RT News November 5, 2013: Face Time: Hundreds march in DC in Anonymous inspired protest

NYT | Bits The Business of Tecnology Daily Report November 5, 2013: In New York, Airbnb Offers Extra Income but Questionable Legality Inbox. x

Daily Report

In New York, Airbnb Offers Extra Income but Questionable Legality | Airbnb is a service adored by some, despised by others, and most commonly known as a place to rent out your apartment while you are out of town for a few days, Elizabeth A. Harris reports. But doing so is often illegal in New York City, one reason the company has locked horns with the New York State attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman.
A huge amount of money hangs in the balance of this dispute, including revenue for Airbnb, as well as untold millions in hotel tax dollars that the attorney general says Airbnb has been costing the state every year. Also at stake is a discrete little economy, populated by New Yorkers who make a substantial portion of their income by renting out apartments on a short-term basis through the website, sometimes legally and sometimes not.
"Last year we made about $90,000 from this business," said Leslie, who rents out two rooms in her two-family house in Brooklyn through Airbnb. Leslie, a stay-at-home mother who is married to a teacher, agreed to speak only if her address and last name were withheld.
In most residential apartment buildings, renting out your space for less than 30 days is illegal, unless you are present when you have that visitor. The restriction does not apply to single- or two-family homes, like Leslie's, but zoning laws may still limit the practice. Leases and building bylaws may also forbid it.
Still, even those whose rental side business might surmount legal hurdles were skittish about being identified. Sometimes they did not want their neighbors to know. But they were also worried that the state might choose to make an example of them. Mr. Schneiderman has subpoenaed Airbnb for transaction information on many of its New York users, and the company is fighting to keep the information private. Read more »

From The Times

Helpouts From Google Connects People With Experts Over Live Video | Acknowledging that its search engine cannot answer everybody's questions, Google introduced Helpouts, for live, one-on-one video chats with experts.

Don't Start Up Your Tablet on the Runway Just Yet | New federal guidelines on in-flight use of electronic devices will be adopted slowly and piecemeal, at first.

The Airbnb Economy in New York: Lucrative but Often Illegal | A number of New Yorkers make a substantial portion of their income by renting out apartments on a short-term basis through the Airbnb website.

Book About Amazon Is Reviewed on Amazon, by Founder's Wife | In her lengthy review, MacKenzie Bezos took issue with "The Everything Store," about Amazon and Jeff Bezos.

A Key to Quantum Computing, Close to Home | Copper phthalocyanine, a blue dye found in many household items, could fill a critical need in the quest for a quantum computer, researchers say.

Netflix Acquires Streaming Rights to a Highly Praised Documentary | The service's deal for "The Square," about protests in Egypt, follows its strategy of extending its reach beyond television series.

As U.S. Weighs Spying Changes, Officials Say Data Sweeps Must Continue | The Obama administration is considering reining in many N.S.A. practices overseas, but for now, officials have concluded that there is no workable alternative to the collection of huge quantities of "metadata."

Read more from The Times »

Best of Scuttlebot  News from the Web, annotated by our staff How We Know the N.S.A. Had Access to Internal Google and Yahoo Cloud Data | The Washington Post The Washington Post drills into its proof that the National Security Agency is tapping Google's network and holes in the N.S.A.'s denials. - Claire Cain Miller Google's Eric Schmidt Lambasts N.S.A. Over Spying | The Wall Street Journal Eric Schmidt of Google blasts the NSA but extols the benefits of North Korea and Cuba having more connectivity. - Claire Cain Miller For more Scuttlebot, follow @nytimesbits »

Around the Web

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NYT | Asian Morning Today's Headlines November 5, 2013: Congolese Rebel Group Says It Is Laying Down Arms

 

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Today's Headlines

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

 

Top News

Congolese Rebel Group Says It Is Laying Down Arms By NICHOLAS KULISH Victories against the group, M23, by the military of the Democratic Republic of Congo and diplomatic pressure on the rebels' supporters in Rwanda were seen as having paved the way for the move.

In Geneva, Diplomats Try to Push Syria Peace Conference By NICK CUMMING-BRUCE and ALAN COWELL Senior U.S., Russian and U.N. diplomats met to build momentum for peace talks, despite rifts within the Syrian opposition and other states in the region.

E.U. Predicts Anemic Growth and High Unemployment in 2014 By JAMES KANTER Economic growth in 2014 should hit 1.1 percent in the euro area and 1.4 percent across the European Union and continue to strengthen in 2015. Greece Resumes Talks With Lenders Over Budget Gap

Editors' Picks

TRAVEL Video: Brazil's North Zones The Frugal Traveler heads to the north sides of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, where urban explorers can find affordable adventures.

OPINION | Op-Ed | Norihiro Kato If the Emperor Wore a Kimono By NORIHIRO KATO Why shouldn't the emperor - a living symbol of "Japaneseness" - wear that quintessentially Japanese item of apparel?

World Lens Blog A Congolese Rebellion Routed, a Photographer's Work Continues By NICHOLAS KULISH While the M23 rebels of Congo send signals of peace, the photographer Pete Muller, who has been documenting the conflict, will continue his work there exploring notions of masculinity. German Officials Provide Details on Looted Art Trove By MELISSA EDDY A collection of about 1,400 works of art discovered last year at the home of an elderly man includes works by Picasso, Chagall, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and major German artists. Report of Nazi-Looted Trove Puts Art World in an Uproar 152 Border Guards Given Death Penalty Over Revolt in Bangladesh By JULFIKAR ALI MANIK and ELLEN BARRY The sentence was imposed on members of the Bangladesh Rifles in connection with a 2009 mutiny in which scores were killed. For more world news, go to NYTimes.com/World

Business Ford Pays a High Price for Plant Closing in Belgium By JACK EWING Ford has succeeded in reaching a labor settlement in Genk, Belgium, but only after a long, bitter struggle that cost the company $750 million.  Slide Show: Belgian Town Braces for Ford Exit  Map: End of the Assembly Line Greece Resumes Talks With Lenders Over Budget Gap By NIKI KITSANTONIS The two sides are disputing the size of a budget gap for next year and whether new austerity measures will be needed to cover it. For more business news, go to INYT.com/Business

Technology

Bits Blog Acer's Chief Resigns Amid Slump in PC Sales By ERIC PFANNER The Taiwanese computer maker said Tuesday that its chief executive, J.T. Wang, had resigned, citing an inability to come to grips with a downturn in the PC business.

Bits Blog Helpouts From Google Connects People With Experts Over Live Video By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER Acknowledging that its search engine cannot answer everybody's questions, Google introduced Helpouts, for live, one-on-one video chats with experts.

The Appraisal The Airbnb Economy in New York: Lucrative but Often Illegal By ELIZABETH A. HARRIS A number of New Yorkers make a substantial portion of their income by renting out apartments on a short-term basis through the Airbnb website. More Appraisal Columns

Sports

On Soccer No Heroism in Playing After a Head Injury By SAM BORDEN Hugo Lloris's ability to persuade trainers that he could play after a blow to the head showed the flaws of the Premier League's treatment of head injuries. Hughes: Time to Remove Coaches From Concussion Decisions

Time to Remove Coaches From Concussion Decisions By ROB HUGHES It's no longer enough to make it a guideline to remove a player after a blow to the head; it needs to become a rule.

Bayern Munich Chief Faces Trial for Tax Evasion By MELISSA EDDY Uli Hoeness is to be tried in March on charges of evading millions of euros in taxes, but the soccer club said it saw no need for him to step down.

For more sports news, go to INYT.com/Sports

U.S. News Seattle's Mayor Faces Challenge, Despite Signs of Success By KIRK JOHNSON On the eve of Election Day, polls suggested that Mayor Mike McGinn was in trouble, even though the economy is doing pretty well and job numbers are growing. Christie Hopes to Show G.O.P. He Has Diverse Support By KATE ZERNIKE Almost an assured presidential contender, Gov. Chris Christie is hoping to show his party that he can win big and attract black and Hispanic voters. Remaking Medicine For Uninsured, Clearing a Way to Enrollment By ABBY GOODNOUGH Kentucky and other states are using counselors to seek out and sign up uninsured residents, providing a clear view of how enrollment under the health care law should work. Video: Eligible to Enroll | Slide Show: Kentucky Ahead in Enrollment For more U.S. news, go to NYTimes.com/US

Opinion

Editorial High-Caliber Cosmic Nothingness In the search for dark matter, the rest of the story is yet to come.

Op-Ed Contributor Kenya Tests International Justice By MAKAU W. MUTUA Africans and the West must stand firm, and not allow Kenya's leaders to delay their hearing before the International Criminal Court.

For more opinion, go to INYT.com/Opinion

MoneyShow Investors Daily Alert November 5, 2013: There is No Fed Endgame

INVESTORS DAILY ALERT

Jim Jubak on MoneyShow.com

Barrick Spooks Gold Sector after Halloween

There is No Fed Endgame

TOP PROS' TOP PICKS

Goldcorp: Fast Growth, Low Costs, Mark Skousen

Orbital Science: Ready to Launch, Brian Hicks

GURUS' VIEWS & STRATEGIES

Big Performance from Small-Cap ETFs, Philip Springer

CHARTS IN PLAY

Gold: Bull Trap Ready to Close, Tom Aspray

IDEAS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Lukoil: Russian Growth and Value, John Reese

Today's Featured Videos

The Tale of the Tape—Mutual Fund vs. ETFs, Dave Paterson

Get on the Renovation Cycle, Elliott Gue

DealBook P.M. Edition November 5, 2013: In Surprise Exit, Bart Chilton to Depart Futures Commission.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

TOP STORY

In Surprise Exit, Bart Chilton to Depart Futures Commission Bart Chilton, the outspoken regulator whose colorful commentary on Wall Street positioned him as a fierce critic of the industry, said Tuesday that he would step down from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

• DEALBOOK »
•  

• DEALBOOK HIGHLIGHTS

  Proposed Rule Limits Size of Commodities Traders' Positions The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is seeking to expand the types of commodities future contracts subject to trading limits.

  • DEALBOOK »

  Allen Edmonds Changes Private Equity Hands Brentwood Associates, based in Los Angeles, bought the men's shoemaker from Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison, based in Minneapolis, for about $180 million.

  • DEALBOOK »

  Telefonica and Vivendi Deals Underscore European Trend Consolidation continues in Europe's telecommunications industry, as big players shed assets they consider secondary to their refocused strategies.

  • DEALBOOK »

  Endo Health to Buy Specialty Drug Maker for $1.6 Billion Endo Health Solutions, a health care company known for its pain medication, has reached a deal to acquire a Canadian specialty drug company, Paladin Labs, for $1.6 billion in stock and cash.

  • DEALBOOK »

  Reuters Breakingviews: The Tax Motive in Endo Health's Deal Endo's deal for Paladin Labs of Canada will involve creating a new holding company based in Ireland to house both firms. The move should significantly reduce Endo's tax rate, writes Robert Cyran.

  • DEALBOOK »

  LOOKING AHEAD

  Twitter Many investors use Twitter, but beginning Thursday, they can buy a piece of the company, too. The microblogging network, with 232 million users, plans to sell at least 70 million shares of stock to the public at $23 to $25 a share in an initial public offering. The final price and number of shares is expected to be set on Wednesday night, but if it prices at the high end, Twitter would be valued at $13.9 billion at the start of its first day of trading.
  Economic Reports On Thursday, the Commerce Department will release its first estimate of economic growth in the third quarter of 2013. The announcement, which was delayed by the government shutdown, is expected to show an economy growing moderately, but not robustly. Experts will be watching closely to see how higher interest rates affected the housing sector, and whether cutbacks in government spending crimped growth. The consensus forecast among economists is for growth to have run at an annual rate of about 2 percent.
  Jobs Report On Friday, the Labor Department will announce the latest figures for job creation in October, along with the unemployment rate for the month. These figures are hotly anticipated because they will offer clues to how much of a hit the economy suffered with the government shuttered. The release was delayed by one week because of the shutdown. Economists estimate that about 135,000 jobs were created in October, with the unemployment rate rising to 7.4 percent from 7.2 percent in September. 
  
  

  Quotation of the Day

  "I'm reminded of the old Etta James song, 'At Last.'"
  Bart Chilton announcing his exit from the C.F.T.C. after nearly three decades of government service.