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☆ The spam and the scam: What's driving those incessant political fundraising email and text campaigns blowing up your inbox
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Each and every day, political campaigns send out fundraising requests via email and text messages. "It's an accepted part of fundraising that you're going to ruffle feathers," said one political consultant. Increasingly, consumers are drowning in a sea of spam messages and scams from political campaigns, and experts said it's not going to change anytime soon. And while they themselves said they get annoyed by the flood of spam messages, political campaigners said that annoying voters is simply part of the job. After the RNC repeatedly lobbied Google to drop its spam filter for political spam, the company briefly acquiesced before changing its mind after the 2022 midterm elections.

Persons: It's, —, Michael Escobar, Escobar, he's, He's, I've, she's, it's, Josh Nelson, Rory McShane, McShane, " McShane, it'll, they've, Nelson, there've, Donald Trump's, Anne Mitchell, Mitchell, Nick Daggers, I'm Organizations: Service, Institute for Social Internet, RNC, Google, Telephone Consumer Protection, FCC, Democratic, GOP

☆ Sri Lanka c.bank to hold rates as inflation stays high
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COLOMBO, May 30 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's central bank is expected to keep rates unchanged at its policy meeting this week as it continues to support the debt-laden economy amid persistently high inflation. Sri Lanka secured a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in March and aims to complete restructuring debt talks by September. Thirteen out of the fifteen analysts and economists polled by Reuters expect the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to hold benchmark rates steady on Thursday, at its fourth policy rate announcement this year. The central bank raised rates by a record 950 basis points last year to tame inflation and by 100 bps on March 3. The first review of its IMF programme is expected in September and Sri Lanka plans for it to coincide with the completion of debt restructuring talks with creditors.

☆ Drone attacks in Moscow strikes near the heart of Russia's elite
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

On Tuesday morning, a wave of drone strikes hit the Russian capital. An ambulance and firefighting vehicles are parked outside a multi-storey apartment block following a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia. Instead, it appeared to strike near the heart of Russia’s political and economic elite. A view shows a damaged multi-storey apartment block following a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia. But it’s clear that the drone strikes are an embarrassment to the Russian military, regardless of how the remotely piloted vehicles were launched.

CNN —Russia is blaming Ukraine for launching a drone attack on Moscow early Tuesday which reportedly left two people injured and several buildings damaged, a rare incident in the Russian capital after months of war. At least three residential buildings in Moscow were damaged by drones on Tuesday, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing emergency services and residents. Sobyanin added in a subsequent update that investigators had concluded work at the Moscow apartment buildings hit by drones and that evacuated residents would be able to return to their homes. Ukraine has denied direct involvement with Tuesday’s drone attack on Moscow. A view shows a damaged multi-storey apartment block following a reported drone attack in Moscow on Tuesday.

☆ Opinion: The ultimate ‘Succession’ lesson
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. Walt Handlesman/Tribune Content AgencyIn a much more ominous vein, the theme of survival dominates the HBO show “Succession,” which is coming to an end Sunday. She’s so caught up in beating her brothers at the succession game that she can’t see this baby as anything but an obstacle.”“Ultimately, this storyline is a perfect encapsulation of the larger tragedy that is ‘Succession,’” Bodenheimer added. The contest for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination heated up last week with the official entry of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump’s strongest challenger in the polls.

☆ Back in Mexico, 'Earth Monster' sculpture points to ancient beliefs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( David Alire Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MEXICO CITY, May 26 (Reuters) - A massive stone sculpture carved by Olmec artists more than 2,000 years ago that evokes ancient religious beliefs has returned to Mexico after decades in the United States in a homecoming cheered by officials and scholars. The mountain was also made to resemble the head of a jaguar, ancient Mexico's most fearsome predator, with the cave doubling as its open jaws and the entrance into the underworld. Some have speculated the sculpture may have been used in ritual acts as a sacred passageway. Other scholars note how the worldview of the Olmecs as seen in the "Earth Monster" sculpture is a recurring theme across ancient Mexico, including up to the Aztecs, who began their rise to power around 1,700 years later and whose main temple also doubled as a sacred mountain. The Olmec sculpture's return to Mexico was hailed by Mexico Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who spoke just before it was carefully hauled onto a plane for its trip back home.

☆ Tucker Carlson was fired before he could give a conspiracy theory-laden monologue alleging a Jan. 6 protester was actually an FBI informant, biographer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tucker Carlson was kicked off Fox News ahead of a monologue about January 6, per his biographer. Carlson reportedly planned to talk about Ray Epps, who is falsely accused of sparking the insurrection. Epps is the subject of a false conspiracy theory that he's an FBI plant. Carlson has nonetheless repeatedly promoted the conspiracy theory on his show, as have far-right Republican lawmakers including Sen. Ted Cruz and Reps. Matt Gaetz, Thomas Massie, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Carlson and Fox News are negotiating the terms of Carlson's exit from the network.

☆ An Oil Refiner Leans on Manure to Provide a Greener Future
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Stanley Reed | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Every day dozens of tanker trucks, many laden with pig manure and other kinds of agricultural waste, rumble through the gateway of an imposing steel-and-concrete plant in northeast Netherlands. This pungent cargo will be mixed together into a slurry and pumped into massive tanks, where hungry bacteria will within weeks turn it into methane gas that will ultimately be sold to the energy grid to heat homes and generate electricity. The gas is a biofuel — similar to the natural gas pumped out of offshore wells in the North Sea but, because of its biological origins, considered carbon neutral. The recipe for success, said Fritz Ullrich, the plant manager, is keeping the microbes nourished with a steady stream of waste. “We have to coddle them,” he said on a recent morning.

☆ Ukraine claims foothold in part of Bakhmut, aims to encircle city
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A top Ukrainian general said Kyiv's forces controlled what he accepted was an "insignificant" part of Bakhmut, but said the foothold would be enough to enter the devastated city when the situation changed. Maliar added Ukrainian troops were still defending industrial and infrastructure facilities as well as a private sector of the city and had claimed part of the overlooking heights. Moscow has long claimed that capturing Bakhmut would be a stepping stone towards advancing deeper into the Donbas region it claims to have annexed from Ukraine. The Russian defence ministry said its forces had also destroyed a road bridge previously used by Ukrainian forces to reinforce Bakhmut as well as a Ukrainian ammunition warehouse. Biden said F-16s would not have helped Ukrainian forces with regard to Bakhmut but could "make a big difference in terms of being able to deal with what is coming down the road".

☆ Telecom Italia urged to call board meeting to name Vivendi candidate - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, May 20 (Reuters) - Telecom Italia (TIM) (TLIT.MI) is being urged by some directors to hold an extraordinary board meeting to name a candidate sponsored by top investor Vivendi (VIV.PA) to fill a vacant director seat at the former phone monopoly, two sources said on Saturday. One of the sources said Telecom Italia's nomination committee will start a review of Carta's candidacy on Monday, adding no board meeting has yet been called. The board seat has been vacant since January when Vivendi Chief Executive Arnaud de Puyfontaine quit the board asking for a new governance set-up. In their latest bids, KKR and the rival consortium offered 21 billion euros ($23.12 billion) and 19 billion euros, respectively, for the asset, source have previously said, some 10 billion euros below Vivendi's price tag to back a deal. TIM directors are expected to discuss the bids at an ordinary board meeting due on June 22.

☆ Russia's Wagner claims Bakhmut; Kyiv says situation critical
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But meanwhile, to the north and south, they have made their most rapid gains for six months in the surrounding area, seizing swathes of territory from Russian troops. "Wagner troops climbed into Bakhmut like rats into a mousetrap," Oleksander Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, told troops at the Bakhmut front this week. The battle for Bakhmut has revealed a deepening split between Wagner, a mercenary force that has recruited thousands of convicts from Russian prisons, and the regular Russian military. For two weeks, Prigozhin has been issuing daily video and audio messages denouncing Russia's military leadership, often in expletive-laden rants. Moscow has long claimed that capturing Bakhmut would be a stepping stone towards advancing deeper into the Donbas region it claims to have annexed from Ukraine.

☆ World Bee Day 2023: 6 surprising things about bees
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Unfortunately, many bee species are under threat as a result of changes in land use, pesticides, intensive agriculture and climate change — but there are steps you can take to help them thrive. In honor of World Bee Day on May 20, here are six surprising things you might not know about nature’s hardest-working pollinators. “It marks the first report of honey bees of any species foraging for materials that are not derived from plants or water-based fluids. It is also the first clear-cut example of honey bees using a tool in nature.”Honeybees also signal an imminent attack by making a chilling warning noise. Bees are seen on a honeycomb cell at the Urban Bee Hive rooftop site in Woolloomooloo, a suburb of Sydney.

☆ 'I will cry 100%': Firmino braces for emotional Anfield farewell
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 20 (Reuters) - Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino expects his final game at Anfield to be an emotional affair and the Brazilian said he is bracing for a flood of tears as he prepares to leave the Premier League club after eight trophy-laden years. Firmino, who has scored 109 goals since his move from Hoffenheim in 2015, has won every major trophy with Liverpool including the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup. "I am trying to focus on the game, but after it I will cry 100%," Firmino told reporters ahead of Saturday's game against Aston Villa, Liverpool's last home game of the season. "I will miss everything -- my teammates, the club, the fans, especially the fans. At his peak, Firmino was the fulcrum in Liverpool's three-pronged attack, forming a devastating partnership with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

☆ Telecom Italia urged to call board meeting to name Vivendi candidate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Rune repeats Djokovic upset to storm into Rome semi-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

For the first time since 2004, neither Djokovic nor the injured Rafa Nadal will be in the Rome final. Rune outlasted Djokovic in three sets in last year's Paris Masters final and the 20-year-old made the perfect start in search of another upset by breaking the world number one in the opening game of the match. "Obviously, I did it last year in Paris, but every match is a huge challenge when I play Novak. "He's one of the greatest to ever play the game so I knew I had to be at my best. Rune said he hoped to stay humble after another statement win on the ATP Tour.

☆ Ukraine's military may not be able to retake Crimea, but it can make life hell for Russians there, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Retaking the peninsula would be tough, but Ukrainian forces can isolate it, two US experts say. Supplying Russian forces on the peninsula — including the Black Sea Fleet — would require far more airlift capacity than Russia has. "Rattled by attacks, short of supplies, and somewhat isolated, Russian forces in Crimea could become less capable." It is possible that Russia could devise some defense or countermeasure against USVs, especially if they have naval and air superiority over the Black Sea. Sapping the capabilities and morale of Russian forces by disrupting their supply lines is one thing.

☆ Opinion: The banned Russian landmine with a deceptively poetic name
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Opinion Sasha Dovzhyk | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A great deal of eeriness is due to the highly explosive Russian “petals.” “Petal” — or, “lepestok,” in Russian — is the poetic name of an internationally banned Russian-made anti-personnel landmine. The Russian wish for Ukraine appears to be death: to render Ukrainian land uninhabitable, to maim and kill those who live on it. But as one learns from Kataev’s tale, the Russian petals travel far and know no borders. In November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that 200,000 hectares (almost 50,000 acres) of Ukrainian land were contaminated with unexploded mines and shells. The rusted remains of a tank in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk region, pictured during a PEN Ukraine trip in April 2023.

☆ After Mishap-Laden Masters, McIlroy Seeks a Sharper Swing and a Clearer Mind
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Alan Blinder | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — About six weeks ago — that is, a missed Masters Tournament cut, a self-imposed hiatus and a tie for 47th at the Wells Fargo Championship ago — Rory McIlroy talked about pies. “It’s just putting all those ingredients in and setting the oven to the right temperature and letting it all sort of come to fruition.”This week’s P.G.A. But a victory or a strong showing would quiet the doubts that have arisen around McIlroy, who is No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking but perpetually shadowed by his failure to capture a major championship since 2014. Despite his membership at Oak Hill, McIlroy has been reluctant to declare some sort of home-course advantage since he, after all, lives in Florida.

☆ Her Novel Became a Best Seller. The Trouble: The Manuscript Was Stolen.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Amal El-Mohtar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

If this reads as a quite on-the-nose critique of contemporary conversations about race and appropriation, that’s because it is. It is in fact so obvious that it makes one wonder why Kuang uses the device of an unreliable narrator at all. Instead, June’s methodology is consistently to tell the reader her trespasses and offer flimsy justifications for them. These moments suggest the kinds of layers and intrigue the book could have maintained if it weren’t so committed to showing its hand. “Yellowface” is a kind of Art Monster story, but one that can’t allow room for ambiguity or revelation without rushing in to fill that space.

☆ Shareholders of Evergrande's EV unit agree on restructuring deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Xie Yu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, May 13 (Reuters) - Shareholders of China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group (0708.HK) accepted a proposal to dispose of two subsidiaries in a restructuring, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday night. More than 50% of the votes under the EV company, a unit of embattled property developer China Evergrande (3333.HK), were cast at a Friday general meeting in favour of a proposal raised in late April, the filing said. The EV unit on April 25 announced the plan to sell two debt-laden companies to another unit under China Evergrande as part of the auto firm's restructuring. The EV unit was expected to book a $3.6 billion gain from the transfer, while the two companies to be sold held 47 property projects altogether, said a previous stock filing by the EV unit. The deal would help the EV unit focus on the new energy vehicle segment and could help improve its valuation and eventually "may help to attract investors to Evergrande Auto and raise funds", said a separate filing by the group company.

But a new audio message posted Sunday on Telegram suggests he has changed his mind after concessions from the Russian government. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not immediately comment on Prigozhin’s latest claim. Yulia Morozova/ReutersBakhmut has been the site of a months-long assault by Russian forces that has driven thousands from their homes and left the area devastated. Prigozhin’s blunt and brutal tactics in Bakhmut have long been likened to a “meat grinder.” But, in his repeated threats to withdraw from Bakhmut, Prigozhin claimed this approach was no longer viable. The Wagner boss had said Wagner positions in and around Bakhmut would be transferred to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s forces from May 10.

For this last 5%, the ‘Red Army’ [the Russian Armed Forces] are not playing any role,” Prigozhin said. His most recent challenge to Russian defense officials comes as Bakhmut remains heavily contested. In his Telegram message Saturday, Prigozhin said Wagner’s role in Bakhmut had been to grind down Ukrainian forces while allowing Russian forces to regroup. In Bakhmut, we grinded (the Ukrainian forces), hence the name – ‘Bakhmut meat grinder,’” Prigozhin said. “With regards to the Bakhmut meat grinder, there will be no more meat grinder because there’s nothing left to grind the meat with,” Prigozhin said.

☆ War of the Hats: Coronation vs. Kentucky Derby
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( The Styles Desk | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Thousands of guests converged for the coronation of King Charles III in London today, with millions more watching from around the world. Here in America, the Kentucky Derby is known for its attendees wearing their own flamboyant head gear. Fans watched Mage win the 149th Derby, followed by Two Phil’s and Angel of Empire, rounding out the top three. Not known for subtlety, Derby hats this year offered a range of colors and fabrics, from elegant to loud, floral to plumed and everything in between. Take our quiz to see if you can tell which side of the pond each of these hats came from.

Digital publishers and streamers including Roku presented new content, formats and technology at NewFronts. Photo: RokuArtificial intelligence, entertainment-industry turmoil and new ways of gauging the success of advertising loomed large at this week’s NewFronts media showcases for digital ad buyers. Presenters including Amazon, Roku and NBCUniversal’s Peacock hosted NewFronts events in New York City to show off new shows, ad formats and measurement capabilities. But this year’s NewFronts also offered a taste of what traditional TV programmers might face in two weeks at their annual upfront sales events, where major networks usually host star-laden stage shows for advertisers if the Writers Guild of America strike continues. WGA members on Tuesday picketed Peacock’s presentation in Midtown Manhattan, and actress Edie Falco chose to not introduce a new Peacock show during the event because of the strike, according to a person familiar with the situation.

“We are lacking 70% of the needed ammunition!” Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin says in a video posted on Telegram. Shining a small flashlight on the corpses laying outdoors near what appears to be the front lines of the war, Prigozhin claims they are the casualties of just one day of fighting. “Shoigu, Gerasimov, where … is the ammunition?” says Prigozhin, calling out Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the Russian armed forces Gen. Valery Gerasimov. In February, he accused the two men of “treason” for their alleged failures to support and supply the Wagner group in Ukraine. Shortly after that posting, he made another saying a shipment of ammunition was on its way to the Wagner troops.

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