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☆ Norfolk Southern takes responsibility for Ohio crash environment cleanup, CFO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We take responsibility ... We're fully dedicated to making things right," Mark George, Norfolk Southern's (NSC.N) chief financial officer, said at an investor conference hosted by Barclays. A day earlier, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered Norfolk Southern to "pay for cleaning up the mess" created by toxic chemicals that spewed into the air, water and soil after the accident. Norfolk Southern plans to quantify related costs no later than its first-quarter earnings. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) plans to release a preliminary report on Thursday on its initial findings into the fiery crash. He will be joined by representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

☆ These cofounders are giving parents-to-be an alternative option to traditional hospital care by addressing the system inadequacies for people of color
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Allegra Hill and Kimberly Durdin launched Kindred Space LA, a birth-support center, in 2018. They shared their experiences launching Kindred Space LA and their hopes for the future. Today, Kindred Space LA offers in-clinic births, home births, support groups, sessions with mental-health professionals, and collaborative care with ob-gyns and midwives who work in hospitals. Insider spoke with Hill and Durdin about their experiences launching Kindred Space LA and their hopes for the future. Kindred Space LA ultimately raised around $50,000, enough to open the birth clinic that year.

☆ Fendi kicks off Milan fashion week with deconstructed suits
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Milan kicked off its leg of the month-long catwalk calendar on Wednesday, with Italian luxury label Fendi deconstructing masculine tailoring at its womenswear fashion show. Milan Fashion Week follows New York and London events in which designers have been presenting their creations for autumn/winter 2023-2024. At Fendi, designer Kim Jones added pleated skirt aprons and trains to tailored trouser suits as well as shoulder-baring sleeves to waistcoats. Milan Fashion Week will host more than 50 catwalk shows, including by big names such as Giorgio Armani, Prada, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana, over the next few days, wrapping on Feb. 27. Reporting by Elisa Anzolin and Marie-Louise Gumuchian, Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Norfolk Southern, in wake of toxic derailment, gives in on sick days for one of its unions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Norfolk Southern has agreed to give one of its unions the paid sick days it demanded for members in negotiations last year, and is in talks to grant sick days to its other unions as well. Norfolk Southern has about 19,000 employees total and about 15,000 of whom are union members. Norfolk Southern’s concession comes two weeks after another railroad, CSX (CSX), reached a deal with two of its unions to provide four sick days a year. The Norfolk Southern deal provides up to seven sick days per employee. Norfolk Southern and the nation’s other major freight railroads all faced criticism last year for refusing the unions’ demands for paid sick days for their members.

☆ Norfolk Southern is giving over a thousand times more money to shareholders than to derailment victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The company spent $3.4 billion on share repurchases last year, and $3.1 billion in 2021, bringing its recent share repurchases to $6.5 billion. Billions to shareholdersIn March 2022, Norfolk Southern (NSC) announced a new $10 billion share repurchase plan. Norfolk Southern did not respond to questions Wednesday on whether it expects to change its share repurchase plans in the wake of the derailment. Other freight railroads are also reporting improving profits, and have joined Norfolk Southern in massive share repurchases. Like Norfolk Southern, both UP and CSX spent more on share repurchases than they did on total employee compensation.

☆ Republican Doug Mastriano told supporters he didn't get any money from Ohio derailment train operator Norfolk Southern. Records show he took $1,000.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano is holding a hearing Thursday on the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment. Mastriano, a Republican, recently denied receiving any money from train operator Norfolk Southern. "Biden's in Ukraine and Shapiro's MIA," the user wrote, praising Mastriano for visiting East Palestine over the weekend. Mike DeWine, a Republican, assured East Palestine residents that their drinking water is safe. He lauded the EPA for ordering Norfolk Southern to cover the cost of cleaning up the accident.

East Palestine, Ohio CNN —Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw defended his company’s actions since the disaster caused by the derailment of one of its trains in East Palestine, Ohio, and promised the railroad will pay for the cleanup. “Norfolk Southern is committed to the community and citizens of East Palestine,” Shaw told CNN Tuesday. “From day one I’ve made the commitment that Norfolk Southern is going to remediate the site,” Shaw said. Norfolk Southern “started as soon as the derailment occurred,” he said. If folks in this community want bottled water, they’re going to get it.”

☆ This startup is using precision fermentation to make plant-based food taste better. Check out the 10-slide pitch deck Paleo used to secure $12.8 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Belgian startup Paleo just raised $12.8 million to make plant-based food taste better. A European foodtech startup cofounded by a former Belgian senator has just raised 12 million euros (around $12.8 million) to make plant-based food taste better. The proteins are a form of heme, which has been deemed key in unlocking a meaty look, taste, texture, and aroma for plant-based food. Paleo will sell its products to other plant-based food companies so they don't have to develop it in-house. "The main challenge now in the plant-based food space, it's taste, and that's exactly where we offer a solution," he said.

☆ A year after Russia’s invasion: How Ukraine endured
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoIn the early hours of Feb. 24, 2022, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers entered Ukraine. By seizing the city of three million people, and capturing or killing Zelenskiy, Russia’s hope appeared to be that Ukraine would quickly surrender. By March 23, Russia’s advance had captured regions of Ukraine along the Belarus border but Ukraine’s forces had begun reclaiming territory near Kyiv. Satellite imagery of Russia’s military convoy near Invankiv, Ukraine, Feb. 28, 2022. The two sit on a bed, with a radio and teddy bears nearby., image Ukrainian civilians have endured The will of the people of Ukraine continues to be that they remain free.

☆ Buttigieg urges U.S. railroads to boost safety, not oppose reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/7] Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. Buttigieg said he would soon outline specific safety improvements railroads should take immediately. He harshly criticized them for lobbying against steps "intended to improve rail safety and to help keep Americans safe." Buttigieg said he also planned to outline "prioritized actions planned" by the U.S. Department of Transportation on rail safety. In response to the derailment, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell Friday opened an inquiry into railroad hazardous materials safety practices.

☆ I coach CEOs and NFL officials and what sets them apart is their obsession with improvement
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Duane Carlisle trains CEOs and NFL officials. He is a former coach for the San Francisco 49ers. He's the former head strength-and-conditioning coach for the San Francisco 49ers. His clients, many of whom require him to sign nondisclosure agreements, include leaders such as Sasan Goodarzi, the CEO of Intuit. I work with CEOs, high-profile executives, and NFL officials as a high-performance coach.

☆ Oksana Masters Had a Difficult Path to Athletic Triumph
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Emily Bobrow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

“A lot of people have no idea that I was living in a car right before Sochi”—the 2014 Winter Games, when she took home a silver and a bronze for cross-country skiing. Her 17 medals are also for rowing, cycling and the biathlon. “People see me now, but they don’t see the hard parts that came before,” she says. That is why she decided to write her new memoir, “The Hard Parts,” out Feb. 21. It also covers her formative years in several abusive orphanages in Ukraine, where she was born with webbed fingers, one kidney and no weight-bearing bones below the knees.

☆ Travel nightmares in Europe continue after a strike at German airports leads to thousands of cancellations Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Workers at airports including Munich, Hamburg and Frankfurt went on strike Friday. After an IT outage Wednesday, this is the latest nightmare for German airline Lufthansa. Workers at seven German airports, including Munich, Frankfurt, and Hamburg, took collective action Friday, according to CNN. The full-day strike halted Lufthansa's operations in Frankfurt and Munich Friday, affecting thousands of would-be passengers. In all, more than 2,000 flights were canceled on affected airlines, according to CNN, interrupting travel for more than 295,000 people.

The derailment of the train, operated by Norfolk Southern (NSC.N), forced thousands of residents to evacuate while railroad crews drained and burned off chemicals. “We have mobilized a robust, multi-agency effort to support the people of East Palestine, Ohio," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing. [1/3] A view of a caution tape as members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (not pictured) inspect the site of a train derailment of hazardous material in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 16, 2023. DeWine called on Congress to review railroad safety regulations, lamenting states have little power to demand information about what types of hazardous goods are rolling through their borders. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday more needs to be done to address rail safety in the face of hundreds of annual train derailments.

☆ North Korea and Russia are ramping up trade in oil, coal and weapons as Ukraine war sanctions send Moscow to pariah state
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new CSIS report analyzed satellite imagery that suggests significantly increased trade between Russia and North Korea. Wartime sanctions have pushed Moscow to turn to railroad trade with Pyongyang, the researchers wrote. Trade between North Korea and Russia hit roughly $48 million in 2019, International Trade Centre data compiled by the Wall Street Journal shows. That dropped to nearly zero in 2021, with North Korea closing off its borders during the pandemic. Similarly, over recent years, Russia has sided with North Korea in geopolitical conversations over sanctions on the Kim Jong-un's regime.

"The amount of energy BEVs need is so enormous that I see a strain on our grid that ultimately it can't fulfill." Daimler Truck will invest up to 15 billion euros ($16 billion) on fuel cells over the next decade, Daum said. Symbio, which supplies fuel cells for Stellantis vans, expects global fuel cell vehicle sales to reach 2 million units annually by 2030 and wants a 10% share. Both General Motors (GM) (GM.N) and Toyota (7203.T) are testing fuel cells for larger vehicles including semi-trucks and trains to build scale and lower costs. While Volkswagen is not currently investing in fuel cells, it has hundreds of patents around the technology.

☆ Inside Tracy Anderson's cutthroat fitness empire: Legal threats, paranoia, and trainers who say their bodies were 'breaking apart'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Katie Warren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

One day around 2015, a dozen or so gift boxes showed up at the Brentwood, California, studio of the celebrity fitness trainer Tracy Anderson. "It was an exclusive boutique fitness studio," the former New York trainer said. Darren Gerrish/WireImageThe method demanded that TA trainers, most of whom were also professional dancers, perform the strenuous workouts full out, every time. Let's help you do it correctly so you don't get injured,'" the former New York trainer said. "This is at a time where everyone is already overworked," one of the former New York trainers said.

☆ Machu Picchu reopens to tourists after closure over civil unrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CUSCO, Peru, Feb 15 (Reuters) - The Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, one of South America's biggest tourist draws, reopened to visitors in Peru on Wednesday after several weeks of closure due to civil unrest. Although the protests and road blockades, which have been focused in the south of Peru, are ongoing, there has been a relative calm in recent days. The mountain citadel of Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century, probably for an Incan emperor. It was abandoned around the time of the Spanish conquest and rediscovered in 1911 by American explorer Hiram Bingham. Reporting by Carlos Valdez and Liamar Ramos; Writing by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). Opening more than one of the same credit card could mean hundreds of dollars in value toward your next trip. How to get two (or more) of the same credit cardThe first thing to mention is that credit cards sometimes will not allow you to apply for a credit card that you already have. "Product changing" is the act of requesting that a credit card issuer changes the card you currently have to a card within the same family (generally a card that collects the same rewards). When product changing a credit card, you will almost never receive a welcome bonus with the new card.

You can earn Marriott points from paid stays, co-branded credit cards, or flexible points transfers. How to earn Marriott pointsEarn points from Marriott Bonvoy hotel staysThere are plenty of different ways to earn Marriott points, but let's start with the simplest: earning points on hotel stays. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. 6X Marriott Bonvoy Points on purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy4X Marriott Bonvoy Points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets2X Marriott Bonvoy Points on all other eligible purchases1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Bonus Points with each qualifying stayComplimentary Gold Elite statusA Free Night Award (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points) after making $15,000 in purchases per year.

☆ Israeli parliament in uproar over Netanyahu plans for judiciary
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Israeli lawmakers engaged in a shouting match on Monday in a parliamentary committee deciding on government plans to overhaul the judiciary, a move President Isaac Herzog has warned risks tipping the country into "constitutional collapse". The plans, which would give rightist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greater control of appointments to the bench and weaken the Supreme Court's ability to strike down legislation or rule against the executive, have triggered widespread protests. Morning trains from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem were packed with people, many carrying Israeli flags and protest signs, heading to the demonstration. U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Netanyahu to build consensus before pushing through far-reaching changes, saying in comments published by the New York Times on Sunday that an independent judiciary was one of the foundations of U.S. and Israeli democracy. Additional reporting by Hannah Confino; Writing by James Mackenzie, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Equity Talk: It could take 136 years to reach gender parity at work, but a BofA exec wants to do it in 15 — and she has a plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Sandra Quince is the CEO of Paradigm for Parity, which promotes gender parity in corporate America. In the latest Equity Talk, Quince talked about how leaders could support women of color. How do you feel about the movement for gender parity right now? There are reports that say we are around 136 years until gender parity. We want to achieve gender parity in corporate leadership in 15 years.

☆ With Therapists in Short Supply, College Students Counsel Each Other
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Andrea Petersen | Photographs Lauren Petracca For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Clinton, N.Y.—Hamilton College has found one answer to the growing number of students seeking mental-health care on campus: Send them to other students. The school trains about a dozen undergrads a year to serve as peer counselors, a role that entails being a good listener to other students. The counselors go through about three days of training per year and attend weekly meetings to review peer conversations with the school counseling center’s professional therapists.

☆ Sergey Brin appears to make first request in years to access Google code as AI battle heats up, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sergey Brin last month appeared to make his first request in years to access code, Forbes reported. The Google cofounder made the request on January 24 following the release of ChatGPT. It follows reports of Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai asking Larry Page and Brin for help in the AI battle. In December, Pichai called Larry Page and Brin following a "code red" following the release of ChatGPT. While Brin's code access was followed by a small technical change, some employees didn't welcome his request, Forbes reported.

☆ $276 million was spent on 31 Spanish trains before it was realized they were too big to fit in the tunnels
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Spanish region spent $276 million on trains before they realized they were too big to fit in the tunnels. The president of Cantabria, a region of northern Spain, called the error an "unspeakable botch." Two senior officials in the Spanish transport industry were fired earlier this week after local news outlet El Comercio reported last month that the government had spent €258 million (about $276 million) on unusable trains. Renfe — the country's national train operator — ordered the trains in 2020, granting the manufacturing contract to the transport manufacturing company CAF. This is not the first time there have been sizable train troubles in Europe: in 2014, a French rail company spent billions of euros on trains that were "too wide" for the tracks.

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