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☆ The US may have lost in the World Cup, but soccer is more popular than ever in America
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +36 min

The Atlas Lions made history as the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal. They made history as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. It was Morocco's first World Cup win since 1998 — and its third-ever at the tournament. Less spoken about is that they also rate better on television than the men do in the World Cup. We’ll just have to wait and see, though with the US, Canada and Mexico hosting the 2026 World Cup, soccer isn’t going away anytime soon.

☆ Morocco becomes first African country to reach World Cup semifinals as it topples Portugal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Morocco became the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals by beating Portugal 1-0 on Saturday, likely ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s chances of winning soccer’s biggest prize. Youssef En-Nesyri scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute to continue Morocco’s improbable run that has generated an outpouring of pride in the Arab world during the first World Cup to be staged in the Middle East. Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after Portugal's loss to Morocco during in Doha, Qatar on Saturday. Patricia de Melo Moreira / AFP via Getty ImagesThe five-time world player of the year is set to finish his career without capturing the World Cup or ever getting to the final. It is a seminal moment in World Cup history, with an African nation finally advancing to the levels typically only reached by European or South American teams.

A Tether official and the head of the world’s largest crypto exchange grew alarmed that Sam Bankman-Fried was trying to destabilize the stablecoin and with it the broader crypto market last month in a last-ditch attempt to save FTX, according to messages seen by The Wall Street Journal and people familiar with the situation. In a Signal group chat called “Exchange coordination,” Changpeng Zhao , the chief executive of crypto exchange giant Binance, confronted Mr. Bankman-Fried on Nov. 10.

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Thursday's release of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner in exchange for a convicted Russian arms dealer has resurfaced an old question: Do prisoner swaps do more harm than good? The details of Griner's release highlight the painful trade-offs confronting the Biden administration. In one such case in 2016, North Korea detained American college student Otto Warmbier during a dispute with the international community over that country's missile launches. Many of the families argue that the U.S. should be willing negotiate and discount the argument that prisoner swaps lead more countries to grab Americans. Those hard choices meant Washington could either leave Whelan in Russian custody or else return empty-handed after months of negotiations.

☆ Animals Are Running Out of Places to Live
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Catrin Einhorn | Lauren Leatherby | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

In many places, poverty, powerful interests and a lack of law enforcement make habitat loss especially hard to address. Because animals there often have smaller ranges to begin with, habitat loss hits them especially hard. “That's the ultimate challenge of forest conservation globally.”Source: Map of Life | Photo: Chien C. Lee MOZAMBIQUE Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Est. habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR MOZAMBIQUE Estimated habitat in 2001 MADAGASCAR Source: Map of Life | Photo: Chien C. Lee MOZAMBIQUE Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCAR MOZAMBIQUE Habitat loss in 2021 MADAGASCARThis is the 2001 habitat of the white-headed lemur, a primate that eats fruit and flowers. Of the many targets being negotiated, the one that has gotten the most attention seeks to address habitat loss head on.

☆ Republican Gallagher to lead new U.S. House China select committee
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher was named on Thursday to lead a select committee being created in the U.S. House of Representatives to focus on economic and security competition with China. Gallagher, a former Marine counterintelligence officer who has served on the House Armed Services Committee, has been a vocal critic of China's Communist government. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy had said he would create a select committee focused on China if he is elected speaker when Republicans take control of the House in January. "The Chinese Communist Party is the greatest geopolitical threat of our lifetime," McCarthy said in a statement as he announced Gallagher's selection. Getting tough on China, the United States' top geopolitical competitor, has become an area of bipartisan agreement, although Democrats and Republicans differ to some degree in their priorities.

☆ U.S. House overwhelmingly approves bill backing record military spending
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"This bill is Congress exercising its authority to authorize and do oversight," said Representative Adam Smith, the Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, in a speech urging support for the measure. This year's bill - the result of months of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate - needed a two-thirds majority in the House after disagreement from some House members over whether it should include an amendment on voting rights. The Senate is expected to pass the NDAA next week, sending it to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into law. Authorization bills create programs but Congress must pass appropriations bills to give the government legal authority to spend federal money. Congressional leaders have not yet agreed on an appropriations bill for next year.

☆ Gonçalo Ramos: Meet the striker who replaced Cristiano Ronaldo and made World Cup history at Qatar 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Not only was it his first start at Qatar 2022, the tournament’s first hat-trick, but Ramos’ three goals in this last-16 tie puts Ronaldo record in one-off World Cup games somewhat in the shade. Ronaldo has never scored in a World Cup knockout match, despite competing in five tournaments. Michael Steele/Getty ImagesBenfica CampusRamos is a product of the famous Benfica academy. Never gives up!” Ramos’ Benfica teammate Grimaldo told Marca. His trio of goals ensured Ramos became the first player to score a hat-trick in his first World Cup start since Miroslav Klose against Saudi Arabia in 2002.

☆ White House slams Congress for move to rescind military's vaccine mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that scrapping the requirement that U.S. troops get vaccinated for COVID-19 is a mistake, as lawmakers moved closer to requiring the Pentagon to rescind its vaccine mandate. President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and military leaders have strongly backed the vaccine mandate as necessary to safeguard the health and readiness of the U.S. armed forces. "We continue to believe that repealing the vaccine mandate is a mistake," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. The bill is expected to pass the Senate and House this month, and be sent to the White House for Biden to sign into law. Austin said on Monday that the military has no data to back up claims by top Republicans in Congress that the vaccine mandate is hurting recruiting.

☆ U.S. military bill features up to $10 billion to boost Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Flags of Taiwan and U.S. are placed for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan March 27, 2018. Beijing responded angrily when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved broader Taiwan legislation in September despite concerns within President Joe Biden's administration that the bill could go too far in heightening tensions with China. The $858 billion military policy bill is expected to pass Congress and be signed into law this month. The "Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act" included in the NDAA authorizes appropriations for military grant assistance for Taiwan up to $2 billion per year from 2023 through 2027, if the U.S. secretary of state certifies that Taiwan increased its defense spending. It also includes a new foreign military financing loan guarantee authority and other measures to fast-track Taiwan's weapons procurement, as well as creation of a new training program to improve Taiwan's defense.

CNN —Peruvian lawmakers have voted to oust President Pedro Castillo, dramatically escalating Wednesday’s political crisis that began hours earlier when Castillo attempted to dissolve the legislative body and install an emergency government. A majority of 101 lawmakers in the 130-person congress later voted to impeach Castillo, with the body announcing that Vice President Dina Boluarte will be sworn in as the new President of Peru. Francisco Morales, the president of Peru’s Constitutional Court, urged Boluarte to assume the presidency in a speech prior to the congressional vote. Lawmakers stand inside Congress on the day of their planned impeachment vote on President Pedro Castillo in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. The complaint allows congress to carry out its own investigation against the president.

☆ Fact Check-False claims Moderna CEO was executed at Guantanamo Bay stem from widely-debunked website
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An article from a website regularly debunked by Reuters Fact Check for spreading fake news articles falsely claims that Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel was executed on Nov. 18, 2022 by the “U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps.” There is no evidence to support this claim. Bancel has made public appearances and spoken publicly since Nov. 18 (here), (here). No reference to the incident exists on the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corp website (www.jag.navy.mil/news.htm) or Moderna’s website (here). Claims that Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel was executed on Nov. 18, 2022 by the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps originate from a website that publishes satire and fake news.

☆ TAP cabin staff to strike on Dec. 8-9, plan more walkouts until end-Jan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Cabin staff at Portugal's flag carrier TAP will go on strike on Thursday and Friday to demand higher wages after pay cuts under the airline's recovery plan, the SNPVAC union said, adding it would schedule more walkouts later. The 25% salary cut we suffered due to the company's restructuring plan is unacceptable, especially given current inflation levels," SNPVAC head Ricardo Penarroias told Reuters on Tuesday. The union is also demanding the company unfreeze pay progression, and respect maternity leave and rest periods. TAP, which is under an EU-approved 3.2-billion euro bailout plan, has also advised passengers to reschedule their bookings. The plan involves downsizing its fleet, cutting more than 2,900 jobs and reducing wages of most workers by up to 25%.

☆ U.S. House Jan. 6 committee chairman says panel to make criminal referrals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Police clear the U.S. Capitol Building with tear gas as supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather outside, in Washington, U.S. January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol said on Tuesday that the panel had decided to make criminal referrals to the Department of Justice. A subcommittee of the panel has been studying whether to issue criminal referrals for Trump and some of his closest associates. The panel is also expected to issue a report on its findings this month. It is expected to be dissolved before Republicans take control of the House in January after winning a majority of seats in the November midterm elections.

☆ Croatia beats Japan on penalties to reach World Cup quarterfinals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +28 min

CNN —Goalkeeper Dominik Livaković made himself a national hero as Croatia beat Japan on penalties 1-1 (3-1) to reach the World Cup quarterfinals. Marko Djurica/ReutersJapan’s heartbreakDespite its defeat, Japan can look back at an impressive World Cup campaign. They made history Thursday as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. Mbappé was one of the leading stars of the team's World Cup triumph four years ago. He also became just the third goalkeeper to save three penalties in a single World Cup shootout.

Chevron Corp. scored a reversal of fortunes in Venezuela last weekend after the U.S. government allowed it to pump oil there again, but its new license to operate carries considerable risk. The oil giant will have to partner with an authoritarian regime accused of crimes ranging from human-rights violations to sprawling corruption to state-sponsored narcotics trafficking.

☆ Japan vs. Croatia: Samurai Blue aiming to reach World Cup quarterfinals for first time
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +31 min

CNN —In a World Cup of surprises, Japan has played a leading role in headline-making shock results. Croatia is a team undefeated in nine of its last 10 World Cup matches. They made history Thursday as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. Frappert became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match. It was Morocco's first World Cup win since 1998 — and its third-ever at the tournament.

☆ USMNT’s youth and talent at Qatar 2022 bodes well for 2026 World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +31 min

The Netherlands knocked the USMNT out of the Qatar World Cup on Saturday. They made history Thursday as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. Frappert became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match. It was Morocco's first World Cup win since 1998 — and its third-ever at the tournament. Qatar is the first Islamic country to host a World Cup.

☆ France reaches World Cup quarterfinals with 3-1 victory over Poland as Kylian Mbappé breaks Pelé’s record
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +30 min

CNN —France was made to work hard for its place in the World Cup quarterfinals, overcoming an improved Poland side 3-1 thanks to goals from Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappé. That is Mbappé’s fifth goal of Qatar 2022 and already his ninth World Cup goal overall, breaking Pelé’s record of seven World Cup goals scored before the age of 24. They made history Thursday as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. Issei Kato/Reuters Kylian Mbappé scores his second goal on November 26, leading France to a 2-1 victory over Denmark. Mbappé was one of the leading stars of the team's World Cup triumph four years ago.

☆ More Foreclosures, Easier Mortgages Would Help Fix America's Housing Market
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

These standards are based on factors including the borrower's financial stability and the state of the housing market and economy. Finding the right size for the credit box is much easier said than done. A tidal wave of foreclosures followed, plunging the US housing market — and the global economy — into chaos. Even just stabilizing the credit box over time could also help smooth out some of the boom-and-bust cycles that have come to define the housing market. "If we do not address this intrinsic cyclicality, the housing market will continue to experience boom-bust cycles, leaving destruction in their wake," the paper said.

The climate bill that favors domestic production could possibly restrict trade, European countries say. Europe's industry fears that the bill, which gives tax credit for each eligible renewable energy component produced in a U.S. factory, would take away potential investment from the continent. The IRA, which was signed into law in August, also provides a tax credit of 30% of the cost of new or upgraded factories that build renewable energy components. "We're going to continue to create manufacturing jobs in America but not at the expense of Europe," Biden said. Biden in August signed the $52.7 billion semiconductor chips manufacturing subsidy and research law, which subsidizes U.S. chip manufacturing and expands research funding.

☆ The divorce lawyer who's represented Johnny Depp, Kim K, and Angelina Jolie charges $1,000 an hour and says tough love is how she gets things done
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Mark Ellwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Laura Wasser is a divorce lawyer whose clients have included Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. "You'd go to someone's bar mitzvah and say, 'You're Dennis Wasser's daughter,' and they'd say, 'You're at that table,' according to whether my dad had represented the mom or the dad," she said. She'd majored in rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley, and realized quickly that what she'd loved most about those studies was vital in divorce cases, as was her age and gender. She's a spokesperson for Divorce.com, the do-it-yourself split site, as its chief of divorce evolution and has hosted several podcasts, including "All's Fair with Laura Wasser" and "Divorce Sucks! With Laura Wasser," where one guest was the Kardashian momager and matriarch Kris Jenner.

☆ Environmentalists ask SEC to examine P&G's wood pulp supply chain claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jessica Dinapoli | Thomson Reuters | New York-Based Reporter Covering U.S. Consumer Products Spanning Paper Towels To Packaged Food | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The advocacy group wrote that P&G's claims could be materially misleading to investors because the company sources from pristine forests and from areas that are habitats for caribou. P&G annually purchases more than one million metric tons of wood pulp, which comes from trees, to makes Charmin toilet paper, Bounty paper towels and Puffs tissues. NRDC wants the SEC, the main U.S. markets regulator, to consider appropriate enforcement action or require P&G to update its statements to investors. The environmental group also said that P&G's claims are concerning because some investors take into consideration how the company ranks compared to its peers on its environment-related actions. NRDC also said that P&G is overly reliant on third-party certifications for the sustainability of its wood pulp supply chain.

☆ Interpol confirms red notice for Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Global police agency Interpol confirmed on Wednesday it had issued a red notice for Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos, daughter of the country's former president, asking global law enforcement authorities to locate and provisionally arrest her. Portugal's Lusa news agency reported on Nov. 18 that Interpol had issued an international arrest warrant for dos Santos. But Interpol told Reuters it had issued a red notice instead at the request of Angolan authorities. A source close to dos Santos said on Nov. 19 that she had yet to be notified by Interpol. Dos Santos has given interviews recently, telling CNN Portugal on Tuesday the courts in Angola were not independent" and judges there were "used to fulfil a political agenda".

☆ Biden nominee to be ambassador to Russia pledges to prioritize prisoner release
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's nominee to be ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, pledged on Wednesday to make the release of detained Americans a priority if she is confirmed to one of most important, and challenging, U.S. diplomatic posts. Tracy, a career diplomat and current ambassador to Armenia, promised to visit detained Americans, including basketball star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan. It was not immediately clear when Tracy would assume the post, if she is confirmed as Russia must agree to accept her. A Russian speaker, she would be the first woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to Russia. "She's tested, she's eminently qualified," said Senator Rob Portman, who represents Tracy's home state of Ohio and introduced her at the hearing.

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