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☆ Putin has bet Russia's entire economy on war. An expert says it's his best shot at maintaining control of the country.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Vladimir Putin bet his economy on a long war, ramping up military production and raising wages. An expert told Insider keeping Russia's economy stable is critical to prevent regime collapse. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementAdvertisementVladimir Putin has fully transitioned the Russian economy toward wartime production, betting his country's financial and manufacturing systems can outlast the West's until Russia sees a military victory in Ukraine. As long as the country maintains some semblance of the status quo in the economy, English said he doesn't expect to see things changing.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Robert English, —, Putin, Vasily Astrov Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Street Journal, Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, ., Government of, Russian Federation, University of Southern Locations: Russia, USSR, Ukraine, Russian, University of Southern California

☆ Why Indians Can’t Stand Justin Trudeau
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Sadanand Dhume | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Sadanand Dhume writes a biweekly column on India and South Asia for WSJ.com. Mr. Dhume is also a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Mr. Dhume is the author of “My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist,” (Skyhorse Publishing, 2009), which charts the rise of the radical Islamist movement in Indonesia. Mr. Dhume holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Delhi, a master’s degree in international relations from Princeton University and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, and travels frequently to India.

Persons: Sadanand Dhume, Dhume, “, Narendra Modi Organizations: WSJ.com, American Enterprise Institute, Washington , D.C, Economic, Journal, Skyhorse Publishing, University of Delhi, Princeton University, Columbia University Locations: India, South Asia, Washington ,, New Delhi, Indonesia, Journal Asia

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh: Nearly half of the population has fled. What happens next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Nearly half of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population has fled to Armenia, with many thousands more still scrambling to evacuate, a week after the breakaway region surrendered following a lightning Azerbaijani offensive. No Armenian will be left here within maybe two weeks,” a Karabakh resident told CNN. Nonna Poghosyan, the American University of Armenia’s program coordinator in Stepanakert, told CNN that her family realized this weekend that it was safer to leave than to stay. Residents told CNN before the latest offensive began that they would have to wait in line for hours to get their daily share of bread. Analysts told CNN before the evacuations began that they feared Azerbaijan might prevent certain members of the population from leaving.

Persons: –, Vasily Krestyaninov, Stepanakert, ”, Russia –, Olesya, “, Ilham Aliyev, Siranush Sargsyan, rakli Gedenidze, Farid Shafiyev, ” –, ” Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Poghosyan, ’ ” Poghosyan, Poghosyan's, Nonna, Pashinyan, Samantha Power, Power, ” Vartanyan, Ruben Vardanyan, Vardanyan Organizations: CNN, Wednesday, Karabakh, Soviet Union, Russia, Refugees, International Relations, Armenia’s, American University of, United States Agency for International Development, USAID, Residents, US State Department, Crisis, ICRC Locations: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s, Baku, ”, Soviet Union, Soviet, Turkey, Russian, South Caucasus, Stepanakert, Kornidzor, Baku –, Artsakh, Republic of Armenia, Goris

☆ Republicans paid a political price every time they shut the government down: Professor
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailRepublicans paid a political price every time they shut the government down: ProfessorPeter Trubowitz, professor of international relations and director of the Phelan US Centre at LSE, discusses prospects of a government shutdown in the United States.

Persons: Peter Trubowitz, Phelan Organizations: Phelan US, LSE Locations: United States

Many of the formal speeches delivered before the green stone in the General Assembly could have been performed straight to camera, with few other people in the room (and in 2020, they were). The General Assembly, she said, actually “overshadows what the U.N. does well." In-person relations are as important, if not more so, for non-governmental organizations with stakes in the outcomes, attendees said. Many at the General Assembly, and those observing it closely from afar, declined to discuss the substance of negotiations that may never ultimately come to fruition. But the General Assembly week “provides a critical mass that allows you to do all the things that you would prefer to do in person,” Rathke said.

Persons: Volodomyr Zelenskyy, weren't, ’, Katie Laatikainen, that's, that’s, ”, Kathryn Mengerink, Scott Hamilton, Joe Biden, —, “ We’re, Stéphane Dujarric, António Guterres, we’re, “, ” Laatikainen, Jeff Rathke, ” Rathke, ” Hamilton, Michael Weissenstein Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, General, Council, Adelphi University, Assembly, General Assembly, Waitt, State Department, United Nations Security, United Nations, “ Technology, - German Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Associated Press Locations: East, Jolla , California, midtown Manhattan, Cuba, China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, Europe, New York, Britain, Mexico

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan says it wants to "reintegrate" breakaway region. What does that mean?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Karabakh officials said their forces were outnumbered and had no choice but to surrender. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has long been explicit about the choice that confronts Karabakh officials. In a speech delivered in May, he told Karabakh Armenians they needed to “bend their necks” and accept full integration into Azerbaijan. “It’s a mess.”It is also unclear where Karabakh Armenians will travel to, if evacuations are able to begin. Azerbaijani officials met with ethnic Armenian representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh in Yevlakh, Azerbaijan, September 21, 2023.

Persons: ” Olesya, “, ”, Ilham Aliyev, Aliyev, AZA, Nikol Pashinyan, Miroslav Jenca, Siranush Sargsyan, Sargsyan, Reuters Olesya Vartanyan, Vartanyan, –, Armenia doesn’t, Farid Shafiyev, Shafiyev, Anna Ohanyan, Ohanyan, ” Ohanyan, …, Catherine the Great Organizations: CNN, Azerbaijan’s, Karabakh, Armenian, United Nations, UN, UN Security, Russian, Russian Defence Ministry, Reuters, ICRC, ”, International Relations, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, gaslight Locations: Azerbaijan, Armenian, Nagorno, Karabakh, South Caucasus, Armenia, Soviet Union, Baku, Yevlakh, Stepanakert, ”, Russian, Soviet Azerbaijan, Russia, Eurasia

☆ Syrians feel growing pressure from Turkey's anti-migrant political wave
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Burcu Karakas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] Adem Maarastawi, a 29-year-old Syrian activist, poses after an interview with Reuters in Istanbul, Turkey September 12, 2023. Hardship caused by Turkey's rampant inflation and anti-migrant rhetoric motivated his decision. DEADLINE TO MOVEAdem Maarastawi, a 29 year-old Syrian activist working in Istanbul, is registered in central Turkey's Kirsehir province. "Anti-migrant rhetoric is likely to rise before the March elections," said Deniz Sert, associate professor of international relations at Ozyegin University. Local government expert Ali Mert Tascier said opposition parties are likely to use anti-migrant rhetoric, with municipalities being the main players in managing migrants.

Persons: Adem Maarastawi, Dilara, scapegoated, Deniz Sert, Ali Mert Tascier, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Osman Nuri Kabaktepe, Maarastawi, Burcu Karakas, Daren Butler, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Authorities, Ozyegin University . Local, Erdogan's AK Party, Thomson Locations: Istanbul, Turkey, Istanbul ISTANBUL, Syria, Europe, Turkish, Belgium, Sanliurfa, Turkey's Kirsehir

☆ The Nagorno-Karabakh crisis raises serious questions for Russia — and the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The contested mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it has been under de-facto Armenian control since the early 1990s. It follows an abrupt 24-hour offensive by Azerbaijani forces on Tuesday that swiftly broke through ethnic Armenian lines, seized strategic positions and resulted in the surrender of separatist forces. Armenia, which has typically looked to Russia as a security guarantor, said Azerbaijan's military operation was an attempt to ethnically cleanse Nagorno-Karabakh, a charge Baku has denied. Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh accused Azerbaijan of violating a cease-fire agreement, with Reuters reporting gunfire could be heard in the region's capital on Thursday. Armenians attend a rally in Yerevan on September 21, 2023, following Azerbaijani military operations against Armenian separatist forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Persons: Karen Minasyan, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Japaridze, Pashinyan, Karabakh, Kusa, Pashynian's Organizations: Government, Armenian, Afp, Getty, CNBC, Eurasia Group, Kremlin, Collective Security, Organization, NATO, Anadolu Agency, Ukrainian Institute, Russian Embassy Locations: Yerevan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Caucasus, South Caucasus, Russia, Baku, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, London

Adding Ukraine to NATO and the European Union would be the biggest geopolitical shift in our lifetime. If we bring Ukraine into that European Union, that would be one of the most consequential geopolitical tipping points since East Germany was united with West Germany. Who was the Russian spy in East Germany who was introduced to international relations by running the KGB there? It was Vladimir Putin whose big introduction to geopolitics was watching the magnet of the West melt down East Germany and lead to the unification of these two countries. The big decision point going forward is, when do we say to the Ukrainians we may have to settle for a dirty deal?

Persons: I’m Tom Friedman, they’re, Who, Vladimir Putin, Putin, we’re, I’ve, We’re, Peter the, It’s, Dostoevsky, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Sakharov Organizations: Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, Orthodox Church, European Union, NATO, EU, Union, East Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Saint, NATO, Russia, East Germany, West Germany, East Germany’s Germany, Russian, Germany, Siberia

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in eastern Hangzhou city, in this handout picture released by Sana on September 22, 2023, Syria. China, the world's second-largest economy, will also support Syria's reconstruction, Chinese state media reported Xi as saying. In Chinese diplomacy, a "strategic partnership" implies closer coordination on regional and international affairs, including in the military sphere. But analysts said there was likely to be a limit to how far Beijing would help Damascus beyond recovering its regional status. "That is not part of China's role identity in the Middle East, which is to try and have a role without taking sides."

Persons: Xi Jinping, Bashar al, Sana, Handout, Syria's Assad, Assad, Xi, Caesar, Matteo Legrenzi, Joe Cash, Ella Cao, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Saudi, Initiative, University of Venice, Thomson Locations: Assad, Hangzhou, Syria, Beijing, China, BEIJING, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Damascus, Ca'Foscari

☆ Why More Countries Are Adopting Feminist Foreign Policies - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Lyric Thompson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

When Margot Wallstrom, then Sweden’s foreign minister, announced back in 2014 that her country would pursue a feminist foreign policy, the idea was greeted with skepticism. Ms. Wallstrom was criticized by the foreign policy establishment globally for both her openly activist approach and the perception that she was naïve to the realities of realpolitik. Less than a decade later, 16 governments have formally adopted feminist foreign policies. It took five years for the first four governments — Sweden, Luxembourg, France and Canada — to adopt feminist foreign policies. What feminist foreign policy looks like in practice varies from country to country.

Persons: Margot Wallstrom, Wallstrom, ’, Ms, Canada — Organizations: — Locations: Sweden, — Sweden, Luxembourg, France, Canada, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Netherlands

"India is important in Western calculations for balancing China, and Canada is not," said Stephanie Carvin, a professor of international relations at Ottawa's Carleton University. A free trade deal would be a "major political win" for both India and Britain, Bajpaee said. Reuters Graphics'WAITING GAME'White House national security adviser John Kirby said the United States was "deeply concerned" and encouraged Indian officials to cooperate in any investigation. Britain, the United States, Canada and others threw out more than 100 Russian diplomats to punish Moscow for an attack it has always denied carrying out. Canada has not made public the intelligence it has because there is an active murder investigation, the senior source said.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Justin Trudeau, Evan Vucci, Stephanie Carvin, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, James, Chietigj Bajpaee, Bajpaee, John Kirby, Trudeau, Kirby, Sergei Skripal, Yulia, Wesley Wark, Canada's, Richard Fadden, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren, Andrew MacAskill, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Indian, Canada, Bharat, Ottawa's Carleton University, Chatham House, Reuters Graphics, White House, Washington Post, week's, Centre for International Governance Innovation, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, CTV, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Britain, China Canada, OTTAWA, Canada, United States, China, Ottawa, Australia, New Zealand, London, England, Moscow, Waterloo , Ontario

☆ James Hoge, Who Led 2 Big City Tabloids, Dies at 87
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Clyde Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

James Hoge, who was a blue-blooded editor and publisher of blue-collar newspapers in Chicago and New York for a quarter-century and then long guided a leading journal on international relations, died on Tuesday in Manhattan. His son James Patrick Hoge confirmed the death, at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, but did not specify the cause. Mr. Hoge’s death came four weeks after that of his younger brother, Warren, a former foreign correspondent and top editor at The New York Times. Few editors at major American newspapers have been as young as Mr. Hoge was when he rose to the top at The Chicago Sun-Times, a tabloid aimed at a working-class readership. He became the city editor at age 29, editor in chief at 33 and publisher at 44.

Persons: James Hoge, James Patrick Hoge, Hoge’s, Warren, Hoge, “, ” Organizations: Presbyterian, Weill Cornell Medical Center, The New York Times, The Chicago Sun, Times Locations: Chicago, New York, Manhattan, NewYork

☆ Meet Vladimir Medinsky, Putin’s Ghostwriter - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Mikhail Zygar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Medinsky was born in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine in 1970. His father was a military man and his childhood was spent traveling across the Soviet Union, from garrison to garrison. In this peripatetic environment, according to close acquaintances, Mr. Medinsky was brought up with very conservative values and as a sincere patriot of the Soviet Union. That’s when I met Mr. Medinsky, when I was as an undergraduate at the institute in the late ’90s. man should, Mr. Medinsky adapted to the change in atmosphere, parlaying a job in the civil service into a political career.

Persons: Medinsky, —, Christopher Buckley’s, ”, Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Putin’s Organizations: Soviet Union . Education, Moscow Institute of International Relations, School of Journalism, Komsomol, Communist Party’s, Mr, Ya Corporation, Putin’s United Locations: Cherkasy, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Soviet Union, Soviet, Russia, Putin’s United Russia, Russian

He has sought to boost Brazil's cred with each state visit and speech, one multilateral forum after another. PUSHING FOR GLOBAL GOVERNANCE — BRAZIL-STYLEDuring Lula’s travels, he has pushed for global governance that gives greater heft to the Global South and advocating diminishing the dollar’s dominance in trade. After the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin's arrest, Lula said he would review Brazil's membership in the court. Some in Washington had initially hoped Lula could be helpful in advancing a shared agenda in Venezuela, Winter said. As they stood embracing, Lula remained seated while applauding a few feet away and nearly out of the camera frame.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Brazil —, —, Lula, Bolsonaro, ”, Oliver Stuenkel, Getulio Vargas, Ukraine’s, Vladimir Putin's, “, Brian Winter, Biden, Winter, ” Biden, Jake Sullivan, Narendra Modi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Cuba “, ” Lula, Nicolás Maduro, LULA, Lula isn't, Modi, Thomas Traumann, Azali Assoumani, Assoumani's, Paulo Peres, Said Peres, Eleónore Hughes, Madhani, David Biller Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, —, General, Getulio, Getulio Vargas Foundation, Global, . National, Bolsonaro, Indian, Saudi Crown, Biden, Federal University of Rio, . Security, Associated Press Locations: Brazil, United States, China, Italy, India, Argentina, Angola, Sao Paulo, — BRAZIL, Washington, Western Europe, U.S, York, Americas, New York, Ukraine, New Delhi, Cuba, Havana, Venezuela, ”, Brazilian, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a press conference at a hotel after the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, India, September 11, 2023. In part, that reflects the choppier waters the 77-year-old Brazilian leader now navigates, as Beijing and Washington flirt with a new Cold War while war rages in Ukraine. Even before he took office, Lula was greeted like a rock star last November at the U.N. climate change conference in Egypt. The closer ties to Beijing could complicate Brazil's relationship with Washington, including access to key technology, Shannon added. "Brazil is rapidly wasting its soft power by trying to be an international player with an outdated agenda," he said.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Anushree, Pope, Jair Bolsonaro's, Lula, Oliver Stuenkel, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Thomas Shannon, Porter, Shannon, Nicolas Maduro, Gabriel Boric, Rubens Barbosa, Putin, Maduro, Anthony Boadle, Brad Haynes, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United Nations General Assembly, U.S, General Assembly, Amazon, International Criminal Court, ICC, Arnold, Security, Mercosur, Venezuelan, Foreign Ministry, South, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Rights BRASILIA, Brazil, China, Beijing, Washington, Ukraine, Sao Paulo, Egypt, U.S, Rio de Janeiro, Russia, South Africa, Shannon, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Brasilia, Brazilian, London, South American

The Russian flag flying outside la Maison Russe, or the Russian House, a cultural center in Bangui. As the Kremlin tries to get its arms around Wagner’s sprawling commercial network, what’s next for the group remains unclear. Anfisa Alexandrovna Kiryanova (right) appears in the background of a photo of Prigozhin outside the Russian House last month. In three tents outside the center, Russian language classes were taking place, while Russian movies were being screened in a cinema room. “He was my friend, he was my best friend in front of all central African people,” he said of the late mercenary boss.

Persons: Central African Republic CNN —, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin’s, ” Nathalia, –, ” Dukhan, Faustin, Masked Wagner, Maison, Dmitry Syty, ”, Syty, Prigozhin, Nafisa, Anfisa Alexandrovna Kiryanova, Kiryanova, begrudgingly, Touadera, Vitali Perfilev, CNN’s, Fidèle, Gouandjika, “, Sebastian Shukla, ” Gouandjika, Putin, ’ Organizations: Central African, Central African Republic CNN, Central African Republic, Russe, Russian, Bangui . CNN, Kremlin, CNN, Wagner, European, European Union, United, Local, Sorbonne, Linguistic University, US, Russia’s Ministry of Defence, Ilyushin IL Locations: Bangui, Central, Central African Republic, la, Russian, Bangui ., Moscow, Russia, United States, Paris, Prigozhin

Rahm Emanuel, Washington's outspoken ambassador to Japan, wrote in a post on X: "1st: Defense Minister Li Shangfu hasn't been seen or heard from in 3 weeks. China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. On the trip, Wat met with China's navy commander, Dong Jun and other navy leaders, Singapore's defence ministry said on its website. Singapore's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Military observers and diplomats are closely watching whether China will go ahead with plans to hold the Beijing Xiangshan Forum - an annual international security summit normally hosted by China's defence minister - in late October.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Li, Rahm Emanuel, Washington's, Li Shangfu hasn't, Mao Ning, Qin Gang, Qin, Emanuel, Barack Obama, Matthew Miller, Sean Wat, Wat, Dong Jun, Lloyd Austin, Yew Lun Tian, Laurie Chen, Martin Pollard, Yukiko Toyoda, Xinghui, John Geddie, Neil Fullick, Lincoln, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Defence, Financial Times, U.S, Street Journal, Defense, Navy, Liberation, Rocket Force, . State Department, Reuters, Military, Beijing Xiangshan, U.S . Defence, Australian National University, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, TOKYO, U.S, Beijing, Japan, Vietnam, Tokyo, States, China, Singapore, United States, Xinghui Kok

☆ Analysis: China may not fear a closer Russia and North Korea like the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“China is too important for both North Korea and Russia, so for them it would be foolish to do something behind China’s back that it wouldn’t like,” he said. Shen Hong/Xinhua/Getty ImagesBalance of powerChina, which supported communist North Korea in the Korean War some 70 years ago, has maintained a complicated relationship with its rogue neighbor. “China would support a more capable North Korea in many respects – economically, militarily – and a North Korea that continues to serve as a troublemaker for the US,” said Li. “When you have a more assertive North Korea it will lead to some sort of incentive for the US and South Korea to seek China’s cooperation in terms of dealing with North Korea,” he said. But despite the potential gains, experts also say China is not immune to the risks that can come from a stronger Russia or a stronger North Korea.

Persons: Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, ”, Alexander Korolev, China’s, Putin, Kim, what’s, Li Mingjiang, Xi Jinping, Shen Hong, it’s, Li, ” Yun Sun, Leif, Eric Easley Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Relations, University of New, North, Vostochny, Foreign Ministry, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, “, Korean, Getty, United, US, China Program, Stimson, NATO, Ewha University Locations: China, Hong Kong, Russian, South Korea, Japan, Ukraine, United States, Europe, Moscow, Pyongyang, Russia, North Korea, Beijing, University of New South Wales, Australia, Ukraine –, Xi, Xinhua, United Nations, Korea, Washington, Sun, US, —, “ Beijing, Seoul, “

Swedbank estimates the current shortfall for Heimstaden Bostad could be roughly 30 billion crowns ($2.7 billion). Sweden's financial regulator launched an inquiry into why and how Alecta had invested $4.5 billion in the property giant, in the first place. "If interest rates continue to rise and it's coupled with unemployment, that's what we are afraid of." With interest rates still climbing, analysts such as Marcus Gustavsson of Danske Bank, believe the worst is not yet over. "With rising interest rates, that funny money has turned into real money and it is painful."

Persons: Heimstaden Bostad, Alecta, Christian Dreyer, Karolina Ekholm, Heimstaden's Dreyer, we're, Dreyer, Niklas Wykman, Heimstaden, David Perez, Marcus Gustavsson, Andreas Cervenka, Sweden, Simon Johnson, Johan Ahlander, Greta Rosen Fondahn, Chiara Elisei, John O'Donnell, Hugh Lawson Organizations: International Monetary Fund, GOVT, Sweden's, Financial, Reuters, SBB, Danske Bank, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Nordic, Stockholm, Berlin, Sweden, Heimstaden, Germany, Gdansk, London

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday he had invited the heads of Canada's five largest grocery chains, including Sobeys (EMPa.TO), Metro (MRU.TO) and Loblaw (L.TO), to Ottawa next week to discuss how they planned to control sky-rocketing food prices. Trudeau's move comes when governments across the globe, especially in Europe, have expressed concern over soaring food prices as they seek to address a cost-of-living crisis that has intensified after the pandemic subsided and since the Russia-Ukraine war began. However, after a similar move from the French government in June, analysts were skeptical about Trudeau's warning. They argued it was a "political" tactic and might be ineffective in lowering lingering food inflation. "Both PM Justin Trudeau and François-Philippe Champagne (Canada's industry minister) spoke tough about this topic and it is difficult to envision what teeth they have to hold grocers accountable," said Ben Jang, portfolio manager at Nikola Wealth.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Trudeau's, François, Philippe Champagne, Ben Jang, Michael Ashley Schulman, Allan Small, Granth Vanaik, Pooja Desai Organizations: Metro, Loblaw, Nikola Wealth, Running, Capital Advisors, iA, Wealth, Carrefour, Lipton, Nestle, PepsiCo, Unilever, Thomson Locations: Ottawa, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Bengaluru

☆ Italy poised to shake up Treasury with new unit for state-run firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The audit court on Thursday approved the decree needed to set up the unit, the sources said, despite making critical observations about some aspects of it. Giorgetti has approached former banker Marcello Sala, currently director for investor relations at the Treasury, to lead the department, they added. Under the reorganisation plan, the influential Treasury department within the ministry led by veteran economist Riccardo Barbieri would be split into two units. The Treasury will continue to supervise public debt management, macroeconomic policies, European and international relations as well as financial regulation. ($1 = 0.9323 euros)Additional reporting by Valentina Za in Milan Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sala, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgetti, Marcello Sala, Antonino Turicchi, Dario Scannapieco, Riccardo Barbieri, Valentina Za, Christina Fincher Organizations: Treasury, Economy, ITA Airways, Department, Thomson Locations: ROME, Italy, Siena, Milan

☆ Elon Musk's control of Starlink gives him unchecked power over elected governments
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Elon Musk's control over Starlink is in the spotlight after he thwarted a Ukrainian attack. "If the Ukrainian attacks had succeeded in sinking the Russian fleet, it would have been like a mini Pearl Harbor and led to a major escalation," Musk told Isaacson. (Musk later reassured a Russian ambassador that Ukraine would not be able to use Starlink for offensive operations, according to Isaacson). AdvertisementAdvertisementAs Ukrainian officials see it, sinking Russia's fleet, if that was indeed a possibility, would have prevented hundreds of missiles from raining down on the country's infrastructure, and spared civilian lives. Even if it wanted to change Musk's mind, it is not clear that it can actually compel him to do anything when it comes to Ukrainian attacks on territory controlled by Russia.

Persons: Elon, Musk, —, Walter Isaacson, Isaacson, Starlink, Biden, Pettyjohn, it's, Paul Hennessy, David Frum, George W, Bush, Nicholas Grossman, Grossman, Joe Biden, Josh Marshall, cdavis@insider.com Organizations: Service, SpaceX, Fleet, Russian, Pentagon, Ukraine, Center, New, New American Security, Defense Department, Falcon, Getty, University of Illinois, Daily, Washington, Twitter Locations: Wall, Silicon, Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine, Crimean, Russian, Sevastopol —, United States, New American, Washington, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ Ukraine just carried out the same kind of strike on Russia's navy that Elon Musk blocked, believing it could start a nuclear war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It's the same kind of strike Elon Musk sabotaged in 2022, fearing it'd cause nuclear war. What's been notably absent in the wake of Tuesday's strike is any sign of the massive escalation from Russia that Musk said he acted to prevent. AdvertisementAdvertisementAntonov, Isaacson writes, persuaded Musk that an attack on Sevastopol would trigger a nuclear response from Russia under the state's military doctrine. Russian President Vladimir Putin and top Kremlin officials have repeatedly menaced Ukraine and the West with the prospect of a nuclear attack. Yet Ukraine has continued to attack the territory, and even seized some of it back from Russia, without triggering the nuclear response Putin threatened.

Persons: Elon Musk, Elon, Walter Isaacson's, Musk, What's, Isaacson, Anatoly Antonov, it's, Anne Appelbaum, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Nicholas Grossman Organizations: Russian, Service, SpaceX, Russia, Kremlin, University of Illinois Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Russia, Sevastopol, The Atlantic

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell swore in three members of the central bank's governing board Wednesday, including Philip Jefferson as vice chair and Adriana Kugler to fill a vacant seat as the central bank's first Latina governor. As Fed governors, they will vote at the Fed's eight yearly meetings on interest rate policies as well as on changes to financial regulations. Political Cartoons View All 1157 ImagesJefferson, who first joined the board last year, was sworn in as vice chair and will therefore work closely with Powell on interest rate policy. His term as vice chair will end Sept. 7, 2027, though he can remain on the board as a governor until 2036. She was a Marshall scholar at Oxford University and holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Philip Jefferson, Adriana Kugler, Joe Biden, aren't, Kugler, Lael Brainard, Obama, Jefferson, Powell, Biden, Lisa Cook, Cook Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Latina, Georgetown University, Fed, United States ’, World Bank, Labor, Davidson College, University of Virginia, Michigan State University, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Oxford University, University of California Locations: Georgetown, United States, North Carolina, Marshall, Berkeley

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