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☆ IMF chief heading to Zambia, says new debt 'roundtable' to meet in February
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Georgieva, the first person from an emerging market economy to head the International Monetary Fund, told reporters debt relief was critical for heavily indebted nations to avoid cuts in social services and other repercussions. The Bulgarian economist, who has pushed hard for quicker movement on debt relief, said she would travel to Zambia in two weeks, and hoped the African country would become the second nation after Chad to complete a debt treatment process under the Common Framework. China, for its part, argues that multilateral institutions should also required to accept reductions in the debt they are owed. "The main objective of the roundtable ... (is to) bring everybody around the table at the most senior levels," she said. Additional meetings were expected in April at the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank, she said.

☆ 8 best meal delivery services of 2023, according to experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Mili Godio | Mili Godio Is An Associate Reporter For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +26 min

SKIP AHEAD The best meal kit delivery services | How to shop for a meal kit delivery serviceTo determine the best meal delivery service for you, we spoke to chefs, nutritionists and recipe developers about what to look for in a meal delivery service and highlighted their recommendations for the best ones to try this year. 8 best meal delivery services in 2023We talked to our experts about important features to consider when shopping for meal kit delivery services, including available options for certain dietary restrictions, how customizable the plans are and the quality of the ingredients. We separated them into two categories: meal kit services that send out individual ingredients and pre-made meal delivery services. Best meal kit delivery servicesThese expert-recommended meal delivery services all feature an option to send separate ingredients and allow shoppers to cook themselves. For those who don’t have as much time during the week, ready-to-eat meal delivery services are typically the best option.

☆ U.S. experts recommend weight-loss drugs for obese children
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Bhanvi Satija | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Metformin has been used off label to achieve weight loss in children. Of the 27 randomized trials of metformin for weight loss in children reviewed by the guidelines panel, 74% showed some positive effect of the medication. Wegovy last month won U.S. approval for chronic weight management in children ages 12 and older. For children ages 2 to 12 years, AAP said there was not currently enough evidence to recommend use of these medications. They also include recommendations for diagnosing obesity annually in children ages 6 years and older, through checks on BMI, and practices such as motivational interviewing.

Any conversion to a whole life insurance product goes through the same application as a new life insurance policy. Simplified Term Life Insurance: Enjoy quick and easy application (no medical exam life insurance) and approval (subject to health history) with this no-nonsense option. Whole Life Insurance: A whole life policy delivers life insurance coverage for an individual's entire life. A licensed life insurance agent is always the best resource for purchasing an appropriate life insurance plan. Seeing the limits on American Family life insurance policies, you might buy multiple life policies.

☆ A lawyer representing 100 ex-Twitter staff says the company's conduct has been 'incredibly egregious' since Elon Musk took over
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A lawyer filed demands for arbitration on behalf of 100 Twitter employees who lost their jobs. Since Elon Musk took over, Twitter's conduct has been "incredibly egregious," Shannon Liss-Riordan said. She added that this was just the "first wave" of arbitration demands against the company. She added that this was just the "first wave" of arbitration demands against the company. The next week Musk started laying off staff, with around half of the company's 7,500-strong workforce being cut.

☆ Treasury Department delays electric vehicle tax credit guidance until March
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Treasury Department is delaying plans to issue proposed guidance for the sourcing of electric vehicle batteries for federal tax incentives from the end of this month to March. That means some electric vehicles that are not expected to comply with the new standards will continue to be eligible for the credits until the proposed guidance issued. Some have argued the sourcing guidelines for vehicle materials are unrealistic given the current supply chain. Credit for the other $3,750 requires that at least 50% of battery components were manufactured or assembled in North America. Starting Jan. 1, a tax credit will not be available to single individuals with a modified adjusted gross income of $150,000 or higher.

☆ A ship that sank mysteriously 86 years ago has resurfaced as Utah's Great Salt Lake continues to dry up
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Water levels in Utah's Great Salt Lake have reached historic lows revealing a shipwreck. Great Salt Lake State Park Manager Dave Shearer said, "It's very exciting to see a piece of history." Speaking to ABC4, Great Salt Lake State Park Manager Dave Shearer said that the ship plied the lake's waters in several different roles. —Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) December 9, 2022The Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, is drying up due to a megadrought, PBS has reported. Speaking last week about the Great Salt Lake and its diminishing size, Senator Mitt Romney said: "A shrinking Great Salt Lake poses a significant threat to Utah and our neighboring states."

☆ Charities Give the Gift of Guilt
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Peter Funt | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

I’m writing notes on a pad furnished by Save the Children, with a pen that came from Boys Town. A colorful calendar on my desk was sent to me by California’s State Parks Foundation. The cards I’m mailing this season have a return-address label provided by the Shriners Hospitals for Children. I didn’t ask for any of this stuff, so should I feel guilty for using it? The holiday season is prime time for charities—extending to Dec. 31, which is the cutoff for donations to qualify as 2022 tax deductions.

☆ Google vs. ChatGPT: Here's what happened when I swapped services for a day
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Sofia Pitt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Either way, I wanted to see how well the chatbot would work as an alternative to Google's search engine. Instead of Googling my questions throughout the day, I asked ChatGPT. I normally would have asked Google what to do. Instead, I asked ChatGPT. On the other hand, there are also potential limitations to using ChatGPT as a search engine.

☆ Attention procrastinators: Drop-dead holiday shipping deadlines are coming soon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —It happens every year — the mad dash to ship holiday gifts to get them to loved ones on time. This means they’re also shipping those purchases later, adding to the congestion.”Another reminder: Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, which means virtually no overnight delivery. The overall holiday gift shipping window is also shorter this season. Last-minute shipping dates are coming up for holiday gifts. With less than two weeks to Christmas Day, that really means this week.

“Spoiler Alert” opened in U.S. theaters Dec. 2. “Women Talking” opened in select U.S. theaters Dec. 2. “The Whale” opens in U.S. theaters Dec. 9. “Babylon” opens in U.S. theaters Dec. 23. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” opens in U.S. theaters Dec. 23.

☆ People with perfect credit scores have 3 key traits in common, Experian reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The few people who do manage to achieve perfect credit scores tend to share three key traits, according to Experian's latest analysis. People with perfect scores are typically older"You're not likely to see many 25-year-olds with a perfect credit score," Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst for LendingTree, tells CNBC Make It. People with 850 credit scores tend to carry about $2,588 in credit card debt, compared to the national average of $5,221. A near-perfect credit score is good enoughAlthough having a perfect 850 credit score may earn you bragging rights, it doesn't come with many additional benefits. "The reality is that you're not going to get anything with an 850 credit score than you wouldn't be able to get with an 830 credit score, or really even a 780 or 790 credit score," says Schulz.

The private lender raised 150 billion rupees ($1.85 billion) through 10-year Tier-II bonds at an annual coupon of 7.86%, for which it had received bids worth 240.80 billion rupees, according to merchant bankers. A large state-run insurance company and a big provident fund house invested an aggregate of 90 billion rupees in this issue, merchant bankers said. HDFC Bank completes its debt sale a day ahead of State Bank of India's bond issue. HDFC Bank is set to be merged with parent Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC.NS) in the coming months, and both entities have been on a fundraising spree this financial year. While HDFC Bank has raised 30 billion rupees, excluding the latest issue, HDFC has raised around 550 billion rupees through bond issuance.

☆ Analysis: Apple supply chain data shows receding exposure to China as risks mount
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Josh Horwitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) wide exposure to Chinese manufacturing, notable both for its low costs and rising risks, has receded since the COVID-19 pandemic began, company supply chain data shows. "The China supply chain is not going to evaporate overnight," said Eli Friedman, an associate professor at Cornell University who studies labour in China. The Apple supplier data to 2021, however, shows no locations so far that stand out as substantial gainers to match China's decline, according to the Reuters analysis. Apple's annual data covers more than 600 locations among its top suppliers, which represent 98% of Apple's direct spending. While Apple's shift from China is increasingly evident, including in its own supply chain data, so too are the risks from the concentration of operations there.

☆ Residents of this state have the worst average credit score—see how you stack up
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Read on to see the 10 states with the lowest average credit scores and what credit experts say you can do if you want to bring your score up. Credit scores generally run from 300 to 850, with scores over 750 considered "excellent." Plenty of Americans have some work to do on the credit score front. That's bad news for Mississippians, whose average credit score of 662 is the worst in the nation, according to a recent report from WalletHub , based on data from TransUnion. But being among the worst when it comes to credit scores is especially disappointing.

☆ Biden says his administration is engaged in talks to avert railroad strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

On Monday, workers at the largest U.S. rail union voted against a tentative contract deal reached in September, raising the possibility of a year-end strike. read moreLabor unions have criticized the railroads' sick leave and attendance policies and the lack of paid sick days for short-term illness. There are no paid sick days under the tentative deal. Unions asked for 15 paid sick days and the railroads settled on one personal day. The Biden administration helped avert a service cutoff by hosting last-minute contract talks in September that led to the tentative contract deal.

"There's a lot of anger about paid sick leave among the membership" who kept goods flowing during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Seth Harris, a professor at Northeastern University. Labor unions have criticized the railroads' sick leave and attendance policies and the lack of paid sick days for short-term illness. There are no paid sick days under the tentative deal. Unions asked for 15 paid sick days and the railroads settled on one personal day. Railroads have slashed labor and other costs to bolster profits and are fiercely opposed to adding paid sick time that would require them to hire more staff.

Train and engine service members of the transportation division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) narrowly voted to reject the deal. Three other unions that rejected the deal have already agreed to extend a strike deadline until early December. Labor unions have criticized the railroads’ sick leave and attendance policies and the lack of paid sick days for short-term illness. Beginning on Dec. 9, SMART-TD would be allowed to go on strike or the rail carriers would be permitted to lock out workers, unless Congress intervenes. The Biden administration helped avert a service cutoff by hosting last-minute contract talks in September at the Labor Department that led to a tentative contract deal.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the transportation division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) -- representing about half of all unionized rail employees are set to report results. The standoff between U.S. railroad operators and their union workers disrupted flows of hazardous materials such as chemicals used in fertilizer and disrupted U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak service in September. The Biden administration helped avert a service cutoff by hosting last-minute contract talks in September at the Labor Department that led to a tentative contract deal. The unions represent 115,000 workers at railroads, including Union Pacific (UNP.N), Berkshire Hathaway Inc's (BRKa.N) BNSF, CSX (CSX.O), Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) and Kansas City Southern. Labor unions have criticized the railroads’ sick leave and attendance policies and the lack of paid sick days for short-term illness.

☆ Joe Biden, who turns 80 on Sunday, may struggle to win voters concerned about his age in 2024. But he's also the 'guy who knows how to beat Donald Trump.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"He knows he can beat Trump," Jim Moran, a former Democratic House member from Virginia, told Insider. As Trump trashed Biden while announcing his third presidential bid, Biden responded with a video detailing the low points of Trump's record on Twitter, writing "Donald Trump failed America." "The obligation would be cataclysmic, existential, monumental," the friend told Insider in an August interview. On Friday, the progressive "Don't Run Joe" campaign released a birthday greeting for Biden, urging him not to seek re-election. "If our focus is on winning, then going with the guy who knows how to beat Donald Trump is a pretty smart play," Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, previously told Insider.

☆ Faucets poised to run dry for hundreds of Arizona residents by year's end
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Deon J. Hampton | Deon J. Hampton Is A National Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Scottsdale residents also were urged to reduce their usage as a first step toward more stringent restrictions. Some Rio Verde Foothills residents said they don't know how such an important issue could have dragged on so long without a resolution. Rio Verde Foothills resident Jennifer Simpson. Rio Verde Foothills. “I’m sure that if there’s no access to water, we’d be up in arms.”Many Rio Verde Foothills residents say they feel abandoned.

Several Biden aides and advisers, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave their assessment of how the president and his team view Trump's entry into the race. Trump made his announcement on Tuesday night as he sought to get a jump on potential rivals for the Republican nomination. Biden, who defeated Trump in the contentious 2020 election, thus far is remaining mum publicly. Biden defeated Trump by more than 7 million in the nationwide popular vote tally and by a margin of 306 to 232 in the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the outcome of presidential elections. A few hours before Trump's announcement, the White House launched a new webpage highlighting the Biden administration's achievements from creating manufacturing jobs and lowering drug prices for seniors to gun reform.

☆ What happens if you break the law in space — and 3 times people or governments have tested the rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In 1967, 112 nations signed the Outer Space Treaty that laid the foundation for international space law. In 1967, more than 100 nations signed the Outer Space Treaty — essentially, the Magna Carta of space law. It also bans one nation from claiming outer space and celestial bodies. Leaders of spacefaring nations signing the Outer Space Treaty in 1967. From destructive missile tests to missing a tax deadline to go on a last-minute mission, here's how space law has been tested thus far.

Ronald Reagan was 77 when he left the White House, but President Joe Biden, who turns 80 on Nov. 20, would be 86 by the time a second four-year term ends, should he win it. About a quarter of Republicans, 26%, think Trump may not be up for 2024 because of his age. Political affiliation aside, 68% of people surveyed think Biden may not be up for the challenge two years from now, and 49% say the same about Trump. Some 86% of Americans said they believe the cutoff for serving as president should be age 75 or younger, the poll found. Some Biden supporters said they admired Democrats' success under Biden, but were still uncertain about a possible next term.

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