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For much of the winter, the war in Ukraine settled into a slow-moving but exceedingly violent fight along a jagged 600-mile-long frontline in the southeast. Now, both Ukraine and Russia are poised to go on the offensive. They are looking for vulnerabilities, hoping to exploit gaps, and setting the stage for what Ukraine warns could be Moscow’s most ambitious campaign since the start of the war. Ukraine must now defend against the Russian assault without exhausting the resources it needs to mount an offensive of its own. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has given an order to take all of the Donbas region by March, Ukrainian intelligence says.

The stores that Kroger and Albertsons may sell could be worth more than $1 billion, the sources said. Kroger and Albertsons will choose to proceed with the spin-off if they are unable to strike a deal with a potential buyer. Kroger, Albertsons and the FTC declined to comment. Haggen filed for bankruptcy months later and blamed the deal with Albertsons for its demise. Albertsons then agreed to buy many of the Haggen stores back for $300 million.

☆ Olympics row deepens as 35 countries demand ban for Russia and Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With war raging in Ukraine, the Baltic States, Nordic countries and Poland had called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics. "At the same time, we know that 70 percent of Russian athletes are soldiers. He said that most participants had been in favour of an absolute exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The IOC has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals. While Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of host city Paris, has said Russian athletes should not take part, Paris 2024 organisers have said they will abide by the IOC's decision on the issue.

☆ Bublik smashes three racquets in Montpellier meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MONTPELLIER, Feb 9 (Reuters) - A raging Alexander Bublik laid waste to three racquets in a row at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier on Wednesday as the defending champion exited the ATP 250 event in the first round. Bublik, who was born in Russia but represents Kazakhstan, lost 4-6 7-6(12) 6-7(3) to local hope Gregoire Barrere. World number 50 Bublik saved three match points in a marathon second-set tie-breaker to level the contest and the 25-year-old was leading 4-2 in the third. Barrere wrapped up the match on his sixth match point, while Bublik finished with 14 double faults. Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chilean wildfires destroy hundreds of homes, endanger world's smallest deer
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Ivan Alvarado | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We call on everyone who can to take care of the forests which are currently on fire, and also of our animals, specimens of vital importance," said Valentina Aravena, the manager at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Chillan. Late on Wednesday, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said the government would declare a curfew in some provinces starting on Thursday. In the rehabilitation center in Chillan, the capital of the Ñuble region, veterinarians treated burns on animals native to the woodlands, such as monito del monte, a small nocturnal marsupial, and pudus, the world's smallest deer. [1/7] A Pudu, the world's smallest deer, rescued from a wildfire, receives care from vets at a wildlife rehabilitation center of Concepcion University, as wildfires continue in the central-southern zone of Chile, in Chillan, Chile, February 8, 2023. A day earlier, a Chilean minister warned that high temperatures forecast for this week could further complicate the situation.

☆ Exclusive: The FBI's McGonigal labyrinth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +28 min

She never saw McGonigal pay. "The notion that Mr. Deripaska is some proxy for the Russian state is a blatant lie," Ruben Bunyatyan, a spokesperson for Deripaska, told Insider by email. McGonigal was not charged with espionage, and although there is currently no evidence that McGonigal committed espionage, an FBI source told Insider that the investigation is ongoing. At the FBI, McGonigal racked up a string of big cases and promotions. "He said he needed to make more money," Guerriero told Insider.

☆ At least 24 dead in Chile as wildfires expand; foreign help on the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Fabian Cambero | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

International help was set to arrive on Sunday from a handful of countries that have pledged resources, including planes and expert firefighting teams, as the most intense wildfires torched forests and farmland clustered around three regions near the middle of the South American country's long Pacific coastline. The government of President Gabriel Boric has issued emergency declarations for the largely rural southern regions of Biobio, Nuble and Araucania in an effort to speed relief. The fires have consumed some 270,000 hectares, officials said on Sunday, or an area roughly the size of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Some 260 fires are active across the parched region, interior ministry officials said on Sunday, with 28 of them considered especially dangerous. Chilean officials have sought international assistance to battle the fires, with new ones sparking to life each day.

☆ Why Silicon Valleys massive layoffs haven't hit Detroit automakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Nora Naughton | Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The auto industry could benefit from tech layoffs. But the auto industry doesn't need to undergo massive cuts — mostly because they already have over the past few years. Tech companies, meanwhile, had enjoyed a decade of unmitigated growth thanks to low interest rates and a flood of new investor money. "Legacy auto is underpopulated in order to fully go after the future of mobility — primarily, electrification, batteries, and software." The auto industry could benefit from tech layoffsWhile tech sheds thousands of jobs, automakers are desperate for workers.

☆ Firefighters battle dozens of wildfires in Chile, death toll at 22
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SANTIAGO, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Dozens of wildfires blazing though Chile caused the government to extend an emergency order to another region on Saturday, as a scorching summer heatwave complicates efforts to control fires that have claimed at least 22 lives so far. On Friday, an emergency-support helicopter in La Araucania crashed, killing its pilot and a mechanic, according to officials. The orders allow for the deployment of soldiers and additional resources to deal with the natural disaster. National forestry agency CONAF reported on Saturday that 80 of 231 total wildfires are being actively battled, while 151 of them are under control. Reporting by Fabian Cambero and Natalia Ramos Miranda Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thirteen dead as fires blaze through south-central Chile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Eleven people, including a firefighter, had died in the town of Santa Juana in Biobio, a region some 310 miles (500 km) south of capital Santiago, local authorities said. The Minister of Agriculture also reported an emergency-support helicopter in the southern region of La Araucania had crashed, killing the pilot and a mechanic. States of catastrophe have been declared in the farming and forest areas of Biobio and neighboring Nuble, prompting the deployment of soldiers and additional resources. Hundreds of homes have been damaged while 39 fires rage across the country, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said. He also pointed to "signs" that some fires may have been started intentionally.

☆ ExxonMobil, Chevron's big cash shows cheap gas isn’t coming back
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Big oil sees political pushback on buybacksFuel prices at a Chevron gas station in Menlo Park, California, on Thursday, June 9, 2022. In the market, and at the oil companies headquarters, it seems the opinions issued from the White House aren't much of a factor in setting financial priorities. The benchmark now is to spend roughly a third of operating cash flow on capital investment, a third on dividends and a third on stock buybacks. Exxon made $76.8 billion in operating cash flow, invested $18 billion back into the business, spent $14.9 billion on dividends and $15.2 billion in stock purchases, according to its cash flow statement. Oil production is increasing

☆ Republicans are lashing out at DirecTV for supposedly ‘censoring’ conservative voices. Here’s what’s really going on
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Several Republican senators unleashed on the satellite carrier Wednesday over its move to drop the right-wing channel Newsmax from its lineup, adding to mounting pressure DirecTV has faced over the matter. The senators suggested DirecTV’s move was all part of a nefarious plot to “censor” conservative viewpoints. DirecTV also balked at paying for the same content that streams to users for free on other platforms, such as Roku. But the right-wing channel, led by Chris Ruddy, who is well-connected in GOP circles, has sought to leverage its political power to pressure DirecTV into paying up. Last week, it added to its lineup the right-wing channel The First, which features hosts such as Bill O’Reilly, Dana Loesch, Liz Wheeler, and Jesse Kelly.

At his funeral in the western Ukrainian town of Letychiv, friends of the 22-year-old, who volunteered for the military and was hit by shrapnel in Bakhmut last week, were vehement that Russians should be excluded from the Olympics. Fellow decathlete Dmytro Korbenko, who described himself as Androshchuk's best friend, said of Russian athletes: "It's obvious they're not supposed to be in sports, nor at the 2024 Olympic Games." As mourners laid bouquets near Androshchuk's feet or kissed his forehead, Korbenko described his friend as a strong-willed athlete. In response, Ukraine has threatened to boycott the 2024 Olympics if the year-long war is still raging and if Russians are allowed to compete. Russia, which denies committing atrocities in Ukraine, said attempts at banning it from international sports were "doomed to fail."

☆ Fraud Economy: How Current Economic Trends Lead to More Corporate Scams
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Get ready for what will feel like an inescapable wave of corporate fraud. And as interest rates have risen, the stock market has fallen off — which makes it harder to get dollars by whipping up new investors or offering stock. Despite Scheck's assertion that the risk of a wave of corporate fraud has heightened, he didn't want to speak in historical analogies. There be icebergsOf course, there's also fraud that goes undetected in times of easy money — companies where the very act of existing means stretching the truth. Kreuger had managed to hide that he had stretched the company's finances beyond solvency by raising money on the US stock market while it was raging.

☆ Great Fraud Reckoning Will Expose Scam Companies, Cause Stock Market Chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Get ready for what will feel like an inescapable wave of corporate fraud. And as interest rates have risen, the stock market has fallen off — which makes it harder to get dollars by whipping up new investors or offering stock. Despite Scheck's assertion that the risk of a wave of corporate fraud has heightened, he didn't want to speak in historical analogies. Kreuger had managed to hide that he had stretched the company's finances beyond solvency by raising money on the US stock market while it was raging. That may have been enough when the stock market was on a heater and investors were winning, but it's not enough when the stock market is falling, the economy is slowing, and everyone from regulators to lawmakers to kids on TikTok want answers.

☆ Private equity giants are still racing to fill 2024 associate seats. See 8 firms — from Carlyle to Bain Capital — that have been recruiting first-year investment bankers for jobs that won't start for
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Last year's on-cycle recruiting kicked off earlier than ever, and many junior bankers weren't ready. In an effort to win the war for talent that was raging last year, private equity firms pushed their recruiting efforts earlier than in ever— to late summer. To be sure, not all private equity firms kicked off on-cycle recruiting in August. It usually involves an intense week-long period (although sometimes shorter or longer) where private equity firms rush in to snag the top talent. The bottom line shows the month and year analysts started their roles, and the yellow line indicated when on-cycle recruiting began that season.

☆ NATO's Stoltenberg arrives in S.Korea to deepen alliance's ties in Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In Seoul, Stoltenberg is due to meet with Foreign Minister Park Jin, Minister of National Defence Lee Jong-Sup, and other senior officials, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said in a statement. Yoon and Kishida became the first leaders from their countries to attend a NATO summit, joining alliance leaders as observers last year. Following the summit, South Korea opened its first diplomatic mission to NATO, vowing to deepen cooperation on non-proliferation, cyber defence, counter-terrorism, disaster response and other security areas. Chinese state media had warned against South Korea and Japan attending the NATO summit and criticised the alliance's broadening partnerships in Asia. North Korea has said NATO involvement in the Asia-Pacific region would import the conflict raging in Europe.

☆ Tech giants have cut tens of thousands of jobs. Automakers are ready to hire them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Nora Naughton | Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But the auto industry doesn't need to undergo massive cuts — mostly because they already have over the past few years. Tech companies, meanwhile, had enjoyed a decade of unmitigated growth thanks to low interest rates and a floor of new investor money. As these companies enter a new phase and a different economy, the tech industry is experiencing its first real belt-tightening. The auto industry could benefit from tech layoffsWhile tech sheds thousands of jobs, automakers are desperate for workers. "The war for talent in the automotive industry is still raging and the talent pool is still relatively small."

☆ Belarusian Sabalenka crowned first 'neutral' Grand Slam champion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The big-hitting Belarusian overhauled Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the final at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday while barred from representing the eastern European nation. Had Rybakina not switched allegiance to Kazakhstan in 2018, the Russia-born player would also have competed as a neutral. "I think everyone still knows that I'm Belarusian player. Asked whether missing Wimbledon made her Australian Open win sweeter, Sabalenka was non-committal. The Belarus tennis federation was quick to extend congratulations to the country's second tennis player to win a Grand Slam, following on from twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who was knocked out in the semi-finals.

The notion that powerful forces control the world in part with the careful deployment of body doubles is a long-standing conspiracy theory. As a medical team worked on him, anti-vaccine activists flooded social media sites with unfounded claims that a vaccine was somehow to blame. Hamlin’s injury came during a surge in anti-vaccine misinformation that attributes any recent death, without evidence, to vaccines. Much of the misinformation came from a handful of serial misinformers, including longtime anti-vaccine activists, conspiracy theorists and podcasters. While still recovering, Hamlin has tweeted a photo of himself in front of a mural painted in his honor., seemingly winking at the conspiracy theory.

☆ U.S. consumer moods brighten to kick of 2023, inflation views down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 27 (Reuters) - U.S. consumers entered 2023 with the most optimism in nine months, buoyed by healthy incomes and easing inflation even as most worry a recession could trip up the economy this year. The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers benchmark Consumer Sentiment Index rose nearly 9% to 64.9 in January - the highest since April 2022 - from a final reading of 59.7 in December. Assessments of current conditions improved sharply, rising by more than 15% to 68.4 this month, also the highest since April. Meanwhile, consumers' estimates of near-term inflation fell to the lowest since April 2021 at 3.9% for the next 12 months. Another measure of inflation favored by the Fed fell to the lowest since September 2021 in December at 5%, down from 7% in June.

☆ 12 things your Airbnb hosts wish they could tell you
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Gabbi Shaw | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

But dealing with an Airbnb host, as opposed to a hotel concierge, can be tricky. We spoke to Airbnb hosts across the US — here are 12 things they wish they could tell all guests. Insider spoke to multiple Airbnb hosts and asked them what they wished they could tell their guests. First things first: Don't use Airbnb or similar services, like VRBO, if you don't have toMultiple Airbnb hosts told Insider they'd actually prefer leaving Airbnb out of the process altogether. Some hosts simply shouldn't be hosts — don't let that put you off Airbnb"The main reason people should get into this business is to provide exceptional service to guests.

☆ We spoke with more than 50 CEOs, billionaires, execs, and government officials in Davos. Here are our 4 biggest takeaways.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Matt Turner | Cadie Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Insider's Matt Turner and Cadie Thompson share their biggest takeaways from the World Economic Forum. More than 1,500 business leaders descended on Davos in the Swiss Alps last week for the World Economic Forum's annual meeting. The week of Davos, Alphabet published an explainer on its approach to AI signed by execs including CEO Sundar Pichai. "With every technology, there is good and then there's bad," Rima Qureshi, Verizon's chief strategy officer, told Insider. Several of those who spoke with Insider highlighted the need for much-greater collaboration among companies — and a willingness to experiment.

☆ The private equity industry is racing to fill 2024 associate roles after last year's hyper competitive hiring tactics backfired
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

☆ Robert De Niro was almost my 50-50 partner in MoviePass — and he showed me the 'Raging Bull' boxing ring to try to seal the deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Stacy Spikes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

One night, I said to Marianne, "What if we made a Netflix for the movie theater industry? I tried to push my subscription idea, but it fell flat. I continued to tread water on my subscription idea, but things were slow going. One Saturday, a dear friend of ours named Peter called and asked how the movie subscription idea was coming. They're interested in buying both the Urbanworld Film Festival and the movie subscription company for one million dollars.

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