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☆ India’s time zone: Why the world’s most populous country has a unique one
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Dhruv Tikekar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

India’s half-hour zone dates back to colonial rule of India and the era when ever-faster steamships and trains were shrinking the world. The start of the 20th century saw some push from scientific associations to calibrate India’s time to GMT. That recommendation was rejected by the colonial government, which opted for a unified time that sat squarely in the middle: five and a half hours ahead of GMT. In 2015, North Korea moved out of sync with South Korea by creating “Pyongyang Time,” putting the country eight and a half hours ahead of GMT instead of nine. India’s colonial-era time zone decision making, however, reflected a chorus of political, scientific and commercial voices both from within the government and outside of it, Gordon says.

Persons: Hulton, ”, Geoff Gordon, Gordon, “, it’s, Wong Maye, Hugo Chávez, Nicolas Maduro, Terry Gilliam, Rube Goldberg, Maulik Jagnani, Jagnani Organizations: CNN, East India Company, Hulton Deutsch, University of Amsterdam, Madras, Washington D.C, Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich Observatory, Meridian, Royal Society, Prime Meridian, Physical Laboratory, Tufts University, NPL Locations: New York, London, Tokyo, Iran, Myanmar, Australia, India, British, Madras, Chennai, “, Bombay, Kolkata, Washington, London ., Greenwich, North Korea, South Korea, Korea, Pyongyang, Brazil, ”, Greenwich , London, China, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat

☆ Opinion | Iran and Israel Weren’t Always Enemies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Karim Sadjadpour | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“History is littered,” the British writer and politician Enoch Powell said, “with the wars which everybody knew would never happen.”A full-blown conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel once seemed implausible. Iran and Israel are not natural adversaries. In contrast to other modern conflicts — between Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan — Iran and Israel have no bilateral land or resource disputes. Their national strengths — Iran is an energy titan and Israel is a tech innovator — are more complementary than competitive. Iran was the second Muslim nation, after Turkey, to recognize Israel after its founding in 1948.

Persons: Enoch Powell, specter, King Cyrus the Great Locations: Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, United States, Iran, Palestine, Russia, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, Turkey

☆ Opinion: Russia can lose this war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Opinion Timothy Snyder | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And far too many of us, during Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, have believed that. Of its three most consequential foreign wars, the Red Army lost two. And the Russian army of today is not the Red Army. It was disproportionately Ukrainians who fought their war to Berlin in the uniform of the Red Army. Russia can lose this war, and should, for the sake of Russians themselves.

Persons: Timothy Snyder, Richard C, Levin, “, ”, Read, Leonid Brezhnev, Putin, Alexander Nemenov, Brezhnev, Vladimir Putin, Robert Nickelsberg Organizations: Global Affairs, Yale University, CNN, Russia, Getty, Red, Red Army, Soviet, Lease, Russian Empire, Russo, Fascism Locations: Nazi Germany, Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Poland, Afghanistan, USSR, Soviet Ukraine, Berlin, United States, Russian, Crimean, Japanese, Europe, Pacific, Kabul, Soviet Union, Crimea, Japan, Soviet, Ukrainian

☆ John Leguizamo says Disney gave the 'Encanto' cast surprise bonuses because it was such a big hit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

John Leguizamo said that "Encanto" was such a huge success that he received a bonus from Disney. AdvertisementDisney was apparently so pleased with the performance of its 2021 hit animated film "Encanto" that it gave members of the cast bonuses — at least, according to star John Leguizamo. For Leguizamo, one of those was Bruno, the reclusive uncle from "Encanto," a Disney animated film about a Colombian family with magical powers. "It was amazing," Leguizamo told BI. But past the numbers, Leguizamo told Business Insider that "Encanto" was so remarkable because of the specificity of its story.

Persons: John Leguizamo, Leguizamo, Bruno, —, that's, Lin, Manuel Miranda, secluding, didn't Organizations: Disney, Service, Walt Disney, Nielsen, Sigma Locations: Colombian

☆ Sam Altman doesn't think we are worried enough about how AI will impact the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says AI's impact on the economy should be a top of mind concern. Research suggests AI has the potential to affect millions of jobs and lead to lower wages. But when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was asked for his thoughts on how the spread of AI-generated misinformation may affect elections, the tech leader appeared to be more concerned about another issue: AI's impact on the economy. An International Monetary Fund study from earlier this year found that AI may impact roughly 60% of jobs in "advanced economies." But Altman said he is still worried about AI's potential on the labor market.

Persons: Sam Altman, —, Altman, that's, they've Organizations: Service, Business, International Monetary Fund, IMF, McKinsey, CNBC

☆ Sylvester Stallone’s watches to go on sale, including ‘holy grail’ of timepiece collecting
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

That watch was the “most beautiful thing I’d ever seen,” Stallone said in a video released by Sotheby’s, and sparked a decades-long love of watch collecting. And now, the Hollywood star is auctioning 11 watches from his personal collection at a Sotheby’s sale in New York on June 5. Among the items is the rare Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, which is expected to fetch as much as $5 million, as well as watches he wore in some of his films. The Grandmaster Chime is the most complicated ever Patek Philippe watch. Another Patek Philippe watch, this one from its Nautilus family, is expected to sell for up to $400,000.

Persons: Sylvester Stallone, Gregg Allman, Allman, ” Stallone, Sotheby’s, Philippe Grandmaster, Philippe, “, Phillipe, Stallone, Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Sotheby's Organizations: CNN, Hollywood, Rolex Locations: New York

☆ TikTok Sues U.S. Government Over Law Forcing Sale or Ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Less than two weeks after President Biden signed a bill that will force TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the popular social media app or face a ban in the United States, TikTok said it sued the federal government on Tuesday, arguing the law was unconstitutional. TikTok said that the law violated the First Amendment by effectively removing an app that millions of Americans use to share their views and communicate freely. It also argued that a divestiture was “simply not possible,” especially within the law’s 270-day timeline, pointing to difficulties such as Beijing’s refusal to sell a key feature that powers TikTok in the United States. “For the first time in history, Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban, and bars every American from participating in a unique online community with more than one billion people worldwide,” the company said in the 67-page petition it provided, which initiates the lawsuit. “There is no question: The act will force a shutdown of TikTok by Jan. 19, 2025.”TikTok is battling for its survival in the United States, with the fight set to play out primarily in courts over the next few months.

Persons: Biden, TikTok, Jan, ” TikTok Locations: United States, China

☆ How Termina selected and ranked the 2024 Seed 100 and Seed 40 lists of the top early-stage venture capitalists
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jake Ellowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe Seed 100 and Seed 40 lists are derived from a statistical analysis of investor track records. Incubated by Tribe Capital, Termina is an AI-software platform that powers quantitative due diligence for leading investors around the world. Show intermediate signs of future success with seed investments that consistently receive follow-on investment. Ten percent of all seed investors in scope were women, up from 8% when the first Seed 100 was released in 2021. The result in just one year is the largest-ever rebalancing of how investors allocate seed capital across sectors.

Persons: —, We've, We're, OpenAI, Termina, Jake Ellowitz Organizations: Service, Business, Tribe Capital Locations: USA, Canada

☆ An 'artificial sun' achieved a record-breaking fusion experiment, bringing us closer to clean, limitless energy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A fusion reactor in southern France achieved a significant milestone toward clean, limitless energy. The fusion reactor, WEST, created a super-hot plasma and sustained it for a record-breaking 6 minutes. AdvertisementA fusion reactor in southern France, called WEST, just achieved an important milestone that brings us one step closer to clean, sustainable, nearly limitless energy. Fusion energy is more powerful than any form of energy we have today. Commercial fusion energy is still likely decades away, but Delgado-Aparicio thinks they're making steps toward "this big goal of giving energy to humankind."

Persons: —, Luis Delgado, Aparicio, PPPL's, they're, Roux, it's, Delgado, PPPL, Julian Stratenschulte, Tullio Barbui, Novimir Pablant, Delgadot, KSTAR Organizations: WEST, Service, New, Princeton Plasma Physics, NASA Solar Dynamics, CEA, Roux WEST, Getty, Atomic Energy Commission, ITER, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, SPARC Locations: France, Princeton, French

☆ Workday Has Become the Most-Hated Workplace, Business Software
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Matt Alston | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Every HR professional and hiring manager I spoke with — whose lives are supposedly made easier by Workday — described Workday with a sense of cosmic exasperation. "Workday does not have oversight or control of our customers' job application processes.") If candidates hate Workday, if employees hate Workday, if HR people and managers processing and assessing those candidates and employees through Workday hate Workday — if Workday is the most annoying part of so many workers' workdays — how is Workday everywhere? (Workday's "customers choose the frequency at which they conduct reviews, not Workday," said the spokesperson.) "HR software sucking" is a big tent.

Persons: you'd, Workday's, —, David Duffield, Teladoc, UKG, Cory Doctorow, It's, He'd, Matt Alston's, Stone Organizations: Fortune, Netflix, Goodwill, Spotify, Washington Post, Ohio State University, FedEx, Nintendo, Honda, LinkedIn, IBM, Oracle, Bank of America, Automation, Rippling, Systems, Facebook, Wired Locations: San Francisco, Amazon's, It's, Bonusly, Maine

☆ China's trade war with the US is unlikely to cool down this election year, so it's working on Europe instead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Xi is spending two days in France, meeting French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday before heading to Serbia and Hungary. "I'm calling for an 'aggiornamento' because China is now in excess capacity in many areas and exports massively to Europe," Macron told La Tribune Dimanche, per a Bloomberg translation. She said China's trade practices are leading to unfair trade that are "market-distorting" and "could lead to deindustrialization in Europe." China has pushed back on the West's claims of overcapacity, accusing the bloc of being protectionist and of trying to curb China's economic development. However, Europe — like China — isn't quite the same anymore, following years of economic malaise punctuated by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Persons: —, Janet Yellen, Olaf Scholz, Xi Jinping's, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Matt Geraci, Geraci, Ursula von der Leyen, Von, Leyen, Léonie Allard, Allard, Xi Organizations: Service, State Authority, European Union, Business, La Tribune Dimanche, Atlantic, Associated Press, European, overcapacity, Council's Locations: China, France, Serbia, Hungary, European, Germany, Europe, Beijing, Washington, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Putin orders tactical nuclear weapon drills to deter the West
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's defense ministry said it would hold military drills including practice for the preparation and deployment for use of non-strategic nuclear weapons. "During the exercise, a set of measures will be carried out to practice the issues of preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons," the ministry said. Russia and the United States are by far the world's biggest nuclear powers, holding more than 10,600 of the world's 12,100 nuclear warheads. No power has used nuclear weapons in war since the United States unleashed the first atomic bomb attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Major nuclear powers routinely check their nuclear weapons but very rarely publicly link such exercises to specific perceived threats in the way that Russia has.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexey Danichev, Natalia Kolesnikova, Joe Biden, Andriy Yusov, Sergei Shoigu, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ludovic Marin, David Cameron, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Abrams, Sean Gallup Organizations: Federal Assembly's Council, Reuters, Missile, Southern Military District, Military, Victory Day, Afp, Getty, Russian Federation, Federation of American Scientists, CNN, Ukraine, Kremlin, U.S . Senate, AFP, British, NATO, U.S . Army, British Amphibious Engineer Battalion Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Reuters Russia, Moscow, France, Britain, United States, Ukraine, U.S, China, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Russian, Paris, London, Soviet Union, Gniew, Poland

☆ I use my psychic powers to help corporations make money. My best ideas have earned me more than $500,000.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

So I did it and it worked, and I made an awful lot of money for people. My advice was so profitable that these clients started recommending me to their friends in other businesses and industries. By and large, the businesses I worked with are not good forces in the world — they're capitalist extractive machines. AdvertisementMy spiritual clients pay me a flat monthly fee ranging from a minimum of £4,000 to a maximum of £20,000. I charge a minimum retainer fee of £2,000 per month, but my real income comes through a success fee.

Persons: Kate Tomas, I've Organizations: Service, Business, Oxford Locations: Wales, London, Hollywood

☆ China's president arrives in Europe to reinvigorate ties at a time of global tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Chinas President Xi Jinping (L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron attend the official welcoming ceremony in Beijing on April 6, 2023. Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off a three-country trip to Europe on Sunday with the continent divided over how to deal with Beijing's growing power and the U.S.-China rivalry. Xi starts Sunday in France, whose president wants Europe to have more economic and strategic independence from other world powers. Then the Chinese president heads to Serbia and Hungary, both seen as China-friendly and close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and recipients of substantial Chinese investment. On Monday French President Emmanuel Macron will treat the Chinese leader to formal honors of a full state visit.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Emmanuel Macron, China's, Xi, Vladimir Putin, Gabriel Attal –, Ursula von der Leyen Organizations: U.S ., EU, Paris, Airport, French, Monday, European Locations: Beijing, Europe, U.S, China, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, France, Serbia, Hungary, Washington, Tibet, Paris

☆ From 25 years in prison to just four months: Inside the final verdict on a crypto billionaire CEO archrivalry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

Combination showing Former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (L) and Zhao Changpeng (R), founder and chief executive officer of Binance. A month earlier, on the opposite coast in downtown Manhattan, FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried received a 25-year prison sentence for his crimes. At the beginning of his trial, SBF sported a fresh haircut and wore suits, but by its end, his curls were wild again. Cryptocurrency exchange Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao speaks at a Binance fifth anniversary event in Paris, France, July 8, 2022. watch nowMoney makes all the differenceUnlike SBF, CZ didn't have his wealth wiped out by bankruptcy of the crypto company he founded.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Zhao Changpeng, Mike Segar, Benjamin Girette, Changpeng Zhao, FTX's Sam Bankman, Fried, Zhao, Binance's Zhao, FTX's, Toyotas, Braden Perry, Perry, Manfred, SBF, Michael Lewis, Lewis, Sam didn't, Amr Alfiky, Sam, Caroline Ellison, —, Zhao's, Yi He, Binance, David Ryder, Yang, Rachel Zhao, Yesha Yadav, Yadav, Mark Bini, Lewis Kaplan, Bankman, Kaplan, perjured, Neama Rahmani, Rahmani, Tre Lovell, Zhao hasn't, Lovell, weren't, FTX Organizations: Reuters, Bloomberg, Getty, Department of Justice, CFTC, Stanford University's, Bankman, CZ, Staff, Reuters Prosecutors, Alameda Research, Vanderbilt University, Wall Street, CNBC, FTX, Emergency Economic, Justice Department, DOJ Locations: Seattle, Manhattan, California, Hong Kong, Bahamas, Palo Alto, U.S, New York City, Alameda, Seattle , Washington, Paris, France, Angeles, Binance, Dubai, Delaware

☆ Israel to close Al Jazeera news network in the country
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Michael Schwartz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the operations of Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera will be closed in the country. Netanyahu said on X in early April that he intended “to act immediately in accordance with the new law” to stop the outlet’s activity in the country. Netanyahu’s government has long complained about Al Jazeera’s operations, alleging anti-Israeli bias. The move comes as negotiators met in Cairo on Saturday, in a bid to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal. Qatar has played a key role in ceasefire negotiations in the on-going war.

Persons: CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ”, Al, Al Jazeera, Gaza –, “ Organizations: CNN, CNN — Israel’s, Al, Human Rights Watch, Protect Journalists Locations: Qatar, Israel, Gaza, Cairo

☆ Opinion: The magic art of changing your mind
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Opinion Tess Taylor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The poem shows a human speaker in the vulnerable act of changing their mind. Keats doesn’t want to be in the sky, eternally (and probably uncomfortably) unblinking, or even to be an “Eremite,” — which is just a fancy word for hermit. Keats doesn’t want to be distant at all, it turns out. It was the poem’s role to change its mind out loud, by setting out one way and then changing course. I’m not saying that poetry doesn’t have a place to hold our rage.

Persons: Tess Taylor, John Keats, Tess Taylor Adrianne, Keats, Keats doesn’t, he’d, He’s, what’s, certainties, ”, —, WB Yeats, I’m Organizations: “, CNN, Hulton, Twitter, WB Locations: absolutes

☆ China's 'unprecedented' space mission blasts off to the far side of the moon to collect samples
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Long March 5 rocket, carrying the Chang'e-6 mission lunar probe, lifts off as it rains at the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China's Hainan Province on May 3, 2024. China on Friday launched a space probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon in a mission that has been billed as "unprecedented" as the global space race heats up. An unmanned rocket carrying the Chang'e-6 lunar probe took off from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province just before 5:30 p.m. local time, kickstarting the 53-day planned mission. The expedition aims to return around 5 pounds of lunar samples to Earth for analysis. "Collecting and returning samples from the far side of the moon is an unprecedented feat," Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, said, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua News.

Persons: Wu Weiren, Stephen Whiting Organizations: Xinhua News, Scientists, U.S, U.S . Space Command Locations: Hainan Province, China, Hainan, Beijing

☆ China is building a huge network of satellites that could be used against US troops: intel chief
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China has developed a large network of military satellites. AdvertisementChina has developed a network of hundreds of military satellites that could be used to target US troops, a Pentagon official warned. Maj. Gen. Greg Gagnon, deputy chief of space operations for intelligence, told a conference on Thursday that China had developed a sophisticated military satellite program. He said it could be used to track and target US troops moving to defend Taiwan, Defense One reported. "For the first time in decades, US leadership in space and space technology is being challenged," Meink added.

Persons: —, Greg Gagnon, Gagnon, we're, America —, Troy Meink, Space.com, Meink Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Defense, National Reconnaissance Office Locations: China, Taiwan, America, Colorado

☆ She's worked for Nike, the NBA — and Maya Angelou. Meet abstract artist Ya La'ford
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Lucy Handley | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Artist Ya La'ford in front of one of her artworks. Ya La'fordAbstract artist Ya La'ford is in demand. Her commissions — including sculpture, installations and gallery exhibitions — mean she is fully booked for the next four years. "American Roots" (2021), an installation at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, by Ya La'ford. The work was defaced in 2012 and restored in 2014, and Ya La'ford said it is one of her favorite artworks.

Persons: Ya, Ya La'ford, La'ford, She's, Janet Jackson, John, Maya Angelou, Maya, Melinda Gates, Mark Rothko's, London's, Rob Stothard Organizations: Nike, McLaren Racing, Orlando Magic, CNBC, NFL, Ringling Museum of Art, Fine Arts, Art Institute of Boston, University of Florida's Levin College of Law, Orlando Museum of Art . Orlando Museum of Art, U.S, Tampa Museum of Fine Arts, Asia, London's Tate, Getty Locations: St . Petersburg , Florida, Sarasota , Florida, Houston, China, Palenque , Colombia, St . Petersburg, Ogden , Utah, Jacksonville , Florida, Bronx , New York

☆ The Perils of the Fed’s Vast Bond Holdings
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Jeff Sommer | More About Jeff Sommer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But even after two years of quantitative tightening, the amount of bonds and securities that the Fed still retains is stupendous. Quantitative tightening is a perilous operation. Earlier attempts — notably, in 2019 — disrupted financial markets. The slow pace of quantitative tightening is partly responsible for the Fed’s inability to contribute to the national budget. That’s because the Fed has also raised interest rates, which move in the opposite direction of bond prices.

Persons: — Organizations: Fed, Treasury, Silicon Valley Bank Locations: United States

☆ Opinion | The Magic Constitutionalism of Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( David French | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Nor is that an example of “living constitutionalism,” which holds that the Constitution’s meaning can evolve over time, a concept that conservatives deplore. He also promised to pursue “the entire Biden crime family.”We should take Trump’s threats seriously, but neither those threats nor the threats of other politicians to prosecute Biden change the text or structure of the Constitution. Otherwise, presidents should remain subject to the rule of law, and not simply when they’re engaged in private conduct. Ordinarily, I would have considerable confidence that the Supreme Court — dominated as it is by originalists — would rather quickly and decisively reject Trump’s argument. And I’m less alarmed than some other analysts by the content of the justice’s questions at oral argument.

Persons: Trump, That’s, ’, Joe Biden, ”, isn’t, Biden, they’re, —, originalists —, MAGA, Anderson Organizations: Justice, Trump Locations: USA, Colorado, United States

☆ Opinion: Unable to ‘win’ in Gaza, Israel sets its sights elsewhere
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Opinion Hussein Ibish | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —An eerie relative calm has descended on the Middle East — Gaza obviously excluded — since a highly alarming exchange of missile, rocket and drone attacks by Israel and Iran in recent weeks. Now, the recent exchange of direct military attacks with Iran might have sealed Lebanon’s fate, unless team Biden can restrain Israel. On April 1, Israel struck an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus, killing a number of senior Iranian officials including Brig. As Israel’s forces moved south through Gaza, obliterating Hamas brigades with relative ease, its thinking relatively quickly turned north again. If this happens, a primary US goal regarding the Gaza war — conflict containment — would be shattered not by Washington’s adversaries, but ironically by its closest regional partner.

Persons: Hussein Ibish, Read, Biden, Israel, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Haji Rahimi, Hossein Amirollah, Louai Beshara, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Charbel Mallo, Israel —, Joe Biden Organizations: Gulf States Institute, Israel, CNN, Biden, Hezbollah, Brig, Iran’s, Quds Force, Getty, Iranian, Israeli Locations: Washington, East, Gaza, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Iranian, Damascus, Brig, Syria, AFP, Tehran, United States, Kafr Kila, Lebanese

☆ Colombia to Sever Ties With Israel Over Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Colombia will sever diplomatic ties with Israel over its prosecution of the war in Gaza, President Gustavo Petro announced in Bogotá on Wednesday, describing the Israeli government as “genocidal.”His announcement came in a speech in Colombia’s capital city in front of cheering crowds that had gathered for International Workers’ Day. “The times of genocide, of the extermination of an entire people cannot come before our eyes, before our passivity,” Mr. Petro said. “If Palestine dies, humanity dies.”Colombia is the second South American nation to break off relations with Israel after Bolivia, which cut ties in November over its strikes in Gaza. Belize also cut diplomatic ties with Israel that month. “Israel and Colombia always enjoyed warm ties.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, “, ” Mr, Petro, Petro’s, ”, Israel Katz, ’, Mr, Colombia’s, Katz, Netanyahu Organizations: International Workers, Israel, Security Locations: Colombia, Israel, Gaza, Bogotá, Colombia’s, American, Bolivia, Chile, Honduras, Belize, “ Israel, Gaza City

☆ N.S.A. Disclosure of U.S. Identities in Surveillance Reports Nearly Tripled in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The number of times the National Security Agency identified Americans or U.S. entities last year in intelligence reports containing information from a high-profile warrantless surveillance program nearly tripled from 2022, the government disclosed on Tuesday. The sharp increase in so-called unmaskings, to more than 31,300 times, arose from attempts by foreign hackers to infiltrate the computer systems of critical infrastructure — not individual people, officials said. In particular, a single intelligence report last year identified a “large number” of potential American entities a hacker sought to breach, the report said. The report was the most recent set of surveillance-related statistics made public each spring by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, providing a measure of transparency into how intelligence agencies use their electronic spying powers.

Organizations: National Security Agency, National Intelligence

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