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☆ Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offers nuclear weapons to nations willing 'to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Mariya Knight Uliana Pavlova Helen Regan | Mariya Knight | Uliana Pavlova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that nations who are willing “to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus” will be given nuclear weapons, days after confirming the transfer of some tactical nuclear weapons from Moscow to Minsk had begun. “Join the Union State of Belarus and Russia. It was not clear how wide Lukashenko’s invitation to join the Union State extended, and he offered no other specifics. Tactical nuclear weapons are smaller than strategic nuclear weapons – which can decimate entire cities – and are designed for use in a limited battlefield. Strong condemnationsThe United States and the European Union, as well as opposition leaders in Belarus, have denounced the move to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

☆ VMware employees are increasingly concerned over Broadcom's pending $61 billion acquisition, predicting spinouts of business units, layoffs, and lost customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Broadcom and VMware announced the $61 billion deal last year and recently pushed back the deadline as it undergoes regulatory scrutiny. Insider spoke with one former and four current VMware employees about the changes they expect to face once they are owned by the chipmaker Broadcom. A VMware spokesperson said in a statement that after the deal closes, VMware customers will obtain "more choice and flexibility" in managing their IT needs, especially across multiple cloud-computing services. Executives leaving VMwareVMware has lost several key executives since the Broadcom deal was announced (including several defecting to VMware's archrival Nutanix). "Nonetheless, I've continued to see questions in press reports about whether we intend to raise prices on VMware products.

Persons: —, Sanjay Poonen, Patrick Morley, haven't, Robert Ruelas, EUC, Kit Colbert, hasn't, Zane Rowe, Tom Gillis, Mark Lohmeyer, Ajay Patel, Kal, Karen Egan, Tom Kellermann, Raghu Raghuram, Hock Tan, Colbert, Tan, Hock E, Lucas Jackson, I've Organizations: VMware, Employees, Broadcom, SEC, Carbon, Symantec, Workers, Tech, VMware hasn't, VMware Employees, VMware VMware, Nutanix, Raghuram, Reuters

☆ How 'the dress' broke the internet — and pushed Facebook to force everyone into their own filter bubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Ben Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In 2015, a BuzzFeed staffer posted a picture of a dress with the caption, "What color is this dress?" The following is an excerpt from "Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral" by Ben Smith. Jonah saw it differently. From TRAFFIC: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral by Ben Smith. Copyright © Ben Smith, 2023.

☆ 2024 US presidential election: who is in, who is out and who is still thinking about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Ross Colvin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

May 24 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday he is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, joining former President Donald Trump in a growing list of Republicans seeking to unseat Democratic President Joe Biden. Here is a list of declared candidates and other potential 2024 hopefuls in both the Democratic and Republican parties. The former Kansas congressman was one of Trump's most loyal lieutenants and initially backed his false claims of a stolen presidential election in 2020. Several of his key staff, though, have recently joined the DeSantis camp, suggesting that Youngkin is not going to run in 2024. She ran as a Democrat in the 2020 presidential primary but dropped out of the race before any votes had been cast.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, JOE BIDEN Biden, DONALD TRUMP Trump, Biden, Trump, RON DESANTIS, DeSantis, SCOTT, Scott, NIKKI HALEY, Haley, ASA HUTCHINSON, Hutchinson, MIKE, Pence, Trump's, CHRIS CHRISTIE, Christie, CHRIS SUNUNU The, VIVEK RAMASWAMY, Ramaswamy, ROBERT KENNEDY JR, Kennedy, Robert F, MIKE POMPEO Trump's, GLENN YOUNGKIN, MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, Ross Colvin, Colleen Jenkins, Nick Zieminski, Mark Potter Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Biden, Trump, Republican Party, New, Walt Disney Co, Black Republican U.S, Reuters, United Nations, ASA, White House, U.S . Capitol, Republican White House, YouTube, Central Intelligence Agency, White, Democrat, Thomson Locations: Florida, U.S, New York, Ukraine, South Carolina, Arkansas, Pence, New Jersey, CHRIS SUNUNU The New Hampshire, England, Kansas, Virginia

☆ Bans, betrayals and stalemates: How Thailand's old guard could respond to election results
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Nyshka Chandran | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward Party (center), at a rally in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 18 2023. The vote for PM is expected in August after the Election Commission certifies election results. A Pheu Thai betrayalLed by the daughter of ex-prime minister Thaksin, Pheu Thai is an opposition party that is more careful about its messaging on the monarchy. "Pheu Thai will run the risk of being punished electorally by the pro-democracy voters, who are the key supporters of Pheu Thai in the future," warned Waitoolkiat. When the Future Forward Party was dissolved in 2020, it set off mass youth-led protests.

Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat, Valeria Mongelli, —, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, There's, Pita, Napisa, Susannah Patton Lowy, Thaksin, Susannah Patton, Patton, Pongsudhirak —, electorally, Waitoolkiat, there's Organizations: Party, Bloomberg, Getty, Chulalongkorn University, Chulalongkorn University's Faculty, Political Science, of Security, International Studies, Foreign Relations, Constitutional Court, National, Corruption, Electoral Commission, Constitutional, Human Rights, Center for Strategic, Naresuan University . Conservative, Senate, CSIS, Southeast Asia, Lowy Institute, Conservative, CFR, Pheu, Forward Party Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, parliament's, Pheu Thai

☆ Kansas farmers abandon wheat fields after extreme drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] Romulo Lollato, a wheat agronomist for Kansas State University, examines wheat in a field, as part of an annual crop tour, near Clay Center, Kansas, U.S., May 16, 2023. REUTERS/Tom PolansekWICHITA, Kansas, May 22 (Reuters) - Farmers in Kansas, the biggest U.S. producer of wheat used to make bread, are abandoning their crops after a severe drought and damaging cold ravaged farms. Kansas farmers are expected to abandon about 19% of the acres planted last autumn, up from 10% last year and 4% in 2021, according to the report. Soaring prices for hay also pressure wheat farmers not to harvest their fields for grain so they can be fed to cattle, Gilpin said. Kansas farmers are expected to produce just 191.4 million bushels of wheat this year, the smallest since 1963, according to the latest monthly government forecast.

☆ Old trailer parks are being torn down, driving up homelessness as one of the last options for low-income renters fades away
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Anita Snow | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Residents of mobile home parks in Arizona are being asked to leave, so student housing can be built. Mobile homes, not always mobile, are hard to repair so they're being razed. "We are in the deepest affordable housing crisis we've ever experienced," said Joanna Carr, acting head of the Arizona Housing Coalition. Efforts under way to revitalize old mobile homes have limits. Many park residents are Spanish-speaking immigrants earning minimum wage as landscapers or restaurant workers.

☆ This little-known rule shapes parking in America. Cities are reversing it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Approximately 2 billion parking spots cover the country, enough to pave over the entire state of Connecticut. Cities have built so much parking through a policy few people know: minimum parking requirements. Mandatory parking minimums helped shape the modern makeup of America cities. More parking spaces mean bigger parking lots. There are an estimated three to eight parking spots for every car in America.

☆ Analysis: US debt ceiling deal could stall safety flight fueling megacap rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( David Randall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Their rally has been responsible for all of the 8.3% year-to-date gain in the S&P 500 (.SPX) through Wednesday's close, a Deutsche Bank report showed. A recent survey of global fund managers from BofA Global Research showed that 71% believe a deal to raise the debt ceiling will be reached before the X-date. Excitement over artificial intelligence, which has boosted some megacap names this year, is another factor that could support the category. At the same time, the debt ceiling has been only one of of several worries weighing on the market. Paul Christopher, head of global market strategy at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, expects lawmakers will reach an agreement to extend the debt ceiling through September.

☆ To Counter China, G7 Countries Borrow Its Economic Playbook
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jim Tankersley | Ana Swanson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Midway through his face-to-face meeting with President Biden in Indonesia last fall, the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, offered an unsolicited warning. For months, he and his aides had worked to recruit allied countries to impose their own restrictions on sending technology to China. The effort echoed the sort of industrial policy that China had employed to become the world’s manufacturing leader. In Bali, Mr. Xi urged Mr. Biden to abandon it. As Mr. Biden and fellow leaders of the Group of 7 nations meet this weekend in Hiroshima, Japan, a centerpiece of their discussions will be how to rapidly accelerate what has become an internationally coordinated round of vast public investment.

☆ China-Taiwan tensions could grip 2024 election as top business leaders sound alarms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

China's policy regarding Taiwan, the world's leader in the semiconductor industry, could end up making it an even bigger focus. The cross-strait strife has already provoked commentary from some top contenders in the Republican presidential primary race who have stressed the need to deter a possible Chinese invasion invasion of the island. But I think ultimately what I think China respects is strength," DeSantis said. 'Like trying to separate conjoined twins'But the political will to defend Taiwan in a Chinese invasion may clash with economic forces. Some CEOs of America's biggest banks have said they would pull their business from China if directed to do so following an invasion of Taiwan.

☆ Why Disney is stuck in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Disney World sued Ron DeSantis last month to keep control of its self-governing status in Florida. But a top Disney expert said the company is stuck in The Sunshine State. A leading expert on Disney World's history in Florida told Insider that the amusement park is tied to its Florida home, due to its expensive operations and sprawling size. "They're stuck there," Richard Foglesong, the author of the book "Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando," told Insider. Other Republicans are taking DeSantis to task for his dedication to fighting with DisneyRepublican presidential candidate Nikki Haley urged Walt Disney World to consider relocating from Florida to South Carolina.

☆ Fans speculate about Nadal's retirement before French Open announcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 36-year-old Nadal has not competed since January after sustaining a hip injury at the Australian Open and is expected to confirm whether he will skip the French Open, a tournament he has won a record 14 times. On the YouTube page that will stream Nadal's news conference later on Thursday, fans posted tearful emojis and speculated about him announcing his retirement. Nadal's 14 French Open titles are the most by any player at a single major. He boasts a stunning 112-3 record in Paris and is widely regarded as the 'king of clay'. The French Open begins on May 28.

☆ Russian forces in retreat near Bakhmut, Ukraine and Wagner say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian troops near the front line said Russia was bombarding access roads to slow the Ukrainian assault, which has shifted momentum after months of slow Russian gains in Europe's deadliest ground combat since World War Two. Ukraine's gains have been accompanied by a deepening public split within Russia's forces between Wagner, which has led the Bakhmut campaign, and the regular Russian military. The Russian defence ministry has acknowledged some withdrawals from positions near Bakhmut over the past week but denies Prigozhin's assertions that flanks are crumbling, or that it has withheld ammunition from Wagner. "Using the principle of active defence, we resort to counteroffensive actions in some directions near Bakhmut. Russia has also been experiencing attacks and explosions both in Ukrainian territory it controls and in Russian territory near the border.

☆ I Had to Quit Therapy to Finally Be Ready for It
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Carina Del Valle Schorske | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Dr. S was not a boring person, and I didn’t think I was, either, so the boredom provoked our mutual suspicion. Dr. S knew better than to pressure me to stay, but she did not fulfill my fantasy of a reparative final session. I’d been afraid of disappointing Dr. S — and then I did. Leaving Dr. S made it possible to imagine going back — both humbled and emboldened by our mutual capacity to abide the separation. I was gone only for a little more than a year, and when I went back to Dr. S, we saw each other once a week.

☆ Exxon rebuts proxy advisor, says net zero emissions scenario 'unlikely'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Glass Lewis backed the initiative, concluding Exxon could face material financial risks from the net-zero scenario. Exxon has said the world is not on a path to achieve net-zero emissions in 2050. The 2050 net-zero emissions (NZE) scenario of the International Energy Agency (IEA) envisions a path to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. "It is highly unlikely that society would accept the degradation in global standard of living required to permanently achieve a scenario like the IEA NZE," Exxon said in dismissing the proposal. Exxon rebutted the proxy firm's recommendation that it evaluate the impacts of a worst-case oil spill at its offshore Guyanese oil platforms.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Russian retreats reported
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Ukrainian servicemen of the 128th territorial defence brigade attend a military training, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Bernadett SzaboMay 18 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military and Russia's Wagner private army both reported fresh Russian retreats on the outskirts of Bakhmut, as Kyiv pressed on with its biggest advance for six months ahead of a planned major counteroffensive. FIGHTING* Ukraine's military said its troops had advanced in places by more than a mile. Some of its soldiers on the front line said Russian troops were pounding supply lines to try to halt the gains. But he accused commanders of Russia's regular forces of abandoning vital ground north of the city, exposing his troops.

SEOUL, May 17 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday his country is ready to partner with South Korea on critical minerals and clean energy projects, and to fend off North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. Addressing South Korea's parliament, Trudeau said Canada was committed to increase military engagement to mitigate threats to regional security, while working together with Seoul to denuclearise North Korea. "Canada is ready to strengthen our partnership with friends like Korea on everything from critical minerals to high-tech innovation to clean energy solutions," Trudeau said. Yoon and Trudeau will sign an agreement on key mineral supply chains, clean energy conversion and energy security cooperation, a South Korean government official has said. "Canada is committed to increase not just our trade, but also our military engagement as a means of mitigating threats to regional security," Trudeau said.

☆ ‘Catastrophic’ Floods in Italy Leave 8 Dead and Thousands Homeless
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Widespread flooding in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna killed at least eight people and forced another 5,000 to abandon their homes, officials said on Wednesday as rescue efforts continued to assist those stuck on the upper stories of buildings. Some of the worst-hit areas received almost 20 inches of rain in 36 hours, about half the average annual amount, according to the Italian civil protection minister, Nello Musumeci. Taking into account those figures, “you can understand how powerful this rainfall was,” he said. Stefano Bonaccini, regional president of Emilia-Romagna, said that the rainfall had been a “catastrophic event that has never been registered before.” His deputy, Irene Priolo, said on Wednesday that the death toll had risen to eight people. Scenes of dramatic rescues from flood-struck towns have dominated national news broadcasts over the past two days: helicopters airlifting residents from the roofs of homes submerged in water; rescue workers wading through chest-high waters carrying older people on their backs; volunteers in rubber dinghies transporting residents from their homes as belongings floated from open doors.

Kilicdaroglu, chair of the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), received 44.9% in what was seen as the biggest electoral challenge to Erdogan's 20-year rule. A third candidate, nationalist Sinan Ogan, obtained 5.17% and both Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu are expected to seek his endorsement in negotiations this week. Turkey hosts the world's largest refugee population of around 4 million, according to official figures. Supporters of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition alliance, rally outside the Republican People's Party (CHP) headquarters on election night in Ankara, Turkey May 14, 2023. In Wednesday's video, Kilicdaroglu also accused Erdogan of cooperating with the network Ankara accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt.

☆ Debt ceiling threat: Time to take this political football off the field
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Christine Romans | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In theory, the debt ceiling should act as a fiscal restraint during the budgeting process. Deciding later not to pay the bills by not raising the debt ceiling is not sound fiscal policy. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, a Republican, has said the debt ceiling is counterproductive. And the CEO of the nation’s biggest bank, JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon turns visibly frustrated at the subject of the debt ceiling. KPMG Chief Economist Diane Swonk says the politicization of the debt ceiling has weakened America.

☆ Four more Soudal Quick-Step riders test positive for COVID at Giro d'Italia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A further round of tests were made on the riders and staff which showed Jan Hirt, Josef Cerny, Louis Vervaeke and Mattia Cattaneo had contracted COVID. "After the positive (test result) of Remco on Sunday evening, we had two more riders who were feeling unwell on Monday morning, but were negative on antigen tests," team doctor Toon Cruyt said in a statement. "Therefore a PCR test was carried out on the seven remaining riders, the results of which showed that the four guys were positive. We will continue to monitor and implement our testing protocol on the three riders and staff that remain at the race." Stage 11 of the Giro on Wednesday is a 219-km ride from Camaiore to Tortona.

☆ The No. 1 reason Gen Z workers are leaving their dream jobs behind—and what they're seeking instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Gina Fahrenholz, 22, left her childhood dream job of criminal justice to become a nurse once she realized she would be more financially stable. After advising thousands of college students on their career paths, Christine Cruzvergara "doesn't truly believe in only having one dream job." Rather, Cruzvergara, the chief education strategy officer at early-career job platform Handshake, says, "The reality is your dreams can change." The 2023 definition of a dream jobFarenholz is not alone in her decision to abandon her childhood dream job in favor of stability. Instead, Cruzvergara says, students are looking at brands "that have stood the test of time" like Raytheon, Capital One and Nike.

☆ House Democrats Move to Force a Vote on Expelling Santos From Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Democrats moved on Tuesday to force a vote within days on removing Representative George Santos of New York from Congress, an attempt to press Republicans to either endorse or abandon a serial liar in their ranks who has been indicted on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, stealing public funds and lying to the government. The measure has little chance of passage in the Republican-led House, where it would require a two-thirds supermajority to pass. But by bringing it up, Democrats were increasing the pressure on Republicans to register a position on Mr. Santos’s conduct. “Now is an opportunity to hold him accountable,” Representative Robert Garcia, Democrat of California, said on Tuesday after he rose on the House floor to call up his resolution to expel Mr. Santos from Congress. “The Republicans in the House are actually going to have to go on record and make a decision about if they’re actually going to stand for truth and accountability, or if they’re going to stand with someone that’s clearly a liar.”

☆ Ukraine has exploited Russia's monthslong 'Bakhmut fixation' as it reclaims territory and sends Russian soldiers running from the 'meat grinder,' military expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine gained an advantage over Russia by doggedly defending Bakhmut, a military expert told Insider. "The Russians have had a Bakhmut fixation," said Mick Ryan, a retired Maj. Gen. in the Australian army. The Ukrainian military does not release casualty numbers, but military experts believe the country has suffered significant losses in Bakhmut, though notably fewer than Russia. Ukraine shared a video last week of Russian soldiers running away from the city while being chased by armored vehicles. "We lured the enemy into a Bakhmut trap," Cherevatiy, the Ukrainian spokesperson, told The Journal.

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