The many faces of johnny depp

Dogs Trust, which currently has 692 dogs needing homes in 21 centres across the country, said the last time it had seen anything like this was in the wake of the 2008 financial crash. (Representative image) Standing on her hind legs to greet any prospective owner who might approach her glass-doored kennel, Harriet is a black English cocker spaniel abandoned as a deepening cost-of-living crisis pushes growing numbers of Britons to part with their pets. She was found running along a busy road in London after witnesses saw her pushed out of a car and is one of 206 dogs and 164 cats currently being looked after at rehoming centres run by the Battersea animal charity. It is a similar story at other centres across the country – with some seeing record inquiries for dog and cat returns – as the tightest squeeze on living standards since at least the 1960s forces many owners to decide the additional cost of food plus hundreds of pounds in vet bills is no longer manageable. "We … [Read more...] about Cash-strapped Britons give up pets as country faces a long recession

- A + A The Chinese leader emerged from the Communist Party’s secretive summer retreat on the Yellow Sea this week facing mounting problems at home and abroad. Xi has just a few months to make sure they don’t overshadow his greatest achievement yet: securing a precedent-breaking third term as leader at a party congress later this year. (Aug 18): Shortly after President Xi Jinping took power in 2012, he outlined his “Chinese Dream” for national rejuvenation. A decade later, he’s entering his most challenging period yet for turning that vision into reality. The Chinese leader emerged from the Communist Party’s secretive summer retreat on the Yellow Sea this week facing mounting problems at home and abroad. Xi has just a few months to make sure they don’t overshadow his greatest achievement yet: securing a precedent-breaking third term as leader at a party congress later this year. With economic growth forecasts being slashed, Covid cases rising to a three-month … [Read more...] about Xi starts march to third term in China facing problems at home and abroad

In today’s installment of not very shocking news, tech companies don’t hire older workers, according to a new study. And in tech, an “older worker” is anyone over 40. advertisement That bit of news comes from a new report by Visier Insights, which looked at workforce data on 330,000 employees from 43 large U.S. enterprises. They came to the conclusion that there is “systemic ageism in tech hiring practices,” with tech firms bringing in a “higher proportion of younger workers and a smaller proportion of older workers.” The silver lining is that any older worker who did make it through the hiring committee was rewarded with equitable pay (isn’t that nice?) and were lauded for their “experience and maturity.” Visier went on to offer some helpful tips for remedying the situation like “Develop hiring practices that reduce the potential for intentional or unintentional bias in the screening out of older applicants,” which sounds like a great idea. Read the full report … [Read more...] about Study: Baby boomers and Gen Xers face “systemic ageism” in tech hiring

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Alibaba and Tencent, the twin pillars of China’s once-booming internet sector, have long had reputations for eye-popping growth figures and minting new billionaires—but no longer. The two companies are now struggling with the harsh reality that eking out any growth at all will be considered a bonus. Their drastically dimming prospects are reflected in Tencent’s latest financial results. The gaming and social media giant, which for years touted double-digit revenue increases, was squeezed on almost all fronts during the quarter that ended in June. Its total revenues shrank by 3% to $20 billion from a year ago—the first such decline since 2014—while profit attributable to shareholders missed expectations and plunged by almost two-thirds to $2.8 billion. Tencent blamed the alarming decline on factors including weaker spending by users and less corporate demand for its ad offerings. The company joins e-commerce giant … [Read more...] about China’s Internet Giants Face New Era Of Tough Oversight And Low Growth

Representative image (REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui) The Karnataka government announced on April 25 that wearing face masks will once again be compulsory in all public places, including at workplace and public transport. The Karnataka government had lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in view of the declining number of fresh infections being reported daily on February 28, 2022. However, cases are on the rise again in several states across the country, including Haryana, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu; Karnataka too has seen a slight rise in daily infections. This necessitated the state to reintroduce the mask mandate. A statement released by the Karnataka government read: “Whereas, the above-mentioned states have reintroduced mask mandate with penalty for non-compliance. As a proactive step to minimize the upsurge of COVID-19 cases, this order is being issued as per the recommendations of the State COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee.” Not only has the Karnataka government made face … [Read more...] about Karnataka reintroduces mask mandate as COVID-19 cases rise

People who are affected by infertility do have options to try, but in vitro fertilization (IVF) and the diagnostics, medication, surgery, and other treatments can be expensive. In some cases, medical insurance will cover many of the costs, but in other cases it won't. On a global scale, 15% of reproductive-aged couples are impacted by infertility around the world, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates. The majority of people affected by infertility (including men, women, LGBTQ couples, and single people), will pay out-of-pocket . Depending on the treatment, out-of-pocket costs can easily reach thousands of dollars. Some states have laws that require insurance companies to cover treatment for infertility, but the laws vary. Here, we'll explain how state laws affect insurance coverage for fertility treatment in more detail. Key Takeaways Mandatory insurance coverage for fertility treatment and medication is not widespread in the U.S. Many insurers do … [Read more...] about States Laws & Insurance Coverage for Fertility Treatments & Medication

You can have a pension and still contribute to a 401(k)—and an IRA—to take charge of your retirement. If you have a defined benefit pension plan at work, you have nothing to worry about, right? Maybe not. While pensions used to be a staple ingredient in the recipe of retirement planning, fewer companies today offer them. What's more, the benefits aren't as reliable as they used to be . Now is a good time to start thinking about where your pension fits into your overall plan for retirement. It’s dangerous to rely on any pension—even a generous one—to cover all your retirement needs. Key Takeaways A pension provides a fixed monthly benefit upon retirement for the rest of your life. 401(k)s and IRAs provide income in retirement, too. But the amount depends on how much you contribute and how well your investments perform. A good retirement strategy is to contribute to a variety of retirement investments, including 401(k)s and IRAs—even if you already have a pension. … [Read more...] about Can You Have a Pension and a 401(k)?

The January effect was in full effect for the first month of 2019. After a punishing December, stocks rebounded in the first few weeks of January as signs of progress in the U.S.-China trade war appeared, the Federal Reserve adopted a more dovish tone on interest rates, and earnings season revealed that some companies and sectors have more-positive outlooks than expected. It was a month to remember: The S&P 500, up 7.8%, had its best January performance since 1987, and its biggest monthly gain since October 2015. The DJIA rose 7.17% in January, its largest one-month rise since 2015 and biggest January gain in 30 years. Crude oil prices had their best month on record, surging more than 19% after three straight months of losses. Output cuts and the chaos in Venezuela, had a lot to do with that performance. The U.S. added 304,000 jobs in January, blowing out expectations despite the shutdown. While stocks have rebounded, notably for U.S. companies and indexes, risks … [Read more...] about What to Expect for the Markets in February

- A + A (Aug 18): Apple Inc is aiming to hold a launch event on Sept 7 to unveil the iPhone 14 line, according to people with knowledge of the matter, rolling out the latest version of a product that generates more than half its sales. The new iPhones will kick off a busy fall product season, which will also include multiple new Macs, low-end and high-end iPads, and three Apple Watch models. Apple is updating its flagship product at a precarious time for the industry. Smartphone sales have begun to flag as consumers cope with inflation and a shaky economy. But Apple appears to be faring better than its peers: The iPhone sold well last quarter, and the company has signaled to suppliers that it doesn’t foresee a dropoff in demand. The Cupertino, California-based tech giant typically announces other products alongside the iPhone, including the latest Apple Watches. The company usually releases the new iPhone in stores about a week and a half after it’s unveiled, and … [Read more...] about Apple targets Sept 7 for iPhone 14 launch in flurry of new devices

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 18): Dialog Group Bhd's net profit fell 14.65% to RM118.25 million for the fourth quarter ended June 30, 2022 (4QFY22), from RM138.54 million a year earlier, on higher project cost and losses in some of the projects under both its local downstream and international businesses. Earnings per share slipped to 2.1 sen from 2.46 sen previously, the group's Bursa Malaysia filing on Thursday (Aug 18) showed. Quarterly revenue however rose 29.4% to RM675.65 million from RM522.14 million following increased business activities in both local and international operations. For the full FY22, Dialog saw its net profit drop 6.47% to RM508 million from RM543.14 million in the previous financial year, despite revenue rising 44.04% to RM2.32 billion from RM1.61 billion. Dialog said the higher revenue reported by its local operations for 4QFY22 was due to increased activities in the upstream, midstream and downstream activities. The upstream activities … [Read more...] about Dialog’s 4Q net profit falls 15% on higher project cost, losses in some projects