Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

March 15th, 2023

Good morning, and happy Wednesday! We’ll get right into this week’s brain buster: see if you can spot the three owls hidden in this colorful flock of chickens. Everyone on our team was able to spot them in two minutes–see if you can beat that time!

On an unrelated note, Tip News is growing every day thanks to all of you! As a reminder, we’re giving away a year’s supply of handmade Wellness Candles infused with crystals that will cleanse the air you breathe while making it smell sweeter than ever. To earn your entry for this month’s raffle, all you have to do is get one friend to join Tip News.

In Today’s Brief

China: Raising the retirement age
House: Four-day workweek reintroduced
FIFA: World Cup gets more matches
Cvent: Taken private for the second time

...and more

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Top Tips

February inflation report

Inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 6% in February compared to last year and 0.4% from the month prior, per a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to the Labor Bureau’s report, energy prices rose 5.2% year-over-year, and the index for food rose 9.5% from January 2022 levels. Other categories that saw price increases in the days between February and January were airline fares (+6.4%), gasoline (+1.0%), and rent (+0.8%). “Core” inflation–which removes the food and energy components of the report–increased by 5.5% compared to the same period last year, and rose 0.5% in February after rising 0.4% in January.

Last month’s 6% annualized rise in the CPI marks a decline of 2.3% from its August 2022 level, which saw an annualized increase of 8.3% from August 2021. Price categories that decreased in February are used cars and trucks (-2.8%), medical care services (-0.7%), and energy (-0.6%).

More layoffs at Meta

Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta announced yesterday that it would lay off an additional 10K employees.

The announcement comes four months after the company released 11K workers in November. That figure amounted to approximately 13% of Meta’s workforce at the time and represented the largest job cuts in the company’s history. In a press release, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote that the layoffs are part of what he calls the company’s “Year of Efficiency” and added that Meta will also close an additional 5K open roles.

Layoffs have impacted the technology industry since last year, as companies attempt to contain costs after what executives have cited as aggressive growth and hiring practices during the pandemic. Before its first round of layoffs, Meta’s headcount grew from 48K in March 2020 to 87K in November 2022. According to recent data, 483 tech companies have laid off over 128K employees so far in 2023.

Black Sea drone collision

An unmanned U.S. drone went down in international waters in the Black Sea yesterday after it was struck by a Russian fighter jet, U.S. European Command announced.

According to remarks from U.S. Air Force General James B. Hecker, the unmanned U.S. MQ-9 aircraft was “conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft” identified as a Su-27. Hecker called the act by Russian forces “unsafe and unprofessional” and added that the crash resulted in a “complete loss” of the drone. As of this writing, Russia provided no word on the incident.

White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. will continue to operate in international airspace, including the Black Sea. Yesterday’s event comes as the war in Ukraine enters its thirteenth month and marks the first time since the height of the Cold War that a U.S. aircraft was brought down by a Russian warplane.

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Quick Tips

Around the Globe

Nepal has banned individual trekkers from venturing out alone starting next month; all hikers will be required to hire a government-licensed guide and obtain a card proving permission through authorized trekking agencies, per Nepal’s Tourism Board (More)
China will raise its retirement age to cope with the country’s aging population, according to reports from state media that cite sources in the country’s Ministry of Human Resources (More)
Malawi declared a state of disaster due to impacts from Tropical Storm Freddy; at least 190 people are now confirmed to have lost their lives in the country after Freddy hit southern Africa for the second time in a month (More)

On the Homefront

A bill to make a four-day workweek a national standard was reintroduced in the House of Representatives by California Rep. Mark Takano (More)
President Biden signed an executive order aiming to reduce gun violence by seeking to increase the number of background checks to buy guns and promote proper gun safety and storage among owners (More)
House Oversight Committee will be able to access suspicious activity reports related to Hunter Biden and the Biden family’s foreign business deals, according to committee Chairman James Comer (More)

Glitz & Games

FIFA switched the format for the 2026 World Cup back to four-team groups; the upcoming World Cup competition in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada was originally due to feature 16 groups of three (More)
Author John Jakes passed away at age 90, according to his literary agent; Jakes was known for writing novels such as The Bastard and North and South that were adapted into TV movies and miniseries (More)
The film adaptation of the musical ‘Wicked’ will hit theaters one month earlier than scheduled, with a new release date set for November next year (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes in the stock market closed higher, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq leading gains (Dow +1.02%, Nasdaq +2.14%, S&P 500 +1.65%)
Meetings and events management software provider Cvent will be taken private for the second time in a deal with Blackstone (More)
Shares of Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) hit an all-time low after the company disclosed in its annual report that it identified “material weaknesses” in its internal reporting (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: Hear an artist’s story about how Brendan Fraser once went out of his way to help an entire visual effects crew get compensated for their work after the studio producing their movie went under and stopped sending paychecks
Sneak Peek: Watch the official trailer for the upcoming Netflix film Chupa, in which the mythical chupacabra gets a family-friendly makeover to become what the director calls “an incredibly cute creature”
Bump This: Feel-good dance duo Chromeo brings classic disco vibes into the modern era with their new single “Words With You” - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
Chow Down: It seems like food takes on a supporting role in every movie these days - if you’re in the mood for something savory, try out the recipe for the scallion noodles featured in Everything Everywhere All at Once
Go Deep: Read up on yesterday’s proposal from the EPA on the first national standard to protect communities from the “forever chemicals” found in drinking water…and what to know about the chemicals in the first place
Hot Goss: Actress Lindsay Lohan revealed in an Instagram post that she is expecting her first child with her husband Bader Shammas
Life Hack: When that dip in energy hits you in the afternoon, don’t feel bad about going down for a mid-day slumber - here are six tips to get the most out of an afternoon nap and wake up feeling as restored as possible

Tip-Offs

A Harvard professor explains the science of happiness.

The storied history of March Madness.

Examining the symptoms of Alice in Wonderland syndrome.

One photographer’s journey to take 40K photos of birds.

Meet ARTEMIS, the world’s fastest humanoid robot.

How cities could potentially benefit from floating solar panels.

James Webb’s recent photo of a cherry blossom supernova.

Detailing an Ohio man's unusual Zebra confrontation.

Looking Back…

On March 15th: Tsar Nicholas II abdicates the throne of the Russian Empire (1917); U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson delivers his We Shall Overcome speech (1965); Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather premieres (1972); Ruth Bader Ginsburg is born (1933).

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