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☆ Twitter's posthumous blue checks look a lot like necro-advertising, the legally questionable marketing strategy that uses dead celebrities to boost sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Twitter added paid checks to accounts of dead celebrities like Kobe Bryant and Anthony Bourdain. The rights to Monroe's likeness and intellectual property sold to Authentic Brands Group for an estimated $20-30 million in 2011, the outlet reported. In 2013, shortly after Authentic Brands Group acquired the rights to Monroe's image, she became a spokesperson for Chanel No. Authentic Brands Group, which also owns the rights to Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali's brands, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. The marketing group is run by Jamie Salter, the billionaire entrepreneur who co-founded Hilco Consumer Capital.

☆ 'Buried dreams': Players, fans dismayed after Indonesia loses U-20 hosting rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

International soccer's governing body FIFA stripped Indonesia of hosting rights on Wednesday over what an Indonesian official said was a failure to honour its commitments to the tournament. FIFA made the decision after Indonesia's football federation (PSSI) said it had cancelled the draw because Bali's governor refused to host Israel's team. The head of an Indonesian fans' association, Ignatius Indro, said PSSI and the government should ensure politics did not interfere in football. The loss of hosting rights was a "failure" for the Southeast Asian country, he said. PSSI said losing hosting rights would harm the national side's chance of taking part in other FIFA tournaments, and the economic losses would amount to millions of dollars.

☆ U-20 World Cup draw in Bali postponed amid protest against Israel participation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 26 (Reuters) - The draw for the Under-20 FIFA World Cup that was scheduled to take place in Indonesia next week will be postponed, a source told Reuters after Bali's governor refused to host Israel's team. The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) said the draw that was to be held on Friday had been cancelled. "Previously, Bali governor Wayan Koster rejected the presence of the Israeli national team in the FIFA U-20 World Cup event... This can be a reason for FIFA to cancel the U-20 World Cup draw," the PSSI said in a statement. "The chairman will also report to Mr President at the first opportunity to find a solution to all this, both diplomacy and foreign policy... to save Indonesian football that we love," Sinulingga added.

☆ Phoenix residents are transforming their homes to save energy and conserve water as climate scientists warn of an ever-worsening crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Aj Latrace | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Its desert climate inspires builders whose designs prioritize conserving both water and energy. A construction worker installing wood-fiber insulation boards over an airtight membrane of the Vali Mews townhouse development in Phoenix. In 2021, of the more than 120,000 Energy Star-certified homes that were built in the US, Arizona built the highest share, 17%, or 20,140 homes. Arizona builders that tout their energy-efficient homes include Fulton Homes, Maracay Homes, and Meritage Homes. Gerald Leenerts used natural Havelock Wool insulation for his accessory dwelling unit instead of spray foam or fiberglass insulation.

☆ French and US hostages released in West Africa after years of captivity
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dubois was kidnapped in Mali in 2021, while Woodke was kidnapped in neighbouring Niger in 2016. "After several months of efforts, Nigerien authorities obtained the liberation of the two hostages from the hands of (JNIM), an active terrorist group in West Africa and the Sahel," Niger's interior minister Hamadou Adamou Souley told journalists at the airport, flanked by the two men. French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Niger for its help in securing the Dubois's release. "I’m gratified & relieved to see the release of U.S. hostage Jeff Woodke after over 6 years in captivity," Sullivan said on Twitter. Those groups have repeatedly declared French citizens in West Africa to be targets since a 2013 military intervention by France drove them back a year earlier.

☆ Blinken brings U.S. aid to Sahel for fight against Islamist insurgencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NIAMEY, March 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $150 million in new humanitarian aid for Africa's Sahel region during a visit on Thursday to Niger, a country Washington views as an important ally in the fight against Islamist insurgencies. Landlocked Niger and its neighbors Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Chad are all struggling to repel Islamist insurgents who have killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and in some cases seized control of vast swathes of territory. "They're making the right choices, we think, to help deal with the kind of threats that are common across the Sahel. Blinken said the use of Russian mercenaries had not proven an effective response to insecurity. Ghana has asserted that Burkina Faso has also hired Wagner mercenaries.

☆ Blinken brings aid and praise to Niger as it battles insurgents
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Blinken's visit to Niger, the first by a U.S. Secretary of State, signals its importance as a U.S. ally in the Sahel, a senior State Department official told reporters travelling with Blinken. Landlocked Niger and other countries in the Sahel, including its neighbours Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Chad, are all struggling to repel Islamist insurgents who in some cases have seized control of swathes of territory. The official praised Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum for opposing military coups in Mali and Burkina Faso and for consulting the parliament over security issues rather than deciding alone. Ghana has asserted that Burkina Faso has also hired Wagner mercenaries. "They use a lot of misinformation and disinformation to besmirch the French, I think, and the traditional French security partnership."

Relations between Russia and the U.S. have become more hostile since Moscow invaded Ukraine over a year ago, and Washington and its allies oppose Russian influence in West Africa. This has worried Western governments and the United Nations who say the move has led to a spike in violence. Mali, whose government took power in a 2021 military coup, has previously said Russian forces are not mercenaries but trainers helping local troops with equipment from Russia. The UK, Germany and other nations are pulling troops from a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali as security worsens. Armed groups have a foothold in coastal countries including Benin and Togo and threaten economic leaders Ivory Coast and Ghana.

☆ This high-school teacher mocks rich people who pay hundreds of dollars for designer dog collars and now has 1.5 million TikTok followers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Shabaz Ali is a chemistry teacher who's gained 1.5 million TikTok followers by mocking the rich. His audience knows him as "the CEO of 'I'm rich, you're poor,'" – a series of videos in which Ali satirizes the luxurious lifestyles some people share online. "We don't want to sit there being bombarded with images of beautiful people doing beautiful things with their beautiful money." He has no plans to become an influencer himself and won't be quitting his teaching job any time soon. Despite getting 177 million views on TikTok in December, he says he earned just £28 ($33.)

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☆ In Turkey's quake-devasted city of Antakya, an antiques seller is determined to stay put
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Close by was a mosaic portrait of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, old magazines and several Turkish flags. "Even before the earthquake, these chairs were outside, I had items outside to show that we run an antique shop ... In one room, a wall collapsed on top of his collection of Turkish antique glassware. A man who has made a living from old things, Sincan said he took a historical view of the earthquake's devastation. Sincan said he was confident the city would rise again.

☆ The week in Asian football
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Michael Church | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Talking points from the week in Asian football:RONALDO'S SAUDI SCORING STREAK CONTINUES WITH HAT-TRICKCristiano Ronaldo's scoring run continued on Saturday as the Portuguese attacker netted all three goals in Al Nassr's 3-0 victory over Damak. The 38-year-old capped the scoring a minute before halftime when he side-footed home after Ayman Yahya cut the ball back towards the penalty spot. The goal was Ronaldo's eighth in five league games since joining Al Nassr after the World Cup. The defeat was the second in a row for new Urawa coach Maciej Skorza and the Pole's team are bottom of the standings. JANKOVIC APPOINTED NEW CHINA COACHSerbian Aleksandar Jankovic has been named coach of the China national team for next year's Asian Cup and the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

☆ Sundance Movies: Brett Kavanaugh and Steph Curry Docs, "Cat Person"
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Alison Brower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Sundance Film Festival was back in person for the first time since 2020. In five days I saw eight films, and while I'm not a critic, I can affirm that not one of them was a clunker. Asked about the film's aspect ratio in an audience Q&A, Jalali said, "It was prettier that way." The bulk of the films I saw were more commercial, and four of them centered on relationships. And then there was "Cat Person," based on a 2017 New Yorker story about dating by Kristen Roupenian.

☆ Mali says Russia's Lavrov to visit to strengthen defence ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAMAKO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will pay a two-day visit to Mali this week, the Malian foreign ministry said on Sunday, describing the visit as a reflection of a shared wish to strengthen defence and security ties. "This high-level visit is in line with the political choice made by the Transitional Government to expand and diversify strategic partnerships," the Malian ministry said in a statement. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Mali that Moscow was committed to strengthening cooperation to help root out the militants. Mali has previously said Russian forces in the country are not mercenaries but trainers helping local troops with equipment bought from Russia. Lavrov is currently in Baghdad for talks on improving bilateral ties and energy cooperation.

☆ Guyana expects proposal from India for long-term crude purchases
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Neil Marks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Vessels carrying supplies for an offshore oil platform operated by Exxon Mobil are seen at the Guyana Shore Base Inc wharf on the Demerara River, south of Georgetown, Guyana January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Luc CohenGEORGETOWN, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Guyana expects to soon receive a proposal from India for long-term purchases of the South American country's oil, President Irfaan Ali said on Tuesday, a new attempt to reach a government-to-government deal potentially leading to better sale terms for Guyana. Guyana's government is entitled to a share of crude produced off the nation's coast by a consortium led by Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N). In 2022, Ali's government received a total of 13 cargoes of crude, and it expects to receive and export 17 cargoes this year, the finance minister said earlier this week. Guyana and India in 2021 failed to reach an agreement for direct sales of Guyana's sweet crude to Indian state refiners.

☆ Why this 77-year-old celebrity fashion designer says she's never retiring: 'This work is like breathing for me'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Some people look forward to retirement for years, planning trips in the winter to warm locales and long afternoons spent relaxing. But Norma Kamali, who turned 77 in June, hasn't thought about retiring once. In fact, the celebrity fashion designer and owner of Norma Kamali Inc. just signed a long-term lease on a new office in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan. When friends or colleagues announce their retirement, Kamali admits she gets "anxious." Check out:77-year-old celebrity fashion designer Norma Kamali's 2 simple secrets for long-term career success39-year-old self-made millionaire: 'Success isn't owned, it's rented.

☆ Mali sentences 46 Ivorian soldiers to 20 years for conspiring against government
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BAMAKO, Dec 30 (Reuters) - A court in Mali sentenced 46 soldiers from Ivory Coast to 20 years imprisonment on Friday for conspiring against the government, and three others to death in absentia. Forty-nine Ivorian soldiers were arrested at the airport in Mali's capital Bamako in July, three of whom were later released. Mali's ruling junta said the soldiers were acting as mercenaries, while Ivory Coast said they were part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission. Ivory Coast said its troops were being held hostage, and has made repeated pleas for their release. The country announced last month it would withdraw its remaining soldiers from the U.N. peacekeeping mission.

☆ A couple on track to retire before 40 share the 3 money books that changed their financial mindset
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

They started reading money books, including "Set for Life" and "The Simple Path to Wealth." That's when he started diving into personal-finance books, which ultimately would be the impetus for their debt repayment and financial freedom journey. Here are three money books that helped them get to where they are today. "Set for Life" by Scott Trench"Set for Life" was one of the first money books the Lupos read. "This book does a great job of identifying the importance of spending money on your values," said Josh.

Indeed he has no use for electricity and for more than half a century has lived entirely off the grid. That makes him one of the few people in Europe unconcerned about rising energy costs this winter. Right now, he has two house mates, a rooster, three chickens and a cat in a community he calls "The Tribe of the Harmonious Walnuts". "I feel privileged to have the freedom to choose my freedom," said Agnese, 35, who moved in two years ago. The "harmonious walnuts" grow fruit and vegetables, olives to produce olive oil, and keep bees for honey.

☆ Burkina Faso summons Ghanaian ambassador over Wagner allegations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

OUAGADOUGOU, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Burkina Faso summoned the Ghanaian ambassador on Friday morning for "explanations" after Ghana's president alleged that Burkina Faso had hired the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Burkina Faso's foreign ministry said. Burkina Faso has now entered into an arrangement to go along with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there," Akufo-Addo said, adding that it was a distressing development for Ghana. Akufo-Addo also alleged that Burkina Faso had offered Wagner a mine as payment. In a statement issued after the meeting with the ambassador, Burkina Faso's foreign ministry said it had "expressed disapproval" about the statements made by the Ghanaian president. Burkina Faso also recalled its ambassador from Ghana for a meeting, the spokesperson said.

☆ Bali governor says new Indonesia laws pose no risk to tourists
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Visitors to Bali will not be put at risk by Indonesia's newly ratified criminal code, the island's governor said, dismissing concerns that revised laws which include articles criminalising sex outside marriage may scare away tourists from its shores. Seeking to reassure visitors, Bali Governor Wayan Koster in a statement on Sunday noted the new laws, which come into affect in three years, could only be prosecuted if there was complaint by a parent, spouse or child. Those who "visit or live in Bali would not need to worry with regard to the entry into force of the Indonesian Criminal Code", he said. The governor said provisions in the criminal code on this issue had been altered from an earlier, stricter version so "would provide a better guarantee of everyone's privacy and comfortableness." Decades in the making, legislators hailed the passage of the criminal code as a much-needed overhaul of a vestige of Dutch colonial rule.

☆ UK sanctions 30 people, targeting corruption and human rights abuse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Britain on Friday announced sanctions targeting 30 people around the world who it described as "corrupt political figures, human rights violators and perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence." It said the sanctions were coordinated with international partners to mark International Anti-Corruption Day and Global Human Rights Day and included individuals involved in activities including the torture of prisoners and the mobilisation of troops to rape civilians. "Today our sanctions go further to expose those behind the heinous violations of our most fundamental rights," Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement. They included targets from 11 countries, including:- 10 Iranian officials connected to Iran’s judicial and prison systems- Figures involved in the Myanmar military junta- Russian Colonel Ibatullin for his role as the commander of the 90th Tank Division- Mali's Katiba Macina group, also known as the Macina Liberation Front, over what Britain said was links to sexual violence- Officials in South Sudan over what Britain said were links to sexual violenceReporting by William James, Editing by Kylie MacLellanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 77-year-old celebrity fashion designer Norma Kamali’s 2 simple secrets for long-term career success
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Even if you don't know who Norma Kamali is, chances are, you've seen her work. "I had my heart set on being a painter growing up," the New York native tells CNBC Make It. The attire in London made Kamali feel free, and she wanted to share that joy with her friends in Manhattan. She began filling her suitcase with clothes from abroad, including vintage pieces from the 1930s and 1940s. Here, Kamali shares her best advice for building a long, successful career that you love.

☆ Explainer: Key issues in Nepal's national elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KATHMANDU, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Nepal will hold national and provincial elections on Sunday, which the ruling coalition, led by the centrist Nepali Congress party, are expected to win. MAIN CONTESTANTSPrime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who leads the Nepali Congress party, has allied with the Maoist Centre party, the main group of former Maoist rebels. His Nepali Congress party is considered the closest to India. The Maoist Centre party led by supremo Prachanda could emerge as a kingmaker in case of inconclusive elections. CHINA, INDIA INTERESTNeighbouring China and India, with their strategic and economic interests, will be watching the election results.

☆ Generali sticks to 2024 targets, generates $1 bln per year for M&A
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Gianluca Semeraro | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In September, sources had said Generali was exploring several potential U.S. acquisition targets in the asset management business, including investment firm Guggenheim Partners. For a deal of this size, Generali may need to divest its private bank Banca Generali (BGN.MI), sources had said at that time. In a post-results call with journalists, Chief Financial Officer Cristiano Borean declined to comment on rumours of an acquisition in the U.S. but said Generali was "a happy investor" in Banca Generali. Nine-month net profit came in at 2.23 billion euros ($2.24 billion), down 0.8% from a year ago, due to impairments of 141 million euros on Russian investments. The profit was above an analyst consensus provided by the company of 2.05 billion euros.

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