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☆ Elon Musk launches Starlink satellite internet service in Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Denpasar, Indonesia Reuters —Elon Musk and Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin launched SpaceX’s satellite internet service for the nation’s health sector on Sunday, aiming to improve access in remote parts of the sprawling archipelago. Musk, wearing a green batik shirt, said the availability of the Starlink service in Indonesia would help millions in far-flung parts of the country to access the internet. Asked about whether he planned to also invest in Indonesia’s electric vehicle industry, Musk said he was focused on Starlink first. Prior to Sunday’s launch, Starlink obtained a permit to operate as an internet service provider for retail consumers and had been given the go-ahead to provide networks, having received a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) permit, Budi Setiadi told Reuters. SpaceX’s Starlink, which owns around 60% of the roughly 7,500 satellites orbiting earth, is dominant in the satellite internet sphere.

Persons: Indonesia Reuters — Elon Musk, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Musk, ” Starlink, “, ”, Joko Widodo, Budi Arie Setiadi, Starlink, Budi Setiadi, SpaceX’s Organizations: Indonesia Reuters, Indonesian Health, SpaceX, Tesla, Indonesian, . Communications, Reuters Locations: Denpasar, Indonesia, Bali, Aru, Maluku, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Philippine, Ukraine

☆ A Loss at Mercedes-Benz Slows U.A.W.’s Southern Campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Neal E. Boudette | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

About 56 percent of the Mercedes workers who voted rejected the U.A.W. In April, workers at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee voted to join the union, the first large nonunion auto plant in the South to do so. I don’t think they’re going to stop just because they lost here.”Since its founding in 1935, the U.A.W. has almost exclusively represented workers employed by the three Michigan-based automakers: General Motors, Ford Motor, and Chrysler, now part of Stellantis. And it has long struggled to make headway at plants owned by foreign manufacturers, especially in Southern states where anti-union sentiment runs deep.

Persons: Weeks, ”, Arthur Wheaton Organizations: Mercedes, Benz, United Automobile Workers, Volkswagen, Daimler Truck, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, General Motors, Ford Motor, Chrysler Locations: Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, Michigan, Stellantis, Southern

☆ Are your seasonal allergies worse this year? Here's why—plus tips for symptom relief
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It's peak allergy season in several states on the East Coast, including New York, and you, or your loved ones, may be sneezing, coughing and feeling more miserable than usual this year. More severe symptoms of seasonal allergies this spring are likely due to a warmer winter and an earlier start of allergy season, says Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist with the Allergy & Asthma Network. And the cause of this longer, more intense allergy season? "There's higher amounts of pollen due to rising greenhouse gasses and more CO2 in the air, which plants thrive off of," Parikh tells CNBC Make It. Here are some effective ways to alleviate your allergy symptoms and still enjoy the spring.

Persons: Purvi, Shelby Harris, Harris Organizations: Allergy, Asthma, CNBC Locations: East Coast, New York

☆ A millennial CEO launched a fully remote tech company. He says hybrid work is the worst of both worlds.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. "The point of it was to be silly and to put people in different environments and situations where they could create new networks and pathways to people in the company," Pitt said. 'It's easy to look busy'Another way the company tackles remote work for an employee base spread around the world is to cluster some functions. Rather than dwelling on where workers work, a big focus is on developing trust, Pitt said. AdvertisementAnd, Pitt said, if workers care about the mission, it doesn't matter whether they work in an office or from afar.

Persons: —, Keith Pitt, Pitt, zaniness, hybrid's, Buildkite Pitt, Slack, Buildkite, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Buildkite, Pitt, IRL, Workers Locations: Buildkite, Perth, Australia

☆ World’s biggest waste-to-energy facility will power more than 100,000 homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Ana De Oliva | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Much of it ends up at a plant operated by the Warsan Waste Management Company. “Around 45% percent of Dubai’s total waste comes to this facility,” says Tim Clarke, the company’s CEO. Operational since March of this year, the Warsan plant will use 2 million metric tons of trash annually to produce electricity, enough to power approximately 135,000 homes, according to the company. However, since the plant produces power, replacing the burning of fossil fuels, Warsan Waste Management believes the overall result is positive. But some environmental groups, such as Zero Waste Europe, argue that burning waste to generate electricity discourages efforts to cut waste and initiatives to increase recycling.

Persons: ”, Tim Clarke, Clarke, “, Bryan Staley, Staley Organizations: Dubai CNN, CNN, Warsan Waste Management Company, “, United Nations Environment, Waste Management, Energy, Research, Education Foundation Locations: Dubai, Europe, Japan, China, UAE

☆ Stephen Mandel’s Lone Pine Capital reveals new stakes in AI-related power producers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Lone Pine Capital made new bets on some high-performing power producers and one big streaming company in the first quarter, a new Securities and Exchange Commission filing shows. Lone Pine, founded by Stephen Mandel in 1997, added a $446.7 million position in Vistra Corp. and a $161.9 million stake in Constellation Energy in the first quarter. Lone Pine also added new positions in drug and medical supplies distributor McKesson and mobile tech company AppLovin , worth about $368 million and $300 million, respectively. The new additions came as Lone Pine significantly cut its holdings in three big tech companies: Meta Platforms, Taiwan Semiconductor and Amazon . Microsoft is Lone Pine's third-largest position, trailing Taiwan Semiconductor, which Lone Pine reduced by 11%.

Persons: Lone Pine, Stephen Mandel, Mandel, Mark Zuckerberg, Philip Morris, Julian Robertson Organizations: Lone Pine Capital, Securities and Exchange Commission, Vistra Corp, Constellation Energy, Constellation, Taiwan Semiconductor, Microsoft, Meta, Philip Morris International, UnitedHealth Group, GE Aerospace, GE, Cubs Locations: Lone, Vistra, U.S, Greenwich , Connecticut, Meta

☆ Mercedes Workers in Alabama Reject Union
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jack Ewing | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Workers at two Mercedes-Benz factories near Tuscaloosa, Ala., voted on Friday against joining the United Automobile Workers, a stunning blow to the union’s campaign to gain ground in the South, where it has traditionally been weak. Hyundai and Honda also have large factories in Alabama that the U.A.W. could build on a string of recent victories and gain ground in a state whose elected officials have been hostile to organized labor. The union has said it wants to organize every automobile factory in the United States, expanding its membership to include the employees of companies like Toyota and Tesla. Union leaders will want to spend time figuring out how best to counter the messages and tactics of local lawmakers and company executives.

Persons: Kay Ivey Organizations: Mercedes, Benz, United Automobile Workers, Alabama’s, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Tesla Locations: Tuscaloosa, Ala, Alabama, United States, Union

☆ Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama vote against unionizing in blow to big UAW push
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Out of the valid votes counted, 56% of workers voted “no,” while 44% voted “yes” for unionization, according to Mercedes-Benz. Under relatively new UAW president Shawn Fain, the UAW had shifted its strategy for a membership push in non-unionized factories, many of which are located in the American South. David Johnston, right, a worker at Mercedes, thanks UAW President Shawn Fain following a press conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on May 17, 2024, after workers at two Alabama Mercedes-Benz factories voted overwhelmingly against joining the United Auto Workers union. Alabama is not Michigan, and we are not the Sweet Home to the UAW,” Ivey said in the statement. People react as the result of a vote comes in favour of the hourly factory workers at Volkswagen's assembly plant to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, at a watch party in Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S., April 19, 2024.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Fain, ”, ” “, ” Fain, David Johnston, Kim Chandler, “, Kay Ivey, Vance, ” Ivey, Mercedes, Tesla, Seth, Wheaton, Mercedes plant’s, It’s, Mercedes Benz, ” Wheaton, “ It’s, Chris Isidore, Nathaniel Meyersohn Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Auto Workers, Mercedes, Benz, The National Labor Relations Board, UAW, Alabama, Big Three, Volkswagen, International, Team, Workers, Alabama Gov, Benz US International, Member, ” CNN, US, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo, Seth Herald, Reuters, Chattanooga, Volkswagen didn’t, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations ’, CNN, P Global Market Intelligence Locations: New York, Benz, Alabama, United States, Chattanooga , Tennessee, American, Tuscaloosa , Alabama, MBUSI, Alabama , Georgia , Mississippi, South Carolina , Tennessee, Texas, Michigan, U.S, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations ’ Buffalo

☆ Scientists uncover ‘striking’ ancient arachnid that had large spiky legs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The idea of coming face to face with a spider-like creature unexpectedly is enough to fill any arachnophobe with horror, let alone encountering one with large, spiky legs. The newly discovered long-extinct species is described as a “large spider-like arachnid” with “distinctive large spines on the legs” by the study’s authors. They were unable to place the creature within any known arachnid order due to the specimen’s lack of mouthparts, which scientists use to classify them. “You see sort of spiny legs in some arachnids, but we’ve never seen one that really has these big spines all the way along, at least the first parts of the legs. Scientists think the spiny legs were for defensive purposes.

Persons: we’ve, ” Dr, Jason Dunlop, Naturkunde, “, Bob Masek, David Douglass, Paul Selden, Dunlop, you’ve, ”, ” Dunlop, Douglass Organizations: CNN, Paleontology, Field Locations: what’s, Illinois, Masek, North America, Northern Europe, Europe

☆ Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama vote against UAW union membership
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

United Auto Workers (UAW) members and supporters on a picket line outside the ZF Chassis Systems plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Andi Rice | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMercedes-Benz workers in Alabama have voted against union representation by the United Auto Workers, the National Labor Relations Board said Friday. Union organizing failed with 56% of the vote, or 2,642 workers, casting ballots against the UAW, according to the NLRB, which oversaw the election. More than 90% of the 5,075 eligible Mercedes-Benz workers voted in the election, according to the results. If no objections are filed, the election result will be certified, and the union will have to wait one year to file for a union election for a similar bargaining unit.

Persons: Andi Rice, Shawn Fain, Margaret Mock, Stellantis, Michael Wayland, Stephen Silvia, Southern, Mercedes, Silvia Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, ZF, Systems, Bloomberg, Getty, Mercedes, Benz, National Labor Relations Board, Detroit, Union, NLRB, Team, Detroit automakers Ford Motor, General Motors, Volkswagen, Southern Gamble, Workers, Foreign, American University Locations: Tuscaloosa , Alabama, Alabama, Tennessee, Sterling Heights , Michigan, U.S, Washington ,

☆ The US secretly sent communist-friendly Coca-Cola to a Soviet general in a bid to maintain good ties across the Iron Curtain
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAs World War II ended and the Iron Curtain fell over Eastern Europe, relations deteriorated between the Soviet Union and its Western allies. Zhukov had developed an intense liking for Coca-Cola, a drink now illegal in the Soviet Union. PH/Sherman Montrose ACMECoca-Cola's steadfast support for the Allied war effort helped make it both distinctly American and recognizable worldwide. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty ImagesAt Zhukov's request, the new beverage wasn't put in the usual Coke bottles but instead in unmarked, straight-edged bottles. Its rival Pepsi eventually gained a virtual monopoly in the Soviet Union, which the Soviets maintained — once trading several warships for $3 billion worth of Pepsi — until 1985.

Persons: —, Georgy Zhukov, Zhukov, Truman, Robert Woodruff, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Bong, Henry, Hap, Arnold, Coke, Eisenhower, Getty Images Zhukov, Mark W, Clark, Harry Truman, James Farley, It's Organizations: Service, Soviet Union, Business, Sherman, Sherman Montrose ACME, US, US Army, Army Air Forces, Allied, Keystone, Getty Images, Cola Export Corporation, Getty, Cola, Pepsi Locations: Eastern Europe, Soviet, Soviet Union, Cassino, Italy, Sherman Montrose, North Africa, Coke, Montgomery, Frankfurt, Germany, France, American, Austria, Dehradun, India, Vienna, East

☆ What’s at stake in the union election at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —A high-stakes union election is underway at a Mercedes-Benz plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the only plant for the luxury automaker in North America. The fallout will be significant whether the workers at Mercedes-Benz vote to join the United Auto Workers union or not. And last month, it won a union election at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, its first victory in three attempts to organize the factory. Though a union win could generate momentum, it doesn’t mean a victory will mean other plants can overcome management opposition at other foreign-owned plants. Non-union automakers have already begun their response to the big union victories thus far.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Fain, ”, —, Tesla, Mercedes, Mercedes ’, “, MBUSI, Wheaton, Mercedes plant’s, It’s, Mercedes Benz, ” Wheaton, “ It’s, Harry Katz, ” Katz, Katz, ’ ” Katz, they’ve, CNN’s Chris Isidore, Nathaniel Meyersohn Organizations: New, New York CNN, Benz, Mercedes, United Auto Workers, UAW, Big Three, Volkswagen, Kia, Toyota, US, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Volvo, Team, The National Labor Relations Board, Benz US International, Member, Volkswagen didn’t, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations ’, CNN, “ Labor, Big, – GM, Ford, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, P Global Market Intelligence, General Motors Locations: New York, Tuscaloosa , Alabama, North America, Chattanooga , Tennessee, United States, Vance , Alabama, Tuscaloosa, ”, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations ’ Buffalo, Alabama, Alabama , Georgia , Mississippi, South Carolina , Tennessee, Texas

☆ Royal Mail: Meet Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský who wants to buy Britain’s postal service
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

It has been operating a postal service in England since the reign of Henry VIII. EP Group has until May 29 to convert its £3.5 billion ($4.4 billion) non-biding offer into a formal bid for IDS. The likely sale would come after a difficult few years for Royal Mail, which was privatized in 2013. ‘As British as it gets’The potential buyout of Royal Mail has stirred anxieties about the consequences of the iconic British institution coming under foreign ownership. “Royal Mail is an important national asset that would benefit from being able to take a longer-term view,” the firm said.

Persons: Henry VIII, Daniel Křetínský, Křetínský, Patrik Tkáč, Rishi Sunak, Kemi Badenoch, Dave Ward, ”, ” Ward, Jonathan Reynolds, ” Ivana Kottasová Organizations: London CNN — Royal Mail, Distribution Services, IDS, Royal Mail, UK Department for Business, Trade, CNN, Bloomberg, Equity Investment, Newsweek, West Ham United Football Club, Reuters, Communication Workers Union, Labour Party, Royal, Labour Locations: England, Czech, British, United States, FNAC, France, United Kingdom, West

☆ Danaher's rally shows how sticking with a troubled stock of a good company can pay off
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Market talk : The S & P 500 and Nasdaq jumped to new intraday highs Wednesday, extending the gains from the prior session's late-day rally. In fact, the S & P 500 broke above 5,300 for the first time ever. The one thing we're staying guarded about in this rally is how overbought the stock market has become. You have to go back to last December to find a time when the S & P 500 Short Range Oscillator was this overbought. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER .

Persons: Jim Cramer, Dow, Jan, Danaher, prudently, Cramer, we're, Jim Cramer's, Jim Organizations: CNBC, Nasdaq, Bank of America Healthcare, Disney, Cisco Systems, Walmart, Deere, Baidu, Jim Cramer's Charitable Locations: China

☆ These diets may reduce cancer, heart disease and early death, according to a 20-year review
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Eating a vegan, vegetarian or lacto-ovo vegetarian diet significantly reduces the overall risk of developing cancer, heart disease and dying early from cardiovascular disease, according to a new “umbrella” analysis of more than 20 years of research. “Plants have more fiber (animal foods have zero), less saturated fat and zero cholesterol (all animal foods have cholesterol),” Gardner said in an email. However, vegetarian diets limiting but not completely excluding certain types of meat and fish, such as pesco- or pollo-vegetarian diets, were excluded, he said. “Strictly vegan diets can be deficient in vitamin B12,” Gardner said. “Iron is another nutrient that is harder to get from a fully vegan diet,” Gardner added.

Persons: ”, Dr, Angelo Capodici, Federica, Guaraldi, David Katz, ” Katz, Christopher Gardner, Gardner, ” Gardner, “, Davide Gori, ” Gori, It’s, Wesley Soares Ferracini Organizations: CNN, Scuola Superiore, IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences, True Health Initiative, Stanford Prevention Research Center, University of Bologna, Mayo Clinic, B12 Locations: Pisa, Italy, Bologna, Palo Alto , California

☆ These wall-climbing, AI-powered robots are finding the flaws in 'D' grade US infrastructure, from commuter bridges to military hardware
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A focus on military hardware, from subs to aircraft carriersGecko robots are increasingly being utilized by the U.S. military. In 2022, the U.S. Air Force awarded Gecko Robotics a contract to help it with the conversion of missile silos. Gecko Robotics technology can collect upwards of 20 million data points in a tenth of the time, Loosararian said. The digital twins being created by Gecko robots also help with the building of future projects, saving not only time but resources and capital. "It's not just about how things work day-to-day but also how do you build smarter things," Loosararian said."

Persons: Baltimore's Francis Scott Key, weren't, Jake Loosararian, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Loosararian, It's Organizations: Robotics, CNBC, Biden's, U.S ., U.S . Air Force, U.S . Navy, Columbia, Navy, USS Locations: Philadelphia, U.S, New York City, China

☆ More young people are being diagnosed with cancer. 3 lifestyle changes could reduce your risk, according to a cancer dietitian.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Serafina Kenny | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA dietitian specializing in cancer prevention told Business Insider that simple lifestyle changes can be powerful when it comes to reducing the risk of developing cancer. The rates of younger adults being diagnosed with cancer have been rising since the '90s, according to the American Cancer Society, with colorectal, breast, and stomach cancers a particular concern. But certain lifestyle choices can help to prevent cancer, Tejal Parekh, a registered and licensed dietitian who specializes in helping mesothelioma patients reduce cancer symptoms through diet at Asbestos.com, told Business Insider. Research suggests that diets high in salt are linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer. Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weightBeing physically active for at least 30 minutes daily can help prevent cancer, Parekh said.

Persons: —, Tejal Parekh, dietitian, Parekh, Parekh it's Organizations: Service, American Cancer Society, US Centers for Disease Control, Business, International Agency for Research, Cancer, Research, CDC, Health Organization, National Cancer Institute

☆ Tiny backpacks reveal newfound species of the world’s largest hummingbird
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Now, new research has revealed that there are two distinct species of giant hummingbird in South America — the northern giant hummingbird that lives year-round in the Andes, and the migratory southern giant hummingbird — and they have been evolving separately for millions of years. A southern giant hummingbird is seen flying from its breeding grounds in central Chile. “We wanted to finally solve this mystery.”Designing backpacks for hummingbirdsGiant hummingbirds differ from hundreds of other hummingbird species in many other ways. A southern giant hummingbird is fitted with a tiny backpack-like geolocator tracking device in central Chile. “The two forms of giant hummingbird look almost identical — for centuries, ornithologists and birders never noticed that they were different.

Persons: Charles Darwin, Darwin, Chris Witt, ”, Jessie Williamson, “, ” Williamson, Emil Bautista, Williamson, Christopher Witt, birders, ” Witt, chaskis, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, HMS, National Academy of Sciences, National Science Foundation, Cornell, of Ornithology, Swifts, Centro, Biology, Museum of Southwestern, University of New Locations: New York City, Buenos Aires, South America, Chile, Ithaca , New York, Peru, Biodiversidad, Lima, Peruvian, Chilean, University of New Mexico, Inca

☆ Biden signs bill banning imports of Russian uranium for nuclear fuel
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Sean Conlon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ready-to-ship canisters filled with enriched uranium at the Urenco USA uranium enrichment facility near Eunice, New Mexico, US, on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is forcing the US and Europe to search for alternative sources of enriched uranium to power their reactors. The United States will ban imported Russian uranium starting on Aug. 11, the U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday. "Our nation's clean energy future will not rely on Russian imports," U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. "Banning imports of Russian uranium will jumpstart America's nuclear fuel industry, further defund Russia's war machine, and help revive American uranium production for decades to come," Barrasso said in a statement on Monday after the bill's enactment.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jennifer Granholm, Sen, John Barrasso, Barrasso, Anatoly Antonov, Biden, – Organizations: U.S . Department of Energy, Department of Energy, U.S, Exchange, Uranium, Uranium Miners, U.S . Energy, U.S ., Energy, Natural Resources Locations: Eunice , New Mexico, Russia's, Ukraine, Europe, United States, Russia, U.S

☆ U.S. energy panel approves rule to expand transmission of renewable power
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Republican Mark Christie opposed the rule, dismissing it as a gift to solar and wind power operators. Many power companies and Republican-led states don't want to spend money on new transmission lines or upgrades for renewable energy, creating conflicts with Democratic states that have ambitious clean-energy goals. The rule is intended to streamline how power lines are sited and how costs are shared between states. It could accelerate construction of new transmission lines for wind, solar and other renewable power and add huge amounts of clean energy to the grid. The new rule "will improve regional transmission planning, break down barriers to grid buildout and support the delivery of more affordable and reliable power,″ Zaidi said.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Willie Phillips, Allison Clements, Republican Mark Christie, Phillips, Christie, ″, Biden, Ali Zaidi, ″ Zaidi, Clements, Heather O'Neill, Chuck Schumer, Schumer Organizations: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Democratic, Republican, Energy Department, FERC, Advanced Energy Locations: Washington, U.S

☆ Opinion | Electricity Demand Is Surging. Let’s Not Fry the Planet in Response.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Jonathan Mingle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Electric utilities from Georgia to Wisconsin to Virginia are predicting a dizzying surge in power demand from new industrial facilities, electric vehicles and, most of all, the data centers that store our digital photos and will enable large-language models for artificial intelligence. For months now, they have been signaling that they won’t be able to keep up. To keep the lights on, many utility companies are proposing to build dozens of new power plants that burn natural gas. North Carolina-based Duke Energy alone wants to add 8.9 gigawatts of new gas-fired capacity — more than the entire country added in 2023. But to get there, legislators will need to overhaul the incentives driving utilities to double down on natural gas, so that they can turn a profit without cooking the planet.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Duke Energy Locations: Georgia, Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina

☆ Putin replaces Russia's defense minister with civilian economist in unexpected move
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2024. Mikhail Klimentyev | Afp | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin tapped a civilian economist as his surprise new defense minister on Sunday in an attempt to gird Russia for economic war by trying to better utilize the defense budget and harness greater innovation to win in Ukraine. More than two years into the conflict, which has cost both sides heavy casualties, Putin proposed Andrei Belousov, a 65-year-old former deputy prime minister who specializes in economics, to replace his long-term ally, Sergei Shoigu, 68, as defense minister. That, said Peskov, meant it was vital to ensure such spending aligned with and was better integrated into the country's overall economy, which was why Putin now wanted a civilian economist in the defense ministry job. Putin's move, though unexpected, preserves balance at the top of the complex system of personal loyalties that make up the current political system.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Putin, Andrei Belousov, Sergei Shoigu, Nikolai Patrushev, Patrushev, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Belousov, Alexander Baunov Organizations: Sputnik, Victory Day, Afp, Getty, Security, Putin, West, Defence, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet Union

Smarter grids, like Chattanooga's, are just part of what it will take to modernize the American grid in the coming decades. A troubled transition to renewable energyOffshore wind farms are one of the growing areas of renewable energy. And the Edwards & Sanborn project, the US's largest solar energy and energy storage project in California, came online in January. Renewable energy is not only cleaner than fossil fuels but also often less expensive. Breaking down barriersThe US grid isn't designed for fluctuating renewable energy, so much of it goes to waste because clean-energy projects can't connect to the grid.

Persons: Kevin Schneider, Harris, Joe Rand, Joshua Rhodes, barleyman, Edwards, Rand, Philip Odonkor, Seib, headwinds, Julia Bovey, Ørsted, Bovey, Paul Denholm, We'll, Denholm, There's, PATRICK T, FALLON, we're, Schneider, We've, EPB, MISO, it's Organizations: Infrastructure, Service, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Nationwide, Biden, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of Texas, Renewables, Sanborn, of Systems, Enterprises, Stevens Institute of Technology, Trump, Fork, Eversource Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Getty, Infrastructure Law Locations: Chattanooga , Tennessee, Chattanooga, EPB, Austin, Maine, North Carolina, California, United States

☆ Facing an Endless Barrage, Ukraine’s Air Defenses Are Withering
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Josh Holder | Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

Facing an Endless Barrage, Ukraine’s Air Defenses Are WitheringThis is what a year of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine looks like. Ukrainian air defenses used to intercept most missiles, but in recent months, more and more have made it through. Ukraine has made increasingly desperate pleas for more air defenses from its Western allies. But it could be months before enough weapons arrive to significantly bolster Ukrainian air defenses. Ukrainian air defenses downed the first seven — but had no choice but to let the next four pass, he said.

Persons: Jan, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ”, Tom Karako, Maj, Ilya Yevlash, Konrad Muzyka, Odesa, Yevlash, Justin Bronk, Mr, Bronk, Barber Organizations: Russian, New York Times, Ukrainian Air Force, Patriot, United, Kremlin, PBS, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Ukrainian Air, Patriots, Rochan Consulting, Kyiv Kharkiv Dnipro Odesa, Kyiv Kharkiv Dnipro Odesa Kyiv, Kyiv Kharkiv Dnipro Kyiv, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Washington, Poland, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Texas, London

☆ U.S. Awards $120 Million to Chipmaker to Expand Facility in Minnesota
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal officials will provide up to $120 million in grants to Polar Semiconductor to help the company expand its chip manufacturing facility in Minnesota, the Biden administration announced on Monday, the latest in a string of awards meant to strengthen the U.S. supply of semiconductors. Commerce Department officials said the grant would help Polar upgrade technology and double production capacity at its facility in Bloomington, Minn., within two years. The company produces chips that are critical for cars, defense systems and electrical grids, federal officials said. “We are making taxpayer dollars go as far as possible while crowding in private and state investment to create jobs, secure our supply chains and bolster manufacturing in Minnesota,” said Laurie Locascio, the under secretary of commerce for standards and technology. The law gave the Commerce Department $39 billion to distribute to companies to incentivize the construction and expansion of new plants in the United States.

Persons: Biden, ”, Laurie Locascio Organizations: Polar Semiconductor, Commerce, Commerce Department Locations: Minnesota, Bloomington, Minn, United States

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