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☆ Retail credit card interest rates reach record high
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Here’s one way to think about these kinds of high-rate burdens:Say you sign up for a retailer’s card the day you make a $1,000 purchase. Or, consider that the interest you’ll pay in that same scenario will wipe out the $200 you “saved” after just nine months of making minimum required payments. The lowest rate on a retail card that the study found was 10%, on the Amazon Secured Card. “There are narrow circumstances in which retail cards can work for you. For a loyal shopper who pays in full and avoids interest, that’s a compelling value proposition,” he said.

Persons: Bankrate, Sam, Big, you’re, Ted Rossman, ”, you’ll, “, Rossman, That’s Organizations: CNN, Academy, Nordstrom, Navy, Walgreens, QVC, Amazon, Military Star, Costco, Citi, IKEA Projekt, IKEA Visa Locations: Petco, Burlington, Banana, JCPenney, American

Even though it was operational for only about a week, the pier helped deliver some 1,000 metric tons of aid into Gaza before breaking apart. That’s well short of the military’s goal of moving 500 tons of aid per day over the pier. The risks however were deemed too great at the time, with unpredictable winter weather and heavy fighting in Gaza. “We assumed a lot of risk in using a military operation for this purpose,” a second senior administration official added. Deputy Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh emphasized that the solution to aid to Gaza remains the land crossings.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Biden, It’s, “, they’re, Christine Wormuth, JLOTS, Nikos Christodoulides, Benjamin Netanyahu, Weeks, ‘, Vedant Patel, Sabrina Singh, Max, ’, don’t Organizations: CNN, White House, US Central Command, Army, “ Army, US, Pentagon, Technologies, Maxar, Trident, US Army Central, Reuters, State Locations: Gaza, West, Israel, Rafah, Australia, Virginia, Haiti, Cyprus, France, “, Ashdod

☆ China starts military drills around Taiwan days after new president takes office
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Taiwan's new President Lai Ching-te speaks on stage during the inauguration ceremony outside the Presidential office building in Taipei, Taiwan, on May 20, 2024. China's military started two days of "punishment" drills around Taiwan on Thursday in what it said was a response to "separatist acts", just days after new Taiwan President Lai Ching-te took office and called on Beijing to cease its threats. China detests Lai, saying he is a "separatist", and it has denounced his inauguration speech on Monday. The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) said it had started joint military drills, involving the army, navy, air force and rocket force, in areas around Taiwan at 7:45 a.m. (2345 GMT). The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait, the north, south and east of Taiwan, as well as areas around the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin, the command said in a statement.

Persons: Lai Ching, China detests Lai, Wang Yi, Lai Organizations: Eastern Theatre Command, People's Liberation Army, PLA Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Beijing, China, Taiwan Strait, Kinmen

☆ Gaza floating pier: US military starts delivering aid through temporary pier
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Colin Mccullough | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza have begun moving ashore after arriving through the floating pier built by the US military, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM). Aid first arrives from abroad to Cyprus, before being brought by ship to a floating platform near the Gaza coast, then finally transported to the floating pier and loaded onto trucks to distribute on land. The new maritime corridor is coming at a critical moment – with the Rafah border closing into Gaza having been closed for more than a week, preventing aid from getting through. The Rafah crossing was the only one between Gaza and Egypt – with all other border points in the strip controlled by Israel. The US State Department warned that only 50 humanitarian aid trucks made it through to Gaza on Sunday, down from hundreds per day in previous weeks, adding that the number is “not nearly enough.”

Persons: CNN —, Brad Cooper, ” Organizations: CNN, CNN — Trucks, US Central Command, US Naval Forces Central Command, US State Department Locations: Gaza, Cyprus, Rafah, Egypt, Israel

A photo taken by Abdallah Dalee in the early hours of February 29 shows a crowd of people waiting by firelight for the aid trucks to cross into northern Gaza. Mark Regev, the Israeli prime minister’s special adviser, initially told CNN that Israeli forces had not been involved. “Most of the people that were killed were rammed by the aid trucks during the chaos and while trying to escape the Israeli gunfire,” Al Za’anoun said. The footage shows hundreds of people gathering around aid trucks on Al Rashid Street. People mourn outside Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City over one of the Palestinians killed during the aid delivery on February 29.

Persons: Abu Watfa, ” Abu Watfa, ’, ”, Al Rashid, Abdallah Dalee, firelight, Abdallah Dalee Gazan, Mark Regev, Daniel Hagari, Al Za’anoun, ” Al Za’anoun, Rashid, Belal, Robert Maher, Richard Weir, Weir, Al Jazeera, “, Abd Rabu, Hamouda Zamil, Dr, Amjad Aliwa, Georgios Petropoulos, ” Mohammed Ahmed, I’ve, ” Ahmed, Ahmed Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces ’, IDF, Montana State University, Human Rights Watch, Al, AFP, Getty, Welfare Trust, Welfare, Ummah Welfare, UN Office, Human Rights Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, Israel, Al, United States, Bolton, England, “, Al Nabulsi, Al Kuwaiti

☆ Ukraine's female soldiers are fighting on two fronts — against Russians, and sexism within their ranks
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense said last October that almost 43,000 women are currently serving in the military, a 40% increase since 2021, before Russia's full-scale invasion. Female combatants in Ukraine say the war is changing societal perceptions of a woman's strength, capabilities and worth, but change doesn't happen overnight. "At anything else, military women are no different from men ... [and] the more women there are who perform their duties well, the better the attitude towards military women becomes. Ukraine's defense ministry is also keen to highlight efforts it has made to level the playing field for female recruits. It's a far cry from 2021 when Ukrainian female troops were photographed practising for a parade wearing high heels with onlookers calling the policy sexist and idiotic.

Persons: Tsybukh, Olena Bilozerska, I'm, Bilozerska, Bilozeska, Olena, Metin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, —, It's, Drahaniuk, Yuliia Organizations: Ukrainian, Assault Brigade, Anadolu, Getty, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, CNBC, Medical Battalion, Anadolu Agency, Ukraine, Ministry of Defense Locations: Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Donbas, Ukraine's, Donetsk, Ukrainian, Lviv, Soviet, Kyiv, Yuliia

☆ Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt quietly created a company called White Stork, which plans to build AI-powered attack drones, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt has reportedly been building a startup called White Stork. AdvertisementFormer Google CEO Eric Schmidt is building a military startup called White Stork, which plans to produce AI attack drones , Forbes reported. White Stork wants to mass-produce drones that can use AI to identify targets, the new report said. The latest Forbes story also details how Schmidt has used an intricate business structure through several Limited Liability Companies. White Stork was an LLC called Swift Beat Holdings but changed its name to White Stork Group last September.

Persons: Eric Schmidt, Schmidt, —, Forbes, White Stork, Stork, Swift Organizations: Forbes, Service, Swift, Holdings, White, Group, Robotics, Google, Department of Defense's Innovation, Business

☆ Once disgraced, Indonesian ex-general tipped for presidency after makeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Kate Lamb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto gestures while attending a meeting of his Gerindra Party, in Bogor, Indonesia August 12, 2022. "We are ready to move forward for Indonesia," Prabowo told a press conference. The former special forces commander has undergone a remarkable transformation since being appointed defence minister in 2019, cultivating a persona that is more charismatic statesman than fiery, pious nationalist, analysts say. An opinion poll published by Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI) this month showed Prabowo ahead of his two opponents with 34% support. It's a change from previous campaigns where we've seen nationalist populist Prabowo, and pro-Islamist Prabowo," said Ross Tapsell, from the Australian National University.

Persons: Prabowo, Willy Kurniawan, Prabowo Subianto, Joko Widodo's, Suharto, Lembaga Survei, Ganjar Pranowo, LSI's Djayadi Hanan, Jokowi, Prabowo's, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Suharto's, Siti Hediati Hariyadi, we've, Ross Tapsell, Najwa Shihab, Shihab, Andreas Harsono, Ananda Teresia, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Indonesian Defence, Party, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, Pentagon, Australian National University ., Human Rights, Prabowo, Thomson Locations: Bogor, Indonesia, Rights JAKARTA, Jordan, United States, Papua, East Timor, Lembaga Survei Indonesia, Europe, Middle, Paris, Beijing, Indonesian, Jakarta

☆ Cheap drones and expensive missiles mean there's no more 'safe rear areas' in wartime, top NATO general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia and Ukraine have made prolific use of cheap drones and pricier cruise and ballistic missiles. One such insight has been how the proliferation of drones and long-range missiles is changing the battlefield. AP Photo/Roman Hrytsyna, FileUkraine and Russia are both using drones in a variety of roles, including surveillance and strikes. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia has also leaned heavily on long-range missiles and drones to target Ukrainian logistical nodes, command-and-control hubs, and civilian infrastructure, often far from the frontlines. For its part, Ukraine is using Western-made long-range missiles to hit Russian military targets and using drones, some of them possibly deployed on Russian territory, to hit targets deep inside Russia.

Persons: —, Johnny Stringer, you've, Stringer, Phil Speck, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: NATO, Service, AP, Royal United Services Institute's, Air, Allied Air Command, US Air National Guard, US Air Force, Combat, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins School, International Studies, Boston College Law School Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Kyiv, Russian, Wyoming

☆ Khartoum region under bombardment as Sudan's rivals talk
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KHARTOUM, May 14 (Reuters) - Shelling and air strikes pounded parts of Sudan's capital on Sunday with little sign that warring military factions were ready to back down in a conflict that has killed hundreds despite ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia. Shelling struck Bahri and air strikes hit Omdurman early on Sunday, according to a Reuters reporter and witnesses. "There were heavy air strikes near us in Saliha that shook the doors of the house," said Salma Yassin, a teacher in Omdurman. The fighting has killed hundreds of people, sent 200,000 into neighbouring countries as refugees, displaced another 700,000 inside Sudan triggering a humanitarian catastrophe and threatens to draw in outside powers and destabilise the region. The house became unsafe and we don't have enough money to travel out of Khartoum.

☆ BTS member j-hope begins process to join South Korea's military
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jeenah MoonSEOUL, Feb 27 (Reuters) - A second member of Korea's BTS - the first K-pop band nominated for a Grammy - has begun the enlistment process for mandatory military service, a management official confirmed on Monday, two months after the group's oldest member began his service. "We would like to inform our fans that j-hope has initiated the military enlistment process," the statement said. "We ask you for your continued love and support for j-hope until he completes his military service and safely returns." All able-bodied South Korean men ages 18-28 must serve in the military for about two years. South Korea's defence minister has said BTS could perform overseas while its members serve.

☆ Factbox: High-altitude spy balloons: old concept, new applications
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Using high-altitude balloons for spying and other military missions is a practice that dates to the middle of the last century. No military targets were damaged, but several civilians were killed when one of the balloons crashed in an Oregon forest. * Just after World War 2, the U.S. military started exploring the use of high-altitude spy balloons, which led to a large-scale series of missions called Project Genetrix. * Such balloons typically operate at 80,000-120,000 feet (24,000-37,000m), well above where commercial air traffic flies - airliners almost never fly higher than 40,000 feet. * The U.S. military has tracked other spy balloons in recent years, including before President Joe Biden's administration, according to a senior U.S. defense official.

Dec 8 (Reuters) - In a monastery in central Myanmar, a Buddhist monk, Wathawa, rallies his militia with a cry: "What's our spirit like?" shout a group of rifle-bearing men, loyalists of the military junta that seized power last year, now fighting to crush fledgling pro-democracy groups. Myanmar's Buddhist clergy previously sought to topple successive military dictatorships that kept citizens impoverished and isolated. Myanmar monks teach laypeople who in turn provide them with essentials such as food and clothing. State media broadcasts have shown military commanders showering Wathawa and his militia with cash and food donations.

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