Author: ricardofrancois

Washington – The Pentagon will rush $300 million worth of weapons to Ukraine after it finds some cost savings in its contracts, even though the military remains severely stretched and needs at least $10 billion to replenish all the weapons it has pulled from its stockpiles to aid Kiev in its desperate war. On Tuesday, the White House declared war against Russia. This is the first security package the Pentagon has announced for Ukraine since December, when it acknowledged it had run out of replenishment funds. It is only in recent days that officials have publicly acknowledged that not only…

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It's a good thing Kobe Bryant built three statues.The first copy immortalizing the Lakers legend was unveiled last month outside the Crypto.com arena and contains three glaring typos.The 19-foot statue that honors Bryant's 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 — in which he pointed his finger at the sky — now points toward the pedestal. This is where the game score has two players' names — Raptors guard Jose Calderon and Lakers guard Von Weaver — and the word “decision” is misspelled.The Lakers plan to fix the errors in the statue sculpted by Julie Rotblat Omrani.“We have been…

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Open Editor's Digest for freeRula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.FTSE 250 asset manager Liontrust has approached smaller London-based rival Artemis about a potential takeover, as mid-sized asset managers continue to combat mounting pressures sweeping the investment industry.Liontrust recently held early-stage discussions with Artemis about a potential tie-up, according to three people familiar with the situation. Another source said that the talks were no longer ongoing. Liontrust said it was “not in talks with Artemis about acquiring its business.” Artemis declined to comment. The talks between Liontrust, which has £27.8bn of assets…

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Open Editor's Digest for freeRula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.The writer is a scientific commentatorFour years ago this week, the World Health Organization declared the rapid spread of the new coronavirus a pandemic. No corner of the globe has been spared from the disease, which has so far infected at least 770 million people and claimed the lives of more than 7 million people.The UK has pulled out all the stops in the race for a vaccine, thanks in part to current research into coronaviruses; In December 2020, it became the…

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“We are basically a program “We look like a robotics company, but we're actually a software company,” Locus CEO Rick Falk says with a laugh. It's a familiar refrain from companies whose most public-facing products are hardware. This is certainly the case with Locus, which produces the most famous autonomous mobile robots not made by Amazon. While it's true that these baggage transport systems are key to the Massachusetts-based company's warehouse game, Volk tells TechCrunch that the company's software is what sets the market-leading apartment apart from the competition. Locus currently offers fleet management software, which is essential for coordinating…

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Former US President Donald Trump speaks as he arrives at a Manhattan courthouse, to stand trial for himself, his adult children, the Trump Organization and others in a civil fraud case brought by State Attorney General Letitia James, in New York City, United States, October 2, 2023. Brendan McDiarmid | ReutersFormer President Donald Trump has not shown he has enough cash to cover the full amount of a $464 million civil fraud judgment if he loses his appeal, New York's top legal official warned in a lawsuit Monday evening.New York Attorney General Letitia James raised this concern when she said…

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Check out the companies making the biggest moves at midday: Southwest Airlines — Shares fell nearly 14% after the airline announced it was “reassessing all previous full-year 2024 guidance, including capital spending expectations,” citing delivery delays from Boeing. Southwest reported that first-quarter leisure bookings were weaker than expected. The airline also expects its unit revenue to remain flat at no more than 2% compared to the previous year, which is lower than its previous estimate in January of a rise of up to 4.5%. Oracle – The database software stock rose 11% and was on track for its best day…

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SKINISHER | E+ | Getty ImagesFactors beyond high mortgage rates are affecting housing affordability for many Americans, according to experts.Nearly four years ago, a family earning $59,000 a year could afford a new mortgage without spending more than 30% of its monthly income and with a 10% down payment, according to a recent report from the Zillow Group.This is no longer the case today.While the typical family in 2024 makes about $81,000 a year, up from $66,000 in 2020, wages have not kept up with housing costs.“Since January of 2020, typical mortgage payments on the typical home in the United…

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“The Female Founders' Handbook: Insights from the Superwomen Who Made It,” by Anne BowdenAnne Boden, founder of Starling Bank, doesn't believe in having a mentor for herself because the people she encountered didn't encourage her to take risks. However, her latest book reads like a 224-page mentoring session, full of anecdotes and practical advice for any woman thinking about starting a business.The bleak backdrop is that only 2 per cent of UK venture capital goes to start-ups founded by women. The Enterprise Playbook is not an attempt to fix the system or philosophically discuss why. It's Boden's honest, sometimes sarcastic,…

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A new study shows that coastal communities may be more at risk from sea level rise than previously thought. This could have profound implications for real estate, infrastructure, and the US economy.Sea levels rise as the Earth warms and glaciers melt. At the same time, the Earth is sinking – another harmful consequence of climate change. According to a new study by Virginia Tech and the US Geological Survey, it is sinking up to five millimeters annually in some areas. Sea level rise is about three millimeters per year.“What we found is that most of the land across the United…

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