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China, the world's top oil importer, has continued buying Russian oil despite Western sanctions, after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping launched what they called a no-limit partnership before the war in Ukraine. The sources said a fifth supertanker, or very large crude carrier (VLCC), was shipping crude to India, which like China has continued buying Russian oil sold at a discount as many Western buyers turn to other suppliers. All five shipments were scheduled between Dec. 22 and Jan. 23, according to the sources and Eikon ship tracking data. The G7 price cap introduced in December allows countries outside the European Union to import seaborne Russian oil but it prohibits shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling Russian crude cargoes unless sold for below the $60 cap. Industry sources say Indian refiners are securing a discount of $15-$20 per barrel on Russian oil on a delivered basis compared to Brent.

☆ China's navy is showing off a huge new ship designed to carry other warships around
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Liu Zhen | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Yinmahu is a semi-submersible heavy-lift ship that could ferry equipment and damaged ships. Chinese state TV recently showed the ship doing various maneuvres but didn't reveal its specifications. Footage showed the Yinmahu's departure, submerging, ship loading, lifting and transporting. The Chinese navy's first heavy-lift vessel, the Donghaidao (hull number 868) is known to have entered service in 2015. The semi-submersible heavy-lift ship can carry vessels over 100,000 tonnes.

☆ Airlines can price climate change into your plane ticket. There are reasons to not buy it
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Trevor Laurence Jockims | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

United Airlines , for example, has committed to net zero carbon by 2050 without any contribution from traditional carbon offsets. Southwest Airlines ' "Wanna offset carbon?" Consumer psychology and the environmentIt's not just about the dollar amount of the carbon offset purchase in the consumer psychology. If airline travelers want to stay environmentally conscious without paying carbon offset fees, Keyes recommends choosing cheaper airlines when traveling. "It's true that we all have a part to play in reducing carbon emissions.

☆ 11 ancient sites that are mysteriously aligned with the sun on the winter solstice, in photos.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Archaeologists have found many ancient sites that line up with the winter solstice sun. Here are 11 sites that line up with the winter solstice, and what experts think about them. Newgrange, County Meath, IrelandPeople celebrating the sunrise at Newgrange on the morning of the winter solstice in 2018. ShutterstockOne of the most famous examples of ancient architecture lining up with the winter solstice is in Machu Picchu, Peru. "From the winter solstice the days are longer, which was a metaphor of the rebirth of the deceased," he said.

☆ Ukraine-Russia war sees U.S. mull Patriot missile defense battery for Kyiv. It's not enough.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Pavel K. Baev | Pavel K. Baev Is A Research Professor At The Peace Research Institute Oslo | Prio | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

The feeble Russian response to Ukraine’s recent drone attacks suggests the West has room to maneuver. The drone attacks also point to how the West can do more to turn the tide of war in Ukraine’s favor. But the Patriot deployment would take months even in the best circumstances, and the war gives no respite. And the feeble Russian response to Ukraine’s recent drone attacks suggests the West has room to maneuver. A U.S. Army Patriot Missile System operates at a joint exercise with NATO allied and partner forces, in Zadar, Croatia, on May 17, 2021.

☆ A 'California girl' settled down in a remote Canadian city with her husband. They were finally able to buy a home and have a slice of the American dream.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Bill Murphy Jr. | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Erin Ventura had no intention of leaving Los Angeles — until she met her Canadian husband, Justin Chiang. Erin Ventura grew up in Los Angeles, and she describes herself as "a California girl" through and through. But since Chiang was a Canadian citizen and Ventura was American, they had to choose which country to live in. Ventura said her husband was making a bit over 60,000 Canadian dollars a year playing in the military band. But I think in this case it's more of a 'big city, small city' kind of thing.

☆ Denmark's new 'energy islands' could revolutionize Europe's power systems
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Freya Graham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Denmark's energy islands will be a hub for transmitting wind-generated electricity and producing green hydrogen. Denmark is building two energy islands that could accelerate Europe's green transition. What's different about the energy islands, though, is the way that they will convert and transmit the electricity that they produce. It also means that the energy islands will be able to connect with more than one country and energy market at a time. "The world is going to build a lot of energy islands," he said.

☆ Imperious Brazil smash Koreans 4-1 to reach quarters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Ossian Shine | Nelson Acosta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

EFFERVESCENT IN ATTACKIf the Koreans were winded by that early blow, worse was to come. Five minutes later Richarlison was hauled down in the penalty box and the referee instantly pointed to the spot. Brazil were effervescent in attack and organised in defence, restricting the South Koreans to long shots. Brazil had too much quality up front, and were being given far too much space. That Brazil went in only 4-0 up was as much to do with their profligacy as anything the Koreans could muster in terms of defence.

Each new B-21 is pegged at roughly $729.25 million, and the U.S. Air Force expects to procure at least 100 of them. Factoring in inflation, it’s half the price of the exorbitantly expensive B-2 stealth bomber it’s meant to replace. Factoring in inflation, it’s half the price of the exorbitantly expensive B-2 stealth bomber it’s meant to replace. (China’s military grasps the benefit of long-range stealth bombers in the Pacific context and is developing its own Raider-like stealth bomber intended to expand its strike range.) That isn’t to say the Raider program should be written a blank check.

☆ Tornadoes reported as storms cause flooding, damage across the South
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The National Weather Service confirmed that tornadoes hit the ground in Mississippi on Tuesday evening and Alabama was in the forecast path of the storms during the overnight hours. The national Storm Prediction Center said in its storm outlook that affected cities could include New Orleans; Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee; and Birmingham, Alabama. Additional reports of property damage near Columbus were received by the Weather Service, according to Lance Perrilloux, a forecaster with the agency. Craig Ceecee, a meteorologist at Mississippi State University, peered out at “incredibly black” skies through the door of a tornado shelter in Starkville. The National Weather Service reported nearly 4 inches of snow on the ground at the airport by noon.

☆ America may dodge a crippling rail strike. Here’s how we got here
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The House approved two pieces of legislation Wednesday, one to impose the tentative agreements that members of four of the unions have already rejected, keeping 115,000 rail workers on the job and averting a strike. More than just sick daysThe fact that this is still an issue more than two months after an 11th-hour tentative deal was reached goes beyond the issue of paid sick days. All 12 rail unions agreed to the tentative deals that generated so much opposition. But he said the issue of sick days will not be going away. Senator Bernie Sanders, a close ally of the labor movement, tweeted “At a time of record profits in the rail industry, it’s unacceptable that rail workers have ZERO guaranteed paid sick days.

☆ Transformers, air defences needed, Ukraine tells visiting ministers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Foreign ministers of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, Lithuania's Gabrielius Landsbergis, Iceland's Thordis Gylfadottir and Sweden's Tobias Billstrom attend a joint news conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/PoolKYIV, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told a gathering of seven Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers on Monday that his country needed transformers and improved air defences to stave off Russian air strikes on energy infrastructure. Kuleba was flanked by officials from Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden ahead of a meeting of NATO military alliance foreign ministers in Bucharest on Tuesday and Wednesday. And we need air defence that will allow us to shoot down Russian missiles targeting our infrastructure." The ministers issued a joint statement after their talks calling for efforts to improve Ukrainian air defences.

Over the next six years, each of the other members of my family would leave. I entered the diner having functioned as an only child for nearly 50 years. As the youngest in my family of five, I looked up to my oldest brother as little sisters often do. I entered the diner having functioned as an only child for nearly 50 years. This was no Hollywood family reunion, but I sensed that his validation of my perspective would lessen my internal demons.

And a freight rail strike could cost the US economy $1 billion in its first week alone, according to a new analysis from the Anderson Economic Group. But that’s nothing compared to what would happen with a prolonged rail strike. CommutingOnly the nation’s freight rail lines face a pending strike, but commuters would likely be affected, too. Many commuter trains travel on tracks maintained and operated by the freight railroads and passenger railroads expect they’ll have to shut down their operations once the freight strike starts. Many commuter railroads also move over freight rail lines and could not operate if a strike was called.

☆ The world can harness trade to save the planet
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

But the right trade policies can also do a lot to save the planet. The first step is to have even-handed carbon tariffs. The World Trade Organization is worried that imposing carbon tariffs in an uncoordinated way could damage global trade and is working on a framework to avoid this. Global trade is struggling following the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and tension between China and America. By COP28, they and other countries should drive forward trade policies to save the planet.

"This is the highest preterm birth rate that we've ever recorded," said Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, deputy chief medical and health officer for the March of Dimes. Alabama, with a preterm birth rate of 13.1%, is one of the worst ranked states in the country. Wingate has been charged with improving the state's preterm birth rate by improving maternal and fetal health. All had preterm birth rates of at least 11.5%. Only Vermont, with a preterm birth rate of less than 8.1%, scored an A on the March of Dimes report card.

☆ Chinese military scientists simulated a nuclear blast in space to knock out satellite networks like Starlink
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Stephen Chen | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Chinese scientists conducted a computer experiment of a nuclear blast in space. This could render nuclear weapons ineffective and too dangerous for an anti-satellite mission. Chinese military researchers worry that these satellites could provide communication services to rivals or slam into China's space station or satellites, acting as "suicide agents" to disable Chinese space infrastructure during a war. Some Chinese researchers have therefore proposed hitting a few carefully selected targets that could produce a small amount of space debris. "Whether it is legal to use nuclear weapons as a defence measure against a hypersonic weapon attack remains a subject of debate in the research community," he added.

☆ U.S. tech giants face pressure from Europe's telcos to pay for building the internet
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Michael Bocchieri | Getty ImagesIn Europe, the battle between U.S. Big Tech companies and telecommunications firms has reached fever pitch. In May 2022, EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said she would look into requiring Big Tech firms to pay for network costs. In South Korea, companies have similarly lobbied politicians to force "over-the-top" players like YouTube and Netflix to pay for network access. Tech companies, naturally, don't think they should pay for the privilege of sending their traffic to consumers. There's also the matter of why internet users pay their providers in the first place.

☆ Atlassian's work-from-anywhere policy helped my spouse and I ditch long-distance and finally be together. Here's why I think more companies need to do the same
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

She spoke with Insider about relocating under Atlassian's remote work policy, called Team Anywhere, that was implemented in 2020. She shared her experience and why she feels the company's approach to remote work has been working. AtlassianAtlassian's remote work policy works because of its online culture and management's transparency about the processAtlassian has a Slack culture that is just so vibrant, which is probably unique from a lot of other companies. Sometimes, we start fun conversations like "use one gif to describe your weekend," that really help in a remote environment. Atlassian's remote work policy allows for extended travel while workingAnother benefit we've gotten is freedom to travel and work remotely.

"East of Suez is sending everything they can ship... it's just a question of how much China exports in November," a Europe-based trader said. Exports from India and the Middle East for October to northwest Europe were at around 480,000 tonnes and 834,000 tonnes respectively, compared with 361,000 tonnes and 511,310 tonnes a month ago, the data showed. The trader estimated that Europe may import about 3 million tonnes (750,000-850,000 barrels per day) from east of Suez in November, of which the Middle East could account for two-third of the volume. Traders expect the bulk of supplies to Europe to come from India and the Middle East, on shorter shipping times. Already soaring diesel prices in the United States have led traders to divert several cargoes heading from the Middle East to Europe to the New York harbour area, further constraining supplies in Europe.

☆ That nondescript building on the side of the highway is the newest gold mine Wall Street is trying to tap
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But first, inside the latest Wall Street investment trend that's offering double-digit returns. Meet Wall Street's newest gold mine. So why should you care about Wall Street's sudden interest in warehouses? To read more about Wall Street's appetite for warehouses, check out the full story here. PE firms have started buying up stakes in law firms.

☆ Ships are circling off southwestern Spain as they wait to offload liquefied natural gas, and it shows the next complication in Europe's natural-gas crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ships are lingering in Spanish waters because they are unable to unload LNG, Kpler told Insider. LNG storage tanks in Spain are filling up fast. Seven ships are currently lingering in the Bay of Cadiz located in the Southwestern Spain, as they wait to unload at the Huelva terminal, energy data provider Kpler told Insider. The ships waiting in Spain are being hotly discussed in the energy circles, Viktor Katona, an energy analyst at Kpler said. That's because Spain has Europe's largest network for six LNG regasification terminals — facilities that turn the liquefied fuel back to gas — said Katona.

The Amazon Prime Early Access Sale has entered its second and final day and deals are still going strong. In fact, we're seeing excellent all-time low prices that beat out the best deals we found during the first Amazon Prime Day in July. For more deals, check out our main Prime Day deals liveblog, deals under $50 roundup, and up-to-the-minute Prime lightning deals coverage. Currently down to just under $100, this is the best price we've seen for it in months. Amazon Luna ControllerAmazon$39.99 from Amazon Originally $69.99 Save 43%Amazon's Wi-Fi-enabled controller is designed for the Amazon Luna cloud gaming service.

☆ Jamie Dimon says Musk should 'clean up Twitter,' echoes Tesla CEO's bot concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Brian Snyder | ReutersJamie Dimon appears to be a fan of Elon Musk's $44 billion Twitter takeover. "I hope Musk cleans up Twitter," the JPMorgan CEO told CNBC's Julianna Tatelbaum, adding he thinks Musk should look into eliminating anonymous accounts from the site. Musk has made no secret of his concerns with fake accounts on Twitter. In November 2021, JPMorgan sued Tesla for $162.2 million for allegedly breaching a 2014 contract relating to stock warrants that Tesla sold to the bank. watch nowThe suit was the subject of a report by the Wall Street Journal that said Musk and Dimon have never gotten along.

☆ Lyft testing new pay algorithm to lure drivers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Nivedita Balu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 11 (Reuters) - Ride-hailing firm Lyft Inc (LYFT.O) said on Tuesday it was testing an earnings algorithm that will allow drivers in 18 U.S. cities to see destination and pay details before accepting a request. Lyft drivers will have access to details such as drop-off locations, estimated distance and time, as well as fare details before accepting a ride. "We'll also design Upfront Pay over time to include bonuses and incentives," Lyft President John Zimmer said. Meanwhile, Uber's upfront pay system has drawn criticism from drivers. Looking to launch upfront pay "without limitations", Lyft said a survey of over 1,000 drivers showed more than 70% preferred the upfront pay model to the previous pay models.

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