Washington – There's a reason why President Biden and former President Trump spend so much time attacking each other — people don't think either man has much to boast about when it comes to their own record. Americans generally believe that the harm done to key issues during their time in the White House was greater than the good. But the candidates have different weaknesses. For Biden, there is widespread discontent on two issues: the economy and immigration. At the same time, Trump faces an electorate that a large percentage of him believes has hurt the country on a range…
Author: ricardofrancois
It's long The path from pedal bikes to Formula 1. But that's exactly the quantum leap that AI startup Neural Concept and its co-founder and CEO, Pierre Paquet, have made in just six years. In 2018, the company's fledgling program helped develop the world's most aerodynamic bike. Today, four out of 10 Formula 1 teams use an evolution of that same technology. Along the way, Baqué has inked contracts with aviation suppliers like Airbus and Safran, securing a $9.1 million Series A raise in 2022. Switzerland-based Neural Concept, which has 50 employees, is currently working on a Series B round…
A barrage of more than 300 armed drones and long-range missiles that Iran fired at Israel late Saturday was met with an unparalleled defensive response.According to the Israeli army, 99% of the missiles were intercepted, with only a small number of ballistic missiles landing in Israeli territory. These explosions caused minor damage to an air base in the south of the country, although a child was seriously injured, likely due to falling shrapnel.“The Iranian attack was thwarted, as it was planned,” Daniel Hagari, an Israeli army spokesman, said in the early hours of Sunday morning.Iran launched its attack in response…
Open Editor's Digest for freeRula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.Property groups are pressing the Treasury to reverse changes to property taxes in England that would see investors in rented homes pay more tax on deals.The UK Property Federation industry group has written to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, pressing him to change plans announced in the March budget to scrap the stamp duty exemption for multiple dwellings that are due to come into force in June. This relief means that buyers can pay less transaction tax when purchasing more than one residence in…
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It's Sunday, April 14th. I'm your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here's what you need to know to start your weekend: the news Start your day right Sign up for Essential California to get news, features and recommendations from the LA Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. Enter your email address Involve me You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. California braces for Arizona residents after ruling on Civil War-era abortion law Abortion procedures in California increased in the wake of the Supreme Court's…
Open Editor's Digest for freeRula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.The writer is president of AstraZenecaAGM season is in full swing, and with it comes the usual array of remuneration controversies. AstraZeneca was among the first companies this year to receive votes from shareholders on a proposed policy setting out the incentive structure for the next three years.Although I am grateful that the majority of shareholders supported our proposals, this could have been in jeopardy if more investors followed the recommendations of some proxy agencies. Proxies often make inconsistent voting recommendations across…
Open Editor's Digest for freeRula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.AstraZeneca's boss has criticized acting advisers for a “double standard” that is “seriously damaging” the competitiveness of British companies, after more than a third of the company's shareholders voted against a potential £1.8m pay rise for chief executive Pascal Soriot.Influential shareholder advisers ISS and Glass Lewis have recommended that shareholders block the company's long-time CEO's pay package, with Glass Lewis saying the size of the increase in incentive-based payouts was “excessive”.But in an article for the Financial Times, Michel Demarai said that…
Alibaba shares got a boost last week from news that founder Jack Ma expressed his happiness with the company's turnaround so far. This came after Joe Tsai, co-founder and current president, told CNBC in late February that he felt “more confident” about Alibaba's ability to remain a major player in e-commerce. Ma stepped down as chairman in 2019. Wall Street analysts expect the business to grow, but last week several trimmed their price targets for the stock. Their common concern is how much Alibaba has to spend in the near term for future growth. JPMorgan lowered its earnings forecast based…
Two men carry Iranian banknotes on the sidewalk in Tehran's commercial district, in Tehran, Iran, on April 13, 2024. norphoto | norphoto | Getty ImagesIran's currency, the rial, briefly fell to a record low against the dollar on the unofficial market, after Tehran launched an expanded missile and drone attack on Israel on Saturday evening, exacerbating tensions in the Middle East.The exchange rate reached 705,000 rials/dollar on the open market around 10:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to data from foreign exchange monitoring website Bonbast. Since then, the Iranian currency has trimmed some losses.The government set an official exchange…
Earlier this spring, California dairy farmers noticed a puzzling decline in milk production in Texas, New Mexico, Idaho, Ohio, Kansas and Michigan. Weeks later, news emerged that several flocks in these states, as well as North Carolina, had been diagnosed with avian influenza — the same strain that has devastated bird populations around the world and demonstrated an alarming ability to jump to mammals. In an effort to prevent domestic herds from becoming infected, officials in California and elsewhere have imposed restrictions on livestock imports from affected states, while the USDA has urged livestock managers to reduce livestock movement as…