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☆ How the U.S. and South Africa ended up in a dispute over Russian gunrunning allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

WASHINGTON, D.C - Sep. 16, 2022: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (L) in the Oval Office of the White House. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty ImagesRelations between the U.S. and South Africa frayed last week, when U.S. South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), released a rather different interpretation of the conversation in its readout. RICHARDS BAY, South Africa - Feb. 22, 2023: Russian military frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" docked at the port in Richards Bay on February 22, 2023. South Africa drew criticism from the U.S. and Europe for holding 10 days of joint naval exercises with Russia and China.

☆ Retail Sales to Show Americans’ Appetite to Spend in April
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Gwynn Guilford | Sarah Nassauer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This week’s U.S. retail-sales data will provide the latest update on inflation and the economy. New data on existing home sales, the housing-market index and housing starts will also be released. Photo: Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesApril’s retail-sales report will show consumers’ willingness to spend at stores and restaurants and online as easing inflation returns some spending power to shoppers. Consumers cut retail spending for the second straight month in March, pulling back on purchases of furniture, appliances and gasoline. But a solid labor market last month kept wage growth elevated while inflation cooled to its slowest pace in two years—which could in turn help boost consumer spending, the primary driver of economic growth.

☆ Stocks Close Higher With Debt-Ceiling Talks in Focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hannah Miao | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This week’s U.S. retail-sales data will provide the latest update on inflation and the economy. New data on existing home sales, the housing market index and housing starts will also be released. Photo: Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesU.S. stocks edged higher Monday as investors monitored debt-ceiling negotiations, coming off two consecutive losing weeks for the S&P 500. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up 0.1%, or nearly 50 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.7%.

☆ Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at U.S.-Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at the borderChart showing that before Title 42 began, most people apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border were Mexican, Guatemalan, Slavadorian or Honduran. Title 42 mostly applied to Mexican migrants Mexicans are the nationality most frequently caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and also made up the largest group of quick Title 42 expulsions. With Title 42 in place, Mexican migrants processed under Title 8 dropped, as most were deported to Mexico under Title 42. Chart showing the breakdown of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador apprehended under Title 8 and Title 42. All four nationalities began to increase once Title 42 began until Title 42 was expanded to include people from Venezuela in October 2022 and people from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua in January 2023.

☆ When ‘Homicide’ Hit Its Stride
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Saul Austerlitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Dallas Cowboys demolished the Buffalo Bills, 52-17, and the broadcast was followed by the premiere of a new NBC drama, set in Baltimore, studying the work of the city’s homicide detectives. The series was called “Homicide: Life on the Street,” and it was based on a book by David Simon, then a Baltimore Sun reporter who had spent a year tagging along with the police department’s homicide squad. Post-Super Bowl premiere notwithstanding, “Homicide” was never a ratings success, but it stayed on the air for seven seasons, winning four Emmys and three Peabody Awards. The show’s fifth episode, “Three Men and Adena,” which first aired in March, was a stark, dramatic example of what made “Homicide” different from other cop shows. Pembleton and Bayliss prod, provoke and rage, but “Homicide” refuses to grant the audience the resolution they crave.

☆ Biden is trying to lure Saudi Arabia's crown prince away from China with lucrative promises, despite once threatening to make him a 'pariah'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US has replaced its threats with lucrative contracts for the crown prince as part of a high stakes power game being waged over dominance of the region. Biden last weekend dispatched his national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, to Saudi Arabia, for discussions with Saudi officials. Last year, Crown Prince Mohammed and Xi agreed to deepen their cooperation across a range of economic and security issues. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud at the royal palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 8, 2022. "It is important to note that Saudi Arabia is not seeking to burn its bridges with the United States.

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a son of former Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the Treasury Department said. El Chapo, who was leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has denied the presence of fentanyl labs in the country, alleging it comes from China. Guzman Lopez's cousin, Saul Paez Lopez, was also sanctioned for his alleged role in coordinating drug shipments. Washington also sanctioned Mario Esteban Ogazon Sedano, saying he purchased precursor chemicals from Ludim Zamudio Lerma to operate drug labs.

“Many things have happened [in my career] for the better and mistakes or not, it has always been for the better. With more than 130,000 people in the stadium that day, it remains one of the biggest attendances in boxing history. “I feel very happy and I hope to be a good example for them. But if Ryder wins on Saturday, it will go down as one of the greatest upsets in the history of the sport. If you’re in the US or Canada, you can watch on DAZN pay-per-view and in the UK with a DAZN subscription.

The US Federal Reserve Building is seen in Washington, DC, May 3, 2023. However, the Fed did hint at a possible pause to hikes. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.24%, ahead of the country's March trade data due later Wednesday. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index were also lower standing at 19,656, compared to its last close of 19,699.16. Mainland Chinese markets are set to reopen after the Labor Day holiday, while Japanese markets are closed for a holiday Thursday.

☆ Biden Calls for Release of Jailed Journalist Evan Gershkovich, Other Detainees
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( John Mccormick | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Biden at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington on Saturday. Photo: saul loeb/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesPresident Biden and others at an annual Washington dinner called for the release of jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia during a gathering that brought together members of the media and government officials to celebrate press freedom. Mr. Biden met privately with Mr. Gershkovich’s family, who attended the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner as Journal guests, as he arrived for Saturday’s black-tie gala and recognized them in his remarks.

☆ BP agrees to buy Shell's stake in Australian Browse gas project
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Samuel Mckeith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Woodside, BP and Shell are also all stakeholders in the North West Shelf LNG plant. "BP believes development of the Browse gas resources could make a significant contribution to energy security in Australia and to the Asia Pacific region," a BP spokesperson said. The company said it supported the concept of using carbon capture for the project and processing Browse gas in the North West Shelf LNG plant. Credit Suisse analyst Saul Kavonic said it was likely "very modest" given "the risks and ongoing spend required at the Browse project". Woodside last week played down concerns over the status of Browse project and told Reuters talks had resumed with the North West Shelf LNG joint venture about a processing deal for Browse.

☆ US confiscates Iran oil cargo on tanker amid Tehran tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

As oil markets remain jittery, the cargo seizure is the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran after years of sanctions pressure by the U.S. over Iran's nuclear program. Tehran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes while Washington suspects Iran wants to develop a nuclear bomb. Iran has previously responded tit-for-tat following seizures of Iranian oil cargo." Last year the U.S. tried to confiscate a cargo of Iranian oil near Greece, which prompted Tehran to seize two Greek tankers in the Gulf. In a step likely to exacerbate tensions, 12 U.S. senators on Thursday urged President Joe Biden to remove Treasury Department policy hurdles that have prevented the Department of Homeland Security from seizing Iranian oil shipments for more than a year.

REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - As Iran's oil exports rise despite U.S. sanctions over its nuclear program, senators from both parties urged President Joe Biden to enable a federal government agency to seize Iranian oil and gas shipments. Senators Joni Ernst, a Republican, and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said in a letter to Biden that the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office has not been able to seize an Iranian oil shipment for more than a year. Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes while the United States suspects Tehran wants to develop a nuclear bomb by enriching uranium. Iran's oil exports have reached their highest level since the reimposition of U.S. sanctions in 2018, Iranian oil minister Javad Owji said last month. Last year the U.S. tried to confiscate a cargo of Iranian oil around Greece, which prompted Tehran to seize two Greek tankers in the Gulf.

☆ ‘Clock’ Review: Hulu’s Hormonal Horror Movie
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Is the hormonal urgency to go one way or the other something that can—or should—be “fixed”? Comedy contusions aside, “Clock” is a movie that finds horror in biology, as well as in peer pressure and the impulse to conform. Upon being asked, she immediately drifts into a reverie about her daily regimen—swimming, sex, cooking, work, volunteering, massages. “All women have a biological clock,” says her gynecologist ( Nikita Patel ). “Maybe yours is just broken.” An appalling thing for a doctor to say, perhaps, but Ella has been wondering the same thing.

☆ Sun Starts to Set on Once-Hot Sunbelt Office Markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Peter Grant | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Miami’s Brickell district is one of the pockets of the Sunbelt office market showing more resilience than others. Photo: Saul Martinez/Bloomberg NewsOffice markets in popular Sunbelt cities are showing signs of fatigue, succumbing to economic uncertainty and the persistence of remote work that had already upended major coastal office markets. Fast-growing cities from Miami to Phoenix are still benefiting from businesses moving south, drawn by lower taxes, warmer climates than in the Northwest and Midwest, and more business-friendly government policies, market participants say. Nashville, Tenn., and Austin, Texas, recently topped the list of 2022’s hottest job markets, according to The Wall Street Journal’s annual rankings of nearly 400 metro areas.

☆ At U.Va., an Alumnus Attacked Diversity Programs. Now He Is on the Board.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Stephanie Saul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In Virginia, Mr. Youngkin has chosen a less confrontational approach than Mr. DeSantis, but has moved to change the direction of the state’s flagship university, in part by appointing Mr. Ellis to the board. A spokesman for the governor did not respond to questions about the administration’s plans for D.E.I. programs at the university but referred to a comment the governor made during a recent CNN Town Hall: “We have to celebrate excellence. Depending on the reach of the court’s ruling, D.E.I. programs could become more crucial in attracting and retaining Black and Hispanic students.

☆ Expect to see more weakness in lithium prices, says Credit Suisse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailExpect to see more weakness in lithium prices, says Credit SuisseSaul Kavonic of the investment bank discusses a sign of a "severely challenged supply chain."

☆ Space Force chief says U.S. is facing a 'new era' of threats beyond Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Morgan Brennan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Chance Saltzman took the stage for his keynote at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, this week, his message was simple: The U.S. is in a new era of space activity. "The threats that we face to our on-orbit capabilities from our strategic competitors has grown substantially," Saltzman, the U.S. Space Force's second-ever chief of space operations, said in a CNBC interview after the speech. Case in point: the Space Force's recently announced procurement strategy for more launch services. With business to be awarded next year, the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 is estimated to run into the billions of dollars and is expected to draw bids from the likes of Rocket Lab , Relativity Space and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, among others. While still just a fraction of the country's overall defense budget, the Space Force's $30 billion request for fiscal 2024 represents a 15% increase from this year's enacted levels.

☆ How Electrifying Everything Became a Key Climate Solution
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Nadja Popovich | Brad Plumer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

Water heating Air conditioning Space heating Refrigeration Washing and dry. Refrigeration Air conditioning 16% electric Water heating 99% Refrigeration Air conditioning Residential Cooking Space heating Refrigeration Other 96% Lighting and electronics Lighting and elec. Cooking 2021 Current Electricity Use Electricity as percent of total energy consumed in 2021 36% Water heating Space heating Washing and dry. Cooking 2050 Net Zero Pathway Electricity as percent of total energy consumed in a high-electrification scenario Water heating Space heating 63% Washing and dry. Air conditioning Refrigeration Other Air conditioning Water heating 99% Refrigeration Space heating 96% Other Lighting and electronics Lighting and elec.

☆ Edward Koren, 87, Whose Cartoon Creatures Poked Fun at People, Dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Robert D. Mcfadden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Edward Koren, the New Yorker cartoonist who created a fantasy world of toothy, long-nosed, hairy creatures of indeterminate species that articulated the neuroses and banalities of middle-class America for six decades, died on Friday at his home in Brookfield, Vt. His wife, Curtis Koren, said the cause was lung cancer. In the gentle, affable kingdom of Koren, the beasts form a polite queue in the woods at a 24-hour banking A.T.M. With Charles Addams, James Thurber and Saul Steinberg, Mr. Koren was one of the most popular cartoonists in The New Yorker’s long love affair with humor. In a bed for three, a grimacing psychiatrist squeezed between battling spouses takes “couples therapy” notes.

Under the pact to create a safe shipping channel, Ukraine has been able to export some 27.7 million tonnes of agricultural products, including 13.9 million tonnes of corn and 7.5 million tonnes of wheat. The leading destinations have been China (6.3 million tonnes), Spain (4.8 million) and Turkey (3 million). Ukraine's grain exports are forecast to fall in the 2023/24 season after the war has meant farmers planted less corn and wheat. The International Grains Council has forecast that Ukraine's corn crop will fall to 21 million tonnes, down from the prior season's 27 million, with exports expected to drop to 15 million tonnes from 20.5 million. CAN UKRAINE EXPORT MORE GRAIN THROUGH LAND ROUTES?

☆ Wells Fargo names Saul Van Beurden as CEO for consumer banking unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 13 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo (WFC.N) has named Saul Van Beurden as the chief executive officer of its consumer and small business banking (CSBB) unit, effective May 15, it said in a statement on Thursday. Reporting by Siddarth S in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

NEW DELHI/LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) - Global fuel suppliers are turning to longer and costlier routes that produce more carbon emissions to move their diesel and other products as Western restrictions on Russian cargoes have reshuffled global energy shipping patterns. The ban comes on top of a halt late last year on Russian crude sales into the bloc as well as Western price caps. Also in March, Russian clean products shipped to Togo reached 973 million MT-NM, up from zero in November. Conversely, Russian exports to the Netherlands dropped to 238,200 tonnes in February from 1.15 million tonnes in September. Those longer distances are being done at higher costs for Russian products than for typical shipments from Europe.

[1/2] The landfall facilities of the 'Nord Stream 1' gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. Russia has a 51% stake in Nord Stream 1 through a subsidiary of state-owned energy group Gazprom (GAZP.MM). While the import of Russian crude oil and oil products is banned under European Union (EU) sanctions, Russian gas imports are allowed. In September 2022, several unexplained underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and newly-built Nord Stream 2 pipelines, each more than 1,200-km-long, that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea. Gazprom and Swiss-based Nord Stream AG did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

☆ Spain calls for tougher enforcement of oil transfers at sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, March 31 (Reuters) - Spain has called for tighter scrutiny of oil transfers involving tankers at sea as the number of unregulated ships hit by sanctions grows and raises pollution risks, a U.N. agency session heard this week. Spain's Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines have become hubs for shipping activity including the transfer of oil known as ship-to-ship (STS) operations. Madrid, which has already tightened its rules for STS transfers around its coastline, has called for flag states to step up scrutiny and enforcement of such activity, the source added. A paper submitted to the IMO committee by Australia, the United States and Canada said illicit transfers "undermine the rules-based international order". The IMO committee said the shadow tankers "posed a real and high risk of incident" particularly when engaged in STS transfers.

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