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HONG KONG, June 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Shein is threading the world’s trickiest geopolitical needle. But rising American pressure is forcing it to tweak its business model right as it tries to list there. Last year, its top line surged 46% to $23 billion, per the Wall Street Journal, surpassing $22 billion at H&M and outpacing the 18% growth at Inditex. A Boston Consulting Group report notes that this model allows Shein to keep inventory turnover at just 40 days. That will be expensive; the company's net profit margin was a razor-thin 3.5% last year, according to the Wall Street Journal, far below bricks and mortar rival Inditex's 13%.

Persons: Shein, Bernstein, Chris Xu, Xu, Mubadala, Pete Sweeney, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, U.S ., Rivals, Street, Financial Times, Boston Consulting, Morningstar, Securities and Exchange Commission, Wall Street, ’, Singapore, Sequoia Capital, General Atlantic, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Zara, China, Inditex, Guangdong, U.S, Xinjiang, Nanjing, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil, India

☆ ‘Everything Changed’: The War Arrives on Russians’ Doorstep
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To some in the region, the assaults on Shebekino, the most sustained attack on a Russian town since the start of the war, made clear Moscow’s lack of concern for their fate. In social media posts, they used the hashtag #ShebekinoIsRussia, a cry for attention from the wider public across the country, which has largely carried on with daily life. In interviews, some in Shebekino expressed anger at how state television anchors struggled to pronounce the town’s name, even as they lauded the evacuation efforts. “It seems that in Moscow they don’t understand what we have going on here,” said Ruslan, the English teacher. Levada’s director, Denis Volkov, said it was too early to say whether the escalation of border attacks would rally Russians around the flag.

Persons: Shebekino, ”, Ruslan, Denis Volkov, “ Organizations: Levada Locations: Moscow, Kremlin, Shebekino

The number of unemployed people jumped by 440,000, the most since November 2010. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsYet the rise in Black unemployment in particular is something critics of Fed policy have been concerned could be a leading-edge sign that the job market was turning sour. Fast initial job losses among Black workers are a feature of U.S. downturns and recessions. Reuters GraphicsDespite the outsized job gains, the details of the report may suggest a labor market "normalizing" after the disruptions of the pandemic. "The fact is that the labor market is still very tight, aided by shortfalls in some service sectors, as well as by historic demographic trends" like population aging, Rieder said.

Persons: Biden, Nick Bunker, Rick Rieder, Rieder, Howard Schneider, Paul Simao Organizations: U.S, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Reuters, BlackRock, Thomson

Since the release of their last economic projections in March, the unemployment rate has fallen and inflation has largely moved sideways. She expects the Fed to keep its policy rate steady this month "while hinting at potential further hikes," a way to compromise among different views and keep pressure on financial conditions. Fed Chair Jerome Powell and others insist that sort of erratic path is not their base case. The intent, rather, is to reach a "sufficiently restrictive" policy rate and remain at that level until it is clear inflation is falling towards the Fed's 2% target. "I do think they are done" with rate increases, he said, but "I cannot rule out another hike in June."

Persons: they've, Tiffany Wilding, PIMCO, Jerome Powell, Philip Jefferson, Larry Meyer, Ian Shepherdson, Howard Schneider, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal Reserve, Market Committee, Reuters Graphics Reuters, North, Fed, Consumer, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Labor Department, Pantheon, Thomson Locations: U.S, North American, Washington

☆ Jaguar Land Rover's VC arm backed a $2 million round in plant-based leather startup Uncaged Innovations after seeing this 11-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Biotech startup Uncaged is mimicking the characteristics of traditional leather but using plants. Uncaged just nabbed $2 million from Jaguar Land Rover's investment arm using this pitch deck. A startup creating animal- and plastic-free leather just netted $2 million in a pre-seed round that was backed by Jaguar Land Rover's investment arm InMotion Ventures. US biotech company Uncaged Innovations, founded in 2020, mimics the characteristics of skin proteins with plants. Uncaged Innovations is taking a "two-pronged approach" by serving the fashion and automobile industries.

Persons: Stephanie Downs, Xiaokun Wang, Johns Hopkins, Tesla, Downs, VegInvest, Alwyn Capital Organizations: Biotech, Land, Jaguar Land, InMotion Ventures, Uncaged Innovations, Downs, Brands Locations: York

The rate hike "skip" has now become jargon for an emerging compromise between concerns inflation is not yet controlled with fears the economy may slow sharply as banks pull back on credit. "I don't really see a compelling reason to pause," Cleveland Fed president Loretta Mester said in an interview published Wednesday in the Financial Times. Jefferson acknowledged inflation remains "too high" and that "by some measures progress has been decelerating recently." While Jefferson does not expect a recession, he noted that there are reasons to be careful after 15 months in which the policy rate was raised by 5 percentage points. Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Paul Simao, Nick Zieminski and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Philip Jefferson, Jefferson, Jerome, Powell, Krishna Guha, Patrick Harker, Harker, Loretta Mester, Michelle Bowman, Howard Schneider, Paul Simao, Nick Zieminski, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, U.S . Senate, Philadelphia Fed, Cleveland Fed, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington

☆ New Pfizer RSV Vaccine Rolls Out Into Headwinds of Hesitancy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jared S. Hopkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-pfizer-rsv-vaccine-rolls-out-into-headwinds-of-hesitancy-74c8aece

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: pfizer

☆ Opinion | The Politics of Delusion Have Taken Hold
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Thomas B. Edsall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

He concluded:As the old sociological adage goes, situations believed to be real can become real in their consequences. In that sense people are, in fact, operating under a delusion that everyday opposing partisans are willing to undermine democracy. Partisans, Braley continued, “overestimate how much members of the other party dislike and dehumanize them. When Democrats see this election denial, they naturally come to think that Republicans are trying to undermine democracy by not accepting election results. The first “is the need for politicians to mobilize citizens with busy lives and not much of an incentive to participate in politics.

Persons: Republicans don’t, ’, Lilliana Mason, Johns Hopkins, ”, Mason, Alia Braley, “, Braley, Donald Trump’s, Gabriel Lenz —, Braley’s, —, Lenz Organizations: Republicans, ”, University of California, Democratic Locations: Berkeley

☆ Ukrainian special operators are learning to fight Russia without the 'tethers' other militaries have gotten used to
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special operators in particular have been learning to fight without those "tethers." When Russia launched its attack early on February 24, 2022, Ukraine's government was caught off guard — but the Ukrainian military wasn't. Fortunately for Ukrainian special operators, their supply lines are short — they are fighting on their home turf, after all. Insider understands that the Ukrainian special operators often resort to unconventional methods to overcome logistics challenges on the ground. As the war drags on and the Ukrainian forces advance, Ukrainian special operators will continue to face logistical difficulties.

☆ A secretive SEAL-like unit is leading Ukraine's shadowy battle against Russia in a vital corner of the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations appears to be leading the effort for Ukraine. For Ukraine, the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, a secretive SEAL-like unit, is leading the shadowy battle against Russia. Therese PratsThe 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations was based on the Soviet-era 17th Naval Special Purpose Brigade. The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations could play a significant role in future large-scale fighting. Roxana DavidovitsLike the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, most of the Ukrainian military emerged from the Soviet military.

Foxconn's turnaround efforts initially paid off: by 2018, Sharp was back in the black. Moreover, analysts estimate assembling iPhones and other Apple (AAPL.O) gadgets still brings in more than half of Foxconn’s annual sales. The troubled unit was once a joint venture between Sharp, Foxconn and an entity tied to Gou. The company attributed the slump to a non-operating loss of T$19.7 billion related to its 34% stake in Japanese electronics maker Sharp. Sharp reported a 220-billion-yen ($1.6 billion) impairment loss in the quarter, mostly from buildings, machinery and goodwill relating to display businesses.

☆ Premarket stocks: Will the debt ceiling debate finish the Fed's inflation fight?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Over the last 14 months, the Federal Reserve has taken a deliberate and economically painful approach to combating elevated inflation rates through interest rate hikes. The regional banking crisis and a possible debt-ceiling induced default on US debt could change all of that. What’s happening: There are two policy options that the Fed can use to address elevated inflation. For the first quarter, Lowe’s said overall sales fell 5.5% to $22.3 billion. Home Depot missed on first quarter sales and lowered its outlook for the year after customers slowed their spending.

Persons: shouldn’t, ”, Laurence Ball, Edward Boehne, Jerome Powell, Ben Bernanke, Powell, Ball, there’s, Austan Goolsbee, “, Julian Brigden, Bernanke, ” Bernanke, Olivier Blanchard, Bryan Mena, Blanchard, David Goldman, Parija, Lowe’s Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Federal Reserve, Johns Hopkins University, ” Former Philadelphia Fed, Fed, Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Yahoo Finance, Partners, International Monetary Fund, Brookings Institution, Target, Walmart, Home Depot Locations: New York, ”, Washington ,, America, California

☆ F-16s for Ukraine: Kyiv would face big hurdles in using US-made jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Ukraine’s quest for US-made F-16 fighter jets received a big boost over the weekend when US President Joe Biden gave his backing for Kyiv’s pilots to be trained to fly them. In fact, one active duty F-16 pilot told CNN that expectations may be way too high. An F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft has its landing gear extended to land at the US military airfield at Spangdahlem, Germany. This is a multi-year process, and that’s just for the basic tactical unit of employment,” the F-16 pilot said. “To bring in Western aircraft, Ukraine might need to repave and potentially extend a number of runways, a process which Russia would likely detect.

☆ Mosquitoes are most attracted to a chemical compound present in butter, cheeses and yogurts. Their deterrents can be a chemical found in plants, including cannabis.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Researchers conducted a study to find out how different human body odors can attract mosquitoes. The research used a 20-meter by 20-meter screened cage that contained hundreds of African malaria mosquitoes, according to the study. Despite the name, the mosquitoes were not infected with malaria, according to CNN, which first reported on the study. These tents are connected to the cage in a way that the human body odor can be safely fed to the mosquitoes. Researchers found that mosquitoes gravitated to human body odor with "increased relative abundances of the volatile carboxylic acids," including butyric acid.

"The risks of doing too much or doing too little are becoming more balanced and our policy adjusted to reflect that," Powell said. Ahead of a June 13-14 policy meeting "we haven't made any decisions about the extent to which additional policy firming will be appropriate." U.S. policymakers remain on the fence about their upcoming rate decision, and Powell's appearance on Friday was a moment that could have provided clarity. But the central bank will still receive important jobs and inflation data in coming weeks that could sway the debate. If an actual U.S. debt default is the result, the central bank may even be pushed towards emergency steps to ease the burden on the economy.

WASHINGTON, May 19 (Reuters) - Wall Street, small businesses and potential homebuyers may all breath a sigh of relief if the Federal Reserve chooses not to raise interest rates at its policy meeting next month, as many traders and analysts expect. If an actual U.S. debt default is the result, the central bank may even be pushed towards emergency steps to ease the burden on the economy. "I would say it was a pause, but a pause could be a 'skip,' or it could be a hold," Bostic said. Data on inflation, jobs, and the banking industry since then have done little to clarify the situation, with nothing seeming to change very fast. Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Dan Burns and Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A body odor buffet reveals which scents attract mosquitoes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Anyone who has spent a summer evening swatting away mosquitoes, or a summer day scratching mosquito bites, can agree: Mosquitoes stink. In a scientific report published Friday, scientists helped pinpoint the different chemicals in body odor that attract these insects by building an ice-rink size testing arena and pumping in the scents of different people. Hundreds of mosquitoes in the main 20-by-20-meter facility were then treated to a buffet of the sleeping subjects’ scents. The researchers found what many who have been on a picnic would attest to: Some people attract more mosquitoes than others. (Vosshall said that even scrubbing with unscented soap doesn’t get rid of the natural scents that attract mosquitoes.)

☆ Local GOP politician resigned after police found him passed out in his car holding what appeared to be a crack pipe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Matthew R. Reilly, a city council member and ex-chair of his local GOP in Rhode Island, has resigned. Bodycam footage of the incident shows Reilly passed out in his car with a crack pipe in his hand. "You have a crack pipe in your hand," one police officer responded, according to the bodycam footage. In the footage, Reilly, who is an attorney, said he had a relapse after 13 years of being sober following a bad divorce. Reilly, who also resigned as head of the local GOP earlier this week, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Inflation "is still too high, and by some measures progress has been slowing," Jefferson said in comments prepared for delivery to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. While his baseline forecast does not include recession, he said he expects job growth to slow and the unemployment rate possibly rise over time. Jefferson did not indicate a preference for holding rates steady or proceeding with further rate increases at the Fed's June meeting, when a rate pause is widely expected. He said, however, he would "consider all these factors" in the context of jobs and inflation data still to be released before the June 13-14 meeting. "There is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude of the impact on household spending and business investment, and this uncertainty complicates economic outlook forecasts," Jefferson said.

☆ What 40-Somethings Should Know About Breast Cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Some biopsies don’t indicate cancer, yet still create anxiety for patients — but many biopsies do find cancer, he said, which saves lives. Many of the factors that contribute to breast cancer risk, like genetics and a family history of cancer, aren’t modifiable; others are within a patient’s control, but not necessarily practical. For example, having a child before age 35 lowers the risk of breast cancer, as does breastfeeding, but a doctor would never recommend a woman have a child by a certain age to reduce cancer risk, said Avonne Connor, a cancer epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. But a few behaviors have been linked to a lower risk of breast cancer, doctors said. A mounting body of evidence has tied drinking to a higher risk of cancer in general — and potentially to breast cancer in particular, partly because alcohol can boost levels of estrogen in the body.

At the same time, he said the job market is showing an "unprecedented" break from past behavior with a steady drop in job openings without any rise in the unemployment rate. The big unknown is whether that continued job market health is consistent with inflation falling steadily from its current levels above 4% back to the Fed's 2% target. That could allow the job market to cool without as much of a rise in unemployment as might otherwise be the case. Economists and policymakers at this week's conference pointed to other factors adding to the case for a soft landing. But at this point the "uncertainty" about what's at work in the economy could, some officials feel, mask developments that are working in their favor.

☆ Prescription Drug Shortages
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( German Lopez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Americans are confronting a shortage of several major drug treatments. medication shortage, which is reflective of many of the broader drug supply problems. The Food and Drug Administration first acknowledged the shortage in October. Patients complain that they have to shop around at pharmacies to get their medications, if they can find them at all. After a week without the drug, he went to bed one day at 7 a.m. “It’s a bit of a curse to not have control over your own energy,” he said.

☆ Gun-loving Texas, where most households own a firearm, has become an epicenter of mass shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Emma Tucker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as a shooting that injures or kills four or more people, not including the shooter. They argue that more firearms and higher gun ownership increases public safety – a stance that continues to be at odds with gun violence experts and data. The area around the Robb Elementary School signs has become a memorial dedicated to the victims of the May 24 mass shooting. Mass shootings are just a piece of that, and the strategies that we’re laying out will impact mass shootings. They’ll also impact a lot of other types of gun violence and that’s absolutely critical to saving lives,” Horwitz said.

☆ Biden Abruptly Cuts Short an Asia-Pacific Visit, to China’s Benefit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was meant to be a moment for the history books — the first time a U.S. president visited a Pacific Island country. The White House announced on Tuesday that Mr. Biden would cut short an Asia-Pacific trip and return to Washington on Sunday after the Group of 7 summit in Japan for debt ceiling negotiations to ensure the United States does not run out of cash and default. What the cancellation means, in the broadest of terms, is that America’s domestic politics is undermining American foreign policy at a crucial time, in a critical region. “It will reinforce lingering doubts about U.S. staying power,” said Hal Brands, a professor of global affairs at Johns Hopkins University. “And you can bet China will make hay of this — its message to countries in the region will be, ‘You can’t count on a country that can’t even perform basic functions of governance.’”

☆ How a deadly bat virus found new ways to infect people
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

Scientists found bats with Nipah virus roosting near Sabith’s home. A search of the neighborhood led to a colony, near their house, of flying foxes, a common fruit bat. NETTING NIPAH: Researchers in Bangladesh use nets to catch bats and collect samples to find the Nipah virus in the wild. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainWhether Sabith ate contaminated fruit or somehow came into direct contact with a bat, the virus entered his cells. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainA year later, Chua’s team found the same strain of Nipah virus in flying foxes.

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