CNN BUSINESS | Airbnb says it will host 20,000 Afghan refugees

London (CNN Business) – Airbnb has pledged to provide free housing for 20,000 Afghan refugees.

CEO Brian Chesky said Tuesday that the program would begin immediately, and that Airbnb would pay for the stays.

“The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. We feel a responsibility to step up,” Chesky said in a series of posts on Twitter.

Chesky said the company would work closely with NGOs and its nonprofit arm, Airbnb.org, which provides housing to people in need following natural disasters and other crises.  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Kroger’s stock is at a record high. It looks overripe

New York (CNN Business)Amazon, Walmart and Target have stepped up their games in the grocery business. So it may come as a surprise that shares of traditional supermarket chain Kroger are up nearly 50% this year and trading at an all-time high.

Kroger (KR), like other food retailers, has been a major beneficiary of the work-from-home Covid-19 economy of the past year and a half. The supermarket giant, in addition to its namesake chain, also owns Dillons, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, Ralphs and numerous other regional grocers.

But Kroger faces many challenges in addition to big competitors like Amazon (AMZN), Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT), including Albertsons, which owns Safeway, as well as European discount giants Aldi and Ahold Delhaize (ADRNY), the parent company of Stop & Shop.  —read more—

CNN style Arts | Josephine Baker will be the first Black woman buried at the Panthéon in Paris

Legendary Black entertainer Josephine Baker is set to become the first Black woman to have her remains buried in the Panthéon monument in Paris — one of the highest honors in France.

French president Emmanuel Macron made the announcement on Monday, writing that Baker “held high the motto of the French Republic.”

In a statement released the same day, the Élysée Palace wrote that Baker was the embodiment of the French spirit, though she was born American.

“World-renowned music hall artist, committed to the Resistance, tireless anti-racist activist, she was involved in all the fights that bring together citizens of good will, in France and around the world,” the palace wrote.  —read more—

CNN style Luxury | Beyoncé becomes first Black woman to wear iconic Tiffany Diamond

Beyoncé has made fashion history as the first Black woman to wear the iconic 128.54 carat Tiffany Diamond.

The Grammy-winning performer wears the stunning piece of jewelry, which features one of the world’s largest yellow diamonds, as she and her rapper husband Jay-Z become the faces of Tiffany & Co’s new “About Love” campaign.

“Love is the diamond that the jewelry and art decorate,” the power couple said in a press release on Monday.

The Tiffany Diamond was originally unearthed in South Africa in 1877.  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | The shipping crisis is getting worse. Here’s what that means for holiday shopping

London (CNN Business) – The vast network of ports, container vessels and trucking companies that moves goods around the world is badly tangled, and the cost of shipping is skyrocketing. That’s troubling news for retailers and holiday shoppers.

More than 18 months into the pandemic, the disruption to global supply chains is getting worse, spurring shortages of consumer products and making it more expensive for companies to ship goods where they’re needed.

Unresolved snags, and the emergence of new problems including the Delta variant, mean shoppers are likely to face higher prices and fewer choices this holiday season. Companies such as Adidas (ADDDF), Crocs (CROX) and Hasbro (HAS) are already warning of disruptions as they prepare for the crucial year-end period.

“The pressures on global supply chains have not eased, and we do not expect them to any time soon,” said Bob Biesterfeld, the CEO of C.H. Robinson, one of the world’s largest logistics firms.  —read more— 

CNN | An Apple II manual signed by Steve Jobs just sold for nearly $800,000

(CNN) – If you thought Apple computers were expensive, you haven’t seen what their manuals go for.

Boston-based RR Auction on Thursday sold an Apple II manual signed by the company’s late co-founder Steve Jobs for a whopping $787,484.The computer’s 196-page manual is signed and inscribed opposite the Table of Contents: “Julian, Your generation is the first to grow up with computers. Go change the world! steven jobs, 1980.”  —read more—

CNN | Former NBA player had surprising inspiration for his cannabis company

Former NBA player Al Harrington started a cannabis company after marijuana helped his grandma’s glaucoma. Harrington hopes to use his company, named Viola in honor of his grandma, to empower Black entrepreneurs.  —watch— 

CNN health | ‘Don’t blame Black people for your failure’: Doctor fires back at Texas Lt. Gov.

CNN’s Laura Coates and Dr. Cedric Dark discuss Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who in a recent interview on Fox News claimed that African Americans were to blame for the ever-increasing wave of coronavirus cases.  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Elon Musk just added a robot to his list of things always coming ‘next year.’ For now he’s got a guy in a suit

Washington, DC (CNN Business) – Elon Musk said Thursday night at Tesla’s AI Day that the company is building a humanoid robot, and will probably have a prototype next year.

“It’s basically going to start dealing with work that is boring, repetitive and dangerous,” Musk said of the Tesla (TSLA) robot. “What is the work that people would least like to do?”

Musk did not say if it would be sold or for how much. The robot will have a screen positioned where a human face would be to display “useful information,” Musk said.

Musk said the robot would have a “profound” impact on the economy. He said physical work would be a choice in the future, and a universal basic income would be needed. Musk is among the Silicon Valley leaders who have cautioned that technology may eliminate the jobs of many people, so some humans will need another income source.

“But not right now because this robot doesn’t work,” Musk added.  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Tesla is under investigation because its cars keep hitting emergency vehicles

New York (CNN Business) – Federal safety regulators are investigating at least 11 accidents involving Tesla cars using Autopilot or other self-driving features that crashed into emergency vehicles when coming upon the scene of an earlier crash.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said seven of these accidents resulted 17 injuries and one death.

All of the Teslas in question had the self-driving Autopilot feature or the traffic-aware cruise control engaged as they approached the crashes, the NHTSA said.  —read more-–