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☆ The US and Pacific ally Japan are teaming up to defeat new hypersonic missiles that right now are basically unstoppable
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe US and Japan have agreed to work together to develop a defense system to defeat hypersonic missiles, according to the US Department of Defense. Russian navy frigate Admiral Gorshkov launching a Zircon hypersonic missile in White Sea, Russia, on July 19, 2021. Notably, Pyongyang is also attempting to develop what it says are hypersonic missiles. DF-17 medium-range ballistic missiles equipped with a DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle in a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Republic. The allies successfully tested the jointly developed Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block IIA interceptor in a February 2017 intercept of a ballistic missile target.

Persons: —, Gorshkov, Zoya Rusinova Organizations: Service, US Department of Defense, Business, Cooperative, US Missile Defense Agency, Japan, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, AP, China's, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, Iran's, Israel Locations: Japan, Russian, Sea, Russia, Pacific, Moscow, Beijing, Pyongyang, Republic, Getty

☆ Slovakia Has Charted Its Own Course Since the Fall of the Soviet Union
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Slovakia, which was left reeling on Wednesday after an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico, is a relatively young country whose history is closely intertwined with that of its central European neighbors. Slovakia is one of two nations born out of the former Czechoslovakia amid the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the waning years of the 20th century. Czechoslovakia was a multiethnic nation established at the end of World War I that endured dismemberment by the Nazis and more than four decades of Communist rule. After several years of economic and political upheaval following its independence, Slovakia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004, and adopted the euro in 2009. As the country navigated the establishment of its national identity, some tensions remained with the Czech Republic, its richer and larger neighbor, which has roughly twice Slovakia’s population of five million.

Persons: Robert Fico Organizations: European Union, NATO Locations: Slovakia, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union, Czech Republic

☆ Russia can't seem to stop this Ukrainian Cessna-style drone that, compared to missiles, is basically a 'flying brick' with a bomb onboard
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Experts say these aircraft underscore the success of Ukraine's innovative long-range drone program, which Kyiv has employed to go after Russia's military and energy facilities. The Ukrainian drones are in fact slow-flying ultralight planes. And if Ukraine can find a corridor that lacks proper air-defense coverage, then the drone can effectively penetrate right through Russian territory, Hoffmann said. Notably, the Cessna-style drone underscores the success of Ukraine's ever-evolving drone program. The aircraft was converted into a drone - A-22 Flying Fox.

Persons: —, JzjMc83uA4 —, Fabian Hoffmann, it's, Hoffmann, Petersburg —, It's, Gordon Davis Jr, Davis, Ukraine's, …, obdWO5ACNA, Washington, Lance Landrum, Landrum Organizations: Service, Cessna, Business, Kyiv, University of Oslo, US Army, Center for, Fox, US Air Force Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, Republic of Bashkortostan, Bashkortostan, Russian, Tatarstan, Moscow, St, Ukrainian

Tbilisi, Georgia CNN —Georgia’s parliament has passed a controversial “foreign agents” bill despite widespread domestic opposition and warnings from the European Union that its enactment would imperil the country’s chances of joining the bloc. Many Georgians fear their foreign agents bill will be used the same way in their country. Georgia’s parliament now has 10 days to send the bill to President Salome Zourabichvili, who has already vowed to veto it. However, EU leaders have made it clear that the foreign agents bill’s passage would jeopardize Georgia’s chances of accession. Georgian law enforcement officers detain a demonstrator near the parliament in Tbilisi on May 14.

Persons: Georgia CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, they’ve, Putin, ” Zourabichvili, Shakh, Levan Khabeishvili, “, ” Khabeishvili, ” Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s, Irakli, CNN’s Christian Edwards, Anna Chernova, Vasco Cotovio Organizations: Georgia CNN, European Union, EU, United, Getty, Soviet Union, Georgian, CNN, European Locations: Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Soviet, United States, Caucasus, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, AFP, Russian, Moscow

☆ China is engaged in ‘deliberate' efforts to undermine the U.S. and Europe, says EU envoy Gitenstein
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Mark Gitenstein, the U.S. ambassador to the EU, said China is deliberately distorting markets with a glut of cheap goods. Speaking to CNBC's Silvia Amaro on Tuesday, Gitenstein said China was "engaged in a deliberate effort to undermine economic sectors in both Europe and the United States." The Chinese Embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by CNBC. It comes amid growing concerns over a raft of cheap Chinese "green" goods — such as EVs, batteries and solar panels — flooding international markets. White House officials have already warned Beijing to amend certain trade practices that it argues have weakened global supply chains.

Persons: Mark Gitenstein, CNBC's Silvia Amaro, Gitenstein, Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, — CNBC's Rebecca Picciotto Organizations: Embassy, CNBC, White, European Commission, European Locations: U.S, China, Europe, United States, London, Beijing, People's Republic of China, PRC

☆ A bank ETF could bounce if inflation data is cooler than expected, Bank of America says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The rapid shift in expectations away from multiple rate cuts this year may have created a trading opportunity around Wednesday's inflation data, according to Bank of America. We believe squeeze risks for rate-sensitive laggards on a CPI miss outweigh downside risks on a CPI beat," Kwon wrote. Specifically, there could be an opportunity to bet on the squeeze risk through the SPDR S & P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) , Kwon said. KRE YTD mountain This regional bank ETF is underperforming the broader market year to date. Investors could position for this potential squeeze by just buying the ETF outright, though that does carry the risk of a hot inflation reading pushing regional bank stocks down.

Persons: Ohsung Kwon, Kwon, Russell, CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Bank of America . Equity, Regional Banking, Federal Reserve, Silicon Valley Bank, First Republic, Bank of America Locations: IWM, Silicon

☆ Curfew Imposed Amid Protests in Pacific Territory of New Caledonia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The authorities in New Caledonia, a semiautonomous French territory in the South Pacific, put a curfew in place on Tuesday and banned all public gatherings after protests against a proposed constitutional change turned violent overnight. France’s High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia announced on Tuesday that a “massive mobilization” of security and defense forces has been sent to quell the protests. In addition, a curfew was imposed in the capital, Noumea, for Tuesday night, and all public gatherings were banned along with the sale of alcohol and the transportation of weapons, the High Commission said. The latest protests started on Monday, before a scheduled Tuesday vote in the French Parliament on a change to New Caledonia’s Constitution that would expand French citizens’ eligibility to vote in provincial elections. Some pro-independence activists in the territory fear the amendment would water down their movement.

Organizations: High Commission Locations: New Caledonia, South, France’s, Republic, Noumea

☆ What is Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ bill, and why is Europe so alarmed?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Georgia’s parliament is set to pass a highly controversial so-called “foreign agents” bill that has triggered widespread protests across the former Soviet republic nestled in the Caucasus Mountains. Here’s what you need to know about the proposed law and the uproar it has caused. The bill would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence” or face crippling fines. About 50,000 protesters gathered in Tbilisi to protest the proposed legislation on Sunday. The proposed law is modeled after a similar one in Russia that the Kremlin has used to increasingly snuff out opposition and civil society.

Persons: CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Vano Shlamov, Ivanishvili, they’ve, Georgia’s, Kobakhidze, Mirian, Jake Sullivan, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Ursula von der Leyen, Anna Chernova Organizations: CNN, Getty, European, House, Washington, Georgian, EU, “ Locations: Soviet, Caucasus, Tbilisi, Here’s, Georgian, Georgia, AFP, Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Soviet Union, European Union, Georgia’s, Didn’t Georgia, Anadolu, backsliding, George, Brussels, “ Georgia

Members of gang Kraze Baryé in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in April 2024. Stopping the flow of guns to Haiti would likely have an immediate impact on the bloodshed, according to police and human rights experts. “We have to cut the gangs’ weapons supply lines. Vitel'homme Innocent walks with armed members of Kraze Baryé in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in April 2024. CNNAn ‘iron river’ from the United StatesThe guns Haiti’s gangs wield are a mix of stolen and smuggled, and the United States is by far the main source of the latter, according to UN experts.

Persons: Prince, Prince CNN —, they’ve, don’t, ”, Pierre Esperance, William O’Neill, Ariel Henry, ” Sylvie Bertrand, Innocent, Vitel'homme Innocent, Kraze, UNODC, Joly Germine –, Mawozo –, Mariani, Izo, Andre Johnson, ” Esperance, Bertrand Organizations: Prince CNN, ”, CNN, Human Rights Defense Network, Kenyan, UN, Rights, Drugs, United, US, of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Miami, ATF, Haitian National Police, Customs, Cap Haitien . Drugs, Episcopal, ” CNN, Homeland Security Investigations, US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of Commerce’s, Export Enforcement, National Police, Haiti’s, Customs Administration Locations: Port, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Caicos, British, Florida, Haiti, Prince, Caribbean, ”, Israel, Turkey, Czech Republic, Brazil, United States, Latin America, Texas , Louisiana, Georgia, Gonave ., South America, Jamaica, Haiti’s, Cap Haitien, Haitian, Esperance

☆ Play-by-Play and Drawings on an iPad: How Cable TV Covers a TV-Less Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Michael M. Grynbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The trial of former President Donald J. Trump has all the elements of a made-for-TV thriller: sex, politics and potential consequences for the future of the republic. One problem: no TV. The testimony on Monday of Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s lawyer-turned-witness for the prosecution, was the kind of highly anticipated, high-drama moment that would make for riveting television if it could be watched live. Sketches, still photographs and footage of Mr. Trump walking in and out of the courthouse now typically fill the screens of the major cable news channels, as their on-air personnel narrate the day’s events. The coverage has the feel of a live baseball radio broadcast, with commentators creating word-pictures for their audience.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Michael Cohen, Trump’s Locations: Lower Manhattan

Cohen’s testimony ties together the prosecution’s allegations that Trump broke the law by falsifying business records to reimburse Cohen and conceal the hush money payment that Cohen said he made at Trump’s direction. Cohen described his conversations with Trump during the Daniels hush money negotiations, which prosecutors backed up using Cohen’s phone records to show when the two had spoken. Trump,” Cohen said. “Reimbursement of my money,” Cohen said. They joined Trump for the high-profile Cohen testimony, sitting in the gallery behind the former president at the defendant’s table.

Persons: CNN — Michael Cohen, Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Cohen, Daniels, Susan Hoffinger, Todd Blanche, perjurer, David Pecker, Keith Davidson, Karen McDougal, Pecker, Davidson, Dylan Howard, Hope Hicks, “, ” Cohen, ”, Hoffinger, ” Hoffinger, “ Mr, Michael Cohen's, Melania, CNN “, Trump’s, reimbursements Cohen, Allen Weisselberg, Weisselberg, “ David Dennison ”, Peggy Peterson ”, would’ve, ” –, McDougal, glanced, Hicks, Madeleine Westerhout, Cohen’s, wasn’t, Juan Merchan’s, Eric Trump, Susie Wiles, Sen, Rick Scott, J.D, Vance of Ohio, Tommy Tuberville, Nicole Malliotakis, Alina Habba Organizations: CNN, Trump, National Enquirer, Melania Trump, New York, Republican Locations: Yom Kippur, –, Trump, Cohen’s, Republic, Manhattan, Florida, Alabama, Staten, Iowa

☆ Drake and Kendrick Lamar could sue each other for defamation over accusatory slurs exchanged in their diss tracks, says lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In a bitter public feud, hip-hop stars Drake and Kendrick have exchanged personal slurs. Since March, the two have traded increasingly personal and aggressive diss tracks. AdvertisementAfter weeks of the bitter public feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar finally looks like it's over — or at least dying down. And the rap stars didn't hold back trading a series of increasingly aggressive and unpleasant diss tracks. Ultimately, it seems unlikely that either rapper will end up suing for defamation over the slur-laden diss tracks.

Persons: Drake, Kendrick, —, Kendrick Lamar, Lamar, Cole, didn't, Taylor, J, Prince Williams, Arturo Holmes, Matt Ford, Kendrick's, Daliah, Lamar —, Sapar, defamers, Saper, …, Harvey Weinstein, Adonis, Sophie Brussaux, that's, They're, It's Organizations: Service, Metro, The Met Museum, New, Saper, intel Locations: LA, New Republic

☆ Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries may be proving the Biden Administration wrong, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine has been targeting Russian oil refineries in recent months. The Biden Administration has criticized the strikes, warning of global energy price rises. AdvertisementUkraine has been ramping up attacks on Russian oil refineries in recent months as it seeks to hamper Russian export revenues and curtail fuel supplies to Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces. Advertisement"Those attacks could have a knock-on effect in terms of the global energy situation," Austin said. Related storiesThe experts said that Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries would only hinder Russia's ability to turn its oil into refined products such as gasoline and would not impact the volume of oil it can extract or export.

Persons: Biden, —, Vladimir Putin's, Radiy Khabirov, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Michael Liebreich, Lauri Myllyvirta, Sam Winter, Levy, Alexander Novak Organizations: Biden Administration, Service, Reuters, Russia's, Defense, Foreign Affairs, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Centre for Research, Energy, Clean, Princeton University, Bloomberg Locations: Ukraine, Russia's Kaluga, Russia's Republic, Bashkortostan, Russia, China, India

☆ Why did early presidents not campaign? It’s all modern presidents seem to do
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

I talked to Brendan Doherty, a professor of political science at the United States Naval Academy and author of the books, “The Rise of the President’s Permanent Campaign” and “Fundraiser in Chief: Presidents and the Politics of Campaign Cash,” about why early presidents stayed off the trail and how this became the permanent campaign. Our conversation, conducted by email, is below:WOLF: Why didn’t early presidents personally campaign? DOHERTY: In the early decades of the republic, presidential candidates adhered to the norm that they should not actively campaign for office. DOHERTY: While early presidential candidates didn’t actively campaign, their supporters got the word out on their behalf. DOHERTY: Modern presidents campaign for themselves and for their fellow party members throughout their term in office.

Persons: Donald Trump, he’d, ”, Trump, “, Joe Biden, —, Brendan Doherty, DOHERTY, WOLF, didn’t, Andrew Johnson, Johnson, William Jennings Bryan, Republican William McKinley, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Harry S, George Skadding, John F, Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Herbert Hoover, Reagan, hadn’t, it’s Organizations: CNN, “, United States Naval Academy, Newspapers, Democratic, Republican, Truman, Catholic, White, Wisconsin and, Ronald, Electoral, Technological Locations: York, Pennsylvania , Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, New Jersey, Wisconsin and West Virginia, Fairfield , Connecticut

☆ Ukraine says it flew a drone 930 miles into Russian territory to strike an oil refinery
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewUkraine's latest aerial attack on Russian soil is its farthest one yet, Ukrainska Pravda reported, with officials saying a drone traveled 930 miles to strike an oil refinery far inside Russia's borders. AdvertisementThe strike, which has not been independently confirmed, would represent a distance record in Ukraine's ever-more ambitious series of drone strikes on Russian energy facilities. In early April, Ukraine demonstrated its drones' increasing reach after Russian officials reported strikes 620 miles inside their country. Related storiesReports claim that the White House has reached out to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to signal its concern that hitting Russia's oil production will destabilize global energy prices. The strikes have also led to a surge in the price of refined oil products within Russia itself, they argued.

Persons: —, Ukrainska, Radiy Khabirov, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Michael Liebreich, Lauri Myllyvirta, Sam Winter, Levy, Carnegie, Sergey Vakulenko, Ann Marie Dailey Organizations: Service, Ukrainska Pravda, Ukraine's Security Service, Gazprom, Business, RIA Novosti, Russian, White, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Foreign Affairs, RAND Corporation Locations: Russian, Bashkortostan, Ukraine's, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Kylie McKenzie: Jury awards $9M in damages to tennis player in sexual assault case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A jury has awarded $9 million in damages to a tennis player after a court ruled that the United States Tennis Association (USTA) failed to protect her from being sexually assaulted by a coach. “My confidence and my self-esteem was gone,” McKenzie said, “both on and off the court.”On Monday, a jury awarded McKenzie $3 million in compensation and $6 million in punitive damages. Shortly after, Aranda began to coach McKenzie. McKenzie alleges that Aranda remarked on her physical appearance, inquired about her personal life and would instigate inappropriate physical contact with her. With each serve repetition, Coach Aranda would press harder and harder against Plaintiff’s body to the point where Plaintiff would almost tip forward and lose her balance,” the lawsuit says.

Persons: Kylie McKenzie, Anibal Aranda –, “, McKenzie, Aranda, ” McKenzie, ”, Chris Widmaier, –, ” Widmaier, Michael Chow, Robert Allard, McKenzie “, Aranda’s, Anibal Aranda, John Raoux, Aranda groped, Jane Doe ”, Jane Doe Organizations: CNN, United States Tennis Association, USTA, Court, Athletic, USA, AP, US Center, SafeSport Locations: American, Orlando , Florida, Arizona, Republic, Orlando, Aranda, New York

☆ 4 flight attendants smuggled millions in drug money out of the US using the crewmember lane at JFK, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Using this status, they could access a special security lane at John F. Kennedy International Airport without undergoing typical passenger screening procedures. Advertisement"Flight attendants are ideal for smuggling bulk cash" for this reason, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent wrote in the indictments. Related storiesThe pair believed the money was the proceeds of narcotics trafficking and needed to be transported, according to the indictment. AdvertisementHe said the investigation "exposed critical vulnerabilities in the airline security industry" and has "illuminated methods that narcotics traffickers are utilizing."

Persons: —, — Charlie Hernandez, Sarah Valerio Pujols, Emmanuel Torres, Jarol Fabio, John F, Damian Williams, Hernandez, Pujols, Torres, Fabio, HSI, Ivan J, Arvelo Organizations: Service, Business, US, Office, of, Transportation Security Administration, Kennedy, Homeland Security Investigations, Pujols, Customs, Border, JFK, Delta Airlines, NBC News, Delta Locations: New York, Dominican Republic, Southern, of New York

☆ $22,000 per week? All-inclusive resorts go big to win over luxury travelers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Erica Lamberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

All-inclusive hotels are making a big play for luxury travelers. In the wake of the pandemic, demand for all-inclusive resorts skyrocketed, according to a report by JLL Research Hotels & Hospitality. It was then that travelers discovered that the all-inclusive resorts of the past — known for bottom-shelf booze and quantity-over-quality dining — had changed. The numbers are even higher in Mexico, where upper upscale and luxury all-inclusive resorts accounted for more than half (55%) of its all-inclusive resorts in 2022. "In addition to elements that you receive by booking an all-inclusive resort, private and additional amenities help to elevate that experience."

Persons: Travelers —, Karina Arguello, Kelly Connor, they're, Saint Vincent, Cooper Organizations: JLL Research, Hospitality, Travelers, Marriott, Hilton, Westin, Casino, Med, AAA Club Alliance, Royal Locations: Dominican Republic, Mexico, JLL, DoubleTree, Maldives, Mauritius, Italy, France, Tignes, Caribbean, New Jersey, Grenadines, Royal Curacao, They're

☆ Opinion: Why Gérard Depardieu hasn’t been ‘canceled’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Opinion Caroline Séquin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Accusers stepped forward in 2018, as the #MeToo movement was taking off. Victims of sexual violence, consequently, often say they feel less isolated than they used to. Join us on Twitter and FacebookThere is, perhaps, one way in which the detractors of the #MeToo movement have a point. All of them — colleagues, neighbors or blood relations — more often than not, are able to maintain their status and privilege of their professions, despite allegations of sexual violence. It remains unclear whether the French will at long last “cancel” Gérard Depardieu, even if one or both trials find him guilty of sexual violence.

Persons: Caroline Séquin, ”, Gérard Depardieu, Caroline Sequin, Depardieu, Jacques Chirac, “ Depardieu, —, Le Figaro, it’s, ” Depardieu, Emmanuel Macron, “ I’m, he’s, …, ” Macron, Carla Bruni, Nicolas Sarkozy, Harvey Weinstein’s, Sandra Muller, “, she’s, Le, Catherine Deneuve, men’s, that’s, MeToo, Camille Kouchner’s, ” Gérard Depardieu Organizations: Lafayette College, CNN, CNN —, Legion, Mediapart, France, Le Monde, French Interior Ministry, Twitter Locations: Easton , Pennsylvania, France, French, Colonial Senegal, CNN — France, United States, Familia Grande

☆ Opinion | Iran and Israel Weren’t Always Enemies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Karim Sadjadpour | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“History is littered,” the British writer and politician Enoch Powell said, “with the wars which everybody knew would never happen.”A full-blown conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel once seemed implausible. Iran and Israel are not natural adversaries. In contrast to other modern conflicts — between Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan — Iran and Israel have no bilateral land or resource disputes. Their national strengths — Iran is an energy titan and Israel is a tech innovator — are more complementary than competitive. Iran was the second Muslim nation, after Turkey, to recognize Israel after its founding in 1948.

Persons: Enoch Powell, specter, King Cyrus the Great Locations: Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, United States, Iran, Palestine, Russia, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, Turkey

☆ Young workers say working 4 days a week would actually make them better employees
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementYoung professionals said they don't need 40 hours a week to get their work done. In fact, 81% of respondents said working one less day a week would improve their company's productivity. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. AdvertisementA police department in Colorado moved workers from 40 to 32 hours a week in July 2023 and reported "fantastic" initial results months later. One alternative: a four-and-a-half day week.

Persons: —, They're, Bill Gates, that's, Gates, Trevor Noah's, Binny Gill Organizations: Service, CNBC, Generation, Business, CNN, Billionaire Microsoft, Technologies Locations: Dominican Republic, Colorado

☆ Xi to Head for Friendly Ports in an Eastern Europe Disenchanted With China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

That vessel has since sunk, scuppered by China’s support for Russia in the war in Ukraine and bitter disappointment over projects that never materialized. Also capsized are many of the high hopes that took hold across Eastern and Central Europe for a bonanza of Chinese money. So when Mr. Xi returns to the region this week, after a visit to France, he will travel to Serbia and Hungary, two countries whose long-serving authoritarian leaders still offer a haven for China in increasingly turbulent political and economic waters. “The Czechs, the Poles and nearly everyone else are really pissed at China because of the war,” said Tamas Matura, a foreign relations scholar at Corvinus University of Budapest. “But in Hungary that is not a problem, at least not for the government” of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Mr. Matura said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Europe’s, Xi, ”, Tamas Matura, Viktor Orban, Matura Organizations: Corvinus University of Budapest Locations: Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine, Eastern, Central Europe, France, Serbia, Hungary, China, “

☆ Zelensky assassination plot: Two Ukrainian security officials detained over plan to kill president
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Olga Voitovych | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Two Ukrainian security officials have been detained for planning to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the country’s State Security Service (SBU). Two Ukrainian government protection unit colonels have been detained and are accused of leaking classified information to Russia, the SBU said Tuesday, after it “exposed a network of agents” belonging to Russia’s state security service (FSB). A woman from the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv was arrested in August 2023 in connection to a plot to assassinate Zelensky. She was accused of gathering intelligence about Zelensky’s planned visit to Mykolaiv in order to plan a Russian airstrike to kill him. The plot was uncovered by Ukrainian authorities and the man was later detained and charged in Poland.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Zelensky, SBU, Vasyl Maliuk, Kyrylo, Zelensky’s, Prosecutors, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis Organizations: CNN, country’s State Security Service, State, Ukrainian, Defence Intelligence Locations: Russia, “, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Mykolaiv, Russian, Polish, Republic of Poland, Jasionka, Poland, Odesa

☆ Opinion | Europe Is About to Drown in the River of the Radical Right
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Lea Ypi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Ahead of parliamentary elections widely expected to deliver gains to the hard right, European leaders can barely conceal their anxiety. What is power in contemporary Europe, and how should it be exercised by the European Union? Mr. Macron answered in princely fashion, showing awareness of both the finite nature of every political community — Europe is “mortal,” he said — and its cyclical vulnerability to crisis. Mr. Macron brushed aside the many Europeans who feel the bloc is aloof and inaccessible, describing their disenchantment as a result of “false arguments.” The dismissal was no aberration. This exclusion has changed the contours of the European landscape, paving the way for the radical right.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Lorenzo de ’ Medici, Machiavelli, ” Machiavelli, Macron, ”, — Organizations: European Union Locations: Europe, France, Florentine Republic, European

☆ Rep. Henry Cuellar's indictment has the GOP comparing him to George Santos. Here's what to know about the Texas Democrat's bribery scandal.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The growing scandal is drawing some comparisons on the right to George Santos. AdvertisementRep. Henry Cuellar is in the midst of a growing bribery scandal involving Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank. Cuellar is the third sitting lawmaker to be indicted this Congress, following former Republican Rep. George Santos of New York and Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New York. AdvertisementThe George Santos comparisonIt's only been a few days, but so far, Democrats have largely held off on calling for Cuellar to resign. Former Rep. George Santos at the State of the Union in March.

Persons: Henry Cuellar, George Santos, —, Cuellar, Democratic Sen, Bob Menendez, Santos, Cuellar's, Jessica Cisneros, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Bernie Sanders, That's, Hakeem Jeffries, Matt McClain, Getty Images Santos, don't, Donald Trump, Joe Biden Organizations: Democratic, Service, Justice, Texas Democrat, Republican Rep, George Santos of New, New, State Oil Company, Banco Azteca, Democrat, National Rifle Association, Rep, FBI, Republicans, State, Union, Washington, Getty Images, Botox Locations: Henry Cuellar of Texas, Azerbaijan, Mexican, George Santos of, George Santos of New York, New York, Texas, Azerbaijan Republic, Alexandria

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