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☆ Wagner troops arrive in Central African Republic ahead of referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Judicael Yongo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The government had said previously that the troops' movement was part of a rotation of forces rather a withdrawal. "They are also here to secure the constitutional referendum," the spokesperson said, declining to say how many troops had arrived. A senior CAR military official in the capital told Reuters that hundreds of troops had arrived. CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who was first elected in 2016, and won reelection in 2020, turned to Russia for help to tackle the rebel groups. He is on the campaign trail for the constitutional referendum which, if passed, could remove a two-term presidential limit and enable him run again.

Persons: wagner, Faustin, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Albert Yaloke Mokpem, Francois Bozize, Touadera, Judicael Yongo, Bate Felix, Anait Miridzhanian, Alison Williams Organizations: Central, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Bangui, Central, Read, BANGUI, Central African Republic, Russia

[1/2] Cars are shown lined up at the valet parking area outside the Creative Artists Agency building in Los Angeles, California, September 24, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan AlcornJuly 14 (Reuters) - Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is in advanced talks to sell a majority stake to French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault in a deal that could value the Hollywood talent agency at over $7 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. CAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and spokespeople for Pinault and for TPG declined to comment. In 2021, CAA announced a deal to buy major Hollywood rival ICM Partners. Bloomberg first reported the talks between Pinault and CAA.

Persons: Jonathan Alcorn, Francois, Henri Pinault, Pinault, Kering, Salma Hayek, Tom Hanks, Zendaya, Steven Spielberg, Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Gursimran Kaur, Jyoti Narayan, Rishabh, Muralikumar Anantharaman, John Stonestreet Organizations: Creative Artists Agency, REUTERS, Hollywood, Gucci, TPG, CAA, ICM Partners, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, Los Angeles, Pinault, Bengaluru

☆ Fact Check-No evidence French military said it will arrest Emmanuel Macron
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Neither France’s Ministry of the Armed Forces nor its Ministry of the Interior has made a statement suggesting that the nation’s military is ready to arrest President Emmanuel Macron for treason, a French military spokesperson said in response to a false headline circulating online. A headline saying the French military is prepared to arrest Macron is circulating in the form of a screenshot, with examples (here) and (here). The current People’s Voice report quotes an authentic tweet by former Brexit Party politician Jim Ferguson saying: “There are unconfirmed reports that certain senior and serving French Military commanders have delivered an ultimatum to #Macron. No credible news outlets online have reported that either General Lecointre or General de Villiers issued such a warning to Macron (bit.ly/3pDDAdT) and (bit.ly/43ht4qy). There is no evidence that French military officials issued a statement indicating that they are ready to arrest President Emmanuel Macron for treason.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, ” Macron, Nahel, Jim Ferguson, General François Lecointre, Pierre de Villiers, de Villiers, Lecointre, Read Organizations: France’s Ministry of, Armed Forces, Reuters, Ministry of, Brexit Party, French Military

☆ Italy's luxury groups set aside rivalries to keep it local
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Elisa Anzolin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SMALL MANUFACTURERS APLENTYItaly is home to thousands of small manufacturers that cover 50-55% of the global production of luxury clothing and leather goods, consultancy Bain calculates. LVMH announced in May it had taken a majority stake in Nuti Ivo Group, an Italian company that has specialised in making leather products since 1955. Kering managing director Jean-Francois Palus said the luxury group is increasingly looking to bring production in house. "Italy has not created a (major) luxury hub, but we have entrepreneurs who have the ability to activate the right relationships at the right time," said Stefania Lazzaroni, general manager at Italian luxury industry association Altagamma. "Italian groups are now more managerialised, more organised and also stronger, which makes them more open to thinking together," he said.

Persons: Luigi Fedeli e, Zegna, Gildo Zegna, Ermenegildo, Kering, LVMH, Jean, Francois Palus, It's, Chanel, Brunello, Stefania Lazzaroni, Prada, Roberto Costa, Bertelli, Elisa Anzolin, Silvia Aloisi, Keith Weir, Jane Merriman Organizations: France MILAN, Prada, Filati Biagioli Modesto S.p.A, Biagioli, Prada Group, Reuters, Bain, Group, Nazionale della Moda, Global Luxury Investment Banking, Citigroup, Thomson Locations: Italy, France, Italian, Monza, Milan, Filati Biagioli, Bertelli, Nuti

News analysisPresident Biden and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, with G7 leaders at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Wednesday. Mr. Zelensky has never pushed for Ukrainian NATO membership while the war is raging, nor has anyone else. Mr. Zelensky has never pushed for Ukrainian NATO membership while the war is raging. “I think the win here for Ukraine is the sort of cultural acceptance that Ukraine belongs in NATO,” he said. Image French President Emmanuel Macron has moved from opposition to Ukrainian membership in NATO to strong support for it.

Persons: Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Zelensky, Mauricio Lima, John Kornblum, Mr, Kornblum, “, Emmanuel Macron, Michal Baranowski, François Heisbourg, ” Ben Wallace, Macron, Ludovic Marin, Jens Stoltenberg, Russia —, Olaf Scholz, Germany, Doug Mills, Camille Grand, Heisbourg, Ukraine can’t, ” Lara Jakes Organizations: NATO, Lithuania — NATO, Kyiv, Ukraine, Central, Ukrainian NATO, Grad, The New York Times, Ukraine Council, German Marshall Fund, “, ”, Washington, Agence France, Russia, New York Times, Ukraine —, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, VILNIUS, Turkey, Ukraine, NATO, Ukrainian, American, Germany, France, Warsaw, “ Ukraine, Bucharest, French, United States, Bratislava, Central Europe, Russia

☆ Central banks in Asia could soon diverge from the Fed, Nomura says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Francois Lochon | Gamma-rapho | Getty ImagesCentral banks in Asia could start cutting rates earlier than the Federal Reserve, economists at Nomura predicted. "Our view of Asian central banks cutting policy rates ahead of the Fed in this cycle is based on the fundamental divergences between Asian and U.S. economies," Nomura economists wrote. China's producer prices have already entered deflation territory, while South Korea's inflation hovered around 2.7%, nearing its central bank's target. Seoul could start cutsNomura expects the Bank of Korea to be one of the first central banks after China to cut rates. They pointed to the central bank's governor Rhee Chang-yong shrugging off investor concerns about a weakening South Korean currency.

Persons: Francois Lochon, Sonal Varma, Nomura, lockdowns, BOK, Rhee Chang, Rhee Organizations: Getty, Federal Reserve, Nomura, Federal, Bank of, CNBC, Korean, U.S Locations: Seoul, South, Asia, U.S, China, sputter, Indonesia, Philippines, India, Korea, Singapore, Bank of Korea

☆ Twenty-four central banks will have digital currencies by 2030 - BIS survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Karin Strohecker | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Central banks around the globe have been studying and working on digital versions of their currencies for retail use to avoid leaving digital payments to the private sector amid an accelerating decline of cash. Most of the new Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) will emerge in the retail space, where eleven central banks could join peers in the Bahamas, the Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica and Nigeria which already run live digital retail currencies, the BIS found in its survey of 86 central banks conducted late 2022. On the wholesale side, which in future could allow financial institutions to access new functionalities thanks to tokenisation, nine central banks could launch CBDCs, the BIS said. "Enhancing cross-border payments is among the key drivers of central banks' work on wholesale CBDCs," the authors of the report wrote. Pilot testing in China now reaches 260 million people and two other big emerging economies, India and Brazil, plan to launch digital currencies next year.

Persons: Francois Lenoir, CBDC, Karin Strohecker, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Francois Lenoir LONDON, Bank for International Settlements, Central Bank Digital, BIS, Swiss National Bank, European Central Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Bahamas, Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica, Nigeria, China, India, Brazil, Silicon, stablecoins

[1/7] Top ranking official attendees of the NATO summit pose for a family picture in Bucharest April 3, 2008. And officials often cite the Bucharest declaration as a reference point. The parallels with the 2008 summit, held in the colossal Parliament Palace commissioned by Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, have struck many NATO-watchers. But others argue that promising Ukraine NATO membership after the war could encourage Putin to keep the conflict going. They say the Bucharest declaration in fact prompted Putin to test Western Ukrainian militarily in both Ukraine and Georgia.

Persons: Francois Lenoir, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Dmytro Kuleba, Nicolae Ceausescu, Orysia, Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Timothy Sayle, Andrew Gray, Kevin Liffey Organizations: NATO, REUTERS, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Chatham House, Russia, Ukraine NATO, University of Toronto, Thomson Locations: Bucharest, VILNIUS, Vilnius, Ukraine, Georgia, U.S, United States, France, Germany, Russia, Moscow, Soviet Union, NATO, Romanian, Russian, Eastern, Ossetia, Tbilisi, Crimea, Ukraine's

☆ An Art-Filled Swiss Idyll in Lausanne and the Joux Valley
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Christopher Solomon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Many are by Swiss artists, including the Giacomettis, father and son. When I visited, one floor featured a large, temporary exhibition of more than 100 paintings by the Swiss painter Gustav Buchet, an important figure in the avant-garde movements in early-20th-century Switzerland. The building was designed by the Portuguese architects Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus and opened in June 2022, along with the plaza. Many photos reminded how trains can represent escape and adventure, but also a Hail Mary for the desperate. Black-and-white shots of war refugees piling onto trains, taken 70 years ago, felt like they could have been taken last month.

Persons: Gustav Buchet, François Bocion, Bocion, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Rodin, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Francisco, Manuel Aires Mateus, Henri Cartier, Nan Goldin, Mary Organizations: Bresson Locations: Swiss, Switzerland, Lake Geneva, Portuguese

☆ Saudi National Bank was denied taking 40% Credit Suisse stake, Blick reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VIENNA, July 9 (Reuters) - Saudi National Bank wanted to increase its stake in Credit Suisse to around 40% from 9.88%, but was prevented from doing so by Swiss regulator FINMA, Blick newspaper reported on Sunday. FINMA must give its approval for a foreign investor to take a stake of more than 10% in a major Swiss bank. Credit Suisse declined to comment. FINMA and Saudi National Bank (1180.SE) were not immediately available for comment. The deal converted Saudi National Bank's stake in Credit Suisse into just 0.5% of UBS.

Persons: FINMA, Blick, Francois Murphy, Rachna Uppal, Alexander Smith Organizations: Saudi National Bank, Credit, UBS, Credit Suisse, Swiss, Saudi National, Thomson Locations: VIENNA, Credit Suisse, Swiss, Saudi, Dubai

"There's no real consensus at the moment about the increase in interest rates among economic actors," Jeremie Delecourt, chief operating officer at French private equity fund Ardian, told Reuters. In the euro zone, the peak is near after a combined 4 percentage points rise in the past year, ECB policymaker and French central bank governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on a panel at the conference. But he also said that rates would be left high for as long as necessary to ensure that inflation is headed back to the European Central Bank's 2% target by 2025. The ECB raised interest rates to their highest level in 22 years last month and promised another hike this month, with possibly another in September. "I see quite a bit of optimism in the short term, but I see a lot of downside risks if there is a policy mistake, especially from the central banks," she added.

Persons: Jeremie Delecourt, Francois Villeroy de Galhau, Jean, Louis Girodolle, Lazard, Mario Draghi's, Somersan Coqui, Daniel Barneix, Barneix, Veronika Grimm, Leigh Thomas, Alexander Smith Organizations: Reuters, ECB policymaker, Central, ECB, Atlantic, Allianz Trade, Thomson Locations: PROVENCE, France, United States, Europe, Aix, Provence

☆ French central bank head warns against raising ECB inflation target
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, July 9 (Reuters) - France's central bank head Francois Villeroy de Galhau pushed back on Sunday against a suggestion from some French economists to raise the European Central Bank's (ECB) 2% inflation target. The aim is to bring inflation down to the 2% target by 2025, Villeroy said at an economics conference in the southern French city of Aix-en-Province. Former IMF chief economist, Frenchman Olivier Blanchard, has long called for a higher inflation target than the 2% shared by most major central banks, arguing that the increased flexibility that would provide would outweigh the costs. In response, Villeroy said that a higher inflation target was a "false good idea" and would lead to higher rather than lower borrowing costs. "If we announced our inflation target is no longer 2% but 3%, lenders would immediately demand higher interest rates, at least 1% (more)" in anticipation of higher inflation and uncertainty Villeroy said.

Persons: Francois Villeroy de Galhau, Villeroy, Frenchman Olivier Blanchard, Patrick Artus, Bruno Le Maire, Andrew Bailey, Leigh Thomas, William Schomberg, Elaine Hardcastle, Alexander Smith Organizations: Bank's, Former IMF, Veteran, French Finance, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: PROVENCE, France, French, Aix, Province, London

☆ The 21 new cardinals named by Pope Francis on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, July 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis announced on Sunday that he would induct 21 churchmen to the high rank of cardinal in September. The following are set to become cardinals:Cardinal Electors under 801 - Archbishop Robert Prevost, American, Vatican official, head of the Dicastery for Bishops2 - Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, Italian, Vatican official, head of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches3 - Archbishop Víctor Fernández, Argentine, Vatican official, head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith4 - Archbishop Emil Tscherrig, Swiss, Vatican ambassador to Italy5 - Archbishop Christophe Pierre, French, Vatican ambassador to the United States6 - Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Italian, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem7 - Archbishop Stephen Brislin, South African, Archbishop of Cape Town8 - Archbishop Ángel Rossi, Argentine, Archbishop of Córdoba9 - Archbishop Luis Aparicio, Colombian, Archbishop of Bogotá10 - Archbishop Grzegorz Ryś, Polish, Archbishop of Lodz11 - Archbishop Stephen Mulla, Sudanese, Archbishop of Juba, South Sudan12 - Archbishop José Cano, Spanish, Archbishop of Madrid13 - Archbishop Protase Rugambwa, Tanzanian, Archbishop of Tabora14 - Bishop Sebastian Francis, Malaysian, Bishop of Penang15 - Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-Yan, Bishop of Hong Kong16 - Archbishop François-Xavier Bustillo, Spanish-French, Bishop of Ajaccio, Corsica. 17 - Bishop Américo Alves Aguiar, Portuguese, Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon18 - Father Ángel Fernández Artime, Spanish, head of the Salesian orderOver 80 and not eligible to enter a conclave19 - Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, Italian, former Vatican diplomat20 - Archbishop Diego Padrón Sánchez, Venezuelan, Archbishop Emeritus of Cumaná. 21- Father Luis Dri, Argentine priestReporting by Philip Pulella and Federico Maccioni; Editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pope Francis, Cardinal, Robert Prevost, Claudio Gugerotti, Víctor Fernández, Emil Tscherrig, Christophe Pierre, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Stephen Brislin, Ángel Rossi, Luis Aparicio, Grzegorz Ryś, Stephen Mulla, of, José Cano, Protase Rugambwa, Bishop Sebastian Francis, Bishop Stephen Chow Sau, Bishop, François, Xavier Bustillo, Bishop of, Bishop Américo Alves Aguiar, Ángel Fernández, Agostino Marchetto, Diego Padrón Sánchez, Luis Dri, Philip Pulella, Federico Maccioni, Alexander Smith Organizations: CITY, Cardinal Electors, Vatican, Bishops, Cape, Argentine, Salesian, Cumaná, Thomson Locations: Argentine, Italy, Vatican, United States, Jerusalem, South, Córdoba, Bogotá, Lodz, of Juba, South Sudan, Madrid, Tabora, Bishop, Penang, Hong Kong, Spanish, Bishop of Ajaccio, Corsica, Portuguese, Lisbon

July 5 (Reuters) - Stellantis-LG Energy Solution (LGES) (STLAM.MI) will resume construction of an electric-vehicle battery plant in Canada after the federal government and province of Ontario increased subsidies for the C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) project. The companies said on Wednesday battery production at the plant in the city of Windsor in Ontario was now set to begin in 2024, creating some 2,500 new jobs and targeting annual production capacity over 45 gigawatt hours. Stellantis and LGES first announced their battery plant investment in March last year, but tensions emerged a few months later in August when the U.S. passed the IRA, which includes a massive package of clean-tech incentives for companies. In April, Canada agreed to provide up to C$13 billion in manufacturing tax credits and a C$700 million grant to lure German automaker Volkswagen AG to build its North American battery plant in the country. It was the biggest single investment ever in Canada's EV supply chain.

Persons: Stellantis, LGES, North America Mark Stewart, Francois, Philippe Champagne, Chrystia Freeland, Steve Scherer, Ismail Shakil, Costas Pitas, Caitlin Webber, Eric Beech, Sonali Paul Organizations: LG Energy, Canada, IRA, Federal, Provincial, North America, Industry, Volkswagen AG, Thomson Locations: Canada, Ontario, Windsor, Detroit, United States, U.S, Ottawa

☆ IAEA has seen no sign of explosives at Zaporizhzhia yet, more access needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Francois Murphy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday accused each other of plotting to stage an attack on Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, where the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned of potential catastrophe from nearby military clashes. "The IAEA experts have requested additional access that is necessary to confirm the absence of mines or explosives," it added. loadingIt was not clear from the IAEA statement why the agency wanted access to those two reactor units' rooftops. The IAEA said it was aware of reports that mines and other explosives have been placed in and around the plant. "With military tension and activities increasing in the region where this major nuclear power plant is located, our experts must be able to verify the facts on the ground," the IAEA said.

Persons: Francois Murphy, Alex Richardson, Conor Humphries Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, British Ministry of Defence, Thomson Locations: VIENNA, Russian, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Morning Bid: China dampens the mood again
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Sonali DesaiChina's faltering economic recovery has once again dominated activity in financial markets, dampening risk sentiment and giving the dollar a broad boost in relatively muted moves after the U.S. July 4 holiday. The private-sector Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers index hit a five-month low in June, reflecting growing vulnerability in a once resilient sector of the massive economy. The data quickly reversed a day-old bounce in the Chinese yuan, which appeared on Tuesday to have finally paid heed to the central bank's series of stronger-than-expected midpoint settings and other measures to slow its decline. Beijing's export curbs on two widely used metals in semiconductors and electric vehicles continued to dominate headlines, drawing strident commentary in the domestic press just before Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's visit to China. The European and UK calendar is dominated by final services and composite PMIs for June, also expected to confirm a slowing in what has been a consumption-led economic recovery.

Persons: Sonali Desai, Janet Yellen's, Tesla, BYD, Francois Villeroy de Galhau, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: U.S, P Global, ECB policymaker, Paris U.S, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Paris

☆ After Police Killing, France Is on Fire - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Harrison Stetler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Nahel M., a 17-year-old male of Moroccan and Algerian descent, was fatally shot by a police officer at a traffic stop, setting off a countrywide revolt over police violence and racism. The killing of Nahel M. — which to many appeared more like a summary execution — exposed the most extreme form of the police violence that has long targeted communities of color in France. For President Emmanuel Macron, it was another blow to his authority, as he was forced once again to confront a France on fire. Still, the killing of Nahel M. might have ended up as little more than a secondary news item. Early press accounts portrayed the police officers as acting in self-defense, shooting an erratic driver willing to plow through officers to escape custody.

Persons: ” Djigui, ’, Nahel, Molotov, It’s, Emmanuel Macron, Macron’s, François Hollande Organizations: PARIS, Lille Locations: Nanterre, Paris, Moroccan, Toulouse, Marseille, France

☆ Still dreaming Correa has sights set on Formula One
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] Formula One F1 - Belgian Grand Prix - Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium - August 27, 2020 Juan Manuel Correa visits the place where he was injured in an accident in a Formula 2 race last year that also killed Anthoine Hubert. "Before the accident I sort of felt if I didn't make it to F1 my life would be ruined," Correa told Reuters in a phone interview. In what has been a career reboot, Correa said the focus needed to get back on the track had made him stronger mentally. There is no looking into the rear view mirrors for Correa, only what is ahead and he sees a path to Formula One. But I am convinced I have what it takes to succeed in Formula One.

Persons: Juan Manuel Correa, Anthoine Hubert, REUTERS, Francois Lenoir, Hubert, Correa, Spielberg, Niki Lauda, Robert Kubica, Billy Monger, Robert Wickens, Steve Keating, Ken Ferris Organizations: Belgian, Prix, American, Van Amersfoort, Austria, Reuters, Formula, British, IndyCar, Monaco, Forever Warriors, One, Thomson Locations: Spa, Belgium, Eau Rouge, Ecuador, Toronto

☆ ‘The Passengers of the Night’ Review: A Woman’s Second Act
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Manohla Dargis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

When the Radio France sign pops up in “The Passengers of the Night,” you know it won’t be long before the movie’s most vivid character lands a job there. Given her instrument’s breathy intimacy and how delicately it brushes the ear, though, whispering can certainly feel more accurate. Élisabeth is a mess when the story opens, so that voice gets a workout. Mostly, she does this by re-entering the world — she finds a job and then another, meets one lover and then a second — a trajectory that involves rejection but also approval. The director Mikhaël Hers’s approach in “Passengers” is at once precise and elliptical.

Persons: Élisabeth, —, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Élisabeth unmoored, It’s, Mikhaël, François Mitterrand Organizations: Radio Locations: Radio France, Paris

☆ Let’s Talk About the Bathroom Scene
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Dwight Garner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Alfred Hitchcock once told François Truffaut he wanted to make a film that would examine a city entirely through food and, unusually, waste. He would show the arrival of meat and produce into a metropolis, “its distribution, the selling, how it’s fixed up and absorbed. “Dish and pot, dish and pot, these are the poles,” his narrator says in “Malone Dies.” The dish, we discuss freely: Food, in literature and elsewhere, is part of what we talk about when we talk about culture. They are life, as much as sex is life — maybe more so, because people’s sex lives dwindle but this need does not. There is no defecatory equivalent of the inoffensive, neutral ‘sex.’” But we will do our best.

Persons: Alfred Hitchcock, François Truffaut, ” Samuel Beckett, “ Malone, Milan Kundera, Rose George, ’ Locations: Milan

☆ Russia pulls back from brink of crisis after deal reached to end Wagner insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Alexey Nikolsky/AFP via Getty Images Putin judges an arm wrestling match while visiting the Seliger youth educational forum in Russia's Tver region in August 2011. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, ” Wagner, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Prigozhin, ” Peskov, Putin, Putin Putin, Joseph Stalin, –, “ Putin, Evelyn Farkas, ’, Vladimir Putin, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Pavel Bednyakov, Peter Zwack, Beth Sanner, ” Sanner, “ He’s, … Putin, Moscow’s, Priogozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Communist, McCain, Putin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, Russia’s Southern Military District, US Army, National Intelligence for Mission, State Department, European Union Locations: Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kremlin, Russia’s Belgorod, Putin Russian, Russian, Rostov, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, –, Canada, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Soviet, Kazakhstan

☆ Cocaine market is booming as meth trafficking spreads, U.N. report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VIENNA, June 25 (Reuters) - Cocaine demand and supply are booming worldwide and methamphetamine trafficking is expanding beyond established markets, including in Afghanistan where the drug is now being produced, a United Nations report said on Sunday. Coca bush cultivation and total cocaine production were at record highs in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, and the global number of cocaine users, estimated at 22 million that same year, is growing steadily, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said in its annual World Drug Report. Cocaine seizures have, however, grown faster than production, containing the total supply to some extent, the report said. The upper band of the estimated total supply was higher in the mid-2000s than now. Reporting by Francois Murphy; editing by Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Francois Murphy, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: United, Drugs, Central, Thomson Locations: VIENNA, Afghanistan, United Nations, Americas, Western, Central Europe, Australia, Africa, Asia, South, Eastern Europe, East, Southeast Asia, North America, West Africa

☆ UAW rips Biden administration on US loan to Ford joint venture battery plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The $9.2 billion low-cost government loan for the BlueOval SK joint venture is the biggest ever from the government auto lending program that will help finance construction of three plants in Kentucky and Tennessee. The joint venture is building battery plants in Kentucky and Tennessee. The UAW and Senator Bernie Sanders in April criticized a General Motors (GM.N)/LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) joint venture battery plant for paying workers much less than GM assembly plant employees even though it benefits from hefty U.S. government tax credits. Union workers at a nearby Ohio GM assembly plant that closed in 2019 made at least $32 an hour. The Energy Department last year awarded $2.5 billion to help finance construction of Ultium's new lithium-ion battery plants, including Warren, from the same program used for the Ford loan.

Persons: Francois Lenoir, Shawn Fain, Fain, Joe Biden’s, Ford, Biden, Bernie Sanders, Warren, David Shepardson, Aurora Ellis, Mark Porter Organizations: Ford, REUTERS, United Auto Workers, UAW, U.S . Energy Department, Ford Motor, Korea's SK, JV, Detroit Three automakers, BlueOval SK, SK, South Korea's SK Innovation, Motors, LG Energy, JV Ultium, Ohio GM, The Energy Department, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Francois Lenoir WASHINGTON, Kentucky, Tennessee, South, America, Warren , Ohio, Ohio

☆ NHL joins MLB in advising teams to halt wearing ‘Pride’ jerseys
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman said he has advised NHL teams to no longer wear specialty-themed jerseys during warm-ups, including Pride-theme jerseys. The decision follows Major League Baseball’s announcement last week that teams would not put Pride logos on players’ uniforms and after a handful of NHL players refused to wear Pride sweaters or participate in their teams’ Pride Nights due to their personal beliefs. Some hockey teams opted to forgo their planned Pride Night warmup jerseys altogether. “Thirty-two of our clubs did Pride nights, some do Heritage nights, everybody does Hockey Fights Cancer, some do military nights. Francois Lacasse/NHLI/Getty ImagesBettman also confirmed that NHL Pride jerseys will still be designed and sold and players are free to wear them when they are not on the ice.

Persons: Gary Bettman, “ I’ve, it’s, ” Bettman, Bettman, ”, “, that’s, Nick Suzuki, Francois Lacasse, Rob Manfred, ” Manfred Organizations: CNN — National Hockey League, NHL, League, Sportsnet, Cancer, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Bell Centre, NHL Pride, MLB, CNN Locations: Canadian, Montreal

Paris CNN —Six people remain in a critical condition and one person is missing after a gas explosion in central Paris on Wednesday, the Paris prosecutor’s office told CNN on Thursday. Francois Braun, France’s health minister, told CNN affiliate BFMTV Thursday that some of those injured are suffering from “extremely significant burns,” while others have suffered “significant traumatic injuries” due to the blast. Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor said that early signs indicate that the gas explosion came from within the building that houses the Paris American Academy, according BFMTV. Paris American Academy, a fashion and design school, describes itself on its website as the “first bilingual design school” in the French capitalKent State University, in the US state of Ohio, said all its students at the Paris American Academy are safe and accounted following the blast. Another woman who didn’t want to give her name and lives in a neighboring avenue told CNN that her doors slammed shut from the explosion.

Persons: Rue Saint Jacques, Laurent Nunez, Francois Braun, ”, Gerald Darmanin, Laure Beccuau, Gonzalo Fuentes, Anne, Anne Hidalgo, Emmanuel Macron, “, ” Macron Organizations: Paris CNN —, CNN, Rue Saint, BFMTV, Paris American Academy, Kent State University, Reuters, Authorities Locations: Paris, Rue, Ohio, Élysée

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