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☆ Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, high-functioning depression and why ‘checking in’ isn’t enough
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Randi-Richardson-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Randi Richardson | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

High-functioning depression is a colloquial term and not a technical clinical diagnosis, explains Rheeda Walker, Ph.D., psychologist and leading researcher on suicide in the Black community. Persistent depressive disorder is another official diagnosis that, for some patients, may include high-functioning depression, Walker says. But she also stresses that because high-functioning depression is not a technical diagnosis, she’s hesitant to say they’re the same. But a 2021 study indicates the Black suicide rate is likely higher than documented because the manner of death is often misclassified. If you’re concerned about a loved one attempting suicide, Walker notes that anxiety is “as strong a predictor” as depression.

One hostage, a security official, died during the raid , he said. The army spokesman's comments provided the first detailed official account of the standoff, in which two security personnel were killed when the militants first took over the compound, and two commandoes killed in the ensuing raid. Later other militants at the centre broke into a storeroom where confiscated weapons had been stored. STANDOFFAfter talks failed to resolve a two-day standoff, army commandos stormed the centre on Tuesday. Earlier, residents said they heard explosions coming from the vicinity of the centre on Tuesday as helicopters hovered overhead.

☆ Judge pauses SEC case in alleged NJ deli stock fraud in favor of criminal probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Federal prosecutors had requested earlier in December that the judge postpone the SEC case due to considerable overlap with their criminal litigation. Judge Christine O'Hearn granted that request on Wednesday, stating that there was no opposition from either the SEC or the defendants. It was the sole asset of Hometown International, a company controlled by financiers James Patten, Peter Coker Sr. and Peter Coker Jr. Your Hometown Deli made under $40,000 in annual revenue despite Hometown International's $100 million market value, according to public filings. Prosecutors say Patten convinced Morina to open the deli under the umbrella of Hometown International.

Pakistani Taliban militants detained at the centre had snatched interrogators' weapons and taken them captive on Sunday. Asif did not say how many militants were killed or how many hostages they had held. Residents said they heard explosions coming from the vicinity of the centre on Tuesday as helicopters hovered overhead. The army operations forced the militants and their leaders to flee to neighbouring Afghan districts. There, Islamabad says, they set up training centres to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Afghan authorities deny.

☆ Bill Gates upbeat on climate innovation, even if 1.5C goal out of reach
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Katy Daigle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The software-developer-turned-philanthropist was nevertheless upbeat about climate innovation - ticking off numerous areas advancing low-carbon technologies with funding from the Breakthrough Energy Group, which Gates founded in 2015. Gates has invested more than $2 billion toward climate technologies, including direct air capture, solar energy and nuclear fission. Breakthrough Energy, however, operates separately from the Gates Foundation charity. But any Breakthrough Energy profits are funneled back into the group or to the foundation. He did not elaborate on the DAC companies' plans.

☆ Face Recognition Tech Gets Girl Scout Mom Booted From Rockettes Show — Due to Where She Works
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Sarah Wallace | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Radio City Rockettes perform onstage during the opening night of the 2019 Christmas Spectacular Starring The Radio City Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall on November 13, 2019 in New York City. Kelly Conlon and her daughter came to New York City the weekend after Thanksgiving as part of a Girl Scout field trip to Radio City Music Hall to see the Christmas Spectacular show. But while her daughter, other members of the Girl Scout troop and their mothers got to go enjoy the show, Conlon wasn't allowed to do so. They had identified and zeroed in on her, as security guards approached her right as he got into the lobby. "I was just a mom taking my daughter to see a Christmas show," Conlon told the I-Team.

According to a provincial government spokesman, the militants were demanding safe passage to Afghanistan. "We are in negotiations with the central leaders of the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan," Mohammad Ali Saif, a spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, said. He said the authorities were yet to receive a response from the Pakistani Taliban, adding that relatives of the militants and area tribal elders had also been involved in initiating talks with the Islamists inside the facility. The militants in control of the interrogation facility had demanded a safe passage to Afghanistan, a TTP statement sent to a Reuters reporter said. It added the TTP had also conveyed the demand to Pakistani authorities, but hadn't heard back any "positive" response.

☆ As Kuroda bows out, Bank of Japan's rising hawks eye end to unloved yield cap
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

PUBLIC DISCONTENTAfter a tumultuous year for the world's third-largest economy, Japan's central bank and its leadership face a critical moment. While ruling out the need to ditch the yield cap now, Takata recently said he saw positive developments in wage growth. "The BOJ must start worrying about the possibility of inflation accelerating more than expected," he told Reuters, adding the BOJ may abandon its yield cap as early as next year. Such a reaction was seen in March when the BOJ was forced to pledge unlimited bond buying to defend its yield cap from speculative market attacks. "That's why the BOJ won't provide advance signals and remove the yield cap in a single step."

REUTERS/Tom BrennerWASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Over 200 advocates from around the United States converged on Capitol Hill this week with an 11th-hour mission: persuade lawmakers to provide citizenship to "Dreamer" immigrants who illegally entered the United States as children. Addinelly Moreno Soto, a 31-year-old communications aide who came to the United States from Mexico at age 3, trekked to the Capitol from San Antonio with her husband hoping to meet with her state's U.S. Senator John Cornyn, an influential Republican whose support could help advance a deal that has eluded Congress for more than a decade. The end-of-year push comes as a window is closing for Congress to find a compromise to protect "Dreamers", many of whom speak English and have jobs, families and children in the United States but lack permanent status. Tillis himself has been skeptical about whether Congress will have time to pass the legislation before the year’s end.

[1/2] A worker shelters from the rain under a Union Flag umbrella as he passes the London Stock Exchange in London, Britain, October 1, 2008. An investor in Wood Group (WG.L), an oilfield services company, urged the company to buy back some of its own shares to avoid being a target. The domestically-focused FTSE 250 (.FTMC) is down by almost a fifth this year while the internationally-focused blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) is up 0.8% thanks to a drop in the pound. A currency advantage alone does not necessarily kick-start deals though, according to Owain Evans, co-head of UK M&A for Goldman Sachs. "Large corporates continue to look at 'bolt-ons', where they can draw on existing facilities to do those deals, that's why the mid-cap space is attractive to the strategics in this environment," said Celia Murray, head of UK M&A at JPMorgan.

☆ I'm a 6-figure virtual assistant. Here's how I found my first clients and monetized my skill set.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Sasha Weilbaker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Erin Booth is a virtual assistant who coaches others, sells courses, and runs a YouTube channel. Her advice for getting started as a virtual assistant is to reach out to past colleagues for work. She ended up being my first virtual assistant client, and she hired me to do a few easy personal tasks for her, like organizing her Google Drive. I asked myself "What kind of skills or training did I wish I had when I first started as a virtual assistant?" Are you a virtual assistant who wants to share your story?

☆ The No-Name Quarterback Who Just Outplayed Tom Brady
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A reminder, and a warning:In approximately two months, you’re going to start getting deluged with a gazillion, gassy “expert” opinions about what constitutes a potentially successful NFL starting quarterback. Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Ariz., will be in the books (Lions over the Bengals; Rihanna rocking “Umbrella” at halftime) and the NFL’s 2023 pre-draft nerd circus will be in full, hyperbolic frenzy, most ferociously on the topic of possible franchise QBs.

☆ Larry Page, Sergey Brin Post-Google Lives: Investments, Yachts, Islands
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +33 min

Even before their retirement from Google, Page and Brin relied heavily on their respective family offices to bring order to their worlds. The Bay Area headquarters of Koop, Larry Page's family office, is nondescript and gives little indication of the billionaire's empire. Insider; Marianne Ayala/Insider Show less Bayshore Global Management, Sergey Brin's family office, is based in Palo Alto and has a bit more of a public face. Insider; Marianne Ayala/Insider Show lessThe difference in styles holds true for Brin's family office, Bayshore Global Management. The CEO of Page's family office is Wayne Osborne, a former elder in the Presbyterian Church who attended Princeton Theological Seminary.

☆ Hong Kong jails pro-democracy media tycoon over fraud
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A Hong Kong court sentenced a pro-democracy media tycoon to five years and nine months in prison on Saturday over two fraud charges linked to lease violations, the latest of a series of cases against prominent activists that critics say are aimed at crushing dissent in the city. Jimmy Lai, who was arrested during a crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement following widespread protests in 2019 and under the National Security Law imposed by Beijing, was also fined 2 million Hong Kong dollars ($257,000). His media company, Next Digital, published the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. His national security trial, initially scheduled to begin on Dec. 1, was postponed after Hong Kong leader John Lee asked China to effectively block him from hiring a British defense lawyer. Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to China’s rule in 1997.

[1/2] Media mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, leaves the Court of Final Appeal by prison van in Hong Kong, China February 9, 2021. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuHONG KONG, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Pro-democracy Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced on Saturday to five years and nine months in prison for fraud, convicted of violating a lease contract for the headquarters of a liberal newspaper he used to run. Lai's lawyer, Derek Chan, had urged the judge to consider Lai's age and contributions to Hong Kong's media industry. A separate, landmark national security trial involving Lai is scheduled to resume on Tuesday. ($1 = 7.7854 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Jessie Pang and James Pomfret; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

While indigenous groups account for about 5% of the world's population, their lands safeguard about 80% of Earth's remaining plant and animal species, according to the World Bank. Indigenous groups have a range of concerns about the U.N. summit negotiations. Some critics worry that the 30-by-30 target could be used to erode indigenous rights under the guise of conservation. Others, like Tuxa of Brazil and Ngomo of Congo argue that a 30% conservation target does not go far enough to ensure nature's protection. Adopting a 30% target at the national level could backfire, Tuxa said, in suggesting Brazil can open more land to development.

"Oh FFS (for fuck's sake)," former Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves said on Twitter, encapsulating the general feeling among many of France's eastern allies. The annoyance among eastern allies has undermined Macron's own policy agenda to beef up European "strategic autonomy" separate from the U.S.-led NATO umbrella, with eastern allies now trusting the United States more for their defence. An eastern European diplomat said Macron had "misread" Russia once and the fear was he would do so again. The backbone of Macron's foreign policy since 2017 has been to launch initiatives and go against the grain. However, an increasing number of critics and allies see his thrust on Russia as his major foreign policy mistake.

☆ Arielle Charnas' company, Something Navy, is floundering amid dwindling sales, an employee exodus, and furious suppliers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Katie Warren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

From the outside, it doesn't look as if Charnas' company is in trouble. Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for Beach MagazineSeveral former employees told Insider they cut ties with Something Navy because they saw signs the company was struggling. Several current and former Something Navy employees told Insider they'd been inundated with emails since the spring from suppliers, freelancers, and models asking where their money was. In one email viewed by Insider, Scanlan told a supplier that cash was tight but promised payment was on the way. The current Something Navy employee said that based on data she'd seen, the retail locations most likely don't turn a profit.

☆ UK watchdog says applying lessons from FTX crypto collapse will be 'pacy'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Representations of cryptocurrencies are seen in front of displayed FTX logo and decreasing stock graph in this illustration taken November 10, 2022. REUTERS/Dado RuvicLONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Lessons will be applied swiftly from the collapse of crypto exchange FTX that left 80,000 UK investors nursing losses even though the platform was not registered in Britain, the UK Financial Conduct Authority said on Wednesday. Long said regulators' response to the FTX debacle would be "pacy". Currently crypto dealings are unregulated in Britain, with firms only needing to show they can comply with anti-money laundering rules. "In terms of dark money, there is money laundering that is running through crypto," Long said.

☆ Lula’s promise to create a ministry of Indigenous affairs in doubt
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

BRASILIA — Brazil’s Indigenous leaders were disappointed on Monday after President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva appeared to backtrack on a promise to create a ministry of Indigenous affairs to help restore rights and protections that were undermined by the current government. Lula said on Friday he might instead decide on a special department linked to the presidential office rather than a fully-fledged ministry, which disappointed Indigenous leaders who were taken by surprise by his comments. The ministry was important for the historical recognition of Brazil’s 900,000 indigenous people and reparation for their mistreatment and loss of land rights, she told Reuters. Lula drew loud applause at the COP27 climate talks in Egypt last month when he told delegates he explicitly promised an Indigenous ministry to ensure “dignified survival, security, peace and sustainability” for some 300 Indigenous tribes that still exist in Brazil. But Indigenous leaders said a ministry was needed to support their communities with the power to mobilize other ministries, and even the police and security forces to protect them.

☆ Trump had a $19.8 million loan from a South Korean company he kept hidden when he became president, documents show
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump owed $19.8 million to South Korean firm Daewoo while president, according to Forbes. Trump acted with some urgency to pay off the debt after becoming president, Forbes said, after the debt remained more or less static between 2011 and 2016. Daewoo was the only South Korean company allowed to operate in North Korea during the 1990s. The debt stemmed from "an agreement Trump struck to share some of his licensing fees with Daewoo," Forbes reported. Trump frequently bragged about his close relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while president, and held two summits with the leader.

☆ What to watch for as J&J gets ready to split into two separate companies next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

During Monday's "Morning Meeting" for members, Jim Cramer said that J & J has the "best balance sheet in America." According to projections from J & J and rival Medtronic (MDT), the robotics market captures a low 2% to 3% of global procedures. In an economic slowdown, J & J is a solid name to own that can outperform the broader market. We also like that J & J has consistently raised its dividend. We rate J & J a 1 for the Club , meaning we would buy the stock at current levels given it aligns with our strategy.

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[1/2] Protesters chant slogans at a news conference in support of the ongoing strike by truckers in Seoul, South Korea December 5, 2022. As supplies of fuel and construction materials run low, the South Korean government has stepped up pressure to end the strike. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), an umbrella union under which the truckers' union falls, has called the President's "start work" order the equivalent of martial law and says the government should negotiate. As of Monday afternoon, nearly 100 petrol stations had run out of fuel. That is up from the 21 petrol stations that the industry ministry had said were out of fuel on Nov. 28.

☆ Chinese cities announce further easing of COVID curbs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/David 'Dee' DelgadoBEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - More Chinese cities including Urumqi in the far west announced easing of coronavirus curbs on Sunday, as China tries to make its zero-COVID policy more targeted and less onerous after extraordinary protests against restrictions last weekend. A deadly apartment fire last month in Urumqi had sparked dozens of protests against COVID curbs in over 20 cities, a show of civil disobediance unprecedented in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012. On Saturday in Beijing, local authorities said purchasing fever, cough and sore throat medicines no longer requires real name registration. "We shouldn't shut down COVID testing stations until we get rid of the COVID test pass." GLOBAL OUTLIERXi's zero-COVID policy has made China a global outlier nearly three years into the pandemic, which started in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

[1/5] South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at an interview with Reuters in Seoul, South Korea, November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Daewoung KimSEOUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday ordered preparations for widening a back-to-work order beyond the cement industry amid a prolonged truckers' strike. Thousands of South Korean truckers have been on strike for more than 10 days, with negotiators for the government and unions making no progress on disagreements over minimum pay rules. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, an umbrella group, is planning a general strike for Tuesday. The government has said it would not expand a minimum pay system for truckers beyond a further three years.

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