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☆ Who is Hope Hicks, longtime Trump aide who is testifying in NY hush money case?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Michelle Shen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Washington CNN —Hope Hicks, once a longtime trusted aide in Donald Trump’s inner circle, is testifying Friday in the New York hush money trial after being subpoenaed. As CNN reported previously, Hicks appeared before the grand jury last year before Trump was indicted, as did Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway. According to reporting from “The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021,” Trump is quoted as saying, “Well, Hope doesn’t believe in me.”“No, I don’t,” Hicks replied, according to the book. “Nobody’s convinced me otherwise.”In October 2022, Hicks testified before the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. In a video clip played by the committee, Hicks testified about a conversation she had with Trump after the election, regarding his baseless claims of election fraud.

Persons: Washington CNN — Hope Hicks, Donald Trump’s, “, ” Hicks, Hicks, Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Rob Porter, Trump’s, Porter, ” Trump, Hope doesn’t, ”, “ Nobody’s, Trump “, ’ ” Hicks, Daniels, ” Cohen, Prosecutors, upended, –, David Pecker, Dylan Howard, Stephanie Clifford, I’ve, Sheila Jackson Lee, Jerry Nadler, Nadler, ’ Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Trump, Trump Organization, White, House Intelligence, Fox News, Trump White, House, Capitol, Politico, US, of, American Media Inc, AMI, National Enquirer, FBI, ” Prosecutors, Democratic Rep, New York Democrat Locations: New York, Southern, of New York, Trump’s

The top US diplomat landed in Shanghai where he is expected to meet local officials and business leaders, and he will then travel to Beijing for meetings with senior Chinese officials. “We are in a different place than we were a year ago when the bilateral relationship was at an historic low point,” a senior State Department official said. “Russia is no longer kind of on its back foot,” a second senior State Department official said. Blinken will make the case that China should weigh in “more directly” with Iran to be less provocative in the region, the second senior State Department official said. “In both cases the Chinese have taken some early steps,” said the second senior State Department official, adding that there is still “much more” that needs to be done on both fronts.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Janet Yellen, Biden, Xi, ”, “, ” Blinken, Matthew Miller, Leah Millis, China’s, ” Xi, Blinken, ” Miller, it’s, Mark Swidan, Kai Li, David Lin Organizations: CNN, State Department, Ukraine, US, Foreign Ministry, of, People, Biden, Chinese Foreign Ministry, ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Beijing, Party, Taiwan, Communist, Taiwan Relations, White Locations: China, Ukraine, Shanghai, Beijing, California, Russia, Moscow, Italy, “ Russia, ”, Europe, United States, South China, Philippine, Washington, Philippines, South, Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, East, Iran

☆ Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' ends with an ode to Clara Bow. The silent film star's family thinks it's a 'hauntingly beautiful' homage.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read preview"You look like Clara Bow in this light" is how Taylor Swift begins the closing track of the standard edition of her latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department," which was released on Friday. But beyond what she's been told by others, by naming the song "Clara Bow," Swift appears to be signaling an affinity with the original "It" girl whose career reached its apex almost a century ago. Ultimately, for Sisneros and Bell, Swift's immortalization of their great-grandmother in "Clara Bow" is a gift they can hand down to future generations. A sex symbol is a heavy load to carry when one is tired, hurt, and bewildered," Bow is quoted as saying in Stenn's biography, "Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild." Advertisement"I feel like she would say the same thing about Taylor," Bell concluded.

Persons: —, Clara Bow, Taylor Swift, Swift, Bow, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac frontwoman, It's, she's, unapologetically, Taylor, Brittany Grace Bell, Clara, They're, Nicole Sisneros, Eugene Robert Richee, Sisneros, Bell, Bow's, Rex Bell Jr, David Stenn, Rex Bell, Brittany Grace Bell's, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rebekah Harkness, Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy, Taylor's, Beth Garrabrant Sisneros, Swift's, Marilyn Monroe Organizations: Service, Poets Department, Business, BI, B.P, Golden, Hollywood, Department Locations: Hollywood, Nevada, Swift's Rhode, Clara Bow, Las Vegas, Sisneros

☆ What is cloud seeding and does it work?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Officials at the country’s National Center of Meteorology have been cited as saying the rain was not caused by cloud seeding. Here’s what to know about cloud seeding. What is cloud seeding? Cloud seeding is a weather modification concept that attempts to draw more rain or snow out of a cloud than would occur naturally. Does cloud seeding work?

Persons: hasn’t, ” Daniel Swain, ” Swain, Rachel Ramirez, Angela Fritz Organizations: CNN, United, National, of Meteorology, Aircraft, UCLA, National Academies of Sciences, United Arab Locations: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, UAE, China, Oman, Iran, Gulf of Oman

☆ Opinion: What we may never understand about O.J. Simpson
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Gene | Opinion Gene Seymour | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated via Getty Images Simpson competes during a track event at the University of Southern California in 1967. Focus On Sport via Getty Images Simpson gets ice applied to his bandaged right foot from his wife Marguerite in 1967. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Simpson poses with the Heisman Memorial Trophy after receiving the award in 1968. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Simpson is brought down by another football player during the Hula Bowl in 1969. ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Simpson acts in a scene from the 1978 film "Capricorn One."

Persons: Gene Seymour, Orenthal James Simpson, Gene Seymour Jeremy Freeman, we’ve, We’ll, Simpson, Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, “ I’m, acclimate, Simpson’s, Nicole Brown Simpson, Ronald Goldman, O.J, Bundy, Vince Bucci, Malcolm W, Emmons, Walter Iooss Jr, Marguerite, Arnelle, Tony Tomsic, Jason, Michael Ochs, Lola Falana, Richard Burton, Everett, George Gojkovich, Bruce Bennett, Jim Ringo, LeVar Burton, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Joe Namath, Frank Gifford, Mickey Pfleger, Nicole, Adam, PhotoQuest, Vinnie Zuffante, Leslie Nielsen, George Kennedy, Al Cowlings, Ford Bronco, Simpson's, Ronald Lyle Goldman, Allen J, Simpon, Cowling, Ron Galella, Chris O'Meara, Robert Kardashian, Alvin Michelson, Kardashian, Barbara Alper, Johnnie Cochran , Jr, Myung J, Chun, Reuters Simpson, Wilfredo Lee, Colin Braley, Christy Prody, Frazer Harrison, Jason Bean, Brooke Keast, AP Simpson, Jeffrey T, Barnes, Brown, O.J . Simpson, Mark Fuhrman Organizations: The New York Times, Newsday, Entertainment, The Washington, CNN, University of Southern, LA Coliseum, Fame, Getty, Sporting, USC, Bettmann, UCLA, Buffalo Bills, USA, Michael Ochs Archives, New York Jets, NFL, ABC, Disney, Warner Bros, San Francisco 49ers, AP, United, Paramount, Everett, Ford, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Police, New York Daily News, Los Angeles Daily, AP Simpson, Reuters, Lovelock Correctional, Nevada Department of Corrections, Goldman, Los Angeles Police Department Locations: University of Southern California, San Francisco, O.J, Los Angeles, Simpson, AFP, Hollywood, California, Cowlings, Simpson's Brentwood , California, Tampa , Florida, Los, Surrey, England, Miami, Dade County, Lovelock , Nevada, Las Vegas, Lovelock, Nevada

☆ Amazon and Walmart warehouse employees are so surveilled that they're worried about breaking to use bathroom: Oxfam report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Data from two recent surveys, funded in part by Oxfam — the National Survey of Amazon Warehouse Workers and the National Survey of Walmart Warehouse Workers — is included in the report. The results show that a substantial amount of Amazon and Walmart warehouse employees surveyed reported being closely watched by technology while in the workplace. Advertisement"The conditions there are absolutely horrific," one Amazon warehouse worker in Alabama was quoted as saying in the report. The Oxfam report says that at Amazon, warehouse workers "are assigned handheld devices or scanners that record, count, and measure every item they move during their day." One Walmart worker quoted in the Oxfam report alleged that the company's warehouse robots "are treated better than human beings."

Persons: —, Soren Larson, Maureen Lynch Vogel, Vogel, Petion, Suzanne Kreiter, Irit Tamir, they're, Tamir, Abby Maxman Organizations: Oxfam, Amazon, Walmart, Service, Securities, Exchange Commission, Oxfam —, National Survey, Amazon Warehouse Workers, National Survey of Walmart Warehouse Workers, Reuters Amazon, BI, Employees, Boston Globe, Getty, Oxfam America Locations: United States, Amazon, Alabama

☆ A billionaire helped bring ‘3-Body Problem’ to Netflix. His business partner ensured he never lived to see its premiere
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —Lin Qi, a billionaire fan of “The Three-Body Problem,” had big plans to bring his favorite Chinese sci-fi novel to TV, cinema and video-game screens across the world. Xu was sentenced to death for murder by a court in Shanghai on March 22 - the day after the much-anticipated debut of “3 Body Problem” on Netflix. 3 Body Problem. Soon, he was sidelined, with key projects handed to another executive, Zhao Jilong, one of the executives who would later have his drinks poisoned by Xu, according to Caixin. When Netflix announced its adaptation project of “The Three-Body Problem” in September 2020, Lin and Zhao were listed as executive producers, with Xu’s name conspicuously missing.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Lin Qi, ”, Lin, Lin’s, Xu Yao, Xu, Caixin, John Bradley, Jack Rooney, Jess Hong, Jin Cheng, Mark Gatiss, Isaac Newton, Reece Shearsmith, Alan Turing, Jenson Cheng, Kublai Khan, Netflix Xu, China’s, Liu Cixin, Zhao Jilong, Zhao, Yoozoo, “ Xu Yao’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, “, Netflix, Lin’s Yoozoo, Yoozoo Games, Phoenix News Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, pufferfish, Japan, France, United States

☆ Alsu Kurmasheva: Russian court extends detention of US-Russian journalist working for Radio Liberty
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Atlanta CNN —A Russian court has extended the detention of US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, Russian state news agency TASS reported from the courtroom Monday. According to independent Russian media outlet SOTA Vision, Kurmasheva has been in detention since October. Her lawyer, Edgar Matevosyan, said she was not guilty and planned to appeal, SOTA Vision also reported. He has yet to face trial, and his pre-trial detention was extended last week until June 30. One of those reporters, Antonina Favorskaya, employed by SOTA Vision, has been accused of “extremist activities” because of her coverage of the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Persons: Alsu Kurmasheva, Kurmasheva, Edgar Matevosyan, Vladimir Putin, ”, Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich, Antonina Favorskaya, Alexey Navalny, Anna Cooban Organizations: Atlanta CNN, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, RFE, TASS, Wall Street, SOTA, Borders Locations: Russian, Radio Free Europe, US, Kazan, Czech Republic, Russia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Ukraine, London

☆ Meta tried to 'build a clone of Snapchat' using data from Onavo, unsealed court documents show
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

An analytics app Meta acquired a decade ago turned into a major source of inspiration for product and business decisions, including its work to "clone" Snapchat. Rosen is Meta's chief information security officer, while Tiger was vice president of engineering until he left Meta in 2022. For several years, Onavo was key to how Meta decided to acquire, launch, and change its products, according to over a dozen court documents unsealed last week in an ongoing lawsuit. After the acquisition, Facebook found through Onavo's data on messaging apps that Snapchat was a top five mobile app and WhatsApp had begun to outpace Facebook Messenger. The company was hailed for its tech that compressed data on mobile phones, allowing apps to run in the background without eating up user data.

Persons: Guy Rosen, Roi Tiger, Rosen, Tiger, Onavo, Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Mike Schroepfer, Chris Cox, Javier Olivan, Sandberg, Olivan, Cox, Facebook's, Colin Stretch, WhatsApp, Zuckerberg, Instagram, Snapchat, Stretch, Kali Hays Organizations: Meta, Facebook, Business, Onavo, YouTube, Olivan, TechCrunch Locations: Onavo, Davos, khays@insider.com

☆ ‘Oppenheimer’ finally opens in Japan, the only nation to experience horror of nuclear war
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Chris Lau | Moeri Karasawa | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The three-hour biopic has broken several records since its release last year, becoming the highest-grossing movie set during World War II, according to Universal. As part of its promotional campaign, Universal sought the views of atomic bomb survivor Tomonaga Masao, who is the president of a Nagasaki-based “hibakusha” group — the name survivors call themselves. Oppenheimer’s invention was first used with devastating effect on August 6, 1945, when a US B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, another B-29, named Bockscar, dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The bombings finally prompted Japan to surrender, bringing an end to World War II.

Persons: “ Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan, Barbie ”, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Kogyo, Tomonaga Masao, Masao, Oppenheimer, ”, Hiraoka Takashi, ” Cillian Murphy, Melinda Sue Gordon, Enola Gay, Barbie, “, Rishu, he’s Organizations: CNN, British, Universal Pictures, Universal, Former Hiroshima, US Department of, Manhattan Project, Social, Warner Bros . Film Group, Warner Bros, Warner Bros ., Reuters Locations: American, Japan, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Nazi Germany, Tokyo, “ Hiroshima

☆ Zoom and Salesforce stand to benefit from Microsoft's unbundling of Teams and Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft's rivals won a reprieve on Monday, when the software giant said it would split up its Teams and Office bundles following scrutiny from European regulators. Analysts at Mizuho Securities wrote in a note on Monday that "while customers believe Zoom is a superior platform vs. Teams" and other vendors, "the bundling of MS Teams to Office 365 has always been enticing for customers to consider Teams." Last year, Microsoft generated almost $53 billion in revenue from Office, including Teams, up about 14% from 2022. Months later, the European Commission disclosed a probe into Microsoft's Teams and Office bundling.

Persons: Microsoft Corporation Satya Nadella, Slack, Satya Nadella, Salesforce, David Schellhase, Slack's, Stewart Butterfield Organizations: Microsoft Corporation, Economic, Salesforce, European Commission, Mizuho Securities, Mizuho, Microsoft, Financial Times, European Union, Microsoft's, CNBC, European Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Europe

☆ ‘No force’ can stop China’s tech progress, Xi Jinping tells Dutch PM
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

There was a surge in sales of ASML’s advanced chipmaking tools to China last year — ahead of the Dutch ban. In the fourth quarter of 2023, China accounted for 39% of ASML’s total revenue, according to the company. For 2023 as a whole, China’s share of ASML’s revenue was 29%, doubling from 14% in 2022. “China’s access to [these high-end chipmaking] machines is key to its commercialization of 7-nanometer logic chips,” they added. “China has been aggressively buying semiconductor equipment to build out production lines in both advanced and mature nodes,” according to Jefferies.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Mark Rutte, ASML, ” Xi, Rutte, Wang Wentao, Geoffrey van Leeuwen, ” Wang, “, ” Jefferies, Jefferies Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Dutch, United, ”, Dutch Trade, Huawei, China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation Locations: Hong Kong, China, Netherlands, Beijing, United States, Europe

BEIJING (AP) — Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars. The tech company will start taking orders for the SU7, a sporty four-door sedan, following a launch event with founder Lei Jun in Beijing on Thursday evening. Government subsides have helped make China the world's largest market for electric vehicles, and a bevy of new makers are locked in fierce competition. "I believe that one day, Xiaomi EVs will be a familiar sight on roads around the world,” he was quoted as saying in a company news release. “China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by using unfair practices,” President Joe Biden said when the U.S. investigation was announced.

Persons: —, Lei Jun, Lei, Xiaomi, Le, ”, automaking, “, ” Le, Joe Biden, I’m Organizations: BEIJING, Analysts, Fitch, Sino, Insights, EU, U.S, Trade Organization, U.S . Defense Department, U.S . Locations: China, Beijing, American, U.S

☆ Beyoncé’s ‘The Linda Martell Show’ single is named for a trailblazer you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Rhythm and blues and country music are the most parallel types of music,” Singleton has been quoted as saying. “Country music tells a story,” Martell told Rolling Stone. And while Martell recalls receiving two standing ovations that night, the road to country music success was far from smooth. A place in historyMartell’s story may have languished in history were it not for both her country music family and her biological one. “Minority, women and marginalized artists deserve to play on a level playing field in the country music industry,” Thompson told The Tennessean last year.

Persons: CNN — Beyoncé’s, Cowboy Carter ”, Linda Martell, ”, Beyoncé, “, Martell, Thelma Bynem, “ You’d, William “ Duke ” Rayner, Shelby Singleton Jr, ” Singleton, Singleton, ” Martell, Rolling, Jeannie C, Riley, BlackHistoryMonth Martell, Mickey Guyton, Rolling Stone, ” Guyton, “ I’ve, I’ve, …, Marquia Thompson, ” Thompson, ” Beyoncé Organizations: CNN, Rolling Stone, Grand Ole Opry, SSS, Records, Country Blues, Tennessean Locations: Texas, South Carolina, Harper, Singleton

China’s economy has struggled to recover from severe self-imposed restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic that it lifted only at the end of 2022. But Xi said that China was again contributing to world economic growth in the double digits percentage-wise. China's economy has been bogged down by a crisis in its property market in which builders are struggling under mountains of debt, and buyers are paying off loans on apartments that may never be completed. Other issues, such as an aging population and high youth unemployment, are prompting China's leaders to lean more heavily on boosting export manufacturing to make up for weak demand at home. “The respective successes of China and the United States create opportunities for each other," Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Persons: —, Xi Jinping, Xi, ” Xi, Stephen A, Biden, Donald Trump, “, Craig Allen, China's, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen Organizations: BEIJING, U.S, Communist Party, China's, Xinhua News Agency, Blackstone . Trade, U.S ., China Business Council, Apple, Xinhua Locations: Beijing, China, U.S, United, Washington, San Francisco, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, People's Republic, United States

☆ Mark Zuckerberg told Facebook execs to 'figure out' how to track encrypted usage on rival apps like Snap and YouTube, unsealed documents show
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Kali Hays | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Newly unsealed emails reveal that when Meta was still called Facebook, CEO Mark Zuckerberg ordered his executives to find a way to learn how people were using competing apps like Snapchat, even if the information was encrypted. Advertisement"Given how quickly they're growing, it seems important to figure out a new way to get reliable analytics about them," Zuckerberg wrote of Snapchat in the email. The app "doesn't (can't) decrypt data," a Facebook employee noted in an email to Zuckerberg included in a court document. While the existence of Onavo's work to track rival app usage has been reported, details of Meta's actions, the executives involved, and the surrounding communications were unreported. AdvertisementAdvertisers suing Meta said the company failed for years to disclose its use of Onavo technology to intercept rivals' analytics traffic.

Persons: Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Javier Olivan, Snapchat, Olivan, Guy Rosen, Rosen, —, Mike Schroepfer, Kali Hays Organizations: Service, Facebook, Business, Meta, Wall Street, YouTube, SSL, TechCrunch Locations: California, Onavo, khays@insider.com

☆ China, Russia and Iran put on show of force with Mideast naval drills
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Warships from China, Russia and Iran have held live-fire exercises in a key Middle Eastern waterway this week as the three partners put on a show of force in the volatile region, according to reports in state-run media. China’s navy sent a guided-missile destroyer and guided-missile frigate to the exercises, Russia dispatched the cruiser Varyag from its Pacific Fleet, and Iran contributed a range of vessels, including frigates and fast-attack boats, according to state-run media. Scheduled to run through Friday, the exercises are in their sixth incarnation since 2018, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Iran is a key supporter of both Hamas in Gaza and the Houthi rebels. Iranian munitions, including its Shahed aerial drones, have also become an important part of Russia’s arsenal in its war on Ukraine.

Persons: Amrollah Nozari, Nozari, Iran’s Organizations: CNN, Chinese Defense Ministry, Fleet, Islamic Republic News Agency, Tasnim News Agency Locations: China, Russia, Iran, Gulf of Oman, Israel, Gaza, Gulf of Aden, Yemen, Tehran, Ukraine

☆ Russian Embassy in US in Contact With State Department Ahead of Elections, Ambassador Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - The Russian embassy in Washington is in "close contact" with the U.S. State Department ahead of the presidential election in Russia this week to ensure the security of the diplomatic mission, ambassador Anatoly Antonov said on Monday. President Vladimir Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, is set to win a new six-year term in the March 15-17 vote. This would enable him to overtake Josef Stalin and become Russia's longest-serving leader for more than 200 years. "We are in close contact with the secret service of the State Department. We expect that the Americans will fulfil their obligations to ensure the security of the diplomatic mission."

Persons: Anatoly Antonov, Vladimir Putin, Josef Stalin, Antonov, Joe Biden's, Biden, Putin, Lidia Kelly, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters, U.S . State Department, State Department, Union Locations: Russian, Washington, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Moscow, Melbourne

☆ ‘A show and propaganda:’ Iran braces for low-turnout election amid silenced dissent, tumbling economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Rosa Rahimi | Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“No, I will not vote,” a 23-year-old Iranian woman told CNN from Tehran. Authorities are nonetheless eager to bring people to the polls, trying to inspire a sense of duty and resistance among Iranians amid Israel’s war in Gaza. Pedestrians pass by a poster featuring Ayatollah Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic (right) and Ayatollah Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader (left) on February 24 in Tehran, Iran. Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty ImagesOther officials have directly cited the Gaza war to rally voters ahead of the polling day. An election poster for a female parliamentary candidate apparently plays on the 'Woman-Life-Freedom' protest slogan, replacing it with 'Woman-Wisdom-Greatness' in Isfahan, Iran on February 24.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mahsa, “, ”, Khamenei, ” Khamenei, Khomeini, Ayatollah Khamenei, Hossein Beris, Hamidreza, Alex Vatanka, Foad, ” Izadi, ISNA, Hassan Moslemi Naeini, Morteza, ” Iran’s, hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, Holly Dagres, Jamshid Jamshidi, –, Hassan Rouhani, ” Hengaw, Pedram Soltani Organizations: CNN, Experts, Authorities, Islamic, Getty, Middle East Institute, University of Tehran’s, World Studies, Center for Education, Culture, Research, Atlantic Council, University of Oxford, UN, CNN International, Iran’s Guardian, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Army Locations: Iran, Tehran, “, Gaza, Islamic Republic, Tehran Times, Washington , DC, Israel, Isfahan, Norway, Sanandaj, Jordan

☆ Ryanair says it may have to raise fares and cut flights this summer because of Boeing
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Ryanair may be forced to cut flights and raise fares in the peak summer season this year because crisis-hit Boeing can’t deliver the planes it promised. Until recently, Ryanair was expecting Boeing to deliver 57 Max 8-200 planes by the end of April, Reuters reported O’Leary as saying. “We don’t really know how many aircraft we’re going to get from Boeing,” he said, according to Reuters. If only 40 aircraft are delivered, Ryanair may have to “announce some minor schedule cuts” by the end of March, O’Leary was reported as saying. I think we (will) get some modest compensation out of Boeing,” O’Leary said.

Persons: Michael O’Leary, Max, O’Leary, ”, airfares, “ It’s, ” O’Leary, “, David Calhoun, Brian West Organizations: London CNN, Ryanair, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Reuters, CNN Locations: Ryanair’s Ireland

☆ Ukrainian troops withdraw from Avdiivka as ammunition shortage bites
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian troops withdrew from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka, Kyiv's military chief said on Saturday, paving the way for Russia's biggest advance since it captured the city of Bakhmut last May. Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who took command of the Ukrainian military in a major shake-up last week, said Ukrainian forces had moved back to more secure positions outside the town, which had a pre-war population of 32,000. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised his troops for "exhausting" Russian forces in Avdiivka and said he agreed with the decision to withdraw in order to save lives. U.S. President Joe Biden warned earlier this week that Avdiivka could fall to Russian forces because of ammunition shortages following months of Republican congressional opposition to a new U.S. military aid package for Kyiv. The Russian defense ministry did not single out the battle for Avdiivka in a statement on Saturday, but said that Russian forces had "improved their positions" on the Donetsk front.

Persons: Oleksandr Syrskyi, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Syrskyi Organizations: Kyiv, Munich Security, Avdiivka Locations: Russian, Avdiivka, Ukraine, Russia, Donetsk Region, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, U.S, Donetsk

☆ Ukraine withdrawing some troops from Avdiivka, sends in elite unit; Zelenskyy heads to Berlin and Paris
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian military soldiers fire from the MT-12 or 2A29 gun "Rapira" is a Soviet smoothbore 100-mm anti-tank gun on December 7, 2023 in Avdiivka, Ukraine. Ukrainian troops are withdrawing from some areas of the eastern town of Avdiivka to seek better positions after months of intense combat. Moscow has devoted substantial battlefield resources to encircling and capturing the city, and Ukraine's dwindling supply lines have left its forces vulnerable. In a post on the Telegram messaging app on Thursday, the Third Assault Brigade confirmed it was "urgently redeployed to strengthen Ukrainian troops in the Avdiivka area," and describe the situation there as "hell," according to a Google translation. "The enemy continues the active rotation of its troops, and throws new forces and means into the city," it added.

Persons: Dmytro Lykhoviy, Andriy Biletskyi, — Elliot Smith Organizations: Military, Third Assault Brigade, Reuters Locations: Soviet, Avdiivka, Ukraine, Donetsk, Luhansk, Moscow

☆ North Korea Leader's Sister Says Japan PM's Comments Positive - KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL (Reuters) - The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said there is no impediment to closer ties with Japan and there may come a day Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits Pyongyang, state news agency KCNA said on Thursday. Kishida, whose nation has no formal diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, has said he was exploring possibilities to meet North Korea's leader to resolve the matter of Japanese civilians abducted in the 1970s and 1980s. Kim Yo Jong, a deputy department director in the ruling Workers' Party, said Kishida's comments could be considered positive if meant to advance relations. Japan has been critical of North Korea's pursuit of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, often drawing harsh rebukes from Pyongyang, especially as Tokyo stepped up its security alliance with South Korea and the United States. Kim is widely considered the closest confidant and adviser to her brother on external policy matters.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Fumio Kishida, KCNA, Kishida, Kim Yo Jong, Kim, Jack Kim, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: North, Workers ' Party Locations: SEOUL, Japan, Pyongyang, Tokyo, South Korea, United States

☆ Russia's NATO neighbors are building hundreds of bunkers and anti-tank ditches in case of an invasion
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementEstonia, Lithuania, and Latvia are busy building massive defensive installations along their collective 1,000 miles of border with Russia and Belarus. The Baltic Defense Line, comprising hundreds of bunkers and other defensive measures, was a key part of an agreement struck between the three countries last month, prompted by the war in nearby Ukraine. Advertisement"A Baltic defensive line is a huge project," Lukas Milevski, a research fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, wrote recently. A diagram of prototype bunkers published by Estonia's defense ministry shows how the oblong structures are designed to fit into a T-shaped dugout, their entrance protected by earthworks.

Persons: —, 🛡️, evkur, e cade, " ERR, Baker, ure, ely, vic, ted as say Organizations: Service, Baltic Defense, ici Locations: Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Eston, ain

Nearly two-thirds of American Jews feel less secure in the U.S. than they did a year ago, according to a new national survey. The American Jewish Committee, a prominent advocacy organization, conducted the survey last fall just as the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. The number of American Jews who say they feel less secure in the U.S. jumped 22% from last year’s survey. The survey released Tuesday found one quarter of American Jews said they have been the target of antisemitism in the past year. Levin, who is not affiliated with the AJC survey, said anti-Jewish hate crimes hit a record high last year in several major cities.

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