Business

The Associated Press reports: A small brewery in Finland has launched a NATO-themed beer to mark the Nordic country’s bid to join the Western military alliance. Olaf Brewing’s OTAN lager features a blue label with a cartoon version of a beer-drinking medieval knight in metal armor emblazoned with NATO’s compass symbol. The beer’s name is a play on the Finnish …

CNBC reports: After 15 years operating in Russia, Starbucks will exit the market, joining companies like McDonald’s, Exxon Mobil and British American Tobacco in withdrawing from the country completely. The coffee giant announced Monday that it will no longer have a brand presence in Russia. Starbucks has 130 locations in the country, which account for less than 1% of the …

The Washington Post reports: Live Nation Entertainment — the corporate parent of Ticketmaster and a dominant force in the entertainment industry — urged Democrats and Republicans in Congress to let it be directly eligible for the $15 billion emergency relief program. Congress was wary of allowing grants to publicly traded companies such as Live Nation, worrying that the funds could …

The Insider reports: Elon Musk said he’s building a “hardcore litigation department” at Tesla that will report directly to him. He tweeted Friday that Tesla is building a team that would “seek victory in a just case against us, even if we will probably win.” He added that the team would “never surrender/settle an unjust case against us, even if …

The Daily Beast reports: Elon Musk responded to a bombshell allegation that he exposed himself to a flight attendant by daring the woman to describe something on his body that has not been made public. “She won’t be able to do so, because it never happened,” Musk tweeted in reply to a supporter early Friday. Hours before the Insider report …

The Hill reports: SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk late Thursday apparently responded to an article from Business Insider that says Musk was accused of sexually propositioning a SpaceX flight attendant, calling the claims not true. Musk on Thursday failed to cite the report, but tweeted “for the record, those wild accusations are utterly untrue.” “The attacks against me should …

CNBC reports: Spirit Airlines’ board on Thursday urged its shareholders to reject JetBlue Airways’ hostile takeover attempt, citing regulatory hurdles and accusing the airline of trying to derail its planned merger with fellow discount carrier Frontier Airlines. JetBlue launched its hostile takeover bid on Monday after Spirit earlier this month rebuffed its surprise $33-a-share, all-cash acquisition offer. The tender offer …

The Insider reports: SpaceX, the aerospace firm founded by Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, paid a flight attendant $250,000 to settle a sexual misconduct claim against Musk in 2018, Insider has learned. The attendant worked as a member of the cabin crew on a contract basis for SpaceX’s corporate jet fleet. She accused Musk of exposing his erect penis …

Reuters reports: Google’s Russian subsidiary plans to file for bankruptcy after the authorities seized its bank account, making it impossible to carry on operations, a Google spokesperson said on Wednesday. Alphabet Inc’s Google has been under pressure in Russia for months for failing to delete content Moscow deems illegal and for restricting access to some Russian media on YouTube, but …

Yahoo Finance reports: Twitter said it plans to complete its $44 billion merger agreement with Elon Musk, even as the Tesla CEO appears to dither on the deal. “Twitter is committed to completing the transaction on the agreed price and terms as promptly as practicable,” it said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing published Tuesday night, referring to Musk’s …

From Apple’s memo to employees today: Based on current conditions, we have two updates to share: First, we are temporarily asking team members to wear masks in common spaces, meeting rooms, hallways, and elevators—in general, all areas outside of your personal workspace. Second, we are extending the phase-in period of the pilot and maintaining two days a week in the …

The Washington Post reports: Elon Musk said Tuesday his $44 billion bid to buy Twitter “cannot move forward” until the social media company’s CEO shows proof that less than 5 percent of the platform’s users are fake. The Tesla chief executive’s tweet comes a day after he said he might try to renegotiate to pay less and accused Twitter of …

CNBC reports: Abbott has reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration to reopen its manufacturing plant in Michigan to help ease a nationwide shortage of baby formula, the company announced Monday. Abbott said it can restart the Michigan plant within two weeks subject to FDA approval. However, it would take six to eight weeks from the start of …

Florida Politics reports: Amid the political backlash with Republicans over Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, Disney is donating all the profits from its pride merchandise to charities that help the LGBTQ community, the company announced Monday. “Disney has a long history of supporting LGBTQIA+ organizations and charities around the world,” Disney said on its parks blog. “This year, we are …

The Associated Press reports: Rebuffed twice, JetBlue is going hostile in its bid for Spirit Airlines and asking shareholders of the low-cost carrier to reject a proposed $2.9 billion acquisition by Frontier Airlines. JetBlue is going straight to shareholders with its offer in hopes of pushing the board of the South Florida airline to the negotiating table. Shares of spirit …

The New York Times reports: After more than three decades in Russia, McDonald’s — an icon of U.S. lifestyle and capitalism — is selling its Russia business as it looks to leave the country completely. Under growing employee and consumer pressure, many brands and restaurant chains have partly — or fully — paused their operations in Russia. But few have …

CNBC reports: Elon Musk announced Friday that his Twitter deal is on hold until he receives more information about how many fake accounts there are on the social media platform. Twitter’s stock plummeted 18% following the announcement. A spokesperson for Twitter did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. Tesla CEO Musk announced last month that he intends …

NBC News reports: The White House announced a series of measures Thursday designed to address a baby formula shortage across the United States, after President Joe Biden met with key retailers and manufacturers. The steps announced by the White House on Thursday include an effort to reduce red tape and to speed formula production, to make it easier to import …

Engadget reports: Apple just marked the end to one of the most important product lines in its history. The company has discontinued the iPod touch, which will only be available in stores “while supplies last.” Not surprisingly, the company maintained that the “spirit of iPod” continues in other products, including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The move has been …

Bloomberg News reports: Grindr LLC, the dating app that specializes in connections for the LGBTQ+ community, has agreed to go public through a blank-check firm in a deal that values the combined company at $2.1 billion including debt. The predominantly male dating app is merging with Tiga Acquistion Corp., which debuted in November 2020. The special purpose acquisition company isn’t …