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☆ Putin's war on Ukraine sent Russians scrambling to buy gold and stash their savings, fueling a fivefold surge in demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Zinya Salfiti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Demand for gold bars and coins in Russia jumped nearly fivefold last year from 2021. Russia has spurred the switch into gold by restricting sales of foreign currency and scrapping VAT on the yellow metal. The bullion rush was spurred by President Vladimir Putin's move to remove the 20% VAT on gold bars, as well as a central bank decision to restrict foreign-currency transactions. Russian demand for gold bars and coins rose nearly fivefold in 2022 from the previous year, data from the World Gold Council show. But Russia isn't the biggest gold buyer as its demand made up only 2% of the global total last year, World Gold Council data show.

☆ Ukraine says energy needs being met after Russian air strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Ukraine was meeting consumers' energy needs on Monday after carrying out repairs to the national power network following the latest wave of Russian air strikes, Energy Minister German Galushchenko said. Galushchenko said emergency repairs had been completed rapidly after Russian attacks on Friday that struck energy facilities across the country. "And today, on the first business day of the week, despite a significant increase in consumption, Ukraine's power system continues to meet the electricity needs of consumers," Galushchenko said in a statement. The national power grid operator, Ukrenergo, said additional power units had been put into operation at several thermal power plants following the repair work. It also said on the Telegram messaging app that hydroelectric power plants were operating intensively and added: "Increased daylight hours and clear weather favour generation from renewable energy sources."

☆ I watched videos for 2 hours on OnlyFans' OFTV — but they didn't make me a fan. YouTube has nothing to worry about.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Insider spent two hours watching OFTV videos to see what's on offer, but was left underwhelmed. Insider spent two hours watching OFTV videos to see whether they're worth your time. Users can either watch OFTV videos on OnlyFans, which displays them in a timeline feed similar to other social-media platforms, or on a separate site, of.tv. The of.tv site displays its videos similarly to how YouTube does, but it doesn't show engagement metrics or tips. Are you an OnlyFans creator or OnlyFans employee with a story?

☆ Vast Refugee Camp in Kenya Swells as Drought Hits Somalia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Michael M. Phillips | Photographs Natalia Jidovanu For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DADAAB REFUGEE COMPLEX, Kenya—Magan Noor Abdi was 17 with three children the first time she fled Somalia. It was 2010, and famine was coming. The second time was a decade later. Al-Shabaab militants infiltrating her hometown had beaten her husband so badly that he couldn’t support a family that had grown to eight children.

☆ Moldova’s Pro-Western Government Collapses as Fallout From Ukraine War Worsens
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( James Hookway | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Moldova’s pro-Western government resigned amid the worsening economic fallout from the war in neighboring Ukraine, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was trying to destabilize the country. Announcing her decision Friday, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita told a news briefing in the capital Chisinau that no one could have predicted the scale of the challenges her government has faced since the Russian invasion began nearly a year ago.

☆ Moldovan prime minister announces government resignation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CHISINAU, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita announced on Friday that her government was resigning, after a turbulent 18 months in power marked by economic turmoil and the aftershocks of Russia's war on neighbouring Ukraine. "I believe in the Moldovan people. I believe in Moldova," she told a news briefing. It also suffered power cuts following Russian air attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and has struggled to break its dependence on Russian gas. Reporting by Alexander Tanas, Writing by Dan Peleschuk, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Remember that your tax refund is money you gave the government earlier, so a big refund isn't better. While a smaller tax refund could be nothing more than an inconvenience, owing money on your taxes might seem downright catastrophic. Don't panicFirst off, you should know that receiving a smaller tax refund isn't the end of the world. Also know that you have options with the IRS if you owe money you don't actually have. A lower tax refund could be caused by legitimate issues, but it could also mean the taxpayer missed something important while they were preparing their taxes.

☆ Children accused of witchcraft find solace in east Congo shelter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Crispin Kyala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Crispin KyalangalilwaBUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo, Feb 8 (Reuters) - After Ornella lost several family members within three years, relatives and neighbours in her east Congo village of Kabare began suspecting the 14-year-old girl of witchcraft. Hundreds of thousands of children across the continent are accused of witchcraft each year, according to a 2022 report by the African Child Policy Forum, an independent research group. "Here are at Eka Bana ... they show me that every child has rights," she told Reuters. Children who end up in Eka Bana are usually first taken in by the police, who either find them on the street or receive them from family members. Eka Bana Director Natalia Isella said it was often Evangelical pastors who convinced followers that a "witch" in the family was causing their problems.

☆ Firefighters battle dozens of wildfires in Chile, death toll at 22
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SANTIAGO, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Dozens of wildfires blazing though Chile caused the government to extend an emergency order to another region on Saturday, as a scorching summer heatwave complicates efforts to control fires that have claimed at least 22 lives so far. On Friday, an emergency-support helicopter in La Araucania crashed, killing its pilot and a mechanic, according to officials. The orders allow for the deployment of soldiers and additional resources to deal with the natural disaster. National forestry agency CONAF reported on Saturday that 80 of 231 total wildfires are being actively battled, while 151 of them are under control. Reporting by Fabian Cambero and Natalia Ramos Miranda Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thirteen dead as fires blaze through south-central Chile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Eleven people, including a firefighter, had died in the town of Santa Juana in Biobio, a region some 310 miles (500 km) south of capital Santiago, local authorities said. The Minister of Agriculture also reported an emergency-support helicopter in the southern region of La Araucania had crashed, killing the pilot and a mechanic. States of catastrophe have been declared in the farming and forest areas of Biobio and neighboring Nuble, prompting the deployment of soldiers and additional resources. Hundreds of homes have been damaged while 39 fires rage across the country, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said. He also pointed to "signs" that some fires may have been started intentionally.

☆ Here's what the stock market is facing down this week, from Fed moves to earnings that will set the tone for the rest of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This is a make-or-break week for the stock market. Not only that, but a slate of mega-cap earnings from Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet are also due later this week. Any negative surprises could derail the January rally, Stockton said, and negate much of the recent recovery from 2022's vicious bear market. "We believe the rally rests on the shoulders of heavyweights Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet, which are showing softness today as the market anticipates their earnings," Stockton wrote. Better-than-expected earnings and the potential for a Fed pivot have fueled a sharp rebound in the stock.

☆ The incredible life of Kobe Bryant, the 41-year-old basketball legend who died in a helicopter crash three years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Ben Gilbert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

NBA legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash three years ago, on January 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California. Bryant and his daughter are survived by his wife, Vanessa, and three children: Bianka, Natalia, and Capri. Kobe Bryant was known for his impressive work ethic and devotion to basketball, but he also found time to enjoy life and pursue ventures off of the court in his retirement. Bryant was among nine people killed, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, when the helicopter collided with a mountainside. Here's a look back at the incredible life of Kobe Bryant.

☆ The ‘15/3' credit card hack probably won’t improve your credit score—here’s what to do instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

If your goal is to improve your credit score in 2023, don't count on the "15/3" credit card hack to help. Numerous videos with thousands of likes on various social media platforms claim that you can quickly improve your credit score by splitting your credit card payment into two installments. Focus on your credit reporting dateRather than focusing on 15 and three days before your payment is due, there's another date worth keeping in mind: your credit reporting date. Credit card billing cycles are typically 29 to 31 days, and the last day is your statement closing date. You can call your credit card issuer to find out when they typically report to the credit bureaus.

☆ Crime, inflation hammer support for Chile's Boric in tough first year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Natalia A. Ramos Miranda | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I wanted to give a chance to a young person, without the problems of the older politicians," she said. Recent pardons of 12 protesters convicted for crimes such as looting and robbery during 2019 riots went down badly amid rising crime statistics. The president's spokespeople did not respond to a request for comment, but Boric has repeatedly acknowledged that his administration has made mistakes. During a news conference announcing the justice minister's resignation, Boric said the government was determined to "strengthen political management." "Sometimes it seems that he is ruling just so that the right does not get angry," said 46-year-old designer and Boric voter Gaston Gomez.

Together with Moscow, Minsk has also been bolstering the drills with weaponry and military equipment. The Belarusian defence ministry said only that "units" of Russia's air forces have been arriving in Belarus. Ukraine's Air Force said the apartment block was struck by a Russian Kh-22 missile, which is known to be inaccurate and that Ukraine lacks the air defences to shoot down. SOLEDARIn Ukraine's eastern Donbas region - the focal point of Russia's drive to capture more territory - Ukraine's forces were battling around the small salt-mining town of Soledar. Russian forces claimed to have taken control of the town, but Ukraine insisted on Sunday that its forces were battling to hold the town, with street fighting raging and Russian forces advancing from various directions.

☆ Life expectancy can have a greater impact than even record high inflation on how long your retirement savings will last
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Sharon Epperson | In Sharoneppersoncnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

watch nowGiven today's ongoing high inflation, many Americans worry they may not have put away enough money for retirement. They fear that sharp increases in food and energy prices and transportation and medical care costs could significantly affect their retirement savings. 'Longevity literacy' needed in retirement planningInflation adjustments up 401(k), IRA contribution limitsNatalia Gdovskaia | Moment | Getty ImagesInflation adjustments for 2023 have also increased the amount of money that you can save in retirement accounts. You can also put up to $6,500 in a traditional or Roth IRA. With a $1,000 catch-up contribution, you could save a total of $7,500 if you're 50 or older.

☆ Moldova says missile debris found in north of the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CHISINAU, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The president of Moldova, Ukraine's western neighbour, denounced a new wave of Russian attacks on Ukrainian targets on Saturday after missile debris was found just inside the small former Soviet state's border. Moldovan border police found rocket fragments near Larga village in northern Moldova," President Maia Sandu tweeted. At least 12 people died when a missile hit an apartment building in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Moldova's interior ministry earlier said missile debris had been found in the north of the country. Similar incidents in Moldova, which borders Ukraine, have occurred twice before, including in December when police found fragments of a missile that came down in a region of northern Moldova near the border with Ukraine.

☆ Analysis: Russia may hike taxes as military spending, oil price weigh on budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Darya Korsunskaya | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"The growing dependence of the budget on oil raises concerns," Alfa Bank said in a note that warned a decline in revenue from gas and oil product exports "looms on the horizon." Analysts say that as the government increased spending by more than a quarter in 2022, in part to finance its military in Ukraine, the oil price required to balance the budget jumped from $67 to $101 a barrel. "When there is a big gap between the actual price (of oil) and the balancing price, it cannot be sustainably covered by borrowing," said Natalia Orlova, chief economist at Alfa Bank. VAT rates, profit taxes and income tax would not be changed, Sazanov said, but other industries may face a higher tax bill. The measures are expected to net an additional 3.6 trillion roubles for the Russian budget over three years.

☆ Robbers pull off multimillion-dollar copper heist in Chilean port
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SANTIAGO, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Chilean authorities said on Wednesday they were investigating a violent heist in Chile's main seaport where thieves stole several shipping containers filled with copper belonging to state-owned giant Codelco. In a statement to Reuters, Codelco said the copper was scheduled to be exported and was insured. The heist is the largest copper theft since a spate of gangster heists in northern Chile last October forced the government to tighten security on trains carrying copper cathodes. The violent robbery adds pressure over shipment security in the world's largest copper producer. Authorities blamed the train heists on international crime groups while police said Wednesday's heist could be a local group.

☆ Chilean justice minister resigns amid critique of pardons
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 7 (Reuters) - Chilean justice minister Marcela Rios has resigned her post, the country's President Gabriel Boric said on Saturday, amid accusations of wrongdoing over pardons given to people connected to violent 2019 protests. "When situations with these characteristics occur in politics, we must take responsibility," Boric said. Boric backed pardons for those convicted in less violent crimes during the protests that shook the South American country. But political opponents decried the December pardons - which included a former guerrilla fighter imprisoned for other crimes - and accused Rios of poor communication and coordination. Reporting by Natalia Ramos Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A fake tweet spurred an anti-vaccine harassment campaign against a doctor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Brandy Zadrozny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

When Dr. Natalia Solenkova woke up Monday morning, she was greeted with a flood of Twitter notifications on her phone. It was what misinformation researchers call a “cheap fake,” a term for a piece of fake media such as an image or video that takes little effort to produce. Someone had clumsily altered one of Solenkova’s posts to portray a blind, even deadly, zealotry for Covid vaccines and a vilification of anti-vaccine activists. “And then disinformation became rampant.”Despite the overwhelming success of the covid vaccines — which have prevented millions of severe infections and deaths — an aggressive and politicized anti-vaccine community has persevered. There were obvious tells that the tweet attributed to Solenkova was a fake, likely fabricated with what’s known as a tweet generator.

☆ Cast of Netflix's 'Stranger Things' is getting a big payday for the show's final season
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Main members of the "Stranger Things" cast are set to earn from $6 million to $9 million-plus for season five. "Stranger Things" season five will be the show's final season. Puck's Matthew Belloni reported on Thursday how much the show's top actors will be making for the next, and final, season of the Netflix hit. The "Stranger Things" cast has come a long way. "Stranger Things" is one of Netflix's biggest hits.

☆ Chile mining royalty bill progresses after committee approves
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SANTIAGO, Jan 4 (Reuters) - A Chilean congressional committee approved on Wednesday a controversial mining royalty bill, putting it a step closer to final approval as part of the government's sweeping tax reform. The proposal, strongly criticized by the industry, was presented in the middle of 2022 by the government to increase royalties on copper sales in Chile, the world's largest producer of the metal. "The tax rate is a formula that has not convinced all of us," said Senator Loreto Carvajal, president of the mining commission, during the session. The government modified the bill in October, proposing a fixed sales royalty of 1% for large miners and removing provisions that linked payments to copper prices. The mining industry welcomed the change, but said the tax burden remained too high.

The study participants all had blood-sodium concentrations considered to be within the normal range: 135 to 146 millimoles per liter. Even people with blood-sodium levels above 142 millimoles per liter had elevated risks of developing certain chronic diseases, including heart failure, stroke, chronic lung disease, diabetes and dementia, the study found. Dmitrieva's previous research similarly found that higher blood sodium may be a risk factor for heart failure. But the study authors cautioned that more research is needed to determine whether good hydration can help slow aging, prevent disease or lead to a longer life. The NIH study "doesn’t prove that drinking more water will prevent chronic disease," he said.

☆ Ukraine weighs heavy on minds in Moscow as New Year holiday nears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Summary This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. Asked if the 10-month conflict in Ukraine was affecting her mood, one woman, Maria, replied without hesitation. "A holiday remains a holiday. New Year's Day is Russia's main seasonal holiday, while Orthodox believers also celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7. Jewellery maker Evgeniya, however, said her sales at a seasonal market had sharply increased from last year.

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