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☆ A space race on the Korean Peninsula
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +13 min

It was not until 2013 that it became the first South Korean rocket to place a satellite in orbit. SPACE CENTRES Russia also helped South Korea build its Naro Space Center while training and launching the first South Korean astronaut on a mission to the International Space Station. In his first summit with former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to dismantle Sohae, but as talks stalled, North Korea expanded the site. North Korea faces the same challenges, and must avoid flying over South Korea. “The road from South Korea to space has opened now,” President Yoon Suk Yeol said after the 2022 Nuri launch.

Persons: Kim Jong, Moon Jae, Nuri, Jonathan McDowell, Markus Schiller, Schiller, “, ”, ” Schiller, Robert Schmucker, Pyongyang’s, McDowell, KARI, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Dave Schmerler, James Martin, “ Sohae, ” McDowell, Korea’s Nuri, Yoon Suk Yeol Organizations: North, South Korean, U.S, Harvard – Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, REUTERS, Elon, SpaceX, South, Soviet, Federation of American Scientists, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Space Center, International Space, Korea Aerospace Research, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, International Maritime Organization Locations: Seoul, Pyongyang, South Korea, North Korea, Korean, Japan, China, Korea, Washington, United States, Russia, Naro, Europe, U.S, Britain, Switzerland, Soviet Union, Soviet, Cholsan County, South Korean, South, Tonghae, North Korea’s, Sohae, Indonesia, Philippines, Okinawa

☆ North Korea threatens nuclear retaliation over US displays of military force
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. and North Korean national flags are seen at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. The comments raise the stakes as each side steps up displays of military force in a standoff over the isolated country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. The KCNA report came after a U.S. soldier crossed the border into North Korea on Tuesday at a time of heightened tension between the two Koreas and the United States. North Korea has yet to comment on the incident involving the U.S. soldier. Last year, the reclusive state codified a new, expansive nuclear law declaring its status as a nuclear-armed state "irreversible".

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Kang Sun Nam, Ankit, Panda, Hyunsu Yim, Josh Smith, Bernadette Baum, Mike Harrison, Tom Hogue Organizations: North Korean, Capella, REUTERS, U.S, Nuclear Consultative, DPRK, Democratic People's, South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, USS, Korean, U.S ., Carnegie Endowment, International, South, Thomson Locations: Sentosa, Singapore, SEOUL, North Korea, South Korea, United States, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ohio, Busan, USS Kentucky, Korea, U.S, Washington

☆ Wesleyan University Ends Legacy Admissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Vimal Patel | More About Vimal Patel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Why It Matters: Opposition to legacy admissions has grown. After the Supreme Court decision, legacy admissions came under heavy attack because the practice tends to favor white, wealthy applicants over Black, Hispanic, Asian American and Native American students. Polls also show that the public does not support legacy admissions. Some highly selective universities and colleges have dropped legacy admissions, including Amherst, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon and M.I.T. The future of legacy admissions on campuses is uncertain.

Persons: Joe Biden, Alexandria Ocasio, Tim Scott, Johns Hopkins, Michael S, Roth, Mr, whittle, ” Mr, ”, Biden, Iván Espinoza, Madrigal Organizations: Republican, Pew Research Center, Carnegie Mellon, Wesleyan, Harvard, Yale, Department, ”, Civil Rights Locations: Cortez, New York, South Carolina, Amherst

☆ Putin ordered 2 Western corporate giants to be seized after Kremlin-friendly businessmen expressed an interest in them: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin ordered Danone and Carlsberg seized after Kremlin-friendly businessmen expressed interest, per the FT.A Chechen leader and a businessman close to Putin have taken over the companies' assets in Russia. Russia seizing the local operations of Danone and Carlsberg was not the first time the country took control of Western firms. Managers from Rosneft, a state energy company headed by Putin ally Igor Sechin, took over both energy companies. Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported on Thursday, Russian businessmen bought the assets of 110 Western companies "that have fully or partially left Russia" at bargain-bin prices. Danone said in a Sunday statement it was "preparing to take all necessary measures to protect its rights as shareholder."

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin, Moscow, Yakub Zakriev, Ramzan Kadyrov —, Taimuraz, Igor Sechin, Ekaterina Kurbangaleeva, Kurbangaleeva, Hassan Malik, Loomis Sayles, Danone, Carlsberg Organizations: Danone, Carlsberg, Kremlin, Observers, Service, Financial Times, Vedomosti, Rosneft, Analysts, Russia's, Independent Russian, Novaya Gazeta, Carnegie Endowment, International, Boston Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine

It is an unexpected truce between Sony, which makes Playstation consoles, and its far larger U.S. rival. Details have yet to be disclosed, and it's not clear why Sony, which Microsoft earlier offered a 10-year contract, has had a change of heart. Sony's video-game division reported digital software and content sales of $11 billion in the fiscal year to March. Yoshida has been selectively snapping up smaller gaming studios to beef up Playstation content, including splashing out $3.6 billion for developer Bungie. Details were not disclosed, but a Microsoft spokesperson clarified with various media that the deal is for 10 years.

Persons: it's, Boss Kenchiro Yoshida, Yoshida, Phil Spencer, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Activision Blizzard, Sony, Activision, Microsoft, Nintendo, Nvidia, U.S, UK Competition, Markets Authority, Bungie, Nikkei, Federal Trade, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, U.S

In 2006 she gave $200 million to New York University to help create the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, which operates in a townhouse her foundation bought near the Met. White and Levy had begun amassing their extensive collection of more than 700 antiquities in the 1970s. Beginning in 1993, the couple agreed to relinquish 16 items after claims they had been looted from an ancient Roman site in England. In 2008, White surrendered 10 objects to Italy and two to Greece. It had been part of the “Glories of the Past” exhibition at the Met in 1990.

Persons: White, Levy, Giacomo Medici, Robin Symes, Eucharides, “, ”, David Gill Organizations: Brooklyn Museum, New, Botanical, Lincoln Center, New York University, for, Carnegie, Met, Centre for Heritage, University of Kent Locations: England, Italy, Greece, Italian, British, Turkey

☆ What are solid-fuel missiles, and why is North Korea developing them?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are some characteristics of solid-fuel technology, and how it can help the North improve its missile systems. WHAT IS SOLID-FUEL TECHNOLOGY? North Korea uses solid fuel in a range of small, shorter-range ballistic missiles. South Korea has also said it has secured "efficient and advanced" solid-propellant ballistic missile technology, though in much smaller rockets so far. North Korea said the development of its new solid-fuel ICBM, the Hwasong-18, would "radically promote" its nuclear counterattack capability.

Persons: Vann Van Diepen, Ankit, Panda, Josh Smith, Lincoln Organizations: WHO, Soviet Union, Carnegie Endowment, International, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, U.S, Korea, China, South Korea, North Korea

☆ Leadership Troubles Roil Russian Military
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Gabriela Sá Pessoa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

“We have put to rest any doubts and ambiguities about whether Ukraine will be in NATO,” he said. “It will!”The Ukrainian military’s Strategic Communications Department also posted a lengthy Twitter thread listing positive outcomes from the summit. In return, requests that were initially rebuffed — including Western battle tanks, missile systems, even training for F-16 fighter jets — have over time been met. The campaign is in its second month, and Mr. Zelensky has acknowledged that it is moving more slowly than some allies had hoped. But he warned that Ukraine may not hold a significant advantage in that type of strategy against the more numerous Russian forces.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ” Mr, ”, “, ” Michael Kofman, Kofman, Biden, Matthew Mpoke Bigg Organizations: NATO, Strategic Communications Department, Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment, International, Tactical Missile Systems Locations: Ukraine, Russian, United States, Russia, Lithuania, France, Germany, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Bakhmut, Melitopol, Britain, Kyiv

☆ ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’: Lola Tung on Growing Up Alongside Belly
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Christopher Kuo | More About Christopher Kuo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lola Tung was taking classes as a first-year acting student at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, when she heard the news. She had just been selected to play the lead in a new Amazon series called “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” based on the best-selling young adult novel by Jenny Han. “I was just in shock because I didn’t expect this,” Tung, 20, a New York City native, said in a video interview last month. The romantic tension captivated teen and young-adult viewers when the series debuted in 2022 and helped turn the show into a social media sensation. The hashtag #TheSummerITurnedPretty has accumulated millions of views on TikTok as users post fawning videos in support of “Team Conrad” or “Team Jere.”

Persons: Lola Tung, Jenny Han, “, ” Tung, Tung, Isabel Conklin, —, Conrad, Christopher Briney, Jeremiah, Gavin Casalegno, Conrad ”, Jere, ” Organizations: Carnegie Mellon University, “ Locations: Pittsburgh, New York City, Wilmington, N.C

☆ High levels of a hazardous chemical polluted the air weeks after the Ohio train derailment, an analysis shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Aria Bendix | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

General view of the site of the derailment of a train carrying hazardous waste, in East Palestine, Ohio, March 2, 2023. Soon after the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, a team of researchers began roving the small town in a Nissan van. Longer-term exposure to concentrations of acrolein at the detected levels may be a health concern, the researchers wrote. Low levels of exposure to acrolein are associated with slow breathing and burning in the nose and the throat. The levels of vinyl chloride that were detected, meanwhile, were below the Environmental Protection Agency's threshold for long-term risks.

Persons: Albert Presto, acrolein Organizations: Norfolk, Carnegie Mellon, Texas, Science, Technology Locations: East Palestine , Ohio, Norfolk Southern, Nissan

☆ How 'Birkin Bandit' George Mickum Infiltrated NYC Society
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Kate Taylor | Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +52 min

"He would know people's weaknesses and what they wanted and somehow always have something to offer," a former close friend said. Another close friend said Mickum once gave her a $1,000 loan "within minutes" when she needed it because of a credit-card crisis. He never "let the truth get in the way of a good story," a former close friend said. Hermès bags, like the Birkin and the Kelly, have always been symbols of unattainable luxury. There wasn't even a dust bag; Mickum claimed his mom's assistant would drop it off later.

Persons: George Mickum strode, Carlyle, Patty Hearst, He'd, Mickum, Birkin, swilling, Patty's, Gillian Hearst, Mr, George Mickum, Gillian Hearst's, George, Sally Painter, who'd, Peter Davis, Jackie O, Barbara Walters, Alessia Fendi, influencer Hannah Stella, Nick Hissom, Steve Wynn, Hearst, they'd, Prince Charles, Anna Delvey, Patty Hearst's, Rumor, he'd, wasn't, Met Breuer, Peter Poopat, George Santos, Trinity, Elisabeth Thieriot, Thieriot, Hermes, —, Painter, Paul Mickum, George Mickum III, Sally, Painter's, Poopat, PJ Pascual, Patrick McMullan, Ramona Singer, Lauren Lawrence, Lawrence, Van Cleef, Nicole Salmasi, Trudy, Mike Vitelli, Eric Schmidt, Schmidt, Eric, R, Couri Hay, They're, Astor, William Randolph Hearst, Orson Welles, Kane, Gillian's, Bill Clinton, Patty, Bernard Shaw, Gillian, Lydia —, Shaw, Maxim, Lydia, Kane we're, Christian Simonds, Pierre, Krista Corl, Dee Dee, Scott Buccheit, Naeem Delbridge, Pascual, who's, We're, buttering, Simonds, Matthew Kehoe, England, — Hearst, Delbridge, Hearst's, Mario Glen Coco, Hearsts, Astrid Stawiarz, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Justin Timberlake, Joe Lewis, Buccheit, Mary McCarthy, Lillian Hellman, Mickum's, Christie Grimm, Steve, Kameron Ramirez, Hissom, Ramirez, Nick, Hunt, Damien Hirst, Douglas Elliman, Harry Winston, David Fiszel, invitees, Fiszel, Darian, Winston, Martha Stewart's, Mendel minks, Vacheron Constantin, Tao, Melinda French Gates, Shawn Mendes, Bill, Hillary Clinton, Neiman Marcus, Damien Hirst's, Damien, weren't, Kelly, Alexis Clarbour, Clarbour, Paul Wharton, you've, Wharton, Sean Zanni, Michael Coste, Hannah Stella, Coste's, Stella, Scott Fitzgerald, Coste, Goodman, Courroies Birkin, didn't, Aman, Cartier, Mickum's bluster, skeptically, satchel, Clarbour's, He's, We've, Sider, Philippe, Buccheit texted Pascual, he's, Hay, Café Carlyle, Alexander Hankin, Burisma, Hunter Biden, Mickum hasn't, There's, They've, Amy X, Wang, King Charles, Tracey Amon, Amon, GEORGE MICKUM Organizations: Hearst, Blue, Potomac, Hamptons, East, Met, University of Delaware, Southampton Bathing Corporation, Fields School, Georgetown Law, DC, Town &, New York Daily News, The New York Times, Google, Carnegie, Rockefeller, Cosmopolitan, Symbionese Liberation Army, Hearst Corporation, Vogue, Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering, Stockbridge Golf, New, Tiger, Tottenham, Douglas, Martha Stewart's Hamptons, Mickum, Projects, Madison, Getty, Antibes, Nike, Rue du Faubourg Saint, Couture, US, UN, New Yorkers, Avenue Couture, Hermès, Republican, Justice Department, Blue Star, Town, New York Times Magazine Locations: Bemelmans, Clinton, York, Palm, New, London, Manhattan, Dalton, Bay, Windsor Castle, Haute, Washington , DC, New York, Baccarat, The, San Francisco, Wilton , Connecticut, Side, Wyntoon, California, Buccheit, woodsy Stockbridge , Massachusetts, Stockbridge, Bahamas, Albany, Nobu, Martha, Peking, Paris, Istanbul, St, Georgetown, China, Italy, Hermès, Amalfi Coast, du, Midtown, brunch, Rue, Central Park, Mickum, Turkey, La, Café, Ukrainian, Ukraine

Harvard Admit rate: 4% 10k students Duke University Admit rate: 6% 7k students Amherst College Admit rate: 9% 2k students Carnegie Mellon University Admit rate: 14% 7k students University of California, Berkeley Admit rate: 14% 30k students Boston University Admit rate: 19% 20k students University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Admit rate: 20% 20k students University of Texas, Austin Admit rate: 29% 40k students University of Florida Admit rate: 30% 30k students Bucknell University Admit rate: 35% 4k students San Diego State University Admit rate: 38% 30k students Binghamton University Admit rate: 44% 10k students University of California, Davis Admit rate: 49% 30k students Clemson University Admit rate: 49% 20k students Stevens Institute of Technology Admit rate: 53% 4k students University of Washington, Seattle Campus Admit rate: 54% 40k students Brigham Young University Admit rate: 59% 30k students CUNY Queens College Admit rate: 61% 20k students Texas A & M University, College Station Admit rate: 64% 60k students University of Pittsburgh Admit rate: 67% 20k students Texas Tech University Admit rate: 68% 30k students Ball State University Admit rate: 68% 10k students Rutgers University, New Brunswick Admit rate: 68% 40k students Purdue University Admit rate: 69% 40k students Louisiana State University Admit rate: 71% 30k students University of Delaware Admit rate: 72% 20k students University of Central Missouri Admit rate: 76% 8k students Mississippi State University Admit rate: 76% 20k students University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire Admit rate: 78% 10k students University of Alabama Admit rate: 79% 30k students University of North Carolina, Charlotte Admit rate: 79% 20k students University of Colorado Boulder Admit rate: 80% 30k students Drexel University Admit rate: 83% 10k students University of Arkansas Admit rate: 83% 20k students University of Cincinnati Admit rate: 85% 30k students University of Texas, Dallas Admit rate: 87% 20k students Suffolk University Admit rate: 88% 4k students Arizona State University Admit rate: 88% 60k students West Chester University of Pennsylvania Admit rate: 89% 10k students Grand Valley State University Admit rate: 92% 20k students University of Kansas Admit rate: 93% 20k students Utah State University Admit rate: 93% 20k students California State University, Sacramento Admit rate: 94% 30k students University of Utah Admit rate: 95% 30k students Kansas State University Admit rate: > 95% 20k students University of Wyoming Admit rate: > 95% 9k students 90% admission rate 80% admission rate 70% admission rate 60% admission rate 50% admission rate 40% admission rate 30% admission rate 20% admission rate 10% admission rate These are America’s major four-year colleges, arranged by their admission rates. Just 6 percent of all college students attend a school with an acceptance rate of 25 percent or less. 56 percent of these college students go to a school that admits at least three-quarters of its applicants. These statistics reveal a simple fact about affirmative action in higher education: It mattered very little for the majority of American college students. But because affirmative action only opened a tiny window of access to America’s most elite institutions, the ruling will make little difference for most college students.

Persons: Richard Arum, Mitchell, Stevens, Quoctrung Bui Mr, Arum, Davis, It’s, Lyndon B Organizations: University of California, Stanford Graduate School of Education, Harvard, Duke University, Amherst College, Carnegie Mellon University, Boston University, University of North, University of Texas, University of Florida, Bucknell University, San Diego State University, Binghamton University, Clemson University, Stevens Institute of Technology, University of Washington, Brigham Young University, CUNY Queens College, Texas, M University, College, University of Pittsburgh, Texas Tech University, Ball State University, Rutgers University, Rutgers University , New, Purdue University, Louisiana State University, University of Delaware, University of Central, Mississippi State University, University of Wisconsin, University of Alabama, University of Colorado Boulder, Drexel University, University of Arkansas, University of Cincinnati, Suffolk University, Arizona State University, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Valley State University, University of Kansas, Utah State University, California State University, University of Utah, Kansas State University, University of Wyoming, Stanford, Black White, White Black, U.S . Department of Education, Pomona, San, California State University , Los, of California Locations: Irvine, Berkeley, University of North Carolina, Austin, Seattle, Rutgers University ,, Rutgers University , New Brunswick, University of Central Missouri, Eau Claire, Charlotte, Dallas, Sacramento, Cambridge, Palo Alto, America, California, San Francisco State, California State University , Los Angeles

☆ A.I. Is Coming for Mathematics, Too
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Siobhan Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For more than 2,000 years, Euclid’s text was the paradigm of mathematical argumentation and reasoning. “Euclid famously starts with ‘definitions’ that are almost poetic,” Jeremy Avigad, a logician at Carnegie Mellon University, said in an email. But by the 20th century, mathematicians were no longer willing to ground mathematics in this intuitive geometric foundation. Eventually, this formalization allowed mathematics to be translated into computer code. In 2019, Christian Szegedy, a computer scientist formerly at Google and now at a start-up in the Bay Area, predicted that a computer system would match or exceed the problem-solving ability of the best human mathematicians within a decade.

Persons: Euclid, Jeremy Avigad, “, Avigad, Christian Szegedy Organizations: Getty, Carnegie Mellon University, Google Locations: Los Angeles, Bay

☆ Violent protests challenge French view on race
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Nanterre, France CNN —What does it mean to be French? That vigorous adherence to equality often prevents the government from doing anything that would appear to categorize French citizens based on race, including collecting statistics. “We’re talking people who have been in France for 100 years or half a century, but are still considered foreigners, strangers foreign to France, even though they are French citizens,” she said. French people often use anglicisms to address issues of race rather than the French equivalent – for example, Black people are referred to as “Black” rather than “noire,” the French word for black – despite the aversion of the francophone world to the rising usage of English in French culture. Workers clear a street filled with charred cars in Nanterre, France, on Friday.

Persons: It’s, Nahel, Adama Traore, rebuts, Rokhaya Diallo, –, ”, Daniele Obono, Mame, Fatou Niang, “ We’re, Niang, Joshua Berlinger Organizations: France CNN, Fifth, CNN, “, France Unbowed, Center for Black European Studies, Atlantic, Carnegie Mellon University, Elysee, French Foreign Ministry, Workers Locations: Nanterre, France, French, Fifth Republic, Paris, Africa, Caribbean, Asia, Republic, France’s, United States, ” Suburbs

☆ Putin in a 'heightened emotional state' and 'bordering on euphoria' following failed Wagner mutiny, Russia analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin is in a "heightened emotional state" following the Wagner mutiny, a Russia expert says. The rebellion, although ultimately a failure, was the most overt challenge Putin has ever faced and has ultimately weakened him, experts say. "Recently, his public appearances have depicted an inexplicable joy bordering on euphoria, a stark departure from his usual demeanor," said Stanovaya. Russian President Vladimir Putin kisses a participant of a meeting in a street in Derbent in the southern region of Dagestan, Russia, June 28, 2023. "His heightened emotional state makes him more susceptible to manipulation.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Tatiana Stanovaya, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Sputnik, REUTERS, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Twitter Locations: Russia, Russian, Moscow, Dagestan, Derbent, Kremlin

☆ How the writers' strike is crushing Hollywood's next generation, as job-seekers face 'skyrocketing' debt, crumbling hope, and endless hours 'just doom-scrolling LinkedIn'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Hollywood development and production have mostly ground to a halt amid the film and TV writers' strike. Young workers hoping to break into entertainment say the strike has made a competitive job market even tougher. Sears, who is currently unemployed, graduated this year with a master's degree in entertainment industry management from Carnegie Mellon University. Now, she's attempting what feels like a herculean feat: getting her career off the ground in the midst of a months-long Hollywood writers' strike, the first labor stoppage to grind the industry to a halt in 15 years. Contact this reporter to share your experience during the writers' strike.

Persons: Young, Delaney Sears, — there's, Sears, they've, —, Joanna Sucherman, Sucherman, Trevor Romero, Romero, Dan Green, grads, Green, Nabha, She's, Purohit, they'd, execs, he's, haven't, Kody Proctor, Proctor, he'd, We've, Reed Alexander Organizations: Hollywood, Carnegie Mellon University, Writers Guild of America, SAG, WGA, Disney, Warner Bros, JLS Media, Fox, United Talent Agency, Young Entertainment, Carnegie Mellon's Heinz College of Information Systems, Public, Savannah College of Art, Alliance, Television Producers, Paramount Pictures, Melrose, Paramount, University of Southern, North Dakota, Carnegie, E, Victoria Cheyenne Locations: California, Angeles, LA, Chicago, Fremantle, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Georgia, Elm, Mumbai, India, University of Southern California, North, North Hollywood, Victoria, Bolivia

☆ There's blood in the water after Prigozhin's revolt shattered the façade of Putin's invincibility
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Jason Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

It represented the most significant affront to President Vladimir Putin's 23-year reign. It has also fed paranoia and put a spotlight on Aleksey Dyumin, Putin's ex-bodyguard turned governor. A brief and ultimately aborted attempt at a coup d'état by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin represented the most significant affront to President Vladimir Putin's 23-year reign. President Vladimir Putin (L) and Aleksey Dyumin, the governor of Tula and Putin's former personal bodyguard, in Moscow in 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Tula Governor Aleksey Dyumin visit Russian writer Lev Tolstoy's former home in 2016.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Aleksey Dyumin, Putin's, —, Vladimir Putin —, Prigozhin, Vladimir Fesenko, trundling, Sergey Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, There's Prigozhin, Wagner, Putin, Belarus —, defenestration, Dyumin, Shoigu, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Svetlov, Igor Girkin, Alexander Lukashenko —, Dyumin's, Dmitry Peskov, Boris Yeltsin, Viktor Yanukoyvch, Girkin, Andrei Gurulyov, Russia's, Lev Tolstoy's, Tatiana Stanovaya, Alexandra Prokopenko, Prokopenko, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Viktor Zolotov, Zolotov, Alexander Lukashenko, Chris Weafer Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Kommersant, Angry Patriots, Russia's First Channel, Prigozhin, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Central Bank, Washington Post, New York Times, Defense Ministry, Moscow Times, National Guard, Ministry, Macro Locations: Russian, Russia, Rostov, Ukraine, Moscow, Voronezh, Lipetsk, St, Petersburg, Minsk, Belarus, Russia's Tula, Kremlin, Tula, Dyumin's Tula, St Petersburg, Prigozhin, Crimea, Berlin, Novosibirsk, Osipovichi, Africa, Syria

☆ Russia’s Storied Tchaikovsky Competition Is Diminished by War
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Javier C. Hernández | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The International Tchaikovsky Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious music contests, is typically a bustling, Olympics-style gathering that every four years brings talented young pianists, violinists, cellists, singers and others from around the globe to Russia. But as the storied competition unfolds this month for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine and became a pariah in the West, it is struggling to live up to its reputation. The contest, which is organized and financed by the Russian government, was expelled from the international federation of music competitions because of the war. And, amid a crackdown on free speech, the foreign press corps representation is less robust, save for journalists from nations friendly to Russia, including China. “It’s genuinely sad because it was very prestigious.”

Persons: cellists, “, ”, Clive Gillinson, “ It’s Organizations: Carnegie Hall Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, United States, Europe, China

HONG KONG, June 29 (Reuters Breakingviews) - There's plenty to like about Swire Pacific's (0019.HK) Coca-Cola sale. Little wonder Swire's Hong Kong shares rallied as much as 8% on Thursday morning. The Coke sale is refreshing for investors, but only until the rest of Swire Pacific regains its fizz. Upon completion of the sale, Swire Pacific will distribute HK$11.7 billion in special dividends to its shareholders. The company also plans to enter into a 13-year agreement to provide management services to Swire Coca-Cola USA and receive an annual fee of at least HK$117 million.

Persons: Swire Pacific's, Swire, John Swire, Antony Currie, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, HK, Cathay Pacific, Swire, Cola, John Swire & Sons, Cola Europacific Partners, Citi, Cathay, Swire Pacific, Hong Kong, Cola USA, Hong, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China, Cathay Pacific

☆ In return to office messaging, there's now more stick, less carrot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

This marks a shift from the incentive culture that many companies have been using to lure workers back to the office post-pandemic. But workforce demographics vary widely when it comes to the benefits, and the desire, to return to the office. Employees who work from the office at least three times a week report feeling more connected to their colleagues, a company spokesman said. This could mean, for instance, spelling out to the sales team that Mondays and Wednesdays are in-office days because that's when the bulk of customer interactions happen, and making clear to engineering that Thursdays are in-office days because that's when code reviews happen. This comes as the company will start mandating employees be in the office four days a week, up from three days, after Labor Day.

Persons: Bradford, Bell, William J, Conaty, there's, slowdowns, Morgan Chase, Davis Polk, Sallie Krawcheck, Lynne C, Vincent, Jenny von Podewils, Podewils, Rubab Jafry O'Connor, Neil Barr Organizations: Resources, Center, Cornell University's ILR, Google, Skadden, Wardwell, LaSalle Network, Citi, Bank of America, CNBC, Companies, Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University, Employees, Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, Labor Locations: Slate

☆ Where are Russian generals Gerasimov and Surovikin after Wagner rebellion?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Absent from view too is General Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed "General Armageddon" by the Russian press for his aggressive tactics in the Syrian conflict, who is deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine. Rybar, an influential channel on the Telegram messaging application run by a former Russian defence ministry press officer, said a purge was underway. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov attend an annual meeting of the Defence Ministry Board in Moscow, Russia, December 21, 2022. Dara Massicot, an expert in the Russian military at the RAND Corporation think-tank, said that something looked odd about the video, in which Surovikin has an automatic weapon on his lap. "Surovikin (is) a brute but also one of the more capable Russian commanders," Freedman said on Twitter.

Persons: Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Vladimir Putin, Valery Gerasimov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Gerasimov, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Dmitry Peskov, Wagner, Rybar, Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Kuravlev, Prigozhin, Michael Kofman, Viktor Zolotov, Shoigu, Dara Massicot, He’s, he’s, Alexei Venediktov, vilifying Shoigu, Lawrence Freedman, Freedman, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White, Lisa Shumaker, Angus MacSwan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: New York Times, Wednesday, Staff, Reuters, Moscow Times, Staff of Russian Armed Forces, Defence Ministry Board, Sputnik, REUTERS, Carnegie Endowment, Twitter, National Guard, Moscow, Tuesday, RAND Corporation, Western, King's College London, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Surovikin, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kremlin, Moscow's, Lefortovo, Chechnya, Syria

☆ Analysis: Where are Russia's top generals? Rumours swirl after mercenary mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Valery Gerasimov, Russia's top general, has not appeared in public or on state TV since the aborted mutiny on Saturday when mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin demanded Gerasimov be handed over. Gerasimov, 67, is the commander of Russia's war in Ukraine, and the holder of one of Russia's three "nuclear briefcases," according to some Western military analysts. Rybar, an influential channel on the Telegram messaging application run by a former Russian defence ministry press officer, said a purge was underway. Surovikin, Gerasimov's deputy, was last seen on Saturday when he appeared in a video appealing to Prigozhin to halt his mutiny. He had been spoken of by Russian war correspondents as a potential future defence minister.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Kuravlev, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Gerasimov, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Rybar, Wagner, Prigozhin, Michael Kofman, Viktor Zolotov, Shoigu, Alexei Venediktov, vilifying Shoigu, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Staff of Russian Armed Forces, Defence Ministry Board, Sputnik, REUTERS, LONDON, New York Times, Wednesday, Moscow Times, Reuters, Russian Armed Forces, Carnegie Endowment, Twitter, National Guard, Moscow, Tuesday, Western, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Moscow's, Chechnya, Syria

HONG KONG, June 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A government-led buyout signals more uncertainty ahead for a chip industry grappling with oversupply and geopolitics. The state-backed Japan Investment Corp will take over JSR (4185.T), which makes light-sensitive chemicals vital to manufacturing semiconductors, among other things. In recent years, the conglomerate has pivoted from a low-margin business of selling synthetic rubber used to make tyres to focus on semiconductor materials - primarily photoresists - and biopharmaceuticals. Yet JIC's mandate to boost the country’s global competitiveness and its focus on consolidating industries helps to justify the hefty premium. Either way, the government's focus on elevating national chipmaking champions creates fresh uncertainty for JSR's foreign customers like South Korea's Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (2330.TW).

Persons: Sharp, Eric Johnson, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Japan Investment Corp, Renesas Electronics, chipmakers, Samsung Electronics, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Japan Investment Corporation, Mizuho Bank, Development Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Tokyo, Taiwan, Japan, United States, South Korea, South

☆ How Has the Wagner Rebellion Hurt Putin's Regime?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“It turned out that the czar is not a real czar because he couldn’t control a man from his own system who’s supposed to be under his full control,” said Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment who was in Moscow.

Persons: ”, Andrei Kolesnikov Organizations: Carnegie Endowment Locations: Moscow

And they clearly had little interest in helping Mr. Putin avoid a major, embarrassing fracturing of his support. While it is not clear exactly when the United States first learned of the plot, intelligence officials conducted briefings on Wednesday with administration and defense officials. Placing Wagner forces under the control of Mr. Shoigu was “out of the question” for Mr. Prigozhin, Ms. Stanovaya said. But it was only in recent days that intelligence officials got the initial warnings that Mr. Prigozhin might take action. President Biden, speaking in October, talked of the dangers that Mr. Putin would pose if he felt cornered and said the United States was looking for “off ramps” for Mr. Putin.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Prigozhin’s, “, ”, Sergei K, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner ., Tatiana Stanovaya, Shoigu, Stanovaya, Gerasimov, Biden, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Wagner Group, United, CNN, United States, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Associated Press, Intelligence, Russian, Ukrainian, Mr, Ministry of Defense, Defense Ministry, Carnegie Endowment, International Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, United States, Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Belarus, United, U.S, Russian, Bakhmut, Wagner . Russia

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