UR MAG

May 17 (Reuters) - A number of Americans currently ‌in the Democratic ‌Republic of Congo are believed ​to have had exposure to suspected cases in the country’s latest Ebola ‌outbreak, with ⁠several deemed to have had high-risk ⁠exposures, STAT News reported on Sunday.

At least one ​of these ​individuals ​may have ‌developed symptoms, the report said.

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Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic ‌Republic of Congo ​and Uganda ​has ​been declared a ‌public health emergency of ​international ​concern by the World Health Organisation, after ​80 ‌suspected deaths.

(Reporting by Rishabh ​Jaiswal in BengaluruEditing by ​Nick Zieminski)

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - British employers are prioritising cost management over growth with their confidence ‌close to a record low and their staff ‌are likely to see inflation eat into their pay in the ​year ahead, according to a survey published on Monday.

Workers in Canary Wharf financial district of London

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a professional body for the human resources sector, said rising costs ‌and uncertainty were ⁠continuing to weigh on hiring and investment decisions.

The survey, which was conducted after the ⁠start of the Iran war but before Britain's latest bout of political instability, showed:

• Cost management was the ​top priority ​for UK employers ahead ​of improving productivity and ‌growing market share

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• Iran war does not yet seem to have materially affected hiring intentions in the UK

• Indicators of employer confidence held close to record lows

• Planned pay awards were mostly around 3% ‌for the next 12 months - unchanged ​from levels over the past ​two years but ​below most forecasts for a rise ‌in inflation

• The CIPD survey ​of 2,049 employers ​was conducted between March 23 and April 23, before heavy losses in local and regional elections ​for Prime ‌Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party this month increased ​pressure on him to resign.

(Writing by William Schomberg; ​editing by Suban Abdulla)

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With eight minutes left and the Spurs ahead by 33 points, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch conceded defeat by pulling his starters, including Edwards, who finished with a team-high 24 points on 9-for-26 shooting. Rather than head straight for the Minnesota bench, Edwards made his way to the Spurs bench to offer his congratulations to coach Mitch Johnson and his players."I never seen that before," said Castle, who led the Spurs with 32 points, a playoff-best 11 rebounds and six assists. "It was cool," Castle said of the act by his fellow Georgian. "We were competing all series, so for him to come over there and show that kind of respect is definitely cool."

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype:"I never seen that before," said Castle, who led the …

Sherman Lewis, who won four Super Bowl championships as an assistant coach, died on Friday at 83 years old. His death was confirmed by Michigan State University, where Lewis was an All-American running back in 1963.

Lewis was the running backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Bill Walsh for nine seasons and won Super Bowl titles during the 1984, 1988 and 1989 seasons. He went on to become the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers on Mike Holmgren’s staff for eight seasons, winning another championship in 1996.

Despite that success, Lewis was never hired as a head coach in the NFL. He interviewed for several openings and was endorsed for such jobs by Holmgren. At the time Lewis appeared to be a strong candidate for head-coaching positions, the NFL had not yet adopted the Rooney Rule that required teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head-coach openings. That mandate was implemented in 2002.

"We won Super Bowls in San Francisco and one in Green Bay,"Lewis told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2015. "And I got to work with some great coaches and players.”

"No question I wished I had the chance to be a head coach,” he continued. “But looking back, I did all I could. I was disappointed, but I'm not going to hang my hat on that. I had a great career and was fortunate to coach in the NFL."

After his tenure in Green Bay, Lewis had two offensive coordinator stints with the Minnesota Vikings (from 2000-01) and Detroit Lions (2003-04). His final NFL coaching job was as an offensive assistant with the Washington Commanders in 2009.

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At Michigan State, Lewis rushed for 1,566 yards and 16 touchdowns in three seasons, and was named a team captain. In addition to earning All-American honors in 1963, he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting to Navy’s Roger Staubach and Georgia Tech’s Billy Lothridge.

Lewis was also an accomplished track and field star for the Spartans, winning Big Ten championships in the long jump and 300-yard dash.

Following his collegiate career in East Lansing, Lewis played two seasons in the Canadian Football League for the Toronto Argonauts and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He also played two seasons for the New York Jets when they were in the AFL.

Before moving on to the NFL, Lewis was an assistant coach for his alma mater for 14 years. He was inducted intothe Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.

May 16 (Reuters) - The Venezuelan government will retain power to set royalty and tax rates for private and foreign investors in ‌oil and gas projects on a project-by-project basis under draft ‌regulations of a new hydrocarbons law seen by Reuters on Saturday.

The law passed in January ​established a royalty cap of 30% and a new maximum integrated hydrocarbons tax of 15%. Industry experts had anticipated the accompanying regulations would specify the exact rates below those caps that private and foreign partners would pay.

Instead, ‌the draft document states ⁠that the Ministry of Hydrocarbons will review each operating company's business plan to determine the specific tax and royalty ⁠rates.

Venezuela is attempting to attract foreign capital and rebuild its economy following the U.S. removal of President Nicolas Maduro at the start of the year. ​Under acting ​President Delcy Rodriguez, the draft framework ​officially ends decades of state ‌monopoly by allowing private companies to obtain licenses for heavy crude oil processing, refining and international trading -- activities that previously only state-owned PDVSA could perform.

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The 63-page regulation must still be published in the Official Gazette to take effect.

Under the new legal framework, the National Assembly no longer approves ‌the energy joint ventures.

Instead, the Ministry of ​Hydrocarbons holds almost complete authority to sign ​contracts and modify their terms, ​including taxes and royalties. Oil experts and economists have ‌criticized the ministry's wide latitude as ​a potential deterrent to ​foreign investors who worry the government could make unilateral changes to agreed terms.

The introduction of the integrated tax raised skepticism over ​whether Caracas intended to ‌reduce significantly the state's take, which has historically been one of ​the highest in Latin America.

(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by ​Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)