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☆ Wagner Chief Says Bakhmut Is Taken; Ukraine Rejects Claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The head of Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group said his mercenaries had captured Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, a claim the Ukrainian military denied even as their soldiers have been forced into an ever shrinking patch of land inside the ruined city. Senior Ukrainian military officials acknowledged that the situation inside the city was “critical,” with soldiers facing an unrelenting barrage of artillery fire and powerful aerial bombardments. Nevertheless, they said, the Ukrainian forces were still engaged in combat operations. The Russian Ministry of Defense and the Kremlin released a statement confirming the city had been “liberated,” hours after the declaration by the Wagner chief, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, that the fight for the city was over. After nearly a year of fighting, Bakhmut has taken on an outsize importance: a symbol of Ukrainian defiance and of Russian leaders’ determination to blast their way to a small victory in a little-known corner of eastern Ukraine.

☆ Stunning photos of the night sky in one of the darkest places on Earth will make you want to visit New Zealand ASAP
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Rebecca Strong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is especially great for star gazing. But in one of the darkest places on Earth — the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve in New Zealand — that's not an issue. Aoraki is the second-largest dark sky reserve in the world, ranking at a level 2 on the nine-level Bortle Dark-Sky Scale for light pollution. The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is located in southern New Zealand. Igor HoogerwerfAccording to Jason Menard, an executive at Mackenzie Tourism, The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is one of the best places to view the Milky Way — and that's pretty evident in this photo.

☆ Column: World can't afford US-style home energy consumption habits
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

HOMES RULEA key driver behind America's outsized electricity consumption is the preference for single family homes over all other types of residences. For many in the United States, owning your own home is a key part of the so-called American Dream. According to the EIA's latest Residential Energy Consumption Survey 57% of electricity used by detached households is used for space heating, and 64% for air conditioning. OTHER WAYS OF LIVINGThe United States is not alone in facing rising living costs while trying to improve the efficiencies of buildings. Similarly, a vast majority of China's population lives in apartments, and apartments are more popular than individual houses in the cities of India, Japan and Southeast Asia.

☆ The German couple who moved to Italy and opened a pizza restaurant
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Living la dolce vita in Italy isn’t just about snatching a cheap dwelling in a charming rural village. Making pizza in Italy and satisfying Italian palates is not the simplest of missions. Only one other place to eat is open year-round – a restaurant serving regional dishes but no pizza. Marco MolinariPaying homage to her Germanic origins she makes pizza with sauerkraut, sausages and veal shin, with tomato salad, pizza kebabs, pizza with goat cheese and pizza with salmon – the latter being the most wanted by clients. There’s Pizza Irene with mozzarella, gorgonzola, arugula and mushrooms.

☆ Hyundai and Kia agree to $200 million legal settlement over theft issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Korean automakers Kia and Hyundai have agreed to an estimated $200 million class action legal settlement over claims that many of the companies’ cars and SUVs are much too easy to steal. The settlement, which could cover up to nine million vehicle owners, provides a total of up to $145 million that will be distributed to owners whose vehicles have been stolen to help cover their out-of-pocket losses. Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia, and various Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering. Hyundai dealers will also affix window stickers stating that the vehicle has anti-theft software installed. As part of the agreement, installation of the anti-theft software will now be done automatically along with any dealer service appointment without the owner having to specifically request it.

☆ Here's our Monthly Meeting rapid-fire update on all 34 stocks in the Club's portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

Here's a rapid-fire update on all 34 stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio we use for the CNBC Investing Club. Ford (F): CEO Jim Farley did a fantastic job delivering in the automaker's latest quarter, and we like his decision to scale back Ford's business in China . As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. Here's a rapid-fire update on all 34 stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio we use for the CNBC Investing Club.

☆ Ukrainian frontline commander 'Witch' explains why they're so determined to hold on to Bakhmut: 'We are exhausting them morally and psychologically'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine has faced questions about why it will not retreat from Bakhmut, now mostly held by Russia. With Russian forces now holding the majority of the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has faced questions over whether Ukraine can — or even should — try to hold on to the city. Junior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces. Junior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces. But with "even a few units" of precise, modern weapons Ukraine has "a tangible advantage" over Russian forces, she said.

☆ Japan's export growth hits two-year low on weak China demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It also marked the weakest gain since February 2021 when exports declined 4.5%. Exports have expanded every month since the February 2021 decline, helped in part by a weaker yen that makes Japanese products competitive. "The global economy will slow further in the latter half of this year, so you cannot count on either domestic or external demand, leaving Japan's economy in a soft patch." By destination, Japanese exports to China, the country's largest trading partner, dropped 2.9% in April year-on-year, dragged by declines in cars, car parts and steel shipments. Likewise, Japan's shipments to Asia fell 6.3% year-on-year in April, down for a fourth straight month.

☆ US stocks move higher, dollar gains as debt limit talks inch forward
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, May 15, 2023. REUTERS/StaffSINGAPORE, May 17 (Reuters) - Wall Street was modestly higher on Wednesday and the dollar advanced as regional banks surged and negotiations in Washington over raising the debt ceiling inched forward. Debt ceiling negotiations preoccupied market participants, who took heart from Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy's vow to avoid what would be a catastrophic default. The dollar gained ground against a basket of world currencies, the greenback benefiting from its safe-haven status as debt ceiling talks grind on. The dollar index rose 0.4%, with the euro down 0.31% to $1.0827.

☆ Opinion: The banned Russian landmine with a deceptively poetic name
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Opinion Sasha Dovzhyk | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A great deal of eeriness is due to the highly explosive Russian “petals.” “Petal” — or, “lepestok,” in Russian — is the poetic name of an internationally banned Russian-made anti-personnel landmine. The Russian wish for Ukraine appears to be death: to render Ukrainian land uninhabitable, to maim and kill those who live on it. But as one learns from Kataev’s tale, the Russian petals travel far and know no borders. In November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that 200,000 hectares (almost 50,000 acres) of Ukrainian land were contaminated with unexploded mines and shells. The rusted remains of a tank in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk region, pictured during a PEN Ukraine trip in April 2023.

At least 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) production was shut in last week in Alberta. Also supporting oil prices, the U.S. could start repurchasing oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) after completing a congressionally mandated sale in June, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told lawmakers on Thursday. Global crude supplies could also tighten in the second half as OPEC+ - the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia - plan additional output cuts. Fears of a slowdown in the global economy limited gains in oil prices. "If credit conditions ease over the coming months, allaying economic fears for the world's largest economy, oil prices could bounce back without assistance but it seems a little premature at this point," said OANDA analyst Craig Erlam.

☆ Who is Sam Altman? The man behind ChatGPT is about to have his moment on Capitol Hill
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —For a few months in 2017, there were rumors that Sam Altman was planning to run for governor of California. Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind viral chatbot ChatGPT and image generator Dall-E, is set to testify before Congress on Tuesday. Maybe I’m wrong?’ Thank God someone with so much power has so much humility.”Others want Altman and OpenAI to move more cautiously. OpenAI co-founder & CEO Sam Altman speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2019 at Moscone Convention Center on October 03, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Similar generative AI technology is quickly finding its way into productivity and search tools used by billions of people.

But 29% of U.S. corn areas and 21% of soybean areas are in a drought versus 21% and 12% a year ago, respectively. Some 48% of winter wheat areas are experiencing drought versus 68% a year ago, but 16% of it is currently under exceptional drought versus just 3% a year ago. That is despite decent conditions in soft red wheat states in the east. The Drought Monitor shows 64% of Kansas in extreme or worse drought this week, topped only by a stretch from July 2012 to March 2013 in records back to 2000. The latest Drought Monitor stats in the top corn state are almost identical to the same point in 2021, leading into Iowa’s record corn-yielding season.

U.S. consumer prices rose in April, potentially raising the likelihood that the Fed will maintain higher interest rates. Rising global interest rates have weighed on oil prices in recent months, with traders concerned about recession. The surprising U.S. crude inventory build, along with lower crude imports and April's softer export growth in China exacerbated worries about global oil demand. The decline in crude prices was, however, limited by a surge in U.S. gasoline demand ahead of the summer driving season. "We are forecasting that oil prices range from $75-95 during 2023 based on fundamental supply and demand and that oil will rally as we head into the summer driving season," Hatfield said.

In a possible sign of weakening demand, U.S. crude inventories rose by about 3 million barrels in the week ended May 5, the Energy Information Administration said. The surprising U.S. inventory build along with lower crude imports and April's softer export growth in China exacerbated worries about global oil demand. Rising global interest rates have stirred fears of an impending recession, putting more pressure on oil prices. However, a large draw in U.S. gasoline and distillate inventories provided some support for oil prices on Wednesday. "Further action by (OPEC+) or calmer conditions in U.S. banks could see oil prices bounce back once more."

☆ Seoul property market hits an unusual cool patch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | 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 EmailSeoul property market hits an unusual cool patchA unique method of investing in property market in South Korea and the Bank of Korea's interest rate cycle is putting the Seoul market under pressure, according to Yoona Choi of Knight Frank.

☆ Phoenix Dismantles a Homeless Encampment, One Block at a Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jack Healy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

PHOENIX — Rebecca Sutton has no love for her patch of “the Zone,” a sprawling homeless camp on the edge of downtown Phoenix. There are overdoses and shootings, the sidewalk where she sleeps reeks of urine, and someone once burned down her tent. But now, moving day was looming, and Ms. Sutton did not know where else to go. In March, a judge declared the Zone a “public nuisance” and ordered Phoenix to clear out the area by mid-July. The city is planning to do so block by block, carrying out what it calls an “enhanced cleaning,” starting with Ms. Sutton’s corner at Ninth Avenue and Washington.

☆ Boeing Wins 737 MAX Jet Order Worth Up to $40 Billion From Ryanair
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Andrew Tangel | Benjamin Katz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Legacy and low-cost airlines use different models when planning their route networks. We asked a United Airlines global network planner to explain how the process works. Photo illustration: Nayon ChoBoeing struck a deal to sell as much as $40 billion in 737 MAX jets to Ryanair , a victory for the plane maker as it works to re-energize its business and patch up relations with the European discount airline. Ryanair said it agreed to purchase 150 of Boeing’s 737 MAX 10 jets, the longest version of the narrow-body aircraft, with options to buy up to 150 more. The Irish airline, Europe’s biggest by passenger numbers, will use the new planes to significantly grow its market share on the continent over the next decade, executives said.

Now, according to an internal U.N. estimate obtained by Reuters, 5 million additional people in Sudan will require emergency assistance, half of them children. Even before the latest crisis, U.N. humanitarian appeals for Africa faced a $17-billion funding gap this year, risking leaving millions without lifesaving assistance. Last year, it spent a third of its overseas aid budget housing refugees inside the UK, a British aid watchdog said in March. Sudan was hosting over 1 million refugees, mainly from South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Syria, before the outbreak of fighting last month. Aid workers have been killed, food aid looted, and WFP says it's running out of stocks.

☆ Opinion | Let the Post-Pandemic City Grow Wild
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ben Wilson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Every city has acres of in-between land that, if managed well, could become oases of greenery harboring insect, bird and other animal life. The rubble-strewn cities of the Second World War, to the astonishment of their inhabitants, very quickly brimmed with plant and animal life. In central Münster, Germany, piles of rubble were veiled with spontaneously growing pussy willow, mountain maple, birches, yellow mulleins and wild strawberry. Neglected sites were profuse in biodiversity, often containing many more species of plants and insects than nearby parks or even the countryside. Like the Great Trinity Forest, first it was abandoned and then hundreds of species took over, many of them endangered.

☆ Texas gunman may have embraced white supremacy, media reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 8 (Reuters) - The man accused of shooting and killing eight people at a Texas mall appeared to have embraced white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideologies, multiple media outlets reported on Monday. In social media profiles thought to be linked to the suspect, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, investigators found posts targeting racial or ethnic minorities, NBC News reported, citing two law enforcement officials. On a Russian social media platform, a user believed to have been Garcia praised the dictator Adolf Hitler and sympathized with neo-Nazi beliefs, according to the New York Times, citing law enforcement sources. The Allen Police Department, Collin County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the reports. Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Opinion | Timothy McVeigh’s Dreams Are Coming True
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

As you probably know by now, there was another mass shooting last weekend, at an outdoor mall in Allen, Texas. But mass shootings are increasingly part of the background noise of life in a country coming apart at the seams. And so in the wake of mass shootings, when the public is most likely to clamor for gun regulations, Republicans regularly shore up gun access instead. In April, following a school shooting in Nashville, Republicans expelled two young Black Democratic legislators who’d led a gun control protest at the Tennessee Capitol. A few days later, the State Senate passed a bill protecting the gun industry from lawsuits.

The online profile being investigated also includes several pictures showing a black tactical vest with an RWDS patch. In addition, the profile includes a screenshot from Google Maps showing the time at which the mall where the shooting took place was likely to be busiest. Even so, one fact weighed heavily on the suburban community outside Dallas where the murders occurred: There were children among the victims. Although the police would not indicate how many children died, officials including President Biden acknowledged that there were more than one. As of Sunday afternoon, one patient had been transferred to a children’s hospital and was in fair condition.

☆ Russian forces lash out indiscriminately as Ukraine increases military pressure on frontline towns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh Natalie Gallón Kosta Gak Peter Rudden | Nick Paton Walsh | Natalie Gallón | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Local residents stand next to a building that was damaged in the night, following Russian shelling in Komyshevakha, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine on Monday, May 8. Polohy is one of over a dozen frontline settlements that occupying forces announced Friday would be emptied of civilians. It is as yet unclear what impact these evacuations – which on Sunday Russian occupation officials said amounted to 1,600 people – will have on Moscow’s ability to hold frontline towns. He evaded their tight scrutiny of his whereabouts when a local occupation official failed to turn up to work one day, and he drove a minibus of civilians out. The regular effective targeting of Russian positions by Ukrainian firepower sparked a manhunt in the town for an informant.

☆ Scientists used DNA to unlock who wore a 25,000-year-old pendant
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyA deer tooth pendant has revealed details about the woman who wore it between 19,000 and 25,000 years ago. The groundbreaking analysis by a team of European researchers marks the first time scientists have successfully isolated ancient human DNA from a Stone Age artifact. Gregory BretonWith large ears and adorable faces, sand cats went viral seven years ago when their kittens were photographed in the wild for the first time. Although smaller than domestic cats, sand cats live in harsh environments with scorching heat, hunt venomous Saharan horned vipers and rely on blood from prey as a source of water. To unravel the many mysteries of sand cats, researchers tracked 22 of the felines that had been fitted with radio collars for four years.

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