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☆ Looming Trump trials are throwing judges into an election maelstrom
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Judges are being forced into an unprecedented and perilous spot in the middle of an already tempestuous presidential campaign because of rising acrimony over the criminal trials of Donald Trump. Indeed, Trump and his allies are already framing the four indictments against him as an example of election interference. Smith’s prosecutors implicitly admitted this in arguing in the federal election subversion case that there was an overriding national interest in avoiding unnecessary delays – given the identity of the accused. Thorny questions judges must addressThe fateful decisions that judges will be called on to make go far beyond when the trials take place. For instance, one of his lawyers argued that Smith’s election subversion case cannot be fairly tried in Washington, where Trump won only 5% of the vote.

Persons: Donald Trump, Tanya Chutkan, Abigail Jo Shry, Trump, Shry, “, Chutkan, Fani Willis, Jack Smith’s, Willis, Smith, He’s, Biden, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, Willis ’, Mark Meadows, Ryan Goodman, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Ty Cobb, Burnett, Stormy Daniels, wouldn’t, –, ” Chutkan, ” Trump, ” Organizations: CNN, Prosecutors, Department of Homeland Security, Wednesday, Republican, Trump, White House, New York University Law School, White Locations: Texas, Washington , DC, Washington, Houston, Fulton County, Georgia, Iowa, Florida, Manhattan, West Virginia

☆ When This Lahaina Resident Needed to Escape the Fire, She Plunged Into the Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Christine Mai-Duc | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lahaina resident Jo Ann Hayashi couldn’t bring herself to leave her four cats that had gone into hiding Tuesday afternoon. So while most of her neighbors had urged her to flee her home near the harbor hours earlier when they were told to evacuate, Hayashi stalled. She doused the outside of her apartment with a garden hose, hoping for the best.

Persons: Jo Ann Hayashi couldn’t, Hayashi Locations: Lahaina

☆ In the Shadow of More Fiery Rivals, Pence Leans Into Civility Politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Neil Vigdor | More About Neil Vigdor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Looking to contrast himself with former President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida — leading rivals in the race for the Republican nomination who converged on Iowa on Saturday — former Vice President Mike Pence made a play for civility politics during a round table with about two dozen Christian college and university presidents. When Mr. Pence arrived at the event in Ankeny, Iowa, Mary Jo Brown, 67, told the former vice president that he was “a man of integrity.”A former teacher at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary, a private Christian school, Ms. Brown said in an interview that Mr. Pence’s faith had guided his decision-making on Jan. 6 and that she would support him “if he can get through.”Mr. Pence is polling at a distant sixth place in Iowa, according to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, far behind contenders like Mr. Trump and Mr. DeSantis, who are commanding attention in Iowa this weekend with their brasher style of politicking.

Persons: Donald J, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Pence, Mary Jo Brown, ”, Brown, ” Mr, Trump, DeSantis Organizations: Trump, Gov, Republican, Faith Baptist Bible College, Theological Seminary, New York Times, Siena College Locations: Florida, Iowa, Ankeny , Iowa

☆ Lea Salonga on the groundbreaking representation of Broadway’s ‘Here Lies Love’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Ann Bindot | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Here Lies Love” arrives onto Broadway, though, at a moment of greatly increased visibility, representation and empowered Filipino identity. Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images“Here Lies Love” is an immersive experience that invites show-goers to the dancefloor, literally, imbuing the proceedings with a fun, nightclub-meets-karaoke vibe. That’s what I remember.”When the Marcoses fled to Hawaii in 1986, having been granted asylum by the United States, Salonga was celebrating her 15th birthday in Manila. The cast of "Here Lies Love" performing onstage. Watching “Here Lies Love” over two decades later, the emotion returned, packing an even stronger punch.

Persons: —, Lea Salonga, Kim, Salonga, Tony, ”, Imelda Marcos, Ferdinand Marcos, Aurora Aquino, Benigno “ Ninoy ” Aquino, Corazon Aquino, Marcoses, Corazon’s, Benigno “ Noynoy, Corazon III, Imelda, Andy Hernandez, Conrad Ricamora, Ninoy Aquino, she’s, “, ’, ’ ”, I’ve, ” Salonga, …, “ I’m, Willa Kim, Will Rogers, ” Lea Salonga, Jonathan Pryce, Sonia Moskowitz, Marcos, “ Laban, John Nacion, Jose Llana, ‘ We’ve, I’m, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Romualdez Marcos Jr, Ferdinand, Moses Villarama, Apl.de.Ap, H.E.R, Jo Koy, Jose Antonio Vargas, David Byrne —, Fatboy Slim, Moammar Gadhafi, Fidel Castro, Ronald Reagan, Castro, Gadhafi, Billy Bustamante, Matthew Murphy, Evan Zimmerman Organizations: CNN, New York, Broadway, San Francisco Bay Area, Manila International, Getty Locations: United States, Miss, ”, New, London, American, San Francisco Bay, Philippines, Manila, Mindoro, New York, ‘ Miss, New York City, Hawaii, “, Virginia

☆ Wrestling With Identity at the Edinburgh Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Houman Barekat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Questions of nationhood, identity and belonging loom large in three politically themed productions at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival. The tagline for this year’s edition is “community over chaos,” and there was plenty of both in “Thrown,” a National Theater of Scotland production running at the Traverse Theater through Aug. 27. When Imogen encourages Jo to take a greater interest in racial politics, this puts a strain on Jo and Chantelle’s friendship. Chantelle resents Imogen for boiling everything down to race and vents her frustration at being seen as privileged, simply because she is white. Helen provides moral support to Pam when she reveals her struggles with her gender identity and delivers the play’s defining monologue: a positive message of unity through celebrating difference.

Persons: “, ”, Nat McCleary, Johnny McKnight, it’s, haggis, kilts, Jo, Adiza, Chloe, Ann Taylor, Imogen, Efé, Chantelle, Lesley Hart, Pam, Maureen Carr, Helen, Carr Organizations: Theater of Scotland, Traverse Locations: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Scottish, Scotland

☆ Nature inFocus Photography Awards: Gripping images from Indian prize look at the bigger picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Flo Cornall | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A peckish tiger lunching on a softshell turtle, an ant snacking on honeydew, and a pair of glittery slug moth larva are just a handful of scenes depicted in the winning images from the Nature inFocus Photography Awards 2023. Nature and wildlife storytelling platform Nature inFocus runs the competition. Among the winning images is a photostory focusing on the devastation facing the intricate mangrove forests of the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh, India. Other winning images include rarer wildlife sightings, such as a pair of agitated mountain goats locking horns in a cinematic rocky landscape. Amit Eshel/Courtesy Nature InFocus Photography AwardsAccording to the IUCN, the Nubian ibex is a vulnerable species – facing threats from agriculture to extreme weather.

Persons: ”, Rohit Varma, Srikanth Mannepuri, Mannepuri, Amit Eshel, Jo, Anne McArthur, McArthur, Varma Organizations: CNN, “, IUCN Locations: India, Bangalore, Andhra Pradesh

☆ Dollar creeps higher ahead of US, China economic data
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The trade figures come a day ahead of the country's inflation reading, with markets on the lookout for further signs of deflation in the world's second-largest economy. Ahead of the data release, the offshore yuan was little changed at 7.2039 per dollar. The Aussie slipped 0.05% to $0.6571, while the kiwi fell 0.08% to $0.6102. "This week's economic data ... will continue to paint a picture of a weak Chinese economic recovery," said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. "With the (Federal Reserve's) interest rate policymaking remaining data dependent, every data point has been eliciting an even higher level of vigilance," said Gary Dugan, chief investment officer at Dalma Capital.

Persons: Jo Yong, Carol Kong, Sterling, Gary Dugan, Rae Wee, Sam Holmes Organizations: Korea Exchange Bank, REUTERS, New, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Aussie, U.S, ANZ, Dalma, Thomson Locations: Seoul, SINGAPORE, U.S, Asia, New Zealand

Justice Clarence Thomas met the recreational vehicle of his dreams in Phoenix, on a November Friday in 1999. With some time to kill before an event that night, he headed to a dealership just west of the airport. In the words of one of his biographers, “he kicked the tires and climbed aboard,” then quickly negotiated a handshake deal. A few weeks later, Justice Thomas drove his new motor coach off the lot and into his everyman, up-by-the-bootstraps self-mythology. “I don’t have any problem with going to Europe, but I prefer the United States, and I prefer seeing the regular parts of the United States,” he told the filmmakers, adding: “There’s something normal to me about it.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Prevost Le, “, ”, Justice Thomas Locations: Phoenix, Washington, Georgia, R.V, Europe, United States

☆ Facing lawsuit from Musk, nonprofit head says he won't stop exposing Twitter's problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

And he's insisting that researchers at his nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate remain equally unafraid. Earlier this week, the company formerly known as Twitter filed a lawsuit in federal court against the CCDH, after the organization in June published research that Musk didn't like. Rather, Ahmed told staffers in a meeting after he heard about the lawsuit that they should "double down" on probing X. Lawyers representing X alleged in this week's lawsuit that the CCDH improperly obtained access to social media analysis tool Brandwatch and also illegally scraped data from Twitter using other methods. The CCDH said it obtained the tweets using a data-scraping tool and Twitter's search function.

Persons: Elon Musk, Imran Ahmed, Musk, Ahmed, I've, Jo Cox, there's, X, Brandwatch, He's, TikTok Organizations: Center, Twitter, CNBC, Washington , D.C, University of Cambridge, Labour Party, X Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Washington ,

☆ Analysis: US institutional investors could face restrictions on Chinese stock ownership
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Chinese companies including Tencent (0700.HK) and Alibaba (9988.HK) accounted for 31% of the MSCI Emerging Markets index (.MSCIEF) in July. RED-FLAGGED COMPANIESMSCI and rivals removed seven Chinese companies from global indexes in 2020 because of U.S. ownership restrictions. The committee's letters this week cited contractors to China's People's Liberation Army it identified in BlackRock funds or MSCI indexes. Some of the companies have been flagged such as appearing on the U.S. Treasury's "Chinese Military-Industrial Complex" companies list. For companies on it, U.S. persons and asset managers face purchase and sale restrictions but not divestment requirements.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Biden, Jo Ritcey, Donohue, there’ll, BlackRock, MSCI, RUSH, Mike Gallagher, Gallagher, Todd Rosenbluth, Rosenbluth, Russell, Ross Kerber, Karin Strohecker, Michael Martina, Patricia Zengerle, Selena Li, Megan Davies, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Waterdrop Inc, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, BlackRock, Washington, Chinese Communist Party, HK, Vanguard FTSE, Vanguard, FTSE Russell, People's, Ritcey, Department of, Thomson Locations: U.S, New, Beijing, China, BlackRock, Washington, Taiwan, Ukraine, MSCI, Boston, London, Hong Kong

The logo of Swiss bank UBS is seen at its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland October 25, 2022. UBS was 8th in Refinitiv's global M&A league table in the first half of 2023, down from 6th a year earlier. Steve Pettigrew, who just joined UBS from Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), would be leading software M&A under Braham, according to the sources. Some Credit Suisse technology bankers may lose their jobs as part of the shake-up, while others may be retained or also be promoted, the sources said. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Credit Suisse had initiated broad layoffs in New York.

Persons: Sergio Ermotti, Laurence Braham, Lesueur, Steve Pettigrew, Braham, Neil Meyer, Milana Vinn, Amy, Jo Crowley, Jane Merriman Organizations: Swiss, UBS, REUTERS, UBS Group AG, Credit Suisse, Swiss Re AG, Barclays Plc, Bank of America Corp, Barclays, Reuters, Suisse, Credit Suisse's, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Swiss, dealmaking, United States, Americas, New York, London

LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - French telecoms firm TDF is studying options for its fibre business including a sale, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters, in a deal that could value the fibre unit upwards of 1 billion euros. The sellers are looking for as much as 1.3 billion to 1.6 billion euros for the fibre unit, according to one of the people, a price that buyers may find difficult to swallow. TDF - a former unit of France's leading telecoms operator Orange - provides broadcasting, fibre and telecoms infrastructure with some of its radio antennas sitting on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The fibre unit's EbitdaAL, which deducts the cost of the leases from EBITDA, reached 28.7 million euros last year up from 21.6 million euros a year earlier, while revenues grew 42.8% to 52 million euros, according to TDF’s latest annual results. Two of the sources said the fibre unit's valuation will depend on the number of homes connected to fibre, market penetration and growth rate.

Persons: Brookfield, Sweden's, Les Echos, Andres Gonzalez, Amy, Jo Crowley, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: TDF, Reuters, Brookfield Asset Management, BNP Paribas, BNP, Brookfield, Orange, Eiffel, Sweden's EQT Partners, PSP Investments, APG, Management, Arcus Infrastructure Partners, Agricole, CAA, Thomson Locations: Paris, Europe, TDF, EBITDA

☆ The collapse of the I-95 bridge in Philadelphia should've taken months to repair. Here's how the city fixed it in 12 days.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( John Kell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In June, the collapse of the I-95 bridge in Philadelphia brought one of the city's busiest thoroughfares to a standstill. But in Philadelphia, I-95 reopened just 12 days later, restoring order on one of the busiest thoroughfares in the area. That quick work, Belmonte said, was one of many key decisions that got the reconstruction project moving rapidly. Meanwhile, congestion immediately spiked on the roadways near the I-95 collapse as emergency crews rushed to set up detours. Bartash said her travel time to Bucks County doubled to two and a half hours during the I-95 bridge reconstruction.

Persons: Josh Shapiro, Shapiro, Lou Belmonte, Belmonte, Billy Kyle, guardrails, PennDOT, Inrix, Bob Pishue, Laura Ahramjian, Ahramjian, Stephanie Bartash, Bartash, Jo Bradley, Bradley, It's Organizations: Morning, Pennsylvania, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, Pennsylvania Department, Transportation, Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation, Buckley, Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Pocono, NASCAR, Kittelson, Associates, Bucks, Philadelphia Phillies Locations: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Mississippi, Minnesota, Philadelphia County, Vine, Pennsylvania, Jersey Shore, Delaware, New Jersey, Ambler , Pennsylvania

☆ Global retailers cash in on Barbie movie craze
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Helen Reid | Thomson Reuters | London-Based Reporter Covering The European Retail Sector Through A Global Lens. Focusing On Companies Including Adidas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Arriana McLymoreJuly 21 (Reuters) - Shoppers are snapping up Barbie hoop earrings, perfume, jumpsuits, and dresses as retailers seek to cash in on Friday's Barbie film release, reigniting the craze for the plastic doll and her hot pink, sequin-adorned universe. Mattel says the Barbie movie is expected to boost global sales of Barbie dolls, which declined last year from record growth during the pandemic. A Gap Barbie hoodie for women was available only in size XXS online, while a pair of Barbie Crocs, priced at $59.99 - $10 more than normal Crocs - was sold out on the Crocs website. Luggage brand Beis had a waiting list for all three sizes of suitcases in a Barbie pink, priced at a premium to its usual colour range. Walmart pitched Barbie dolls in varying skin tones and hairstyles at $45 to collectors.

Persons: browses, Arriana, Friday's, Barbie, Jo Ashdown, Ryan Gosling, Ken, Zara Barbie, hoodie, Barbie Crocs, Barbie toothbrushes, James Zahn, that's, Helen Reid, Savyata Mishra, Siddharth Cavale, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, Mattel, WPP, Walmart, Hyatt Hotels, Hilton, Thomson Locations: Zara's Soho, New York City, U.S, Bogota, Colombia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

TUA Assicurazioni, a non-life company founded in 2003, is valued at around 300 million euros ($335 million), according to the sources. Two sources mentioned German insurance heavyweight Allianz (ALVG.DE), fellow German insurer Talanx (TLXGn.DE) and France's Groupama as potential bidders. One of them also named Italy's Itas as one of up to five parties that could bid in the second round. Talanx has expressed interest in ICCREA's non-life business and is competing with Swiss Helvetia Group (HELN.S), Groupama and Italian cooperative insurer Assimoco. ($1 = 0.8946 euros)Additional reporting by Gianluca Semarero in Milan, writing by Keith Weir Editing by Keith Weir and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: TUA, TUA Assicurazioni, Italy's, ICCREA, Talanx, Rothschild, Mediobanca, Groupama, Gianluca Semarero, Keith Weir, Louise Heavens Organizations: Generali, Cattolica, Allianz, Swiss Helvetia Group, Itas, Thomson Locations: MILAN, Generali, Mediobanca, Talanx, Milan

☆ NFL approves sale of Washington Commanders and evies $60 million fine on ex-owner
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( David Close | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Washington Commanders will have a new ownership group as the team’s previous owner faces a $60 million fine from the league following an independent investigation finding workplace misconduct and financial improprieties. The Commanders’ new ownership group includes Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and billionaire Mitch Rales, Harris’ longtime sports business partner. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell congratulated Harris and his partners after the unanimous vote. Johnston told a congressional committee that the Commanders owner had put his hand on her leg under the table at a work dinner and tried to persuade her to get into his limousine. “The conduct substantiated in Ms. White’s findings has no place in the NFL,” a statement from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated.

Persons: Josh Harris, Harris, Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, Mitch Rales, Harris ’, Roger Goodell, “ Josh, Josh, ” Goodell, Daniel Snyder, Snyder, Tanya, Dan Snyder, Mary Jo White, White, Tiffani Johnston, Johnston, ”, “, Ms, ” Snyder, —, “ Mr, Goodell Organizations: CNN, Washington, NFL, Apollo Global Management, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, Basketball Hall of Famer, Street Journal, former Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, ” Locations: Washington, Minnesota

☆ Former Commanders owner Snyder fined $60 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 20 (Reuters) - The National Football League has fined former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder $60 million after an investigation into allegations of misconduct and financial improprieties, the league said on Thursday after approving his sale of the team. Goodell later expanded White's review to include alleged financial misconduct at the club, after those allegations were first raised before a Congressional committee. Johnston, a former cheerleader and marketing manager for the Commanders, told members of a House Oversight Committee that Snyder made sexual advances on her. The investigators also concluded that the Commanders withheld about $11 million in revenue, and possibly more, that should have been shared with other NFL teams. The report said it was unable to determine the total amount of improperly shielded revenues as Snyder failed to fully cooperate with the investigation.

Persons: Dan Snyder, Roger Goodell, Mary Jo White, Snyder, Tiffani Johnston, Goodell, Johnston, Johnston's, Ms, White, Frank Pingue, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: National Football League, Washington, NFL, U.S . Securities, Exchange, Congress, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, Thomson Locations: Toronto, Lincoln

Daniel Snyder was fined $60 million, by far the largest penalty ever levied against an N.F.L. team owner, after he was found to have sexually harassed a woman who was both a former cheerleader and a marketing employee for the Washington Commanders. According to the report, her account was supported by evidence and contemporaneous witnesses. The findings were reported by Mary Jo White, a former federal prosecutor and chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, who spent 17 months looking into allegations of widespread sexual harassment against executives at the team, including Snyder, as well as claims of financial improprieties. released White’s report immediately after the 31 other clubs unanimously approved the sale of the Commanders to an investment group led by Josh Harris for $6.05 billion, a record for an American pro sports team.

Persons: Daniel Snyder, Tiffani Johnston, Snyder, Mary Jo White, Josh Harris Organizations: Washington, Securities and Exchange Commission

☆ Working less this summer can help you be more productive—here's how
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It can be hard to focus on work when temperatures are climbing into the hundreds and every other person you follow on Instagram is vacationing in Europe. Even if you can't slack off at your job — or take a break from work altogether — it is possible to work less and still be productive in the summer. "Working fewer hours in the summer doesn't mean you're neglecting your responsibilities and doing a bad job," says Marisa Jo Mayes, a self-employed TikTok creator and startup founder who coined the "Bare Minimum Mondays" workplace trend. It might feel counterintuitive, but past research has shown that slowing down at work can also help curb stress, thus making it easier to focus and be productive. Here, Mayes and two productivity experts share their best advice for getting more work done in less time during the summer:

Persons: they're, Marisa Jo Mayes, Mayes Locations: Europe

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Persons: you'll, Charlotte Tilbury, we've, Kiehl's Creme, Bobbi Brown, it’s, Charlotte, Jo Malone, Jo Malone London’s, Suede, Wood, Kate Somerville, Dyson, Augustinus Bader, Mascara Organizations: Nordstrom, skincare, nab, Triple, Oil

☆ How Benjamin Franklin Helped Foil Early American Money Counterfeiters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Jo Craven Mcginty | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-benjamin-franklin-helped-foil-early-american-money-counterfeiters-bf51f8c7

Persons: Dow Jones, franklin

Data centres are facilities that host IT systems and applications. In April, Brookfield Infrastructure acquired French data centre group Data4 in a deal said to have valued the company at close to 3.5 billion euros, including debt. Asterion formed Nabiax in 2019 through the acquisition of 11 data centres from Telefonica across Spain and Latin America. In March, the group sold its Latin American operations to British infrastructure fund Actis, with a view to focusing on its home market. A sale of Nabiax could help Telefonica pay down debt, a focus for the Spanish telecoms giant.

Persons: Nabiax, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Amy, Jo Crowley, Andres Gonzalez, Jesus Aguado, John O'Donnell, Louise Heavens Organizations: Reuters, Infrastructure, Asterion Industrial Partners, BBVA, Citigroup, Telefonica, Brookfield Infrastructure, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Telefonica, Spain, Latin America, British, London

☆ Exclusive: Live events group Superstruct readied for sale – sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Amy-Jo Crowley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Providence carried Superstruct through the COVID-19 pandemic when concerts and other public events came to a sudden halt, heavily impacting the company’s revenue and earnings. It has since grown by swallowing up festivals across Europe and Australia, and now operates 80 large-scale festivals and 200 smaller events. The rebound in live music and festivals following the end of lockdowns has also encouraged investment in the sector. Private equity owner Silver Lake is advancing towards a sale of Australian live events and ticketing group TEG, which could be worth A$2 billion dollars, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The sale of TEG could serve as a yardstick for putting a price on Superstruct, as well as gauging buyer interest, one of them added.

Persons: Superstruct, James Barton, Silver, TEG, Amy, Jo Crowley, Jan Harvey Organizations: Superstruct Entertainment, Providence, Live Nation, Thomson Locations: Superstruct, Providence, Europe, Australia, lockdowns

☆ VP Harris meets with labor and rights groups to discuss threats from A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Broadband Event at the White House in Washington, D.C., June 26, 2023. "It is a false choice to suggest that we either can advance innovation, or we protect consumers," Harris said. "We should not dampen or in any way slow down innovation that can improve the condition of people's lives," Harris said. The meeting Wednesday includes groups that advocate on behalf of specific populations or on digital rights issues. Harris said the group would discuss transparency in AI, so the public can understand what is going into these systems and how they make decisions.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Harris, Alexandra Reeve Givens, Technology Harlan Yu, Janet Murguia, UnidosUS Jo Ann Jenkins, Lisa Rice, Liz Shuler, Mary Anne Franks, Wiley, Sneha Revanur, Susan Henderson, Chuck Schumer, Sam Altman Organizations: White, Washington , D.C, White House, for Democracy, Technology, Fair Housing, AFL, Cyber Civil, Conference, Civil, Rights Education, Defense, Microsoft, Google Locations: Washington ,, U.S

☆ UK's CMA open to new Microsoft-Activision probe after u-turn
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It is really an unprecedented and dramatic turn of events," said Alex Haffner, competition partner at UK law firm Fladgate. Becket McGrath, a partner at Euclid Law, said it seemed like the CMA wanted a way out of an "uncomfortable position". Still, with the larger $69 billion deal back on track, the two sides are now focused on modifying the deal to obtain regulatory approval. Jonathan Compton, partner at law firm DMH Stallard and a specialist in competition law, said it was difficult to see what structural alterations the company could make. Britain's competition regulator has not given any further clarification on its U-turn or the new investigation, including whether it would fit into its Phase 1 and 2 process, the latter of which can take up to a year.

Persons: Alex Haffner, Becket McGrath, Jonathan Compton, DMH, Euclid's McGrath, Sarah Cardell, Paul Sandle, Muvija, Martin Coulter, Amy, Jo Crowley, Kate Holton Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, Markets Authority, CMA, European Union, Euclid Law, Thomson Locations: United States, Devika

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