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☆ Zimbabwe to cull 200 elephants to feed citizens left hungry by drought
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Zimbabwe has authorized a mass slaughter of elephants to feed citizens left hungry by its worst drought in decades. With nearly half of the country’s population facing the risk of acute hunger, “we are targeting to cull 200 elephants,” Tinashe Farawo, a spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority, told CNN on Monday. The move follows a decision in Namibia to cull elephants and other wild animals to relieve food insecurity fueled by a prolonged drought. Zimbabwe is home to more than 84,000 elephants, Farawo said, around double its “capacity of 45,000,” he added. At least 31 people have died in Zimbabwe this year as a result of conflict between humans and wildlife, local media reported.

Persons: Tinashe, Farawo, Sithembiso Nyoni, ” Nyoni, El Niño, ”, ” Farai Maguwu, Keith Lindsay, —, CNN’s Laura Paddison Organizations: CNN, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority, Botswana’s, Zim Parks, Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry, Tourism, for Natural Resource Locations: Namibia, Zimbabwe, ”, Africa

☆ Russian former deputy minister 'stole' a 3-bedroom apartment in Moscow with false documents, investigators say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Pavel Baryshev, a deputy minister in the Russian government, is under investigation for "large-scale fraud." Baryshev is accused of using forged documents to acquire a three-bedroom apartment in Moscow. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! AdvertisementA former deputy minister in Russia is being investigated on suspicion of forging documents to secure a three-bedroom apartment in Moscow, the country's federal investigative committee said. Pavel Baryshev, who was deputy minister for natural resources, is accused of "fraud on an especially large scale," the Investigative Committee said in a Telegram post on Thursday.

Persons: Pavel Baryshev, Baryshev, — Organizations: Investigators, Service, Business Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia

☆ Aidan Gomez helped invent the transformer at Google. At Cohere, he's now taking AI to businesses
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Katie Tarasov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Cohere makes generative AI models that can be used by companies, in contrast to consumer-facing products like OpenAI 's ChatGPT. In June 2023, Cohere raised $270 million at a $2.2 billion valuation, from investors including Salesforce and Oracle. When asked about specific use cases where generative AI can benefit a company's bottom line, Gomez cited a model Cohere built to help an insurer. "I never thought that an insurance company for natural resource projects would be adopting large language models," he said. Watch the video to hear the full conversation between CNBC's Steve Kovach and Aidan Gomez.

Persons: Gomez, Aidan Gomez, Cohere, there's, CNBC's Steve Kovach Organizations: University of Toronto, Google, Nvidia, CNBC, MIT, Harvard, Salesforce, Oracle, White, actuaries

☆ Putin vows trade and security tie-ups with North Korea beyond the West's reach
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Anton Vaganov | ReutersVladimir Putin promised to build trade and security systems with North Korea that are not controlled by the West and pledged his unwavering support in a letter published by North Korean state media on Tuesday ahead of his planned visit to the country. The article was published a day after the two countries announced that Putin would visit North Korea for the first time in 24 years for two days starting on Tuesday. Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said Russia and North Korea may sign a partnership agreement during the visit that would include security issues. Ahead of the visit North Korea appears to have been making preparations for a possible military parade in downtown Pyongyang, commercial satellite imagery showed. He said the United States had seen Putin "get incredibly desperate over the past few months" and look to Iran and North Korea to make up for equipment lost on the battlefield.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Anton Vaganov, Reuters Vladimir Putin, Sinmun, Putin, Yuri Ushakov, Andrei Belousov, Sergei Lavrov, Alexander Novak, Matthew Miller, Victor Cha Organizations: St ., Economic, Reuters, West, North, Workers, Party, Russia, Russian, Interfax, U.S . State Department, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: St, St . Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Russia, North Korea, North Korean, North Korea's, Eurasia, Ukraine, Pyongyang, Korea, United States, Iran, Moscow, U.S

☆ The US Army has its eyes on the Arctic and is readying soldiers for the cold, unforgiving wastes that could be their next battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementThe two-week JPMRC Alaska training exercise involved over 8,000 troops from the 11th Airborne Division, as well as international allies and partners. Brandon VasquezBack in 2021, the US Army released its new strategy on regaining Arctic dominance, leading to the reorganization of its Alaskan forces and priorities. AdvertisementAll Arctic nations are keeping an eye on what could be seen as increased access to energy, minerals, and resources in the Arctic. AdvertisementU.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 11th Airborne Division patrol on snow machines during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-02 exercise at Donnelly Training Area, Alaska, Feb. 17, 2024. For that reason, the Army appears to be encouraging its Arctic soldiers to be creative and able to adapt to whatever conditions or situations they might encounter.

Persons: —, Col, Sean Lucas, JPMRC, Brandon Vasquez, Spc.Wyatt Moore, Abreanna Goodrich, China —, I've, Zachary Burns, Sammantha Ohm, Joseph Gaskin Organizations: US, Army, Service, US Army Pacific's, Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, Business, 11th Airborne Division, U.S ., 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Airborne Division, Pacific Multinational Readiness, U.S, US Army, U.S . Army, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne, Donnelly Training, Public Affairs Detachment, National Intelligence, Spc, Department of Defense, Army Spc, 5th Squadron, 1st Calvary Regiment, Delta Co Locations: Russia, China, Fairbanks , Alaska, Alaska, Hawaii, U.S, Utqiagvik, Soviet Union, Canada, Denmark, Russian, JPMRC

☆ Pacific Islands lash out at COP28 presidency: ‘We weren't in the room’ when deal was announced
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-13 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Anne Rasmussen, the lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), told the COP28 Presidency in a closing statement: "We are a little confused about what just happened." "It seems that you gavelled the decisions, and the small island developing states were not in the room. Participants attend a presentation at the Moana Blue Pacific pavilion of Pacific islands prior to the opening ceremony of the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference at Expo City Dubai on November 30, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesFor Pacific Island nations, however, and many other island and low-lying coastal states vulnerable to rising sea levels, the deal falls severely short. For the Pacific Islands, climate change poses an existential threat.

Persons: Michael Runkel, Tina Stege, Anne Rasmussen, Sean Gallup, Brianna Fruean, we've, Fruean, weren't, Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster Organizations: Getty Images, United Arab Emirates — Representatives, Pacific, United Arab, Marshall, Alliance of Small, States, UAE, Expo City, Getty, Big Oil, Pacific Climate Warriors, CNBC, UNITED, Natural Resources, United Arab Emirates Locations: Ouvea, New Caledonia, Getty Images DUBAI, United Arab, United Arab Emirates, Pacific, Expo City Dubai, Dubai, Paris, DUBAI, EMIRATES, Samoa, States

☆ Julie Steinberg — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Julie Steinberg | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Julie SteinbergJulie Steinberg is the global metals and mining reporter at The Wall Street Journal. Based in London, she writes about miners of all sizes, the race for natural resources and the energy transition. She previously covered large investors, M&A and banks for the Journal in London, Hong Kong and New York. She earlier reported for FINS.com, the finance career website from The Wall Street Journal. Born in Winnipeg, Canada and raised in South Florida, Steinberg graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.

Persons: Julie Steinberg Julie Steinberg, Steinberg Organizations: Wall Street, Journal, Greensill, FINS.com, University of Pennsylvania Locations: London, London , Hong Kong and New York, Winnipeg, Canada, South Florida

☆ China is drilling some of the world’s deepest holes in hunt for natural resources
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The hole will eventually reach 10,520 meters (34,514 feet) into the ground at the Sichuan Basin in southwest China, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. The region is a major area for gas production and engineers expected to find a natural gas reserve there, the report said. These ultradeep holes stretch greater than Mount Everest measuring from top to bottom, which is about 8,800 meters (28,871 feet) tall. Drilling deep allows scientists to learn more about how the Earth was formed with the crust acting like a geological timeline of or world’s formation. China, the world’s second largest economy and the world’s biggest carbon emitter, has huge energy needs.

Persons: Chen Lili, ”, Xi Jinping, John Kerry, Xi, – Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Xinhua, China National Petroleum Corporation, Sinopec Corp, Reuters, Kerry Locations: Hong Kong, Sichuan, China, Tarim, China’s, Xinjiang, Russia, Soviet, Xinhua, Beijing

☆ Record heat meets record wildfires in Canada, and scientists say this is the new reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

"This is the new reality, not the new normal, because we're on a downward spiral," Flannigan told CNBC. "The current wildfire season in Canada has been astounding and record breaking," Dahl told CNBC. "I'm not sure where we're going to end up with this because it keeps keeps on burning," Flannigan told CNBC. "The warmer it gets, the atmosphere gets more efficient at sucking the moisture out of the fuels," Flannigan told CNBC. For example, the mountain pine beetle is killing trees and turning them into fuel for wildfires, Burch told CNBC.

Persons: Kristina Dahl, Michael Flannigan, it's, Flannigan, Dahl, We're, I'm, Hope, we've, I've, Sarah Burch, Burch, David Dee Delgado, It's, You've, we're Organizations: BC, Service, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Union of Concerned, CNBC, Thompson Rivers University British Columbia, Natural Resources, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Fort, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Canadian Forest Service, University of Waterloo, Waterloo Climate Institute Locations: Lake, British Columbia, Canada, Natural Resources Canada, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Maine, Northwest Territories, North America, Alberta, Waterloo, New York City, United States

The drain in hard currency sparked panic earlier in the year, with Bolivians forming lines outside banks to withdraw dollars. Bond yields spiked sharply and in May the government was forced to sell half of its $2.6 billion gold reserves to raise cash. A major drought in Argentina has hammered grains output and reserves, imperiling a $44 billion debt deal with the International Monetary Fund. "The model is now shifting towards a very big state, a tax-and-spend approach," he said. "It has calmed people a bit... but that amount (gained from the gold reserves sale), $1.3 billion, is not enough for Bolivia," said local financial analyst Jaime Dunn.

Persons: Read, LA, Evo Morales, Jose Gabriel Espinoza, Marcelo Montenegro, Alberto Ramos, Goldman Sachs, spender, Jaime Dunn, Reuters Graphics Espinoza, Morales, Raúl Cortés Fernández, Daniel Ramos, Adam Jourdan, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Departmental Association of Coca Producers, LA PAZ, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, Bolivian, Graphics, Banco, Reuters Graphics, MAS, Thomson Locations: La Paz, Bolivia, Bolivian, America, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Colombia

☆ What’s a President to Do When a Nation’s Capital Is Sinking? Move It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hannah Beech | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +38 min

A new capital city for a place with such disparities and diversity presents both a challenge and a chance for reinvention. Moving the Seat of Power From Java to Borneo Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, will be about 800 miles from the current capital, Jakarta. It cannot be overnight, it’s not like Aladdin comes with his genie,” said Bambang Susantono, the head of the Nusantara Capital City Authority. We have to prove that this will be a self-propelling city.” — Bambang Susantono, head of the Nusantara Capital City AuthorityCritics of I.K.N. Indonesia’s capital city faces sinking land and rising seas.

Russia has 110 official billionaires in the list, up 22 from last year, according to Forbes' Russian edition, which said their total wealth increased to $505 billion from $353 billion when the 2022 list was announced. "Last year's rating results were also influenced by apocalyptic predictions about the Russian economy," Forbes said, adding that the total wealth of Russia's billionaires was $606 billion in 2021, before the war began. The price of Urals oil, the lifeblood of the Russian economy, averaged $76.09 per barrel in 2022, up from $69 in 2021. Many Russian billionaires cast Western sanctions as a clumsy, and even racist, tool. New Russian names in the Forbes list include billionaires who made their money in snacks, supermarkets, chemicals, building and pharmaceuticals, indicating that Russian domestic demand has remained strong despite the sanctions.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Moscow expels German diplomats
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 22 (Reuters) - Russia said it was expelling a number of German diplomats in a tit-for-tat move. Germany did not immediately confirm any expulsions of its own, but said the arrival of a Russian government plane in Berlin was connected to the issue. Russia's RIA Novosti news agency said Germany had decided to expel more than 20 Russians. TANKS, BATTLE* Russia's Defence Ministry said Russian forces had captured three more blocks in the western part of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. * The U.S. said on Friday it would soon start training Ukrainian troops to use its Abrams tanks as Germany announced a deal to establish a hub in Poland to repair German Leopard tanks deployed in Ukraine.

Ohio sued rail company Norfolk Southern over the derailment of a train carrying toxic materials in the town of East Palestine last month, the state's attorney general announced Tuesday. The state is seeking damages, civil penalties and a "declaratory judgement that Norfolk Southern is responsible," he said. "This derailment was entirely avoidable," Yost said, adding that Norfolk Southern has seen an 80% increase in accidents over the past decade. According to the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the derailment is one of a "long string" of Norfolk Southern derailments and hazmat incidents. Since 2015, at least 20 Norfolk Southern derailments involved chemical discharge, the state claims.

☆ Is the U.S. falling behind China in Africa’s lithium industry?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Sydney Boyo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The demand for lithium is rising as it has become a critical component needed in electric vehicle batteries. Zimbabwe has been mining lithium for 60 years and the government estimates that its Chinese-owned Bikita Minerals Mine, which is located 300 kilometers south of the capital Harare, has about 11 million metric tons of lithium resources. In December 2022, Zimbabwe passed the Base Mineral Export Control Act that banned the export of raw lithium. That includes Chinese firms Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt , Sinomine Resource Group and Chengxin Lithium Group which have invested $678 million into lithium projects in Zimbabwe. Both the Bikita mine, which is the largest lithium mine in the country, and the Arcadia Lithium mine are Chinese owned.

☆ Big opportunity for Japan and India to collaborate on carbon neutrality: Japanese government body
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | 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 EmailBig opportunity for Japan and India to collaborate on carbon neutrality: Japanese government bodyRyo Minami, director-general for International Policy on Carbon Neutrality at Japan's Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, says Japan has "good cooperation" with the United States, Europe and Asia.

☆ Goldman Sachs' commodities team reportedly raked in $3 billion in 2022, with wild swings fueling one of its best years ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Goldman Sachs' commodities traders pulled in $3 billion in revenue in 2022, Bloomberg reported Thursday, marking a near-record performance. Traders profited from big prices swings for energy, metals and other natural resources after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. The investment bank posted financial results last month but doesn't break out revenue and profit generated at the commodities desk. For total trading in fixed income, currencies and commodities, revenue jumped 38% to $14.68 billion. Sources told Bloomberg that commodities trading alone brought in over $3 billion, well above revenue of about $2 billion in the prior two years and approaching the high of $3.4 billion in 2009.

☆ A fire at a Wisconsin dairy factory melted butter and clogged up a canal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A fire at a Wisconsin dairy factory caused melted butter to run into a nearby canal. A hazmat team tried to stop the butter flowing into the canal with absorbent material and booms. Nevertheless, the melted butter escaped from the factory into the adjacent canal. The fire department said that Wisconsin's Department for Natural Resources was due to assess damage to the canal and storm drains on Wednesday. The Portage canal is an historic site, with references to its use by Indigenous Americans, and early French explorers and fur trappers as early as 1640.

☆ Explainer: How will Japan resolve shipping insurance for Russian LNG imports?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Yuka Obayashi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Japan's Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Sompo Japan Insurance and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance told shipowners last week that from Jan. 1 they would stop offering insurance coverage for ship damage caused by war in Russian waters, because reinsurers were withdrawing coverage. Japan receives 9% of its imported LNG from Sakhalin-2, which is owned by Gazprom (GAZP.MM) and Japanese trading houses. Loss of supply from Sakhalin-2 could send Japanese power and gas utilities such as JERA and Tokyo Gas Co Ltd (9531.T) scrambling for alternatives. It has had to persuade G7 partners to give it leeway so it could keep importing Russian LNG, and after the Russian government decided in June to seize control of Sakhalin-2, Japanese trading houses had to agree to remain as shareholders of the new Russian operator. read more"The top priority now is to secure marine war insurance," a senior official at the industry ministry said.

☆ Japan govt asks insurers to retain marine war insurance for LNG shippers in Russian waters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, Dec 27 (Reuters) - The Japanese government has requested insures to take on additional risks to continue providing marine war insurance for liquefied natural gas (LNG) shippers in Russian waters, a senior official at the industry ministry said. The Financial Services Agency and Agency for Natural Resources and Energy made the request in a letter to the country's general insurance association. Tokyo wants to ensure Japan will continue to import LNG from the Sakhalin-2 project in Russia, the official told Reuters. Three Japanese insurance companies that are set to halt marine coverage of risks related to the war in Ukraine starting next month are in talks with reinsurers to resume those operations, they said on Monday. read moreReporting by Yuka Obayashi Editing by Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

While indigenous groups account for about 5% of the world's population, their lands safeguard about 80% of Earth's remaining plant and animal species, according to the World Bank. Indigenous groups have a range of concerns about the U.N. summit negotiations. Some critics worry that the 30-by-30 target could be used to erode indigenous rights under the guise of conservation. Others, like Tuxa of Brazil and Ngomo of Congo argue that a 30% conservation target does not go far enough to ensure nature's protection. Adopting a 30% target at the national level could backfire, Tuxa said, in suggesting Brazil can open more land to development.

☆ China poses increasing threat in military space race, top U.S. general says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Long March-7 Y3 carrier rocket carrying the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on May 29, 2021 in Wenchang, Hainan Province of China. Rapid advancements in China's military capabilities pose increasing risks to American supremacy in outer space, the head of the United States military's space wing said on Monday. Nina Armagno, director of staff of the U.S. Space Force, said Beijing had made significant progress in developing military space technology, including in areas such as satellite communications and re-useable spacecraft, which allow countries to rapidly scale up their space programs. Along with Russia, China has also conducted "reckless" missile tests that have created dangerous amounts of space debris in recent years, Armagno said. "These debris fields threatened all of our systems in space, and these systems are vital to all nations' security, economic and scientific interests," she said.

☆ Thirteen years later, 'Avatar' to return with a focus on family
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Lisa Keddie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

James Cameron's "Avatar: The Way of Water" is scheduled to reach theaters in December. The first "Avatar" movie focused on a battle for natural resources between human colonists and the blue Na'vi people on a moon called Pandora. "We now have a family and to be honest, to me, the movie is about protecting your family." It could be a communal family, the family that we choose," he added. "He's a man that cares about the story he's telling and has dedicated a great portion of his life to telling, sharing this with the world," Worthington said.

☆ Trump claimed that the California wildfires were fueled by trees that 'explode'
▼ + stars: | 2020-09-15 | by ( Kelly Mclaughlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Donald Trump said during a briefing on Monday that "explosive trees" may have helped fuel the record-breaking wildfires. Trump has argued that wildfires could be eliminated if forests were cleaned of dead trees, leaves, and debris. AdvertisementPresident Donald Trump said during a briefing on Monday that "explosive" trees helped fuel California's record-breaking wildfires. He claimed that dry trees can "just explode" — part of a longtime argument he's made that wildfires could be eliminated if forests were cleared of dead trees and debris. With — as they say — more explosive trees than we have in California."

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, —, he's, we're, Wade Crowfoot, Chris Field Organizations: Service, Fox, Trump, Stanford Woods Institute for, Associated Press Locations: Europe, California, West Coast, Washington

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