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☆ Britain eyes development roles in Japan offshore wind -official
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Katya Golubkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The UK is one of the world's largest offshore wind markets, with more than 10 GW of installed capacity. Japan has launched a second major round of public auctions to select operators for four new areas capable of generating 1.8 GW of offshore wind power. It wants to install up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and up to 45 GW by 2040. Shapps did not specifically mention the offshore wind power auctions but said there were "very broad areas of cooperation between UK and Japan" in offshore wind development. He also noted the targets set by G7 on solar and offshore wind generation were "overall" for the group.

SAPPORO, Japan, April 16 (Reuters) - The Group of Seven rich nations have agreed to speed up the development of renewable energy and accelerate the phasing out of unabated fossil fuels by 2050, the group said in a communique released on Sunday. The ministers also recognised the need to reduce consumption of gas but said that investment in the sector can be appropriate to help address potential market shortfalls, according to the G7 communique issued after two days of ministerial talks in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo. Reporting by Katya Golubkova and Yuka Obayashi; Editing by David DolanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Below are key extracts from the G7 climate, energy and environment ministers' communique, including the annex. RUSSIA"We condemn Russia's illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine;"We stand ready to support the sustainable and resilient recovery and green reconstruction of Ukraine." "Currently $13 billion fiscal support that can be used for domestic and foreign projects is prepared across the G7 countries." PLASTIC POLLUTION"We are committed to end plastic pollution, with the ambition to reduce additional plastic pollution to zero by 2040." Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by David Dolan and William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"The G7 countries have agreed that the first response to the energy crisis must be to reduce energy and gas consumption… For the first time ever, the G7 said that we must accelerate the phasing out of all unabated fossil fuels... The event has also put focus on the need to help emerging countries reduce emissions, including through financing. Nishimura said ministers would like to discuss ways to use finance to help reduce carbon in so-called "hard-to-abate" industries, which include chemicals, shipping and steel. "Developed countries first need to follow through on the $100 billion pledge they made to developing countries over a decade ago." G7 countries must exert "much stronger leadership" in leveraging financial and technology resources to help developing countries reduce emissions, Meyer said.

SAPPORO, Japan, April 15 (Reuters) - Members of the Group of Seven rich nations must act to help emerging countries reduce emissions, including the financing of decarbonisation in "hard-to-abate" industries, Japan's economy and trade minister said on Saturday. Ministers from the G7 are meeting for climate and energy talks in the Japan's northern city of Sapporo on Saturday and Sunday, as part of Japan's G7 presidency this year. The issue of emissions in emerging markets has long been a focus for developed countries. However, the world's richest countries need to do more to help emerging nations reduce carbon, said Alden Meyer, a senior associate at E3G, a climate change think tank. There needs to be "much stronger leadership" from G7 countries in leveraging financial and technology resources to help developing countries reduce emissions, Meyer said.

SAPPORO, Japan, April 14 (Reuters) - Canada is ready to become a reliable provider of critical minerals to its international allies including Japan, a senior official said, as the Group of Seven (G7) countries deem such minerals essential for climate goals and energy security. Canada has signed a joint action plan with the United States to advance secure supply chains for critical minerals. It has similar critical minerals cooperation agreements with Japan and the European Union. China dominates the market for critical minerals used to make electric vehicle batteries, central to developed nation goals to decarbonise, and Russia - which invaded Ukraine last year - is also a major player. "We have a lot of those critical minerals, we have almost all of them in Canada with a few exceptions.

TOKYO, April 10 (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsubishi Corp (8058.T) on Monday said that it and other shareholders of the Monsoon wind power project in Laos have raised $692 million in financing for the wind farm. Mitsubishi, Thai renewable energy firm BCPG Pcl, and other stakeholders secured the financing package from the Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and other lenders, the Japanese firm said. The project, which is set to sell power to Vietnam under a 25-year deal, will have 600 megawatts of installed capacity and should be launched in 2025. Its total costs stand at $950 million, according to Monsoon's website. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Meta's layoffs are affecting customer service and leaving influencers and businesses on Instagram and Facebook in the lurch, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Meta's mass layoffs have affected over 20,000 employees, including its customer support teams. One Instagram influencer told CNBC that her requests for support are going "into the void." The layoffs, which saw thousands of employees leave the company, affected staff in Meta's client support and customer experience and communities teams, former staff told CNBC. The company declined to provide comment to CNBC but provided the outlet with examples of its investment in customer service in recent years. The company has started building a customer service division, Bloomberg reported last year.

☆ Oil prices ease as weak economic data clouds demand prospects
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Katya Golubkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, April 6 (Reuters) - Oil prices eased in early Asian trade on Thursday after weak U.S. job openings data signalled cooling economic conditions which may hit demand. The data offset market's reaction to earlier OPEC+ cuts and the recent reduction of U.S. crude and fuel stockpiles. "Crude oil's rally paused as it battled the headwinds created by the weak economic data. U.S. crude inventories fell 3.7 million barrels last week, about 1.5 million barrels more than forecast, government data showed. Gasoline and distillate stocks also fell more than expected, drawing down by 4.1 million barrels and 3.6 million barrels, respectively.

☆ Meta's job cuts are gutting customer service, leaving influencers and businesses with nobody to call
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

As part of the company's two rounds of layoffs, equaling roughly 21,000 job cuts, Meta gutted wide swaths of its customer service operation, leaving influencers and businesses with nobody to contact about their accounts. CNBC spoke with influencers, small businesses and Meta account managers as well as a half-dozen former contractors and former Meta employees about the deterioration in customer service at the company since the job cuts began in November. Holliday said it appears that the only people who get customer service are those who represent a company that's spending heavily on advertising. However, some influencers say Facebook has had such poor customer service that there's no reason to pay for it. After all the problems she's experienced, Karlova questions whether Meta will be able to provide better customer service.

TOKYO, March 31 (Reuters) - Japan, the world's fifth-biggest carbon dioxide (CO2) emitter, will begin a carbon pricing scheme in stages from April to encourage companies to curb emissions and achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The country is the latest among Asian nations to formulate plans to create a carbon pricing mechanism and emissions trading system. The scheme, based on METI proposals and approved by the cabinet this year, consists of emissions trading and a carbon levy. The carbon levy will be introduced from around 2028/29 on fossil fuel importers such as refiners, trading houses and electricity utilities. The introduction of emissions trading and carbon surcharges mark "a significant shift in Japan's climate change policy", said Tohru Shimizu, senior researcher at the Japan's Institute of Energy Economics.

TOKYO, March 4 (Reuters) - Japan's government pledged financial and technological support to help ASEAN countries accelerate their efforts to decarbonise their economies and combat global climate change, its industry minister said on Saturday. Energy-poor Japan aims to turn into the world's leading hydrogen economy to reduce dependence on traditional polluting fossil fuels such as coal and oil. "Japan will take a lead in providing generous support in finance, technology and personal resources to help Asia's decarbonisation," Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told a ministerial meeting of the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC). The AZEC was proposed by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last year with the aim of sharing the philosophy of promoting decarbonisation in Asian nations and cooperating to push forward energy transition. Reporting by Yuka Obayashi and Katya Golubkova; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan to promote gas, LNG, hydrogen investments during G7 presidency - METI
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Japan plans to emphasise the importance of investments in natural gas, liquefied natural gas as well as cleaner fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia during the country's presidency at the G7 summit later this year, a senior energy official said. Takeshi Soda, director, petroleum and natural gas division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), told a conference on Tuesday that such investments would be central to solving potential future energy shocks. Reporting by Katya Golubkova and Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How a family's struggle to help their son gave rise to controversial $400 million psychedelics giant Compass Pathways
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

Today, Compass Pathways, the for-profit company they launched in 2016, is a Nasdaq-listed firm worth about $400 million. Compass Pathways Show lessIt could also boost the dozens of psychedelics companies inspired by Compass that have been formed in recent years. Insider spoke with more than a dozen industry participants to chart the rise of Compass Pathways and its role in the psychedelics boom. He recalled the 2018 Quartz article that detailed the growing alarm around Compass Pathways' "magic mushroom monopoly." Were it not for his decision to take a break from college, and his parents' efforts to find a treatment, Compass Pathways might not exist.

☆ Itochu to supply renewable energy to Meta in U.S., Amazon in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Japanese trading house Itochu Corp (8001.T) has agreed to supply wind-generated power to Meta Platforms (META.O) in the United States and solar energy to Amazon (AMZN.O) in Japan, it said on Wednesday. Itochu would supply wind-generated power to Meta from the Texas-based Prairie Switch Wind project, set to have capacity of 160 megawatts when launched towards the end of this year and where Itochu agreed to invest. Separately, Itochu agreed with Amazon to develop 700 solar power sites to supply the e-commerce giant with renewable power in Japan by next year, Itochu said in a statement. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; editing by Uttaresh.VOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan's Nippon Steel to pay record FY dividend on rising profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 9 (Reuters) - Japan's top steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp (5401.T) on Thursday posted a 2% increase in April-December net profit to 517 billion yen ($4 billion) and said it would pay a record-high full-year dividend of 180 yen per share. Nippon Steel, which kept its full-year net profit forecast unchanged at 670 billion yen, paid an annual dividend of 160 yen per share last year. The company raised its full-year underlying business profit forecast by 60 billion yen to 690 billion yen, as it expects its non-consolidated steel output to be 200,000 tonnes higher than estimated in its previous forecast released in November. As Nippon Steel expands in lower-emission business including carbon capture and storage, it plans to issue a green bond on the Japanese market to co-finance production of electrical steel sheets used in eco-friendly car motors, it said. The size and maturity of the bond are yet to be announced and the issue itself may come in March or later, Nippon Steel added.

☆ Mitsubishi, Lotte, and RWE form alliance to study clean ammonia in Texas project
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] The logo of Mitsubishi Motors Corp is seen at a showroom of the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan November 20, 2018. REUTERS/Toru HanaiFeb 8 (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsubishi Corp (8058.T) said on Wednesday it has agreed to jointly study the prospect of producing clean ammonia with South Korea's Lotte Chemical Corp (011170.KS) and German energy firm RWE (RWEG.DE) in the U.S. state of Texas. RWE, Lotte and Mitsubishi have signed a joint study agreement for clean ammonia production and export project in Port of Corpus Christi in Texas, part of the alliance to develop green and blue ammonia supply chains in Asia, Europe and the United States, the Japanese trading company said in a statement. First production is targeted by 2030 and to be gradually increased to up to 10 million tonnes of clean ammonia per year at multiple production units, the statement added. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ So You Want to Smell Like a Skunk. Why Offbeat Perfume Is Trending
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Amber Kallor | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“YOU SMELL interesting,” is the best compliment you can give Katya Roelse. “I don’t think perfume is just about smelling good, it’s about being provocative and starting a conversation,” said the 47-year-old professor in Newark, Del. Some of her favorite fragrances include whiffs of brown tape like Comme des Garçons’s eponymous eau and potato like DSH Perfume’s Starry Nightshade. Unlike mass fragrances that rely on celebrities and sex to drive sales, new niche scents entice olfactory sophisticates with eyebrow-raising names (like Dead Dinosaur) and unusual notes (like tar). Some people care “more about their pleasure than emulating a celebrity,” said New York perfumer Frank Voelkl, who’s had a hand in such hyped scents as Ariana Grande’s Ari.

☆ Football and Finances: NFL's Ndamukong Suh teaches kids money smarts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Chris Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

That would be Ndamukong Suh, 36, an American football star who strikes fear into the hearts of opposing teams. Some NFL players and other well-paid professional athletes run into money troubles after their playing careers end. But Suh did fall into a typical money trap early in his career, spending more than he should have. Personally I made the mistake of going out to nightclubs and spending $25,000 to $50,000, versus taking that money and investing it." It is his hope that beyond the current target cities, the money smarts initiative with Intuit will go global.

☆ 'Goncharov' isn't a real Martin Scorsese movie, but Tumblr convinced the internet it's a classic
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Morgan Sung | Morgan Sung Is A Trends Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Martin Scorsese presents GONCHAROV. In 2020, another Tumblr user reblogged the post with a screenshot of a comment that read, "this idiot hasn't seen goncharov." The New York Times reports that "Goncharov" was the top trending topic on Tumblr by Monday evening, followed by "Martin Scorsese." "The goncharov bit on tumblr right now is one of the insane things I eve ever seen," Twitter user @gwenstacying said. Martin Scorsese is in on the joke.

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during the opening of the first clinic exclusively for trans and non-binary people in Mexico City, Mexico October 1, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Romero/File PhotoMEXICO CITY, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, a trained physicist vying to become the country's first female president, is hoping her environmental credentials and success in curbing crime will help set her apart in the race for the top job in 2024. Where Mexico City has diverged is in its success in reducing gang-fuelled violence that has for years ravaged the country. In Mexico City it is on track to come down to half the 2018 total. Still, Sheinbaum said the improvement rested on close cooperation between city authorities and federal forces.

☆ I made $1.4 million in revenue selling Canva templates. Here's how I scaled my business in less than 3 years.
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-15 | by ( Kimanzi Constable | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Here's how she started selling Canva templates for viral content, as told to Kimanzi Constable. I decided to presell my Canva templates to ensure it was a viable product. Before creating any templates, I asked my followers whether they'd buy a pack of 100 templates to help them create viral business content. I created the first iteration of the Viral Content Templates alongside Jamie. Since the templates launched in December 2019, my template business has brought in $1.4 million in revenue and continues to grow.

☆ An engineer who's booked to fly on Bezos' Blue Origin will become the first Mexican-born woman to fly to space. She says she had to keep her career dreams secret because of discrimination in the space
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-28 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Katya Echazarreta will be the first Mexican-born woman to fly to space, via Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. She told Insider she's kept her career dreams secret because people said she couldn't accomplish them. Echazarreta will be one of the six passengers to fly in Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, after attending three days of training. Katya Echazarreta is the first Mexican-born woman to fly to space. She said that she's dreamed of going to space her whole life, but never expected to go this soon.

☆ A Russian YouTuber who said he's lost 80% of his revenue following sanctions is scrambling to shift his followers onto other social platforms
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-15 | by ( Ryan Hogg | Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He told Insider his YouTube channel had lost 80% of its revenue since February 24. We want to live and work in a global and open world," Lapotkov told Insider, adding, "unfortunately, we can't change the global situation right now." Lapotkov told Insider it would not be easy to replace the lost income by sending fans to platforms like VK and Telegram. He told Insider that rebuilding a profitable following on alternative sites is incredibly challenging. Diana Akhmadishina, a brand ambassador for Adidas Russia who has moved her business ventures onto VK, told Insider that "VK just isn't as cool anymore in Russia.

☆ Billionaire hedge fund boss Ken Griffin paid $8 million to fly to space with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin — but will donate his seat to a New York schoolteacher, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-10 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Billionaire hedge fund boss Ken Griffin paid $8 million for a seat on a Blue Origin space flight. The $8 million Griffin paid represents a $20 million price drop from the first ticket sold for a crewed Blue Origin spaceflight — although one of the passengers on the first flight was Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. A Blue Origin ticket includes training days, on-site accommodation at Astronaut Village in the Texas desert, and the actual flight itself, Insider previously reported. On Monday, Blue Origin announced the passengers for its fifth crewed launch to the edge of space.

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