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☆ Top minds at Milken unveil what they're seeing under the surface of the US economy as the national debt burden rises to nauseating levels
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

For the 27th straight year, some of the brightest minds from across the business world descended on Beverly Hills in early May to attend the Milken Institute Global Conference. But while speculation stole headlines, Milken speakers spent much of their time fixated on the state of the US economy. But despite continued concerns about stagflation, Milken speakers overwhelmingly expressed confidence about economic growth at a May 6 session called "Global Markets at Inflection." "The economy is still extremely strong, consumers are still doing really well, businesses are still doing really well," Scharf said. Though far from perfect, the US is still the best place to investDespite the $34.7 trillion anvil hanging over the economy, Milken speakers widely agreed that the US is still the best place to invest and operate a company.

Persons: Elon Musk, he's, Milken, Wells, Franklin Templeton, Gerard Baker, Andre Esteves, Jenny Johnson, Charlie Scharf, Scharf, we've, it's, you've, hasn't, Sam, Joshua Friedman, Anne Walsh, Friedman, Esteves, they've, Johnson, " Scharf, Wells Fargo Organizations: Milken Institute Global, SpaceX, Business, Milken, The, Consumers, Starbucks, Canyon Partners, Investors, Guggenheim Investments, Milken Institute Global Conference, US Locations: Beverly Hills, Wells Fargo, Brazil, McDonald's, Washington

☆ Palantir made a ton of money this year thanks to strong US demand. But don't expect much growth in Europe.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. We are on fire," said Palantir CEO Alex Karp on Monday's earnings call. International commercial revenue for the first quarter was $149 million — down 3% from the prior quarter, but up 16% year-on-year. And international government revenue was down 9% from the prior quarter, to $79 million — though up 33% year-on-year. Karp addressed the matter in the call as well, saying Palantir is the first call for Western allies in global conflicts.

Persons: —, Alex Karp, Palantir's, General Mills, Karp, Dave Glazer, Glazer, Palantir, it's Organizations: Service, Business, Cleveland Clinic, General, DC Locations: Denver , Colorado, Europe, Israel, Ukraine, America, Palestine, Washington

☆ Opinion: Small-town water systems are global cyber targets. Is your city next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Opinion Robert M. Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The town of Abernathy also reported a water system hack, and the towns of Lockney and Hale Center said hackers tried to breach their water infrastructure but did not succeed. Unlike how David was ready to take on Goliath, our most vulnerable critical infrastructure systems – including water infrastructure – are ill-prepared. The water attacks we’ve seen so far have not had serious consequences for the people they serve. According to the EPA, 90% of the nation’s community water systems are small, public systems bringing water to 10,000 or fewer customers. If we really want to help water utilities defend against cyber threats, we have to close the resource gap.

Persons: Robert M, Lee Dragos, David, we’ve, –, Iran –, Homeland Security’s Organizations: CNN, Cyber Army, Hale Center, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, FBI, Rehabilitation, Government, Department, Homeland, Infrastructure Security Agency, National Security Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Homeland, Local Locations: Russia, Texas, Muleshoe, Abernathy, Lockney, Aliquippa , Pennsylvania, United States, China, North Korea, Iran, Department of Homeland Security’s State

Has South Africa Truly Defeated Apartheid? U.S.A., 2020 – 63% U.K., 2019 – 62% 60% 49% 40% 20% 1994 2004 2014 2019 Sources: Collette Schulz-Herzenberg, "The South African non-voter: An analysis"; Konrad Adenaur Stiftung, 2020 (South Africa); Pew Research (United States and U.K.)On a continent where coups, autocrats and flawed elections have become common, South Africa is a widely admired exception. −4% −6% Sources: Harvard Growth Lab analysis of World Economic Outlook (South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa) and World Development Indicators (upper-middle-income countries). 50% unemployment rate 40% Black unemployment rate 30% The unemployment gap between Black and white South Africans remains wide. In 2022, about 6 percent of South Africans aged 18 to 29 were enrolled in higher education, according to Statistics South Africa.

Persons: Nelson Mandela, they’ve, Collette Schulz, Konrad Adenaur Stiftung, —, Walter Sisulu, Joao Silva, New York Times Jack Martins, ”, Mandela’s, Wandile Sihlobo, Johann Kirsten, Sihlobo, Kirsten, haven’t, Zinhle Nene, Peter Mokoena, “, Mokoena, Nokuthula Mabe, Mabe, Jacob Zuma, Chrispin Phiri, Cyril Ramaphosa, Israel, Sibusiso Zikode, Zikode, Mr Organizations: African National Congress, Pew Research, Human Sciences Research, World Bank, Black South, Charter, New York Times, University of Cape Town’s Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Economic Empowerment, South, Harvard, Economic, Government, Black, Mr, Stellenbosch University . White, Statistics, Security, JOHANNESBURG Jobs, JOHANNESBURG Sandton Downtown, West University, Education, Statistics South, General Household Survey, of, Stellenbosch University, Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services, Institute for Security Studies, International Court of Justice Locations: Africa, South Africa, Black, States, Soweto, Kliptown, Johannesburg, South, Saharan Africa, Carletonville, JOHANNESBURG, Downtown Soweto, JOHANNESBURG Sandton, JOHANNESBURG Sandton Downtown Soweto, North, Mahikeng, Botswana, Statistics South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, African, Germany, Russia, India, China, Ethiopia, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, New York Times South Africa, Gaza, Durban, South Africa’s

☆ The US is under pressure to lead the way in reducing plastic pollution — but it keeps making more of it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

World leaders are gathering in Ottawa, Ontario, this week to hash out a global treaty to end plastic pollution. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. AdvertisementHundreds of businesses and countries support cutting plastic production. Lin represents the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, which includes more than 200 companies. Cutting plastic production would also hit the bottom line of oil majors such as Exxon.

Persons: Carroll Muffett, Jose Fernandez, Biden, Allison Lin, Lin, Stewart Harris, Harris, Neil Nathan, Nathan, He's Organizations: Service, Business, Center for International Environmental Law, Organization for Economic Co, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, State Department, Mars Inc, Business Coalition, Global Plastics, Walmart, PepsiCo, International Council of Chemical Association, Oxford Economics, Exxon, The International Energy Agency, UC Santa Barbara, US Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC, Paris, Ottawa, Belgium

☆ Elon Musk is waging war on multiple fronts — and now Australia is in the firing line
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Musk has been in public spats with Brazil's Supreme Court and the Australian government this year. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Musk said on Friday: "The Australian censorship commissar is demanding global content bans." Musk said on X the content had been "censored" for Australia, "pending legal appeal, and it is stored only on servers in the USA." Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: Elon, Musk, —, That's, he's, Mar Mari Emmanuel, Australia's, Tanya Plibersek, Alexandre de Moraes, de Moraes, Brazil's, De Moraes, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy's, Donald Trump Jr Organizations: Twitter, Brazil's, Service, Reuters, Australia's eSafety, BBC News, SpaceX, Getty, Business Locations: Sydney, Australian, Australia's, Australia, USA, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Ireland, Dublin

☆ Americans are losing confidence in their military and government institutions: polls
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New Gallup data reveals the US has fallen behind many G7 countries in key indicators. 26% of Americans struggled to afford food in 2023, and confidence in the military has fallen. Related storiesThe US spends more on its military than most of the G7 countries combined, though confidence has progressively fallen over the last few years. US confidence in the military fell to a new low of 81% — and for the first time, US confidence fell below another G7 nation, France. Japan, the lowest of the G7 countries, was only 8%.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Trump, Roe, Kevin McCarthy, Gallup, Benedict Vigers Organizations: Gallup, Service, Biden, House, Department, Pew Research, Representatives, OECD Locations: U.S, France, Afghanistan, Biden's, Italy, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada

☆ Opinion: The next pandemic threat demands action now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Opinion Jaime M. Yassif | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Well, so far US officials are saying they believe there is minimal risk to the public from the latest iteration of bird flu. According to the Global Health Security Index, there are significant gaps in countries’ pandemic preparedness capabilities. Given the impact of Covid, it is deeply disappointing that national governments are not investing the necessary resources to build life-saving pandemic preparedness capacity. Making matters worse, Congress has made major cuts to pandemic preparedness funding, as part of the ongoing appropriations process. Playing the long game also means supporting the World Bank Pandemic Fund, which is designed to invest in long-term pandemic preparedness capacity of low- and middle-income countries.

Persons: Jaime M, Yassif, ”, —, we’ve, US Department of Agriculture —, It’s, Biden, Covid Organizations: Global Biological Policy, Nuclear Threat Initiative, CNN, Yassif Nuclear, US Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, US Department of Health, Human Services, CDC, US Department of Agriculture, Global Health, Brown, Pandemic Center, Gates Foundation, NTI, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Global Health Security, Bank, Fund, pandemics Locations: Texas , Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Covid, United States

☆ La Scala Opera Taps an Italian to Be Its Next Leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, one of the world’s most prestigious and storied opera houses, announced Tuesday that its next leader would be Fortunato Ortombina, who is currently general director of Venice’s opera house, Teatro La Fenice. Ortombina will succeed Dominique Meyer, a respected French impresario who has run La Scala since 2020 and who previously led the Vienna State Opera. “A decision has finally been reached,” Mayor Giuseppe Sala of Milan, who is the chairman of the foundation that runs the opera house, said Tuesday after a board meeting. The appointment of Ortombina ended months of speculation and whispers in the opera world. “After three foreign general directors, Stéphane Lissner, Alexander Pereira and Dominique Meyer, an Italian returns to La Scala,” he said in a statement, which noted that the practice of Italian opera singing had recently been added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.

Persons: Fortunato Ortombina, Ortombina, Dominique Meyer, Giuseppe Sala of, Gennaro Sangiuliano, “, Stéphane Lissner, Alexander Pereira, ” Organizations: Scala, Teatro La Fenice, La Scala, Vienna State Opera, ” Locations: Milan, French, Giuseppe Sala of Milan

☆ Validation for Woman Who Said She Was Raped in Australia’s Parliament
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When a young former government employee said on national television in 2021 that she had been sexually assaulted in Australia’s Parliament two years earlier, it shocked the nation and unleashed a wave of anger aimed at the country’s insular, male-dominated political establishment. The employee, Brittany Higgins accused her colleague Bruce Lehrmann of raping her when she was inebriated, and said that she felt pressure from the government at the time not to report the assault. She became a figurehead for a reckoning on women’s rights that ultimately contributed to the electoral ousting of Australia’s conservative national government. The proceedings did not take place in a criminal court, and the offense did not have to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Instead, the standard of proof was a balance of probabilities — a legal term meaning whether something is more likely than not to have occurred.

Persons: Brittany Higgins, Bruce Lehrmann, Lehrmann, Higgins

☆ Oracle's Larry Ellison thinks every government will want to build a 'sovereign' AI cloud in the future
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-07 | by ( Michelle Castillo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Oracle, which works with Nvidia and Microsoft on generative AI capabilities, has already helped use cloud tech to cut red tape for countries. For the first time, we're beginning to win business for countries," Ellison said. Countries including Serbia are standardizing on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and using generative AI for processes like automating health care. Cloud and generative AI applications allowing countries to give rural areas internet access could increase educational opportunities and create more economic value. "There's the 'Black Mirror' bad side of it: Big Brother, data wars, AI warfare and all that stuff," Garder said.

Persons: Raimo Lenschow, Ellison, Oracle's Larry Ellison, it's, Elon Musk's, you've, we've, Dan Gardner, Tapan Parikh, Parikh, Garder, Gardner, Simone Bohnenberger, It's, Bohnenberger, there's Organizations: Oracle, Barclays, EU, Nvidia, Microsoft, European, Amazon, Department of Defense, Google, Infrastructure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Cornell University, U.S Locations: Serbia, Albania, European Union, Kenya, Rwanda, U.S, China, TikTok

☆ Opinion | The Birth Dearth and the Smartphone Age
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

My newsroom colleagues Jason Horowitz and Gaia Pianigiani have a lovely report this week about family-friendly policies in the Italian province of Alto Adige-South Tyrol, which has the highest birthrate of any region in an aging, depopulating Italy. Their story is a portrait not just of a particular policy matrix but also the culture that policy can help foster. Some of what Carney describes is a set of habits that’s beyond the reach of policy. (I don’t think there’s much the government can do to persuade parents to “Have Lower Ambitions for Your Kids,” to select one of his more striking chapter titles.) But some of the sense of overwhelmingness that comes with modern parenting seems like it could be mitigated, not just through a once-a-year benefit or tax credit, but also through small consistent signals of support: the family discount on groceries, the convenient in-home child care option, the open play space, the flexible work space.

Persons: Jason Horowitz, Gaia Pianigiani, —, “, Tim Carney, conspires, Carney Organizations: Italy’s, ”, The Washington Examiner Locations: Italian, Alto Adige, South Tyrol, Italy

☆ Texas immigration controversy rekindles fight over Arizona’s ‘show me your papers’ law
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The legal battle over a controversial Texas immigration law could eventually give the Supreme Court a chance to revisit a historic ruling that largely struck down Arizona’s “show me your papers” law and reaffirmed the federal government’s “broad, undoubted power” over immigration. “It would have been incredibly difficult for the 5th Circuit to let this law stand under existing Supreme Court precedent,” she said. ‘Show me your papers’ lawThe Arizona law is a high-profile example of what happens when states attempt to take immigration policy into their own hands. Jan Brewer signed the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, known as SB 1070, into law in 2010. The Supreme Court upheld the “show me your papers” part of the law and struck down the three other parts.

Persons: ”, Andrew Schoenholtz, “, ” Denise Gilman, Biden, Jan Brewer, Justice Anthony Kennedy, ’, ” Kennedy, ” Gilman, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, Elena Kagan, Jessica Bulman, Scalia, ” “, Pozen, Obama, that’s, Priscilla Richman, Irma Carrillo Ramirez, Andrew Oldham –, Alito, –, Oldham, Greg Abbott Organizations: CNN, Texas ’, ., Georgetown Law, University of Texas School of Law, Circuit, Arizona Republican Gov, Enforcement, Act, National, National Government, Columbia Law School, “, Arizona Court, Oldham, Texas Republican Gov Locations: Texas, New Orleans, Arizona, . United States, El Paso County . Texas, United States, “ Arizona

☆ What Happened When This Italian Province Invested in Babies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Jason Horowitz | Gaia Pianigiani | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a municipal building in the heart of the alpine city of Bolzano, Stefano Baldo clocked out of work early for his breastfeeding break. “It’s clear I don’t breastfeed,” Mr. Baldo, a 38-year-old transportation administrator, said in his office decorated with pictures of his wife and six children. But with his wife home with a newborn, one of the parents was entitled by law to take the time, and he needed to pick up the kids. But the Alto Adige-South Tyrol area and its capital, Bolzano, more than any other part of the country, bucked the trend and emerged as a parallel procreation universe for Italy, with its birthrate holding steady over decades. The reason, experts say, is that the provincial government has over time developed a thick network of family-friendly benefits, going far beyond the one-off bonuses for babies that the national government offers.

Persons: Stefano Baldo, Mr, Baldo, “, Giorgia Meloni, Pope Francis Locations: Bolzano, Italy, Europe, South Tyrol

☆ Erdogan's rival leads in Istanbul in high-stakes Turkey vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu led a challenger from President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party in local elections on Sunday, an initial count showed, in a potential boost for the Turkish opposition's effort to reassert itself as a political force. In another blow to Erdogan, in the nation's second-largest city Ankara, incumbent opposition mayor Mansur Yavas declared victory over his AK Party (AKP) challenger less than three hours after polls closed in the nationwide municipal vote. The nationwide local elections are seen by analysts as a gauge of both Erdogan's support and the opposition's durability. Erdogan, who has led Turkey for more than two decades, campaigned hard for his party to reclaim control of Istanbul from rival Imamoglu, the incumbent mayor and potential future presidential challenger. According to official results based on 41.43% of ballot boxes opened, Imamoglu had 50% support compared with 41.26% for AK Party (AKP) challenger Murat Kurum, a former minister in Erdogan's national government.

Persons: Ekrem Imamoglu, Tayyip Erdogan's, Erdogan, Mansur Yavas, Imamoglu, Murat Kurum Organizations: Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party, AK Party, Anadolu Agency, Republican People's Party Locations: Istanbul, Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Izmir, Bursa, Antalya, Adana

☆ Supreme Court allows a new Texas immigration law that gives police the power to arrest migrants
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to enforce a contentious new law that gives local police the power to arrest migrants. The dispute is the latest clash between the Biden administration and Texas over immigration enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico border. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a brief order that it could go into effect March 10 if the Supreme Court declined to intervene. On March 4, Justice Samuel Alito issued a temporary freeze on the law to give the Supreme Court time to consider the federal government's request. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said in court papers that the Texas law is "flatly inconsistent" with Supreme Court precedent dating back 100 years.

Persons: Biden, Sonia Sotomayor, Samuel Alito, Elizabeth Prelogar Organizations: Border Patrol, Biden, Circuit, Appeals Locations: Venezuela, Rio, Eagle Pass , Texas, Texas, Mexico, New Orleans

“Responsibility for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates rests with Congress and not the States,” they wrote in a 20-page decision. “The judgment of the Colorado Supreme Court therefore cannot stand. The high court’s ruling resolves just one of two that could have sweeping implications for the 2024 election. “The Court has settled a politically charged issue in the volatile season of a Presidential election. Particularly in this circumstance, writings on the Court should turn the national temperature down, not up.

Persons: Donald Trump, ”, Trump’s, Trump, affirmatively, ’, ‘, ’ ”, State Jena Griswold, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Amy Coney Barrett Organizations: Colorado Supreme, Capitol, Trump, Republican, Donald Trump View, National Government, United, Colorado, State Locations: Colorado, United States

☆ Don't want Russia to successfully invade your country? Then do this.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Even though Russia may dwarf a small state, that doesn't guarantee a successful airport seizure. AdvertisementHere's some advice for nations who don't want Russian troops as uninvited guests: Guard your airport. However, other Russian airport takedowns have been largely successful. Stringer points to a special airport defense regiment that Switzerland stationed at Zurich Airport during the Cold War, as a good model. "Understanding and delineating the sequence of events Russia has historically used to initiate a coup and devising countermeasures to thwart these actions may prove critical in defending against the next Russian invasion."

Persons: —, Russia's, Kevin Stringer, Heather Gregg, Stringer, Hafizullah Amin, Amin, playbook, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Guard, Kremlin, West, Institute ., Air, US Army, Russian, Spetznaz, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Rapid, Brigade, National Guard, Antonov, Zurich Airport, United States, 75th Ranger Regiment, Air Force, CIA, Hostomel, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Hostomel, Russia, Kyiv's Hostomel, Ukraine, Institute . Moscow, Prague, Kabul, Sevastopol, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Warsaw, Czechoslovakia, Baltic States, Moldova, Georgia, Russian, Switzerland, Zurich, Europe, Finland, Sweden, Forbes

☆ Trump-admiring populist Milei lashes out at Argentina's governors after major reform bill setback
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Sam Meredith | Www.Linkedin.Com In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Argentina's President Javier Milei accused governors of seeking "to destroy" his sweeping economic reform bill, shortly after his ruling party abruptly withdrew the package from the floor of the country's lower house. The so-called "omnibus" bill, which had received support in general terms from opposition lawmakers last week, was rejected on Tuesday during an article-by-article approval process. The package of measures is a core tenet of Milei's push to reform Latin America's third-largest economy. Among other issues, the bill seeks to privatize state entities, increase penalties for social protests and scale back some environmental protections. Milei's Libertad Avanza party has pledged to send the bill back to committees to be debated when governors "understand that it is the people who need it, not the government."

Persons: Javier Milei, Jimena Blanco, Verisk Maplecroft Organizations: National, CNBC Locations: Argentina, Buenos Aires, Americas

She lost her mother and brother when the building collapsed in the earthquake. Damage from the earthquake is still visible in Antakya, Hatay province. Scott McLean/CNNSearch for the missingLast year’s earthquake killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey, and thousands more in neighboring Syria. “If I can’t find his body, then I will be waiting for him my whole life.”Smoke billows from the scene of collapsed buildings on February 7, 2023 in Hatay, Turkey. Smoke billows from the Iskenderun Port as rescue workers work at the scene of a collapsed building on February 7, 2023 in Iskenderun, Turkey.

Persons: Karabas, Sengul, Rukiye, Mehmet, “, ” Karabas, Scott McLean, Guray Ervin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ismail Demir, ”, Sema Gulec, DEMAK, Gulec, Weeks, Batuhan, –, can’t, Burak Kara, Nur, She’s, Khaled Kassar, Kassar, Anwar, Jamal, ” Kassar, Mustafa Kara Ali, Erdogan, Yasin Akgul, Ekrem Imamoglu, Imamoglu, “ Banks Organizations: Southern, Southern Turkey CNN —, CNN, Hatay, Gulec’s, Interior Ministry, CHP, Getty, Development Party Locations: Southern Turkey, Turkey, Syria, Gaziantep province, Islahiye, Antakya, Hatay province, Iskenderun, Hatay, morgues, Syrian, Homs, Gaziantep, Turkish, AFP, Turkey’s, Istanbul, Istanbul’s, Kocaeli

☆ Philippines Ready to Use 'Forces' to Quell Any Secession Attempt Official
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Duterte has called for the independence of his hometown Mindanao from the Philippines as his alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr disintegrated this week over disagreements around efforts to amend the constitution. National security adviser Eduardo Ano said in a statement any attempt to secede "will be met by the government with resolute force", citing "recent calls to separate Mindanao" but without specifically naming Duterte. "The national government will not hesitate to use its authority and forces to quell and stop any and all attempts to dismember the Republic," Ano said. Ano said calls for secession could reverse the gains of government's peace deal with former separatist groups. Philippine armed forces chief Romeo Brawner told soldiers on Saturday "to remain united and loyal to the constitution and the chain of command".

Persons: Rodrigo Duterte, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Duterte, Eduardo Ano, Ano, Ahod Ebrahim, Carlito Galvez Jr, Romeo Brawner, Mikhail Flores, Miral Fahmy Organizations: Moro Islamic Liberation Locations: MANILA, Philippine, Mindanao, Philippines, Moro Islamic

☆ Wildfires Threaten 2 Chilean Cities, Destroying 1,000 Homes and Killing 40
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( John Bartlett | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Forest fires ripping through central Chile’s coastal hills since Friday have killed at least 40 people and destroyed more than 1,000 homes, with many more feared dead, according to the national government. The wildfires are encroaching on Viña del Mar and Valparaíso, two cities that form a sprawling region that is home to more than one million people on Chile’s central coastline, about 75 miles northeast of the capital, Santiago. Just after midday, President Gabriel Boric flew over the area in a helicopter, and said his government had worked to “secure the greatest resources” in Chile’s history to fight the blazes during the country’s wildfire season, which typically hits during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer and reaches a peak in February. “I assure you all that we will be there as a government to help you recover,” he wrote on the social media platform X. Later, he said the confirmed death toll had risen to 40 people, and warned, “the number of victims is sure to increase.

Persons: Gabriel Boric, “, ” Organizations: del Locations: del Mar, Santiago

☆ Farmers’ protests have erupted across Europe. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Chris Liakos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

This week, the farmers’ protests struck at the heart of the European Union, when they rolled into Brussels on Thursday as leaders held a major summit on Ukraine. The EU has waived quotas and duties on Ukrainian imports in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “In Germany, it was really focused on diesel, so starting to tax diesel for tractors. France this week announced a series of measures for farmers in light of the protests. This has already been seen in Germany, when the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) involved itself in the protests and expressed solidarity with the farmers.

Persons: ”, Sebastien Bozon, Kay Nietfeld, Hugo Auge, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s, Dimitar Dilkoff, Emmanuel Mathé, “, we’re, Anger, Renaud Foucart, Sakis Mitrolidis, Stefano Guidi, Gabriel Attal, Attal, Ursula von Der Leyen, Rob Engelaar Organizations: CNN — Farmers, CNN, European Union, Toulouse, BFMTV, Getty Images Farmers, AP, Farmers, Getty, ” Farmers, EU, Lancaster University, Deal, Green, European Commission, French, Farmer, Citizen Locations: Europe, Paris, France, Italy, Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Eastern Europe, EU, Brussels, Ukraine, Zandvliet, Meer, Lyon, Vesoul, AFP, Berlin, Thessaloniki, Spanish, Hamburg, Cologne, Bremen, Nuremberg, Munich, Eastern, Bulgaria, Yvelines, French, Noisy, Seine et Marne, England, Novara, Belgium, Arendonk, Dutch

☆ Colombia's Petro Denies Calling for Cabinet Resignations
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Colombian presidents frequently request mass, 'protocol' cabinet resignations in order to make changes to the government, though these are not guaranteed. The three government sources said had Petro asked for the resignations of his ministers during a meeting on Wednesday evening. Rather than the president demanding their resignations, ministers offered to resign, Agriculture Minister Jhenifer Mojica said during a presentation near capital Bogota. Petro last called for ministers' resignations in April after a debate on a health reform was abandoned by the lower house of congress. (Reporting by Oliver Griffin and Luis Jaime Acosta; Additional reporting by Carlos Vargas; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Persons: Oliver Griffin, Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA, Gustavo Petro, Petro, Jhenifer Mojica, Jorge Ivan Gonzalez, Ricardo Bonilla, Jose Antonio Ocampo, Luis Jaime Acosta, Carlos Vargas, Sandra Maler Organizations: Finance Locations: Bogota

☆ A government employee bought a wildly expensive sex doll to promote kimonos to tourists. Now the scandal's blowing up.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewAuditors have rapped the Tokushima Prefectural Government for purchasing an "extremely expensive" sex doll to promote the city's tourism. The exhibition was meant to promote the prefecture's traditional indigo-dyeing art, so the doll was clad in an indigo-dyed summer kimono, per the Mainichi. Officials initially used a pair of cheaper mannequins — not the sex doll — at the exhibition in June 2017. AdvertisementBut in July, an unnamed male official decided to replace the mannequins with the sex doll. The auditors dismissed the prefecture's claims that the sex doll was more effective at drawing tourists than the mannequins.

Persons: —, he'd, Masazumi Gotoda Organizations: Service, Tokushima Prefectural Government, Business, Tokushima Awaodori Airport, Mainichi Shimbun, Mainichi . Officials, Mainichi, COVID, Yahoo Japan Locations: Tokushima Prefectural, Tokushima, Noto

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