Exxon stood out among its supermajor peers for not taking a large writedown on the value of its assets as the industry outlook darkens on the future of oil and gas prices.
The COVID-19 pandemic slashed oil prices, sending Exxon's oil and gas production business to a loss. Its refining businesses was hit by a fall in demand, but an improvement in inventory valuations pushed overall refining profits into the black by nearly $1 billion.
The U.S. oil major reported a loss of $1.08 billion, or 26 cents per share, in the three months ended June 30, compared with a profit of $3.13 billion, or 73 cents per share, a year earlier. (https://exxonmobil.co/30d059Q)
An adjusted loss of 70 cents per share missed Wall Street's estimate of 61 cents, according to Refinitiv.
Oil and gas output fell 7% from a year earlier to 3.6 million barrels per day in the quarter as it curtailed output due to the oil price crash and threat that global oil storage would fill in May.
Prior to the pandemic, Exxon pursued an ambitious spending plan to boost oil output and turnaround sagging profits on a bet that a growing global middle class would demand more of its products.
But CEO Darren Woods's plan to raise production and money by selling some assets has faltered and the company has slashed its capital spending plans for this year by 30%.
Exxon is preparing deeper spending and job cuts, according to people familiar with the matter, as it fights to preserve a 8% shareholder dividend.
It said on Friday it had identified more potential cost cuts and was doing an "evaluation across the businesses on a country-by-country basis."
(Reporting by Jennifer Hiller in Houston and Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Jason Neely)

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Intesa overcame fierce opposition from UBI's management to take over Italy's healthiest second-tier bank, in a move that sent shockwaves through the industry and set the stage for possible further consolidation.
"It's a chess game and this first important move will have consequences for the entire sector," Massimo Masi, head of the UILCA union, said.
Intesa has said the deal will prepare the new group, Italy's biggest with around 950 billion euros in assets, to play a bigger role in Europe.
A generous increase of the terms of the bid helped Intesa cross a critical two-thirds majority threshold earlier this week, which guarantees approval of extraordinary shareholder decisions.
Intesa plans to merge UBI into the group to maximise savings and achieve a target of 700 million euros in synergies from 2024.
The final take-up exceeded expectations. Intesa had forecast acceptance could reach 85% in a best-case scenario, sources close to the matter had told Reuters.
Intesa will now offer to buy the residual UBI shares and investors can choose whether to tender them on the same terms of the bid or receive in cash the value of their UBI shares based on a five-day average calculated as of Thursday.
After naming a new board at UBI by mid-October at the latest, Intesa will be able to complete by the year-end the sale of 532 branches, mostly UBI's, which it has pledged to spin off to win antitrust approval.
An UBI shareholder meeting is expected to be called in the spring of 2020 to formally approve the merger into Intesa.
(Reporting by Valentina Za; Editing by James Mackenzie and David Evans)

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PETALING JAYA, July 29 - Korean pop quartet Blackpink has announced their much-anticipated debut album christened Blackpink The Album that will be released on October 2 this year.
INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/p/CDKj9RqjLBl/
Blackpink also hinted another surprise - their second pre-release song set to release in August will reportedly feature singer Selena Gomez, according to news portal News18.
The K-Pop girl group however have yet to make an official announcement as to whether the surprise artist would be Gomez or not after putting up a poster stating they will be teaming up with a mystery artist.
INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/p/CC9rTUHj4EO/
Blackpink's first single off the album How You Like That that was released last month broke the record for the fastest 100 million YouTube views in just one and a half days.
The single has also won numerous Guinness World Records titles including Most Viewed YouTube Video in 24 Hours, Most Viewed Music Video on YouTube in 24 hours and Most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours by a K-Pop group.
Fans of pop star Lady Gaga, the group collaborated with her for Sour Candy that racked up 21.8 million views in its first 24 hours, breaking the record for the biggest debut for an all-female collaboration on the video platform.
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A 15-year-old Detroit boy criminally charged as an adult in last week's fatal shooting of his 10-year-old cousin in Warren was on probation for bringing a gun to school, authorities said Tuesday.
The teen was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in 37th District Court in Warren on charges of second-degree murder, a life offense if convicted, carrying a concealed weapon and a felony firearm offense.
Judge Suzanne Faunce entered a not guilty plea and set a $500,000 cash surety bond. She also said she is ordering him to continue to be held at the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center, not the county jail. AD: Autel car diagnostic.
The teen is accused in the death of his cousin, Orran Baugh of Detroit. The Free Press at this time is not publishing the accused teen's name because of his age.
"Obviously, we felt that he should be tried as an adult," Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said of the suspect. "We wanted him tried as an adult."
The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office decides what charges to authorize.
More: Crowded celebration in Warren ends in gunfire, sending 4 people to the hospital
Dwyer said officers found the victim unconscious and bleeding from a single gunshot wound to the chest in an apartment at Warren Manor apartments in the 21500 block of Dequindre about 1 p.m. July 22. He was taken to Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, where he died later that day.
Police had been called to the complex by a neighbor who heard a gunshot and called 911.
Several juveniles were in the apartment, with detectives bringing in eight young people, ages 13 to 17 years old, as witnesses. Dwyer said the young people were cousins or second cousins and were using the apartment, located north of Eight Mile, "like a flophouse."
Police in court said the suspect brought the gun to the residence and pointed it at the victim from about 10 feet away. They said a witness indicated the suspect cocked the gun and it went off, hitting the victim in the chest. The suspect fled, leaving the victim dying on the floor, police said in court.
Police also told the court that the witness indicated the gun was known by the suspect to go off easily and they'd seen it happen before when playing with the gun on the bed.
Police said the 15-year-old is on probation in Wayne County for bringing a gun to school.
One of the suspect's retained attorneys, J.T. Bowden, said
he asked Faunce for a bond that the teen could post. Bowden said everyone involved in the incident was family.
Bowden said the suspect lives with both of his parents, five siblings and a nephew who the parents care for, and family means are limited. He called this "a very tragic situation" and said there are multiple versions to the story.
"These are all allegations, your honor," Bowden said. "It's a terrible situation, we all understand that."
Authorities asked for a high cash surety bond and were questioning how the suspect could be supervised by an adult. They told the court that when his parents were supervising him, he was running around with a gun, which resulted in a death, and there was no cooperation with probation on another gun charge.
The suspect's next court dates are Aug. 11 and Aug. 18.
Dwyer said the handgun that police believe was used in the shooting was recovered the next day. Police said the suspect had fled the apartment with the gun, which he hid in a nearby parked car. Dwyer e said the owner of the gun remains under investigation.
More: Crane falls off truck and crushes car, killing 10-year-old girl in Warren
"We had two tragedies last week," Dwyer said, noting the death of another 10-year-old in a freak traffic crash on Saturday. Giana Giannini of Warren died when the car she was riding in with her mother was crushed when a piece of construction equipment tipped over from a trailer at 10 Mile and Ryan roads.
The trailer was being pulled by a dump truck when it appeared to run a red light at the intersection around 10 a.m. Saturday. The truck hit the car and the piece of equipment fell, crushing the car. The girl was killed and the mot...

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Remember Saturn, the blue-collar brand that lived under the GM portfolio and offered the promise of being "A Different Kind of Car Company?" The ones with a then-modern approach to car building that strayed from its parent company and had a famous no-haggle pricing policy? Despite the marque going-belly up more than a decade ago, the world still carries some traces of the brand's existence. One such crumb was uncovered by an automotive YouTuber, showcasing an abandoned Saturn dealership frozen in time.
It's the old Bob Rohrman Saturn dealership in Lake County, Illinois. From what we can tell, the building kept its doors open until GM announced the dissolution of the Saturn brand in 2009. You may also like: Bluetooth obd2.
Today, the grounds seem to be stuck in their original customer-ready condition. Thplete with Saturn signage and colors, though the paint on the building has faded and the grass has begun to take back the concrete in a post-apocalyptic wasteland kind of way. Sorta uncanny considering it's right next to a busy shopping mall.
While the cameraman doesn't go inside, we do get a peek through the windows. You can see the barren showroom, offices with boxes stacked to the ceiling and even a small sign celebrating being open for 15 years (meaning that the dealership would have been founded just a few years after the Saturn brand was minted).
Everything about the dealer just screams the 2000s, and visiting an archive of the dealer's old website is even more nostalgia you didn't know you wanted.
Perhaps one of the most interesting tidbits about this dealership is its welcoming aura. Looking closely through the sliding glass front doors into a room that was once bustling with salespeople and customers, you'll immediately notice the sign that reads, "Welcome Friends." Despite the brand being long gone, it gives a gentle reminder of just how the Saturn brand was so focused on building an otherworldly connection with its customers.
In fact, the entire GM spin-off brand was founded around the premise that the most important thing it sells was a direct relationship with the people who drive Saturn cars. And boy, did it work. In 1994, GM hosted its first "Saturn Homecoming" at the Spring Hill Manufacturing plant in Tennessee. More than 44,000 Saturn owners gathered to celebrate a sense of community, with tours, crafts, food, entertainment and even tightrope walking.
Sadly, Saturn's success was also its own Cadmean victory. Sales were cannibalistic to GM's other brands, and the higher-ups simply didn't see a need to reinvent the wheel of car buying, despite doing exactly that when it began shaping the brand in the late 1980s.
The simple wording on the glass is a gentle reminder of what once was.
According to a local resident, the store was briefly used as an overflow lot for a Hyundai dealership, and Google Street View also shows a number of Volkswagens being stored there.
The sight of an in-tact Saturn dealership is a pretty huge throwback for me. I was just graduating high school in 2009, and a close friend who was working as an apprentice at a local Saturn dealership was loaned a Saturn Sky Redline off the showroom floor for the weekend as a congratulatory gift. We spent the time with the car being typical teenagers and gawking about how the Sky was such a cool roadster. Six months later, the building-which had the same awning and color scheme as Bob Rohrman Saturn-was packed with Volkswagens and the slightest mention of "Saturn" was just a memory.
Brands come and go, but there's something about Saturn that makes this particular piece so special.

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This obituary is part of "We Will Remember," a series about those we've lost to the coronavirus.
Attorney Arthur Bowman Jr., 65, a lifelong Detroiter who leaves a legacy of service to his community died May 1 at Henry Ford Hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
He was born to Arthur and Thelma Bowman and graduated from Cooley High School before earning his undergraduate degree and Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University. You may also like: Bluetooth scan tool.
Known as "Art" to many, he was passionate about politics and as a young adult found himself on the front lines as an activist for social justice. He followed in the footsteps of his late father, Wayne County Circuit Judge Arthur M. Bowman.
"His love for his city never wavered," said his daughter, Airica Bowman. His career began as an administrative aide to then-Detroit City Council President Erma Henderson in 1980-86.
He practiced law for 35 years in Detroit and was one of the founding attorneys in 2007 of the Juvenile Law Group where he represented children.
Bowman had a true passion for playing chess, according to his daughter. He was also a jazz enthusiast, loved to plant flowers, liked to work in his garden and enjoyed capturing special moments with family and friends on his video camera.
Bowman was a faithful member of Trinity A.M.E. Church where he loved playing the drums and bringing the congregation the weekly "News you can use."
Bowman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late February. He was diagnosed with the coronavirus in March before passing away May 1.
He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of 40 years, Phyllis; daughter Airica; son Arthur Bowman III; sister Bernice Harris; brother Kevin; sisters-in-law Dr. Maru Colbert and Rebecca (Ron) Slay; nieces; great nieces; nephews; other relatives, and many friends.

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Celtic are gearing up for their second Veolia Trophy test against Lyon on Saturday.
The club were back in training on Friday fresh from their 1-1 draw with Nice at the host Groupama Stadium venue.
It was a positive return to action although boss Neil Lennon acknowledged that there was a hint of slackness in their attacking play and that's something he'll want to drill out of the players.
But it can be forgiven after 131 days without a match and the way to get back to full sharpness is putting in the hard yards in training.
Here are the five things we spotted.
The gaffer may not be the force he once was when he bombed about Premier League pitches in his Leicester City days but he showed he can still join in with the Bhoys as he took part in a session.
The 49-year-old often takes a watching brief during Hoops drills but clearly decided it was time to show the kids how things should be done.
If youngsters like Ismaila Soro want to learn from someone how to handle the defensive anchor position in the Celtic midfield, there would be nobody better to watch than his boss who used to stroll through Scottish Premiership games in his pomp.
Australian midfielder Tom Rogic wasn't included in the starting XI or substitutes against Nice.
But he was active in training on Friday and it seemed like that absence was only down to a little niggle.
It remains to be seen whether he'll take part against the Veolia Trophy hosts but his presence in practice will be a welcome sight to fans of the playmaker
Patryk Klimala opened his Hoops account in the draw against Nice by capitalising on a mistake from keeper Teddy Boulhendi and slotting home.
Boss Lennon has not been shy in praising the striker for his work ethic during lockdown and his desire to adapt to Scottish football and help the team.
And although it was in a friendly he will have been delighted to get off the mark ahead of Saturday's game, in which he may be offered more game time.
Klimala's new bulked-up frame is an impressive transformation compared to the man that arrived in January and he stuck in on the training pitch.
Conor Hazard took over from Scott Bain between the sticks midway through the second half against Nice.
It's no secret that a new goalkeeper is high on the list of priorities for Celtic in this transfer window.
But in the meantime Hazard, and fellow young shot-stopper Ross Doohan, are preparing to pick up the slack while Bain remains the only senior keeper.
Lennon may want a longer look at his young keepers on Saturday to see if one or both are worth keeping around.
The towering defender is a fearsome proposition in the box at a set-piece and a tough nut to crack for opposition strikers.
But Christopher Jullien proved it's a happy camp over in France as he gave snappers a cheeser and the thumbs-up.
The centre-back enjoyed a tremendous debut season last year with some big goals against rivals Rangers and Lazio.
Now he's aiming to play a part in his side's 10 In A Row attempt.
Left-back Greg Taylor was one of Celtic's best performers against Nice with his overlapping runs.
The French side deployed teenager Theo Pionnier at right-back and he really didn't stand a chance against the former Kilmarnock man and his wing partner Moi Elyounoussi.
Taylor also delivered an inch-perfect cross for Odsonne Edouard in the first half the striker failed to convert.
He looks ready to solidify his position as the Parkhead club's first-choice left-back over Boli Bolingoli, settling a debate that has raged ever since Kieran Tierney's departure to Arsenal last summer.

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It's well-made, well-equipped and extremely cute, but you might as well know from the start that your opinion ofHonda'snew supermini EV is going to depend almost entirely on how you view its relatively meagre WLTP cruising range of 125 miles.
This dominant statistic (low compared with most other electric cars currently being rushed to market) directly controlswho will buy the Honda Eand how it will be used. It's even more important even than the relatively high price, which starts just over £26,000 for a basic version (after the £3000 government grant) and runs close to £30,000 once you've bought the plusher, faster Advance version and added obvious options.
Knowing that range talk will be dominant, Honda is careful to describe the new car as an urban runabout, relentlessly pointing out that the average British motorist's commute is only about a fifth of the little E's range, which means its battery has plenty of juice for most suburbanites. You may also like: Bluetooth obd2. If you need more, it implies, better to buy something else. Or own a second car.
The flaw in thes from the E's innate eye and driver appeal. Its modern, simple reprise of the styling ofthe 1972 Civic– itself a new kind of Honda back in the day – makes it uniquely appealing among current small cars. Once you're behind the wheel, it soon dawns on you that the E is also dynamically different from the horde: it avoids the disappointingly oversprung and underdamped suspension of many electric cars (especially those towards the bottom of the size/price range), and that's another inducement to the driver to use it for more than the low-grade errands implied by the words ‘urban' and ‘commuter'.
Mind you, it's easy enough to understand what Honda is saying: the E is a small car, just 3.9 metres long and, even with its modest 35.5kWh battery, the lightest of the two varaints weighs 1514kg. Give it a big battery and you would add 20cm or 150kg and get a car with an entirely different character and price. Other car makers have shied away from uniquely engineered small EVs, and this is why.
One virtue of the E's small battery is that it can be charged quickly: about half an hour on a rapid charger lifts it from 20-80% and most home chargers need four or five hours to restore it completely from depletion. If you park the range subject, or reach your own accommodation with it, suddenly you're talking about a rather special little car.
Honda certainly feels so: it points out that it could simply have strapped a battery underthe recently launched front wheel-drive Jazz hybrid(longer and a bit more spacious in the back), but it instead chose to give the E a new platform to give it dynamically pure rear-wheel drive, plus a 50:50 weight distribution and MacPherson strut-type independent suspension at either end. The move away from front-wheel drive also allows the steered wheels to turn very tightly, which yields the taxi-beating turning circle of 8.6 metres between kerbs.
The E's single electric drive motor sits between its rear wheels. In the base model, it makes 134bhp, while the Advance we tested gets 151bhp. Both are good for 232lb ft of torque (from standstill), but the Advance's extra power shaves 0.7sec off the 0-62mph time of 9.0sec, even though its extra gear adds around 30kg. Power is fed into the battery via a Type 2 socket under a flap in the bonnet that neatly doubles as a styling feature.
Almost every dimension of the E points to its central purpose. It occupies about the same road footprint asthe current Mini , but it's nearly 10cm taller, so it feels pleasantly high, has a spacious and upright driving position, offers a great view of the road and affords easy cabin access front and rear. The 2530mm wheelbase is one of the longest going for a car of this length; combined with wide tracks and an ultra-low centre of gravity (courtesy of that underfloor battery), this lets the E muster impressive stability and good roll control.
Rear seat room is decent, given the car's length, but the boot is small, because it has a high floor, due to the drive motor lurking beneath. The interior is a fascinating combination of trim that deliberately uses furniture-in...

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(Reuters) - Leeds United returned to the Premier League after a 16-year absence on Friday as West Bromwich Albion's loss at Huddersfield Town guaranteed them a top-two finish in the Championship.
A huge favour from Leeds' Yorkshire neighbours, who won 2-1, meant the celebrations could start in earnest at Elland Road.
The club's Italian owner Andrea Radrizzani will also be toasting promotion which is worth an estimated 170 million pounds.
Leeds have 87 points with two games remaining, five more than second-placed West Brom who slumped to defeat at the John Smith's Stadium on Friday and have one game left. See: Launch scan tool.
Leeds are six points ahead of third-placed Brentford, who have also played 44, and a point from their last two matches will ensure Marcelo Bielsa's team rejoin the elite as champions.
They could even claim the second-tier title on Saturday if Brentford fail to win at Stoke City.
"It's unbelievable and it's still not properly sunk in," captain Liam Cooper told the BBC. "Our club, our fans and our players have sacrificed so much -- we've been in the doldrums for 16 years.
"To be part of this team and to lead this team to promotion back to where we know we've always belonged is unbelievable.
"We deserve it -- we've been the best team all season on a consistent level and we've got the job done. We set out to get promoted and now we want to go and be champions and lift that trophy."
SWEET SUCCESS
The success will be doubly sweet for Leeds who missed out on promotion last season in the playoffs despite looking favourites for automatic promotion for much of the campaign.
It also comes less than a week after the death of one of the club's greatest players -- England World Cup-winning centre-half Jack Charlton.
Three times English champions, Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2004 after hitting financial trouble and being forced to sell a host of big-name players such as Robbie Keane, Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer.
The problems were only just starting though and after three years in the Championship they slipped to the third tier and into administration with the future of the club in doubt.
While they eventually regained their place in the Championship in 2010 they never really challenged for promotion until the enigmatic Bielsa took charge in 2018.
They have been transformed under the former Argentina coach and can now look forward to renewing old rivalries with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.
Former skipper Dominic Matteo, who was part of the Leeds side that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2001, paid tribute to the 64-year-old Bielsa.
"This is one of the best feelings I've ever had," Matteo told Sky Sports. "Bielsa and the team have been incredible. Everything they have done from start to finish has been done the right way.
"What Bielsa has brought to this football club has been outstanding. He's got a bit of magic and you can see the passion in his body. He brings the best out of everyone and makes every player better. All credit to him and his staff."
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Additiona reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; editing by Ken Ferris)

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Remember life before smartphones? What did you ever do while waiting in line without a scrolling feed of content in your hand? The same can be said of driving without traction control, navigation, and voice commands. It sounds crazy, but so many of us rely on these features that we have to ask: could you survive driving without modern safety tech?
Blind-spot detection, back-up cameras, parking assist, lane assist, adaptive cruise control and collision warnings are all designed to add safety and convenience to the driving experience. However, more often than not, these are used as crutches while folks only pay partial attention to the road ahead. They're all relatively new, yet they've become the norm-unless you drive a car from the previous Millenium. You may need: Autel OBD2 Diagnostic Tool.
Some like Nissan's rear seat alert system now warn you to check and make sure you don't leave anything like groceries, or a child, locked in a hot car. An older vehicle won't tell you that-the full weight of responsibility falls on you without a computer-assisted safety net. And many will argue that's how it should be.
The fear can be quite real when you look around at modern cars sharing the road and see nothing but foreheads facing down at a screen instead of the roadway. It makes you wonder how many modern drivers would immediately wreck if they suddenly didn't have all this active safety technology looking over their shoulders.
I'm already accustomed to life without these features in my '97 GMC Sierra pickup, but I see how it affects other drivers every day. Maybe I should just be glad their cars are better drivers than they are.

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In light of the social uproar following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, Formula One has been thrust into the spotlight by its only Black driver: Lewis Hamilton. The six-time world champion has been increasingly vocal about combating racism in the sport and in the world writ large, and he's used the Black Lives Matter movement as inspiration for Mercedes-AMG's new racing livery for the shortened 2020 season. In recent days, F1's parent company Liberty Media also launched the "We Race as One" initiative and created a task force to "fight against any form of discrimination."
It's possible F1 is waking up a bit. AD: obd2 scanner. But while the steps it is taking to advocate for social change are commendable, the sport needs to look within its own house and also address its own controversial races in places like Azerbaijan and Bahrain.
F1 is a complex thing, and how it makes its money is even more so. At the top, you have the circus owners, the likes of Liberty Media now (formerly Bernie Ecclestone, and a whole other essay could be devoted to him alone.) In the middle, you have the racing teams, and at the bottom, you have racing drivers who are willing to do almost anything to win. At a team level, drivers usually turn a blind eye to many questionable practices that ultimately fund the squads, such as sponsorships from corporate monopolies or less-than-desirable investors.
After all, getting two F1 cars and an entire team of people around the globe for the majority of a year isn't cheap-it costs anywhere from $130 to $410 million per season.
Hamilton's new livery in support of BLM.
New Halo livery to celebrate the We Race as One initiative.
At a sport level, however, things become more transparent, and therefore more bizarre. While it's not that hard for a team like McLaren to hide individual sponsors behind corporation names, etc., it's much harder for Liberty Media to hide the fact that it collects generous sums of money from some of the most corrupt governments in the world in exchange for hosting a race. How about Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Russia, China?
Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO of the world's second most-watched sport, may claim that "Formula 1 needs to be more inclusive and diverse" and go as far as donating $1 million of his personal money to a foundation effectively established by his own company (how's that for generosity?), but the truth is that he's undermining all of these lukewarm initiatives by continuing to exchange money with some very dirty and bloody hands. Even worse, Liberty Media has yet to highlight the steps its initiative will take to improve diversity, or how exactly it will use the money it receives.
Inside the track at Bahrain.
Outside of the track.
One of the newest jewels of the F1 season is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which takes place in the capital city of Baku. Azerbaijan is one of the world's worst offenders in human rights. According to Human Rights Watch and other various reports, Azerbaijani authorities freely and frequently imprison and torture activists, journalists, political dissidents and anyone else caught speaking out against the regime. "While criticizing the increasing crackdown, Azerbaijan's international partners have failed to set conditions for future cooperation that will help secure rights improvements," the organization says.
Imagine if there were a big, lucrative sport that could apply such pressure. If only one existed!
Things aren't any better in the Kingdom of Bahrain, where its human and civil rights situation is described as "dire" by the 2020 World Human Rights Report. The country's long list of atrocities includes executing people who haven't had a chance to undergo proper trials, jailing everyone who opposes the ruling regime, and outright banning all independent media.
While countries like Russia and China are slightly "less evil" to the naked eye, let's not forget that billions of people live under constant fear and oppression under power-hungry and power-rich governments that threaten to take whatever little rights they have. Let's not forget for one second that in these countries, being LGTBQ, ...

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Marsalek, a central figure in the collapse of the German payments company, remains at large but his whereabouts have been a mystery.
Der Spiegel cited travel information it had obtained in cooperation with Bellingcat and other investigative outfits.
Marsalek arrived at Minsk airport at 2 minutes past midnight on June 19, Der Spiegel reported. So far, no departure has been registered in an immigration data bank, which Der Spiegel said suggested Marsalek remains in Belarus or Russia. You may need: car diagnostic.
There are limited border controls between the two countries.
The law firm representing Marsalek didn't immediately respond to a request for comment outside of business hours.
In the immediate aftermath of Wirecard's collapse, there had been speculation that Marsalek was in the Philippines.
Wirecard filed for insolvency last month owing creditors 4 billion euros ($4.6 billion) after disclosing a 1.9 billion euro hole in its accounts that its auditor EY said was the result of a sophisticated global fraud.
(Reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by David Holmes)

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Starlink, SpaceX's arguably most debated project, has been developing in the sky above us, aiming for a broadband internet system to meet the needs of consumers and bring internet connection to the remote areas of the world. It's been in the talks for some time and now, it looks like it is literally just around the corner.
SpaceX has emailed those who've registered their interest in becoming beta testers for Starlink broadband internet service, asking for a specific address to replace the previously requested zip codes.
This will enable them to be more specific about network availability and specify what they'll need to do in the future.
SEE ALSO: ELON MUSK CLAIMS STARLINK SATELLITES WON'T IMPACT ASTRONOMY, BUT RESEARCH SAYS OTHERWISE
The private beta test is due to this summer, with a "public beta to follow", the email stated. People who have signed up to get updates regarding the Starlink services will be notified if any beta testing opportunities come up.
The upcoming launch for the Starlink program is edging closer, and these individuals will be able to use and test the Starlink-powered internet as SpaceX continues the launch of its satellites and makes new developments.
There have been only a few instances of it actually being used, notably by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and SpaceX investor Steve Jurvetson.
As of now, SpaceX has launched a complete of 540 Starlink satellites, with more to follow. It has been reported that some of those have been deorbited, deactivated, or died, leaving over 500 possibly present.
The company has even more satellite launches confirmed for August, and as the plan for a constellation of satellites become a reality, they will finally be up to use.

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The BMW Group is driving the expansion of electromobility and has signed a long-term supply contract worth 2 billion euros for battery cells with the Swedish company Northvolt. The battery cells will be produced in Europe at the Northvolt gigafactory currently under construction in Skellefteå in northern Sweden (series plant Northvolt Ett) from 2024.
A decisive aspect for the BMW Group: Northvolt will obtain 100 percent of the energy needed to produce the battery cells regionally in northern Sweden and exclusively from wind and hydroelectric power. Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, said: "To make an effective contribution to climate protection, we aim to improve our products' overall environmental balance – from resources to recycling. See: launch code reader. This applies in particular to energy-intensive production of high-voltage batteries for electric vehicles. That is why we now have a contractual agreement with our cell manufacturers that they will only use green power to produce our fifth-generation battery cells."
Andreas Wendt, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Purchasing and Supplier Network, added: "Northvolt is the third battery cell supplier we have partnered with, alongside our existing partners, CATL and Samsung SDI. Signing this contract is another step towards meeting our growing need for battery cells in the long term. We are systematically driving electrification of our vehicle fleet. By 2023, we aim to have 25 electrified models on the roads – more than half of them fully-electric." The BMW Group will also source cells manufactured in Europe from the Chinese manufacturer CATL – from the plant currently under construction in Erfurt, Germany. Every cell generation at the BMW Group is awarded in global competition to the leading manufacturer from both a technology and a business perspective. Wendt: "This ensures we always have access to the best possible cell technology."
The BMW Group and Northvolt will commonly source the cobalt and lithium needed as key raw materials for cell production from mines that fulfil the high sustainability standards of both companies. This ensures full transparency of the origin of raw materials at any time. Compliance with environmental standards, respect for human rights and reducing the carbon footprint are top priority. "Sustainability is an important aspect of our corporate strategy and plays a key role in expanding electromobility," emphasised Wendt. The BMW Group will also no longer use rare earths in its fifth-generation electric drive trains from 2021 on.
The BMW Group and Northvolt are pursuing their goal of a sustainable value chain for battery cells in Europe through a joint technology consortium. Recyclable cell design is a consistent focus throughout the development of battery cells. Faced with rapidly growing demand for battery cells, recycling of battery components at the end of their lifecycle and extensive reuse of raw materials will be key to closing the materials loop in the best way possible.
As e-mobility gains more and more traction, the focus of CO2 reduction shifts to upstream added value – and, especially, the energy-intensive production of high-voltage batteries, because up to 40 percent of a fully-electric vehicle's emissions come from battery cell production alone. This is a major and very effective lever for reducing CO2 – so that is precisely where the BMW Group is focusing its efforts. As a leader in sustainability, the company has therefore reached a contractual agreement with CATL, Samsung SDI and Northvolt that they will only use green power to produce fifth-generation battery cells for the BMW Group. "As volumes increase, the use of green power will save around ten million tonnes of CO2 over the next decade. For comparison, that is roughly the amount of CO2 a city of over a million inhabitants, like Munich, emits per year," according to Zipse.
The BMW Group recognised Northvolt's potential and expertise early: In mid-2018, the BMW Group entered a cooperation to develop battery cells with the company formed in 2016. This was underpinned by the BMW Group's financial participation in the firm. Both s...

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When the federal government announced that it would be issuing forgivable loans to businesses that pledged to hold on to as many employees during the pandemic as possible, most of us probably assumed that the cash would be doled out to small businesses that would be out of luck otherwise. What we now know, however, is that many of the businesses that took funds to stay afloat were large organizations with well-funded owners or investors. That includes a lot of businesses in the world of cars and racing.
So who actually deserved those loans? That's likely to be a pretty divisive question. AD: diagnostic scanner.
The Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration released a national list of companies that received loans of $150,000 or more under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and though there may be less drama to be found in the list of automotive industry-related companies than elsewhere, there are a few eyebrow-raising names on that list.
Some of those included:
Gerber, a famously bullish Tesla investor, spent the better part of the last few years bragging about his wealth on Twitter and called the PPP a "scam," but couldn't step in to save his businesses.
Trying to make a determination on who should get loan funds and who should fund their own business out of their own pockets is a slippery slope, but taking free money while criticizing others for it, all while acting the opposite of what most people would expect from the leader of a troubled business, seems to be in poor taste.
It's also worth noting, while we're all hoping for motorsports to make a return to normal as soon as possible, seeing racing teams on that list is a tough pill to swallow, depending on the team. It's true that some are small, family-owned enterprises that had their livelihoods threatened like many of us. But others are definitely not in that camp.
Roush Fenway Racing is partially owned by a billionaire and Jack Roush, who himself is no financial slouch. It's certainly not fair to call on every business owner to personally sink themselves to float a business, but the "vital loan funds" received by some would have just been a footnote in the owners' balance sheets. And Chip Ganassi himself is hardly hurting for money.
Finally, we'll point out thpanies look and sound like entities with connections to Elon Musk, but so far appear to be unrelated, though some may have worked with Musk & Co. in some capacity, such as Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. Tesla Forecasting Solutions is also found on the list, though our research points to an "energy industry forecasting company"-whatever that is, with operations in the U.S., Europe, and Asia that isn't owned or chaired by Musk.
See the full list here.

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More than 40 coronavirus cases in Saline are linked to a Fourth of July party.
The Washtenaw County Health Department has identified 43 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 66 exposed contacts from a house party July 2-3 in the Saline area, according to a news release. The exposed contacts do not count immediate family members from the same household.
Most of the confirmed cases are in people ages 15-25, according to the health department.
The health department is asking anyone who attended the gathering or knows they were exposed to self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor themselves for symptoms.
An investigation into the outbreak is ongoing, according to the health department. The gathering has led to exposure at retail stores, restaurants, businesses, canoe liveries, clubs, camps, athletic teams, and a retirement community.
There are also at least two northern Michigan exposures, an out-of-state exposure, and one neighboring county exposure, according to the health department. However, public exposures outside the initial gathering are currently considered low-risk exposures.
"This is a very clear example of how quickly this virus spreads and how many people can be impacted in a very short amount of time," Jimena Loveluck, health officer with Washtenaw County Health Department, said in a news release. "We cannot hope to accomplish our goal of containing COVID-19 and preventing additional cases, hospitalizations and deaths without full community support and cooperation."
More:
13 coronavirus cases linked to Playhouse strip club in Romulus
2 more coronavirus positive cases linked to Royal Oak sports bar
The Saline Fourth of July outbreak isn't the only recent outbreak tied to a large gathering.
The Health Department of Northwest Michigan is advising attendees of a large Fourth of July celebration at Torch Lake Sandbar to monitor themselves for symptoms after several people have tested positive.
The department asks anyone who attended the party to monitor themselves for symptoms and seek testing if symptoms develop and self-quarantine for 14 days.
An outbreak at an East Lansing bar made national news after more than 150 people got sick.
Harper's Restaurant and Brew Pub has led to 158 confirmed coronavirus cases as of July 2. Of the 158 reported, 131 reported they went to the bar at some point between June 12-June 30.
The outbreak at the bar led to cases reported across the state in Ingham, Wayne, Oakland, Clinton, St. Clair, Isabella, Macomb, Livingston, Ottawa, Eaton, Shiawassee, Kalamazoo, Manistee, Berrien, and Calhoun counties.

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