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HONG KONG — Hong Kong banned CBD as a "dangerous drug" and imposed harsh penalties for its possession on Wednesday, forcing fledging businesses to shut down or revamp. Supporters say CBD, or cannabidiol, derived from the cannabis plant, can help relieve stress and inflammation without getting its users high, unlike its more famous cousin THC, the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana which has long been illegal in Hong Kong. CBD was once legal in the city, and cafes and shops selling CBD-infused products were popular among young people. But all that has changed with the prohibition, which took effect Wednesday but had been announced by the government last year. CBD-related businesses have closed down while others have struggled to remodel their businesses. Consumers dumped what they saw as a cure for their ailments into special collection boxes set up around the city. The new rule reflects a zero-tolerance policy toward dangerous drugs in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous southern Chinese business hub, as well as in mainland China, where CBD was banned in 2022. The city maintains several categories of "dangerous drugs," which include "hard drugs" such as heroin and cocaine. In explaining the policy change, the Hong Kong government cited […]

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The market hasn’t been a fan of Xylem’s acquisition of Evoqua, but it could be a long-term success. , albeit expensive, stock with a strong position in an important, growing industry. Then the company moved to purchase Evoqua Water Technologies AQUA –1.11% Now Xylem is a more attractive company with a better growth outlook—and a lower stock price. Rye-Brook, New York-based Xylem (ticker: XYL) is a leading water technology company making pumps, valves, filters, and meters for industrial and utility customers. Sales in 2022 are expected to be $5.4 billion, which is significant for a pure-play water company. By comparison, Danaher DHR +0.75% ‘s ( DHR ) water business, which it plans to spin off later this year , generates about $5 billion inside a mammoth $200 billion market-cap industrial and health conglomerate. Morgan Stanley MS +0.49% is expanding further into retail investing with its first exchange-traded funds, but faces a crowded field where legions of ETFs struggle to gain traction. The $1.3 trillion asset manager today launched six ETF strategies focused on environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, investing, from pioneer Calvert Research and Management, part of Morgan Stanley (ticker: MS).

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Jaime Ibanez’s vending-machine business was a launching-off point for his YouTube career. Vending-machine businesses are gaining popularity because they require minimal overhead. The success of your business can depend on the products you sell and where you place the machine. Here are five vending-machine businesses that are relatively easy to start. Sign up for our weekday newsletter, packed with original analysis, news, and trends — delivered right to your inbox. Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Starting a business isn’t easy — it takes a lot of hard work and can be a huge time commitment — but some ventures don’t require as much funding, resources, or employees as others. Vending-machine businesses are gaining popularity because they require minimal investment to get started, are low maintenance, and can eventually generate passive income if you outsource the daily upkeep. Some vending-machine entrepreneurs have started businesses for between $1,500 and $3,000. What you sell in the vending […]

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China’s population is shrinking. While the massive country is still home to 1.4 billion people — nearly one out of every five people on Earth — China’s National Bureau of Statistics announced that its population shrank in 2022 , falling by roughly 850,000 people. This shocking statistic is only the start of China’s population decline. This year India is set to surpass China’s population, and in a few years it will surpass China’s working-age population — people 20 to 69. The United Nations has estimated that if China’s birth rate remains at its super-low level and the country fails to position itself as an attractive destination for migrants, the country will lose nearly half of its population by the end of this century, a contraction of roughly 700 million people. Strong growth in its working-age population over the past several decades allowed China to become the world’s factory — over 70% of solar panels, 60% of farm machines, and 25% of robots are constructed with components from Chinese suppliers. Because of its manufacturing prowess and importance to supply chains, China’s shrinking working-age population has enormous, direct effects on the global economy. It’s also an omen for the US and […]

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The La Defense business district in Paris, France, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. Thierry Viu of CMS discusses the powers of the French tax authorities to enter and search a company’s premises to seize evidence of tax fraud, and the process that follows such a search, leading to a tax audit. Tax searches are a powerful way for the French tax authorities to gather evidence, as they allow them to seize all documents on a company’s premises that may reveal tax fraud. The searches may affect all companies, whether small or multinational. According to a public report released by the French Ministry of Finance, more than 160 tax searches on company premises were carried out in France in 2021. The amount of tax adjustments made by the authorities following these searches was more than 562 million euros ($609 million)—417 million euros in principal and 155 million euros in tax penalties. Since taxpayers are not informed in advance of a tax search, several questions arise: Why do the tax authorities carry out a search? Who can be the subject of a search? What documents can be seized and how can they be used? What tax penalties are likely to be […]

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(kvkirillov/iStock/Getty Images Plus) Higher education has come to mean a great many things to the American people—a coming-of-age experience, a stepping-stone holding the promise to a better future, even validation that an individual “belongs” to an exclusive institution. But in a simple sense, it could be argued that it is designed to serve one of two primary purposes: either to advance knowledge, by means of research, or transfer knowledge, through an array of learning experiences. Even as many strive to do so, it’s not common that a single institution can do both equally well, nor should every institution be motivated or incentivized as such. An institution’s value proposition, after all, will necessarily drive its economic model and incentive structure. Those can either be oriented toward, or detract from, student learning and success. Unfortunately, expansive missions in higher education are more readily found than is clarity of purpose, and misalignment between student expectations and institutional incentives is rampant. In a 2020–21 Strada-Gallup Education poll of more than 20,000 Americans, 79 percent cited the reason “be able to support myself and my family” as very or extremely important in their decision to pursue their highest level of education. But when you […]

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Sign up for our Middle East newsletter and follow us @middleeast for news on the region. The United Arab Emirates’ national energy company has started pitching an initial public offering of its gas business to investors, according to people familiar with the matter. During calls and presentations with potential backers, Adnoc said the two units merged to create Adnoc Gas generated record income last year, according to the people. The strong performance came as global gas prices soared after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its decision to cut supplies to Europe. Adnoc Gas was formed at the start of 2023 when Adnoc combined its liquefied natural gas and gas-processing arms. They made adjusted earnings before tax and interest payments of $8.7 billion in the year-ended October 2022, the people said. Companies are typically valued at several multiples of that figure, though investors are also likely to take into consideration figures from earlier years, when income was lower, as well as the fact gas prices have dipped in 2023. Read more: Adnoc Eyes Valuation of at Least $50b for Gas Business: Rtrs Goldman, BofA Said to Give Up Lead Roles on Adnoc Gas IPO Revenue for the period through October […]

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To recognize authors making a positive impact with words, the Annual Goody Business Book Awards announces that it is now accepting 2023 Nominations for any book published within five years with 25 New award categories to expand options. SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Annual Goody Business Book Awards announces its 2023 book nominations are now Open for any book published within the past 5 years (2019-2023) with 25 New and revised categories! While many book awards highlight a social good category, the Goody Business Book Awards program honors 100% social impact books in 50 categories. Authors, publishers, literary agents and fans are encouraged to Nominate a Book by September 30, 2023. Goody PR and Goody Business Book Awards Founder, Award-Winning Author and Podcast Host Liz H. Kelly explains; "With a sea of 48.5+ million books published on Amazon as Kindle eBooks alone, authors need to find new ways to stand out above the rest beyond being a bestseller, which includes becoming an Award-Winning Author." When asked what changed, Kelly expanded, "The Goody Business Book Awards still has 50 total book award categories , but added MANY categories based on the most popular book award categories […]

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Lawyer Spotlights: Genna Ghauland Nicholas J. Morin The Year in Bankruptcy : 2022 A brief chronicle of the year’s notable developments in corporate bankruptcy and restructuring, including business bankruptcy filings, significant court rulings and bankruptcy legislation. [ read more … ] First Impressions: The Eleventh Circuit Examines 20-Day Administrative Expense Claims and the Subsequent New Value Preference Defense Because the claims of vendors who provide goods to a debtor during the 20 days before it files for bankruptcy are conferred with administrative expense priority—a designation otherwise almost exclusively limited to claims against a debtor that arise after the bankruptcy petition date—courts sometimes disagree over whether a preference defendant can use the same value to assert such a "20-day claim" and to offset its preference liability under the "subsequent new value" defense. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently addressed this question as a matter of first impression in Auriga Polymers Inc. v. PMCM2, LLC , 40 F.4th 1273 (11th Cir. 2022). It held that a preference defendant may use the same value to assert a 20-day claim that it can use to offset its preference liability under the subsequent new value defense. In so ruling, the […]

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Carrie Montgomery Heidi Hapanowicz Emotional intelligence is a critical skill that business owners need to succeed in today’s competitive market. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand and manage emotions, both your own and those of others. It’s an important tool that can help you better understand your customers and employees and make smarter decisions based on emotional cues. Meet Carrie Montgomery , Brand Mentor, Creative Director, & Style Architect, and founder of Somatic Styling Method and Radiant Brand Method, who teaches business owners how to tap into their emotional intelligence in order to regulate their nervous system and express their brand more masterfully. She helps her clients to expand their capacity and vision plus reach new opportunities. Montgomery believes that emotional intelligence is vital for entrepreneurs and the success of their businesses as it helps you confidently make business decisions. She uses a simple and memorable process to take action: Recognize, Regulate, and Re-approach to teach her clients how to recognize others and navigate situations. The benefits of emotional intelligence in business Having emotional intelligence as a business owner has numerous benefits. First and foremost, it allows you to understand your customers’ needs better. With emotional intelligence, […]

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