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☆ China's defense chief warns those seeking to separate Taiwan from China face 'self-destruction'
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

China's Defense Minister Dong Jun speaks during the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June 2, 2024. Nhac Nguyen | AFP | Getty ImagesSINGAPORE — China's defense minister, Adm. Dong Jun, vowed that anyone who aims to separate Taiwan from China will face "self-destruction." "Anyone who dares to separate Taiwan from China will only end up in self-destruction," he said. In response to questions, Dong reiterated China's position that Taiwan is part of China and said Beijing is committed to peaceful reunification. "These kinds of behavior sends very wrong signals to the Taiwan independence forces and make them become very aggressive.

Persons: Dong Jun, Nhac Nguyen, Dong, Lai Ching, —, Bastian Giegerich, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Thomas Shoal Organizations: China's, AFP, Getty, SINGAPORE, Democratic Progressive Party, Abrams, U.S, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Liberation Army Locations: Singapore, Taiwan, China, Beijing, U.S, Philippine, South, Philippines, Manila

☆ How to Reverse America's Urban Doom Loop: Use Abandoned Steam Pipes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Instead, it's drawing a feed of blistering, high-pressure, vaporized water from a century-old loop of steam pipes that runs beneath the city's streets. Like dozens of cities, New York has a loop of steam pipes under its streets that could help reverse the urban doom loop. Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesIn July, Vicinity is installing what will be the nation's first zero-carbon urban steam loop. AdvertisementThe most convincing evidence that steam loops make economic sense comes from who's getting into the district-energy game. Meaning: Can we use steam loops to fix the urban doom loop before the climate doom loop dooms us all?

Persons: I've, Nobody, Francisco, Kevin Hagerty, Lindsey Nicholson, Blake Ellis, Burns, McDonnell, Tim Danz, it's, Danz, Hagerty, Decarbonizing, COVID, Costa Samaras, They'll, Adam Rogers Organizations: California, Vicinity Energy, Getty, Cal, Antin Infrastructure Partners, KKR, Scott Institute for Energy, Innovation, Carnegie Mellon, Business Locations: Francisco, California, New York City, Boston, Washington, New York, England, Chicago, Miami, San Diego, Portland, Milwaukee

☆ Raisi’s funeral is about a lot more than the late Iranian president
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Unlike previous Iranian presidents, Raisi seemed content to serve as an empty vessel that carried out the reactionary policies of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the final arbiter on policymaking. So, when foreign dignitaries from a whopping 68 countries gathered for Raisi’s funeral on Thursday, they may not have been preoccupied with thoughts of the late president. Iranians follow a truck carrying the coffins of the late President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions during a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran. “This (funeral) is a way for countries to show the progress they have made in repairing relations with Iran,” said Parsi. He could also decide to change tack, opening it up so that Iran’s next president enjoys broad popular support.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi’s, Raisi, Ali Khamenei, Hassan Rouhani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad –, Qassem Soleimani, Quincy Institute Trita Parsi, –, Ismail Haniyeh, Ebrahim Raisi, Majid Saeedi, Donald Trump, ”, Khamenei, “, ” Mohammad Ali Shabani, Amwaj.media, CNN’s Becky Anderson, that’s Organizations: CNN, Quincy Institute Trita, United Arab, Getty, Obama, country’s Guardian Council, Supreme Locations: East, Iran, ” Washington, Gaza, Tehran, Israel, Damascus, Turkey, India, China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Kuwait, Europe, Islamic Republic, country’s

☆ Meet the leaders of the Trump era's new conservative economic populism
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Eamon Javers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Drew Angerer | Getty ImagesThis reported column is Part Two of Eamon Javers' two-part series on the new, conservative economic populism gaining ground among Republicans close to former President Donald Trump. In Part One, Javers introduces readers to the new, conservative economic populism gaining ground among Republicans close to former President Donald Trump. Senator Republican Marco Rubio gives a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, February 25, 2022. Cass counts among his allies several well respected conservative economic thinkers. "It's economic policy that emerges not from good economics, but from politics and the culture war and what your base wants," he said.

Persons: Vance, Sen, Josh Hawley, Drew Angerer, Eamon Javers, Donald Trump, Javers, WASHINGTON —, Trump, Sohrab Ahmari, Ahmari, Donald Trump's, –, We've, Oren Cass, —, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Republican Marco Rubio, Octavio Jones, Cass, Robert Lighthizer, Lighthizer, James Pethokoukis, Pethokoukis, Joe Biden —, Biden, Kahn, Lina Kahn, Lina Khan, Tom Williams Organizations: Republican, U.S, Senate, GOP, Wall Street Journal, Security, African American, Trump coalition, National Labor Relations, American, Conservative Political, Reuters, CNBC, United States Trade, Trump, American Enterprise Institute, Democratic, Big Tech, Biden's Federal Trade Commission, Financial Services, General Government, Federal Trade Commission, Cq, Inc, Getty Locations: Ohio, Cuyahoga Falls , Ohio, America, Washington, Ukraine, Vance ( Ohio, Fla, Mo, Washington . U.S, Orlando , Florida, Biden's, Rayburn

☆ Netflix is rebuilding the cable bundle, but there’s one conspicuous topic it is avoiding
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Netflix is rebuilding the cable bundle, sans one important ingredient: news. The company, having blown up the decades-old linear television business and ushered in the costly and destabilizing era of streaming, is inching closer and closer to resembling the entertainment behemoths of yesteryear. Netflix has shown little-to-no interest in investing in either live-news or pre-taped programming (a la, a show akin to “Vice News Tonight” or “60 Minutes”). Rebuilding the traditional cable package without news is akin to putting together a meal that includes steak, potatoes and ice cream, but not the broccoli. The vegetables might not be the tastiest, most popular item on the menu, but neglecting them would not be healthy.

Persons: Tom Brady, John Mulaney’s “, “, Bela Bajaria, ”, — Organizations: New York CNN, Netflix, NFL, WWE, Meta, Republicans, Journalists, Warner Bros, Discovery, CNN, Comcast, NBC, Disney, ABC News, Paramount, CBS, SPAN Locations: New York

☆ New York tops the list of the 50 richest cities in the world
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

New York's millionaire population is now larger than the entire populations of Orlando or Pittsburgh. The Bay Area's millionaire population has surged by 82% over the past decade, to 305,700. The U.S. is home to 11 of top 50 richest cities, according to the report. "Notably, U.S. cities have significantly outperformed other western cities over the past decade when its comes to overall wealth and millionaire growth." Here is the full ranking of the world's richest cities, according to Henley & Partners and New World Wealth:1.

Persons: Andrew Amoils, Amoils, Juerg Steffen, Robert Frank Organizations: Henley & Partners, Area, Federal Reserve, Research, New, London, Sydney Locations: York, California, Orlando, Pittsburgh . New York, Brazil, Italy, Canada, San Francisco, U.S, Tokyo, London, China, Beijing, Singapore, Los Angeles, New York, Area, France, Hong Kong

☆ South Africa’s democracy is turning 30 – but a silent crisis threatens its hard-fought gains
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( David Mckenzie | Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Soweto, South Africa CNN —Seth Mazibuko strides into the intersection of Moema and Vilakazi Street in Soweto, gesturing to the spot that changed South African history. Cars are used as roadblocks on June 21, 1976, during unrest in Soweto, South Africa, stemming from protests against the use of Afrikaans in schools. But as South Africans celebrate 30 years of democracy this week, many educators and activists believe that there is a crisis hollowing out the country’s education system – a crisis that threatens democracy’s hard-fought gains. Despite substantial education funding, South African students consistently rank among the lowest in global assessments of literacy and numeracy skills. South Africa has the highest unemployment rate in the world and many university graduates struggle to enter the workforce.

Persons: South Africa CNN — Seth, ”, Mazibuko, Mike Mizleni, Prince Mulwela, Angie Motshekga, Motshekga, Nelson Mandela, Walter Dhladhla, it’s, Ann Bernstein, Bernstein, Morris Isaacson, “, ‘, ’, General, Mbali Msimanga, Atlegang Alcock, Mandela Organizations: South Africa CNN, Black South, Getty, Keystone, Hulton, “, Morris Isaacson High School, CNN, South, Basic, African National Congress, ANC, of Development, Enterprise, Corruption, South African Democratic Teachers Union, Cape Town Locations: Soweto, South Africa, Moema, gesturing, AFP, Africa, Canada, Kenya, Oshlange, Black, Durban, South Africa's, Johannesburg, Robben, Cape

☆ Live Updates: Supreme Court Considers How Far Cities Can Police Homelessness
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Gavin Newsom of California ordinarily have little in common. One is a conservative think tank in Arizona, the other a Democrat leading one of the nation’s most liberal states. On Monday, the Supreme Court will consider an Oregon case that could reshape homelessness policy nationally. On its face, The City of Grants Pass v. Johnson asks how far cities can constitutionally go to restrict sleeping and camping in parks and on sidewalks. Advocates for homeless people, the American Psychiatric Association and several left-leaning states, including New York, Illinois and Minnesota, argue that criminalizing homelessness only worsens the problem.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Johnson, Daniel Bress, Timothy Sandefur, ”, Newsom, “ Organizations: Goldwater Institute, Gov, Democrat, ., Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Democratic, Republican, American Psychiatric Association, Circuit, Arizona State Capitol, ”, ‘ Raiders Locations: California, Grants, Arizona, Oregon, The City, San Francisco, New York , Illinois, Minnesota, Phoenix, Oakland

400,000 Men at each age 200,000 Age: 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95Can Ukraine Find New Soldiers Without Decimating a Whole Generation? Healthy men under age 30, the backbone of most militaries, are part of the smallest generation in Ukraine’s modern history. Mr. Zelensky’s decision to draft men starting at age 25 risks further diminishing this small generation of Ukrainians. But the lower draft age risks shrinking a small generation even more. And in occupied areas of the country Russia is conscripting Ukrainian men to fight against Ukraine, starting at age 18.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, birthrates, thein, —, Oleksandr Gladun, it’s, ”, Serhiy Hrabsky, Gladun, “ Organizations: Boys, United Nations, Ptukha, Social Studies, European Union, Eurostat, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, United States, Soviet Union, Russia, Europe

He had planned to lead a team of 15 local journalists reporting on the eclipse. Journalists at The Democrat & Chronicle have worked without a contract since 2019, said Susan DeCarava, president of the NewsGuild of New York, the union that represents them. Workers also seek a policy regarding the ethical use of artificial intelligence in reporting and writing articles, Mr. Craig said. “We had this incredible story that would touch a lot of people in our community,” Mr. Craig said. “Hopefully we’ll be back at the negotiating table tomorrow morning,” Mr. Craig said.

Persons: “ I’m, I’m, ”, Gary Craig, Susan DeCarava, “ Gannett, Ms, DeCarava, Craig, ’ bylines, “, ” Amy Garrard, ” Mr, we’ll Organizations: Democrat, Chronicle, Gannett, Journalists, The Democrat, The New York Times, ” Gannett, USA, Workers Locations: Rochester , N.Y, New York, newsrooms, United States, Rochester

☆ Cities Face Cutbacks as Commercial Real Estate Prices Tumble
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Alan Rappeport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In San Francisco, a 20-story office tower that sold for $146 million a decade ago was listed in December for just $80 million. And in Washington, a 12-story building that mixes office and retail space three blocks from the White House that sold for $100 million in 2018 recently went for just $36 million. Such steep discounts have become normal for office space across the United States as the pandemic trends of hybrid and remote work have persisted, hollowing out urban centers that were once bustling with workers. But the losses are hitting more than just commercial real estate investors. Cities are also starting to bear the brunt, as municipal budgets that rely on taxes associated with valuable commercial property are now facing shortfalls and contemplating cutbacks as lower assessments of property values reduce tax bills.

Organizations: House Locations: San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, United States

Eating regular, healthy meals, especially shared with loved ones , has also been linked with healthy aging, Thornton-Wood said. Strength training also helps minimize the loss of bone density, which is important for healthy aging, Worthington said. In particular, if you have a strong family history of heart disease, it's important to lay the foundation for a proactive heart health plan now." The American Heart Association recommends following the DASH diet , which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, for heart health. AdvertisementShe said that giving up smoking is the single most important thing you can do for your heart health.

Persons: It's, —, Bryan Johnson, Elaine LaLanne, it's, Clare Thornton, Wood, Thornton, Luke Worthington, Worthington, Nicole Harkin, Harkin, Joanne Whitmore, Whitmore, Charles Puza, Puza, Dale Bredesen, Bredesen Organizations: Service, Business, Getty, Disease Control, Cardiology, American Heart Association, British Heart Foundation, American Academy of Dermatology, Buck Institute for Research, Aging Locations: Thornton, barre, San Francisco, New York, California

☆ The hollowing out of Vice and BuzzFeed marks the end of the digital media revolution
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —The digital media revolution is over. Its two leaders, Vice Media and BuzzFeed , are in a frenetic retreat, surrendering much of their online empires as they try to protect what remains of their core assets. The demise of Vice Media as we know it is a particularly hard pill to swallow. Ahead of the announcement, the mood inside Vice Media was grim. Dixon said in his note that Vice Media had determined it was “no longer cost-effective” for the company to distribute its digital content on its own.

Persons: “, ”, they’re, I’m, Bruce Dixon, Benjamin Mullin, Dixon, Shane Smith Organizations: New York CNN, Vice Media, Media, Big Tech titans, Fortress Investment, Sports Locations: New York

☆ The high-profile failure of a $3.7B aircraft carrier shows how Britain is struggling to keep up with first-rate militaries
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Years of underfunding have left the UK's navy in a threadbare state, according to a report. AdvertisementThe high-profile failure of the UK's flagship aircraft carrier over the weekend has shown how Britain is struggling to keep up with first-rate navies around the world. AdvertisementThe Prince of Wales and the HMS Queen Elizabeth have only been in service for around three years. Having two aircraft carriers means that HMS Prince of Wales can quickly prepare to deploy in place of HMS Queen Elizabeth," said a spokeswoman. Advertisement"HMS Prince of Wales will deploy soon on NATO exercise Steadfast Defender, carrying out her duties to keep the nation and our allies safe."

Persons: underfunding, —, Elizabeth, Wales, Tom Sharpe, Lord Houghton, of Wales, HMS Queen Elizabeth, Prince, Sir Richard Barrons Organizations: NATO, Service, Britain's Royal Navy, US Navy, Navy, The Times, Britain's, Ministry of Defence, Armed Forces, Financial Locations: Britain, East Asia, Russia, Ukraine, Red, Bahrain, Wales

☆ News industry off to brutal 2024 start as mass layoffs devastate publishers, raising questions about future of journalism
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Oliver Darcy | Jon Passantino | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The recent round of layoffs, while pronounced, are part of a much larger and unrelenting storm battering the journalism industry. Over the past 18 months, most news organizations have been forced to make difficult decisions to reduce their workforces. “I am sorry to say that I do not see turning around most legacy outlets,” Jeff Jarvis, the Leonard Tow Professor of Journalism Innovation at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, told CNN. Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University, noted some local news outlets have found financial sustainability. “There are reasons to be optimistic given the hundreds of independent local news organizations that have sprouted up in recent years,” he said.

Persons: Condé Nast, ” Jay Rosen, “, Jeff Jarvis, Craig Newmark, ” Jarvis, ” Rosen, Steve Bannon’s, Margaret Sullivan, Sullivan, ”, ” Sullivan, Jeff Bezos ’, Patrick Soon, Dan Kennedy, Shiong’s, Jeff Bezos, ” Kennedy, Rosen Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Times, Business, Condé, Forbes, The New York Daily News, Washington Post, NPR, Vice Media, Sports, Vox Media, NBC News, CNBC, Gannett, Netflix, Columbia University, Google, Meta, New York University, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, America, Guardian, The Washington Post, The New York Times, “ Democracy, Jeff Bezos ’ Washington Post, Northeastern University, “ Billionaire, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Boston Globe, Journalists Locations: Covid, Jeff Bezos ’ Washington

More than 8.5 million abandoned homes in rural Japan are creating a "ghost town" problem. There are more than 8.5 million akiya , or abandoned homes, in rural Japan, according to the country's 2018 Housing and Land Survey, its most recent on record. The institute predicts akiya could exceed 30% of homes in Japan by 2033. As Richard Koo, the chief economist at NRI, told them at the time, the Japanese countryside has been hollowing out since the mid-'90s. Why aren't more Japanese people buying abandoned countryside homes?

Persons: —, who've, Richard Koo, There's, Chris McMorran, Koo, Douglas Southerland, McMorran, Natasha Durie, Durie, Eric McAskill, McAskill, Jaya Thursfield, Chihiro, Kurosawa, Joey Stockermans, akiya Organizations: Service, Survey, Nomura Research Institute, Business Insider's, NRI, National University of Singapore, of Anthropology, Ethnography, Oxford University, Canadian Real Estate Association Locations: Japan, Business Insider's Singapore, Gifu, Vancouver, Canada, Nagano Prefecture, England, Ibaraki Prefecture, London, North America, Kyushu, akiya

☆ Staff at Pure Barre and other boutique gyms say a major franchisee stiffed them on pay, sent bizarre emails, and talked about drinking his own urine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Jake Swearingen | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Staff at some Pure Barre, CycleBar, Row House, and other high-end fitness studios aren't being paid. Outposts of CycleBar, Row House, and other pricey fitness studios have also shut their doors, suddenly and sometimes without explanation. In one call reviewed by Business Insider, Brown spoke about drinking his own urine. In his November 8 email to all studio staff, Brown wrote that he "failed all of you." And unlike the fitness studio employees, they didn't find the message or tone of Brown's November 8 email surprising.

Persons: Mitch Brown, —, Brown, Amy, Xponential, Jaime Miettinen, Miettinen, Mitch, Jason Whitman, Stride, hollowing, we're, Pamela Chatman, CycleBar, Subreddits, Chatman Organizations: Service, Staff, Business, Midwest, Professional Holdings, Employees, Xponential, Research, Holdings, Fitness, Pure Locations: Barre, CycleBar, Pure Barre, Detroit, California, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Brown

They used to take advantage of a grain elevator in Mayfield, Kentucky — a massive facility that bought and stored millions of bushels of grain from farmers. “The swings in the weather events that we have ... that’s kind of scary,” he said, especially for those with smaller farms. Human-caused climate change is only anticipated to amplify the number and intensity of those extreme events, from flash droughts to increased rainfall. Although he took some losses, he says that he and other farmers are used to dealing with uncooperative weather. On smaller farms, if farmers are forced to put everything in a low-lying area that floods, an entire crop can be affected, Schmitz said.

Persons: — Justin Ralph, he's, They're, you’ve, Ralph, Keith Lowry, Lowry, What’s, ”, Miranda Rudolph, Hans Schmitz, Jed Clark, Schmitz, Adam Kough, Murray, Kough, Joshua Bickel, ___ Read, Melina Walling Organizations: ” Farmers, University of, Farmers, Associated Press, AP Locations: MAYFIELD, Ky, Mayfield , Kentucky, Southern, Mayfield, Graves County, Kentucky, Indiana, ___

☆ Vice to end several news shows and lay off dozens of staffers in hollowing out of news division
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Vice Media, the one-time digital media darling that has seen its value and influence greatly diminish in recent years, moved on Thursday to further hollow out its once prestigious news division, shutting down several shows and laying off dozens of staffers. “To be clear, Vice News is not going away,” the company’s co-chief executives, Bruce Dixon and Hozefa Lokhandwala, said in a memo to staff obtained by CNN. “Vice will continue to produce digital news, as well as Vice News documentaries, both series and films, for FAST Channels, streaming services and other partners.”In April, Vice Media ended “Vice News Tonight,” its flagship program, citing restructuring that would result in cuts across the organization, CNN previously reported. In June, the digital media company was purchased by three investment companies, including Fortress Investment Group, for $350 million. A person familiar with the matter said “less than 100” staffers would be laid off.

Persons: “, Bruce Dixon, Hozefa Lokhandwala, ”, Dixon, Lokhandwala, CJTtiYXJML —, ” CNN’s Oliver Darcy Organizations: CNN —, Media, CNN, “, FAST, Fortress Investment, Union, Company

☆ The US is quietly arming Taiwan against a Chinese invasion — but it could backfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementIn late August, the US approved an $80 million military grant to arm Taiwan against a potential Chinese invasion. It's part of a plan to wrong-step China's leaders and make them uncertain about how exactly the US would respond to Chinese attacks on Taiwan. "Those military packages are the Biden administration's efforts to build Taiwan's defense capabilities at a faster pace to match PLA [Chinese military] modernization efforts," said Kuo. Provoking ChinaSince the 1970s, the US has had a delicate diplomatic relationship with China, acknowledging the "One China" policy under which China claims ownership of Taiwan, yet also backing Taiwanese autonomy. "That could easily provoke exactly the Chinese attack on Taiwan that US policy aims to deter," he wrote.

Persons: Xi, —, Biden, Xi Jinping, HECTOR RETAMAL, Joe Biden, Graeme Thomson, Naiyu Kuo, Kuo, Thompson, Hugh White, Beijing's, Kavanagh Organizations: Taiwan, Service, Bloomberg, BBC, Communists, CNN, Getty Images, White, Eurasia Group, PLA, China, Strategic Studies, Australian National University, US Locations: China, Taiwan, Taiwan's, Taiwan Strait, China's, Fujian province, AFP, Washington ,, Beijing, Washington

☆ ECB starts preparation for digital euro in multi-year project
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Francesco Canepa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A number of Caribbean countries and Nigeria have already launched digital currencies while China and Sweden are among those that have rolled out pilot projects. The ECB says a digital euro will create competition in the market for payments, dominated by U.S. credit card companies. The digital euro will distributed by the ECB as well as commercial banks and digital wallet providers. Many of these projects surged around 2019, when Facebook announced plans to introduce a digital currency, which were then ditched. But the rise of stablecoins – crypto tokens backed to some degree by traditional currencies – gave central bank’s digital currencies, or CBDC in financial jargon, new impetus.

Persons: Markus Ferber, Francesco Canepa, Alex Richardson, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: European Central Bank, ECB, Bank of England, Bank of Canada, European People's Party, U.S, Monetary Fund, Commission, Bank for International, Facebook, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Nigeria, China, Sweden

☆ Wallace confirms resignation as UK defence minister in letter to PM Sunak
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace walks on Downing Street on the day of the last cabinet meeting before the summer recess, in London, Britain, July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Anna Gordon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Ben Wallace confirmed his resignation as defence minister on Thursday in a letter to Rishi Sunak, offering the government his continued support while warning the British prime minister not to see defence as a "discretionary spend". In his official resignation letter, Wallace renewed his appeal for the government not to turn to defence to make spending cuts. Sunak praised Wallace for his work, saying in a letter in response: "You have served our country in three of the most demanding posts in government: defence secretary, security minister and Northern Ireland minister." A former captain in the British army, Wallace, 53, was appointed as defence minister in 2019 by his friend and ally, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson after holding junior ministerial roles in earlier governments.

Persons: Defence Ben Wallace, Anna Gordon, Ben Wallace, Rishi Sunak, Wallace, Jens Stoltenberg, hollowing, Sunak, Boris Johnson, Johnson, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Muvija M, Elizabeth Piper, Kate Holton, Alex Richardson Organizations: State, Defence, REUTERS, NATO, Conservative Party, Ministry of Defence, Northern, Twitter, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Ukraine, Norwegian, Northern Ireland, Russia, Kyiv

☆ The resilience of Russia's stock market and its economy is a complete mirage masking deeper pain, Yale researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The functioning of Russia's stock market is an illusion, two Yale researchers told Insider. That apparently stellar performance of the Russian stock market this year is ultimately an illusion meant to mask deepening pain in the country's economy. It's a move that was intended to prop up Russia's stock market, the researchers said. "The Russian stock market performance is very misleading, It is a Roach Motel of assets," Sonnenfeld told Insider. Other experts have warned of more pain for Russia's economy as its costly war in Ukraine drags on.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Steven Tian, Ukraine haven't, that's, Tian, Sonnenfeld, Putin Organizations: Yale, Investments, Service, Yale School of Management, Putin, Levada Locations: Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Baltic, Russian, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan

☆ Remote-working parents with young kids are fleeing cities to get more bang for their buck
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Parents with children under 5 are shunning big cities faster than everyone else. But the flight of young parents and a shrinking population might mean cities have to compete to keep you. A new report from the Economic Innovation Group, or EIG, found that families with young kids are shunning big cities. That created a nexus of families with young children just outside of cities, what the report calls a "donut effect." But for cities that are shedding young families but still hold allure, like New York, the reshaping might be more of a rethinking of their value proposition.

Persons: Connor O'Brien, weren't, O'Brien, would've, what's, Eliza Relman Organizations: Service, Economic Innovation Group, jkaplan Locations: Wall, Silicon, Florida, EIG, Carolinas, New York, Los Angeles

☆ The Afterlife of Forlorn Office Furniture
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Stefanos Chen | More About Stefanos Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Herman Miller is one of the most revered makers of office furniture in the world, its designs so esteemed that its Aeron chair, which became a fixture of New York City cubicles, was put in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. This month, some Herman Miller chairs, which can retail for over $1,000, met a less dignified fate: an appointment with the crushing metal jaws of an excavator. More than three years after the coronavirus pandemic began, about half of the office space in the New York City metro area in June was occupied, according to Kastle Systems, a security-card company tracking activity in office buildings. The hollowing out of the city’s cubicles has raised existential economic and cultural questions, but also a big logistical one: What do you do with all that office furniture?

Persons: Herman Miller Organizations: Museum, Modern, New, Kastle Systems Locations: New York City

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