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Leaders of Arab League states spanning the Gulf, Levant and Africa began arriving in Riyadh on Thursday when Xi received a lavish reception by Prince Mohammed and signed a China-Saudi partnership pact with King Salman, demonstrating deepening ties. Oil giant Saudi Arabia is a top supplier to China and the joint statement reaffirmed the importance of global market stability and energy collaboration, while striving to boost non-oil trade and enhance cooperation in peaceful nuclear power. Xi invited King Salman to visit China, Saudi state television reported. Diplomats said the Chinese delegation would sign agreements and memoranda of understanding with several states in addition to Saudi Arabia, which inked an MOU with Huawei on cloud computing and building high-tech complexes in Saudi cities. The Chinese tech giant has participated in building 5G networks in most Gulf states despite U.S. concerns over a possible security risk in using its technology.

☆ Putin Calls Oil Price Cap 'Stupid,' Says Russia Is Mulling Output Cut
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia is considering slashing its oil production in response to the Western price cap, Vladimir Putin said on Friday. The Russian president also said Moscow wouldn't be financially affected by the price cap, calling the mechanism "stupid." If Russia cuts output, it could spur volatility and send crude prices higher, experts have warned. Putin added that Russia's finances wouldn't be hit by the new measures and the West's implementation of a price cap was "stupid," Reuters reported. He also warned energy prices would "skyrocket" for any countries that participated in the price cap.

Feeling defiant, I told him, I will let the world know what you police are doing," said Pei, 27. He asked to be identified only by part of his name for fear of repercussions. China's Ministry of Public Security did not respond to a request for comment on the laws they might use against protesters. Zhang Dongshuo, a Beijing-based lawyer who has handled rights cases in the past, said the levels of punishment for protesting in China vary widely. "They just sprang up organically because people were driven by a sense of hopelessness and desperation about the never-ending COVID restrictions," Wu said.

☆ 'People come and people go,' says a defiant Benioff. And we're sticking with the Salesforce CEO despite the smoke
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In a CNBC interview Thursday, Jim Cramer pressed Salesforce co-founder and veteran leader Marc Benioff on the recently announced departure of his co-CEO , Bret Taylor. Taylor will step down as his co-CEO at the end of January , at which point Benioff will resume his prior role as sole chief executive. For his part, Jim said he was satisfied with Benioff's responses, while reiterating the Club's continued backing of the stock. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Salesforce cofounder and co-CEO Marc Benioff speaks during the grand opening of the Salesforce Tower, the tallest building in San Francisco, Calif., Tuesday, May 22, 2018.

It stood in stark contrast to the low-key welcome extended in July to U.S. President Joe Biden, with whom ties have been strained by Saudi energy policy and the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi that had overshadowed the awkward visit. In an op-ed published in Saudi media, Xi said he was on a "pioneering trip" to "open a new era of China's relations with the Arab world, the Arab countries of the Gulf, and Saudi Arabia". [1/6] Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 8, 2022. Chinese and Saudi firms also signed 34 deals for investment in green energy, information technology, cloud services, transport, construction and other sectors, state news agency SPA reported. While Saudi Arabia was an important U.S. ally, she noted, "in recent years, it has upheld its strategic autonomy, resisted the pressure of the United States".

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Army on Monday awarded the contract for its next-generation helicopter to Textron Inc's (TXT.N) Bell unit, ending a years-long competition for the technology that will replace the Black Hawk utility helicopter. The Army's "Future Vertical Lift" competition is aimed at finding a replacement as the Army looks to retire more than 2,000 medium-class UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters built by Sikorsky since the 1970s. The Army was looking for an aircraft capable of moving about a dozen troops 400 nautical miles. Ultimately, the contract is potentially worth around $70 billion - over decades - depending on how many the Army and U.S. allies order, the Army told reporters on Monday evening. In the FLARAA competition was Bell's V-280 "Valor," a tiltrotor aircraft that has reached speeds in excess of 340 mph (547 km) according to the Army.

Much of Ukraine’s resisting force has had to hunker down in muddy trenches, fighting tooth and nail to deny Russian forces a victory they desperately crave. Vasco Sousa Cotovio/CNNFamily tiesCaesar’s ideological drive is not the only reason some Russians have chosen to side with Ukrainians on the battlefield. Evidence of mass graves and civilian executions in those areas emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kyiv region in early April. Russian soldiers fighting for Ukraine could face tougher consequences than their Ukrainian counterparts if they’re captured by the enemy. Vasco Sousa Cotovio/CNNBut pain and death are not a part of this unit’s lexicon, even as they face overwhelming odds in Bakhmut.

☆ Deshaun Watson returned in Cleveland Browns game against Houston. 10 of the women who accused him of sexual misconduct were expected to attend, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Alaa Elassar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Around 10 of the more than two dozen women who accused Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct were expected to attend his game in Houston on Sunday, according to their attorney. I was proud of them for that,” Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing the accusers attending the game, told CNN in a statement. Makes me proud they want to stand up and be counted rather than quietly go away.”The NFL and the Cleveland Browns did not respond to CNN’s request for comment regarding the accusers’ attendance. We’re a huge football town, folks here have been lifelong fans of the Cleveland Browns,” Greene said. We believe that Deshaun Watson deserves a second chance.”The team’s “refusal to prioritize protecting women sends a disgusting message” to survivors of sexual assault, Nunes said.

☆ Morocco's 'avocado head' plots another World Cup shock
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Shady Amir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Spain, who humbled Costa Rica 7-0 in their opening game, finished second in Group E behind Japan while Morocco defied the odds to win Group F ahead of Croatia and Belgium. The Spanish, world champions in 2010, lost their last group match to Japan and face a difficult test from a Moroccan side growing in confidence under coach Walid Regragui. Spain drew 1-1 with Germany following their rout of Costa Rica and after the loss to Japan coach Luis Enrique was critical of his team. This was impossible because in five minutes, Japan scored two goals ... we were out, we were dismantled," he said. In the first half against Costa Rica, Spain's 537 successful passes set a World Cup record but they will need to show more cutting edge to stay on course for a second world title.

☆ Analysis: Saudi prince seeks Mideast leadership, independence with Xi's visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The Saudi government did not respond to requests for comment on Xi's visit and its agenda. It is China's top oil supplier, although fellow OPEC+ producer Russia has increased its Chinese market share with lower-priced fuel. The Chinese delegation is expected to sign dozens of agreements with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states covering energy, security and investments, diplomats have told Reuters. U.S. officials have declined to comment when asked about Saudi-China bilateral relations ahead of Xi's visit. "The relationships with China pale versus those with the United States in terms of both complexity and intimacy," he said.

☆ Market veteran Ed Yardeni shares his recession odds and geopolitical risks: 'The world just isn't a safe place these days'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Today features my conversation with top strategist and economist, Ed Yardeni, on his recession outlook and what he sees as the US economy's biggest risks for 2023. Ed Yardeni, President of Yardeni Research Ed YardeniEd Yardeni is the president of Yardeni Research. Ed Yardeni: For the past year or so, the main issue for the US economy is inflation. EY: They can either continue to tighten until they cause a recession, but that's not my most likely scenario. I think either rates are going to go higher, causing a recession, which would bring interest rates down next year.

Black users have long been one of Twitter’s most engaged demographics, flocking to the platform to steer online culture and drive real-world social change. But a month after Elon Musk took over, some Black influencers are eyeing the exits just as he races to shore up the company’s business. And while there is no hard data on how many Black users have either joined or left the platform over that period, some prominent influencers say they’re actively pursuing alternatives. Some signs indicate a slowdown among Black Twitter users that predates Musk. “It’s crippling to the economies of cities when Black folks leave, platforms when Black folks leave, entertainment sites when Black folks leave,” she said.

☆ Xi Jinping's Biggest Crisis yet: China Lockdown Protests, Stumbling Economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Over what has been a stunning week, China has erupted in mass protests calling for an end to the country's restrictive COVID lockdowns. Easing the COVID lockdowns could spur a potentially devastating public health crisis. Accepting Western vaccines or rolling back zero COVID would be a tacit admission that he is fallible. There's lots of money to be made in China, and its economy would almost certainly improve if zero COVID restrictions were loosened. Under Xi, China was already shuttering its doors long before the pandemic struck.

CNN —China’s vast security apparatus has moved swiftly to smother mass protests that swept the country, with police patrolling streets, checking cell phones and even calling some demonstrators to warn them against a repeat. While protests over local grievances do occur in China, the current wave of demonstrations is the most widespread since the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement of 1989. Some of the boldest protests took place in Shanghai, where crowds called for Xi’s removal two nights in a row. Police cars patrol Shanghai's Urumqi Road, which has been completely blocked off by tall barricades after a weekend of protests. Another Shanghai protester told CNN they were among “around 80 to 110” people detained by police on Saturday night, adding they were released 24 hours later.

“I needed help and when you take a parent like me that is desperate to get their child help, we put trust into places like Brooklawn,” Janeway said. Shortly after Anthony entered Brooklawn, Janeway said he was being antagonized by staff, which she heard multiple times on the phone. According to the suit, Anthony told her he had been “choked” during a phone call in October 2021 prompting Janeway to immediately drive down to the facility. It is unclear if the matter was reported to the state agency, which denied a public records request. “I trusted a broken system that is supposed to help my son, not hurt my son, and it failed him,” she said.

☆ In Arizona, election deniers refuse to back down
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Ned Parker | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Republican candidate for Arizona Governor Kari Lake and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters protest outside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center as vote counting continues inside, in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., November 12, 2022. The defeat of Lake and other election deniers was seen as a powerful rebuke of candidates who echoed Trump’s myths of a stolen election. Republican activists urged voters not to use the secure box on Election Day, according to Maricopa County officials. Maricopa County on Sunday released a report detailing voter numbers by location on Election Day and was scheduled to certify election results on Monday. DELAYS IN CERTIFICATIONElsewhere in Arizona, two conservative counties, Mohave and Cochise, do not plan to certify election results until Monday, the final day to formally do so, following pressure by election deniers.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest news: NATO pledges more military, energy aid for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S.-Russian relations have plunged to their most confrontational point in 60 years since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. [1/4] A view shows the city without electricity after critical civil infrastructure was hit by Russian missile attacks, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Vladyslav Sodel/ 1 2 3 4POWER SUPPLY* The United States announced $53 million to support the purchase of power grid equipment for Ukraine. * Ukraine is still struggling to restore full power nearly a week after a wave of Russian missile strikes that damaged energy facilities across the country. Heavy rain and falling temperatures are making conditions even grimmer along the front lines as the war grinds into winter.

☆ Ukrainian Hospital Stymied Russians With Defiant Doctors and a Fake Covid Outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Ian Lovett | Photographs Virginie Nguyen Hoang For The Wall Street Journal | Virginie Nguyen Hoang For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KHERSON, Ukraine—The first time Russian soldiers came to Tropinka Hospital, they told Leonid Remiga , the hospital’s chief physician, to take down the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag hanging over the main entrance. He refused. “You can shoot me if you want,” 68-year-old Dr. Remiga recalls saying, “but I’m not going to do it.”

☆ U.N. condemns Iran's crackdown on protests, establishes probe into alleged abuses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The U.N. Human Rights Council voted Thursday to condemn the bloody crackdown on peaceful protests in Iran and create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses, particularly those committed against women and children. Thursday’s session in Geneva is the latest international effort to put pressure on Iran over its crackdown, which has already drawn international sanctions and other measures. “The only answer we received was more violence, more death.”Protesters wave Iranian pre-Islamic revolution flags in front of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva on Thursday. The U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk, expressed concerns that Iran’s government has not been listening to the world community. The council will now set up a “fact-finding mission” to investigate rights violations “especially with respect to women and children” linked to the protests that erupted on Sept. 16.

☆ Northern Europe has already slashed Russian oil imports by 90%, 2 weeks before the EU ban kicks in
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's crude shipments to Northern Europe fell 92% in the four weeks to November 18, compared to February. That's a huge departure from 2021, when Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland were the top European importers of Russian oil. Even so, importers have already begun reducing their dependence on Russian energy supply — its key market Northern Europe has already slashed seaborne Russian oil imports by over 90%, according to Bloomberg analysis based on vessel tracking data. This is significant, because the Northern European nations of Germany, the Netherlands and Poland were the top European importers of Russian oil in 2021. While pipeline crude from Russia to EU is exempt from the December 5 ban, it made up just about one-third of all Russian crude oil exports to the EU last year.

Blackouts forced the shutdown of reactors at Ukraine's Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in the south and the Rivne and Khmelnitskyi plants in the west, all in government-held territory, the state-run nuclear energy firm Energoatom said. "Currently, they (power units) work in project mode, without generation into the domestic energy system," Energoatom said. Explosions reverberated throughout Kyiv on Wednesday afternoon as Russian missiles bore down and Ukrainian air defence rockets were fired in efforts to intercept them. Most thermal and hydro-electric power plants were forced to shut down as well, Ukraine's energy ministry said earlier. [1/15] Rescuers work at a site of a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile attack, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the town of Vyshhorod, near Kyiv, Ukraine, November 23, 2022.

☆ Iran Soccer Players Remain Silent During Their National Anthem at World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iran’s soccer team chose not to sing the Islamic Republic’s national anthem before their opening World Cup match against England on Monday, in an apparent show of solidarity with a monthslong rights movement sweeping across the country. The defiant act came after the team’s captain Ehsan Hajsafi on Sunday expressed support for those who had lost loved ones during the recent unrest, which began in mid-September after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police. More than 300 people have died since then as the government used force to break the protest movement that has now morphed into broader calls to overthrow the Islamic leadership.

REUTERS/Gleb GaranichHORENKA, Ukraine, Nov 21 (Reuters) - As they head into a cold winter, residents of a bombed-out Ukrainian village say they appreciate a warm bath in a mural painted by graffiti artist Banksy. The dirt of the Russian Federation...," Tetiana Reznychenko, 43, told Reuters as snow fell around her. The mural is one of one of seven that Banksy has confirmed painting in Ukraine. Reznychenko said she had given Banksy's team a mug of instant coffee in her apartment, as it was cold when the artist came to paint the mural. She has a wood stove in her apartment but no electricity, heating or running water as winter sets in.

☆ Kyrie Irving rejoins Nets, apologizes for hurt his actions caused
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving returned to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday and apologized to anyone who felt threatened or hurt when he posted a link to a documentary with antisemitic material. Irving was suspended by the team on Nov. 3, hours after he refused to say he had no antisemitic beliefs when meeting with reporters at the Nets’ practice facility. Back at the building for the team’s morning shootaround, Irving said he should have handled that interview differently. “I don’t stand for anything close to hate speech or antisemitism or anything that is going against the human race,” Irving said. But the Nets praised Irving on Sunday for the steps he has since taken.

☆ NATO could invoke Article 4 after Russian missiles struck Poland. Here's what that means.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The incident could invoke NATO Article 4, which allows any member to call for a consultation when threatened. Several NATO countries previously invoked Article 4 after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Such defiant language ostensibly appeals to the collective defense principle at the heart of NATO Article 5. As such, NATO and its members have no binding obligation to defend Ukraine against Russia's attacks. Biden has made clear that US troops thus far deployed to Eastern Europe are there to bolster NATO member countries wary of nearby Russian aggression.

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