It only took a hint toward an electric vehicle transition to send share prices of Avis Budget Group soaring to their highest level ever yesterday (Nov. 2) after executives at the rental car company said they have plans to add more EVs to their fleet.
Bed Bath & Beyond announced a series of changes to its business model, triggering its stock to rise as much as 54% today (Nov. 3), its best performance in five months. The rally was accompanied by a surge in market activity for other companies known as “meme stocks,” which are on track to experience their most successful week since August.
Firms founded by women are set for a record-breaking fund-raising year after facing a disproportionate setback during the pandemic compared to firms founded by men.
Yahoo announced today (Nov. 2) that it will no longer operate in China as the country tightens data and privacy regulations that are making it increasingly difficult for US companies to operate there.
The UK threatened legal action against France today (Nov. 1) in a dispute over licenses to operate in Britain’s territorial waters. France has said it will block British boats from docking in its ports if the UK doesn’t grant additional fishing licenses to French vessels, per requirements laid out in the post-Brexit trade deal. UK foreign secretary Liz Truss said the UK would give France 48 hours before moving ahead with additional measures.
Jes Staley stepped down as CEO of Barclays today (Nov. 1) after the bank was made aware of the findings of an investigation conducted by UK regulators into his relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail three years ago.
It’s a familiar experience for almost anyone who has signed up for a subscription service in recent years: You give your information to a company, perhaps enticed by a “free trial” offer, and go about your day. But when you decide you don’t want it anymore, the company makes it incredibly hard—even impossible—to cancel.
Uber is cashing in on a piece of Hertz’s deal to buy 100,000 Teslas, with the rental car company planning to make half of its EV fleet available to drivers with the ride-sharing app next month. Uber said this represents the largest expansion of EVs on a mobility platform in North America, and will help get the ride-sharing company closer to its goal of achieving zero emissions by 2040.
When Facebook introduced internet users to its “Meta” rebrand today, CEO Mark Zuckerberg came ready—mostly.
The Virginia governor’s race waded into US culture wars this week when Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin seemed to take aim at Toni Morrison’s 1987 novel Beloved.
Criminal charges had not been ruled out for the investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of Rust, a Western whose star Alec Baldwin killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after firing a gun on set, Santa Fe County sheriff Adan Mendoza said today (Oct. 27). Assistant director Dave Halls reportedly told Baldwin the revolver was “cold,” meaning it did not have live rounds, before he shot Hutchins and director Joel Souza, who survived.
The most important everyday staple in France could soon become more expensive. The cost of the country’s beloved baguette may rise by €0.05 to €0.10 ($0.06 to $0.12) in the coming weeks, said Dominique Anract, president of the French Confederation of Bakeries and Pastry Shops.
US president Joe Biden’s administration announced on Monday (Oct. 25) new guidelines for foreign visitors entering the country. Starting Nov. 8 non-citizens traveling to the US must show proof of vaccination for covid-19, as well as a negative test taken within three days before departure. This new policy will open up travel to tourists from 33 different countries that were banned for the past year due to the covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, though, it will make travel more complicated for some: Only those vaccinated with doses approved by the Food and Drug Administration or World Health Organization will be allowed entry, for now.
The Swedish furniture giant IKEA is often associated with large, hulking warehouses located well outside city centers. There’s the store outside of central Seoul, which is nearly as big as the Louvre, or the Kungens Kurva location, in a suburb of Stockholm, which has enough parking spots for 1,850 cars.
When Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August, the country lost access to much of the international aid that has for years propped up the country’s economy, providing funding for services like education, food, and healthcare. Fearful of funneling money to the Taliban-controlled government, many Western countries suspended their aid, as did the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Tesla’s valuation hit a record $1 trillion today (Oct. 25) after Hertz announced it will purchase 100,000 electric vehicles from the car company by the end of 2022, giving the manufacturer its biggest-ever order. The deal is worth an estimated $4.2 billion in revenue for Tesla, and could help pave the way for wider adoption of electric vehicles among US drivers.
Accidents involving firearms on US film sets are rare. Live ammunition is prohibited, and a prop master or licensed armorer is responsible for handling any weapons, training the actors who use them, and loading blanks to ensure that real bullets aren’t fired. An industry-wide safety bulletin advises those working in Hollywood to “treat all firearms as though they are loaded.”
Shares of a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) created to fund former president Donald Trump’s new media venture surged 400% after debuting on the stock market today (Oct. 21). By 1:49pm eastern time trading of the SPAC, called Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC), had been halted five times due to volatility, and by 4pm it had climbed to $45.60 from its opening price of $12.73.
WeWork went public today (Oct. 21), two fraught years after a failed IPO revealed the office-leasing company wasn’t as profitable as its charismatic co-founder, Adam Neumann, had led investors to believe.
The shapewear company Spanx, known for its body-slimming undergarments, is worth an estimated $1.2 billion following the investment firm Blackstone’s decision to purchase a majority stake in the company.
New York City mayor Bill De Blasio has announced that city workers who are not vaccinated for covid-19 by the end of October will be put on leave without pay.
Italy’s new covid-19 rules went into effect on Oct. 15, prompting labor strikes and protests across the country. The mandate, one of the strictest in the world, requires employees in the public and private sectors to show proof of vaccination, a negative test, or recovery from the virus in order to go to work. Those who don’t comply may be fined up to €1,500, or $1,760.
UK counterterrorism police are questioning a 25-year-old man following the murder of David Amess, a Conservative party member of the UK parliament, on Oct. 15. The suspected killer, Ali Harbi Ali, is a British national of Somali origin, and is thought to have links to Islamic extremism. His father, Harbi Ali Kullane, is a former adviser to Somalia’s prime minister.
When an anonymous buyer secured the winning bid for British artist Banksy’s Girl With Balloon in 2018, the painting promptly self-destructed. With the bang of an auction gavel, the framed artwork started to shred itself before security guards removed it from the wall. The partially destroyed painting was renamed Love is in the Bin.
