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Three untapped opportunities wearables present to health insurers, providers, and employers

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  • After a shaky start, wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers have gained traction in healthcare, with US consumer use jumping from 9% in 2014 to 33% in 2018.
  • More than 80% of consumers are willing to wear tech that measures health data — and penetration should continue to climb.
  • The maturation of the wearable market will put more wearables in the hands of consumers and US businesses.

The US healthcare industry as it exists today is not sustainable. An aging patient population and rising burden of chronic disease have caused healthcare costs to skyrocket and left providers struggling to keep up with demand for care. 

FORECAST: Fitness Tracker and Health-Based Wearable Installed Base

Meanwhile, digital technologies in nearly every consumer experience outside of healthcare have raised patients’ expectations for good service to be higher than ever.

One of the key mechanisms through which healthcare providers can finally evolve their outdated practices and exceed these expectations is wearable technology.

Presently, 33% of US consumers have adopted wearables, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, to play a more active role in managing their health. In turn, insurers, providers, and employers are poised to become just as active leveraging these devices – and the data they capture – to abandon the traditional reimbursement model and improve patient outcomes with personalized, value-based care.

Adoption is going to keep climbing, as more than 80% of consumers are willing to wear tech that measures health data, according to Accenture — though they have reservations about who exactly should access it.

A new report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, follows the growing adoption of wearables and breadth of functions they offer to outline how healthcare organizations and stakeholders can overcome this challenge and add greater value with wearable technology.

For insurers, providers, and employers, wearables present three distinct opportunities:

  • Insurers can use wearable data to enhance risk assessments and drive customer lifetime value. One study shows that wearables can incentivize healthier behavior associated with a 30% reduction in risk of cardiovascular events and death.
  • Providers can use the remote patient monitoring capabilities of wearable technology to improve chronic disease management, lessen the burden of staff shortages, and navigate a changing reimbursement model. And since 90% of patients no longer feel obligated to stay with providers that don't deliver a satisfactory digital experience, wearables could help to attract and retain them.
  • Employers can combine wearables with cash incentives to lower insurance costs and improve employee productivity. For example, The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority yielded $5 million in healthcare cost savings through a wearable-based employee wellness program.

Want to Learn More?

The Wearables in US Healthcare Report details the current and future market landscape of wearables in the US healthcare sector. It explores the key drivers behind wearable usage by insurers, healthcare providers, and employers, and the opportunities wearables afford to each of these stakeholders. 

By outlining a successful case study from each stakeholder, the report highlights best practices in implementing wearables to reduce healthcare claims, improve patient outcomes, and drive insurance cost savings, as well as how the evolution of the market will create new, untapped opportunities for businesses.

 

 

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Huawei's chairman brazened it out among world leaders at Davos, talking up 5G while the company faces a criminal probe

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Huawei Chairman Ken Hu

  • Huawei chairman and rotating CEO Ken Hu appeared at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.
  • Hu said 5G will be the next big technological change, and said Huawei expects to deploy 5G mobile technology in 20 more countries over the next 12 months.
  • He also said that companies affected by the ongoing US-China trade war cannot afford to stay passive.
  • Huawei's 5G ambitions have been hampered by the US lobbying its allies to reject the company's bids based on national security fears.

Huawei's chairman Ken Hu appeared at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, appearing calm and composed at the gathering of the world's political leaders and elite.

Hu and other senior Huawei executives are appearing at the conference, despite facing considerable global hostility thanks to worries that the Chinese firm helps its governments to spy on other nations. Huawei's CFO is being detained in Canada and under investigation for alleged dealings with Iran, which is forbidden under US sanctions. And the company is reportedly facing a criminal probe for allegedly stealing US firms' trade secrets.

Speaking during a panel on Tuesday morning, Hu said next-generation mobile internet, 5G, would be the next major technological development.

He said Huawei has deployed 5G in more than 10 countries, and expects to deploy it in another 20 over the next 12 months. He added that Huawei will be bringing out its 5G smartphone in June of this year.

Hu's comments strike a defiant tone, given Huawei is seeing major barriers to its 5G business. The US government has been lobbying its allies to ban Huawei's 5G equipment from their mobile networks. The fear is that Huawei's equipment allows China's Communist Party to spy on other governments, something the firm's leadership has denied.

"5G is ready, 5G is coming, and 5G will bring every one of us great benefits," Hu said. He claimed that 5G could enable people to watch a football game from the perspective of the players, or enable a smartphone to download an HD movie in just seconds. He also listed smart manufacturing, autonomous driving, and remote surgery as possible beneficiaries of the technology.

Read more:Huawei's CEO threatens to axe "mediocre" staff after global security worries

Hu touched on Huawei being caught up by the US-China trade war. He said Huawei has seen a "damaging effect," and warned it might get worse before it gets better.

"We are probably not suffering the worst right now," Hu said. He concluded that while Chinese companies including Huawei are able to react to the trade war for the moment, in the long term, "just being reactive is not enough."

Huawei's executives have spoken out more forcefully since the arrest of their CFO, Meng Wanzhou, who happens to be the daughter of CEO Ren Zhengfei. Ren recently broke years of public silence to speak to reporters to address the arrest of his daughter. He also tried to assuage national security fears, and called Donald Trump a "great president."

SEE ALSO: Here's why it’s so hard to buy Huawei devices in the US

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Chris Brown has been arrested in Paris on suspicion of rape

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chris brown

  • Chris Brown has been arrested in Paris after a woman filed a complaint against him.
  • Police sources told both the Associated Press and Reuters that the singer was detained on Monday.
  • He was arrested alongside two other men, the AP reported.
  • Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault of Rihanna, his then-girlfriend, in 2009.

Singer Chris Brown has been arrested in Paris after a woman filed a rape complaint against him.

Two police officials told the Associated Press (AP) that Brown and two other people are in custody, after arrests were made on Monday.

One of the officials said that one of the other men is Brown's bodyguard.

A French police source also told Reuters that the singer had been arrested on suspicion of rape.

Brown has previously been accused of assault, violent threats, stalking, and sexual assault. His ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran has a permanent restraining order against him.

Brown pled guilty to and was convicted of felony assault of Rihanna, his then-girlfriend, in 2009.

In February 2009, Brown assaulted Rihanna during an argument that led to "visible injuries" and her hospitalization.

He was sentenced to serve five years probation and more than 1,400 hours in "labor-oriented service. He also had to undergo domestic violence counseling.

Representatives for Brown declined to comment to the AP.

INSIDER has contacted French officials for further details.

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The romance between Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina is one of the most adorable stories at the Australian Open, and the couple even have a joint Instagram account

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gael monfils Elina Svitolina

  • Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils have been creating headlines at the 2019 Australian Open.
  • Svitolina contests a quarter-final against Naomi Osaka on Thursday (local time) and will likely be supported by her boyfriend Gael Monfils.
  • The relationship was recently confirmed and the couple even appear to have launched a shared Instagram account.
  • The Instagram account is really cute.

The blossoming romance between Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils has become one of the most adorable stories from the 2019 Australian Open.

The year's first Grand Slam tournament has had a number of cute moments as Serena Williams has delivered hilarious post-match interviews where she confessed she has no idea where most of her trophies are, and has seen the Disney movies "Frozen" and "Beauty and the Beast" thousands of times.

Both stories were confirmed by her husband Alexis Ohanian on Twitter, but there is now a new power couple in town — and this one is delivering just as many headlines.

Read more: Alexis Ohanian says he keeps a spreadsheet of everything he owns while Serena Williams, his wife, 'has no idea where all of her trophies are'

Monfils, a 32-year-old French player who has been a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, was spotted in Svitolina's player box at the Australian Open last week.

24-year-old Svitolina, former women's world number three, contests an intriguing quarter-final encounter against the 2018 US Open champion Naomi Osaka on Wednesday, and will likely be supported once again by Monfils who will cheer her on from court-side.

"He's there for me, he's supporting me, and I'm there for him as well,"she said according to the BBC last week. "He understands, I understand, what we're going through. It's great."

The couple even appear to have launched their own joint Instagram account, @g.e.m.s.life, last week.

The first post is a video which clips together a number of scenes showing them together at a training session, taking an evening stroll, and generally having fun by each other's side.

“ There is nothing wrong with being different. “ 🧩🧩

A post shared by G.E.M.S (@g.e.m.s.life) on Jan 17, 2019 at 10:49pm PST on

They have since posted three other photos, including Svitolina seemingly enthralled by Monfils' musical talents...

Cheers to the freakin’ weekend 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶 #weekendvibes 🧩🧩

A post shared by G.E.M.S (@g.e.m.s.life) on Jan 19, 2019 at 12:22am PST on

...The pair enjoying the Australian heat...

...And the couple in the middle of a heart-warming hug.

Unplug 🔌 and relaxxxxxxxxxxxxx 🧩🧩

A post shared by G.E.M.S (@g.e.m.s.life) on Jan 20, 2019 at 11:30pm PST on

Svitolina takes on Osaka at the Rod Laver Arena, with a place in the tournament's semi-final available to the winner.

If successful, it will be Svitolina's most successful Grand Slam performance having reached the Australian Open quarter-final in 2018, and the French Open quarter-final in 2015 and 2017.

SEE ALSO: Serena Williams looked mortified and turned around after walking onto the Australian Open court while 'world number one' Simona Halep was being announced

DON'T MISS: Alexis Ohanian says he keeps a spreadsheet of everything he owns while Serena Williams, his wife, 'has no idea where all of her trophies are'

UP NEXT: Roger Federer has 15 near-perfect qualities but 2 glaring weaknesses, according to a tennis research group

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Europe's mightiest river is drying up, causing a recession in Germany. Yes, really.

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River Rhine dry

  • Germany probably fell into recession at the end of 2018 as the country's dominant manufacturing sector faltered.
  • That was likely down, in part at least, to an unusual negative factor: a shockingly low water level in the River Rhine.
  • The Rhine is crucial for German industry because it not only provides an avenue for the distribution of raw materials to German manufacturers, but also a means of transporting finished goods to Europe's largest port, Rotterdam.
  • Low water levels prevent certain boats navigating the river, starving factories of materials and preventing the distribution of goods, according to research house Pantheon Macroeconomics.

An unusual factor may have contributed to the German economy's likely fall into a shallow recession at the tail end of 2018, a new report from research house Pantheon Macroeconomics suggests.

Writing on Tuesday, Pantheon's eurozone economics team reports that the slump in Germany's manufacturing sector in the final months of the year may have been exacerbated by the unusually low level of the River Rhine, which runs through Germany's industrial heartland.

Manufacturing is the big driver of the German economy, so when it falters, so, too does Germany as a whole.

One of the big drivers of the slump in the German manufacturing sector was the failure of inflation, particularly producer price inflation — which tracks cost increases in certain areas of manufacturing — to drop in line with the tumbling price of oil in recent months.

That's in part, Pantheon says, because of what's happening to the Rhine, which has seen its water levels drop after a drought during the summer and autumn months. 

Read more: We now have conclusive proof that Europe is in an economic slump, and that two of its biggest economies are careering towards recession

The river is fed by glaciers and rain. But alpine ice flows have been plunging, Wilfried Hagg, glacier expert at Munich University, has told Bloomberg

“The Alps are warming at an even faster rate as snow and ice melts,” Hagg said to Bloomberg on January 18. “A warming climate means that incidents like the low river levels this summer are more likely to occur.”

The charts below show both German inflation, and Rhine water levels:

Screenshot 2019 01 22 at 10.37.50

Screenshot 2019 01 22 at 10.37.50

The Rhine is crucial for German industry because it not only provides an avenue for the distribution of raw materials to German manufacturers, but also a means of transporting finished goods to Europe's largest port, Rotterdam, which sits at the river's mouth.

Low water levels in the Rhine, Pantheon says, effectively amount to a "supply shock in German manufacturing," by lowering the availability of key goods needed for the sector, which come to factories situated on the river by barge. These barges need a depth of water to traverse the river above current levels.

Read more:Germany may have avoided recession in Q4 by just 0.1% because the quarter was one day longer than the previous period

"Inflation of fuel and energy sensitive goods will be pushed higher, regardless of fluctuations in oil prices, and output will be constrained by bottlenecks and increased delivery times," the note said.

There is clear evidence of the negative supply side impact of the low water levels, Pantheon added.

"Petrol stations ran low on fuel, coal energy plants had to reduce capacity thanks to extended delivery times, and some of Germany’s largest manufacturers — ThyssenKrupp and BASF — suffered loss of revenue due to output delays and higher costs of transportation via alternative means."

There is some good news, however, recent rainfall means that river levels are rising once again, likely negating any further impact on the German manufacturing sector.

SEE ALSO: Europe has made a political decision to go into recession

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Starbucks is teaming up with Uber to start delivering coffee in 6 of the biggest US cities (SBUX)

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US map coffee starbucks uber eats

  • Starbucks and Uber are joining forces to deliver coffee, snacks, and other items in six major US cities.
  • 95% of the Starbucks menu will soon be available on the Uber Eats app, and purchases come with a $2.49 flat booking fee.
  • It launches in San Francisco on Tuesday, and then rolls out in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC in a few weeks. 
  • The new system means Uber Eats couriers can deliver coffee from 3,500, or a quarter of all Starbucks stores in the US.
  • Starbucks said they specially developed new packaging to maintain coffee temperature during the 30-minute delivery time. 

Starbucks is teaming up with Uber Eats to deliver coffee in six major US cities, the coffee giant announced on Tuesday. 

Uber Eats will partner up with Starbucks Delivers, the coffee chain's delivery service, to offer on-the-go coffee to people in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC.

The service starts in San Francisco on Tuesday, and will launch in the other cities over the next few weeks, the company said.

By the end of the rollout, Starbucks says Uber Eats couriers will be able to pick up its products from one-quarter of its stores in the US, which amounts to about 3,500 branches.

Starbucks_Delivers_Uber_Eats

Under the new service, people will be able to order 95% of the Starbucks menu on the Uber Eats app.

Starbucks has also come up with new "packaging solutions" to keep coffee hot within the promised 30-minute delivery time, the company said.

Orders will come with $2.49 base booking fee, on top of the cost of coffee, food, and courier travel, it said.

Read more:10 facts you should know about coffee, including how to get the most caffeine

starbucks

The service was a success when it was tested in Miami in Fall 2018, which prompted the company to roll it out to more cities, the chain said.

Starbucks said the service would be available in a total of seven US cities — the six announced on Tuesday and an unnamed seventh — by Spring 2019, and will debut in London at an unspecified dat in the future.

Uber Eats bike London

Starbucks has 29,000 stores across the world. Uber Eats delivers food and drink from 200,000 restaurants to customers in 36 countries.

Starbucks said on Tuesday: "The partnership with Uber Eats brings together the fastest growing meal delivery service in the US with one of the largest food and beverage retailers."

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10 things you need to know before the opening bell (SPY, SPX, QQQ, DIA)

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World Economic Forum

Here is what you need to know.

  1. The government shutdown reaches a 32nd day. The shutdown could cost US gross domestic product in excess of $6 billion — more than President Donald Trump is asking for the border wall — by the end of this week, according to an estimate from Beth Ann Bovino, the chief US economist for S&P Global.
  2. The IMF lowers its global-growth forecast. The International Monetary Fund lowered its global growth forecast for the second time in three months Monday, saying the world economy would grow at a 3.5% year-over-year rate in 2019 and 3.6% in 2020, down from its previous projection of 3.7% and 3.8%.
  3. China's economy grows at its slowest pace in a decade. The Chinese economy grew at a 6.4% year-over-year clip during the final three months of 2018, its weakest pace since Q1 2009, China's National Bureau of Statistics said Monday.
  4. The world's 'economic canary in the coal mine' falls off a cliff. South Korea exports plunged 14.6% year-over-year to $25.7 billion during the first 20 days of the year, according to data released Monday by the Korea Customs Service. That compares with an increase of 1% during the same period in 2018.
  5. The world's CEOs are getting more worried about the state of the global economy. PwC's annual global CEO survey released Monday showed 30% of respondents were projecting global economic growth to decline in 2019 — up from just 5% one year ago.
  6. UBS misses expectations. The Swiss bank earned a $690 million pretax profit in the fourth quarter, missing expectations, as its wealth-management and investment-banking businesses slowed, Reuters reports.
  7. Bail was denied for Nissan's former chairman. Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan Motor Corp. who has been charged with underreporting his salary for eight years, will remain in a Tokyo jail after his request to wear an electronic ankle tag was denied, according to Reuters.
  8. Stock markets around the world were lower. China's Shanghai Composite (-1.18%) led the losses in Asia, and Britain's FTSE (-0.58%) trails in Europe. The S&P 500 was set to open down 0.74% near 2,651.
  9. Earnings reporting heats up. Halliburton and Johnson & Johnson report ahead of the opening bell, while IBM releases its quarterly results after markets close.
  10. US economic data trickles out. Existing-home sales will cross the wires at 10 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is down 2.9 basis points at 2.76%.

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Investors including GV just put another $51 million into a startup that's betting prescriptions shipped to your door is the future of healthcare

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The Pill Club image 1

  • The Pill Club, a startup that prescribes birth control online, just raised $51 million. 
  • The funding came from investors including VMG, GV, Base10, Shasta Ventures and Acme Capital. 
  • Investors have bet more than $660 million on startups that are delivering healthcare to consumers online, Business Insider has reported.
  • The service is part of a competitive field of companies aiming to provide birth control on-demand at a time when consumers are more and more accustomed to receiving products outside of healthcare as subscription services. 

A startup that wants to prescribe and package birth control alongside bars of chocolate and stickers just raised another $51 million as it grows its national presence. 

In total, San Carlos, California-based The Pill Club has now raised $67 million from investors including VMG, GV's consumer team, Base10, Shasta Ventures and Acme Capital. Acme — formerly known as Sherpa Capital— has backed other consumer-facing health companies including PillPack and direct-to-consumer dermatology company Curology. 

The healthcare industry as a whole has been jockeying to stay competitive as companies realize that patients, used to the consumer experience they're getting from Amazon and Netflix, have higher expectations for their doctor's visit.

That's been a driving force behind mega-deals like Amazon's acquisition of online pharmacy PillPack and CVS Health's merger with Aetna. On-demand healthcare options like urgent care have gained in popularity too.

Startups like Pill Club have raised hundreds of millions over the past year as investors make a bet that getting prescriptions online and delivered through the mail represents the future of medicine. Many of them are focused on birth control, a common prescription that health insurance is required to pay for.

Read more:Investors are betting $660 million that companies that ship Viagra and hair loss pills to your door is the future of medicine —but some doctors are worried

An example of a The Pill Club adHere's how it works: Logging onto Pill Club's website, you can state whether you prefer one type of birth control over another and list out any health concerns that might interfere with a prescription.

After that, one of the company's doctors  reviews the information and can write a prescription. The pills or other birth control can then be sent via Pill Club's pharmacies to your home.

The prescription comes alongside other goodies like sweets and stickers in what the startup calls a "care package."

Companies like Pill Club offer a more convenient way of getting healthcare, typically combining an often virtual doctor's visit with a prescription they ship to you. There's no wait for an appointment and often no need to leave your house.

The Pill Club lets you use health insurance to cover the cost of your birth control. Rivals with similar offerings include Nurx, Lemonaid and Simple Health.

Additionally, men's health company Hims operates Hers, which charges about $30 a month for birth control prescriptions, which covers the doctor's visit, getting the prescription through the mail, and additional follow-up services. Hers doesn't accept insurance.

Pill Club CEO Nick Chang told Business Insider the company is distinguishing itself by operating pharmacies — one in San Carlos and another in Dallas, Texas, — that are licensed in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. For now, it can only prescribe via an online visit from 35 states. 

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Trust is the main barrier to smart speaker adoption – here's what companies can do about that

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This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

trust smart speaker makersSmart speakers comprise one of the fastest-growing device segments in the consumer technology market today. Ownership levels have nearly doubled from early 2017 to summer 2018. 

With this rapid growth, there are a few pivotal questions that both companies looking to develop and sell smart speakers as well as those looking to sell products, deliver media, and offer access to services like banking over these devices need answers to in order to craft successful strategies. In particular, they need to know who is and isn’t buying smart speakers, and what consumers who own smart speakers are actually doing with them. 

To offer these stakeholders insight, Business Insider Intelligence asked more than 500 US consumers about their knowledge of smart speakers, the devices they do or don’t own and what led them to their purchase decisions, as well as the tasks they’re using their smart speakers for.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence will look at the state of the smart speaker market and outline how each of the major device providers approaches the space. We will then focus on the key factors that affect whether or not someone owns one of these devices. Next, we will use our survey data to outline the reasons why people don’t own devices in order to offer guidance for who to target and how. Finally, we will discuss what consumers are actually doing with their smart speakers — specifically looking at how the devices are used and perceived in e-commerce, digital media, and banking — which can help companies determine how well they’re publicizing their smart speaker services and capabilities.

The companies mentioned in this report are: Amazon, Google, Apple, Samsung, Facebook, Sonos, LG, Anker, Spotify, Pandora, Grubhub, Netflix, Hulu, Instagram, Snap.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

  • Despite their growing popularity, nearly half of respondents still don't own a device — which presents a long runway for adoption. Our survey data reveals a number of key factors that impact whether or not someone owns one of these devices, including income, gender, and age.
  • Smart speakers are establishing themselves as a key platform for e-commerce, media, and the smart home.
  • The introduction of a screen to some smart speakers will expand the possibilities for companies developing for the device — but developers will need to resist the compulsion to use speakers to accomplish too much.

In full, the report:

  • Provides an overview of the key players and products in the smart speaker market.
  • Highlights critical adoption rates broken out by key factors that define the segment.
  • Identifies how consumers are using devices in important areas where companies in various industries are trying foster greater use of the voice interface.

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Canada blames US for Huawei CFO arrest backlash that left 2 citizens in Chinese prison and a 3rd on death row

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huawei trudeau meng trump

  • Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Chinese telcom giant Huawei, last month at the request of US authorities.
  • Beijing subsequently detained two Canadians and put another on death row.
  • Canada's ambassador to the US, David MacNaughton, blamed Washington for the backlash on Monday, in an interview with The Globe and Mail newspaper.
  • He said the US "are the ones seeking to have the full force of American law brought against [Meng] and yet we are the ones who are paying the price."
  • The US also plans to formally extradite Meng from Canada, MacNaughton told the newspaper.

Canada has blamed the US for the diplomatic fallout from the arrest of Chinese telcom giant Huawei's CFO, saying it is "paying the price" of Beijing's anger.

Since Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's CFO and daughter of its founder, on December 1, two Canadians have been detained in China, and a third had a prison sentence upgraded to the death penalty.

Meng is suspected of violating US sanctions on Iran and of misleading banks and investors about a second company that was selling to Iran.

She remains on bail in her multi-million-dollar Vancouver home. She was forced to give up her passport and now wears a GPS monitor, but is otherwise free to leave the house outside an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.

Meng Wanzhou house Canada

Shortly after Meng's arrest, China detained two Canadians — former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor — in Chinese prison cells where the lights are on 24 hours a day.

Earlier this month, Beijing also sentenced 36-year-old Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg to death. Schellenberg had been sentenced to prison after a conviction for international drug trafficking, but had it upgraded to the death penalty.

Experts have directly linked the three cases to the Huawei case, with Canadian authorities calling the detentions and death penalty "arbitrary."

Read more:China sentenced a Canadian man to death in the latest escalation of the countries' feud over Huawei

robert lloyd schellenberg

In a rare public rebuke, Canada's ambassador to the US David MacNaughton told The Globe and Mail on Monday: "We don't like that it is our citizens who are being punished.

"[The Americans] are the ones seeking to have the full force of American law brought against [Meng] and yet we are the ones who are paying the price," he added. "Our citizens are."

MacNaughton has already "voiced Canadian anger and resentment" to the White House over the backlash from China, The Globe and Mail said.

Read more:China accuses Canada of 'white supremacy' over the detention of Huawei CFO

Meng Wanzhou

Washington takes the fight into its own hands

The US now plans to formally request Meng's extradition from Canada to the US, MacNaughton told The Globe and Mail, without specifying when the Americans would start the process.

A spokesman for the US Justice Department told Reuters regarding the reported extradition plan: "We will comment through our filings." Business Insider was unable to contact the department due to the US government shutdown.

Federal prosecutors in the US also launched a criminal investigation into Huawei over allegations that the company stole trade secrets from US companies, The Wall Street Journal reported last week.

Canada's ministry of justice would have to decide whether to extradite Meng, and she can appeal any decision made.

xi jinping

China hits back while Huawei begs for a truce

China's foreign ministry has repeatedly called for Meng's release and described the arrest as a "mistake." On Tuesday, it threatened to retaliate against the planned US extradition.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters on Tuesday: "China will take action in response to measures taken by the US."

“Everyone has to be held responsible for their own actions," she added. "Both the US and Canada should be aware of the seriousness of the case and take steps to rectify the mistake."

Huawei itself has taken a softer stance, with its founder Ren Zhengfei breaking years of silence last week to plead for his daughter's release. He also called US President Donald Trump a "great president" in an effort to alleviate his company's tensions with the US.

Trump previously alluded to using Meng's arrest as a bargaining chip in the US' trade war with China, saying in December: "I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary."

Read more:The reclusive founder of Huawei broke years of silence after his daughter's arrest in Canada to say he misses her 'very much'

meng wanzhou huawei cfo bail hearing

A Huawei spokeswoman declined to comment when Business Insider asked how the company would respond to the extradition request, and whether it was working with the Chinese government to formulate a response.

The spokesman told Business Insider in a statement: "Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries and regions where we operate, including export control and sanction laws of the UN, US, and EU."

"We have every confidence that the Canadian and US legal systems will reach a just conclusion," she added.

SEE ALSO: Forget the car tariffs and other cosmetic trade fixes. If you want to know where the US-China relationship is going, keep an eye on the Huawei case.

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she gives 'zero' f--ks about other Democrats telling her to keep quiet and wait her turn

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Alexandria OCasio Cortez Colbert fucks

  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez batted criticism from her fellow Democrat lawmakers in an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
  • She went on the show Monday night to discuss the government shutdown, her way of doing things, and her response to critics on Twitter.
  • Ocasio-Cortez made the statement after Colbert asked her: "On a scale from zero to some, how many f---s do you give?" about the criticism.
  • She replied: "I think it's ... erm ... zero."

Freshman congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she gives "zero" f---s about criticism from fellow Democrats telling her to rein in her unorthodox policy proposals.

Ocasio Cortez appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Monday night.

Here is the exchange:

Colbert: Now, Congresswoman, for you and some other freshmen members of congress... you're getting pushback both privately and publicly from more established members of your own party saying "wait your turn,""go slow,""don't ask for so much so far right now you're new" ... "wait your turn for everything and don't make waves."

I want to ask this question in a respectful manner, knowing also that you're from Queens, so you will understand this question. On a scale from zero to some, how many f--ks do you give?

Ocasio-Cortez: I think it's ... erm ... zero.

Colbert: That's what I thought.

 

More and more reports have emerged in recent days that some Democrats are annoyed by Ocasio-Cortez and her political style, which has earned her acres of media coverage. It has also seen her criticise parts of her own party.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, told Politico: "I'm sure Ms. Cortez means well, but there's almost an outstanding rule: Don't attack your own people."

Some Democrats are also said to be frustrated that Ocasio-Cortez (the representative for New York's 14th district) asked for positions on powerful committees, including the Ways and Means Committee.

She was ultimately not chosen for that by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but did secure a different position on the House Financial Services Committee.

ocasio cortez ice cream colbert

"It totally pissed off everyone," an unidentified senior House Democrat told Politico. "You don't get picked for committees by who your grassroots [supporters] are."

Read more: THE TRUTH ABOUT ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: The inside story of how, in just one year, Sandy the bartender became a lawmaker who triggers both parties

On Friday, Hollywood writer Aaron Sorkin (who wrote "The West Wing" and "The Social Network") went on CNN to urge freshman Democrats to stop "acting like young people."Ocasio-Cortez hit back two days later.

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

Ocasio-Cortez also expanded on what she thinks about her job and how she acts on Colbert's show on Monday.

She said: "Rule number one is to be authentic, to be yourself and don't try to be anyone that you're not."

"Don't try to talk like a young kid if you're not a young kid. Don't post a meme if you don't know what a meme is, that was literally my advice, and I said don't talk like the Founding Fathers on Twitter," she added.

Ocasio-Cortez is well known for confronting her critics on her Twitter page.

She joked with Colbert that she will debate people "if you have a blue check, if you're in my mentions, if you're being sassy in a way that I think is unjustified, and if I haven't eaten in two to three hours."

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NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

Taller women may live longer, according to a new study — but this isn't the case for men

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  • Taller women may be more likely to reach age 90 than shorter women, according to new research.
  • But the same is not true for taller men, the results show.
  • For men, exercising more than 60 minutes a day is the key to a longer life.
  • The researchers can only speculate why height would be associated with reaching old age in women.
  • One theory is it is related to shrinkage, which has been associated with various health problems.

Women may be more likely to reach 90 years old if they are taller, according to new research.

Scientists from Maastricht University looked at the association between height, body mass index (BMI), and exercise. The study, published in the BMJ Journal of Epidemiology & Community health, involved data from the Netherlands Cohort Study of men and women aged 55 to 69, which began in 1986.

Nearly 8,000 participants provided information about their weight at the age of 20, current weight, height, and time spent exercising. They were then monitored until they reached age 90, or died — whichever came first.

While 433 men and 944 women survived to age 90, women who reached this age were taller, weighed less at the start of the study, and had put on less weight since age 20 than those who died before this age.

Women who were over 5 ft 9 in height were 31% more likely to reach 90 years old than women who were 5 ft 3 or shorter.

"We can only speculate on why height would be associated with reaching old age in women," lead author Lloyd Brandts told INSIDER.

"We did hypothesize that the observed relationship might be related to shrinkage, which is more common among women. Therefore, those who were taller at the start of our study (at ages 68-70 years) might have experienced less shrinkage."

According to Pham Liem at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, people shrink as they age for several reasons.

"Older adults can get shorter because the cartilage between their joints gets worn out and osteoporosis causes the spinal column to become shorter," he said. "Adults can also lose lean muscle mass but gain fat. This is a condition called sarcopenia."

Overall, shrinking has been associated with back pain, limited mobility, spinal and hip fractures, and even heart problems. However, as the researchers did not know the height of participants before the study, they are unable to say if this is definitely the case.

Maria Sharapova

While taller women appear to have an ageing advantage, the same association wasn't shown for men. Physical activity levels in men appeared to be more important, with those who exercised more than 90 minutes a day being 39% more likely to reach 90 than those who spent less than 30 minutes working out.

Women who exercised for 30-60 minutes a day were 21% more likely to reach age 90 than those who managed less than 30 minutes.

"We should be aware that the findings are based on an observational study, and therefore we cannot establish cause," Brandts added. "For instance, a low level of physical activity might also be an indicator of deteriorating health, which in turn might also have led to an earlier death."

Another potential limitation of the study is that body size and physical activity information was self-reported and not measured, and people are not always 100% trustworthy when answering questions about themselves.

Also, participants were already in their 60s and 70s at the start of the study, so it is difficult to generalize and apply to results to younger people.

It could be possible that taller women are more physically active in general, being more likely to take up sports. But Brandts said they corrected the results for BMI when analyzing the relationship between physical activity and reaching old age.

"This means that the observed association between physical activity and reaching longevity is independent of BMI," he said.

The study was large, and the participants were all a similar age, which strengthens the results overall. And although the association between body size and a long lifespan is different for men and women, the results for everyone add to the evidence that a key to reaching old age is exercise.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I went on Beyoncé's 22-day diet — and I lost 15 pounds

A $1 trillion strategist lays out the looming worst-case scenario of the government shutdown, and how investors should safeguard their money

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  • Stocks have rallied amid the longest government shutdown in history.
  • But as the stalemate in Washington drags on, there's building uncertainty about what it means for stocks
  • Kristina Hooper, the chief global market strategist at Invesco, which oversees $926 billion in assets, shared with Business Insider what the breaking point could be, and why it's not a far-reaching prospect. 

Stock market investors are still largely shrugging off the longest US government shutdown in history.

The partial shutdown entered its 28th day Friday as Democrats and Republicans had still not reached an agreement over President Donald Trump's request for $5.7 billion to construct a wall along the US-Mexico border. 

Since the shutdown began on December 22, the S&P 500 has jumped 9%, recovering somewhat from its worst end to a year since the Great Depression. The market's reaction isn't completely out of whack with history: the median return across shutdowns dating back to 1976 is almost 0%, according to LPL Financial.

However, it's only a matter of time before this unprecedented episode starts to hurt. 

"Markets will not be able to ignore it if there is a credit-rating downgrade as a result, and I don't think that is out of the realm of possibility," said Kristina Hooper, the chief global market strategist at Invesco, which oversees $926 billion in assets. 

Fitch, one of the big-three credit ratings agencies, has warned that the US could lose its AAA rating if the shutdown drags on into March. Such a move would only be the second ever enacted on the world's most trusted issuer of debt.  

In 2011, S&P stripped the US of its 70-year-old AAA rating, down to AA+, and accompanied its cut with a "negative outlook." As this downgrade debacle played out, the S&P 500 tanked 18%.

The decision came shortly after the US raised its debt ceiling to permit trillions of dollars in additional government spending. Yet, S&P was not convinced that the budget deal between the administration and Congress was sufficient.

The shutdown is already taking its toll  

Several years after that episode and nearly a decade into this economic expansion, investors are on watch for a recession and what it would mean for the stocks they own.

The ongoing shutdown is not helping to allay these fears.

Starting with the immediate human toll, the Labor Department said Thursday that the number of federal employees filing new claims for unemployment insurance nearly doubled to 10,454 in the first week of January.

More broadly speaking, some economists forecast a hit to first-quarter gross domestic product because up to 800,000 federal workers are not getting paid.

This week, the Trump administration said the shutdown would cut 0.13 percentage points from GDP — up from their previous estimate of 0.08 percentage points. Ian Shepherdson, the chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, is more bearish and expects a quarter of negative growth if the shutdown drags on into March. 

There are other risks brewing under the surface, according to Tom Stringfellow, the president and CIO of Frost Investment Advisors. 

"[If] there's a disaster somewhere because we didn't have full-time government employees, or any of the affiliated agencies, or any of the service companies actively engaged, that's going to turn sentiment, I think, in a heartbeat," Stringfellow said. 

Hooper pinpointed a slowdown in air travel as "one of the first canaries in the coal mine" that might impact the economy and earnings. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said this week that the company will lose $25 million in revenue in January because of the shutdown.

A more consequential showdown is looming

The shutdown is the first big outcome of a divided and potentially gridlocked government in Washington that will be with us for at least two years.

"What we're seeing now is the tip of the iceberg," Hooper said. "While it's a partial government shutdown, it really speaks to an incredible level of dysfunction in Washington DC." 

This shutdown also doesn't bode well for the forthcoming fight over the debt ceiling.

The budget deal Trump signed last year suspended the debt limit until March 1, after which Congress must pass a bill to raise the debt limit.

In fiscal year 2018, the federal deficit rose to $779 billion, its highest since 2012, driven by the Trump tax cuts that Democrats had been critical of. Now that Congress is divided, Democrats could use the debt-ceiling issue to wrangle tax increases from the administration, setting up a prolonged fight.

Remember that it was a debt-ceiling crisis that triggered the last credit downgrade.

Investing recommendations

Despite their reservations about the shutdown, both Hooper and Stringfellow still see room for growth in the US economy.

"I would warn investors from taking a risk-off stance," Hooper said. "I think risk-aware is a more appropriate approach." 

To that end, she advised that investors diversify their stock holdings with alternative asset classes including gold and real estate. That's because these assets have a lower correlation to the volatility of stocks.

She added that US investors should selectively find opportunities in emerging-market and Japanese stocks even though it has paid to have a domestic bias during this bull market. 

Stringfellow, without getting more specific, advocated for US companies linked to "anything the consumer touches that involves social media and ecommerce."

SEE ALSO: MORGAN STANLEY: Global stocks just had their most chaotic start to a year since the financial crisis — here's what it means for investors and how they should trade

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I went on Beyoncé's 22-day diet — and I lost 15 pounds

How consumers rank Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube on privacy, fake news, content relevance, safety, and sharing (FB, GOOGL, TWTTR, MSFT, SNAP)

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  • Digital trust is the confidence people have in a platform to protect their information and provide a safe environment for them to create and engage with content.
  • Business Insider Intelligence surveyed over 1,300 global consumers to evaluate their perception of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
  • Consumers’ Digital Trust rankings differ across security, legitimacy, community, user experience, shareability, and relevance for the six major social networks.

If you feel like “fake news” and spammy social media feeds dominate your Internet experience, you’re not alone. Digital trust, the confidence people have in platforms to protect their information and provide a safe environment to create and engage with content, is in jeopardy.

Digital Trust Rankings 2018

In fact, in a new Business Insider Intelligence survey of more than 1,300 global consumers, over half (54%) said that fake news and scams were "extremely impactful” or “very impactful” on their decision to engage with ads and sponsored content.

For businesses, this distrust has financial ramifications. It’s no longer enough to craft a strong message; brands, marketers, and social platforms need to focus their energy on getting it to consumers in an environment where they are most receptive. When brands reach consumers on platforms that they trust, they enhance their credibility and increase the likelihood of receiving positive audience engagement.

The Digital Trust Report 2018, the latest Enterprise Edge Report from Business Insider Intelligence, compiles this exclusive survey data to analyze consumer perceptions of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

The survey breaks down consumers’ perceptions of social media across six pillars of trust: security, legitimacy, community, user experience, shareability, and relevance. The results? LinkedIn ran away with it.

As the most trusted platform for the second year in a row – and an outlier in the overall survey results – LinkedIn took the top spot for nearly every pillar of trust — and there are a few reasons why:

  • LinkedIn continues to benefit from the professional nature of its community — users on the platform tend to be well behaved and have less personal information at risk, which makes for a more trusting environment.
  • LinkedIn users are likely more selective and mindful about engagement when interacting within their professional network, which may increase trust in its content.
  • Content on LinkedIn is typically published by career-minded individuals and organizations seeking to promote professional interests, and is therefore seen as higher quality than other platforms’. This bodes well for advertisers and publishers to be viewed as forthright, honest, persuasive, and trustworthy.

Want to Learn More?

Enterprise Edge Reports are the very best research Business Insider Intelligence has to offer in terms of actionable recommendations and proprietary data, and they are only available to Enterprise clients.

The Digital Trust Report 2018 illustrates how social platforms have been on a roller coaster ride of data, user privacy, and brand safety scandals since our first installment of the report in 2017.

In full, the report analyzes key changes in rankings from 2017, identifies trends in millennials' behavior on social media, and highlights where these platforms (as well as advertisers) have opportunities to capture their attention.

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13 celebrities who are rooting for the Rams to win Super Bowl LIII

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  • There's always been a pretty significant intersection between Hollywood and the world of sports, but with a successful NFL team rooted in the City of Angels once again, many of the brightest stars have come out in full force.
  • INSIDER has identified which celebrities will be rooting for the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
  • Check out the list of famous people who will be supporting for the Rams February 3 and read all of Business Insider's Super Bowl LIII coverage here.

1. YG

Rapper YG is an outspoken Los Angeles Rams fan. He trolled Post Malone when the Rams beat the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round and went on an excited, NSFW rant when Greg Zuerlein made a 57-yard field goal in overtime to send Los Angeles to the Super Bowl. He even snapped back after President Trump tweeted out his congratulations to longtime friend Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots.



2. Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q

Kendrick Lamar was born and raised in Compton, while ScHoolboy Q moved to South Central after living in Germany and Texas early in his life. Both rappers were excited for the Rams to return to Los Angeles, as they went out to UC Irvine to show their support for the team during their first training camp back in California in 2016.



3. Nolan Gould and Ty Burrell

Ty Burrell and Nolan Gould — who play father and son as Phil and Luke on Modern Family — are both fans of the Rams. Burrell, in particular, was a fan of the franchise even when they were located in St. Louis. He described the Rams' return to Los Angeles as "a beautiful hallucination" while attending their first game at LA Memorial Coliseum in August 2016 and then brought Gould to his first-ever NFL game as a 20th birthday present.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

11 ways the 2019 Oscar nominations made history

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  • "Roma" and "The Favourite" both scored 10 Academy Awards nominations
  • "Roma" actress Yalitza Aparicio is the first Indigenous woman and only the fourth Latinx actress to be nominated for Best Actress in Oscar history. 
  • Spike Lee picked up his first-ever Best Director nomination.
  • "Black Panther" is the first superhero movie to ever receive a nomination for Best Picture.

When Tracee Ellis Ross and Kumail Nanjiani announced the official 91st Academy Awards Nominations list, there was plenty of history being made throughout their presentation.

Here are all the moments that history will remember most.

"Black Panther" is the first-ever superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture.

Ryan Coogler's unique vision of Wakanda also scored six other nominations from the Academy:

  • Sound Editing by Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker
  • Sound Mixing
  • Production Design by Hannah Beachler
  • Original Score by Ludwig Goransson
  • Original Song ("All the Stars" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA
  • Costume Design by Ruth E. Carter


"Roma" received 10 Oscar nominations — which ties it with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" for the most nominations for a foreign language film.

In total, Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma" is nominated in the following categories:

  • Best Picture
  • Lead Actress for Yalitza Aparicio
  • Supporting Actress for Marina de Tavira
  • Director
  • Original Screenplay
  • Cinematography
  • Best Foreign Language Film
  • Sound Editing
  • Sound Mixing
  • Production Design

Further for the first time in Oscar history, "Cold War's" Paweł Pawlikowski and Cuarón, two directors of movies nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, have also received Best Director nominations.

Read more: 'Roma' could make history as the first movie to win the Oscar for best picture and best foreign language film in the same year



Alfonso Cuarón is now tied for the all-time Oscar record of most award nominations for a single film.

"Roma" scoring 10 nominations is impressive on its own — but four of those belong directly to Cuarón himself. Cuarón not only directed the film, but also produced, wrote, and was the cinematographer for it as well.

The only other individuals to have accomplished this feat in Oscar history are the Coen Brothers for "No Country for Old Men," Warren Beatty for both "Heaven Can Wait" and "Reds," and Orson Welles for "Citizen Kane, according to Deadline.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Everything you need to know about Yalitza Aparicio from 'Roma,' the first indigenous woman to be nominated for a best-actress Oscar

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  • Yalitza Aparicio is nominated for best actress for her role in "Roma."
  • "Roma" got 10 nominations.
  • Aparicio is a first-time actress.
  • She is the first indigenous woman to be nominated for best actress.

Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma" received 10 Academy Award nominations this year, making it the most Oscar-recognized foreign language film in history, as well as one of the most-nominated movies of the year (it tied with "The Favourite"). "Roma" also introduced the world to Yalitza Aparicio, an indigenous Mexican actress who has now made history through her role in the film.

In "Roma," Aparicio plays Cleo, a nanny and housekeeper for an upper-middle-class family in Mexico City. The role, which was her very first acting role, earned her a best actress nomination at this year's Oscars. Here is her interesting story of going from an unknown school teacher to a Hollywood star:

"Roma" was the first acting job Aparicio had ever taken on.

Before Cuarón selected Aparicio to play Cleo, she was intending on becoming a preschool teacher. According to the New York Times, Aparicio, who is now 25 years old, had just finished her teaching degree and was leaving in a small Mexican city. She told Variety that she had never thought about acting before "Roma," saying, "I never imagined being a part of a project like this."



Aparicio only tried out for the role because her sister pushed her to.

According to The Guardian, Aparicio's sister was the one who wanted to audition for the film — but because she was pregnant and wasn't in the state to do so, she pushed Aparicio to do it in her place. She told W, "I was curious, and my sister actually forced me to audition, and then it became an adventure."



She didn't even know who Cuarón was.

Cuarón may be a famous director, but Aparicio had no idea who he even was, let alone who she was auditioning for. In an interview with W, she explained that she had never seen any of his films, saying, "I was even a little bit embarrassed when I first met him, to tell him that no, in fact, I didn't know who he was or what movies he had made."

As it turns out, though, Cuarón liked this about her and asked her not to watch any of his films so she wouldn't "poison her mind" with images or ideas.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

California is the 6th state to ban car insurance companies from using gender to determine rates, and teen boys could benefit the most

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  • California is the sixth state to ban car insurance companies from determining auto rates based on gender, according to The New York Times.
  • While it could equalize rates for both genders, teen boys are expected to benefit the most with an average 5% decrease in their auto rates.
  • Auto rates are determined by a variety of factors, including safety records, driving experience, your career, your vehicle's safety features, and the cost to repair or replace the vehicle.

California has become the sixth state to ban car insurance companies from using gender to determine rates, reported Ann Carrns of The New York Times

The move is an attempt to focus on factors that drivers can control, like their driving record, and to prevent unfair and inconsistent gender influences in pricing — some car insurers determined that girls were more high-risk drivers than boys, while others deemed the opposite to be true, Carrns reported.

Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania have also banned using gender to set rates.

In California, it looks like one gender will benefit the most from this change in law: teen boys.

"Removing the gender factor could in effect equalize rates for inexperienced drivers: Younger men, who have typically paid higher rates, on average might see declines, while younger women could see increases," Carrns wrote.

"In an economic analysis of the change, the Insurance Department estimated that female drivers with three or fewer years of driving experience were expected to see the biggest impact, with rates going up 6% on average. Male drivers with similar driving experience could have a corresponding decrease of about 5%."

The analysis was based on 17 companies that comprised roughly 66% of the state's consumer car insurance market. Carrns noted that actual rates could vary depending on the individual and their chosen insurance company and coverage plan. Insurers will have to submit for review new "gender-neutral" plans by July, Carrns wrote.

Currently, the national average for annual car insurance premiums is $1,365, according to an analysis by insurance information website Insure.com. That's around $113 a month. California exceeds that average, with an annual premium of $1,731 or monthly premium of nearly $145, Business Insider previously reported.

It currently requires car insurers to prioritize drivers' safety records and amount of driving experience in determining auto rates, Carrns reported, but there are additional factors at play.

Read more: 5 surprising things your car insurance won't cover

Your career can influence your car insurance payment by as much as nearly doubling it, according to figures from comparethemarket.com, Business Insider's Lindsay Dodgson previously reported.

"Insurers use a complex algorithm to determine an individual's premium, with profession making a big impact on the annual cost of an individual's car insurance," Simon McCulloch, the director of insurance at comparethemarket.com, said.

"An assumption on the time of day a professional is likely to be on the road, plus the number of hours behind the wheel, may be taken into consideration, in addition to the insurer's claims experience with each job category," McCulloch said.

Auto insurance companies also set rates based on a vehicle's safety features and the cost to repair or replace the vehicle — but the color of the car doesn't affect the rate, which is a common car insurance myth

Regardless of the price of your car insurance premium, it's illegal to drive without it. And aside from keeping you covered in the event of an accident, insurance also has unexpected benefits— like covering damages caused by riots, space junk, and rodents, as well as paying for your pet's injuries.

Read the full New York Times article here »

SEE ALSO: California real estate is so expensive that families, retirees, and even tech workers are living in cars and vans

DON'T MISS: How much car insurance costs in all 50 states

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NOW WATCH: I went on Beyoncé's 22-day diet — and I lost 15 pounds

The Stories Slide Deck: How Stories stack up across social platforms (FB, SNAP)

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In the last few years, there’s been a major shift as to how consumers interact with social media.

Rather than posting content that lives on the platform in perpetuity, users are now posting and viewing more “Stories,” video or images that live for only 24 hours.The Stories Slide Deck

Many platforms have introduced some form of Stories format — whether it be Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or WhatsApp. Snapchat was the company to introduce it to the world, but Instagram has surpassed it in terms of volume and perhaps usability.

Business Insider Intelligence has compiled a slide deck that looks into how Stories work on Instagram and Snapchat, and how brands and publishers should be using the Stories feature to reach their audiences.

This exclusive deck can be yours for FREE today. As an added bonus, you will gain immediate access to our exclusive BI Intelligence Daily newsletter.

To get your copy of the FREE slide deck, simply click here.

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Alphabet's X moonshot factory just hired a tech veteran to help shepherd a 'new generation' of bold bets (GOOGL, GOOG)

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Wendy Tan White

  • Alphabet's moonshot division, "X," has hired UK tech-veteran Wendy Tan White as its vice president on the leadership team. 
  • "We’re delighted [White will] be bringing [her] expertise to the moonshot factory and helping to bring a new generation of moonshots into the world," said X CEO Astro Teller. 
  • A company spokesperson for X did not specify which projects White would initially focus on, but did say that her position will be a new role for the company. 

Alphabet's moonshot factory, known as "X" (formerly Google X), is adding a new member to its leadership.

Wendy Tan White — formerly an advisor at the early-stage UK tech fund BGF Ventures — will be brought on as X's vice president on the leadership team and will be "managing, mentoring and supporting a range of teams across X," the company announced Tuesday.

The 25-year tech veteran also co-founded the website builder Moonfruit before it was acquired in 2012 for $34 million. 

"We’re delighted [White will] be bringing [her] expertise to the moonshot factory and helping to bring a new generation of moonshots into the world," X CEO Astro Teller told Business Insider in a statement.

X is home to a number of ambitious ventures including giant balloons that beam internet (Project Loon) and autonomous delivery drones that drop burritos and other goods onto front doorsteps (Project Wing).

Read more: Alphabet’s drone delivery company is testing a quieter delivery drone after its original model annoyed townspeople and their dogs

Some moonshot projects inevitably fail, like Project Foghorn, which aimed at creating an alternative, less pollutant fuel for transport vehicles. While others, like the self-driving car initiative Waymo, "graduate" and become their own companies under the Alphabet umbrella. 

A company spokesperson for X did not specify with Business Insider regarding which projects White would initially focus on, but did say that her position will be a new role for the company. 

Join the conversation about this story »

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