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☆ Xi Jinping says China's national security is faces a 'complex and grave' situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“The complexity and difficulty of the national security issues we now face have increased significantly,” Xi said Tuesday at a meeting of the party’s National Security Commission, state news agency Xinhua reported. Since coming to power a decade ago, Xi has made national security a key paradigm that permeates all aspects of China’s governance, experts say. He has expanded the concept of national security to cover everything from politics, economy, defense, culture and ecology to cyberspace. Under Xi’s notion of “comprehensive national security,” China has introduced a raft of legislation to protect itself against perceived threats, including laws on counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, cybersecurity, foreign non-government organizations, national intelligence and data security. In Hong Kong, a sweeping national security law was imposed by Beijing to stamp out dissent after huge democracy protests roiled the city.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, “, Xi, Bill Bishop, Mintz, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, party’s National Security Commission, Xinhua, Bain & Company, Mintz Group, Astellas Pharma Locations: Hong Kong, Communist, Beijing, China, People’s Republic of China, American

☆ What's in the debt limit bill? Key provisions in the Biden-McCarthy deal to avert default
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Sahil Kapur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In fiscal year 2024, it would limit military spending to $886 billion and nonmilitary discretionary spending to $704 billion. McCarthy said the deal was "historic," as it would amount to "cutting spending year-over-year for the first time in over a decade." Factoring in adjustments, the White House projects that when veterans funding is set aside, nondefense spending would barely change — with a slight reduction overall from 2023 to 2024. It would eliminate $1.4 billion in IRS funding and shift about $20 billion to nondefense funds. The bill would overhaul the National Environmental Policy Act to streamline permitting for projects; House Republicans tout it as "the first significant reforms to NEPA since 1982."

☆ Debt Deal Includes a Green Light for a Contentious Pipeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Coral Davenport | Brad Plumer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The bill includes some other small steps aimed at getting energy projects of all types approved more quickly by modifying federal permitting policies under the National Environmental Policy Act. But opponents of the pipeline argue that completion was far from certain as several court cases are pending. A provision in the debt deal could deem those challenges moot, and would block any future lawsuits. The agreement would order federal agencies to approve any outstanding permits for the pipeline within 21 days and exempt those permits from judicial review. “This is an unprecedented end run around the courts, which have repeatedly rejected permits over M.V.P.’s failure to comply with basic environmental laws,” said Ben Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club, which has challenged several permits related to the pipeline.

Persons: ”, Ben Jealous Organizations: National Environmental, White, Pipeline, U.S ., Appeals, Fourth Circuit, District of Columbia Circuit, Sierra Club Locations: Richmond, M.V.P

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden hosts debt limit talks with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 22, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, May 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday reached an agreement in principle to lift the debt ceiling that would trim some U.S. federal spending. Here's what we know so far:A CAP ON DISCRETIONARY SPENDINGThe deal would suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling until January of 2025, allowing the U.S. government to pay its bills. In exchange, non-defense discretionary spending would be capped at current year levels in 2024 and increased by only 1% in 2025. INCREASED DEFENSE SPENDINGThe deal is expected to boost defense spending to around $885 billion, in line with Biden's 2024 budget spending proposal.

☆ Biden, GOP reach debt-ceiling deal, now Congress must approve it to prevent calamitous default
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The compromise announced late Saturday risks angering both Democratic and Republican lawmakers as they begin to unpack the concessions. Negotiators agreed to some Republican demands for increased work requirements for recipients of food stamps that House Democrats had called a nonstarter. The agreement would raise the age for existing work requirements on able-bodied adults, from 49 to 54, without children. Lifting he nation's debt limit, now at $31 trillion, allows more borrowing to pay the nation's already incurred bills. Biden has said the work requirements for Medicaid would be a nonstarter.

☆ Biden, McCarthy reach final deal to prevent default, now must sell to Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"Good news," Biden declared Sunday evening at the White House. "The agreement prevents the worst possible crisis, a default, for the first time in our nation's history," he said. Biden told reporters at the White House upon his return from Delaware that he was confident the plan will make it to his desk. Top White House officials were briefing Democratic lawmakers and phoning some directly to try to shore up support. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that he expected there will be Democratic support but he declined to provide a number.

☆ Debt Ceiling Deal: What's in – and What's Been Left Out?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Work requirementsRepublicans had proposed boosting work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents in certain government assistance programs. Democrats had roundly criticized the proposed changes, saying they would lead to fewer people able to afford food or health care without actually increasing job participation. However, the agreement would expand some work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. The budget agreement keeps Biden's student loan relief in place, though the Supreme Court will have the ultimate say on the matter. The Supreme Court is dominated 6-3 by conservatives, and those justices' questions in oral arguments showed skepticism about the legality of Biden's student loans plan.

☆ Factbox: What's in the debt ceiling deal Biden, McCarthy are negotiating?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, May 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy are nearing a deal to lift the debt ceiling that would trim some U.S. federal spending. Here's what we know so far:A CAP ON DISCRETIONARY SPENDINGThe deal under consideration would lift the debt ceiling in exchange for holding non-defense discretionary spending around current year levels. INCREASED DEFENSE SPENDINGThe deal under consideration could boost defense spending to around $885 billion, in line with Biden's 2024 budget spending proposal. COVID CLAWBACKBiden and McCarthy are expected to agree to clawback unused COVID relief funds as part of the budget deal, including funding that had been set aside for vaccine research and disaster relief. ENERGY PERMITTINGA plan to make it easier for energy projects - including fossil-fuel based ones - is expected to be part of any budget deal.

☆ Southeast Asia hit with record-breaking heat and heavy air pollution
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Several cities in Southeast Asia experienced sweltering temperatures over the weekend, with some areas hitting new all-time highs as global climate change intensifies both heat waves and air pollution in the region. Luang Prabang, a city in Laos, saw a record-high temperature of 110.3 degrees Fahrenheit (43.5 degrees Celsius) Saturday, according to the Thai Meteorological Department. Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, also experienced a record-high temperature of 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) over the weekend. Singapore hit 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) Saturday, matching its all-time record, which was recorded 40 years ago, the National Environment Agency said. Southeast Asia is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change, which has fueled more frequent and severe heat waves and worsened the region's air pollution.

Sembcorp, which is 49.3% owned by Singapore's state investor Temasek Holdings, has hired HSBC (HSBA.L) to run the sale of SembWaste, according to the sources. First-round of non-binding bids are due by early June, said one of the sources, declining to be named as the matter is private. Last year, SembWaste's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization was S$50 million ($37.75 million), one of the sources added. Last year, Singapore's asset manager Keppel consortium bought a 80% stake in environmental services firm 800 Super Holdings for S$304 million. SembWaste is one of three public waste collectors appointed by Singapore's National Environment Agency to provide waste and recyclable collection services to residential, schools and trade premises in the city-state, according to its website.

☆ Environmental groups sue U.S. over SpaceX launch license for Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

May 1, (Reuters) - Conservation groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday, challenging its approval of expanded rocket launch operations by Elon Musk's SpaceX next to a national wildlife refuge in South Texas without requiring greater environmental study. SpaceX had vigorously opposed subjecting its Starbase to an EIS review, a process that typically takes years, even decades. The FAA granted its license following a far less thorough environmental assessment and a finding that SpaceX activities at Boca Chica pose "no significant impact" on the environment. The lawsuit challenges that finding as a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. The lawsuit highlights a history of tension between environmentalists, who have sought to limit development at Boca Chica, and Musk, a hard-charging entrepreneur known for risk taking.

☆ FAA sued over SpaceX Starship launch program following April explosion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The SpaceX Starship explodes after launch for a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20, 2023. The groups argue that the FAA should have conducted an in-depth environmental report, known as an environmental impact statement (EIS), before ever allowing SpaceX to move ahead with its Starship Super Heavy plans in Boca Chica. Later, "based on SpaceX's preference," the lawyers wrote, the federal agency settled on using "a considerably less thorough analysis," which enabled SpaceX to launch sooner. The exact impacts of the launch on the people, habitat and wildlife are still being evaluated by federal and state agencies, and other environmental researchers, alongside and independently from SpaceX. Boca Chica land and wildlife there, namely ocelots, are also sacred to the Carrizo-Comecrudo tribe of Texas.

☆ The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Simone Pathe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

The GOP needs a net gain of one or two seats to flip the chamber, depending on which party wins the White House in 2024, and it’s Democrats who are defending the tougher seats. Jim Justice announcing his Senate bid in West Virginia – the seat most likely to flip party control in 2024. In a presidential year, the national environment is likely to loom large, especially with battleground states hosting key Senate races. Two businessmen with the ability to tap into or raise significant resources could be in the mix – Eric Hovde, who lost the GOP Senate nomination in 2012, and Scott Mayer. Still, unseating Cruz in a state Trump won by nearly 6 points in 2020 will be a tall order.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the law, which instructed the U.S. Circuit said the law "makes clear" that those leases are no longer subject to requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires a thorough look at environmental impacts of proposed major federal actions. Earthjustice attorney Steve Mashuda, who represented the environmental groups, said in a statement that the decision will harm Gulf communities and ecosystems. A spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute called the order a “positive step toward more certainty and clarity for energy producers.”The Interior Department, which did not appeal the lower court decision, declined to comment. v. Debra Haaland et al., U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, case No.

☆ China says drafting plans to boost recovery, expansion of consumption
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, April 19 (Reuters) - China is formulating plans to boost the recovery and expansion of consumption, the state planner's spokesperson Meng Wei said on Wednesday, signaling officials are worried about weak demand despite a sharp rebound in retail sales. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) pledged to promote a sustained recovery in consumption. "Currently, we are working on drafting documents on the recovery and expansion of consumption, mainly focusing on key areas such as stabilising big-ticket consumption, enhancing service consumption and expanding rural consumption," said Meng. Meng, at a news conference, also mentioned stabilising of automobile consumption, which was a "big part" of supporting consumption, by promoting new energy vehicles to rural areas. "The international environment is still complex and ever-changing, constraints from insufficient domestic demand are obvious and the foundation for economic recovery is not solid," said statistics bureau spokesperson Fu Linghui on Tuesday.

GDP growth last year slumped to one of its worst in nearly half a century due to COVID restrictions. "The strong export growth in March also likely helped to boost GDP growth in Q1." China's rebound has so far remained uneven as its investment-fuelled growth of the past to one now reliant on consumption faces challenges. Consumption, services and infrastructure spending have perked up but factory output has lagged amid weak global growth, while slowing prices and surging bank savings are raising doubts about demand. The government has set a modest GDP growth target of around 5% for this year, after badly missing the 2022 goal.

☆ Billionaires are fascinated by solar geoengineering — but climate scientists are far from convinced
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

David Gannon | Afp | Getty ImagesWhat is solar geoengineering? Solar geoengineering or SRM refers to a speculative set of technologies designed to cool the Earth. To be sure, researchers calling for the rigorous study of SRM are not endorsing solar geoengineering as a climate solution. watch nowThe paper advocates for an International Non-Use Agreement on Solar Geoengineering, a call that has since received the backing of hundreds of climate scientists. Lili Fuhr, deputy director of the Center for International Environmental Law, described solar radiation management or solar geoengineering as "the ultimate false solution."

☆ The High Seas Treaty, Explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Haphazard Authority On Ocean Resources | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Global News Changing Tides The first international agreement to protect the world's oceans aims to create “international parks” in the high seas. The high seas represent 95% of the world’s total habitat by volume, but the nautical world remains largely unexplored. “A sentiment we often encountered was that there’s not much in terms of biodiversity out there in the high seas,” he said. MPAs that already exist mostly occupy exclusive economic zones and only make up about 3% of the high seas. A 2016 Pew study on mapping governance in the high seas showed 19 governing bodies with a high seas mandate.

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden would veto a Republican energy legislation package if it were to pass Congress, citing cost increases that the legislation could lead to, the White House said on Monday. 1 (Lower Energy Costs Act) would double the cost of energy efficiency upgrades that families need to reduce household bills and would repeal the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that will cut energy costs and boost economic development in rural and urban communities across the country," the White House said. Republicans plan to bring the legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives, where they hold a slim majority, for a vote this week, Representative Elise Stefanik, who chairs the House Republican Conference, said on Monday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said the House bill is "dead on arrival" in the Senate. But many senators want more moderate permitting legislation to expand the electricity transmission system and rapid build out of renewable power.

☆ Wall Street investment firms are thirsty for the West's vanishing water
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Lucy Kafanov | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

And it comes at a time when Arizona’s allocation of Colorado River water is being slashed amid a decadeslong megadrought. “In the face of record shortages on the Colorado River, we have voluntarily answered urgent and repeated calls to conserve water. Water Asset Management owns at least 3,000 acres in Western Colorado’s Grand Valley, where Mueller works to protect Colorado’s share of the river. “Water Asset Management has engaged in a number of different purchase methods to keep their transactions unknown to many of the local jurisdictions,” Mueller said. The Colorado River in Eagle County, Colorado.

Companies Conocophillips FollowWASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) - Six environmental groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday over the Biden administration's approval of ConocoPhillips' (COP.N) Willow oil and gas project in Alaska, which they claimed could be a stepping stone to more development in an ecologically sensitive region. Trustees for Alaska, the Alaska Wilderness League, the Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society and other groups said the U.S. Interior Department approved Willow on public lands on the north coast of the state despite acknowledging and failing to mitigate "known harms" to Arctic communities, public health, wildlife and climate. The Interior Department on Monday approved three drill pads for Willow after saying last month it was concerned about the greenhouse gas emissions. The Interior Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suits.

Companies Conocophillips FollowWASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - The oil industry on Monday cheered the U.S. government's greenlighting of ConocoPhillips' multibillion-dollar oil drilling project in Alaska's Arctic, but court challenges could mire the plans in further delays. President Joe Biden's administration approved a trimmed-down version of the $7 billion Willow project on federal lands in a pristine area on Alaska's north coast. Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, another group involved in the previous suits, said Monday's approval for the Willow project is "still inadequate in numerous respects." Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, told reporters the state's lawmakers are prepared to defend the decision against "frivolous" legal challenges. Even if Interior could beat back the oil company's challenge, it would probably only mean another delay for Willow, he said.

☆ The next world power will be the first to harness the power of AI, former defense official argues in new book
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Paul Scharre, a former defense official, argues AI dominance will determine the next global power. The battle for AI power will revolutionize world militaries and economies. His book, "Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," was released on February 28. In his latest book, "Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," Scharre explores how the international battle for the most powerful AI technology is changing global power dynamics. Over time, regulation in some fashion of AI technology; probably much of which will be sector-specific.

☆ Google to launch fund to support Taiwan's media outlets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Google has come under pressure in some countries to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content, though not in Taiwan. Google said it will pay local publishers through what it calls a "Taiwan News Digital Co-prosperity Fund" to strengthen their digital publishing capability. The fund will help Taiwan local media "hone digital skills, gain expertise and support the sustainable development of Taiwan's news industry", the company said. "Even while Google faces many challenges in the overall international environment, Taiwan remains a crucial global stronghold," Tina Lin, managing director of sales and operations at Google Taiwan, told reporters in Taipei. Google said Taiwan's media industry has been facing major competitive challenges in adapting to the digital age, pointing out that advertising revenues for traditional media outlets have dropped 70% from 2003 to 2020.

☆ China takes a cautious approach to its economy in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Beijing announced Sunday a target of "around 5%" growth in gross domestic product for 2023, with only a modest increase in fiscal support. "The government's conservative growth target of 5% for 2023 recognizes that the pickup in China's growth continues to face headwinds," Martin Petch, vice president and senior credit officer, Moody's Investors Service, said in a note. "Some local governments are finding economic recovery difficult and are facing prominent fiscal imbalances," the report said. Consumption is keyConsumption can become the primary driver of economic growth this year, Li Chunlin, deputy director at the NDRC, told reporters Monday. An overall recovery in the economy can help fiscal revenues grow, and boost demand for workers, he said.

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