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☆ LVMH's Arnault tightens family grip as daughter becomes Dior CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Mimosa Spencer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The world's largest luxury group also replaced long-time Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke with Pietro Beccari, head of Dior since 2018. Delphine Arnault, 47, has worked at Louis Vuitton for the past decade alongside Burke and previously spent a dozen years at Dior. Burke will continue to work with Bernard Arnault, the company said in a statement. The move follows the recent appointment of Antoine Arnault, Bernard Arnault's eldest son, to head the family holding company, replacing veteran executive Sidney Toledano. Alexandre Arnault, 30, is an executive at Tiffany & Co. while Frederic Arnault, 28, is CEO of TAG Heuer - both LVMH brands.

OUIDAH, Benin, Jan 11 (Reuters) - On Benin's national voodoo holiday, performers dressed as guardians of the night swirled in costumes resembling technicolour haystacks, delighting worshippers and tourists alike. [1/7] Devotees perform as they take part in the annual celebration of Voodoo festival in Cotonou, Benin January 10, 2023. REUTERS/ Charles Placide Tossou 1 2 3 4 5"For them, there is a lot of interest in discovering the roots of our ancestors, the African roots," she said. Only around 350,000 tourists visited Benin in 2020, although numbers have been rising steadily since 292,000 visited in 2016, according to the most recent annual data from the World Tourism Organization. French tourist Elodie Wine, 23, said seeing the group dances and fantastical costumes of the Ouidah festival was likely to be the highlight of her trip to Benin.

☆ LVMH names new Louis Vuitton CEO, puts Arnault daughter in charge of Dior
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Mimosa Spencer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Pietro Beccari, who has been the head of Dior since 2018, is moving to replace long-time Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke, 65. Delphine Arnault, 47, has worked at Louis Vuitton for the past decade alongside Burke and previously spent a dozen years at Dior. [1/2] Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, and Delphine Arnault, Executive Vice President of Louis Vuitton, leave after the Spring/Summer 2020 collection show for fashion house Louis Vuitton during Men's Fashion Week in Paris, France, June 20, 2019. Alexandre Arnault, 30, is in charge of products and communication at Tiffany, while Frederic Arnault, 28, is CEO of another group brand, TAG Heuer. The youngest child, Jean Arnault, 24, heads marketing and product development for Louis Vuitton's watches division.

☆ Think You’ll Save Money With Dry January? Not at $17 for a Mocktail
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Charles Passy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When diners make their way to Esmé, a Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant known for its fanciful tasting menu, they have the option of pairing their food with an equally fanciful array of cocktails. The drinks range from one called Curried Corn, made with corn stock and an array of spices, to another dubbed Johnny Apple Tea, prepared with a black tea and something billed as “popcorn verjus”—essentially, grape juice flavored with caramelized popcorn.

☆ It’s Dry January. Would You Pay $17 for a Mocktail?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Charles Passy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Louisiana parishes (which are similar to counties) have pretty consistent borrowing limits for mortgages. As a result, you can compare potential new homes in two distinct parishes without factoring in borrowing limits as much. Louisiana borrowing limits in 2023 by parishesParish Conforming mortgage borrowing limit (single-family home FHA mortgage borrowing limit (single-family home) Acadia Parish $726,200 $472,030 Allen Parish $726,200 $472,030 Ascension Parish $726,200 $472,030 Assumption Parish $726,200 $472,030 Avoyelles Parish $726,200 $472,030 Beauregard Parish $726,200 $472,030 Bienville Parish $726,200 $472,030 Bossier Parish $726,200 $472,030 Caddo Parish $726,200 $472,030 Calcasieu Parish $726,200 $472,030 Caldwell Parish $726,200 $472,030 Cameron Parish $726,200 $472,030 Catahoula Parish $726,200 $472,030 Claiborne Parish $726,200 $472,030 Concordia Parish $726,200 $472,030 De Soto Parish $726,200 $472,030 East Baton Rouge Parish $726,200 $472,030 East Carroll Parish $726,200 $472,030 East Feliciana Parish $726,200 $472,030 Evangeline Parish $726,200 $472,030 Franklin Parish $726,200 $472,030 Grant Parish $726,200 $472,030 Iberia Parish $726,200 $472,030 Iberville Parish $726,200 $472,030 Jackson Parish $726,200 $472,030 Jefferson Parish $726,200 $472,030 Jefferson Davis Parish $726,200 $472,030 Lafayette Parish $726,200 $472,030 Lafourche Parish $726,200 $472,030 La Salle Parish $726,200 $472,030 Lincoln Parish $726,200 $472,030 Livingston Parish $726,200 $472,030 Madison Parish $726,200 $472,030 Morehouse Parish $726,200 $472,030 Natchitoches Parish $726,200 $472,030 Orleans Parish $726,200 $472,030 Ouachita Parish $726,200 $472,030 Plaquemines Parish $726,200 $472,030 Pointe Coupee Parish $726,200 $472,030 Rapides Parish $726,200 $472,030 Red River Parish $726,200 $472,030 Richland Parish $726,200 $472,030 Sabine Parish $726,200 $472,030 St. Bernard Parish $726,200 $472,030 St. Charles Parish $726,200 $472,030 St. Helena Parish $726,200 $472,030 St. James Parish $726,200 $472,030 St. John the Baptish Parish $726,200 $472,030 St. Landry Parish $726,200 $472,030 St. Marin Parish $726,200 $472,030 St. Mary Parish $726,200 $472,030 St. Tammany Parish $726,200 $472,030 Tangipahoa Parish $726,200 $472,030 Tensas Parish $726,200 $472,030 Terrebonne Parish $726,200 $472,030 Union Parish $726,200 $472,030 Vermilion Parish $726,200 $472,030 Vernon Parish $726,200 $472,030 Washington Parish $726,200 $472,030 West Baton Rouge Parish $726,200 $472,030 West Carroll Parish $726,200 $472,030 West Feliciana Parish $726,200 $472,030 Winn Parish $726,200 $472,030Note: You'll need to get a jumbo loan if you want to borrow more than $726,200, regardless of where you want to live in Louisiana. How to determine which mortgage is right for youYou may want to consider an FHA mortgage if you don't think you'll meet the requirements for a conforming mortgage. A conforming mortgage may be a good choice if you plan on getting a home that costs more than the FHA borrowing limit in your county.

☆ The soda market is flat, but not for Dr Pepper
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And recently, Dr Pepper has been gaining ground on its competitors, even as the overall soda market goes flat. “One of the bright spots … has been Dr Pepper.”Founded in 1885 in Waco, Texas, Dr Pepper was the first in a wave of 19th-century upstart soda companies. Courtesy Keurig Dr PepperToday, Dr Pepper advertises itself as a treat, using a pint-sized mascot called Lil’ Sweet in its commercials. After Dr Pepper established itself as an alternative to mainstream colas, it launched on a path that ultimately made it part of the country’s third-largest soft drink maker, Keurig Dr Pepper. Dr Pepper hits the sceneDuring the wave of mega-mergers in the 1980s, Coca-Cola tried to scoop up Dr Pepper.

There have been 53 reports of tornadoes since early Tuesday morning in seven states, including three confirmed whirlwinds in Louisiana that killed three people. Reports came in from Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Typically, reports are made by citizens or law enforcement who spot the tornadoes or areas of damage. St. Charles Parish President Matthew Jewell said 55 structures were damaged during the storms, 21 of which have been deemed uninhabitable. One family had their home destroyed in Wayne, about 50 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, NBC Montana reported.

☆ Tornadoes leave a trail of destruction in Louisiana and the Southeast, killing at least 3, collapsing homes, knocking out power
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A severe weather system cutting through the South has left a trail of destruction in Louisiana, killing at least three people and injuring dozens of others as violent tornadoes touched down, collapsing homes, turning debris into projectiles and knocking out power. Multiple communities throughout Louisiana reported destruction, with roofs ripped off, homes splintered, debris littering roadways and cars flipper over. As ferocious winds downed power lines, more than 50,000 customers were left without power in across Louisiana and Mississippi Wednesday evening, according to PowerOutage.us. More than 40 tornadoes were reported in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas over Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Storm Prediction Center. More than 15 million people could see severe weather Thursday in parts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas as the severe weather shifts the east, according to CNN Meteorologist Robert Shackelford.

☆ Want to create a startup? Join another first
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Supantha Mukherjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A sticker of French ride-sharing start-up BlaBlaCar is seen on a car May 27, 2017 at Le Coudray-Montceaux, near Paris, France. Each of those companies has led to the creation of more than 20 startups, helmed by former employees. Former employees from each of the newer startups like Babylon, Celonis, iZettle (IPO-IZET.ST) and SumUp have also created more than 10 companies. "Unicorns tend to create more rounded founders than large organizations like the tech behemoths because people have had kind of a better training ground for entrepreneurial activity," Nelis said. Employees in a startup tends to get access to many different functions from engineering to sales, giving them exposure to various parts of the business, he said.

Google, Activision and Riot did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new filing. Epic last year mostly lost a similar case against Apple Inc (AAPL.O), the other leading app store provider. The deal with Activision was announced in January 2020, soon after it told Google it was considering launching its own app store. Google around the same time was forecasting billions of dollars in lost app store sales if developers fled to alternative systems. Epic's lawsuit alleged that Google knew signing with Activision "effectively ensured that (Activision) would abandon its plans to launch a competing app store, and Google intended this result."

☆ Trump wanted the IRS to investigate his political foes, including James B. Comey and Andrew G. McCabe, who were both subject to a rare audit by the tax agency, The New York Times reported
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former White House aide John F. Kelly told NYT Trump wanted the IRS to probe his political foes. Former FBI director James B. Comey and his deputy, Andrew G. MacCabe, were selected for an audit. Kelly told The Times that Trump wanted the IRS to probe Comey and McCabe. Kelly told The Times that Trump said "we ought to investigate" and "get the IRS" on Comey and McCabe. A spokesperson from the IRS told Insider that the agency is "barred by law" from commenting on any information regarding US taxpayers.

☆ Netflix's streaming hit 'The Crown' reaches Charles-Diana divorce
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Ani Bundel | Ani Bundel Is A Cultural Critic Who Has Been Writing Regularly Since Her Work Can Also Be Found At Elite Daily | Weta'S Telly Visions | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The fifth season of Netflix’s superb, ambitious “The Crown” covers the years from 1988 to early 1997, arguably the nadir of England’s modern monarchy. “The Crown” sets up series creator Peter Morgan to be a 21st- century Shakespeare for the Second Elizabethan era. “The Crown” sets up series creator Peter Morgan to be a 21st-century Shakespeare for the Second Elizabethan era. His retellings of royal life are no more accurate than “Richard II” or “Henry V,” making royal whining all these years later all the sillier. “The Crown” even finds ways to make Charles a sympathetic figure in the divorce, no small feat.

☆ King Charles is giving hundreds of his lowest-paid workers a $700 bonus out of his own pocket, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

King Charles promised hundreds of his workers who earn less than $35,000 a bonus this month. The Sun reported the monarch's plan to give $700 to cleaners, servants, and footmen. An unnamed source told The Sun that the monarch will give an extra £600 (about $700) out of his own pocket to those earning below £30,000, such as cleaners, servants, and footmen. It is to target where it is needed the most in the Royal Household and reflects the reality of the economic situation the country faces." Employment website Indeed estimated the average salary for Royal Household staff ranged from £15,330 for cleaners to £57,446 for procurement managers.

☆ Renault, Google expand ties in automotive software
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of Google is pictured during the Viva Tech start-up and technology summit in Paris, France, May 25, 2018. REUTERS/Charles PlatiauPARIS, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Renault (RENA.PA) and Google (GOOGL.O) said on Tuesday that they are expanding their partnership in software services for future Renault vehicles, adding that Google will become the preferred cloud supplier to the French automaker. The partnership with Google will also help Renault accelerate its "end-to-end digital transformation, from the design of the car to its market launch through its production," Renault Chief Executive Luca de Meo said in a statement. Automakers and technology companies including Sony (6758.T), Apple (AAPL.O) and Google, have been working to develop ways to build future cars into platforms more like smartphones, with billable services where key updates are wireless. Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Kevin Krolicki and Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Allianz to pause paid Twitter ads for now - spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] The logo of Allianz is seen on a building in Paris, France, April 30, 2020. REUTERS/Charles PlatiauFRANKFURT, Nov 7 (Reuters) - German insurer and asset manager Allianz will halt its paid advertising on Twitter for now, a spokesperson said on Monday, the latest in a wave of similar moves by companies in the wake of Elon Musk's takeover of the social media platform. Germany's Handelsblatt first reported the development. Reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'The Crown' season 5 review: Imelda Staunton takes over as queen as the Netflix series returns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The result is an uneven campaign that reinforces a sense the Emmy-winning series risks extending its reign too long. When Charles privately tells his mother in regard to Diana, “I’ve done as you asked, mummy. “The Crown” has been great, as the Emmy haul for its fourth season attests, and it’s still pretty good. Yet given the highs that the younger versions of these characters delivered, to borrow from the Queen, watching the current season feels more like a preference than a requirement. “The Crown” begins its fifth season November 9 on Netflix.

☆ Fed's not close to ending interest rates, says former Philadelphia Fed president
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFed's not close to ending interest rates, says former Philadelphia Fed presidentCharles Plosser, former Philadelphia Fed president, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss if the Fed's posture has changed at all, if the Fed's made peace with a recession next year and more.

☆ Google signs solar power supply deal with SoftBank-backed SB Energy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Charles Platiau(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Tuesday it would buy about three-quarters of the renewable power from SB Energy Global’s Texas facilities, as it aims to operate data centers on carbon-free energy by 2030. Companies are rapidly shifting toward clean energy and transportation as they look to meet environmental and sustainability goals. The $430-billion Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Joe Biden signed in August also seeks to incentivise a shift to clean energy, by providing tax credits. Google will use the energy from the SoftBank Group Corp-backed company, which will have a capacity of about 3 GW by early next year, to power data centers in Texas, Alphabet said. SB Energy’s Orion 1, 2 and 3 and Eiffel solar projects which total nearly 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of capacity are expected to be ready to supply power by mid-2024.

☆ Hermes eyes big price rises, says no sign of slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Hermes is seen on a store in Paris, France, April 24, 2020. "We will probably have price hikes between 5 and 10 percent," Hermes executive vice president of finance Eric du Halgouet told reporters on Thursday, adding this was due to rising labour costs and currency fluctuations. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe company raised prices by around 4% this year and by 1.5-2% on average in previous years. "Sales in Greater China picked up strongly, despite temporary closures due to sanitary measures mainly in Macau, Chengdu and Dalian in July and August," the company said in a statement. ($1 = 1.0222 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Mimosa Spencer, editing by Silvia AloisiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'The Crown': Dame Judi Dench wants 'cruelly unjust' Season 5 to come with a disclaimer
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Dame Judi Dench has played a British queen before and now she is sounding off about Netflix’s popular dramatization of the royal family. In a letter to The Times, the revered actress shares her concerns about the forthcoming new season of “The Crown,” writing that “the closer the drama comes to our present times, the more freely it seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism.”“While many will recognise The Crown for the brilliant but fictionalised account of events that it is, I fear that a significant number of viewers, particularly overseas, may take its version of history as being wholly true,” Dench write. “Given some of the wounding suggestions apparently contained in the new series — that King Charles plotted for his mother to abdicate, for example, or once suggested his mother’s parenting was so deficient that she might have deserved a jail sentence — this is both cruelly unjust to the individuals and damaging to the institution they represent.”Season 5 of the series debuts November 9 in the US and is set during the 1990s in Britain. “As Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) approaches the 40th anniversary of her accession, she reflects on a reign that has encompassed nine prime ministers, the advent of mass television and the twilight of the British Empire,” a Netflix synopsis of the new season reads in part. “Yet new challenges are on the horizon.

☆ Hermes plans big price rises, says no sign of slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Mimosa Spencer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We will probably have price hikes between 5 and 10 percent," Hermes executive vice president of finance Eric du Halgouet told reporters on Thursday, blaming increased costs and currency movements. Hermes, which has waiting lists for its prized $10,000-plus handbags and limits production to maintain exclusivity, increased prices by around 4% this year and by 1.5-2% on average in previous years. That compares with double-digit price hikes at Chanel. "For the moment, we don't see any sign of slowdown in any of our markets,” said du Halgouet. The Hermes figures suggest that "high-end global luxury goods demand has yet to normalise," said Luca Solca, analyst at Bernstein.

Lafarge, which became part of Swiss-listed Holcim (HOLN.S) in 2015, agreed to pay $778 million in forfeiture and fines as part of the plea agreement. "Lafarge made a deal with the devil," Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, told reporters following the guilty plea. At that point, Islamic State took possession of the remaining cement and sold it for the equivalent of $3.21 million, prosecutors said. REUTERS/Charles PlatiauHolcim said that former Lafarge executives involved in the conduct concealed it from Holcim, as well as from external auditors. No Lafarge executives were charged in the United States.

Companies Lafarge Sa FollowHolcim AG FollowNEW YORK, Oct 18 (Reuters) - French cement maker Lafarge pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a U.S. charge that it made payments to groups designated as terrorists by the United States, including Islamic State. The admission in Brooklyn federal court marked the first time a company has pleaded guilty in the United States to charges of providing material support to a terrorist organization. Lafarge, which became part of Swiss-listed Holcim (HOLN.S) in 2015, agreed to pay $778 million in forfeiture and fines as part of the plea agreement. U.S. prosecutors said that Lafarge paid Islamic State and al Nusra Front, through intermediaries, the equivalent of approximately $5.92 million. At that point, Islamic State took possession of the remaining cement and sold it for the equivalent of $3.21 million, prosecutors said.

"Given the economic and social strain caused by sticking to an increasingly unpopular COVID zero policy, Xi's speech might sound defensive to many Chinese citizens, insisting that the Party has their best interests in mind. ALFRED WU, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, LEE KUAN YEW SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE"It is obvious that security is Xi's greatest concern. ZHIWU CHEN, PROFESSOR OF FINANCE, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG"One significant change is to de-emphasise economic development and economic reform. BATES GILL, PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF SECURITY STUDIES AND CRIMINOLOGY, MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY, SYDNEY"This speech said 'continuity' and full speed ahead. "But this was not intended as a policy speech.

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