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☆ Chile right-wing parties win majority in vote to draft new constitution
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A citizen casts their vote at a polling station during elections for a new assembly to draft constitution, at the Estadio Nacional, in Santiago, Chile April 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ivan AlvaradoSANTIAGO, May 7 (Reuters) - Chilean right-wing parties won a majority of votes on Sunday to elect advisers to draft a new constitution, marking a sharp shift from a progressive majority that drafted a failed first constitutional rewrite. With 95.13% of ballots tallied, Chile's Republican Party, led by former conservative firebrand presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast, secured nearly 35% of the vote. A separate coalition of traditional right-wing parties gained just over 20% of the vote, while President Gabriel Boric's left-wing coalition garnered about 29%. "I want to invite the Republican Party, that's won an unquestionable majority, to not make the same mistakes we made," Boric said.

☆ Zaporizhzhia: Evacuations from Russian-occupied Ukrainian region raise concerns of nuclear power plant safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Helen Regan Julia Kesaieva Mariya Knight Katharina Krebs Kostan Nechyporenko Stephanie Halasz | Helen Regan | Julia Kesaieva | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the evacuation of a town close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has raised concerns about the facility’s stability. The plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, is held by Russian forces but mostly operated by a Ukrainian workforce. The plant is also significant because Ukraine relies heavily on nuclear power. On the groundOn Sunday, Ukraine’s Operation Command South spokeswoman said Russian forces were trying to exhaust Ukraine’s air defense system. Bakhmut has been the site of a months-long assault by Russian forces that has driven thousands from their homes and left the area devastated.

"This is the right's best chance for people to pick a Pinochet constitution without Pinochet's signature," said Patricio Navia a political scientist at New York University. "The political climate in Chile isn't the same as in 2019 or 2020," said political analyst Cristobal Bellolio. An estimated 3,200 Chileans were murdered and another 28,000 tortured by the state during Pinochet's rule. Many of the victims were affiliated with the socialist government of Salvador Allende, who was deposed in a 1973 coup. "The issue is that if it's more right then Pinochet's constitution, people are going to reject it," Navia added, who added the loss for Boric left the leader who once promised to bury Chile's market-led model sorely wounded.

☆ Chile's voters set to take big step in constitution redraft 2.0
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Natalia A. Ramos Miranda | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Rodrigo GarridoSANTIAGO, May 5 (Reuters) - Chileans will vote to elect 50 constitutional advisers on Sunday, a major step towards rewriting the constitution, after voters overwhelmingly rejected a first attempt in a plebiscite last September to replace the dictatorship-era charter. The so-called Constitutional Council that voters are set to elect will work as of June on the new constitution, based on a preliminary draft prepared by a commission of 24 experts that Congress appointed in March. "I voted to approve (in September), I wanted a new constitution and to get rid of the dictatorship's constitution, but now I'm not really interested." He stressed that traditional political forces are now more in control of the process, unlike the failed first attempt. It seems "likely that no single bloc or party will win enough seats to independently steer the process without compromise," Watson said.

☆ The Link Between Highly Processed Foods and Brain Health
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Sally Wadyka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

They’re increasingly edging out healthier foods in people’s diets and are widely consumed across socioeconomic groups. “The problem is that in order to make the products taste better and better, manufacturers make them less and less like real food.”What effect do ultraprocessed foods have on mental health? Recent research has demonstrated a link between highly processed foods and low mood. A 2022 study that followed nearly 11,000 Brazilian adults over a decade found a correlation between eating ultraprocessed foods and worse cognitive function (the ability to learn, remember, reason and solve problems). It’s possible that eating a healthy diet may offset the detrimental effects of eating ultraprocessed foods.

☆ Details in the drone incident the Kremlin says aimed to assassinate Putin 'don't quite add up.' Experts have 3 theories on what happened.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | Sophia Ankel | Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Russia claimed Wednesday that Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin with a drone attack at the Kremlin. James Patton Rogers, a military historian and adviser to NATO on drones and warfare, said that "there's a few things that don't quite add up in this situation." Its ability to fly comparatively low, and slowly, would potentially help it evade some radar, Patton Rogers said. Claiming that Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin would potentially "open up a new norm in the war," Patton Rogers said. Patton Rogers said he hasn't "seen any indication" that such groups have the capacity to use drones in their attacks.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Salesforce, cold plunges, and Tesla's biggest Chinese rival
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Maybe I'll go to a coffee shop for something stronger than my usual Trader Joe's instant cold brew. How these OnlyFans creators used Reddit to grow their businesses. Tesla's biggest Chinese rival just released an $11,000 EV. Heinz promised to buy the infamous "ketchup boat guy" a boat with a GPS. But he said the money from Heinz only afforded him a small used boat and engines.

☆ Oil depot fire part of Ukraine's preparation for counter-offensive - military
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 1 (Reuters) - Undermining Russia's logistics is one of the elements of preparation for the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive, a Ukrainian military spokeswoman said on Sunday, after a fire destroyed a large Russian fuel depot in Crimea. While not directly admitting to striking the fuel storage facility in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, Ukraine's military command said that "a fire" destroyed 10 oil tanks with a capacity of about 40,000 tonnes. The city's Moscow-installed governor blamed Ukraine and later said the fire had been put out before a disaster occurred. Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's southern command, said the fire has cause a great deal of "anxiety" in the Russian military. On Friday, Ukraine said it was wrapping up preparations for the counter-offensive against Russian forces, although officials gave no date for when that would happen.

☆ Explosions Rock Kyiv After Russian Strike: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Marc Santora | Malachy Browne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Image Emergency workers at the scene of a Russian missile strike on a residential building in Uman, Ukraine, on Friday. A flurry of missiles fired by both sides this weekend appears to mark the next phase of the conflict. Credit... Brendan Hoffman for The New York TimesExplosions echoed across the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Monday as Ukrainian officials warned of a large-scale Russian missile attack. Air defences intercepted 15 of 18 cruise missiles that Russia aimed at Ukraine, according to the military. The explosions in Kyiv on Monday were a few hours after Russia attacked Pavlograd in central Ukraine, sparking a massive fire that lit up the night sky.

☆ Explosions Over Kyiv as Ukraine Braces for Broad Russian Attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Marc Santora | Malachy Browne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Explosions echoed across the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Monday as Ukrainian officials warned of a large-scale Russian missile attack aimed at targets nationwide. About an hour later, a Ukrainian military official confirmed that all of the missiles and drones were destroyed and there were no reports of damage or injuries in Kyiv. The air raid sirens were turned off at about 6:30 a.m. after blaring for three hours.The attacks follow a weekend of explosions deep behind Russian lines, including one at an oil depot in Russian-occupied Crimea on Saturday. The spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern command, Natalia Humeniuk, said the depot fire is part of preparations for “the broad, full-scale offensive that everyone expects” Ukraine to launch soon. Both sides have said they are preparing for a counteroffensive that would likely renew attempts to gain territory.

☆ The best of Milan Design Week 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Marianna Cerini | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Milan CNN —The design world’s largest annual fair enjoyed a return to full pre-pandemic form with its 2023 showcase, transforming the city of Milan with hundreds of exhibitions, site-specific installations, pop-ups and public projects. Almost everywhere, the focus was on sustainable design, circular economy, material innovation and artistry combining craft with innovation. Some of the most interesting ideas were those that looked at waste – literally – to rethink what design can do when it uses what is already there. Shown in various stages of decomposition, the chair challenged viewers to approach products with the end of their lifecycle in mind. Top image: One of two bags design legend Gaetano Pesce created for Bottega Veneta’s Milan Design Week installation.

☆ Russia's military has been preparing for a drone-filled battlefield, and even its cooks are being trained to shoot them down
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Counter-drone training has also become common throughout the Russian military. Having used drones and seen drones used with increasing frequency, the Russian military has also expanded its counter-drone training. The threat is now considered so widespread that most Russian troops, regardless of military specialty, are getting instruction in spotting and dealing with drones. Ukraine's military has been bolstering its drone defenses throughout the war, as shown in the Western military aid being sent to Kyiv. Despite having kinetic and electronic-warfare countermeasures to take out Russian drones, Ukraine still faces a difficult challenge.

STARYI SALTIV, Ukraine — The families milled about, greeting one another and exchanging news, or sitting at picnic tables laid with candy, Easter eggs and freshly baked bread, reviving village life in an improbable place: the cemetery. Outside the cemetery’s checkerboard of graves, which were festooned on Sunday with fresh flowers and where children ran about collecting candy, the village of Staryi Saltiv is a grim tableau of ruins. “You can see people are returning to clean the cemetery, and the village is coming back to life,” said Natalia Borysovska, a seamstress whose house was destroyed last year. She had no home to return to after fleeing — but still a family plot to tend. Families spend time in cemeteries each year on the first Sunday after the Orthodox Easter, tidying up graves and leaving food and flowers for their dead loved ones.

☆ Young remote workers are missing out on crucial IRL feedback from colleagues
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For young workers, not being in an office can mean they don't get as much feedback from colleagues. The pushback against remote work comes as more CEOs have been calling workers back to the office. But workers — especially those taking care of kids or others — grew accustomed to the flexibility that remote work can afford. Despite the risks, many of those potentially in danger of missing out on professional growth are most in favor of remote work, according to surveys, the Times noted. And some companies that have embraced remote work report success.

☆ Ukrainian forces reportedly cross a key river, raising hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian military forces have successfully established positions on the eastern side of the Dnieper River, according to a new analysis, giving rise to speculation Sunday that the advances could be an early sign of Kyiv's long-awaited spring counteroffensive. In the south, the Dnieper has for months marked the contact line in the Kherson region, where its namesake capital is regularly pummeled by shelling from Russian forces stationed across the river. The think tank cited comments from financier Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group — a private Russian military company whose fighters have spearheaded the offensive on Bakhmut. Russian forces on Saturday and overnight also dropped five guided aerial bombs over the Kherson region, Ukraine's Operational Command South said in a Facebook post Sunday. In the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, Russian shelling wounded a 56-year-old man in Stepnohirsk, a town on the banks of the Dnieper river, local Gov.

☆ Russia says it has gained more ground in battle for Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The battle for Bakhmut has turned into one of the bloodiest of the 14-month war, with the Eastern Ukrainian city almost completely destroyed by artillery shelling and urban combat. Russia says capturing Bakhmut will allow it to mount further offensives into eastern Ukraine. If they succeed, Moscow's forces are likely to face even larger urban battles for the nearby towns of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the private Wagner military force which is leading the assault on the city, has claimed his troops control 80% of Bakhmut. "There is no enemy foothold on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro river ... our military completely controls that territory," Vladimir Saldo wrote on his Telegram channel.

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

People who fled contested territory in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region disembark at a railway station in the Russian port city of Nakhodka. Photo: Vitaliy Ankov/Sputnik/APAs Russia’s war on Ukraine grinds into a second year, some Ukrainians who fled the fighting and ended up in far flung parts of Russia are still unsure if they will ever be able to return home -- and whether they would be welcome when they get there. Ukraine describes these refugees as forcibly deported, though some Natalia says no one forced her to leave. “It was our decision,” she told CNN by phone from Russia’s far east, where she has resettled since arriving last spring. Over the course of many months, CNN has managed to reach a handful of Ukrainians like Natalia.

☆ Pollution, bird flu threaten 'very fragile' Chilean dolphin population
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Quilun Ecoturismo Marino/Handout via REUTERSSANTIAGO, April 21 (Reuters) - Growing pollution, industrial activities and now bird flu are threatening the Chilean dolphin, one of the world's smallest cetaceans, in the cold Pacific waters off Chile's western coastlines. "The Chilean dolphin is disappearing at an alarming rate," he said. One official also pointed to the threat of bird flu, which has been detected in Chile's wild birds, marine animals and industrial complex. Soledad Tapia, the director of the country's fisheries service, said two species of dolphins had been infected by the virus. Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Natalia Ramos and Sarah Morland; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ I started my Turo business with one car and grew my fleet to 69 cars. Now I can afford a luxury apartment and multiple vacations every year.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Natalia Zorina is a Turo host in Miami who started her business on the car-rental app in 2018. I started Turo as a side hustle with one carI'm from Ukraine and moved to the US in 2017. I started renting our family car, a 2011 Porsche Cayenne, on Turo in 2018. Luxury family cars, like Mercedes SUVs, are also in demand because tourists in Miami come here to enjoy the luxury vibe of the city. In my fleet, I have a yellow car, orange car, blue cars, green cars — I have all sorts of colors.

☆ An Ikea copycat just opened its doors in Moscow — and some customers are not impressed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Swed House, an Ikea copycat, opened its first store in Moscow Saturday, Reuters reported. However, it seems some customers who went along after Swed House opened its doors in Moscow on Saturday were less than impressed with the attempt to mimic the Swedish chain. "Nobody prohibited us from doing this … our own Swed House goods are in big demand as well," he said. Customers at the new Swed House store in Moscow. Other customers told Reuters the store was too small compared with an Ikea outlet.

☆ IKEA lookalike 'Swed House' opens in Moscow to mixed reactions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People leave a store of Belarusian retail chain Swed House on its opening day in Moscow, Russia April 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander ReshetnikovMOSCOW, April 15 (Reuters) - Belarusian furniture company Swed House, which sells items intended to look like those made by Swedish giant IKEA, opened its first store in Moscow on Saturday to a mixed initial reaction from consumers. Yes, we have IKEA items as well," said Swed House general director Mamedali Kasymov. Nobody prohibited us from doing this ... our own Swed House goods are in big demand as well," he said, referring to the packed store. Swed House initially aims to open five stores in Moscow malls before moving into other Russian regions next year, Kasymov said.

☆ Credit Suisse job cuts must be frozen -bank employees leader says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ZURICH, April 11 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) and UBS (UBSG.S) must freeze any job cuts planned as part of their emergency merger, the Swiss Bank Employees' Association (SBPV) said on Tuesday, in an open letter to the country's parliament. The Swiss parliament is due to meet in extraordinary session on Tuesday to discuss the state-sponsored rescue of Credit Suisse which took place last month. "For the past three weeks, many of the approximately 17,000 employees at Credit Suisse and the 22,000 UBS employees have been looking at their future with uncertainty," said Ferrara, referring to the staff numbers in Switzerland. Credit Suisse employs 45,000 people globally, while UBS has 74,000 in total. "But the affected employees of the two banks remain only a side note.

☆ Credit Suisse job cuts must be frozen, Swiss Bank Employees' Association says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ZURICH, April 11 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) and UBS (UBSG.S) must freeze any job cuts planned as part of their emergency merger, the Swiss Bank Employees' Association (SBPV) said on Monday, in an open letter to the country's parliament. The Swiss parliament is due to meet in extraordinary session on Tuesday to discuss the state-sponsored rescue of Credit Suisse which took place last month. Credit Suisse employs 45,000 people globally, while UBS has 74,000 in total. "But the affected employees of the two banks remain only a side note. "Now it is time for the affected employees of the two banks to be given protection and respect," Ferrara wrote.

☆ Credit Suisse job cuts must be frozen -bankers leader says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Credit Suisse and UBS must freeze any job cuts planned as part of their emergency merger, the Swiss Bank Employees' Association (SBPV) said on Monday, in an open letter to the country's parliament. SBPV managing director Natalia Ferrara has written to lawmakers to demand they consider staff affected by the collapse of Credit Suisse and halt any job losses until the end of 2023. The Swiss parliament is due to meet in extraordinary session on Tuesday to discuss the state-sponsored rescue of Credit Suisse which took place last month. Credit Suisse employs 45,000 people globally, while UBS has 74,000 in total. "Now it is time for the affected employees of the two banks to be given protection and respect," Ferrara wrote.

☆ Chile approves bill cutting work week to 40 hours from 45
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Chile's Labor Minister Jeannette Jara celebrates next to others ministers and parliamentarians the approval of a bill reducing the number of weekly working hours from 45 to 40, in congress in Valparaiso, Chile, April 11, 2023. REUTERS/Rodrigo GarridoSANTIAGO, April 11 (Reuters) - Chile's Congress on Tuesday passed a hard-fought bill to gradually cut the work week to 45 hours from 40 hours, a legislative victory for President Gabriel Boric amid faltering popularity. But the work week law - which now awaits Boric's signature - constitutes a small victory for an administration that has been trying to shift the country away from its free-market constitution. The new law mandates one less hour a week of work per year until the work week reaches 40 hours, bringing Chile in line with most industrialized nations. Several companies in Chile have already announced that they will adopt the bill, including state-owned copper giant Codelco, which earlier this year said it would seek to implement the 40- -hour work week by 2026.

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