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☆ Zaporizhzhia: Evacuations from Russian-occupied Ukrainian region raise concerns of nuclear power plant safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Helen Regan Julia Kesaieva Mariya Knight Katharina Krebs Kostan Nechyporenko Stephanie Halasz | Helen Regan | Julia Kesaieva | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the evacuation of a town close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has raised concerns about the facility’s stability. The plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, is held by Russian forces but mostly operated by a Ukrainian workforce. The plant is also significant because Ukraine relies heavily on nuclear power. On the groundOn Sunday, Ukraine’s Operation Command South spokeswoman said Russian forces were trying to exhaust Ukraine’s air defense system. Bakhmut has been the site of a months-long assault by Russian forces that has driven thousands from their homes and left the area devastated.

☆ Chile right-wing parties win majority in vote to draft new constitution
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A citizen casts their vote at a polling station during elections for a new assembly to draft constitution, at the Estadio Nacional, in Santiago, Chile April 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ivan AlvaradoSANTIAGO, May 7 (Reuters) - Chilean right-wing parties won a majority of votes on Sunday to elect advisers to draft a new constitution, marking a sharp shift from a progressive majority that drafted a failed first constitutional rewrite. With 95.13% of ballots tallied, Chile's Republican Party, led by former conservative firebrand presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast, secured nearly 35% of the vote. A separate coalition of traditional right-wing parties gained just over 20% of the vote, while President Gabriel Boric's left-wing coalition garnered about 29%. "I want to invite the Republican Party, that's won an unquestionable majority, to not make the same mistakes we made," Boric said.

☆ Ukrainian mayor says Russian troops are disguising themselves as civilians to escape Zaporizhzhia, according to local report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian troops are trying to escape the occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia, a Ukrainian mayor reportedly said. The mayor said residents saw Russian troops dressing as civilians to join the evacuation, according to local news outlet Pravda. So, our residents report frequent cases when the Russian military personnel change into civilian clothes," the outlet reported he said. In March 2022 Fedorov was abducted by Russian forces and freed later that month, Ukrainian officials said. Galina Danilchenko, a local politician with long-held pro-Russian views, was installed as acting mayor in Fedorov's place.

☆ After weight loss, Alzheimer's may be next frontier for drugs like Ozempic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

LONDON, May 8 (Reuters) - Diabetes drugs that also promote weight loss such as Novo Nordisk’s (NOVOb.CO) Ozempic, becoming a darling of celebrities and investors, are being studied to tackle some of the most difficult-to-treat brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. Those successes followed decades of futility that had left many questioning the validity of the amyloid theory behind most experimental Alzheimer's drugs. She said she has since been approached by pharmaceutical companies at an increasing pace, and is currently running an Alzheimer’s trial evaluating intranasal insulin in combination with another diabetes drug. Four companies with GLP-1 drugs, including two larger drugmakers, say they are watching for results of trials testing Novo's drug in Alzheimer's. Dementia affects more than 55 million people globally and the market for Alzheimer’s drugs is expected to grow to $9.4 billion by 2028 and for Parkinson’s to $6.6 billion, according to pharmaceutical data provider Citeline.

"This is the right's best chance for people to pick a Pinochet constitution without Pinochet's signature," said Patricio Navia a political scientist at New York University. "The political climate in Chile isn't the same as in 2019 or 2020," said political analyst Cristobal Bellolio. An estimated 3,200 Chileans were murdered and another 28,000 tortured by the state during Pinochet's rule. Many of the victims were affiliated with the socialist government of Salvador Allende, who was deposed in a 1973 coup. "The issue is that if it's more right then Pinochet's constitution, people are going to reject it," Navia added, who added the loss for Boric left the leader who once promised to bury Chile's market-led model sorely wounded.

☆ 'Mad panic' evacuation as IAEA warns of a nuclear accident at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant occupied by Russian forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fears mount of increased fighting around the contested Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that is occupied by Russian troops was becoming critical. "The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous," Grossi said in a statement. Grossi said evacuations were underway in the nearby town of Enerhodar, built for workers at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Reuters reported. He said there is a "possibility" of an "outbreak of full-scale hostilities" near the nuclear plant, saying, "We have been worrying about this nuclear power plant for more than a year.

☆ Luxury Porsche converted into a high-tech military vehicle for a commander in Ukraine's army
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A group of Ukrainian volunteers received a Porsche Cayenne to retrofit into a vehicle for the military. "When our team received this Porsche, it was quite a challenge to find the best way to utilize the luxury vehicle," said Roman Hapachylo, co-founder of Car for Ukraine. But the Porsche car was a different project. Car for Ukraine exists solely on donations of military aid, vehicles, and money. According to their website, they have distributed nearly $2 million worth of trucks to the Ukrainian military.

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☆ Backup Power: A Growing Need, if You Can Afford It
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Ivan Penn | Peter Eavis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“The neighborhood has lost power a whole lot, but I have not,” Ms. Dudley said. Ms. Dudley estimates that her utility bills are about $2,300 a year lower because of that investment and her geothermal system. Generator companies believe that growing electricity usage and the threat of outages will keep demand high for their products. Many people also bought generators because of severe weather, including an extreme heat wave in 2021 in the Pacific Northwest, and winter storm Uri, which caused days of blackouts in Texas and killed an estimated 246 people. “People are thinking about this,” Mr. Jagdfeld said, “in the context of the broader changes in climate and how that may be impacting not only the reliability of power but the things that they need that power provides.”

☆ Wagner Leader Threatens to Pull Out of Bakhmut: Russia-Ukraine War Live News
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Matt Surman | Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

“These are Wagner guys who died today; the blood is still fresh,” Mr. Prigozhin said, in a speech marked by frequent bleeped-out expletives. The Wagner chief has long criticized Russian military leadership openly, with some analysts attributing the tensions to rivalries for President Vladimir V. Putin’s favor. Mr. Prigozhin has never pointed a finger directly at Mr. Putin over Russia’s setbacks in the war. In February, Mr. Prigozhin accused Mr. Shoigu and General Gerasimov of treason, claiming they were starving Wagner of ammunition. The problem for Wagner was not a lack of ammunition, Mr. Cherevaty said, but a shortage of people to fight and die.

☆ Tesla's price cuts and hikes explained: Why it seems like Elon Musk can't make up his mind on pricing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The latest price hikes could mean Tesla is done lathering on the discounts for now. Elon Musk is changing his mind about Tesla pricing – again. Recent hikes are a sign to investors that Musk is likely done price-slashing for now. Even with this hike, base Model Y prices are down 24% since January and base Model 3 prices are down 14% over the same period. "When you lease, you can really bypass a lot of the problems that come with pricing," Drury said.

Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was detained by Russian authorities in March on charges of espionage. He is one of hundreds of journalists currently in custody around the world. Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, the killings of 14 journalists and media workers have been confirmed there, the committee said. But “we cannot withdraw from reporting about the world,” Mr. Latour said. In total, the event was likely to present a story of “a worldwide assault on journalists, their work and the public’s right to know,” Mr. Sulzberger said.

☆ OpenAI has its tentacles in hundreds of companies. Here's how it's making them more productive.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Developers are linking arms with OpenAI to access the large language models powering their apps. In doing so, OpenAI has its tentacles in hundreds of Silicon Valley startups. OpenAI's artificial intelligence technology is now baked into hundreds of apps, making it one of the key levers that help companies and their developers be more productive. The latest company utilizing the company's large language models is Superhuman, an email app with a cultish following. The feature came together so fast, according to Akshay Kothari, the third cofounder and chief operating officer, because Notion hadn't done the grunt work of training a large language model itself.

☆ Russia Tightens Restrictions in Occupied Regions of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Residents waiting for buses in Russian-controlled Mariupol, Ukraine, in December. Russian counterintelligence operatives are restricting travel in occupied areas of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. KYIV, Ukraine — As Ukrainian forces step up their assaults behind enemy lines ahead of an expected counteroffensive, Russia is imposing stricter measures on civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine, Ukrainian officials say. The Ukrainian General Staff, which is responsible for the country’s overall military strategy, said “the violent abduction of pro-Ukrainian civilians” in occupied areas was continuing and that there were signs more civilians could be detained. In a reflection of the dangers facing Russian occupiers themselves, both Ukrainian and Russian officials reported an assassination attempt on the Kremlin-appointed deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on Tuesday.

☆ Jota seals thrilling win for Liverpool after Tottenham fightback
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LIVERPOOL, England, April 30 (Reuters) - Diogo Jota scored deep in stoppage-time as Liverpool clinched a 4-3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in a barely-believable Premier League thriller at Anfield on Sunday. The Portuguese substitute struck in the fourth minute of added time, one minute after Tottenham substitute Richarlison thought he had earned his side an unlikely point. There was one final twist though as Jota latched on to a mistake by Lucas Moura and fired low past Fraser Forster to spark pandemonium on the touchline. Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp appeared to pull his hamstring as he celebrated manically and was also shown a yellow card in the most bizarre of climaxes. To make matters worse for Tottenham they felt Jota should have been red-carded for an earlier high boot that caught Oliver Skipp's head that was only punished with a yellow.

☆ Alzheimer’s patients may wait years to get treated with new drugs, putting them at risk of more severe disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +17 min

But time spent waiting robs early patients of their memory and ability to live independently. This condition is often, though not always, a sign of early Alzheimer's disease. PET scans cumbersomeTwo types of tests can diagnosis Alzheimer's disease: PET scans and spinal taps. Early Alzheimer's disease can also be diagnosed with a spinal tap, in which fluid around the spinal cord is extracted with a catheter and tested. He believes big players like CVS will provide infusions for Alzheimer's disease on a major scale if they see there's a large and stable market.

☆ Liverpool boss Klopp wary of Spurs threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

On Sunday, Liverpool host European qualifying rivals Spurs, who are without a win in their last three games and were humbled by third-placed Newcastle last Sunday, conceding five goals in the opening 21 minutes. I had something else to do, wanted to watch the game a bit later, when I came back it was 5-0," Klopp told reporters. "I honestly thought something was wrong with the television screen, something like a joke or something like that. Spurs are fifth in the league standings with 54 points but seventh-placed Liverpool can overtake them with a win at Anfield. The odds will be heavily stacked against Spurs, who have won just once in their last 20 league games against Liverpool, but Klopp said he was wary of the wealth of talent within the Spurs squad.

☆ Chile's lithium takeover plan faces technical, political challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Fabian Cambero | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/3] A view of a brine pool of a lithium mine on the Atacama salt flat in the Atacama desert, Chile, August 16, 2018. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File PhotoSANTIAGO, April 28 (Reuters) - While Chile's plan to take control of its lithium industry has caused global shockwaves, state-led production of the metal used to make electric vehicle batteries is seen by analysts as likely years away given technical and political challenges. CODELCO'S ROLEChile's state-run Codelco, the largest copper producer in the world, plays a key role in Boric's lithium plan although it has no experience in producing the white metal. The report noted that Argentina currently has more lithium projects in the pipeline than any other country in the world. Albemarle has said it needs new water sources to expand in Chile's Atacama salt flat, noting a desalination project was awaiting permits and construction.

☆ Mihoyo's new video game tops download charts as big launches return to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The blockbuster debut bodes well for several other games due to launch this summer in the world's largest video games market. As of Thursday, the Shanghai-based company's strategy game "Honkai: Star Rail", where anime characters battle space monsters, had amassed 20 million downloads across smartphones and personal computers, miHoYo said. 1 on the iOS game download chart in more countries than any prior game," Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad said on Twitter. It is scheduled to test action game "Valorant" in May ahead of its official release this year. Tencent will invest in launching an esports league in China for the game.

☆ Chile's lithium push emerges as test for Latin American resource nationalism
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( David Alire Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Laborers work at a lithium plant on the Atacama salt flat in the Atacama desert of northern Chile January 8, 2013. While the former student protest leader's proposal to give the government a majority stake in all future lithium projects faces an uncertain path in Congress, its mere introduction shook one of the mining industry's most lucrative corners. Lithium is in high demand for rechargeable batteries for future fleets of electric vehicles in the global transition to green energy. That leaves the exception to the trend, Argentina, as an increasingly likely Latin American destination for new private capital for lithium. A strong pipeline of lithium projects in Argentina, the world's No.

☆ Hertz results beat estimates on strong rental car demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 27 (Reuters) - Hertz Global Holdings Inc (HTZ.O) on Thursday beat analyst estimates for quarterly results as more people rented cars to commute to office and travel outstation, sending the company's shares up nearly 4% before the bell. Demand for rentals remains strong as more companies mandate work from office and people resume their travel plans after a long pandemic-induced hiatus. "Hertz reported better-than-expected results as they continue to benefit from strong consumer demand for travel and the ongoing recovery in business travel," said Tigress Financial Partners analyst Ivan Feinseth. The company posted an adjusted quarterly net income of 39 cents per share for the quarter ended March 31, compared with Refinitiv IBES estimates of 21 cents. It, however, struggled with costlier maintenance and labor charges to keep its fleet on the road.

☆ Navalny, Top Kremlin Critic, Says New Charge Could Jail Him for Life
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Aleksei A. Navalny, the jailed Russian opposition leader, said on Wednesday that Russian authorities had initiated “absurd” new terrorism charges against him that could lead to life in prison. Mr. Navalny’s comments, which were posted on his team’s Twitter account, came as he appeared via video link at a court hearing over separate extremism charges that are widely seen as politically motivated. Mr. Navalny, who started as an anticorruption activist before becoming one of the Kremlin’s most prominent critics, is already serving a sentence in a penal colony for fraud and contempt of court. Since returning to Russia after recovering in Germany from a poisoning attempt that the West has blamed on the Kremlin, he has repeatedly faced new charges from Russian authorities. The Russian authorities did not confirm the charges.

CNN —Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny said he faces a new “terrorist case,” in what could mean decades more in prison for the outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. His comments come as his daughter, Daria Navalnaya, told CNN that the Russian authorities were depriving her father of food. Navalny is currently serving a nine-year jail term at a maximum-security prison east of Moscow after being convicted of large-scale fraud by a Russian court last year. Alexey Navalny, pictured in Moscow on August 27, 2018, said on Wednesday that he faces a new "terrorist case," despite being imprisoned. Zhdanov also said that the investigator in the terrorism case was considering the killing of military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky as part of the charges.

☆ Russian Lawyers Ask Court to Ease Crackdown on Speaking Out
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A group of leading Russian lawyers on Tuesday asked the country’s highest court to declare unconstitutional a law banning criticism of the armed forces, in a rare display of opposition to the draconian censorship imposed by the Kremlin in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. The complaint, filed by three lawyers and supported by 10 more, most of whom are still in Russia, asked the Constitutional Court to strike down the measure, which has emerged as the Kremlin’s most effective tool for stifling dissent in the country. “This law was passed with only one goal — to suppress antiwar activism,” said Violetta Fitsner, a lawyer with OVD-Info, a Russian rights group, and one of the authors of the complaint. “Such restrictions cannot exist in a democratic society.”The censorship laws effectively ban anything that does not correspond to the Kremlin’s depiction of the war, which it continues to call a “special military operation.” They have virtually silenced debate in Russia.

☆ NHL roundup: Alexander Kerfoot's OT goal caps Leafs' comeback
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Maple Leafs hold a 3-1 lead in the series and can clinch with a victory in Game 5 in Toronto on Thursday. The Lightning led 2-0 after a dominant first period and extended their lead to 4-1 through two periods. Alex Killorn had two goals and Mikhail Sergachev had a goal and an assist for the Lightning. Daniel Sprong had a goal and an assist for Seattle, which also got a goal from Will Borgen. William Karlsson and Ivan Barbashev also scored goals for Vegas, which took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

☆ Soccer Salah proud to equal Fowler’s record in just six years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Salah, and Fowler, are three goals behind Steven Gerrard, the fifth-highest scorer in Liverpool's history, while Ian Rush leads the list with 346. Fowler is a legend for the club, so I’m proud to be equal with him after six seasons. Salah said seventh-placed Liverpool had struggled at the start of the 3-2 victory over Forest, who are battling to avoid relegation. "For the teams fighting to avoid relegation, these are life-or-death games and all games are difficult,” he added. With seven games remaining, Liverpool are six points away from the top four and still aspiring to qualify for the European competitions next season.

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