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☆ Opinion: In Ukraine, the Russian military response to the counteroffensive shows how it’s improved – and how it hasn’t
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Opinion Sébastien Roblin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The beginning of the much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia seems not to have been a resounding success for Kyiv. But they don’t mean that all is lost for Ukraine – or even that Ukraine is now losing. Russia’s artillery ammunition, missile stockpiles and most-modern ground combat vehicles were gravely depleted, so 60-year-old tanks have been withdrawn from storage. It was while attempting to breach a path through one such fortified minefield that the 47th Brigade’s vehicles bogged down last week. Notably, a parallel drive toward Mariupol at the same time as the 47th’s failed attack last week has made fast gains, compelling Russian forces to withdraw from several settlements.

Persons: Sébastien Roblin, Bradley, ” Sebastien Roblin, Sebastien Roblin, Putin, Biden, —, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Organizations: Popular Mechanics, NBC, Forbes.com, Georgetown University, Peace Corps, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine’s 47th Brigade, Ukraine, Red Army, 47th Brigade, NATO, Twitter, Facebook Locations: China, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kursk, Kherson, Normandy, Berdyansk, Crimea

☆ They Said What? Lip Readers Decode Celebrity Whispers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Steven Kurutz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Lip reading is hardly an exact science. For Mr. Freeman, who was born deaf, the practice has “been ingrained in me since I was brought up,” he said. “I would never say I can lip read 100 percent accurately.” Certain people, like the Scottish comedian and actor Billy Connolly, confound him. “I find him impossible to lip read,” Mr. Freeman said. Mr. Freeman said he would never lip read someone in their home.

Persons: Jeremy Freeman, Freeman, ”, “, Billy Connolly, confound, Mr, King Charles III, Dellinger, Olivia Rodrigo, Iris Apatow, Rodrigo, Krystin Kalvoy, Kalvoy, Ben Organizations: Los Angeles Lakers Locations: London, Scottish

☆ Greece’s reform labours are only half complete
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Greece’s large current account deficit and domestic corruption undermine its attraction as an investment destination. The issue, rather, is whether Greece will be able to attract investment in the quantities needed for it to fulfil its potential. What’s more, investment is still only 14% of national income, even though this measure expanded during Mitsotakis’ first term as prime minister. Well-designed tax and benefit reforms could even reduce the country’s unemployment rate, which is currently 12%, thereby increasing its productive potential. All this would provide a buffer if Greece or the world economy is hit by further shocks in coming years.

Persons: Hercules, Mitsotakis, Bruegel, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Union, International Monetary Fund, Bank of, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Twitter, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Mitsotakis ’, Bank of Greece, Mitsotakis

☆ Stocks tiptoe higher as US inflation data offers hope
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Lawrence White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's gauge of global equity performance (.MIWD00000PUS) rose 0.03% after the Labor Department's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 4.9% year-over-year in April, against expectations of 5%. "Bigger picture, I think the market is hyper fixated on the ‘pause’ but a pause is still restrictive overall," he said. The dollar index hit a session low of 101.36 after the headline April inflation data, while benchmark 10-year German bond yields edged down 4 basis points. Emerging markets currencies rallied on Wednesday following the U.S. data, with MSCI's index (.MIEM00000CUS) up 0.26%. Spot gold turned positive after the CPI data, last trading up 0.3%.

☆ Stocks stumble in jittery mood ahead of US inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

S&P 500 futures were steady and European futures rose 0.1%. "That's the thing that'd get taken out if CPI numbers come in on the higher side," said ING economist Rob Carnell. "It doesn't look particularly sensible if inflation is falling at too slow a rate and that could feed through into higher longer-term treasury yields as well." Interest rate futures imply about a 60% chance the Federal Reserve cuts rates in September, according to the CME FedWatch tool. "But the debt ceiling drama, and market participants’ focus on rate cuts is unlikely to change much from one CPI report.

☆ Stocks stumble as investors' nerves show ahead of US inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SINGAPORE, May 10 (Reuters) - Stocks were struggling to advance in Asia and the dollar was firm on Wednesday ahead of U.S. consumer price data that could damage hopes for interest rate cuts later this year if inflation fails to show much of a decline. Overnight the S&P 500 (.SPX) fell 0.5% and S&P 500 futures were steady in the Asian morning. A firm U.S. dollar pushed the euro back below $1.10 to $1.0971. Treasuries were broadly steady overnight, though debt-ceiling brinkmanship is warping the bills market as investors avoid bills maturing early in June. The dollar was also firm at 135.14 yen and has lifted slightly from recent lows on the Aussie , kiwi and sterling .

☆ South African rand pauses after steep fall; focus on U.S. CPI
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, May 10 (Reuters) - The South African rand was little changed in early trade on Wednesday after a steep fall the previous day, with global market attention firmly pinned on U.S. inflation figures due later in the day. At 0545 GMT the rand traded at 18.6425 against the U.S. currency , not far from its previous close of 18.6375. The risk-sensitive rand lost more than 1.6% against the greenback on Tuesday, as caution built ahead of Wednesday's U.S. Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) print scheduled for 1230 GMT. Economists expect the headline CPI to hold steady at an annual 5% and core CPI to moderate very slightly to 5.5%, though anything stickier could confound bets interest rates will fall. Among local drivers, South Africa's central bank governor Lesetja Kganyago will from 0900 GMT deliver a lecture on the topic: "Challenges facing the global economy: A South African Perspective".

The women were found in Belgium, The Netherlands, or Germany but might have come from other countries, she said. Her body was discovered in 1991 in a rainwater well in the town of Holsbeek, some 40 km (25 miles) from Brussels. The operation focuses on female victims as "women are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence, such as sexual assault, human trafficking, and domestic abuse", Hitchin explained. Hitchin said that Interpol's global network will reach a wider public and might lead to someone recognising their loved one or a friend or a colleague. Reporting by Clement Rossignol, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sebastian Steudtner has turned to science as he chases the world’s biggest waves
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Matt Majendie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —Sebastian Steudtner holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. Steudtner holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. Win, win, win or perform, perform, perform. How boring is it to win and win and win? If I want to catch waves, I don’t think about you because you’re in my way, so you’re naturally competitive.

☆ Canadian housing starts slow as BoC rate hikes weigh
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Fergal Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TORONTO, April 19 (Reuters) - Canadian housing starts fell more than expected in March, contributing to a slower trend in recent months that follows a rapid increase in borrowing costs, data from the national housing agency showed on Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of housing starts fell 11% to 213,865 units from a revised 240,927 units in February, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) said. "The SAAR of housing starts and the trend appear to be returning to pre-pandemic levels," Bob Dugan, CMHC's chief economist, said in a statement. The Bank of Canada has lifted its benchmark interest rate to a 15-year high of 4.50% to tackle inflation. For the first quarter, starts averaged 223,000, the weakest quarter since the depth of the COVID-19 pandemic in early-2020, Robert Kavcic, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, said in a note.

☆ Column: Peak emissions hopes to be tested as China & Europe crank output
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Industries in both regions were impaired in 2022 by repeated COVID-19 lockdowns in China and a power crisis in Europe, which resulted in sharp cuts to their combined industrial output. Even so, China and Europe still lifted fossil fuel power emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) to a record 5.99 billion tonnes in 2022, Ember data shows, which is a testament to their combined polluting heft even during times of economic distress. Power sector emissions from fossil fuelsIn 2023, the economies of China and Europe are expected to return to growth paths as factories and production lines dial up output from the subdued levels of last year, resulting in higher overall energy use. That may lift emissions even higher, and confound expectations for drops in fossil fuel pollution levels going forward. German production of steel, chemicals and fertilizers have all climbed in early 2023 after having fallen precipitously during 2022 when power prices surged.

☆ Forgotten parts of the market lead the way in 2023 as advisors wrestle with how to play the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Everyone here is amazed at how forgotten segments of the market have rebounded in 2023: international, growth, small cap and bonds. Advisors here are having a hard time wrapping their heads around the idea that there would be a recession ins 2023, and now maybe not. "With real wage growth, large payroll growth and earnings beating expectations it equals a soft landing at worst and maybe no recession near term." Most advisors here are coming to grips with Powell's insistence the Fed will not lower rates this year. Their Equal Weight S & P 500 ETF (RSP) has also attracted significant inflows from investors wary of market cap weighted indexes.

☆ Europe could dodge a recession. But the UK economy is in a mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Business activity across the 20 countries that use the euro expanded in January for the first time in six months, according to data published Tuesday, providing fresh evidence that Europe’s economy could confound expectations and dodge a recession this year. The UK survey is conducted in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. “Weaker-than-expected PMI numbers in January underscore the risk of the UK slipping into recession,” Williamson said. The UK economy lost more working days to strikes between June and November 2022 than in any six-month period over the previous 30 years, according to data published last week by Britain’s Office for National Statistics. Separate data published by the ONS on Tuesday showed that UK government borrowing hit £27.4 billion ($33.7 billion) in December, the highest figure for that month since records began in 1993.

As the cost of signing up new customers rises, “lifetime value” is set to become must-use jargon for technology executives, investors and analysts in 2023. The concept of lifetime value is not new, but a common definition remains elusive. The problem is that everyone seems to have a different definition of lifetime value. But lifetime value isn’t a silver bullet, as Gurley noted a decade ago. As with previous buzzwords, investors may find that references to lifetime value do more to confound than clarify.

In March and November, North Korea sent ballistic missiles soaring more than 6,000 km (3,700 miles) into space. Although long-range weapons get more attention, North Korea has been pouring resources into shorter-range systems too, analysts say. South Korea and the United States have warned since early 2022 that North Korea may resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017. More mundane technology such as rocket fuel is also undergoing intense testing in North Korea. On Dec. 16, scientists in North Korea tested what they called a “high-thrust” solid-fuel motor that appeared aimed at perfecting a large engine for an ICBM.

☆ Why North Korea’s missile tests are going higher and further
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

North Korea missiles Stronger, faster, higher North Korea has made steady progress in expanding its missile programme, developing weapons that can strike across the globe - or hit critical targets closer to home. North Korea has forged ahead in developing ballistic missiles, testing new capabilities, honing existing weapons and putting them into service. Like most North Korean long-range ballistic missile tests, both ICBMs were fired on lofted trajectories. Trajectories of some of North Korea’s long-range missile testsNuclear warheads South Korea and the United States have warned since early 2022 that North Korea may resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017. Same missiles, different locationsAmong North Korea's ballistic missiles, SRBMs appear to be the most likely to be deployed, Panda said.

☆ Chatbots: A long and complicated history
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-20 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Nearly 60 years later, the market is flooded with chatbots of varying quality and use cases from tech companies, banks, airlines and more. Others, meanwhile, warn the technology behind AI-powered chatbots remains much more limited than some people wish it may be. While they used similar technology to the earlier, social chatbots, Khudanpur said, “you really couldn’t call them chatbots. )”Return to social chatbots, and social problemsIn the early 2000s, researchers began to revisit the development of social chatbots that could carry an extended conversation with humans. This refrain would be repeated by other tech giants that released public chatbots, including Meta’s BlenderBot3, released earlier this month.

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