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☆ US stocks fall as Fed comments and new data raise fear of more rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US stocks dropped Wednesday as fears of more Fed rate hikes swirled. Meanwhile, the Fed's Beige Book showed softer activity growth and cooling labor market in July and August. Fears of more potential rate hikes from the Federal Reserve swirled following early morning comments from Boston Fed President Susan Collins. "Given the data, the Fed will most likely deliver a hawkish pause at the next meeting. Separately, the Fed's Beige book release on Wednesday showed slower activity growth and softer hiring in the labor market through July and August.

Persons: Susan Collins, Collins, Jeffrey Roach Organizations: Boston, Service, Big Tech, Apple, Nvidia, Federal, Boston Fed, Wall Street, LPL, Dow Jones, Nasdaq Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Opinion: How Covid-19 is resurfacing after months of calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Kent Sepkowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Kent Sepkowitz CNNThere are several plausible reasons why this latest bump is occurring now after months and months of calm. To sort it out, I decided to perform an at-home rapid antigen test. One negative test on the first day of symptoms, especially with the rapid antigen test, is not determinative. The virus that causes Covid-19 infection is a simple scrap of RNA that cannot survive without a living cell to support it. This won’t be the last alarm, real or false, for me (and others) in the months ahead.

Persons: Kent Sepkowitz, Covid, —, overconfidence Organizations: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, CNN, Kent Sepkowitz CNN, US, Twitter Locations: New York, United States, XBB

☆ What happens to sharks, dolphins, alligators, and other marine life during a hurricane? Experts explain why the storm's aftermath is often more deadly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Hurricanes affect marine life differently, depending on whether they can move or are stationary. After a hurricane, increased levels of freshwater, bacteria, and debris can also harm marine life. A vast array of marine life lives along the Florida peninsula, the US state where hurricanes make landfall most often. What happens to marine life during a hurricane? For example, alligators on Sanibel Island, which Hurricane Ian hit hard, were affected by the saltier ocean water the storm brought on land.

Persons: Melissa May, Rita, Andrew, Valerie Paul, Hurricane Ian, Ian, Paul, Chris Lechowicz, Rivers, Marco Bello Organizations: Service, Florida Gulf Coast University ., National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Reuters Hurricanes, Geological Survey, Hurricanes, Smithsonian Marine, Healing, Reuters, NASA Locations: Wall, Silicon, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Louisiana, Brevard, Estero Bay

☆ Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear won't say if he'd follow the state's new Senate vacancy law and appoint another Republican if McConnell steps down
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Katie Balevic | John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A 2021 law would require Beshear to appoint a Republican to the Senate should McConnell step down. Beshear attempted to veto that law at the time and could defy it if McConnell ever vacated his seat. AdvertisementAdvertisement"If Mitch does leave office, I think (Beshear) will appoint who he wants to appoint and let them challenge it in court. Some Kentucky Republicans, however, have said McConnell should have stepped down last year. Scott Jennings, a McConnell advisor, told The Post that the senator seemed fine during a Wednesday evening GOP fundraiser.

Persons: Andy Beshear, Mitch McConnell's, Beshear, McConnell, Mitch McConnell, Beshear —, — wouldn't, I'm, Brian P, Monahan, McConnell vacates, Michael Abate, Abate, he's, Jared Smith, Beshear's, Mitch, That's, Smith, Bob Barney, didn't, Scott Jennings, Jennings Organizations: Republican, Service, GOP, Democrat, Washington Post, Capitol, Kentucky Republicans, Louisville Courier, Republican Party, Courier, Post Locations: Wall, Silicon, Kentucky, Louisville, Frankfort, Jessamine County

☆ City to have Akanji, Foden back versus Fulham
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANCHESTER, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Manchester City will get a boost with the return of Phil Foden and Manuel Akanji for their home game against Fulham on Saturday, but assistant manager Juanma Lillo was keeping his cards close to his chest over Friday's transfer deadline activity. Foden was on the bench with an illness, but played the final few minutes, and assisted Rodri's winning goal. "When a player wants to go, it is very difficult to go against that. "We have to be proud and satisfied at Manchester City that we have done this. "I speak very regularly with him, not just in footballing terms but professional terms," Lillo said.

Persons: Phil Foden, Manuel Akanji, Juanma Lillo, City, Matheus Nunes, Lillo, Pep Guardiola, Foden, Rodri's, Phil, John Stones, Joao Cancelo, I've, Cole Palmer, Guardiola, Lori Ewing, Toby Davis Organizations: MANCHESTER, Manchester City, Fulham, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Premier League, Sheffield United, Chelsea, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Portugal, Portuguese, Chelsea

☆ Russia Reports Widespread Drone Attacks on Country
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The police presence was heavy on Tuesday at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the press service of Yevgeny V. Prigozhin said he had been buried. “Those wishing to say goodbye can visit the Porokhovskoye cemetery” in St. Petersburg. The secrecy reflected the sensitivities surrounding Mr. Prigozhin, a longtime ally of Mr. Putin who launched a failed mutiny against Moscow’s military leadership in June. Video People paid tribute to Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary chief, and Dmitri Utkin, a longtime lieutenant. That left room for days of speculation about whether Mr. Prigozhin was really on the plane.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin, “, ”, Porokhovskoye, Mr, Wagner, Dmitri Utkin, Nanna Heitmann, Valery Chekalov, ” Farida Rustamova, Safronova, Jesus Jiménez Organizations: Russian, Video, Credit, The New York Locations: St . Petersburg, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Northern

STEINHATCHEE, Florida, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Florida's Gulf Coast braced on Wednesday for fierce winds, torrential rain and surging seawater from Idalia, forecast to become "an extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane, as it swirled toward a direct hit on the state's Big Bend region. Most of Florida's 21 million residents, and many in the adjacent states of Georgia and South Carolina, were under hurricane warnings and other storm-related advisories. Any storm reaching Category 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane. 1 killer in all of these storms is water," Deanne Criswell, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's administrator, said on CNN. Idalia-related disruptions extended to Florida's Atlantic coast at Cape Canaveral, where the Tuesday launch of a rocket carrying a U.S. Space Force intelligence satellite was delayed indefinitely.

Persons: Kevin Guthrie, Rene Hoffman, Idalia, Steve Pizzano, Adrees Latif, Biden, Ron DeSantis, Irma, Michael, Ian, DeSantis, Milton Bontrager, Maria Alejandra Cardona, Marco Bello, Joey Roulette, Rich McKay, Nelson Acosta, Dave Sherwood, Brad Brooks, Brendan O'Brien, Nandita Bose, Steve Gorman, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters Graphics Reuters, National Hurricane Center, NHC, REUTERS, Federal Emergency Management, CNN, White, Florida, Republican, U.S . Space Force, Tampa International Airport, National Guard, Thomson Locations: STEINHATCHEE, Florida, Idalia, Bend, Gulf of Mexico, Georgia, South Carolina, Steinhatchee , Florida, Miami, Cedar Key , Florida, Gulf Coast, North, Sarasota, Apalachicola Bay ., Clearwater Beach , Florida, U.S, Gulf, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Tampa, St, Petersburg, Cape Canaveral, Cuba, Tampa , Florida, Atlanta, Havana, Guanimar, Longmont , Colorado, Chicago, Washington

☆ ‘The Idol’ is canceled after just one season
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Television show “The Idol” has been canceled after just one, poorly received season, HBO has confirmed. “After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers have decided not to move forward with a second season,” a HBO spokesperson said in a statement sent to CNN Tuesday. Like HBO’s hit show “Euphoria,” “The Idol” was helmed by Sam Levinson. “The expression ‘From the sublime to the ridiculous’ has seldom felt more fitting than in watching ‘The Idol,’ HBO’s new wannabe-sexy drama,” a review from CNN’s Brian Lowry said in June. “HBO can write off ‘The Idol’ as an experiment in creative freedom that didn’t pay off, which happens all the time,” Lowry concluded.

Persons: ”, “, we’re, Lily, Rose Depp, Abel “, HBO’s, Sam Levinson, Jocelyn, won’t, Levinson, Rolling Stone, ’, Brian Lowry, Lowry, ” Lowry Organizations: CNN — Television, HBO, CNN, Cannes Film, Warner Bros, Variety, Rolling

☆ Wagner Says Its Chief Has Been Buried, Ending Days of Speculation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | More About Valerie Hopkins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Details about Mr. Prigozhin’s funeral, including the date and whether members of the public would be allowed to attend, were unclear for days. The secrecy reflected the sensitivities surrounding Mr. Prigozhin, a longtime ally of Mr. Putin who launched a failed mutiny against Moscow’s military leadership in June. Its cause remains unclear, but U.S. and Western officials believe it was prompted by an explosion on board. Many Western officials have said they think it is likely that Mr. Putin may have played a role in having Mr. Prigozhin killed as retribution for the mercenary chief’s short-lived mutiny in June. That left room for days of speculation about whether Mr. Prigozhin was really on the plane.

Persons: Pokhorovsky, Prigozhin, Mr, Putin, Wagner Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian

☆ Donald Trump's mugshot post single-handedly shows X is still the place that moves the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The former president broke his hiatus from the app formerly known as Twitter to post his mugshot. It's a tacit recognition that X is still the place that moves the internet. But Trump's decision to post his mugshot to X, there is a tacit recognition that X is still the place that moves the internet, despite all of its serious shortcomings. It's unclear if Trump will start posting more frequently to X or go back to posting as usual on Truth Social. Either way, it's clear that X remains the place that makes the internet go round.

Persons: Donald Trump's, It's, Donald Trump, Twitter, it's, Elon Musk, Trump, hasn't, X hasn't, Mark Zuckerberg's Organizations: Twitter, Elon, Trump Locations: Fulton County , Georgia, SensorTower

☆ Health of Thailand's billionaire ex-PM Thaksin still a concern, doctor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Thailand's billionaire former premier Thaksin Shinawatra was still being treated in hospital on Friday and his condition remained a concern, a senior doctor said, three days after his historic return from self-exile. The Pheu Thai Party that Thaksin founded will lead the next government. Rumours have swirled that his return could be part of a secret agreement with his rivals, which he denies. Tul has asked for physicians from outside of the hospital to examine Thaksin also. "All the rooms at the police hospital have this view," said Soponrat, the doctor at the hospital.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Athit, Thaksin, Srettha Thavisin, Tul Sittisomwong, Tul, Chayut Setboonsarng, Martin Petty Organizations: Thai, REUTERS, Rights, Thai Party, Thaksin, Thomson Locations: Don Mueang, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, Dubai, Britain

☆ China's Xi Jinping unexpectedly skipped a speech at a BRICS summit aimed at challenging dollar dominance
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping unexpectedly missed a scheduled speech at this week's BRICS summit. China's commerce minister stood in for the speech instead, commenting on the US's economic dominance. Xi was the only BRICS leader who didn't make an appearance, with even Russia's Putin delivering comments virtually. After skipping the speech, Xi attended a dinner with the other nations' leaders, per CNN. Over the last two years, BRICS nations have increasingly tried to move off the US dollar as part of the broader dedollarization trend, completing international transactions in China's yuan or other local currencies.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, didn't, Putin, Russia —, Wang Wentao, Xi's, Bonnie Glaser, — Bonnie Glaser, 葛 Organizations: Service, CNN, China's, German Marshall Fund Locations: Wall, Silicon, South Africa, India, Brazil, Russia, China

☆ Elon Musk was reportedly working on his AI company while publicly calling for a pause on AI development
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

All the while Elon Musk was calling for an AI development pause, he was building his own AI venture, The New Yorker reported Monday. Musk signed an open letter in March calling for a 6-month pause on training AI. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile Elon Musk was publicly calling to "pause giant AI experiments" earlier this year, he was quietly building his own, according to a new report. Musk was working on xAI during the time he and more than 1,000 other people, including AI experts, signed an open letter calling for a 6-month pause on AI development, according to an article published in The New Yorker on Monday. Musk also filed the registrations for xAI the same month the letter was circulated, according to The New Yorker.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, —, Tesla, TruthGPT, loftily Organizations: Yorker, Morning, Nvidia, SpaceX Locations: New

CNN —Ron Cephas Jones, who won two Emmy Awards for his acting on the hit television drama “This Is Us,” has died at age 66, according to his manager, Dan Spilo. “As a parent that’s the most fulfilling that I could ever feel at the moment,” Jones said after his win, according to Deadline. He was on and off a ventilator and had to learn to breathe, eat and walk again, the Times reported. Jones, right, starred as William Hill, the biological father of Randall Pearson, played by Sterling K. Brown, in "This Is Us." Ron Batzdorff/NBC/Getty ImagesBrown, who played opposite Jones in “This Is Us,” praised him in an Instagram post.

Persons: Ron Cephas Jones, ”, Dan Spilo, Jones, William Hill, Sterling K, Brown, Mr, “ Luke Cage, Montrellous, ” Jones, Jasmine Cephas Jones, she’s, Randall Pearson, Ron Batzdorff, “, ” Dan Fogelman, ” “ Ron, Ron Organizations: CNN, Sterling, ”, New York Times, Times, NBC, Getty Locations: “

☆ The South Knows a Hot, Sticky Summer. But This? ‘It’s Hell.’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Rick Rojas | More About Rick Rojas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Grab-N-Go, a drive-through and walk-up convenience store in New Iberia, La., has a central air-conditioning system, a window air-conditioning unit and two small, portable air-conditioners. Lately, brisk business could almost be considered a curse: Every time a customer arrived, Mr. Vitto had to slide open the window to take their order. The outside air — nearly 100 degrees but feeling even warmer — forced its way inside. “It’s a sticky, heavy heat,” Mr. Vitto said, disgust dripping from every drawn out syllable. It’s the moist, soupy, suffocating humidity that swallows up everything and conspires with the heat to make any activity without air-conditioning draining and even deadly.

Persons: Don Vitto, Vitto, Mr, It’s Locations: New Iberia, La, ”, Louisiana, Gulf

☆ Take Five: Summer at Jackson Hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Jason Reed Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - It's summer camp season and not to be left out, U.S. rate setters and overseas pals gather in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to talk central banking. U.S. Federal Reserve officials (plus friends from the ECB, BoE and BOJ) descend on Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Aug. 24-26 for their annual central bank confab. Inflation remains sticky in places and investors want to know how long it will take for central banks to switch to easing. European PMIs could provide a bigger signal on whether the European Central Bank will hike again in September and if the Bank of England opts for a big rate increase. Turkey's central bank is poised to raise rates on Thursday for the third time in a row since Hafize Gaye Erkan was appointed as governor in early June.

Persons: Jason Reed, Ira Iosebashvili, Li Gu, Yoruk, Rosario, Marc Jones, Rachel Savage, BoE, Jackson, Vladimir Putin, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Erkan, Tayyip Erdogan, Dhara Ranasinghe, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S . Federal, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, ECB, Nvidia, CARE, HK, China, European Central Bank, Bank of England, West, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington, U.S, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, China, Ira, New York, Shanghai, Amsterdam, Jorgelina, London, Johannesburg, confab, CHINA, Beijing, United States, European, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Turkey

☆ 'Dune: Part Two' is supposed to come out this year. The strikes could change that
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As two Hollywood strikes rage on, movie writers and stars aren't permitted to hype their projects, due to strike rules. The longer the work stoppages keep going, the more likely it is studios will delay releases as production shutdowns choke the movie release pipeline. "Dune: Part Two," a science fiction epic based on Frank Herbert's seminal novel, could end up the biggest title to move. Warner Bros. didn't immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. While the Writers Guild of America has returned to the bargaining table with producers, negotiations are moving slowly.

Persons: aren't, Ethan Coen's, Emma Stone, Frank Herbert's, Barbie, HBO Max, Paul Dergarabedian, didn't, haven't, AFTRA, Steven Schiffman Organizations: ANGELES, Warner Bros, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, HBO, Comscore, Writers Guild of America, SAG, WGA, Georgetown University, National Geographic Locations: U.S

☆ Congress's UFO hearing shows the hardest part of discovering alien life may be announcing it. Here's how NASA might break the news.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

An illustration of the CoLD scale for determining confidence in a detection of alien life. The discovery of extraterrestrial life is likely to be a slow build-up, rather than an explosive eureka moment. The president or other countries could be involved in announcing extraterrestrial life existsPresident Joe Biden speaks at Delaware State University. Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesAnnouncing the existence of alien life would be an "administration-level" affair, Glaze said, referring to the US presidency. Needless to say, any discovery of alien life would likely lead to chaos — at least in public discourse.

Persons: NASA isn't, David Grusch, Randall Hill, UAPs, Elon Musk, John Locher, Karine Jean, Pierre, we've, Lori Glaze, Glaze, James Webb, Jean, Philippe Arles, It's, Aaron Gronstal, Mary Voytek, Joe Biden, Anna Moneymaker, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Stephen Hawking, I'm, we're Organizations: Service, NASA, Beijing, Reuters, Department of Defense, Associated Press, AP, White House, Navy, US Department of Defense, JPL, Caltech, Delaware State University Locations: Wall, Silicon, South Carolina, Surfside Beach , South Carolina, US, Alaska, Canada, Lake Huron, Rachel , Nevada, Bugarach, France

☆ Fernando Villavicencio assasination: How corruption and gang warfare transformed Ecuador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But the high-profile assassination on Wednesday of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio could be a turning point for the country that has so far struggled to control the bloodshed. Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio ran on an anti-corruption platform prior to his death. Floundering authoritiesSecurity and state forces have been badly unprepared for the rise of criminal groups in the country. A a car transports the body of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 10. Last year, the US withdrew visas from high-ranking officers of Ecuadorian state security forces, alleged to be linked to drug trafficking, as well as several judges and lawyers.

Persons: CNN —, Fernando Villavicencio, ” Juan Pappier, Watch’s, “, Karen Toro, Laura Lizarazo, ”, ” Lizarazo, Ecuador’s, Guillermo Lasso, Lizarazo, Eric Farnsworth, –, Villavicencio –, El, Nayib Bukele, Luisa González, Rafael Correa, Vicente Gaibor del Pino Organizations: CNN, Customs, Border Patrol, Ecuadorian, Reuters, Lobos, of, Americas Society, Security Locations: Ecuador, ”, Peru, Colombia, Europe, Washington, Americas

☆ Meet Russell Horwitz, the ex-Goldman partner who is stepping in as David Solomon's chief of staff at a vulnerable time for the CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Dakin Campbell | Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russell Horwitz has been named David Solomon's new chief of staff at a difficult time for the CEO. Russell Horwitz, a partner and former chief of staff to CEO Lloyd Blankfein, is returning to the firm after roughly two years away. Another, Jake Siewert, left Goldman for Warburg Pincus in June 2021. Horwitz left soon after. He has Washington experienceLike Rogers, Horwitz also has a past working in Washington DC.

Persons: Russell Horwitz, David Solomon's, Horwitz, Goldman, John F, Rogers, Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, David Solomon, John Rogers, Jon Corzine, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Joshua Roberts, Solomon, John Waldron, Fiona Carter, Carter, Dina Powell McCormick, Gregg Lemkau, Byron Trott, Jake Siewert, Warburg Pincus, Blankfein, He's, Ken Griffin, John, David, Pablo Salame, Umesh Subramanian, Arthur Levitt Organizations: Goldman, The New York Times, Reuters, BDT, MSD Partners, Miami . Partners, Citadel, Citadel Horwitz, Washington DC, Securities and Exchange Commission, Clinton Locations: Miami, Citadel's, Washington

This account of how Niger's coup unfolded is based on 15 interviews with Nigerien security officials, politicians, as well as current and former Western government officials. In his first address following the July 26 coup, Tiani said he had ousted the president for the good of the country. But in recent months, Bazoum had curtailed the size of the presidential guard, which was about 700-strong at the time of the coup, and started to scrutinize its budget. Issoufou was elected in 2011, a year after a previous military coup. Almost all the different branches of Niger's security apparatus had a member in the group, including the police, army, air force and presidential guard.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Mahamadou Issoufou, Regis, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Tiani, Keen, Issoufou, Spokespeople, swirled, Salifou Mody, Mody, Hassoumi Massaoudou, Amadou Abdramane, Ahmad Sidien, Moussa Aksar, David Lewis, David Gauthier, Michel Rose, Edward McAllister, Alexandra Zavis, David Clarke Organizations: Niger, REUTERS, Nigerien, Reuters, West African States, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Western, Niger Armed Forces, United Arab Emirates, National Guard, Thomson Locations: Sahel, French, Pau, France, NIAMEY, United States, Niamey, Diffa, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Russia, West Africa, Tiani, Nairobi, Villars, Istanbul, Paris, Dakar

☆ Oil prices are on track for their strongest run since before Russia invaded Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

US oil prices are also set for a 3.9% gain this week, and have chalked up their longest rally since April 2022. So why are oil prices climbing? Oil output cutsAccording to the International Energy Agency, global oil demand is expected to rise by 2.2 million barrels per day to a record 102 million this year. But global oil production is forecast to rise by only 1.5 million barrels per day to 101.5 million, the agency said in a report this month. That failed to materialize, a factor that weighed on oil prices earlier this year.

Persons: —, “, ” Giovanni Staunovo, Staunovo, Justin Sullivan, Edward Gardner, Gardner, Xi Jinping Organizations: London CNN —, Brent, International Energy Agency, Organization of, Petroleum, OPEC, UBS, CNN, Saudi, Getty, Capital Economics, Communist Party’s Locations: Ukraine, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Gulf, Europe, France, Spain, Germany, Europe’s

☆ Airlines report soaring profits amid travel demands
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —International airlines have reported significant profits this year, boosted by strong demand for leisure travel – and events, such as the World Cup, which gave Qatar Airlines an enormous lift. On Thursday, International Airlines Group, which includes Aer Lingus and British Airways, announced a record profit of about $1.4 billion for the first half of the year. “Customer demand remains strong across the Group, particularly for leisure travel, with around 80% of passenger revenue for the third quarter already booked. Qatar Airways reported a $1.2 billion profit for the past fiscal year, ascribing its strong performance to December’s FIFA World Cup. In its report, Qatar Airways said that, throughout the 2022 World Cup, the company operated around 140,000 flights to bring more than 1.4 million people to Qatar.

Persons: Luis Gallego, Benjamin Smith, Akbar Al Baker, Michael O’Leary, – CNN’s Mostafa Salem, Pierre Meilhan Organizations: CNN — International, Qatar, International Airlines Group, Aer Lingus, British Airways, KLM Group, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Olympic, Paralympic Games, Air, Qatar Airways, KLM, FIFA, Ryanair, Europe’s Locations: AirFrance, Amsterdam, France, Air France, Qatar

☆ The Dance Delight in ‘Barbie’ Belongs to the Kens
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Gia Kourlas | More About Gia Kourlas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s a gorgeous scene in “Barbie” that isn’t painted the usual pink. It’s a dream ballet, stylish and clean, with steps so sleek it lets bodies — Kens, Kens and more Kens — sing. Unofficially known as the Ken dance, it’s like entering a portal to another world, where moving bodies etch trails of rotating circles and diamonds onto a gleaming surface. But the jazzy gist of the “I’m Just Ken” dance isn’t just about staggering patterns or nostalgia for old Hollywood. Plopped into Greta Gerwig’s Barbie universe, the dance is more than a dance: It’s an emotional release.

Persons: “ Barbie, —, Ken, Busby Berkeley, Ken ”, Plopped, Greta Gerwig’s, Gene Kelly, Margot Robbie, Barbie Organizations: Hollywood

☆ A Looming Retraction Casts a Shadow Over a Field of Physics
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Kenneth Chang | More About Kenneth Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A major physics journal is retracting a two-year-old scientific paper that described the transformations of a chemical compound as it was squeezed between two pieces of diamond. Such an esoteric finding — and retraction — would not typically garner much attention. But one of the leaders of this research is Ranga P. Dias, a professor in the physics and mechanical engineering departments at the University of Rochester in New York who made a much bigger scientific splash earlier this year, touting the discovery of a room-temperature superconductor. At the same time, accusations of research misconduct have swirled around Dr. Dias, and his superconductor findings remain largely unconfirmed. The retracted paper does not involve superconductivity but rather describes how a relatively mundane material, manganese sulfide, shifts its behavior from an insulator to a metal and then back to an insulator under increasing pressure.

Persons: Ranga P, Dias Organizations: University of Rochester Locations: New York

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