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☆ These Mormon influencers turned their shocking scandal into a reality TV show. It's been good for business.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

She's also the star of a hit new reality TV series. "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," which premiered on Sept. 6, broke streaming records for Hulu, becoming its most-watched unscripted season premiere in 2024 so far. "The exposure, it's a different level," Paul says of reality TV fame. Disney/Natalie CassSubjecting yourself to reality TV editors can be risky — but if it works, it's great for businessPrior to "Mormon Wives," Neeley already had a business of her own: Babymama, a line of natal nutrition gummies. AdvertisementEven when it's chock-full of drama, the show has already been a boon for business, Neeley says.

Persons: TikToker Taylor Frankie Paul, Tate, Olivia Rodrigo's, Dakota Mortensen, She's, Paul, wrangled, swingers, sodas, Pepper, castmate, Neeley, Mortensen, Taylor Frankie Paul, Fred Hayes, —, she's, It's, Disney, Natalie Cass, it's, she'd, Whitney Leavitt, I've, Leavitt, we're Organizations: Service, Indy, Business, Hulu, Disney Locations: TikTok, Utah, New York City, New York, Salt Lake City

☆ Rare copy of US Constitution heads to auction in North Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

There are just a few creases and tiny discolorations, even though it’s just a few weeks shy of 237 years old and has spent who knows how long inside a filing cabinet in North Carolina. Auctioneer Andrew Brunk pictured with the 1787 copy of the US Constitution at Brunk Auctions in Asheville, N.C., on September 5, 2024. Two years ago, a property was being cleared out in Edenton in eastern North Carolina that was once owned by Samuel Johnston. He was the governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789 and he oversaw the state convention during his last year in office that ratified the Constitution. The document was found inside this filing cabinet in Edenton, North Carolina.

Persons: Seth Kaller, it’s, —, Charles Thomson, Andrew Brunk, Jeffrey Collins, AP Thomson, Samuel Johnston, Johnston, ”, Kaller, George Washington, Brunk Organizations: WE, Brunk, Constitutional, AP, United, New York, Continental Congress, Constitutional Convention Locations: Asheville, N.C, North Carolina, Asheville , North Carolina, United States, Edenton, Edenton , North Carolina, Independence, New, Hillsborough

☆ From 'the greatest salesman' to 'very honorable': Trump changes tack on Ukraine's president
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on during a meeting in New York on September 25, 2019, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty ImagesPresident of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, capital of Ukraine, on July 23, 2019. Trump corrected himself, MSNBC reported at the time, saying that he "likes" Zelenskyy — before returning to his critique of the Ukrainian leader. Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University on August 9, 2024 in Bozeman, Montana. Michael Ciaglo | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesReferring to the war in Ukraine, Trump concluded that he'd "settle" the crisis during his post-election presidential period.

Persons: Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, Saul Loeb, Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Hennadii, Trump, Zelenskyy, that's, Michael Ciaglo, Kamala Harris Organizations: Ukrainian, United Nations General Assembly, Afp, Getty, Green, Deal, White, Republicans, Democrats, MSNBC, Republican, Montana State University, House, Democratic, Trump, New York Times, Siena College, U.S, Democratic Party, Military Command, State Border Guard Service, Military, Anadolu Locations: New York, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, U.S, Bozeman , Montana, Volyn, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Chernihiv, Volyn Oblast

☆ New study finds invasive Jorō spiders ‘keep cool under pressure’
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

… It seems like even though their heart rate does accelerate, it’s much more even (than the other spider’s heart rates),” he added. To test the spiders’ heart rates, Davis and study coauthor Christina Vu, who was a University of Georgia undergraduate student of entomology at the time, wrangled 79 spiders from two different genera. The Jorō spiders (top left) had to be carefully restrained using pins in order to measure the arachnids' heart rates. They compared the spiders’ resting heart rates to their heart rates during restraint and found all the spiders’ heart rates increased, but the Argiope spiders, which are known to avoid urban settings, had many more spikes as they struggled to run away, according to the research. … To observe spider heart rates, they must be restrained in the first place, which causes a heart rate elevation,” he said.

Persons: I’ve, ’ ”, Andy Davis, panicking, Davis, Christina Vu, —, ” Vu, Jorōs, “, ”, Floyd Shockley, ” Shockley, Jay Stafstrom, ” Stafstrom, they’re Organizations: CNN —, University of Georgia, University of Georgia’s Odum, of Ecology, University, Georgia, Smithsonian National Museum of, Cornell University Locations: United States, Asia, Georgia, West Virginia , Tennessee, Maryland, Canada, arachnophobes, Washington , DC, Ithaca , New York

☆ Trying to Save a Concrete ‘Monument to Corruption’
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The 17-story hotel, a giant and graceless gem of socialist modernist architecture cherished by aficionados of concrete, took four years to build in the 1970s and became a proud symbol of the Soviet Union’s embrace of modernity. Wealthy tycoons have wrangled over it, shuffling ownership between opaque offshore companies, while competing groups of graffiti artists have turned its facade into a huge tableau displaying their rival loyalties. One group daubed it with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, then a group opposed to Ukraine painted a Russian military symbol. In June, a new group painted the exterior with the colors of Moldova’s flag. Prosecutors and preservationists have struggled to understand how what was once a prize piece of real estate has fallen on such hard times.

Organizations: Prosecutors Locations: Soviet, Moldova, Chisinau, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Opinion | The Founders Saw This Insane Political Moment Coming 237 Years Ago
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Stacy Schiff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To understand how we got here, it’s helpful to return to another sweltering summer, a summer when everything actually was without precedent. The 55 men who assembled in Philadelphia 237 years ago to hammer out an American Constitution differed on a great many things. Among the rare points on which most agreed was that the American people could not be trusted to choose a president for themselves. Slavery (barely discussed) and the mechanics of representation (much discussed) proved vexing. But few questions so confounded the delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention as those pertaining to the American presidency.

Locations: Philadelphia

☆ China's trade war with the US is unlikely to cool down this election year, so it's working on Europe instead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Xi is spending two days in France, meeting French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday before heading to Serbia and Hungary. "I'm calling for an 'aggiornamento' because China is now in excess capacity in many areas and exports massively to Europe," Macron told La Tribune Dimanche, per a Bloomberg translation. She said China's trade practices are leading to unfair trade that are "market-distorting" and "could lead to deindustrialization in Europe." China has pushed back on the West's claims of overcapacity, accusing the bloc of being protectionist and of trying to curb China's economic development. However, Europe — like China — isn't quite the same anymore, following years of economic malaise punctuated by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Persons: —, Janet Yellen, Olaf Scholz, Xi Jinping's, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Matt Geraci, Geraci, Ursula von der Leyen, Von, Leyen, Léonie Allard, Allard, Xi Organizations: Service, State Authority, European Union, Business, La Tribune Dimanche, Atlantic, Associated Press, European, overcapacity, Council's Locations: China, France, Serbia, Hungary, European, Germany, Europe, Beijing, Washington, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Trump trial witness David Pecker targeted by 'swatting' at his home, Reuters reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who testified at Donald Trump's criminal trial last month, was targeted in a fake emergency the same day he took the stand in New York, according to police records seen by Reuters. The previously unreported April 25 "swatting" incident, or filing of a false report to trigger a potentially dangerous response, is one in a wave of violent threats against U.S. officials and other public figures in recent years. Jamal gave the address of the crime as Pecker's home in Greenwich, Connecticut. It appeared to be the first report of a swatting attempt against someone testifying in the Republican presidential candidate's 12-day-old hush money trial. The hoax email "Jamal" sent about Pecker's home came from the address nobody@dizum.com, the Greenwich police report said, describing the email address as untraceable.

Persons: David Pecker, Donald Trump's, Stormy Daniels, Jamal, Pecker, Elkan Abramowitz Organizations: National Enquirer, Former National Enquirer, Reuters, U.S, Greenwich Police Department, Republican, Trump, Greenwich police Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, New York, Greenwich , Connecticut, Greenwich

☆ Walter Massey, a Physicist With a Higher Calling
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Katrina Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The day before Walter Massey turned 30, in 1968, the Rev. Dr. Massey, then a physicist at Argonne National Laboratory, watched the funeral on television, in tears, from his apartment in Chicago. At the time, Dr. Massey was a rising star in the study of theoretical condensed matter, how liquids and solids behave. But Dr. Massey was also a Black man born and raised in the Jim Crow South. Dr. Massey thrust himself into supporting Black students at a time when colleges around the country were adjusting to court-ordered integration.

Persons: Walter Massey, Martin Luther King Jr, Massey, Lev Landau, Jim Crow, “, ”, “ I’d, King’s Organizations: National Laboratory, National Society of Black Physicists Locations: Memphis, Chicago, America, Argonne, I’d

☆ Christopher Nolan put a bet on himself when it came to Oscar frontrunner 'Oppenheimer' and walked away with a $72m payday, says report
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. UniversalRepresentatives for Nolan and Universal did not respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular working hours. Few in Hollywood can command such lucrative first-dollar gross arrangements, although it has previously happened in a Nolan pic. Leonardo DiCaprio chose to forego his then-typical $20 million paycheck for a minimum salary and an unspecified cut of the first-dollar gross. AdvertisementPer Forbes, directors who have previously wrangled first-dollar gross arrangements include Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, and James Cameron, placing Nolan in an elite group.

Persons: —, Christopher Nolan doesn't, Oppenheimer, It's, Nolan, Christopher Nolan Nathan Congleton, Cillian Murphy, Forbes, Emma Thomas, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, James Cameron Organizations: Service, Sunday's Academy, Universal, Business, Forbes, NBC, Warner Bros Locations: American, Los Alamos, Hollywood

☆ An Epic Pilgrimage Across Three Great Religions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Aatish Taseer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +111 min

Before there was tourism, there was pilgrimage: a trip of endurance, hardship and ecstasy in celebration of one’s faith. On an epic pilgrimage of his own, one writer ventures into the heart of three great religions in Bolivia, Mongolia and Iraq. The Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala the day after Ashura. “They’re poor, but they come thousands of kilometers for the love of Imam Hussein.” PILGRIMAGE WAS A great equalizer. “Labaik ya Hussein,” came the solemn chorus of surrounding voices.

Persons: Eduardo Quintela Gonzáles, ” Quintela, JAN, “, ”, Quintela, Victor, Edith Turner, Chaucer, ferne, sondry londes, Vaishno Devi, Lyra Skinner, Lyra, Victoria Preston’s, —, Prophet Muhammad, Virgin Mary, Bath, Naipaul, Augustus, Ryan, garret, Virgin, Monica Machicao, Nicholas Casey, ” Monica, Casey, Evo Morales, sloughing, Columbus, Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Monica, glitzy cholets, Peru —, Viracocha, it’s, Pablo Quisbert, Leandro Chitarroni, Eichmann, Father Chitarroni, Father Chitarroni’s, Conquistadores ”, Fernando Cervantes, Bernabé Cobo, Quisbert, Edgar Quispe, Tatiana Huayhua, Francisco Tito Yupanqui, Mary, Yupanqui’s, su, Yupanqui, Chitarroni, she’s, Friar Abelino Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori’s, Irene, Juana, hajji, Waka, Aracely Alcón, Santiago, Alcón, ‘, don’t, ” Alcón, Tito Yupanqui, Uma Marka, Pachamama, haggard, Amaru Fiorilo Barrios, he’d, ” Fiorilo, Fiorilo, who’d, Valeria Alcón, Laureano Jose Quisbert, Elena Ticona Flores, Eduardo Quintela’s, Ensamble, pang, padre, consolations, Sincrético, El, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Axel, amauta, strode, La, Aatish Taseer, Saint Helena —, Constantine I, La Paz, Orgilbaatar Tsolmon, Orgil, Genghis Khan, Edward Gibbon, ” Orgil, Araniko’s, Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan’s, Kubla Khan, Coleridge, Kublai, Stalin, sybarite, Khamar, Dalai Lama, Lama, Christopher Kaplonski, ger, I’d, banshtai tsai, Prim, Egi, Munkhdul, Gandantegchinlen, Haidav, herder, “ Um sain, boltugai, Danzanravjaa, Zanabazar’s, Erdene, Mandakhtsog Monkhbaatar, Monkhbaatar’s, Dalai Lamas, prostrated, He’d, Zuu, she’d, Santiago de, L.K, Advani, Emperor Babur, Ram, kar sevaks, Ayodhya, Narendra Modi, Munkhbaatar Batchuluun, Henry Wallace, Franklin D, Potemkin, Munkhbaatar, Gerelmaa, Giimaa, She’d, Eduardo Quintela, Aracely, Santiago’s, Joseph Brodsky’s, Muhammad’s, Hussein, William Keo, ” Khuder, pillion, Labaik, Hussein ”, O Hussein, hearkened, Prophet, Ali —, Ali, Yazid, Imam, crackling, chickpeas, Imam Ali, Imam Hussein, Saddam Hussein, Tusi, Qasim, Imam Hussein’s, Khuder, “ Will, Najaf, prestes, — I, Yasir Yaseen, Ashura, Ali Akbar, Abbas, Ali Asghar, “ We’re, Francisco Goya’s, Hussein’s, Groom, Joseph, ” Wissam, Turfi, Saddam —, Arbaeen, Saddam, “ Imam Hussein, WE, Muhammad, Barnaby Rogerson, Prophet Muhammad ”, ” Ali, Muhammad — Muhammad, formlessness, Muqtada al, Abrams, chiding, Abu Musab Al, Zarqawi, Al Qaeda, William, “ They’re, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, flagellants, ruddy, stylishly, Hussein — shahid —, Farman Ahsan, Syed Salman Raza —, Saddam’s, ” Raza, William “, Ali Zayn al, Abidin, Labaik ya Hussein, thrall —, Lloyd, Susanne Rudolph — Organizations: CITY LA, LA, LA PAZ, Virgin, Crusaders, Dolorosa, Sun, The New York Times, Bolivian, Spain, La, Cordillera, Universidad Mayor de, Catholic, Good, La Paz, Dominican, Pakistan, Caesars, Nissan, Coke, Communists, Communism, ardor, Communist, Hyundai, flails, sacra, Apache, Mahdi Army, Al, ISIS, Karachi —, Princeton Locations: Bolivia, Mongolia, Iraq, Aatish Taseer Bolivia Mongolia Iraq, CITY LA PAZ, BOLIVIA, NAJAF, IRAQ, ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA, LA PAZ, La Paz, Bolivian, Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, New York, Christian, British, sondry, India, Delhi, Varanasi, Europe, American, Mecca, Arabia, Long, Vino Tinto, Chile, Peru, Monica, Plurinational State, Bolivia —, Americas, Spain, Columbian, Aztec Mexico, Inca Peru, Calvary Hill, Virgen del Cerro, South America, Puerto Rico, Huatajata, ”, Argentine, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Mexican, revelry, Spanish, “, morena, La, “ India, multilayered, Potosí, Argentina, Warisata, Scotch, Santiago de Compostela, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Nations, El Alto, Buenos Aires, Bombay, Tibet, Bolivia’s, Yamuna Rivers, United States, Buddhist Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian, Istanbul, Asia, Islam, China, Beijing, Dadu, Erdene Zuu, Soviet, Gobi, Los Angeles, gers, Qing China, Karnataka, Töv Province, Karakorum, Khamar, Erdene, Ukraine, Korea, Golden, Bayankhongor, Lhasa, Dalai, Inner Mongolia, Mongol, Nalaikh, Santiago, Santiago de Compostela and Canterbury, Bulgan Province, Somnath, Gujarat, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, ger, East German, Uvs Province, Pakistani, Indian, Tennessee, Najaf, Baghdad, Khuder, —, abayas, KARBALA, Kufa, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Karbala, Imam Ali, Bab, Kuwaiti, Bohras, South Asia, Tajikistan, Zaydis, Yemen, Alawites, Anatolia, Syria, Iran, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Sadr, U.S, Jordanian, Al Qaeda, Mesopotamia, Al, Multan, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan’s, Islamabad, Lahore, Kuwait, Karachi, Doha, Qatar

Some of their sharpest exchanges during the televised debate, however, came when asked to lay out their stands on abortion. Their remarks, which took place about three weeks before the Nov. 7 election, came against the backdrop of Kentucky's current abortion law, which bans the procedure except when carried out to save a pregnant woman’s life or to prevent a disabling injury. Cameron went on the attack by pointing to Beshear’s opposition to abortion restrictions passed by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature. Beshear also made another pitch for his plan for state-funded pre-K for every 4-year-old in Kentucky. Beshear criticized Cameron for supporting a Republican-backed measure to award tax credits for donations supporting private school tuition.

Persons: Andy Beshear, Daniel Cameron, Beshear, Roe, Wade, —, Cameron, Andy Beshear’s, ” Beshear, ” Cameron, he's, Cameron’s, Ford, ” Ford, Joe Biden's, “ Organizations: Republican, Northern Kentucky University, autoworkers, Plant, U.S, Supreme, GOP, Kentucky Supreme, United Auto Workers, Detroit, UAW, Ford, SK Innovation, Democratic, Washington , D.C Locations: Kentucky, Highland Heights , Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky's, South Korea, Glendale, Beshear, Washington ,

Removing a case to federal court requires persuading a judge that the actions under scrutiny were carried out by federal officers as part of their official business. Earlier this year, Mr. Trump failed in his attempt to move a New York State criminal case against him to federal court; his argument in that case was seen as particularly tenuous. Presiding over the hearing on Mr. Meadows’s motion Monday was Judge Steve C. Jones of United States District Court in Atlanta. The judge ruled that the law was clear that “state court proceedings continue” until a decision has been reached on removal. Judge Jones is an Obama appointee to the federal bench who has been moving quickly regarding the removal question.

Persons: Trump, Steve C, Jones, Judge Jones, Meadows’s, Scott McAfee, Judge McAfee, Brian Kemp, Willis, Obama Organizations: New York State, United States, Court, Fulton County Superior Court, Republican, Federalist Society Locations: New, Atlanta, Fulton, Fulton County

☆ Joseph Fiennes says playing Michael Jackson ‘was a wrong decision’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Though the project was never released, Joseph Fiennes being cast to play Michael Jackson in 2017 created a whitewashing controversy. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Fiennes addressed the backlash to his casting. Fiennes had initially defended the decision in a 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. It doesn’t negate who he was.”In a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Jackson rejected the idea of having a white actor portray him onscreen. Winfrey had asked him about reports that he wanted Pepsi to cast a white actor to play him as a child in a commercial.

Persons: Joseph Fiennes, Michael Jackson, Jackson, Marlon Brando, Brian Cox, Elizabeth Taylor, Stockard Channing, Fiennes, “, ” Fiennes, ”, ” “, “ It’s Michael, –, Oprah Winfrey, Winfrey, ” Jackson Organizations: CNN, Guardian, Hollywood, Pepsi

☆ The Latest Rift Among Ukraine’s Allies Is Whether to Send F-16s
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Lara Jakes | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A fresh push by Britain and the Netherlands to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter planes has exposed the latest fault line among Western allies who have wrangled repeatedly over sending powerful weapons of war, once again pitting a reluctant United States against some of its closest European partners. Several European allies are prepared to give their F-16s to Ukraine. But the Biden administration, which must approve any transfers of the American-made planes, remains unconvinced that Ukraine needs the expensive jets, which are a staple of many modern military arsenals. So deep is Washington’s skepticism that Kyiv’s pilots are currently not even allowed to train on the F-16s that are owned by European states, according to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity to frankly discuss the sensitive diplomatic issue. American reluctance to allow training would severely limit a proposed new European coalition to help Ukraine obtain and fly F-16s — whether in the current conflict or to protect against any future aggressions by Moscow after the West turns its focus from the 15-month war.

☆ How Anthropic cofounder and former journalist Jack Clark turned a chance meeting into an AI newsletter with over 34,000 subscribers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Jack Clark was a Bloomberg tech journalist in 2015 when he came across OpenAI for the first time. He was so inspired that he quit his job and dove into the world of AI, later cofounding Anthropic. Now, he writes Import AI, a weekly AI-focused newsletter that reaches over 34,000 subscribers. A "weird" newsletterA weekly newsletter, Import AI features detailed analyses on AI research papers, Clark's thoughts on current events, and AI-focused short fiction stories. He estimates that he's read around 4,000 research papers while writing Import AI — and more importantly, he jokes, spent over $6,000 in lattes due to his persistent habit of drinking multiple caffeinated beverages while writing each week.

☆ A 4-month old calf escaped a slaughterhouse and roamed the streets of Brooklyn. Now she'll live out her days at a sanctuary.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A cow roamed the streets of Brooklyn this week after escaping slaughter. The four-month-old calf was wrangled in by passersby after she was seen wandering around the streets of South Brooklyn Tuesday, ABC 7 reported. Skylands Animal Sanctuary And Rescue announced on Wednesday that the loose cow will officially be relocated to its facility. THE OWNERS HAVE AGREED TO LET HER COME AND LIVE OUT HER LIFE ON THE SANCTUARY," Skylands wrote in a Facebook post. Now, the four-month old calf will live out her days among fellow rescued animals and livestock.

[1/5] A man walks past a model of G20 logo outside the finance ministry in New Delhi, India, March 1, 2023. Germany responded saying it would counter Russian "propaganda" at the G20 meeting. The foreign ministers meeting comes days after a meeting of finance chiefs of G20 countries in Bengaluru that was also overshadowed by Russia's war in Ukraine. An EU source separately said the EU delegation would not support a statement at the G20 meeting if it did not include condemnation of the war. The G20 includes the wealthy G7 nations as well as Russia, China, India, Brazil, Australia and Saudi Arabia, among other nations.

[1/3] FILE PHOTO-Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a meeting with heads of foreign media outlets in Moscow, Russia, February 15, 2023. Last July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, also in Bali, after the West strongly denounced the war. The G20 bloc includes the wealthy G7 democracies, as well as Russia, China, India, Australia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia among other countries. The foreign ministers' meeting will also be watched for how tensions between Washington and Beijing play out, including over the Ukraine war. "It is unlikely that G20 foreign ministers can agree on common language suggesting ways and mechanisms to deal with the situation in Ukraine," he said.

☆ EU at odds over gas price cap as 12 countries criticise latest proposal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

EU countries are holding emergency negotiations on Saturday as they attempt to line up a deal to cap gas prices at a Dec. 13 meeting of their energy ministers - but states remain split over the plan. Twelve of the EU's 27 member states have circulated a paper demanding that the price cap be "significantly" lower than the latest compromise being negotiated by countries. EU countries have wrangled for months over whether to cap gas prices, but have so far failed to bridge the gap between their divergent views. Gas prices in Europe have soared this year after Russia slashed gas deliveries following its invasion of Ukraine, pushing up fuel costs and stoking inflation. That is lower than the 275 eur/MWh limit proposed by the |European Commission, but the 12 countries said it was still not low enough.

☆ Lawmakers Spar Over Marijuana, Energy Permits in Defense-Bill Talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Congress has passed the huge defense-policy legislation more than 60 years in a row, and it is one of the few bipartisan bills likely to be approved before the end of the year. WASHINGTON—Negotiations over a defense-policy bill bogged down Tuesday as Congressional leaders wrangled over provisions unrelated to the military, including proposals to overhaul energy permitting and enable banks to do business with marijuana companies. The National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, is an annual must-pass bill that approves pay raises to U.S. military service members and Defense Department workers, and budgets for the purchase of new aircraft, ships and vehicles for combat.

The G7 and Australia said in a statement the price cap would take effect on Dec. 5 or very soon thereafter. "The Price Cap Coalition may also consider further action to ensure the effectiveness of the price cap," the statement read. The G7 price cap will allow non-EU countries to continue importing seaborne Russian crude oil, but it will prohibit shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling cargoes of Russian crude around the globe, unless it is sold for less than the price cap. Because the most important shipping and insurance firms are based in G7 countries, the price cap would make it very difficult for Moscow to sell its oil for a higher price. The initial G7 proposal last week was for a price cap of $65-$70 per barrel with no adjustment mechanism.

Polish Ambassador to the EU Andrzej Sados on Friday told reporters Poland had backed the EU deal, which included a mechanism to keep the oil price cap at least 5% below the market rate. A spokesperson for the Czech Republic, which holds the rotating EU presidency and oversees EU countries' negotiations, said it had launched the written procedure for all 27 EU countries to formally greenlight the deal, following Poland's approval. The G7 price cap will allow non-EU countries to continue importing seaborne Russian crude oil, but it will prohibit shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling cargoes of Russian crude around the globe, unless it is sold for less than the price cap. The White House on Friday welcomed news that the EU was "coming together" on the oil price cap and said it should limit Russian revenues. The initial G7 proposal last week was for a price cap of $65-$70 per barrel with no adjustment mechanism.

☆ Holdout Poland approves EU's $60 Russian oil price cap, with adjustment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Jan Strupczewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sados said the mechanism in the final deal would keep the price cap at least 5% below the market rate. The G7 price cap will allow non-EU countries to continue importing seaborne Russian crude oil, but it will prohibit shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling cargoes of Russian crude around the globe, unless it is sold for less than the price cap. Because the world's key shipping and insurance firms are based in G7 countries, the price cap would make it very difficult for Moscow to sell its oil for a higher price. The initial G7 proposal last week was for a price cap of $65-$70 per barrel with no adjustment mechanism. The document also said a 45-day "transitional period" would apply to vessels carrying Russian crude that was loaded before Dec. 5 and unloaded at its final destination by Jan. 19, 2023.

Those pledges include making steep cuts in climate-warming emissions within this decade and contributing to hundreds of billions of dollars needed each year by developing nations already struggling to cope with the impacts of climate change. That could also complicate the talks among government ministers on the so-called cover decisions - which make up the core political deal from the two-week summit. "We haven't seen huge solidarity between the developed and developing countries" but instead "disappointing commitments and action this year, which has dented trust." Developing nations have demanded that COP27 agree to launch a special fund to address loss and damage. The United States and other rich nations are wary of this idea, saying these rapid funds are better channeled through existing programs.

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