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☆ Airbnb hosts' latest trick to draw more bookings: $0 cleaning fees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Airbnb guests griped last year over cleaning fees added after they picked a place but before paying. Still, some hosts say explicitly advertising $0 cleaning fees helps increase bookings. More than two months after the change took effect, some Airbnb hosts told Insider they still saw resentment lingering among travelers. The hosts told Insider it seemed to generate interest in their rentals and even increase bookings during a tough time for some short-term-rental owners. Dan Latu/InsiderMelissa Hughes has never imposed cleaning fees at her goat farm in Tallahassee, Florida.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Zelenskyy demands more sanctions as Ukraine reels from Russian bombardment; explosions heard near nuclear power plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine is reeling from the most recent wave of Russian drone and missile strikes Thursday that killed at least 11 people and triggered emergency power outages in 10 regions of the country. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for more sanctions on Russia in his nightly video address, and for a tribunal to address Russian war crimes. The attacks came a day after Ukraine's Western allies pledged to send the country battle tanks, opening up a new front in the types of weapons they are willing to provide in the fight against Russian forces.

☆ 6 hotels near Glendale, Arizona, you can book right now for the 2023 Super Bowl, recommended by a local
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Wendy Rose Gould | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The 2023 Super Bowl will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. These six hotels have availability as of Friday and are located near the stadium. The 2023 Super Bowl will take place at State Farm Football Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Book Comfort Suites Glendale - State Farm Stadium AreaScottsdale, Arizona, is around a 45-minute drive from Glendale. The hotel is about a 25-minute drive from State Farm Stadium.

☆ War with Russia rages as Ukraine’s government confronts an old enemy: Corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Raf Sanchez | Raf Sanchez Is A Foreign Correspondent For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

He is now one of around a dozen officials who resigned, were fired, or were put under investigation this week as Ukraine’s government confronts an old enemy: corruption. On Monday, Zelenskyy banned public officials from traveling abroad for anything other than work. “It demonstrates what President Zelenskyy has told us, that there will be zero tolerance for fraud or waste,” he said. Ukraine is currently ranked 132 out of 180 countries on a corruption index compiled by Transparency International, a good-governance nongovernmental organization. “I think that after the war, we will have a better Ukraine than we had before the war,” he said.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: After tanks, fighter jets? Ukraine pushes NATO for more firepower; Russia lashes out at West
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The dust has barely settled after the U.S. and Germany's momentous decision Wednesday to supply battle tanks to Ukraine, but talk has already turned to the possible supply of other firepower, namely, fighter jets. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Kyiv's allies Wednesday regarding the sending of tanks but said he had asked NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for more assistance. "We have to unlock the supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine, it is important for us to expand our cooperation in artillery, we have to achieve the supply of aircraft to Ukraine. And this is a task," he said in his nightly address. Ukraine has made no secret of the fact that it would like to receive fighter jets, such as the U.S.' F-16 fighter jets, from its allies to help it fight Russia.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy urges U.N. action on deportations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine has for months denounced reports of mass deportations to Russia, often to remote regions thousands of kilometres from Ukraine. Zelenskiy described as genocide what he said were Russia's policies of captivity and forcing refugees to take on Russian citizenship. Zelenskiy has criticised as ineffective the efforts of other international organisations to tackle the issue of the deportations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the 57-nation Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. An official Ukrainian portal called Children of War lists 459 children killed and 916 wounded in the conflict as of Jan. 26. The U.S. State Department has cited figures of between 900,000 and 1.6 million deported Ukrainians, including 260,000 children.

☆ 'We will get F-16s': Ukraine aims for NATO's fighter jets after winning battle for Western tanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Kenzo Tribouillard | Afp | Getty ImagesThe dust has barely settled on the decision by the U.S. and Germany to supply battle tanks to Ukraine, but talk has already turned to the possible use of other firepower, namely, fighter jets. Kyiv appears confident that, as with Western tanks, it will eventually be given F-16s too. The U.S. has been tight-lipped about giving Ukraine F-16s, or allowing other countries to re-export their own U.S.-made fighter jets to Ukraine (National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said he had no announcement to make on the issue Wednesday). How helpful fighter jets would be to Ukraine is a matter for debate, and depends on the aircraft, its weaponry and flying conditions, experts note. Germany arrived at its decision to send tanks after months of pressure and deliberation, making any question over fighter jets a very distant prospect, according to Carsten Nickel, deputy director of research at analysis firm Teneo.

☆ Germany U-turns over battle tanks, saying it will send Leopard 2s to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday that Germany will provide Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 tanks out of its own Bundeswehr (German armed forces) stocks. Germany said its goal was to "quickly assemble two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine. As a first step, Germany will supply a company with 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks. Reports emerged late Tuesday that Chancellor Scholz was ready to agree to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, while the Biden administration was potentially prepared to provide a couple dozen M1 Abrams tanks. Warsaw on Tuesday sent a request to Berlin, asking permission to re-export 14 of its own Leopard tanks to Kyiv.

Ukraine's long-running struggle with graft has taken on added significance as Kyiv battles for survival while also pursuing a bid to join the European Union. But tackling graft has become more urgent since the European Union offered Kyiv candidate member status last June, months after Russia's invasion. The Ukrainian public, exhausted by 11 months of war, was also clearly a key intended audience for the sackings and resignations. But the same poll, which included nearly a thousand respondents across government-controlled Ukraine, found that 84% trusted Zelenskiy - up from 27% a year earlier. Additional reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Tom Balmforth and Mike Collett-WhiteOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Senior Ukrainian officials depart in corruption crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office quit Tuesday, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to launch a staff shake-up amid high-level corruption allegations during the war with Russia. Media reports have linked at least one official departure to a scandal involving the purchase of food for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Bulent Kilic / AFP via Getty Images fileZelenskyy vowed to drive out corrupt officials in comments on Sunday, when a deputy minister was dismissed for being part of a network embezzling budget funds. Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry later identified the dismissed official as Vasyl Lozynsky, a deputy minister there. In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s focus on the war would not stop his government from tackling corruption.

☆ Ukraine sanctions 22 associated with Russian Orthodox Church
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Oleksandr Kozhukhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Ukraine has imposed sanctions on 22 Russians associated with the Russian Orthodox Church for what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said was their support of genocide under the cloak of religion. According to a decree issued by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the list includes Mikhail Gundayev, who represents the Russian Orthodox Church in the World Council of Churches and other international organizations in Geneva. Russian state media reported that Gundayev is a nephew of the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill. The sanctions are the latest in a series of steps Ukraine has taken against the Russian Orthodox Church, which has backed President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine that is now entering its 12th month. "Sanctions have been imposed against 22 Russian citizens who, under the guise of spirituality, support terror and genocidal policy," Zelenskiy said in his nightly address late on Monday.

Separately, a newspaper investigation published on Saturday accused the Defence Ministry of overpaying suppliers for food for its soldiers. If the humane approach doesn't work, we'll do it in line with martial law," he said. Before last year's invasion, fighting corruption was the principal theme for Zelenskiy, a political novice swept into power in a landslide in 2019 on a promise to clean up Ukraine's notoriously crooked institutions. In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said measures would be announced this week. Several Ukrainian media outlets have reported that a number of cabinet ministers and senior officials could be sacked imminently as Zelenskiy tries to make the government more effective and streamlined.

[1/5] Ukrainian servicemen are seen near the frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Soledar in Donetsk region, Ukraine January 23, 2023. The corruption scandal could dampen Western enthusiasm for his government just as European countries bicker over sending German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. One of the most widely used Western tanks, Ukraine says it needs them to break through Russian lines and recapture territory this year. Germany is not blocking the re-export of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the European Union's top diplomat said on Monday. Ukraine says Western tanks would give its ground troops the mobility, protection and firepower to break through Russian defensive lines and resume their advance.

☆ Zelenskiy promises to swiftly confront Ukraine corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Maria Starkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zelenskiy's pledge came amidst allegations of senior-level corruption, including a report of dubious practices in military procurement despite officials promoting national unity to confront the invasion. Ukraine has had a long history of rampant corruption and shaky governance, with Transparency International ranking the country's corruption at 122 of 180 countries, not much better than Russia in 2021. "This week will be the time for appropriate decisions," Zelenskiy said. The renewed focus on corruption involved also Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov after a newspaper reported that the military had allegedly secured food at highly inflated prices. Reporting by Maria Starkova; Writing by Ron Popeski; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ You can rent out Daphne and Harper's Sicilian villa from 'The White Lotus' for around $6,000 per night on Airbnb
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Villa Tasca is available for around $6,000 per night with a three-night minimum on Airbnb. The Villa Tasca has inspired famous opera composers, according to its website. The Villa Tasca grounds include a 20-acre garden and citrus grove. Courtesy of the Airbnb Photographer CommunityIn "The White Lotus," the villa is located in the town of Noto, known for its baroque architecture. But the Villa Tasca actually is located in Palermo, Sicily's capital and where other tragic storylines in season 2 take place.

Berlin has veto power over any decision to export its Leopard tanks, fielded by NATO-allied armies across Europe and seen by defence experts as the most suitable for Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stressed the condition about U.S. tanks several times in recent days behind closed doors, the German government source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. This week, Britain raised the pressure on Berlin by becoming the first Western country to send tanks, pledging a squadron of its Challengers. Poland and Finland have already said they will send Leopard tanks if Germany approves them. "The supplies of Western tanks must outpace another invasion of Russian tanks."

Together with Moscow, Minsk has also been bolstering the drills with weaponry and military equipment. The Belarusian defence ministry said only that "units" of Russia's air forces have been arriving in Belarus. Ukraine's Air Force said the apartment block was struck by a Russian Kh-22 missile, which is known to be inaccurate and that Ukraine lacks the air defences to shoot down. SOLEDARIn Ukraine's eastern Donbas region - the focal point of Russia's drive to capture more territory - Ukraine's forces were battling around the small salt-mining town of Soledar. Russian forces claimed to have taken control of the town, but Ukraine insisted on Sunday that its forces were battling to hold the town, with street fighting raging and Russian forces advancing from various directions.

[1/16] Emergency personnel work at the site where an apartment block was heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine January 15, 2023. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and Kyiv's other allies condemned Saturday's Russian attacks. "More security assistance is coming to help Ukraine defend itself," Brink said on Twitter, calling the strike on Dnipro "horrifying." In Soledar, where Russian forces have refocused attacks after failing to take the larger nearby centre of Bakhmut, Ukraine insisted that its forces were battling to hold the town. But officials acknowledged the situation was difficult, that street fighting was raging and Russian forces were advancing from various directions.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy: Russian missile attacks disrupt power in Kyiv, Kharkiv regions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 14 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Russian missile attacks on Saturday struck energy targets, causing new disruptions in energy supplies, particularly in Kyiv and Kharkiv regions. "Unfortunately, there were hits on energy infrastructure," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "In this connection, the most difficult situation is in Kharkiv region and Kyiv region." Reporting by Ron Popeski; editing bu Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Drone footage shows Ukrainian forces trapping fighters from Russia's Wagner Group in a lethal crossfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Drone footage shows the Ukrainian troops annihilating a unit of Wagner fighters in Soledar. The video shows soldiers — who the State Border Service of Ukraine identified as Wagner Group fighters — being monitored by a drone. The soldiers then come under fire from Ukrainian fighters using large-caliber machine guns, resulting in a number of injuries, according to the border force. In a Telegram post, the State Border Service of Ukraine described the events. "Although the enemy has concentrated its greatest forces in this direction, our troops – the Armed Forces of Ukraine, all defense and security forces – are defending the state."

☆ How Much is Too Much?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Dana G. Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

How Much is Too Much? Most of us know that too much alcohol isn’t great for our health, but how bad is a nightly glass or two of wine or a couple of beers? After years of back-and-forth about alcohol’s effects on the body (a little bit is good; actually only red wine is OK; wait — nope, it’s all bad), the research is finally reaching a consensus, and it’s a real buzz-kill. Take this quiz to learn how alcohol affects you and what level of drinking causes health risks to rise. For more information about the health risks of drinking, read the related article.

“Mission Hospital used to be where everyone would go if they wanted good care,” Jaquins said, reflecting on her previous experiences with the health care system. Sue Fischer is a longtime HCA employee who’s concerned about patient care in her facility. “We were a great system as Mission Health and we’re an even better system as HCA Mission Health,” she said. “Delays in care is the biggest patient care issue I see because of staffing,” Hernandez said. According to the CMS ranking system, Mission Hospital currently holds an above-average overall quality rating — four stars out of a possible five.

☆ Cesar Conde consolidates power at NBC with network shakeup
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —On paper, Cesar Conde is the chair of NBCUniversal News Group. But on Wednesday he also appointed himself as the effective president of NBC News. But the NBCU News Group boss notably declined to select a single successor to oversee the sizable portfolio of Oppenheim. Leist will continue to oversee “Today” and Rodriguez will oversee “Nightly” and NBC News NOW. All three executives — Blumenstein, Leist, and Rodriguez — will report directly to Conde, making him the ultimate network boss.

NBC News’ longtime president, Noah Oppenheim, is stepping down but will stay with NBCUniversal to produce movies and scripted television shows, the company announced Wednesday. Rebecca Blumenstein, a deputy managing editor of The New York Times since 2017, will step into the new role of president of editorial, Conde said. “We are excited for his new chapter and that he will continue to work closely with NBCUniversal in this new role,” Conde said of Oppenheim. In addition, Janelle Rodriguez, who helped develop NBC News’ highly successful and profitable news streaming service, is joining the leadership team as executive vice president of NBC News NOW. “Under her leadership, NBC News NOW has been the largest and fasted growing streaming news network and provides more live programming than any other streaming news service,” the company said in a statement.

☆ NBC News president Noah Oppenheim exits, replaced by new head of editorial and two others in network shakeup
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN Business —NBC News president Noah Oppenheim will exit the network as part of a restructuring announced Wednesday that will replace his role with three executives, including Rebecca Blumenstein, a deputy managing editor of The New York Times. Oppenheim led NBC News through the tumultuous presidency of Donald Trump. “I leave with enormous pride in all that we’ve accomplished together,” Oppenheim wrote in a note to NBC News staff. As part of the restructuring, Conde also announced that Libby Leist had been promoted to executive vice president of “Today” and lifestyle. And Conde said that Janelle Rodriguez had been named executive vice president of NBC News NOW, the company’s streaming service.

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