆ Analysis: In Latin America, democracies shaken ahead of key elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( David Alire Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Latin America's political arena has intensified with fallout from the pandemic, war in Ukraine, spiraling inflation plus fears of global recession. Those hardships have all hit voters' wallets in one of the world's most unequal regions, driving deeper political wedges ahead of key elections and in some countries threatening democracy itself. In long-dysfunctional Peru, leftist President Pedro Castillo, who took office just over a year ago, is battling a corruption probe amid plummeting approval ratings. read moreYet Bukele remains very popular, with an approval rating of 85% according to an August CID Gallup poll. "El Salvador is a dictatorship, a populist, beloved dictatorship, but it's a dictatorship," said Guatemalan-American novelist Francisco Goldman.

☆ In land of Maradona and Messi, fans jostle for World Cup stickers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Lucila Sigal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In the birthplace of soccer legends Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, signs in some shop windows read "no more stickers or albums", referring to the 2022 collectible sticker albums ahead of the November tournament in Qatar. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"It's frustrating not being able to find any," said Exequiel Claverie, a 38-year-old media professional and father of three children who are fans of local club River Plate. "I arrive home every day to (my children) saying: 'Hey dad, did you buy stickers?' Sticker manufacturer Italy's Panini says this year many adults are also collecting stickers, adding to demand. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Lucila Sigal; Editing by Nicolas Misculin, Adam Jourdan and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Apple helps Taiwan export orders resume growth in August, outlook mixed
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Orders for telecommunications products rose 3.1% in August from a year ago due mostly to cellphone orders, the ministry said. A trend of working and studying from home that started during the COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled a growth in orders for Taiwanese electronics for more than two years. The ministry said it expected this month's export orders to be between 7% and 9.4% lower than those of September 2021. Taiwan's August orders from China fell 25.5% from a year earlier, compared with an annual fall of 22.6% in July. Export orders from Europe rose 14.6%, versus an annual contraction of 5.1% in July, while those from Japan rose 2.2%.

☆ Row over EV subsidy rules overshadows S.Korean president's first U.S. visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The KIA logo is seen on the new KIA Niro during a press day at the 2021 Seoul Mobility Show in Goyang, South Korea, November 25, 2021. Yoon, who was in London for the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, departed for New York late on Monday to attend the U.N. General Assembly. He will fly to Canada on Thursday for the last leg of his trip before returning home on Saturday. A number of high-level South Korean officials have been mobilised in recent weeks to relay concerns to their U.S. counterparts and press for exemptions, though solutions are far from clear. Yoon has also been struggling to make headway on other key diplomatic and security issues such as improving relations with Japan and enticing North Korea back to denuclearisation talks.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Kaisa offshore creditors offer $2 bln to take over stalled projects - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A sign of the Kaisa Holdings Group is seen at the Shanghai Kaisa Financial Centre, in Shanghai, China, December 7, 2021. It also comes as authorities are scrambling to contain a mortgage boycott by homebuyers against stalled projects. The offshore bondholder group, which is being represented by financial advisory group Lazard Ltd, made the offer to acquire Kaisa's stalled projects to the developer's advisor CITIC Securities, said the people. As most of Kaisa's projects are in top-tier Chinese cities, where housing prices are relatively resilient, bondholders expect to reap the profits after the completion of the stalled projects, said the two people. It is unclear how many stalled projects would be covered by the bondholder group's offer, and how many of them meet the purchase criteria laid out by the group.

☆ Former world junior surfing champion Kalani David dies at 24
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

SAN JOSÉ — Former world junior surfing champion Kalani David died over the weekend on a Costa Rican beach after suffering a seizure while in the sea practicing the sport in which he excelled, friends and authorities said. Kalani David Feeney Barrientos, known internationally only by his first names, was born in Hawaii to a Costa Rican mother and suffered from Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a congenital heart disease that caused paralysis and seizures. He won the Junior World Surfing title in Panama in 2012, in the Under-16 category, while competing for the first places in the main skate circuits. Various figures from the world of surfing echoed the news shortly after, such as 11-time world champion Kelly Slater. “My condolences to the great family and friends that Kalani had on every beach around the world.”

☆ Exclusive: Kaisa offshore creditors offer $2 billion to take over stalled projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

☆ World says goodbye to Britain's Queen Elizabeth from cafes and consulates
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The hearse transporting the coffin of Britain's Queen Elizabeth drives near Royal Guards along Albert Road on the day of her state funeral and burial, in Windsor, Britain, September 19, 2022. And in Paris, France, bar owner Thibaud Dupont showed off his new tattoo of the monarch on his forearm. "She was not our queen, but she reigned over Britain for 70 years. "Her presence is literally everywhere," IT professional Victor Lai said outside the British Consulate General in Hong Kong, where people have queued for the past 10 days to sign a memorial book. In Bahrain, British expatriates paid tribute to Elizabeth at a service at St. Christopher's Cathedral in the capital Manama.

☆ Bus crashes in Costa Rica, nine dead and 55 rescued
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Members of the Red Cross and firefighters work at the scene of a deadly bus accident, where a landslide reportedly hit the vehicle, throwing it off a cliff, in Cambronero, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica in this social media handout image released September 18, 2022. Cruz Roja/Handout via REUTERSRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSAN JOSE, Sept 18 (Reuters) - A bus crash caused by heavy rains in Costa Rica left nine dead people on Saturday night, officials said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterHundreds of families had to be evacuated due to the severe damage caused by the heavy rains, the statement added. "This situation in which many families lose their belongings is really sad and worrying," said Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves, who decreed on Sunday a three-day mourning. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Alvaro Murillo; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by William Mallard, Lisa Shumaker and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ British business is grinding to a halt on Monday for the Queen's funeral, with most big chains closing
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Supermarkets, fast food chains, gas stations, and cinemas across Britain will close on Monday. Sign up for our newsletter to receive our top stories based on your reading preferences — delivered daily to your inbox. Gas stations operated by the supermarket chains will also close, with some reopening after 5pm. KFC will also close many of its restaurants until after the funeral has taken place, it said on its website. The British Retail Consortium has published a list of chains not opening on Monday here.

☆ Explainer: Does China need more Russian gas via the Power-of-Siberia 2 pipeline?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Negotiations will be complex, however, not least because China is not expected to need additional gas supply until after 2030, industry experts said. The proposed pipeline would bring gas from the huge Yamal peninsula reserves in west Siberia - the main source of gas supply to Europe - to China, the world's top energy consumer and growing gas consumer. The idea gained impetus when the first pipes of the currently operational Power of Siberia pipeline were laid in Russia's eastern Yakutia region in 2014. DOES CHINA NEED MORE RUSSIAN GAS? Russia's Gazprom already supplies gas to China through the first Power of Siberia pipeline under a 30-year, $400 billion deal, which was launched at the end of 2019.

Today, there are 56 Hispanic American banks and credit unions that are FDIC or NCUA insured around the US. We selected Hispanic American-owned credit unions from the National Credit Union Administration's list of minority depository institutions which was also updated on June 30, 2022. In our list of Hispanic American-owned banks and credit unions, many of the institutions listed offer customer support in Spanish and English. You can open up savings accounts, checking accounts, CDs, and money market accounts in most of the institutions listed. To help you learn more about a specific Hispanic American-owned bank or credit union, we've included links to reviews of individual institutions.

☆ McDonald's restaurants in the UK are shutting down for the Queen's funeral
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

McDonald's is shutting its UK restaurants for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. It has just under 1,400 restaurants across the UK, which it says will reopen at 5 p.m. on Monday. Other British businesses also announced plans to close during the funeral. McDonald's has just under 1,400 UK restaurants in total. The UK Government said businesses aren't obliged to close during the 10-day "national mourning" period between the Queen's death and her funeral.

☆ South Korea's Yoon to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral, U.N. General Assembly
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-12 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol holds first official news conference, after taking office in May, to mark 100 days in office, in Seoul, South Korea August 17, 2022. Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via REUTERS - RC21YV9WUCRJSEOUL, Sept 12 (Reuters) - South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol will visit London, New York and Canada next week in his first trip to those countries, primarily to attend the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth and visit the U.N. General Assembly, Yoon's office said on Monday. The decision to attend the funeral on Sept. 19 reflected the historical importance of South Korea's bilateral ties with Britain, the achievements of Queen Elizabeth, and the affection the monarch had shown South Korea since her visit in 1999, Kim said. Yoon will then travel to New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, where he is expected to give a keynote speech on Sept. 20, Kim said. Yoon's U.N. speech would be aimed at presenting South Korea's role as "a global leader country that contributes to resolving international issues and establishing a global order based on universal values," he said.

☆ Gregg Costa, a judge who quit the conservative Fifth Circuit appeals court, is joining the law firm Gibson Dunn
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-03 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former federal judge Gregg Costa is about to join Gibson Dunn in a senior role, Insider has learned. Gregg Costa, a prosecutor-turned-federal judge who announced that he would return to private practice earlier this year, is joining Gibson Dunn, a person familiar with the matter told Insider. Costa clerked for the conservative Supreme Court justice William Rehnquist and was appointed by President Barack Obama, first as a district court judge in Galveston, Texas and later as an appeals judge. Before becoming a judge, Costa was an associate attorney at the law firm Weil Gotshal & Manges and a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Texas. Federal courts in Texas and the Fifth Circuit have been top legal battlegrounds for President Joe Biden.

What are credit card and bank rewards points worth? One great feature of the program is that all points are equal, so any account that earns Membership Rewards points has access to transfer partners. If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards customer, you'll earn 25% to 75% more points, depending on how much you have on deposit, but your rewards points are still worth 1 cent apiece. However, those miles expire after 36 months regardless of your account activity, so only transfer miles when you have immediate plans to redeem them. Non-elite members may transfer points to other members with the same address, provided both parties have been members for at least one year.

☆ See Europe's less-crowded destinations as Americans flood the hot spots
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-18 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

North Jutland, DenmarkSouthern Europe swells with crowds during summer, and it can also get hot to the point of extremely uncomfortable in July and August. Temperatures in Seville and other spots in southern Spain recently exceeded the 110˚ Fahrenheit mark (43.3 Celsius). MontenegroLeave Croatia’s jam-packed Dubrovnik to the hordes of “Game of Thrones” hangers-on and make for less-trampled spots in neighboring Montenegro instead. It’s just 40 minutes from the popular beaches of Taormina, which are flooded with “White Lotus” fans this summer. There are beaches all around the peninsula, but if you only hit two, Mylopotamos and Fakistra on the Aegean side are the can’t-miss spots.

Persons: ”, Tania Swasbrook, Swasbrook, it’s, Jack Ezon, he’s, “, ” Ezon, you’ve, Mads Østergaard, Moritz, St, Du, Marianne Fabre, Lanvin, Vin de Bonté, ” Fabre, Arlindo Serrão, Serrão, ” Serrão, Dolev Azaria, Azaria, Portonovi, Spain Spain’s Costa, Spain Spain’s Costa de la Luz, Manni Coe of, TOMA, ” Coe, El Rompido, Italy Lipari, Diego Fiore, Dario Ferrante, Absolute, Ferrante, ” Ferrante, Andreas Heide, Barba, Alan Mandic, ” Mandic, Andria Mitsakos, Mitsakos Organizations: CNN, Allianz Partners, Vgari, CNN Travel, Croatia, Michelin, Tri, Villa, –, SAS, France International, gravitate, Cannes, Lodging, Le, Adobe, Alentejo ‘, “, New, UNESCO, Costa de la, Spain Spain’s Costa de la, del Sol, Albanian Locations: Europe, Tuscany, Slovenia, Croatia, Kotor, Montenegro, Italy, France, Pantelleria, Paros, Spain, Portugal, North Jutland, Denmark Southern Europe, Seville, Denmark, Cold Hawaii, ”, Jutland, Aalborg, Denmark’s, “, Newark, United States, Moritz, Switzerland, St, Engadin, Badrutt’s, Swiss, Nice, Montpellier, l’Espiguette, L’Oyat Plage, Alentejo, Lisbon, Algarve, Comporta, Dubrovnik, “ Montenegro, New York City, Como, Costa de, Costa de la Luz, Spain Spain’s Costa de, Barcelona, del, Manni Coe of Andalusia, Tarifa, El, Cadiz, Huelva, Mazagón, Aeolian, Sicily, Amalfi, Caribbean, Salina, Filicudi, Mount Etna, It’s, Taormina, Senja, Norway, Svalbard, Lofoten, Northern Norway, Zadar, Split, Hvar, Silba, Pelion, Greece, Mykonos, Albania, Ksamil . Albania's, Balkan

The Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card is worth considering if you fly Alaska or collect the airline's miles, and it's currently offering a record-high bonus. Read our review Read Our Review A looong arrow, pointing rightReview: Is the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card the best card for you? How to earn miles from the Alaska Airlines Business cardWith the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card, you'll earn 3 Alaska miles per dollar spent on Alaska Airlines purchases, and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases. If you're not quite in that range, there are plenty of great travel rewards credit cards that you may be eligible for with good credit score, including the personal Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card (you can read our review of the Alaska Airlines credit card for more information). If you're a small-business owner and fly Alaska Airlines frequently, the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card is worth it.

☆ This 41-year-old left the U.S. for Bangkok and lives a 'luxurious lifestyle' on $8,000 a month
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-06 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"The quality of life in Thailand compared to the United States, is much better for 90% of things and more stress-free," he says. When he first moved to Panama, Schoberg brought the web design and development firm he established in the U.S. — and his list of clients — with him. "I knew right away that Bangkok was going to be my Panama City 2.0." "Bangkok has an amazing culinary scene, you have pretty much every type of food in the world here," Schoberg says. "You've got the street-level city, which is your food vendors, people running to work, taxis and motorbikes," he says.

How to earn Southwest pointsCompare Southwest credit cards Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit CardSouthwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit CardSouthwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit CardSouthwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit CardSouthwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Transfer points from Diners Club or hotel loyalty programsDiners Club members can also transfer Club Rewards points to Southwest — 1,500 Club Rewards points, for instance, would convert to 1,200 Southwest points. It's also possible to redeem points earned through participating hotel loyalty programs if you'd rather put them toward flights than hotel stays, though redemption rates are pretty low:5,000 Best Western Rewards points = 1,200 Southwest points6,000 Choice Privileges points = 1,800 Southwest points2,000 Radisson Rewards America points = 200 Southwest points50,000 Radisson Rewards America points = 5,000 Southwest points100,000 Radisson Rewards America points = 10,000 Southwest points9,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 3,000 Southwest points30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 10,000 Southwest points60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 20,000 Southwest points90,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 30,000 Southwest points120,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 40,000 Southwest points5,000 World of Hyatt points = 2,400 Southwest points50,000 World of Hyatt points = 24,000 Southwest pointsNote that World of Hyatt throws in an additional 6,000 Southwest points as long as you're a member, while Marriott Bonvoy adds 5,000 Southwest points for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred to an airline. For instance, a $220 Business Select fare would yield 2,640 Southwest points, while a $200 Anytime ticket would yield 2,000 Southwest points, and a $100 Wanna Get Away ticket would yield 600 Southwest points. Earn Southwest points by taking online surveysYou can earn points by taking online surveys through E-Rewards — $15 worth of E-Rewards yields 300 Southwest points, $25 worth of E-Rewards yields 600 Southwest points, $50 worth of E-Rewards yields 1,200 Southwest points, and $100 worth of E-Rewards yields 2,400 Southwest points.

☆ The Best Books to Take You Through Lisbon, Portugal
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-29 | by ( Djaimilia Pereira De Almeida | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Read Your Way Around the World is a series exploring the globe through books. Lisbon has long been marked by a certain wistfulness. But for those who come with that vision, the city today will surprise with its diversity and color. What should I read before I pack my bags? The literary critic George Steiner wrote that the book “gives to Lisbon the haunting spell of Joyce’s Dublin or Kafka’s Prague.”

Persons: Victor Palla, Costa Martins, Fernando Pessoa, José Maria de Eça de Queiroz, Bernardo Soares, Pessoa, George Steiner, ” Organizations: Cidade Locations: Lisbon, Europe, “ Lisboa, e Alegre, Costa, Sintra, Pessoa’s, Dublin, Kafka’s Prague

☆ I'm a hairstylist for A-list celebrities who works on magazine and film sets. Here's what my job is like.
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-29 | by ( Costa B. Pappas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Elena Maravelias is a celebrity hairstylist who got her start cutting a singer's hair at a concert. She toured with the Warped Tour, got a job at a salon in NYC, and now has a celebrity client list. She says when working with celebrities, don't put them on a pedestal or ask personal questions. I didn't have the goal to become a bicoastal celebrity hairstylist — it just sort of happened. You never know what you're going to encounter on set, which is the exciting part, but being on set for up to 14 hours at a time for weeks can be a lot.

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