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☆ Australian flood crisis: southeast states on emergency alert
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Emergency warnings remained in place on Saturday for parts of Australia's southeast as floods, sparked by days of heavy rain, impacted three states, with hundreds of people having to be rescued from floodwaters. Large parts of Australia's eastern states have been hit by severe flooding since early 2022, with the country now enduring a third consecutive La Nina weather event bringing heavy rains. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonathan How said while heavy rain had cleared, flooding was still widespread. In the west of Melbourne city, a flood clean-up was underway after the Maribyrnong River burst its banks on Friday. Footage on social media showed Melbourne residents clearing water from homes and emergency services personnel on the scene.

☆ Explainer: Australia floods: why the country is battling weather again
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A home is inundated by floodwaters, following heavy rains and severe flooding in the McGraths Hill suburb of Sydney, Australia, July 6, 2022. Another contributor is the Indian Ocean Dipole - a climate phenomenon that affects rainfall patterns near the Indian Ocean, including Australia. For the coming months, Santoso predicted conditions would ease as the effect of La Nina and Indian Ocean Dipole dissipate, especially over summer. Even so, the country's weather forecaster expects that with another La Nina underway, eastern Australia should experience above-average rainfall in spring and early summer. With rivers high and dams full across much of eastern Australia, any rainfall now has the potential to cause widespread flooding, the forecaster said this month.

☆ British finance minister races back to London as pressure builds for another policy U-turn
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — U.K. Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng cut short his visit to the International Monetary Fund this week, dashing back to London amid reports Prime Minister Liz Truss is considering a U-turn on parts of her government's market-rocking tax cuts. Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources, that the finance minister planned to meet with colleagues to work on the government's medium-term budget plan. Kwarteng's abrupt departure from a series of international finance meetings in Washington, D.C. comes amid a growing political backlash against the Conservative government's proposed tax cuts. The British pound rose by 2% to trade at $1.1319 on Thursday, shrugging off stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation data. Meanwhile, long-dated U.K. government bonds — known as gilts — rallied on Friday morning, with 30-year yields trading at 4.38%.

☆ Europe is still quietly importing Russian nuclear energy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

On presenting its latest sanctions package, the European Commission did not propose targeting the trade of Russian nuclear fuel. Hungary and Bulgaria were the most vocal in opposing sanctions on Russian uranium and other nuclear tech last week, according to Rodrigo. "Russian nuclear terror requires a stronger response from the international community - sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry and nuclear fuel," Zelenskyy said via Twitter at the time. Mikhail Metzel | Afp | Getty ImagesThere are 18 Russian nuclear reactors in Europe, in countries including Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. How 'green' is nuclear energy?

☆ British pound jumps on reports UK government may reverse parts of its tax-cutting proposals
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In this photo illustration, the British pound is seen displayed. LONDON — Sterling jumped against the U.S. dollar on Thursday following multiple reports that the British government is in talks to scrap parts of its unfunded package of tax cuts. The British pound traded 1.5% higher at $1.1269 during afternoon deals in London, before paring gains on robust U.S. inflation data. Long-dated U.K. government bonds — known as "gilts" — rallied sharply, pushing yields down to just over 4.41%. Truss and Kwarteng have both insisted the government's proposals are necessary to get the economy growing.

☆ Wesley Chan's FPV Ventures coleads $10 million round in Astra, a fintech startup that makes it easier for companies to embed payments technology into their businesses
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The startup raised $10 million in Series A funding led by FPV and Slow Ventures. Astra, a fintech startup that's developed technology to allow developers to embed financial automation into existing products, raised a $10 million Series A along with a $30 million line of credit. "Everything was going really, really fast and really big, so we said, why not ride this growth." For example, B2B payments company Hopscotch recently raised $6.1 million in additional funding in March. Akos said one of Astra's goals is to move upmarket and begin providing payments services to startups in the later stages.

☆ Leak detected on another Russian pipeline connecting to Europe, but Poland says it looks accidental
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

PERN said pumping on the damaged Druzhba line, which delivers oil to Germany, was immediately switched off and the scene had been secured. Polish pipeline operator PERN said Wednesday that a leak detected on one of its Druzhba pipelines bringing oil from Russia to Europe was likely caused by an accident. The leak was detected on Tuesday evening on one of the two lines of the Western section of the pipeline, PERN said in a statement. PERN said pumping on the damaged line, which delivers oil to Germany, was immediately switched off and the scene had been secured. The Druzhba pipeline, which translates as "friendship" in Russia, is one of the biggest oil pipeline networks in the world, delivering crude from Russia to much of central and eastern Europe including Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Belarus, Poland and Slovakia.

☆ Sam Mendes' 'Empire of Light' a love letter to movies and his mother
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Director Sam Mendes attends the premiere of 'Empire of Light' during the BFI London Film Festival in London, Britain, October 12, 2022. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes celebrates cinema and the families we choose and that choose us with his new film "Empire of Light", a star-studded drama he wrote, directed and produced. A love story set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s, "Empire of Light" stars Olivia Colman, Colin Firth and Toby Jones as workers in a local movie theatre, the 'Empire'. So it is a love letter to her and to the courage of people struggling with mental illness," the director, 57, told Reuters at the movie's London Film Festival premiere on Wednesday. "Empire of Light" is released in U.S. cinemas on Dec. 9 and globally in early 2023.

☆ All you need to know about the Nord Stream gas leaks — and why Europe suspects 'gross sabotage'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

An initial crime scene investigation last week into what caused the gas leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines reinforced suspicions of "gross sabotage." The explosions triggered four gas leaks at four locations — two in Denmark's exclusive economic zone and two in Sweden's exclusive economic zone. Neither of the Nord Stream pipelines was transporting gas at the time of the blasts, although they both contained pressurized methane — a potent greenhouse gas. A satellite image of the Nord Stream leak in the Baltic Sea, captured on Sept. 26, 2022. Environmental impactThe unexplained Nord Stream gas leaks pose serious questions about the incident's environmental impact.

☆ ‘This is serious’: JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon warns U.S. likely to tip into recession in 6 to 9 months
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Dimon said in June that he was preparing the bank for an economic "hurricane" caused by the Federal Reserve and Russia's war in Ukraine. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Monday warned that a "very, very serious" mix of headwinds was likely to tip both the U.S. and global economy into recession by the middle of next year. "These are very, very serious things which I think are likely to push the U.S. and the world — I mean, Europe is already in recession — and they're likely to put the U.S. in some kind of recession six to nine months from now," Dimon said. His comments come at a time of growing concern about the prospect of an economic recession as the Federal Reserve and other major central banks raise interest rates to combat soaring inflation. Speaking to CNBC last month, Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans said he's feeling apprehensive about the U.S. central bank going too far, too fast in its bid to tackle high inflation rates.

☆ Nearly half of the coal industry is still on an expansion course in 'reckless’ mining rush
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas is the chief driver of the climate crisis. An annual update from Urgewald and 40 partner NGOs published Thursday found that 490 of the 1,064 companies on its Global Coal Exit List were pursuing new coal power plants, coal mines or new coal transport infrastructure. The research, which represents the world's most comprehensive public database on the coal industry, said less than 3% of those surveyed had announced timely coal exit dates. "Pursuing new coal projects in the midst of a climate emergency is reckless, irresponsible behavior," said Heffa Schuecking, director of Urgewald. To be sure, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas is the chief driver of the climate crisis.

Energy analysts believe the deep production cuts could yet backfire for OPEC kingpin and U.S. ally Saudi Arabia. Energy analysts believe the deep production cuts could yet backfire for OPEC kingpin and U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, particularly as Biden hinted Congress would soon seek to rein in the Middle East-dominated group's influence over energy prices. OPEC and non-OPEC allies, a group often referred to as OPEC+, agreed on Wednesday to reduce oil production by 2 million barrels per day from November. "In light of today's action, the Biden Administration will also consult with Congress on additional tools and authorities to reduce OPEC's control over energy prices," the White House said. While the group likes to say they keep politics out of their decisions, there's no denying that there are potential ramifications to this beyond the oil price.

☆ OPEC+ to cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day to shore up prices, defying U.S. pressure
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Oil prices have fallen to roughly $80 from over $120 in early June amid growing fears about the prospect of a global economic recession. OPEC and non-OPEC allies, a group often referred to as OPEC+, decided at their first face-to-face gathering in Vienna since 2020 to reduce production by 2 million barrels per day from November. Energy market participants had expected OPEC+, which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia, to impose output cuts of somewhere between 500,000 barrels and 2 million barrels. Oil prices have fallen to roughly $80 a barrel from more than $120 in early June amid growing fears about the prospect of a global economic recession. "In short, OPEC+ is prioritising price above stability at a time of great uncertainty in the oil market."

☆ Musical 'Matilda' opens London Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Sarah Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - A musical version of childhood classic "Matilda" opened the London Film Festival on Wednesday, with actors Emma Thompson and Lashana Lynch the first of many stars expected to walk the event's red carpets over the next 12 days. "No Time to Die" actress Lynch swaps her 007 action stunts for a softer role as Matilda's kind teacher Miss Honey. It moves me every single time and I'm just grateful that this 'Matilda' is a musical." 1/5 Cast member Lashana Lynch attends the premiere of Matilda the Musical during the opening night gala at the BFI London Film Festival, in London, Britain October 5, 2022. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska Read MoreOscar winner Thompson plays Miss Trunchbull in the film, directed by Matthew Warchus, who also developed and directed the theatre show.

Oil prices rose around 4% on Monday morning. Crude oil storage tanks at the Juaymah Tank Farm in Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. "A further uptick in trading activity coupled with tightening near-term oil fundamentals could well push oil prices back to $100/bbl," Brennock said in a research note. Storage tanks and oil processing facilities operate beside the Arabian Sea at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and terminal in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. The upcoming OPEC+ meeting in Vienna will result in an oil production cut "of some historic kind", said CIO of Pickering Energy Partners, Dan Pickering.

☆ Spain says Nord Stream gas leaks likely a deliberate act — and points the finger at Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BORNHOLM, DENMARK - SEPTEMBER 27: Danish Defense shows the gas leaking at Nord Stream 2 seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark on September 27, 2022. Spanish Energy Minister Teresa Ribera said Thursday that the damage caused to the two subsea Nord Stream gas pipelines was likely an intentional attack linked to the Russian government. The cause of the gas leaks is not yet known. The Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines connect Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. Seismologists on Monday reported explosions in the vicinity of the unusual Nord Stream gas leaks, which are situated in international waters but inside Denmark's and Sweden's exclusive economic zones.

☆ Fed’s Evans says he’s getting a little nervous about going too far, too fast with rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans says he's feeling apprehensive about the U.S. central bank raising interest rates too quickly in its quest to tackle runaway inflation. His comments come shortly after a slew of top Fed officials said they would continue to prioritize the fight against inflation, which is currently running near its highest levels since the early 1980s. The central bank raised benchmark interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point earlier this month, the third consecutive three-quarter point increase. Fed officials also indicated they would continue raising rates well above the current range of 3% to 3.25%. Asked about investor fears that the Fed didn't seem to be waiting long enough to adequately assess the impact of its interest rate hikes, Evans replied, "Well, I am a little nervous about exactly that."

☆ Bank of England says it won't hesitate to hike rates after pound falls to historic low
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Analysts expect the Bank of England may need to raise interest rates more aggressively following market turbulence on Monday morning. LONDON — The Bank of England on Monday said it is monitoring financial market developments "very closely" after a dramatic morning of turmoil saw the British pound fall to an all-time low against the U.S. dollar. The U.K. currency pared some of its losses through the session but extended its fall versus the dollar immediately after the Bank of England's statement. "The Bank is monitoring developments in financial markets very closely in light of the significant repricing of financial assets," Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said in a statement. "The role of monetary policy is to ensure that demand does not get ahead of supply in a way that leads to more inflation over the medium term," Bailey said.

☆ Australia's Optus contacts customers caught in cyber attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past in front of an Optus shop in Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File PhotoSept 24 (Reuters) - Australia's number two telecommunications company, Optus, said on Saturday it was contacting customers about a cyberattack that accessed personal details of up to 10 million customers, in one of Australia's biggest cybersecurity breaches. Optus has said corporate customers appeared unaffected by the "sophisticated" hack, which it initially informed customers about on Thursday. The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday reported Optus was probing a threat to sell millions of customers’ personal information online unless the company paid $1 million in cryptocurrency to the hackers. Optus said as the attack was under police investigation it "cannot comment on certain aspects of the incident".

☆ Putin's 'incredibly dangerous' nuclear threats raise the risk of an unprecedented disaster
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Putin’s threats increase the risk of escalation to a nuclear conflict drastically. Beatrice Fihn, Nobel laureate and executive director of the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons, urged political leaders to renew efforts to get rid of all nuclear weapons by signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Beatrice Fihn, Nobel laureate and executive director of the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons, told CNBC that Putin's "incredibly dangerous and irresponsible" threats drastically increase the risk of escalation to a nuclear conflict. Fihn called for the international community to "unequivocally condemn any and all nuclear threats" and urged political leaders to renew efforts to get rid of all nuclear weapons by signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 'No going back'Max Hess, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute think tank, described Putin's nuclear threats as a "very significant announcement."

☆ Russia arrests over 1,300 as anti-war protests erupt over Putin's partial military call-up
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian police officers block the street during an unsanctioned anti-war protest rally at Arbat street, on Sept. 21, 2022, in Moscow, Russia. More than 1,300 people have been arrested in Russia following President Vladimir Putin's call-up of extra forces to fight in Ukraine, according to independent human rights group OVD-Info. Prices of one-way flights out of Russia surged after Putin's announcement and images on social media appeared to show long queues at border posts. Russia has not yet declared war on Ukraine, despite having invaded in February, and it calls its invasion a "special military operation." Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the mobilization of troops would see 300,000 additional personnel called up to serve in the military campaign in Ukraine.

☆ Special-ops units from Down Under made their mark with US commandos in Vietnam. They may have to do it again against China.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

During the Vietnam War, US troops were supported by forces from several allied countries. The role of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) and the New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) was especially notable. From 1966 to 1971, these two special-operations units deployed a small number of commandos to support conventional forces in Vietnam. Gradually, however, they shifted to a more aggressive stance and started going after high-value North Vietnamese and Viet Cong targets in ambushes and direct-action operations. Special operators from the two countries had fought with the British against Communist insurgents in Malaya and Borneo.

One of two state agencies responsible for pushing out millions of dollars in federal infrastructure funds said it could be at least mid-to-late 2023 before any allocations roll out. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, a Democrat, has said the price tag to overhaul the city’s water infrastructure could balloon into the billions. This year, the Mississippi Legislature created a $450 million water infrastructure funding program with money the state received through the Congressional Covid relief package that passed in 2021. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality is administering the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program. Sam Mozee, director of the Mississippi Urban Research Center at Jackson State University, says his team is tracking what happens with funding going forward.

Strands for Trans, a campaign that maps transgender-friendly barbershops and salons, launched five years ago as stories of trans people facing discrimination in these spaces surfaced online. As the movement grows, organizers say they are seeking to expand to provide barbershops and salons with LGBTQ-inclusive classes and other educational materials to combat transphobia. … That’s our next evolution.”History of Strands for TransBarba owners Gomez and Xavier Cruz joined forces in June 2017 to launch Strands for Trans. We’re staying in these spaces.’”For Arana, the Strands for Trans initiative helped them identify inclusive workplaces where they could openly express their identity. “For anybody who is trans, especially trans youth, I would say don’t be afraid to do your research,” Arana said.

☆ I'm a 23-year-old who's saved more than $107,000 by waitressing and bartending in Nantucket and Aspen. Here's what it's like being a seasonal worker.
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-02 | by ( Lauryn Haas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Sam Madden, 23, has worked as a nanny, waitress, and bartender in Nantucket and Aspen for six years. I had some money saved to pay for rent because I'd worked at McDonald's and Olive Garden throughout high school. In the main house, there were a bunch of college guys and girls who all worked at the Nantucket Yacht Club, and I thought that their summer looked like so much fun. My manager saw that I had bartending on my résumé from the yacht club and asked if I wanted to start bartending. She lived with a manager of a restaurant called Cru, which is kind of the "It" restaurant on the island.

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