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☆ Venus Williams joins private equity firm Topspin Consumer Partners
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Abigail Summerville | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, March 1 (Reuters) - Venus Williams has joined private equity firm Topspin Consumer Partners as an operating partner, the latest endeavor in the world of business by a top tennis champion who has emerged as a prolific entrepreneur. Williams will work with companies owned by Topspin on their marketing strategies and investment opportunities, the firm said in a statement on Wednesday. Her sister, Serena, 41, who is also a tennis champion, has withdrawn from the game but has said it's possible she could return. Founded in 2000, Topspin is a U.S. private equity firm that invests in consumer businesses with revenue below $100 million. Venus Williams joins in the footsteps of other sports stars who have entered the world of private equity.

☆ Russian Soyuz spacecraft starts mission to return crew stranded on ISS
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERSFeb 23 (Reuters) - A Russian Soyuz spacecraft blasted off on Friday on a mission to bring back to Earth a crew stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) by a leak in the cooling system of their original return capsule, Russian news agencies reported. They were left stuck in space after the cooling system of their Soyuz MS-22 capsule started leaking two months ago. Russian space agency Roscosmos said this week the trio would now return to Earth aboard Soyuz MS-23 in September. The damaged MS-22 spacecraft is now scheduled to land without a crew in March. Tass quoted a Russian space official as saying the amount of food sent was three times the amount normally dispatched for such missions.

☆ The pullback in this high-quality edtech stock could be opportunity for investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Knoblauch raised his price target to $27 from $21, saying the stock's underperformance so far this year is an opportunity. Last year, PowerSchool's stock outperformed its edtech peers by a wide margin. Demand for PowerSchool's products are largely driven by the growth of school budgets, which are recession-resilient. The international opportunity Thill said it's early days for PowerSchool's international expansion, and it's one of the reasons he's positive on the stock in the long term. We're particularly optimistic regarding the company's persona-based cloud bundles and international opportunity.

☆ Russia says stranded astronauts to return from ISS in September
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 21 (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday that three astronauts left stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) by a leak on their return capsule last year would land back on Earth in a Soyuz MS-23 replacement capsule in September. "(Their return flight) is now scheduled to take place on Soyuz MS-23 in September 2023," Russian space agency Roscosmos said. The Soyuz MS-23 replacement capsule will launch on Feb. 24 and will dock with the ISS on Feb. 26, it said. The damaged MS-22 spacecraft is planned to land without a crew in March. "Micrometeoroid impacts on a spacecraft or orbital station have happened before, but unlike with the Soyuz MS-22, they have never had such serious consequences."

☆ Putin's 'invincible' missile has a very common problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Putin has touted Russian hypersonic weapons like the Zircon missile as impossible to defend against. A destroyer, for example, might not detect a missile until it gets to within about 15 miles, according to Kaushal. Russian frigate Admiral Groshkov launches a Zircon hypersonic missile in the White Sea in October 2020. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via APThe weapon was developed remarkably quickly compared to previous Russian missiles. "Furthermore, there appear to be no reported test failures, which is irregular for a new missile, especially one as complex as a hypersonic cruise missile," Kaushal noted.

☆ World-first ideas unveiled at MWC 2023 by UK telecoms innovators
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With The Uk'S Department For Business | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

At the upcoming Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, collaboration and convergence will be priorities. MWC is a 'Digital World Congress' that will see more worldwide digital innovation from the UK and across the world." Attocore, recently awarded a grant for accelerating Radio Access Network (RAN) intelligence, sits alongside mobile giants Ericsson and Samsung in advancing the security of UK mobile networks. With 5G networks, an estimated £173 billion of incremental UK GDP will be added to the UK economy by 2030. MWC and scaling UK technologyMobile World Congress is also a great opportunity for big ideas to reach an even bigger audience.

☆ Estonia to order munitions in one of its largest military purchases
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VILNIUS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Estonia is set to order a "significant quantity" of so-called loitering munitions, to be delivered in 2024 to increase the distance of its attacks, defence ministry said on Saturday. The loitering munitions, also called "kamikaze drones", cruise towards their target before plummeting at velocity and detonating on impact. The purchase of an unspecified number, set to be one of the largest in Estonia's history, is expected to be concluded this quarter. It is being made "in order to significantly increase (Estonian) indirect fire capability as a consequence of Russian aggression", the defence ministry said. Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How unusually mild weather prevented what could've been the first aircraft carrier battle since World War II
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Argentine jets were poised to strike when the usually turbulent South Atlantic winds took a mild turn. Few of the half-dozen Argentine aviators expected to survive the attack, dubbed "Banzai Night" after the famous Japanese battle cry. Government of ArgentinaIronically, the Veinticinco de Mayo was originally a British carrier named the HMS Venerable launched by the Cammell Laird shipyard near the end of World War II. After a damaging boiler-room fire, the Karel was sold in 1969 to the Argentine Navy which extensively modernized and rebuilt the 25-year-old vessel. The Harrier and the Sea DartSea Harrier jump jets aboard HMS Hermes in the South Atlantic on May 1, 1982.

☆ Decades after winning the world's first jet-powered dogfights, US fighter pilots are still flexing their muscles over Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

That November, US Air Force and Navy pilots notched the first victories between jet-powered aircraft. The first, involving an Air Force Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star piloted by Lt. Russel Brown, occurred on November 8, 1950. Air superiorityUS Air Force F-80C fighters return from a mission in August 1952. The Air Force's 'first'A US Air Force F-80C armed with napalm bombs takes off from a Korean airfield in February 1951. The exercise, called Vigilant Storm, involved roughly 100 US aircraft and some 140 South Korean aircraft flying more than 1,600 sorties.

☆ A standard high-altitude research tool became the world's most-tracked aircraft after thousands of people mistook it for the suspected Chinese spy balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A standard research tool from the United States became the most-tracked aircraft on FlightRadar24. Thousands mistook it for the suspected Chinese spy balloon that has gripped global attention. FlightRadar24 updated its listing to clarify: "Sorry, this is not a Chinese balloon." The high-altitude Chinese balloon flying over the United States has gripped civilian and military attention worldwide and prompted Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to postpone a scheduled trip to Beijing. After some Twitter users asked whether FlightRadar24 would track the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, the company said: "We are not expecting a spy balloon to reveal its location by transmitting ADS-B."

☆ Bears sent running as stock market breaks downtrend and passes key fundamental tests
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Michael Santoli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The S & P gained another 1.6% last week even after slipping back 1% Friday. Market technicals strengthening Along the way, the technical characteristics of the market are winning converts for the bullish cause. Surely at the S & P 500 level, above 18-times forward profit estimates is a demanding bogey implying so-so returns. The equal-weight S & P is closer to the longer-term average at 16, and mid-cap stocks still modestly valued compared their history. The S & P 500 is compounding so far in 2023 at a 120% annualized rate of return so yeah, expect some give-back and gut-checking.

☆ Hall of Famer 'Golden Jet' Bobby Hull dies at 84
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Former NHL star Bobby Hull (L) embraces his son Brett Hull during an on-ice ceremony to introduce the 2009 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees before the Toronto Maple Leafs' and Detroit Red Wings' NHL hockey game in Toronto November 7, 2009. REUTERS/ Mike Cassese/File PhotoJan 30 (Reuters) - Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, the first National Hockey League player to score more than 50 goals in a season, has died at the age of 84, the Chicago Blackhawks said on Monday. "Hull is part of an elite group of players who made a historic impact on our hockey club," the Blackhawks said in a statement. "When Bobby Hull wound up to take a slapshot, fans throughout the NHL rose to their feet in anticipation and opposing goaltenders braced themselves," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. The decision cost Hull a chance to play for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union as the NHL blocked his participation.

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“Blow dryers don’t look like blow dryers anymore." “is all about preserving the health of the hair.” Ionic hair dryers emit negative ions, which causes water on the hair to quickly disperse, allowing the hair to dry quickly. Tourmaline dryers are rapidly gaining momentum over ionic and ceramic hair dryers, according to the 2022 hair dryer research report by Technavio. Best 2-in-1 hair dryer: RevlonThe highly rated Revlon hair dryer aims to simplify the hairstyling process by simultaneously smoothing your strands with nylon and tufted bristles while drying your hair. Best salon-level hair dryer: Harry Josh ProFoster and Nation were both in agreement over the fact that this lightweight professional-grade hair dryer packs a powerful punch.

☆ Velocity Global, an HR startup backed by US billionaire Todd Boehly's investment fund, lays off 10% of its workforce
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

HR and remote work startup Velocity Global has laid off 10% of its workforce, Insider understands. The Denver-based company counts US billionaire Todd Boehly's Eldridge among its biggest backers. Velocity Global, an HR platform backed by US billionaire Todd Boehly's investment fund, has laid off over a tenth of its workforce. The cuts at Velocity come as part of a wave of wider layoffs in the tech sector and a cooling off in the HR and remote work sector. HR companies enjoyed a pandemic boom through 2020 and 2021 as firms began experimenting with hybrid work, requiring new processes and platforms.

☆ J.B. Hunt Profit Slides on Slowing Freight Demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Paul Page | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

Fourth-quarter profit at trucking and logistics giant J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. fell 17% and revenue growth fell short of expectations as slowing shipping demand cut into freight volumes. Newsletter Sign-up The Logistics Report Top news and in-depth analysis on the world of logistics, from supply chain to transport and technology. PREVIEW“Demand for intermodal capacity was seasonally weak in the fourth quarter, while rail velocity and performance made further progress,” the company said. The steepest revenue decline came in J.B. Hunt’s Integrated Capacity Solutions unit, which matches freight loads to trucks. Revenue at the freight brokerage operation fell 33% from the previous year’s fourth quarter on sharply lower volumes and the business reported a $2.9 million operating loss.

☆ Stocks are pricing in more earnings erosion after first batch of reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Michael Santoli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

This is the daily notebook of Mike Santoli, CNBC's senior markets commentator, with ideas about trends, stocks and market statistics. At 4,000 on the S & P 500, fewer things can safely go wrong without spurring the sellers than at 3,700. Earnings are yet again a give-and-take proposition, too early to draw broad conclusions but in general a bit of a downside tilt. Stocks themselves have done some work to price in further risk of profit erosion, but surely not in all cases. Market breadth moderately negative today but no washout yet, maintains the generally firmer footing its enjoyed this month.

☆ Plant-based brand Just Egg is running an ad declaring 'Plants don't get the flu' as chicken egg shortage continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Eat Just is running an full-page ad for its plant-based egg scramble in The New York Times. Avian flu has wiped out millions of chickens, causing egg shortages and higher prices on shelves. Just Egg's ad includes bottles of Just Egg plant-based eggs on a refrigerator rack and the phrase "Plants don't get the flu." The product featured in Just Egg's ad is the brand's 12-ounce bottle of plant-based egg scramble, which is derived from Mung beans. In addition to eggs, Eat Just is developing meat that can be grown in a lab instead of by raising animals.

The leak came from a tiny puncture - less than 1 millimetre wide - on the external cooling system of the Soyuz MS-22 capsule, one of two return capsules docked to the ISS that can bring crew members home. Russia said a new capsule, Soyuz MS-23, would be sent up on Feb. 20 to replace the damaged Soyuz MS-22, which will be brought back to Earth empty. If there is an emergency in the meantime, Roscosmos said it will look at whether the MS-22 spacecraft can be used to rescue the crew. The U.S. agency said last month it was exploring whether SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft could offer an alternative ride home for some ISS crew members, in case Russia was unable to launch another Soyuz. Both NASA and Roscosmos believe the leak was caused by a micrometeoroid - a small particle of space rock - hitting the capsule at high velocity.

☆ 2023 is 'a generational buying opportunity' for real estate investing, says the CEO of a private equity firm. He shares which sectors offer the best returns and the REITs to buy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

For real estate, he recommends investing in REITs that are managed by major financial firms. The real estate market last year took a massive hit as interest rates increased at an unprecedented velocity due to the Federal Reserve's aggressive tightening. Ari Rastegar, the founder and CEO of Rastegar Property Company, says just looking at macroeconomic trends won't give investors the full picture. Real estate investment trusts, which are entities that own and operate income-producing properties, are on clearance, he said. He recommends looking at the Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) and the Starwood Real Estate Income Trust (SREIT).

☆ Investors better hope the CPI data Thursday confirms inflation is in a fairly rapid retreat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Michael Santoli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The market continues to act as if investors entered 2023 light on risk and ill-positioned for positive economic outcomes. I continue to point out that while the S & P 500 trades at nearly 17-times forward earnings forecasts, around the 20-year average and merely around "fair" rather than "cheap," the top-heaviness of the index valuation means the equal-weight S & P closer to 14x and the S & P Mid Cap 400 around 13-times. Yes, there could well be downside risk to earnings... Morgan Stanley says some 10-15% risk to current 2023 estimates. Who knows if "higher for longer" rates are fully priced into markets, but an equilibrium might not be far off. If CPI data Thursday contradicts the market's sense that inflation is in a fairly rapid retreat this rally would probably find its next gut check somewhat short of the level where it would have reached escape velocity.

☆ The tank-killing armored vehicle that France is sending to Ukraine is 'a bit of an oddity,' but don't call it a tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

France said on January 5 that it would send the AMX-10RC armored vehicle to Ukraine. The "tank" vs. "armored vehicle" debate is a long and often contentious one, but AMX-10RCs are armored reconnaissance vehicles and not tanks, which usually have large-caliber main guns, heavy-duty armor, and tracks. Fighting there has become trench warfare, with incremental gains rather than sweeping armored offensives in which fast, armored scout vehicles excel. Armored vehicles are still vital on the battlefield, but an armored car may have limited utility against swarms of anti-tank missiles, attack drones, and smart artillery shells. What's important is that the West is sending armored fighting vehicles.

☆ With its advertising business in crisis, Twitter eases ban on political ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Political advertising has never been a significant source of revenue for the company — it made less than $3 million from political ads in 2018, the year before the ban took effect. But advertising has historically made up nearly all of Twitter’s revenue, and replacing it could take a long time. Welcoming paid issue advocacy and political advertising to the platform once more could ease some of the effects of the advertiser revolt. “Internet political ads present entirely new challenges to civic discourse: machine learning-based optimization of messaging and micro-targeting, unchecked misleading information, and deep fakes. Until now, Twitter’s approach to political advertising diverged from that of Facebook, which has attracted widespread criticism for its policy exempting political ads from fact-checking — effectively allowing politicians to lie in ads.

☆ Check out Landing, a 'Pinterest for Gen Z', where users make vision boards on everything from their dream wedding with Harry Styles to the first day of school
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Landing, a vision board site similar to Pinterest, is becoming popular with Gen Z.Gen Z users told Insider they make several vision boards a week on the site. Scroll through Landing and you'll see playful, irreverent, and even otherworldly vision boards from users showcasing everything from New Year's resolutions to their dream wedding with musician Harry Styles. The founders said the velocity with which Gen Z makes vision boards is unlike anything they expected. Creating a vision board is akin to making a list of goals, journaling, or writing oneself an encouraging note. Vega's 2023 vision board.

☆ AK-47 vs. AK-74: How Russia's workhorse rifles stack up
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Travis Pike | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Today we are going to dig deep into the differences and do a little AK-47 vs AK-74 showdown. Breaking down the AK-47 vs. AK-74 historyMikhail Kalashnikov with an AK-74 in November 2002. REUTERS/Gleb GaranichBig brother AK-47 can teach the younger 74 some lessons in this AK-47 vs AK-74 brawl. From a civilian-ownership perspective, we need to look at commonality and logistics in our AK-47 vs AK-74 deathmatch. Mikhail Japaridze\TASS via Getty ImagesIt's time to declare a winner in the AK-47 vs AK-74 grudge match.

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