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☆ Russia says it will focus on building nuclear arms infrastructure in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 30 (Reuters) - Russia will pay special attention to building infrastructure for its nuclear forces in 2023, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday. Shoigu said in televised comments that the Russia would also work to improve the combat capabilities of its missile forces and that facilities were being built to accommodate new missile systems. Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, with close to 6,000 warheads. The United States says it has warned Russia over the consequences of any use of nuclear weapons. But Moscow pulled out on the eve of the meeting, accusing the United States of toxic anti-Russian behaviour and trying to manipulate the treaty to its advantage.

On Monday, the White House said it backed the right of people to peacefully protest in China but stopped short of criticizing Beijing as protesters in multiple Chinese cities demonstrated against heavy COVID-19 measures. The Republican response was swift. Senator Ted Cruz called White House response "pitiful," adding in a tweet: "At a potentially historic inflection point, Dems shill for the CCP." Beyond this, say analysts, the U.S. wants to avoid language that allows China to pin the protests on U.S. interference. Daniel Russel, who served as the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia in the Obama administration, said the Biden White House would be focused on the next steps by Chinese authorities.

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Skeptical lawmakers from across the political spectrum questioned executives at grocers Kroger Co (KR.N) and Albertsons Companies Inc (ACI.N) on Tuesday about their planned $25 billion merger amid concerns the tie-up could boost already-high food prices. The deal will be reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission to ensure it is legal under antitrust law. Stores under the Albertsons umbrella include Balducci's, Haggen, Kings, Safeway, Star Market, Tom Thumb, United Supermarkets and Vons, among others. The companies have also been criticized for a plan to give Albertsons' shareholders a $4 billion dividend payment. Senator Tom Cotton, a conservative Republican, criticized Kroger for the company's aprons with a design that appeared to support gay pride.

☆ UK charity backed by disgraced crypto kingpin Sam Bankman-Fried sounds alarm to British regulators after FTX collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Lawyers for FTX have said the company was "effectively run as a personal fiefdom of Sam Bankman-Fried." Hashim said that "Effective Ventures" is an umbrella for two charitable organizations, Effective Ventures Foundation in the U.K. and the Centre for Effective Altruism US. Alameda Research has donated grant money to the group since 2017, the same year the firm was launched by Bankman-Fried, according to the charity's U.K. financial records. The Centre For Effective Altruism has received approximately $14 million from the Future Fund, according to the fund's website. Bankman-Fried personally committed $16.5 billion from himself and FTX to effective altruism charities, according to a slide from conference about the philanthropies last year in London.

Overseas-based Chinese and their supporters rallied in Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, New York and Toronto, with more protests planned in coming days. Outside the Chinese consulate in New York, hundreds gathered, some waving blank white placards, which have become a protest symbol in China. About 50 mainland Chinese students attended the rally, which was the biggest protest by mainland Chinese in Australia, said Chen Yonglin, a democracy activist who promoted the vigil on social media. "They will try to find out who are the organisers," said Chen, a former Chinese consulate official who defected in 2005. The Chinese embassy in Australia and the education office of the Chinese consulate in Sydney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Top executives at Kroger Co (KR.N) and Albertsons Companies Inc (ACI.N) on Tuesday defended their planned $25 billion merger before skeptical lawmakers who fear the deal would push up food prices at a time of high inflation. "A combined Kroger and Albertsons will remain at number four as we will continue to compete with these companies to sell groceries. Those same three competitors have nearly three times the share of grocery sales of Kroger and Albertsons combined," he said, according to written remarks. In that case, the companies were forced to sell 168 stores to ensure that competition would remain fierce and prices would not rise. The companies have also been criticized for a plan to give Albertsons' shareholders a $4 billion dividend payment.

☆ Albertsons, Kroger CEOs to defend $25 bln merger to skeptical U.S. senators
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Top executives at Kroger Co (KR.N) and Albertsons Companies Inc (ACI.N) are expected to face tough questions on Tuesday from lawmakers who worry the grocers' planned $25 billion merger will push up food prices at a time when inflation is a concern. Kroger Chief Executive Rodney McMullen and Albertsons' chief, Vivek Sankaran, will go before the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel, some of whose members have already criticized the deal. Senators Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Senate antitrust panel, and Richard Blumenthal were among those who signed a letter to Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, saying the merger "raises considerable antitrust concerns." Ideally, they would like to find buyers for the facilities but could also put them into a new company that would be owned by Albertsons' shareholders. The companies may also draw fire on Tuesday for a widely criticized plan to give Albertsons' shareholders a $4 billion dividend payment.

☆ Taliban militants in Pakistan end ceasefire with government - spokesman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Taliban militants in Pakistan will no longer abide by a months-long ceasefire with the Pakistani government, a spokesman for the militant group said on Monday. The Afghan Taliban have been facilitating peace talks between local militants and the government since late last year. The end of the ceasefire comes ahead of a visit by a Pakistani delegation, led by state minister for foreign affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, to Kabul on Tuesday. Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for the militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) told Reuters in a text message that its leadership had decided to end the ceasefire with Pakistan. The Pakistani military has carried out several offensives against the militants in their strongholds in remote lawless districts bordering Afghanistan.

☆ As BlockFi files for bankruptcy, what to know about crypto investor protections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The ongoing FTX fallout — and bankruptcies earlier this year for lenders Celsius Network and Voyager Digital — is teaching crypto investors a hard lesson about their protections relative to more traditional asset classes. Howey Co., established the so-called Howey test to determine what constitutes a security, or "investment contract." More on how the Howey test works can be found below. Here's why this is important for crypto: It's unclear in many cases if digital assets are an "investment contract" under the 76-year-old Howey test. The Securities Investor Protection Corporation insures investors for up to $500,000 in the event a brokerage firm liquidates and their holdings are tied up in the insolvent firm.

☆ HBO is No. 1 as 14 TV insiders rank the streamers where they want to sell shows: Apple's a big spender and 'there's a sheen when you're a Hulu show,' but there's 'fear in the air' at Netflix
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Elaine Low | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

"It's definitely been not the most exciting and robust year," said one TV agent at a major agency. Around 70 people at HBO and HBO Max have been let go this year, and their comedy development teams have merged. While WBD doesn't break out streamer-specific figures, it said on Thursday's earnings call that HBO Max, HBO, and Discovery+ have a combined 94.9 million subscribers, ensuring that any show on HBO Max has the chance to get a lot of eyeballs. They'll also take smaller swings in the genre department, do things at a lower budget," said the second TV agent. Echoed the first TV agent: "You pitch and sell to them if no one else wants it."

But among critics, their appearance has evoked parallels with the civil war when the state collapsed, militias controlled the streets and Beirut split into cantons. Such criticisms are rejected by Gemayel, a lawmaker in the Kataeb Party whose father, Bashir, led the main Christian militia in the civil war until he was assassinated in 1982 after being elected president. Lebanon's sectarian parties disarmed at the end of the war, bar Hezbollah, which kept its arsenal to fight Israel. Their pervasive influence is never far from the surface and tensions are common in a country awash with guns. Supporters of different groups fought deadly clashes in Beirut as recently as last year.

☆ Inflation? Recession? Starting Black Friday, holiday shoppers are planning to spend
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"People are pretty consistent on how much they expect to spend on holiday shopping," said Laura Wronski, senior manager of research science at Momentive. The survey results reveal the consumer divide in the economy, with spending concerns more prevalent at lower income levels. 1 shopping holiday The survey has consistently found that the hype around shopping holidays is often higher than the actual excitement among consumers. 1 shopping holiday that Americans say they will spend on. One in five (21%) are "most excited" to go shopping on Black Friday, almost double the consumers planning to shop on Cyber Monday (12%).

☆ Global regulators to target crypto platforms after FTX crash
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The crash of FTX exchange has injected greater urgency into regulating the crypto sector and targeting such 'conglomerate' platforms will be the focus for 2023, the new chair of global securities watchdog IOSCO said in an interview. Jean-Paul Servais said regulating crypto platforms could draw on principles from other sectors which handle conflicts of interest, such as at credit rating agencies and compilers of market benchmarks, without having to start from scratch. Cryptoassets like bitcoin have been around for years but regulators have resisted jumping in to write new rules. "Is it the case for the crypto market? "For investor protection reasons, there is a need to provide additional clarity to these crypto markets markets through targeted guidance in applying IOSCO’s principles to crypto assets," Servais said.

☆ I'm a virtual assistant who makes $6,000 a month while traveling the world. Here's how I got my start.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Lucie Grace | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Erin Morris, 32, is a virtual assistant who's worked in places like Northern Europe and Myanmar. She's held various jobs but says becoming a virtual assistant gave her true location independence. I came across the 90-Day VA course in an ad onlineI knew nothing about being a virtual assistant. You can specialize as a virtual assistant. Three months ago, I was charging $600 for a sales page, and now I charge $1,500.

[1/3] Members of the pro-Ukrainian Chechen battalion check an area, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Bakhmut, Ukraine November 11, 2022. Maga, his nom-de-guerre, is part of a unit of Chechen fighters helping Ukraine battle Russian troops in eastern Ukraine. "We're not fighting just for the sake of fighting," said Maga, who declined to give his real name for security reasons. That has not extinguished hope among Kadyrov's opponents, including Chechens fighting Russian forces in Ukraine, that the authoritarian "power vertical" which Putin has built could crumble if Moscow lost in Ukraine. "The armed forces of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria are being renewed here today," he told the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Oct. 24.

☆ If the Biden administration doesn't step in to block the $25 billion Kroger-Albertsons merger, it will be devastating for shoppers and grocery-store workers — while the rich shareholders will get rich
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Paul Constant | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Last month, Kroger announced a $25 billion deal to merge with grocery chain Albertsons. During the pandemic last year, local city councils in Long Beach and Seattle passed "hero pay" laws requiring grocery stores to pay their public-facing workers $4 extra per hour. Last month, Kroger announced a $25 billion deal to merge with Albertsons, another major national grocery chain. In the press release announcing the merger, Kroger promised that the consolidation would result in lower prices for customers and better compensation and benefits for workers. But the larger Kroger-Albertsons merger is still on track to conclude in 2024, unless the Biden administration steps in to stop it.

[1/2] Saudi Arabia Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud arrives to attend the APEC Leader's Informal Dialogue with Guests during the APEC 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, 18 November 2022. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday the immunity decision did not speak to a review of Washington's relationship with Saudi Arabia, which was ongoing. HISTORIC LOWSaudi ties with the United States and the wider West are still at a historic low point. When Saudi Arabia consequently took its security into its own hands with its war in Yemen, it saw Western criticism as hypocritical. Saudi Arabia would likely still prefer to have a U.S. security umbrella.

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☆ Monday.com is restructuring over half of its workforce amid an exec shake-up
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The firm is restructuring, and all customer-facing teams will now report to Osherov. The move comes at a critical time as Monday.com looks to strengthen customer ties amid the downturn. Over half of the company will be restructured to be under his new leadership role, Monday.com told Insider. As CRO, Osherov will oversee all customer-facing teams, including consulting and sales, customer experience, marketing, customer success, and partners. The main motivation behind the restructuring is to bring all customer-facing teams under one umbrella so they can more easily collaborate.

☆ Why protections for crypto investors are linked to orange groves
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

watch nowHow orange groves impact crypto protectionsThe reason why largely hinges on a 1946 Supreme Court case about investors in Florida orange groves. Howey Co. — established the so-called Howey test to determine what constitutes a security, or "investment contract." (More on how the Howey test works can be found below.) Here's why this is important for crypto: It's unclear in many cases if digital assets are an "investment contract" under the 76-year-old Howey test. Why the 'security' distinction mattersThe Howey test has four parts to determine if something like bitcoin is an "investment contract."

☆ Indonesia’s green step not yet a leap for mankind
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

That’s where the private sector comes in, and why Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) are a potential game changer. More significantly, seven international banks, including HSBC (HSBA.L), (0005.HK), Citigroup and Bank of America (BAC.N), have promised to match that amount. International Finance Corporation figures show that “concessional” finance extended by public bodies at below-market rates can often attract 10 times its own level in private finance. The GFANZ working group will need to ensure Jakarta is sticking to its side of the decarbonisation bargain. The GFANZ group includes Bank of America, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Macquarie, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Standard Chartered.

☆ Gap's slowing sales of baby clothes indicate inflation is deeply hurting families
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN Business —Customers are pulling back on spending at Gap and Old Navy — particularly in one specific category that shows just how much families are feeling inflation’s pinch. But Gap and Old Navy said Thursday they’re now seeing less spending on babies’ and kids’ items. “Old Navy customers still have a propensity to buy. More than a quarter said inflation motivated those purchases, and half of parents surveyed sold a secondhand item in the kids’ and baby items category. Mercari said parents of kids 2 and under are the most active secondhand shoppers, according to its survey.

☆ Foreign workers laid off from Big Tech face a deadline: Find a job ASAP, or leave the country
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | Sakshi Venkatraman | Sakshi Venkatraman Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Under the umbrella of a tech giant, not only would he have job security, he thought, but visa security as well. Originally from China, he needed the sponsorship of an H-1B work visa to stay in the U.S.A year went by in his new role and everything seemed to be going well. immigration policy has amplified the uncertainty for immigrant workers in times like this. “It’s definitely harder trying to find a job or trying to find a company that’s willing to sponsor you. “This really helped drive the tech boom in the U.S. and made the U.S. the big tech hub,” Khanna said.

☆ Cramer's lightning round: Uber is going to be the last man standing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Loading chart...Uber Technologies Inc : "Uber is a stock that you have to own for a while. It's going to be the last man standing, and that's why I like Uber." Loading chart...Wingstop Inc : "I think it's a very good situation. Loading chart...Fortive Corp : "I happen to think that this was a very good spin on both sides. Disclaimer: Cramer's Charitable Trust owns shares of Danaher.

☆ Trump promises to ban lawmakers from trading stocks during his 2024 announcement
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump endorsed a ban on members of Congress trading stocks. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle support a ban but progress has stalled during the current Congress. Trump has previously attacked the idea of lawmakers trading stocks before, but his comments on Tuesday appeared to be his most fulsome endorsement of a ban thus far. House leaders have pledged to move forward on stock-ban legislation this month, but it's not immediately clear where negotiations for passing a stock ban stand. While the issue has bipartisan support, lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol have a number of issues to deal with during the so-called "lame duck" session.

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