September 15, 2021 By Philip Pullella ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) – Pope Francis said on Wednesday that abortion is “murder”, even soon after conception, but appeared to criticise some U.S. Catholic bishops for dealing with U.S. President Joe Biden’s pro-choice position in a political rather than pastoral way. On the flight returning from Slovakia, […]
Chamath Palihapitiya is coming to Disrupt
Retail investors love him. Venture capitalists envy him. But pretty much everyone writing checks these days is paying attention to Chamath Palihapitiya, whose star has been on the rise since the outset of his career at an early online media player called Winamp that was acquired by AOL. Indeed, over the last 20 years, Palihapitiya […]
Commerzbank appoints board members in latest management reshuffle
September 15, 2021 FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Commerzbank AG appointed two new board members on Wednesday in the latest management reshuffle at the German lender as it cuts 10,000 jobs. Erste Group board member Thomas Schaufler will take over Commerzbank’s retail banking division, while Joerg Oliveri del Castillo-Schulz, currently an independent consultant, will become chief operating officer. […]
‘A family reunion’: Voices from Broadway on the return to the stage
September 15, 2021 By Alicia Powell NEW YORK (Reuters) – More than a dozen Broadway musicals and plays are opening in September after the longest shutdown in the history of New York’s theater district. The 18-month-long pandemic closures threw hundreds of actors, musicians and dancers out of work, along with stage crews. Following are comments […]
Lufthansa putting on more business flights – CEO
September 15, 2021 BERLIN (Reuters) – Lufthansa is putting on more flights for business travellers in September and October, the chief executive of the German airline told Reuters on Wednesday. “We are now seeing very clearly that business travellers are coming back,” Carsten Spohr said, adding Lufthansa had increased capacity on domestic flights by 30% […]
Microsoft shares edge higher on $60 billion buyback program
September 15, 2021 (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp shares rose 1% in early trading on Wednesday after the company announced a $60 billion share repurchase plan, its biggest ever. The announcement comes just days after two U.S. Senate Democrats unveiled a proposal to tax corporate stock buybacks to help fund President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion investment […]
Tears, joy and surprise guests as Broadway’s big musicals return
September 15, 2021 By Alicia Powell NEW YORK (Reuters) -Broadway’s biggest musicals roared back to life on Tuesday, banishing the eerie silence of the last 18 months in New York’s pandemic-hit theater district with screams, tears and standing ovations. Emotions were giddy as the curtain rose again on top musicals “Hamilton,” “The Lion King” and […]
EV maker Xpeng could consider acquisitions to expand capacity
September 15, 2021 DETROIT (Reuters) – Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng Inc would consider acquiring less successful rivals to expand production capacity in the future, company President Brian Gu told reporters during a conference call. Xpeng is building two new factories in China. At the same time, the Chinese government is signaling it wants to […]
Biden to meet Disney chief, other CEOs in ‘rallying cry’ for vaccine mandates
September 15, 2021 By Trevor Hunnicutt and Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will meet on Wednesday with business leaders as he pushes companies to require workers to be vaccinated amid a surge in COVID-19 infections among those without a dose. Participants in the meeting include the chief executives of Walt Disney Co, […]
UK foreign secretary Raab moved to justice minister and deputy PM
September 15, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been appointed justice secretary in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s reshuffle and will also be deputy prime minister, Johnson’s office said on Wednesday. Johnson had faced calls to sack Raab after he went on holiday in Crete as the Taliban advanced on Kabul and […]
Monte dei Paschi prepares to close 50 branches – letter to unions
September 15, 2021 MILAN (Reuters) – Monte dei Paschi di Siena is moving to close 50 branches in line with commitments taken with European Union authorities under its restructuring plan through 2021, a copy of a letter the state-owned bank sent to unions showed on Wednesday. It was not immediately possible to reach Monte dei […]
Brazil’s Gol to receive $200 million from American Airlines, shares rise
September 15, 2021 SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazilian airline Gol announced an exclusive three-year codeshare agreement with American Airlines, sending shares higher on Wednesday. Gol said it will receive a $200 million equity investment as part of the agreement, according to a securities filing on Wednesday, making its preferred shares jump about 5% in early trading […]
Most executives think their ESG programs fall short, survey finds
September 15, 2021 By Jessica DiNapoli (Reuters) – More than half of 530 corporate executives have little or no confidence in the reliability and maturity of their environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) programs, according to a global survey from non-profit corporate governance advocacy non-profit OCEG. The global report paints a dim picture of the […]
Pope rejects German archbishop’s resignation after abuse scandal
September 15, 2021 BERLIN (Reuters) – Pope Francis has rejected the resignation of the Archbishop of Hamburg who had offered to step down after a report named him among several senior officials in Germany’s Catholic Church to have breached their duty in handling sexual abuse cases. In a statement, the Vatican said it had thoroughly […]
Forge’s SPAC deal is a bet on unicorn illiquidity
As Warby Parker, Freshworks, Amplitude and Toast look to list in the coming weeks, we shouldn’t forget the SPAC boom. This week, for example, Forge Global (Forge), a technology startup that operates a market for secondary transactions in private companies, announced that it would go public via a blank-check combination. And while we’re not unpacking every […]
Afghan female youth soccer players reach Pakistan, will seek asylum
September 15, 2021 LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) -Players from Afghanistan’s female youth soccer teams have arrived in Pakistan and will seek political asylum in third countries amid concern over the status of female athletes under the new Taliban government in Kabul. Some 81 people, including female players of several youth teams, their coaches and family members […]
Di Grassi stays in Formula E with Venturi after Audi exit
September 15, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – The Venturi Formula E team announced on Wednesday the arrival of Brazilian Lucas di Grassi, winner of the electric series’ first race and one of only two drivers to have competed in every season since the start in 2014, from departed Audi. The 2016-17 Formula E champion, a former […]
Biden to announce alliance with Britain, Australia on tech, cyber, defense -Politico
September 15, 2021 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday plans to announce a plan to share advanced technologies in a working group with Britain and Australia, Politico reported, in a possible move to push back on China. Biden was due to give a 5 p.m. (2100 GMT) address on national security, but […]
Fading retail demand for U.S. stocks could hit S&P 500 – Vanda
September 15, 2021 (Reuters) – Retail investors’ appetite for U.S. stocks has fallen in the past week, data from Vanda Research showed on Wednesday, increasing the odds for a broader sell-off in the S&P 500 at a time when it is already about 2% off its record high. In the five days to Tuesday, retail […]
UK COVID-19 business insurance payouts top one billion pounds -watchdog
September 15, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – Small companies in Britain, which demanded that their insurers cover claims for losses accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic, have received more than one billion pounds ($1.4 billion) in full and interim business interruption payouts to date. Businesses ranging from restaurants to nightclubs and wedding planners to beauty parlours in […]
