Podcasts and Travel Apps? Facebook Is Working on Those   1%

The social network is exploring new product areas through a team dedicated to building the company’s future.

Elon Musk reveals bizarre tactic used to get Tesla trademark   -30%

'We sent the nicest person in the company to sit on his doorstep until he at least talked to us'

Investor to oppose Instructure's plans to sell to Thoma Bravo   6%

Rivulet Capital, a large investor in Instructure Inc, on Thursday said it will resist the U.S. educational software company's plan to sell itself to private equity firm Thoma Bravo for $2 billion,...

San Francisco Opera Names a New Conductor. Shes Making History.   10%

Eun Sun Kim will be the first woman to hold the music director post at an American company of major size and stature.

Tata Steel asks LGBTQ+ employees to declare partners, avail HR benefits  

With its vision to provide equal opportunity to the employees, it has been an endeavour of the company to create an enabling workforce for all diverse groups, respecting and embracing the differences in the individuals, the steel maker said in a statement.

Revealed: water company and city officials knew about Flint poison risk  

Exclusive: email exchanges show senior employees knew Michigan residents might risk being poisoned by tap water months before city admitted to problem

Executives at one of the world’s largest utilities companies knew that families in Flint, Michigan, might be at risk of being poisoned by lead in their tap water months before the city publicly admitted the problem, according to internal company emails.

Email exchanges in February 2015 between executives at Veolia and a city contractor show some senior employees were aware that lead from the city’s pipes could be leaching into drinking water. They argued that city officials should be told to change Flint’s water supply to protect residents.

Johnny Depp not involved in Michael Jackson musical about his glove   -20%

Representative denied initial reports that suggested the actor's production company was behind the project

Talos Energy goes on $640M buying spree in Gulf of Mexico  

The Houston offshore oil and gas producer Talos Energy announced the results of a $640 million buying spree, picking up a slew of assets in the Gulf of Mexico from multiple companies backed by private equity firms.

How Paralympian Mike Schultz Built His Own Prosthetic Leg   2%

In 2008, Monster Mike Schultz, a pro snowmobile racer, had his left leg amputated above the knee. Seven months later, he was zooming around on a dirt bike wearing a prosthetic leg that he designed and built himself. Today, the action sports star is at the top of his game—winning medals in motocross and snocross at the X Games and in snowboarding at the Paralympics. And he is using his ingenuity to help other athletes reach their full potential through his company, BioDapt. This Great Big Story was made possible by GEICO.

Europe Inc. splurges on US acquisitions amid economic uncertainty   2%

European companies announced deals worth nearly $60 billion last month making it the busiest November since 2015. More than half of that amount will be spent on buying US companies.

Portugal resists US appeal to bar Huawei from 5G network   16%

Portugal will not exclude Chinese companies from supplying technology for the country’s next-generation 5G wireless network, senior Portuguese officials told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday.Portugal is the latest European Union country to resist US efforts to persuade allies they should shun Huawei’s bids to provide the hardware that operators will use for the new ultra-fast 5G networks.The Chinese government “will not hesitate” to use Huawei as a back door to sensitive data,…

Aramco soars in debut to hit market value of $1.88 trillion  

Saudi Aramco shares surged after the oil producer’s initial public offering, valuing the company at a record $1.88 trillion in the culmination of a four-year effort by the kingdom to list its crown jewel.

Merriam-Webster declares 'they' its 2019 word of the year  

The decision was based on a 313 per cent increase in look-ups on the company’s search site, Merriam-Webster.com, this year when compared with 2018.

MSCI, S Dow Jones, FTSE Russell could fast-track Aramco into indices   50%

State-owned Saudi Aramco, the world’s most profitable company, is set to launch a share sale process on November 17

Boost for Saudi Arabia as Aramco shares close in on $2 trillion after debut   30%

Price surge gives the state-owned oil giant a market value of about $1.88 trillion, comfortably making it the world's most valuable listed company

Bipartisan Bill Targets Online Spread of Child Sex Abuse Material   20%

The legislation, responding to an investigation in The New York Times, would make tech companies more responsible for retaining data about abuse.

U2s Bono urges Rodrigo Duterte to respect human rights, ahead of Manila concert on Joshua Tree Tour   -12%

Rock star activist Bono says he has no plans to meet President Rodrigo Duterte while his band U2 is in the Philippines for its first concert in the country.Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, instead sent a “soft message” to Duterte, whose violent crackdown against illegal drugs has been criticised by human rights activists worldwide.“Human rights are critical,” the Irishman told a press conference with the Philippine Red Cross, which unveiled a partnership with a company that enables…

ICSI CS Admit Card released for December 2019 Exam, here's direct link  

The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has released the admit cards for the December 2019 Session on its official website - icsi.indiaeducation.net.

Move aside Apple, you're not the world's most valuable company anymore   25%

Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco surpassed the iPhone maker as the world's most valuable public company on Wednesday when its shares made their debut on the Saudi stock exchange.

19 Women Sue Lyft as Sexual Assault Allegations Mount  

Dozens of women have joined lawsuits against the ride-sharing company, saying it has not done enough to prevent assaults by drivers.

Peloton Doesnt Understand the People Who Love It Most  

The internet has some feedback on Peloton’s holiday ad campaign. The fitness-tech company, famous for its $2,400, Wi-Fi-enabled stationary bikes that let riders stream spin classes, debuted a new television commercial in mid-November, but it didn’t become infamous until earlier this week, when Twitter got ahold of it.

In the ad, a young mom gains confidence in the year after her husband buys her a Peloton for Christmas—or, at least, that’s what the ad seems to be aiming for. The commercial documents the woman (who is also documenting herself, via her phone’s front-facing camera) while she gets up early day after day to exercise or jumps on the bike after work. At the end, she presents the video of her exercise journey to her husband. “A year ago, I didn’t realize how much this would change me,” she tells him. “Thank you.”

Unfortunately, rather than grateful, the newly minted indoor cyclist appears terrified during the entire video. Her facial expression suggests to some viewers a desperate effort to please her spouse, and maybe, if you really want to take things to their logical extreme, that she was compelled to mount her fancy new bike against her will. The commercial has inspired days of both earnest Twitter outrage and mocking parody videos, mostly because the actor in it has what the journalist Helen Rosner aptly described as “perpetually sad eyebrows,” which make her look scared even when her lines are joyful. The company’s stock lost nearly a billion dollars of value in a day.

Casting and directorial decisions aside, it’s not difficult to imagine that a genuinely doting husband might buy his wife an expensive exercise bike for Christmas, or that an affluent mom might ask for one, or that someone trying to get out of a personal rut might feel nervous that they’ll fail. Before-and-after photos of newly thin bodies have long been an element of fitness marketing, and now Peloton wants to make the case for a before-and-after of the soul. As it turns out, that is a little tougher to telegraph.

Earlier this year, I spent six months pedaling after a question that a lot of people have about Peloton: Why would anyone become emotionally devoted to an expensive exercise bike? The answers turned out to be fairly simple: The bike was convenient. Yes, they all admitted, it was expensive (in addition to the bike, a monthly subscription to classes is $40), but fancy gym memberships easily top $100 a month, and boutique fitness classes are usually $25 to $45 each. Peloton devotees told me they felt good about being active. Online communities of Peloton riders support one another and often provide real opportunities for people to make friends. And the company’s instructors generally don’t use weight as a tool of shame-motivation, unlike many fitness brands.

[Read: I joined a stationary-biker gang]

The emotional journey clumsily depicted in the new ad isn’t unlike the stories actual users told me, about how they were afraid to exercise but found themselves spurred forward by documenting and sharing their efforts. In a sedentary, lonely country where wide swaths of the population lack accessible or safe outdoor areas to exercise or much free time to devote to fitness, products that address those problems are going to find customers—even if they’re expensive.

I wasn’t the only person surprised by the simple reasons for Peloton’s popularity. The brand, too, seems to have initially misjudged what its own appeal might be, and the controversial ad appears to be part of a larger effort to walk back some of its early messaging. The company’s first ads, which have been widely mocked in their own right, featured young, confident, clearly affluent people working out their already toned bodies while gazing out the windows of their multimillion-dollar homes. After a few years, however, it became clear to the company that many of its bikes were going into the basements and guest bedrooms of middle-class American homes, used by regular people who lead regular lives.

As a result, Peloton has tried to pivot to something more wholesome than the pursuit of peak fitness. The company introduced financing plans, dropped the price of its digital-only subscription, and added bigger sizes to its line of branded merchandise. It started running ads that showed the bikes in more types of homes. Now it’s trying to figure out the same thing as a million other wellness brands: how to talk about exercise and well-being without emphasizing ideals of physical perfection that feel outdated to a lot of potential customers.

In response to the ad’s controversy, a spokesperson for the brand said that the ad was an attempt to give viewers a broader sense of the product’s advantages. “We constantly hear from our members how their lives have been meaningfully and positively impacted after purchasing or being gifted a Peloton Bike or Tread, often in ways that surprise them,” the statement read. “Our holiday spot was created to celebrate that fitness and wellness journey.”

[Read: The fitness craze that changed the way women exercise]

A holistic mind-body wellness journey might just be a little too conceptual to make for a good ad. For the commercial to make sense to many people, they have to already have a fairly detailed sense of why Peloton’s devotees find the device worthwhile, which makes it a risky strategy for a medium that reaches millions of people. Those people all live in a culture where exercise has long been regarded as punishment for the joy of indulgence, and where women are supposed to maintain an impossible level of physical perfection well into middle age, lest they face the denigration of both the culture at large and their own romantic partners.

Viewers who have spent their lives enduring those anxieties see them lurking just out of frame in Peloton’s new commercial, which reveals a larger problem with America’s relationship to exercise: It can’t be fixed with a good product and some slick ads.

Govt to protect buyers of cos facing insolvency   -4%

The 10-odd amendments set to be moved by finance and corporate affairs minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament will provide that promoters of companies where insolvency action is initiated will have unlimited liability in case of any criminal action, while the corporate entity will be ring-fenced from the action.

Letters to the Editor: Price controls are the only way to make miracle cancer drugs affordable   50%

Better than pricing drugs according to "value" would be to have the federal government force pharmaceutical companies not to overcharge.

Siemens names strategy chief Kayser to lead portfolio companies  

Siemens named its strategy chief and former Kuka CEO Horst J. Kayser as boss of its loss-making portfolio companies, the German engineering company said on Wednesday.

SoftBank Takes Loss in Sale of Wag, Dog-Walking Start-Up  

The technology investment powerhouse sold its shares as its pushes the companies it bets on to seek profits and long-term stability.

'Enduring' aims: Nitro's shares fall in trading debut after $100m IPO   -25%

The Melbourne-founded software startup says it's setting up for long-term growth, having just ended a string of failed company IPOs in the Australian market.

Kim Kardashian West, Israeli eyewear brand parting ways early   -11%

Social media and reality TV megastar role as spokeswoman failed to live up to Israeli eyewear company’s expectations for U.S. launch

FDA issues warning letter to Alkermes over opioid addiction treatment ad  

A print advertisement of Alkermes Plc's addiction treatment, Vivitrol, is false or misleading as it omits important risk information associated with its use, the Food and Drug Administration said in a warning letter http://bit.ly/2LGVKUM to the company.

Abu Dhabi Ports plans 1 billion dollar Khalifa Port expansion  

Emirate owned Abu Dhabi Ports Company said on Wednesday it was investing 3.8 billion dirhams ($1.03 billion) in an expansion of Khalifa Port which will help Increase capacity. It will

This high school class aims to alleviate South Floridas industrial labor shortage   5%

A multinational company is helping to alleviate the labor shortages plaguing South Florida’s industrial market by going back to high school. But one multinational company saw the potential to nurture … Click to Continue »

PV sales slip into negative territory in November   -19%

Domestic passenger vehicle sales slipped into negative territory once again in November after registering a slight recovery in the preceding month, as muted demand conditions forced companies to reduce dispatches to dealers. According to data released by SIAM, passenger vehicle sales declined 0.84% to 2,63,773 units in November from 2,66,000 units in the year-ago period.

At Alvin Ailey, a Quiet Disrupter With No Time for Tears   22%

Jamar Roberts, the company’s first resident choreographer, wants to bring the world into his dances.

Saudi Aramco to Raise $25.6 Billion in Biggest I.P.O. Ever  

Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, set a price for its shares that marks the company’s value at $1.7 trillion.

Ackman's Pershing Square makes new bet on Agilent Technologies  

Billionaire investor William Ackman's hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management said Monday it bought shares in testing equipment company Agilent Technologies Inc, only its second new investment...

Singapore property: government policies to blame for oversupply of flats, developer says   5%

Singapore’s property glut is an unintended consequence of government measures to force developers to build and sell flats quickly or face stiff penalties, according to City Developments.The city state’s second-biggest home builder has come out swinging against a rule that imposes a levy on companies if they don’t complete construction and sell all units within a period of five years from acquiring land.Chief executive officer Sherman Kwek said the timeline should be lengthened to seven or even…

SpaceX broadband service will be 'bumpy' at first, Gwynne Shotwell says   10%

The president of SpaceX said she expects the company to mature as an internet service provider by 2021.

France says US proposal on international tax reform unacceptable   35%

France rejects a US proposal this week that would let companies opt out of a proposed international tax reform, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Friday, urging Washington to negotiate in good

Riot Games will pay $10 million to settle gender discrimination suit  

'League of Legends' maker Riot Games has agreed to pay $10 million to settle a gender discrimination suit. Every woman who has worked at the company since 2014 will get a payout.

Home Depot ties opioid crisis to recent surge in store theft   8%

The company said organized criminals are stealing millions of dollars’ worth of goods from it and other retailers and storing the merchandise in warehouses.

US threatens new tariffs on $2.4 billion in French goods   -12%

The US is preparing new tariffs on French goods in retaliation for France's new digital services tax, which Washington says unfairly targets American companies. We take a closer look. Meanwhile, Brazil and Argentina are also facing new US tariffs on their metal exports amid currency devaluations. And post-Thanksgiving sales rack up record numbers.