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☆ Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ tour has begun. Here’s what to know before you go
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —If you’re one of the lucky members of the BeyHive who scored tickets to Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” tour this summer, expect one of the more epic nights of your life. Fans have been waiting for this tour since last summer, and it’s finally time to unleash our inner alien superstars. Here’s what “Renaissance” tour-goers need to know before the show hits their hometown (or, before they fly across the world to catch it – the things we do for Beyoncé). Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for ParkwoodThe aesthetic of the “Renaissance” tour, based on the footage fans have captured, is more “Alien Superstar” than “Cuff It”: Think Afrofuturist cyborgs with impeccable style. ), and she lets those in the audience know that a “queen moves at her own pace.” We’ll have to keep waiting on those music videos.

☆ Senate Democrats are asking Biden to stop negotiating with Republicans on a debt ceiling solution and take a route that would get rid of the problem forever
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Senate Democrats are asking Biden to prepare to use the 14th amendment to solve the debt ceiling crisis. The 14th amendment would allow Biden to bypass Congress and declare the debt ceiling unconstitutional. On Wednesday, The Washington Post first reported that five Democratic senators have spearheaded an effort to urge Biden to invoke a clause in the 14th amendment to address the debt ceiling. Rep. Jamie Raskin, for example, told Insider in a Wednesday interview that the 14th amendment "provides the whole structure for resolving the conflict." He said that he doesn't think the 14th amendment "solves our problem now.

☆ Asian hedge funds piled to China education, U.S. AI shares in Q1
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Summer Zhen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Investors poured money into private tutoring leaders, including New Oriental and TAL Education (TAL.N), that have come through a near two-year crackdown in China on after-school education. Greenwoods also built a new position in TAL Education by acquiring 2.2 million shares. The fund run by ex-Alibaba CTO John Wu bought 2.1 million more shares to boost its stake in the tutoring giant. Share prices of both New Oriental and TAL collapsed over 90% from its peak after Beijing’s ban on K-12 private tutoring. The price of two stocks have doubled from the low point in October after China dropped its strict controls against COVID-19.

☆ World Bank suspends $1 bln worth of project funding in Congo
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sonia Rolley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The suspension will affect more than 600,000 beneficiaries, including victims of sexual violence, the World Bank told Congo's finance minister last week in a letter seen by Reuters. A World Bank spokesperson confirmed its authenticity. On May 4, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi dissolved the structure, the "Social Fund of the Democratic Republic of Congo", by presidential order and created another public fund. A spokesperson for Congo's finance ministry said he was waiting for the go-ahead from the presidency before he could comment. Four of Congo's main opposition politicians wrote to the leaders of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the African Development Bank last week asking them to conduct an audit of their funds in Congo, saying they suspected misuse.

SINGAPORE, May 15 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Monday as concerns about fuel demand in the top global oil consumers, the United States and China, offset bullish sentiment about tightening supplies from OPEC+ cuts and a resumption in U.S. buying for reserves. Brent crude futures fell 26 cents, or 0.35%, to $73.91 a barrel by 0638 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $69.34 a barrel, down 20 cents, or 0.29%. Investors will scour China's slew of economic data on industrial output, fixed assets investment and retail sales in the week ahead for signs of oil demand improvement, she said. However, Iraq does not expect OPEC+ to make further cuts to oil output at its next meeting in June, said its oil minister, Hayan Abdel-Ghani. 1 crude importers, respectively, have been the key buyers of Russian crude since the European Union embargo started in December.

☆ Oil falls as economic concerns offset prospect of tighter supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Florence Tan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, May 15 (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Monday as concerns about fuel demand at top global oil consumers U.S. and China offset optimism about tightening supplies from any OPEC+ cuts and a resumption in U.S. buying for reserves. Brent crude futures fell 43 cents, or 0.6%, to $73.74 a barrel by 0130 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $69.67 a barrel, down 37 cents, or 0.5%. Investors will scour China's slew of economic data on industrial output, fixed assets investment, and retail sales in the week ahead for signs of oil demand improvement, she added. However, Iraq does not expect OPEC+ to make further cuts to oil output at its next meeting in June, its oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani said. 1 crude importers, respectively, have been the key buyers of Russian crude since the European Union embargo started in December.

☆ Swedish singer Loreen wins Eurovision Song Contest for 2nd time at event feting Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Swedish singer Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with her power ballad "Tattoo," at a colorful, eclectic music competition clouded for a second year running by the war in Ukraine. Loreen, 39, previously won Eurovision in 2012 and is only the second performer to take the prize twice, after Ireland's Johnny Logan in the 1980s. Under the slogan "united by music," Eurovision final fused the soul of the English port city that birthed The Beatles with the spirit of war-battered Ukraine. Now in its 67th year, Eurovision bills itself as the world's biggest music contest — an Olympiad of party-friendly pop. "Now, the music industry, the world, knows that if you appear at Eurovision, you could be in for a great thing," said Steve Holden, host of the official Eurovision Song Contest podcast.

CNN —What could be a meteorite struck a home in Hopewell Township, New Jersey, authorities said Monday. The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is an annual phenomenon in which debris from the famous Halley’s Comet rains down into Earth’s atmosphere. In November, for example, an object believed to be a meteorite from the Taurid meteor shower struck a house in Northern California, according to CNN affiliate KCRA in Sacramento. Authorities in New Jersey said the possible meteorite that struck on Monday measured about 4 inches by 6 inches. A meteorite will be much heavier for its size than a typical Earth rock because it’s packed with dense metals.

Summary Oil rallies after three straight weekly declinesGoldman Sachs says demand fears 'overblown'US inflation data and OPEC report in focus this weekSINGAPORE, May 8 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose over 2% on Monday as U.S. recession fears eased and some traders saw crude's three-week slide on demand worries as overdone. Brent crude was up $1.57, or 2.1%, at $76.87 a barrel by 11:19 a.m. EDT (1519 GMT). Brent had finished last week with a decline of about 5.3% while U.S. crude plunged by 7.1% even after Friday's rebound. "The market is less worried about a banking crisis that could lead to a recession and hurt demand," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group. OPEC's latest monthly oil market report is due on Thursday, providing an updated reading on the demand and supply outlook.

SINGAPORE, May 8 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose slightly in early Asian trade on Monday as fears of a recession in the U.S., which drove prices down for three straight weeks for the first time since November, began to recede. Brent crude futures were up 6 cents at $75.36 a barrel at 0022 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 8 cents at $71.42. "Crude prices may continue to take the rebounding tailwind," CMC'S Teng said. Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Oil climbs more than 2% as recession fears begin to fade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices rose over 2% on Monday as U.S. recession fears eased and some traders saw crude's three-week slide on demand worries as overdone. Brent had finished last week with a decline of about 5.3% while U.S. crude plunged by 7.1% even after Friday's rebound. Banking concerns have plagued the market recently after the collapse of three major regional banks. "The market is less worried about a banking crisis that could lead to a recession and hurt demand," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group. OPEC's latest monthly oil market report is due on Thursday, providing an updated reading on the demand and supply outlook.

☆ Stock markets nervous about Fed pivot and banking sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The Fed decision was widely expected, so it didn't provide much of a shock to financial markets," Tina Teng, market analyst at CMC Markets, in Auckland. "However, I think the whole economic playout is not positive, especially the recent banking rout from the regional banks, and those big banks taking over the smaller banks. It's not a good sign, and risks are spreading out into the wider banking system, which worries investors." E-mini futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.22%, reflecting the dramatic slide in regional banking shares after the close of U.S. markets. The Fed is trying to indicate a direction, and the market is looking further down the path than the Fed's willing to communicate."

[1/5] Britain's Camilla, Queen Consort attends a Garden Party, in celebration of King Charles' coronation, at Buckingham Palace, London, Britain. When Charles' divorced first wife, the popular, glamorous Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, Camilla bore the brunt of media hostility. That's the strength of love," Camilla told Charles in the secretly recorded telephone conversation publicised in 1993. From being able to appear in public together, to marriage and last year's approval from Queen Elizabeth to Camilla taking the title Queen Consort, their success is complete. Other surveys have also indicated only a minority thought she should be Queen Camilla.

☆ Oregon Secretary of State Resigns Over Cannabis Consulting Job
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Talal Ansari | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Shemia Fagan’s salary as Oregon’s secretary of state was $77,000 in 2022, according to state records. Photo: Matthew Hinton/Associated PressOregon’s secretary of state is resigning after it was revealed that she worked on the side as a consultant for a cannabis company, earning $10,000 a month, while her office was overseeing an audit of the state’s marijuana regulator. Democrat Shemia Fagan announced her resignation Tuesday, as fallout and political pressure over the consulting job grew. Tina Kotek last week asked the Oregon Government Ethics Commission to investigate Ms. Fagan’s dealings. Kotek also asked the state’s Justice Department to look into a recent audit of the cannabis industry overseen by the secretary of state’s office.

☆ Oil slips on weak China demand fears, U.S. rate rise forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Emily Chow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The downside pressure on oil is that China's economic recovery is not really promising, clouding the demand outlook on fuel consumption," said Tina Teng, an analyst at CMC Markets. China's manufacturing activity unexpectedly fell in April, official data showed on Sunday, the first contraction since December in the manufacturing purchasing managers' index. China's industrial and economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic was expected to boost demand this year. Despite China's weak manufacturing data, there are positive signs of recovery based on spending during the five-day Labour Day holiday in the world's largest oil importer, said analysts in an ANZ Research note. Interest rate increases by inflation-fighting central banks could impact oil by slowing economic growth and denting energy demand.

☆ Oklahoma bodies found: Convicted sex offender Jesse McFadden and 2 teen girls among 7 bodies found at his home
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Tina Burnside Caroll Alvarado Eric Levenson | Tina Burnside | Caroll Alvarado | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A convicted sex offender and two missing teenage girls were believed to be among seven bodies found at the man’s Oklahoma home on Monday, authorities said. Brittany Brewer, 16, left, and Ivy Webster, 14, right, were the subject of an endangered/missing advisory issued by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. From Nathan Brewer/Okmulgee County Sheriff's OfficeThe seven bodies were found at a property where McFadden lived and was listed as his home in the Oklahoma Sex Offender Registry. “Our hearts are hurting, and we have considered what would be best for our students in the coming days,” the school system said. “Please continue to keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.”Located in central Oklahoma, Henryetta had a population of 5,640 at the 2020 US census.

LONDON, May 1 (Reuters) - After waiting longer than any British heir to become monarch, King Charles has quietly settled into his new role with little of the drama some commentators had expected, but with family divisions and some fundamental issues still looming. "I think we are all quite surprised at how well King Charles has begun," royal author Tina Brown told Reuters. Charles does not enjoy same support as his widely admired mother, but his public approval ratings are generally positive. For Charles, the most prominent issue remains the ongoing conflict with his younger son Prince Harry. "I think the public are thinking we've kind of heard all that, but normal life continues."

☆ A muddy mess in Ukraine is making trouble for new howitzers so sensitive to dirt they come with their own vacuum cleaners
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Soldiers have to be very clean and careful when entering the vehicles, The New York Times reported. Germany has sent 14 Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, according to an inventory of its military support to Kyiv. Each howitzer even comes with a vacuum cleaner, and the barrels sometimes have to be cleaned with a long brush. That said, the Ukrainian forces operating the German-made howitzers have reportedly seen some successes against Russian tank and infantry units despite the current conditions on the ground. Ukrainian forces have been gearing up to launch a much-anticipated counteroffensive against Russia after receiving a massive influx of heavy armor and advanced military hardware from the US and its Western partners.

☆ Opinion: Why we’re still waiting for the Catholic women’s ‘revolution’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Opinion Opinion Celia Wexler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Editor’s Note: Celia Wexler is a journalist and the author of “Catholic Women Confront Their Church: Stories of Hurt and Hope.” She writes frequently on Catholicism, feminism and politics. That means in the United States, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, that bastion of conservatism, will do the choosing. Will Zagano, who has written extensively about the role of women deacons in the early church, be given a vote? How about British theologian Tina Beattie, who has worked tirelessly to amplify women’s voices in the church? In 2014, Beattie founded Catholic Women Speak, an international group of women focused on one goal: increasing women’s participation in the life and governance of the church.

☆ Florida lawmakers just passed a bill for DeSantis to remain governor while running for president
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Republicans in Florida are changing the law so DeSantis can run for president and keep his job. The Trump campaign accused DeSantis of violating the law, even though he hasn't made a bid official. "If an individual who is Florida governor is running for president, I think he should be allowed to do it," Passidomo told reporters at the time. Hutson disagreed that with the assessment that DeSantis wouldn't be able to both operate as governor and run for president. April 25, 2023: This story has been updated with a comment from the Trump campaign.

☆ Go Ahead, Judge This Book by Its Cover. There’s Nothing Inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Anna Kodé | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The tomes are all “rescue books,” ones that would otherwise be discarded or recycled for paper pulp, said Charles Roberts, the president of Books by the Foot’s parent company, Wonder Book. There are other, sometimes counterintuitive, uses for fake tomes as well. Instead, perforated aluminum plates emblazoned with images of books can be found, primarily on the upper shelves of the atrium. Tina Ramchandani, an interior designer in New York, said that her firm has used fake books in both commercial and residential settings. For a dressing room in a members-only club in New Jersey, “where nobody was really going to read the books, but where there were bookshelves, we got all fake books,” Ms. Ramchandani said.

☆ Oil prices slide on uncertainty over global economic outlook, rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Florence Tan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, April 24 (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Monday as concerns about rising interest rates, the global economy and the outlook for fuel demand outweighed support from the prospect of tighter supplies on OPEC+ supply cuts. Weak U.S. economic data and disappointing corporate earnings from the tech sector sparked growth concerns and risk aversion among investors, CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng said. China's bumpy economic recovery post COVID-19 also clouded its oil demand outlook, although Chinese customs data showed on Friday that the world's top crude importer brought in record volumes in March. China's imports from top suppliers Russia and Saudi Arabia topped 2 million barrels per day (bpd) each. In the United States, energy firms last week added oil and natural gas rigs for the first time in four weeks, energy services firm Baker Hughes Co (BKR.O) said.

☆ Global Hotspots: How the latest in Australia, Sudan, Ukraine, and China impacts the markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGlobal Hotspots: How the latest in Australia, Sudan, Ukraine, and China impacts the marketsTina Fordham, Founder at Fordham Global Foresight, discusses the global events most impacting the economy this week.

While many other European monarchies have come and gone, or are far diminished in scale and importance, the British royal family has remained remarkably resilient. Republic, a group that wants to abolish the monarchy, has pointed to a poll which showed a majority of people were not interested in the coronation. RELEVANCE"Relevance is absolutely crucial to the monarchy," said Robert Hardman, a long-time royal correspondent and author of 'Queen of our Times'. But, in return, the royals are considered public property with an expectation that they play the press "game" in return for gilded lives in palaces. "Monarchs and their families need the media just as the media need them," Harshan Kumarasingham, senior lecturer in British politics at the University of Edinburgh.

☆ US Senate Republicans go after Biden's labor nominee for stance on Uber, Lyft, others
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Julie Su speaks at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on her nomination to be Labor Secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 20, 2023. She needs at least 50 votes in a Senate where Democrats have a slim 51-49 majority. Industry groups that represent companies employing gig labor have launched an aggressive campaign to oppose her nomination. Cassidy also accused her of eliminating independent contracting during her tenure as Biden's deputy secretary of labor. It is not a given that all Senate Democrats will support Su.

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