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☆ Putin wants China to think he can defeat Ukraine. But his expensive military gambit is yet to yield results
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Nic Robertson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Kremlin claimed it had hit one of the United States’ prestigious Patriot missile defense systems. The Kremlin claimed it had hit a US Patriot missile defense system. The White House rebuffed Moscow's claims that the attack hit a Patriot missile defense system. Ankara on the diplomatic fenceXi isn’t the only leader with skin in the Ukraine war that Putin appears to be trying to sway his way right now. There is no guarantee either that Xi cares about Putin’s missile salvo targeting Kyiv’s Patriot missile batteries either, but he will have been paying attention.

☆ Charm Industrial is getting $53 million for turning agricultural waste into oil that can be pumped underground to lock away carbon dioxide for 1 million years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The company says the oil hardens within days and it estimates the carbon dioxide is locked away for 1 million years. That's far more than the 6,055 tons that Charm Industrial has removed to date under pilot programs. Meeting that global climate goal will likely require billions of metric tons of carbon dioxide to be removed from the atmosphere by 2050. Startups like Climeworks are using fans to suck carbon dioxide out of the sky, while others are using enhanced weathering that speeds up the natural ability of minerals to store carbon dioxide. For its part, Charm Industrial buys agricultural waste from farmers and heats it to high temperatures in a contraption called a pyrolyzer.

☆ At Hiroshima G7, bomb survivors grapple with a disarmament dream deferred
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/6] U.S. President Barack Obama (L) hugs atomic bomb survivor Shigeaki Mori as he visits Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan May 27, 2016. Kishida, who represents Hiroshima, said he chose it for the summit to focus attention on nuclear weapons. "I want to see the leaders commit to getting rid of nuclear weapons," Mori, 86, said in an interview. Senior German government sources did not list nuclear disarmament as a high priority, saying at the G7 it was "important mainly for Japan". "We recognise that the current international landscape is very challenging given Russia's threat to use nuclear weapons," one Japanese government official said.

Garmin's Forerunner fitness trackers have long been one of the brand's most popular among serious runners. After dozens of technological generations and improvements over the years, the latest is the Forerunner 935. To truly put this advanced running watch to the test, we had competitive distance runner, Ted Westbrook, put the 935 through 1,000 cumulative miles of running. A mid-size watch with premium featuresThe Forerunner 935 is a mid-sized watch for the average man and a large watch for the average woman. Whether you're a competitive runner or just want to improve your fitness and cardio, the Garmin Forerunner 935 is a worthwhile investment.

☆ Butterfly group named after 'Lord of the Rings' villain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The “distinctive fused orange rings” that encircle black-and-white eyespots on the hindwings of this group led the researchers to name the genus Saurona, according to a recent study published in the journal Systematic Entomology. The Eye of Sauron glows in the 2001 film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." … It’s a very fine scientific paper.”Distinguishing a special groupThe researchers documented two new species in the Saurona genus, named Saurona triangula and Saurona aurigera. Female saurona butterflies have slightly more rounded wings than males, but are otherwise similar in pattern, the authors found. Giving newly described genera or species names drawn from pop culture can draw attention to underappreciated species, Huertas said.

☆ How can you tell if someone isn’t really into doing you a favor?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Every two minutes or so, all over the world, someone asks someone else for a small favor. But what happens in those rare instances when someone declines to do a favor? Even when humans decline a request for a favor, they almost never say the word no out loud. Now, maybe that's true, and if they keep doing it, pretty quickly you won't be that person's friend anymore." "When our responses to crises work well, we're doing things like evoking a specific social identity.

With a wry nod to the weekend coronation of King Charles, Goldman Sachs' currency team labelled an upgrade of its sterling recommendation from neutral to 'Long (live) Sterling' - nudging a 3-month forecast for sterling 3% stronger to 0.86 per euro. "Headwinds on sterling in 2022 - mostly natural gas prices and the relative stance of BoE policy - have turned to tailwinds." Economic surprise indexes compiled by Citi show incoming UK readouts more positive relative to expectations than at any time since October 2020. But the FTSE 250 is mostly holding its own so far in 2023 as they have both advanced 3%-4%. UK Economic Surprises surge vs rest of the westG3 Terminal RatesFTSE100 vs FTSE250The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.

☆ Google I/O event: first foldable phone, new tablets and more AI features
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Pixel FoldThe Google Pixel Fold is the company's first foray into foldable phones GoogleGoogle became the latest tech company to unveil a foldable smartphone. Like other foldables, the $1799 Pixel Fold features a vertical hinge that can be opened to reveal a tablet-like display. The Pixel Fold is very much a phone first: when it’s unfolded, it opens up into a 7.6-inch screen, and moves on Google’s custom-built 180-degree hinge. Under the hood, the 11-inch tablet is powered by Google’s Tensor G2 chips, which bring long-lasting battery life and AI features to the device. AI features coming to searchGoogle is also moving forward with plans to bring AI chat features to its core search engine amid a renewed arms race over the technology in Silicon Valley.

Russian servicemen rehearse on Sunday for the Victory Day parade, when Moscow will aim to display its military prowess. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty ImagesSeveral Russian regions have cut back on Victory Day celebrations, due to insufficient military weapons available for display. World leaders such as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan attended the military parade in previous years. ‘Evil has returned’Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday suggested moving Ukraine's Victory Day parade a day earlier so it does not align with Moscow's celebrations. Like Russia, Ukraine traditionally commemorates victory over the Nazis on May 9, but that date has become increasingly associated with a parade in Moscow.

☆ Black Tech Twitter, trans users and more marginalized groups flock to Bluesky
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Daysia Tolentino | J.J. Mccorvey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Her first objective was to get her community, Black tech Twitter, onto Bluesky. Once Black Twitter users started moving to Bluesky, Aveta said, others wanted to follow. Some signs indicate a slowdown among Black Twitter users that predates Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter last year. Aveta said she prioritized moving the Black tech community to Bluesky first to combine social appeal with technical knowledge. Pariss Chandler, the organizer of Black Tech Twitter and the founder of the recruitment platform Black Tech Pipeline, said diversity, equity and inclusion should be considered early in a platform's launch.

☆ Mexico's top court invalidates part of president's electoral reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 8 (Reuters) - Mexico's Supreme Court on Monday struck down part of an electoral overhaul championed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that curbs the power of the country's elections authority, which the leftist leader has repeatedly attacked. A separate part of the legislative reform, which slashes the budget and staffing at the National Electoral Institute (INE), is still being evaluated by the tribunal. In March, the court temporarily suspended other parts of the overhaul, citing violations of citizens' political rights. Lopez Obrador says he was twice robbed of the presidency before he won by a landslide in the 2018 election, and argues the INE is too expensive and biased in favor of his opponents. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in February after lawmakers approved the reform, in one of the largest protests so far against Lopez Obrador's 4-1/2 year-old administration.

☆ Under the Radar, Right-Wing Push to Tighten Voting Laws Persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Nick Corasaniti | Alexandra Berzon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“They haven’t stopped trying to change how our elections are run. They’re just doing it out of the spotlight,” said Joanna Lydgate, the chief executive of States United, a nonpartisan election group. National Republicans recently sought to change the rules for a single race in Montana — for the U.S. Senate — to tilt the scales toward the Republican candidate. In Ohio, Republican state lawmakers are seeking to make it harder to pass a ballot initiative, just as a coalition of abortion rights groups is collecting signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Incrementalism at WorkWith some legislatures still in session, the full picture of new election laws is still coming into view.

Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Ukraine ran its nuclear reactors on Russian fuel, producing 55% of the country's electricity. Cameco, like Energoatom, can adjust how much uranium it delivers on two years' notice, Kotin said. Contracted uranium prices are typically higher than spot prices, meaning that Cameco may take a discount if Ukraine purchases less uranium due to the war's impact, Carter said. Kotin said Energoatom will buy Cameco's uranium at a price based equally on a fixed price and a market price. BIG POTENTIAL REWARDSWhile Ukraine will rely on Cameco for uranium, it has struck separate deals for further processing.

☆ Early Asos and Boohoo investor leads $10 million round in discount fashion marketplace startup Secret Sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

UK-based fashion marketplace startup Secret Sales has raised a $10 million Series B round. Clothing marketplace startup Secret Sales has raised $10 million in a round led by an early backer of fashion giants Asos and Boohoo despite a cooldown in investor interest in the sector. Some fast fashion retailers are under investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority for supposedly greenwashing how eco-friendly their fashion lines and manufacturing efforts have been. This allows brands to connect to Secret Sales in under two weeks, while legacy outlets take up to eight weeks, Griffin added. Secret Sales' "model is not just a small niche of a market, it's a vast market, and it scales potentially globally," said Iain McDonald, founder of Belerion Capital Group.

☆ Goldman Sachs says these 'compelling' stocks are earnings season winners
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Sifting through the flood of financial reports this week, Goldman Sachs analysts have named a slew of stocks poised for more growth ahead. Constellation Brands Shares of the beer and wine maker are just too attractive to ignore, the firm said. Braze "Long-term fundamentals are intact," analyst Gabriella Borges said of the cloud software marketing company. Braze shares are up more than 7% this year, after coming off of a better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter report . Importantly, the company raised its full year outlook at the high end of prior range, with ~8% net sales growth and ~11% adj.

☆ Leaked Breitbart messages highlight right-wing media struggle over Republican party’s future
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The tense back and forth inside Breitbart reflects a growing tension inside the right-wing media universe writ large — one that could have consequences for national politics. Ahead of the 2024 Republican primary contest, battle lines are starting to be drawn. It’s reminicent of what took place in right-wing media during the 2016 GOP primary season. But the manner in which the biggest mouthpieces in right-wing media cover the looming primary is highly consequential, and could ultimately decide who gets the party’s blessing. Republican primary voters primarily get their news from partisan outlets, such as Breitbart and Fox News, while shunning news from mainstream outlets.

☆ Chicago’s Sanctuary City Awakening
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Images: AP/Shutterstock/Reuters Composite: Mark KellyPosturing as a “sanctuary city” used to be fun when it meant resisting Donald Trump, but now the migrant crisis is everywhere. “We simply have no more shelters, spaces, or resources,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says in a letter Sunday to Texas Gov. “Though I am sympathetic to the significant challenges that border cities face, this situation is completely untenable.”And the scales fall. That’s nothing next to El Paso, which this week declared a state of emergency, as it braces for the end of Title 42 pandemic expulsions. The El Paso Times cites estimates of about “10,000 to 12,000 migrants in Juárez,” waiting to cross into the U.S.

☆ Bank of America double upgrades this private social club stock, says it can jump more than 20%
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Private social club company Soho House could continue to benefit from a lack of real competition in the leisure space, according to Bank of America. The bank double upgraded shares of Soho House to buy from underperform and raised its price target to $8 per share from $7. Soho House primarily focuses on private membership clubs, with over 30 social and work locations. SHCO YTD mountain Bank of America upgrades shares of Soho House on Tuesday and predicts as much as 23% upside. Now, Kelley said, company management is in a better position to handle and navigate the potential challenges ahead.

☆ A small-cap fund manager who's beaten 90% of his peers over the last year shares 5 stocks he's betting on now — and how he weeds out downside risk in a volatile area of the market
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Investors look to small-cap stocks for big upside potential. 5 stocks Harden is betting on nowHarden shared five holdings that he's put through this process and are among those he's most bullish on right now. Next, Harden listed two regional banks: Metropolitan Bank (MCB) and Merchants Bancorp (MBIN). The iShares US Regional Banks ETF (IAT) is down 26% year-to-date. "I don't think there's any money in having a calendar," he said.

☆ How to put your best travel foot forward for Earth Day 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

But you don’t have to totally cut out travel or stay super close to home to be a good planetary citizen. You need a city that’s dedicated to getting it right to best enjoy an urban biking vacation. Here, we've curated 30 of our favorite corners, including the Thu Bon River, which flows through central Vietnam. A maze of rivers and caves, the UNESCO World Centre is defined by its craggy limestone facades and jade green water. Bruno De Hogues/Photodisc/Getty Images Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park: A UNESCO World Heritage, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is heaven for spelunkers.

☆ New propellers with looped blades could help make the oceans quiet again, sparing both marine life and the climate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Sharrow Marine sells them for small boats but would need to scale up to reach the shipping industry. A traditional ship propeller that has blades in a screw-like form. That's what Sebastian realized when he put loop propellers on a drone. Sharrow began selling propellers to recreational boaters in 2020 through a company he founded called Sharrow Marine. Testing led by the company BoatTEST found that the Sharrow Propeller was up to 30% more efficient than a standard blade propeller.

Investors may see rate cuts in the Fed's near future, part of a recession-breeds-accommodation view of the world, but "the labor market just seems very, very strong. The bulk of Fed policymakers as of March felt one more rate increase, which would raise the benchmark overnight interest rate to a range between 5.00% and 5.25%, was all that would be needed. Some policymakers and analysts worry it is those final steps that could push the economy into a recession. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsLIMIT GUIDANCEGiven how inflation and the economy are behaving, Bullard said, the fewer promises made the better. Recession forecasts "are coming from models that put too much weight on the idea that interest rates went up quickly," Bullard said.

☆ I rented clothes instead of buying new, and saved $53 a month—here's the No. 1 reason I'll keep doing it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

I started renting used clothes in January, saving me an average of $53 per month so far. Balancing my vanity with an awareness that I needed to budget more effectively, I started renting clothes from Nuuly — a sister company to Urban Outfitters — in January. It hasn't curbed my shopping habits as much as I predicted, but it has saved me money: I spend $53 less per month, on average. But I didn't start renting clothes for my self-esteem. Why I'll keep renting clothes — but not forever

☆ Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan holds Manhattan hearing to blast DA's record on crime despite 73% higher murder rate at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rep. Jim Jordan held a Manhattan hearing criticizing its 'soft-on-real-crime' DA. The House Judiciary Committee hearing was met with pushback about crime in red states like Jordan's. NYPD stats show that the first three months of 2023 have seen a decline in Manhattan crime compared with the first three months of last year. The chairman is doing the bidding of Donald Trump," Nadler said. Bragg responded by suing Jordan and the House Judiciary Committee; his lawsuit seeks to block the subpoena and to stop Jordan's investigation.

☆ Ukraine's fighter jet fleet is slowly growing, but its weapons to bring down Russian jets are dwindling, leaked US document shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The jets will bolster Ukraine's fighter fleet, which is still under fire from Russia's larger air force. But air-defense ammunition is a more urgent need, one underscored in recently leaked US documents. Berlin approved Warsaw's request to send jets to Ukraine on Thursday, the same day it was received. Both air forces have shifted tactics and now operate farther from the front line, playing to the advantage of the Russian aircraft, which have an edge at longer ranges. Without the threat posed by those interceptor missiles, Russian aircraft would have greater freedom to attack Ukrainian aircraft and bomb Ukrainian targets, including in support of Russian front-line troops, the leaked document says.

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