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☆ U.S. African American studies does not include material targeted by Florida governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 1 (Reuters) - An African American studies course for U.S. high school students that was released on Wednesday does not include material that Florida's conservative governor said pushed a liberal agenda, the latest development in a fierce debate about politics, education and censorship. Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of Harvard University's Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, was among scholars who praised the curriculum in the College Board statement. On Tuesday, more than 200 African American studies faculty members from dozens of universities published an open letter defending the course and expressing their "outrage at the efforts of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to delegitimize the AP's pilot curriculum in African American Studies." "We categorically reject DeSantis's autocratic claim to knowing what college-level material should be available in an AP African American Studies course." DeSantis and other Florida officials accused the lessons of being "indoctrination" for including Black queer studies, Black Lives Matter, reparations, and the abolishment of prisons.

Despite a rich stable of characters from Batman to Wonder Woman, the DC film and television studio has failed to match the success of Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) Marvel hit factory. Also in 2025, DC Studios will release "Batman - Part II," a sequel starring Robert Pattison, a darker, more adult tale that is not part of Gunn's newly envisioned "DC Universe." While Marvel has become the highest-grossing film franchise in history, DC Studios has had mixed results. Four DC film projects that were completed before Gunn and Safran took over the studio will be released to theaters this year, "Shazam! Zaslav cut some costs by scrapping a third "Wonder Woman" film and a "Batgirl" movie that was headed to streaming.

☆ TravelCenters of America to Add EV Fast-Charger Stations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jennifer Hiller | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

While most EV charging takes several hours at home, fast chargers can repower a car battery in about 30 minutes. TravelCenters of America Inc. and Electrify America LLC plan to build around 1,000 electric-vehicle fast chargers across the U.S. starting this year, the latest matchup that would boost the amount of equipment available to American EV drivers who need a jolt of power on road trips. The partnership aims to add fast-charging stalls to around 200 of TravelCenters’ TA and Petro Stopping Centers. Fast chargers available to drivers of any kind of EV are in short supply across U.S. highways, where their presence is considered key to greater EV adoption as auto makers convert fleets to electric.

[1/2] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on as he convenes a weekly cabinet meeting amid surge of violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank, at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, January 29, 2023. The blue-chip Tel Aviv 35 index (.TA35) was 1.% lower in afternoon trade, while the broader TA-125 index (.TA125) dipped 1.7%. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office declined to comment to Reuters. Critics have said the move will compromise the independence of the judiciary and undermine Israel's democratic system of checks and balances. There was no sign of a large-scale military operation in the works, and Netanyahu said Israel was not seeking an escalation.

[1/4] Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial reforms to reduce powers of the Supreme Court, in Tel Aviv, Israel January 21, 2023. Israeli tech isn't going anywhere. FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITYIn a country rife with divisions over the conflict with the Palestinians and matters of synagogue and state, Israel's tech sector has generally stayed out of sensitive political debates. For some of those running tech businesses in Israel the judicial reforms plans may have tipped the scales. Additional reporting by Rami Amichay and Emily Rose in Tel Aviv; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by James Mackenzie and Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Palliser and some of Capricorn's biggest shareholders had also publicly opposed a planned merger with Israeli gas producer NewMed (NWMDp.TA), with major proxy advisers recommending votes against the merger plan and Capricorn's board. Chairperson Nicoletta Giadrossi, CEO Simon Thomson and three other directors stepped down from the board with immediate effect, Capricorn said on Tuesday. NewMed said in a statement following Capricorn's board shake-up that it saw a significantly smaller chance of finalising the merger. Capricorn postponed the NewMed vote to Feb. 22, while the meeting called by Palliser regarding the directors will go ahead as planned. The NewMed merger plan, announced in September, aims to create an Israel-Egypt focused gas producer, but several shareholders have said the deal undervalues Capricorn.

☆ NewMed pushing forward with Capricorn merger ahead of Feb. 1 vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Israel's NewMed Energy LP (NWMDp.TA) said on Sunday it was making final arrangements for a merger with UK-based Capricorn Energy (CNE.L), whose shareholders will vote on whether to approve the deal on Feb. 1. Capricorn's shareholder ballot is due the same day as a vote triggered by activist shareholder Palliser wanting to oust Capricorn's leadership. The proposed deal values Capricorn at $338 million in addition to a $620 million special dividend. When the planned all-share deal was announced in September, NewMed offered 271 UK pence per ordinary share to Capricorn shareholders. The vote on the merger is planned for 0900 GMT on Feb. 1, while a vote on Palliser's proposition to rejig Capricorn's board is scheduled for 1400 GMT on the same day, Capricorn said.

☆ Michelle Yeoh gives emotional acceptance speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Michelle Yeoh won the Golden Globe for best actress in a motion picture comedy or musical. Yeoh took home the award Tuesday for her starring role in the psychedelic comedy drama “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”“Whew! In her acceptance speech, Yeoh recounted how she wasn’t always accepted in the industry. “Someone said to me ‘You speak English?’ I mean, forget about them not knowing Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Asia, India. For Yeoh, the film is also significant because of the familiarity of its depiction, albeit a bit unconventional, of the immigrant experience, she said.

"We are ready to add a number of your nominees to the board promptly and well before the general meetings," Capricorn said in a letter to Palliser posted on its website. Capricorn declined to clarify how exactly the board might change. Madison Avenue Partners, Capricorn's biggest shareholder at around 8%, on Monday separately reiterated its opposition to the board. The shareholder meeting to vote on the board changes is planned for Feb. 1, with a shareholder vote on the NewMed deal "on or around the same date", Capricorn said. "Holding the general meetings so close together deprives any reconstituted Capricorn board of the opportunity to re-assess the merits and terms of the NewMed transaction in parallel with a consideration of a range of other options," the statement said.

☆ Israel's Bank Hapoalim freezes mortgage rates for hard-hit homeowners
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Israel's Bank Hapoalim (POLI.TA) will not pass on to customers the central bank's next increase to interest rates, it said on Sunday, citing the struggles of homeowners faced with higher mortgage payments amid a broad spike in the cost of living. Hapoalim, one of Israel's two largest banks, said customers who have difficulty making mortgage payments will not have to pay extra and that it will leave the prime rate for them at 4.75% for now. The move is valid for one year for existing customers that have a mortgage linked to the prime rate and meet a number of criteria, the bank said. Hapoalim Chief Executive Dov Kotler put the number of customers who would benefit from the freeze at more than 10,000. In November Moshe Gafni, the head of the Israeli parliament's powerful finance committee, criticised a wave of central bank increases to interest rates and proposed legislation to shield mortgages.

☆ Israeli businesses decry calls to revise anti-discrimination law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Several leading Israeli businesses pledged on Monday to strengthen their internal anti-discrimination rules following remarks by hard-right members of Israel's incoming government seen as undermining gender equality and minority rights. "Recent calls for revoking basic rights heard in the political arena in Israel are of grave concern to our society," Wiz said in a statement. His political rivals have accused the veteran conservative leader of being vulnerable to his far-right allies’ policy demands. Maoz says he is not anti-gay but is opposed to the LGBTQ movement and has called for the cancellation of the annual Jerusalem gay pride march. Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Ari Rabinovitch, Gareth Jones and Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Zimbabwe bans raw lithium exports to curb artisanal mining
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The southern African country holds some of the world's largest reserves of hard rock lithium, a vital mineral in the production of clean energy technologies. London-listed Premier African Minerals (PREM.L) says it will start shipping spodumene concentrate from its Zimbabwe lithium mine to China from March 2023, after signing an offtake deal with Suzhou TA&A Ultra Clean Technology Co (300390.SZ). "No lithium bearing ores, or unbeneficiated lithium whatsoever, shall be exported from Zimbabwe to another country," read the regulation published in a government notice issued by Mines Minister Winston Chitando. The notice said the ban does not apply to the export of lithium concentrates, which all the major lithium miners in the country plan to produce. Mnangagwa said the raw lithium was being exported through neighbouring countries.

LONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Capricorn Energy's (CNE.L) third-biggest shareholder, Palliser Capital, has called for a general meeting to set a vote on removing seven Capricorn directors from supervisory roles including the CEO, according to documents seen by Reuters. "We have requisitioned the board of Capricorn Energy ... to convene a general meeting (the "EGM") of the Company," Palliser Chief Investment Officer James Smith said in a Dec. 19 letter to Capricorn shareholders. "The EGM will enable shareholders to vote on resolutions to effect the removal of seven current Capricorn directors and the appointment of six independent, highly-qualified replacement candidates." The directors that Palliser wants to remove include Capricorn Chief Executive Officer Simon Thomson and its chief financial officer, also named James Smith, who both hold executive and supervisory roles. The shareholder meeting to vote on Palliser's resolutions has to take place by Jan. 30, Palliser said.

These psychiatric drugs are regulated by the federal government as controlled substances that have high potential for abuse and addiction but are not opioids. The impact on independent pharmacies' prescriptions of psychiatric drugs from the widening crackdown on opioids has not been previously reported. It is dedicated to mitigating the abuse of controlled substances without interfering in good-faith clinical decisions made by doctors, she said. "Pharmaceutical distributors must walk a legal and ethical tightrope between providing access to necessary medications and acting to prevent diversion of controlled substances," Esposito said in a written statement. The FDA, the HHS agency that administers the list of controlled substances, did not respond to a request for comment.

☆ Israel's NewMed signs deal in Morocco for natgas exploration
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Israel's NewMed Energy (NWMDp.TA) said on Tuesday it signed a deal with Morocco's energy and mining ministry and Adarco Energy to explore for and produce natural gas in the Moroccan offshore license Boujdour Atlantique. NewMed and Adarco will each have a 37.5% stake in the license partnership, NewMed said. The Moroccan ministry will hold the remaining 25%. Reporting by Ari RabinovitchOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Greece, Britain discussing Parthenon Sculptures return but deal not close, Athens says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Renee Maltezou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ATHENS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The Greek government on Monday quashed local media reports that a deal with Britain over the repatriation of the Parthenon Sculptures to Athens was imminent but said the two sides were in talks on the long-running dispute. The museum, custodian of the sculptures known in Britain as the Elgin Marbles, also reiterated it would not dismantle its collection. Last week, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that there was "progress" and a sense of "momentum" in talks with Britain to reunite the sculptures in Greece. Citing a British official, Greece's ANT1 TV said on Sunday that the only way to return the sculptures to Greece without violating British law was "if the British Museum opened a kind of annex in Greece". In March, the United Nations' cultural agency UNESCO urged Greece and Britain to reach a settlement on the issue.

☆ Germans spending less as soaring power, food costs gnaw finances
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Mathis Richtmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

REUTERS/Thomas PeterSummary Germans consuming less as inflation bitesMore worried about personal finances than FrenchState support arriving, but will it work? But this year he took the dish off the menu because rising costs all along the supply chain would have doubled its price compared to last year. That would be beyond the budgets of Germans looking to cut back on non-essentials amid a cost of living crisis fuelled by rising energy prices. At some point in 2023, he and hundreds of thousands of others will receive a bill for his 2022 heating to recover additional costs from rising prices. Discount retailer Primark said in November it was looking to reduce its presence in Germany as it grappled with weak sales and rising costs.

☆ ‘Living in despair and hopelessness’: A lack of affordable housing can put people’s health at risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Renuka Rayasam Fred Clasen-Kelly Kaiser Health News | Renuka Rayasam | Fred Clasen-Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

She suspected the gray and brown splotches spreading through the apartment were mold and had caused her son’s illness. A nationwide affordable housing crisis has wreaked havoc on the lives of low-income families, like Joseph’s, who are close to the brink. Housing instability — such as having trouble paying rent, living in crowded conditions, or moving frequently — can have negative consequences on health, according to the federal Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. And there is no county in the country where a minimum-wage worker could afford a two-bedroom rental home, according to an August report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. A few months after leaving the apartment, Joseph and her two children moved in with her sister in Orlando, Florida, with their remaining possessions — a car and some clothes.

☆ ‘There’s no rules. It’s crazy’: New money in NCAA recruiting leaves elite athletes ripe for exploitation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Kit-Ramgopal-Byline.Jpg | Kit Ramgopal | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +15 min

Instead, the coveted junior recruit was benched, due to a decision from the state’s governing body for high school sports. Meanwhile, in a growing number of states, including California, even high school athletes can enter contracts. But boosters can pay prospective students through NIL deals, as long as the money is not contingent on enrollment or athletic performance. A University of Miami booster has earmarked $10 million to sign players to NIL deals through his companies. Cunningham’s message to high school athletes is “the grass isn’t always greener,” even in California.

☆ Israel's NewMed Energy leaning towards floating LNG expansion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Israel's NewMed Energy (NWMDp.TA) said on Thursday it was leaning towards building a floating liquefied national gas (FLNG) terminal to further develop its Leviathan gas field off Israel's Mediterranean coast. "The floating (LNG terminal) is really where we are heading right now," chief executive Yossi Abu told Reuters after NewMed issued third-quarter financial results that beat estimates. NewMed earned a net $123 million in July-September, compared with a $50 million loss a year earlier. Revenue net of royalties from natural gas rose 28% to $265 million in the quarter. Over the first nine months of the year, 8.5 bcm of natural gas has been produced from Leviathan, NewMed said.

☆ Israel Discount Bank reports higher third quarter profit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Israel Discount Bank (DSCT.TA) on Wednesday reported a 31% jump in third-quarter profit, with higher interest rates boosting financing income. Discount, Israel's fourth-largest bank by assets, said it earned a net 893 million shekels ($258 million) in the quarter, up from 722 million a year earlier. Net interest income rose 10% to 2.28 billion shekels, helped by aggressive Bank of Israel rate hikes to fight inflation. Credit loss expenses for the quarter were 106 million shekels compared with income from provisions of 126 million during the same period the previous year. ($1 = 3.4598 shekels)Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israel's Bank Hapoalim Q3 profit jumps amid rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Bank Hapoalim (POLI.TA) reported on Wednesday a 48% jump in quarterly net profit as higher interest rates boosted financing income. Hapoalim, one of Israel's two largest lenders, said it earned a net 1.79 billion shekels ($518 million) in the third quarter, compared with a profit of 1.21 billion shekels a year earlier. Helped by aggressive Bank of Israel rate hikes to fight inflation, net interest income rose 42% to 3.64 billion shekels. Its provision for credit losses was 45 million shekels compared with income from the provision of 252 million shekels last year. Hapoalim said it would pay a dividend of 536 million shekels, or 30% of third quarter net profit, after resuming ongoing dividends in the second quarter.

Nov 22 (Reuters) - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA.TA) and AbbVie Inc (ABBV.N) have finalized the terms of settlements worth more than $6.6 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits by U.S. state and local governments over the marketing of opioid painkillers, the companies and lawyers for the governments said Tuesday. Under the deals, first announced in July, Israel-based Teva will pay up to $4.25 billion, including a supply of the overdose drug naloxone. AbbVie will pay up to $2.37 billion. The final amounts of the settlements will depend on how many state and local governments opt into them. The sprawling litigation over opioids, which began in 2017, has yielded more than $40 billion in settlements with drugmakers, distributors and pharmacy chains.

The following are major companies that were accused of contributing to the crisis, and settlements or judgments involving those companies. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA.TA)-In November, finalized claims nationwide for $4.25 billion, some of which is to be paid as a supply of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. AbbVie Inc (ABBV.N)-In November, finalized a $2.37 billion nationwide settlement resolving claims against Allergan, a company it acquired in 2020. Endo International Plc (ENDPQ.PK)-Reached a $450 million settlement with more than 30 states as part of a bankruptcy filing in August. Mallinckrodt Plc (MNK.A)-Reached a $1.7 billion nationwide settlement as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan, approved in February.

One of the biggest makers of generic drugs, Israeli-based Teva said it aims eventually to secure a 10% global market share of biosimilars. A division of Novartis (NOVN.S), Sandoz is currently the second biggest player after Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) in the biosimilar market by gross sales globally, per IQVIA data, cited by Sandoz. Sandoz launched eight biosimilar drugs between 2017 and 2021, including a version of Bristol-Myers’ multiple myeloma drug Revlimid. The analysis projected the value of the global biosimilar market could more than triple to an estimated $74 billion by 2030. Sandoz and Teva are both working on biosimilars for Humira.

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