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☆ How begpackers became some of the world’s least popular tourists
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

James, a comedian, is one of the posters behind the Instagram page Chaotic Hong Kong Expats. But the age of social media has catapulted the activity into public consciousness with a wave of begpacking-shaming Instagram accounts and Facebook pages. “Hong Kong is a very expensive place to live and the average (monthly) wage is 15,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,915). Viral social media photos of begpackers in places like Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong have been appearing on social media in recent months, re-igniting debate over the issue. “I think it kind of represents the growing arena of location-independent tourists blurring boundaries between leisure and work,” says Bernstein.

Persons: Ashley James, “, James, ”, ” James, Stephen Pratt, He’s, Pratt, –, begpackers, Patrick Leigh Fermor, ’ ”, ” Will Hatton, “ you’ve, ” Joshua Bernstein, Bernstein, begpack, Raphael Pangalangan, Begpacking, ” Pangalangan, ” Hatton, Hatton, it’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, Rosen, of Hospitality Management, University of Central, Hong Kong Polytechnic, Language Institute, Thamassat University, Michelin, European Union Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, Kong, Thailand, India, Indonesia, begpackers, University of Central Florida, Hong, Kowloon, Europe, begpacking, Bangkok, North America, Malaysia

☆ Pedro Sanchez: Spanish PM calls snap elections after setbacks in local polls
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Madrid CNN —Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced snap parliamentary elections in July, hours after his ruling Socialists suffered major setbacks in regional and local elections. Sanchez, 51, became prime minister in 2018 after winning a vote of no confidence in parliament against then-conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. He formed a coalition government with the leftist Podemos party, which also suffered setbacks in Sunday’s local elections. The prime minister is making “a complex chess move,” Andres Villena, a professor at Madrid’s Complutense University, told CNN. “Sanchez’s decision to move up the elections could neutralize the honeymoon for the incoming conservative leaders” in the local elections, Villena said.

of OpenAI, for three hours in what appeared to be a genuine effort to understand the growing importance, and the dangers, of artificial intelligence. The central question in the discussion was how Washington should regulate A.I. — and, perhaps surprisingly, Altman and lawmakers from both parties agreed on more than they disagreed. (Another unexpected nugget: Altman says he has no equity in the sensationally growing A.I. Altman proposed creating a new government body that issues licenses for developing large-scale A.I.

☆ Opinion: Vladimir Putin’s anxious time
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. He imagines a boy sitting “upon the high and giddy mast” of a ship tossed by wind and waves. “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” concludes the king in Shakespeare’s play. Russia said that President Vladimir Putin was the intended target of a foiled Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin, an allegation Ukraine denied. The unfortunate monarch who was the last to own the original St. Edward’s Crown, King Charles I, was convicted of treason and beheaded on January 30, 1649.

☆ What to expect from the jobs report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Minneapolis CNN —If the latest employment trends continue and economists’ forecasts prove true, Friday’s jobs report could bring back that pre-pandemic feeling. Economists expect the US economy to have added 180,000 jobs in April, according to consensus estimates on Refinitiv. It could also hammer home the fact that the US labor market has indeed cooled down from its red-hot recovery over the past two years. What a rising unemployment rate meansEconomists are expecting the unemployment rate to tick up to 3.6% from 3.5%, according to Refinitiv. Mixed signalsPayroll processor ADP’s monthly look at private-sector employment activity, released two days before the BLS’ employment report, is sometimes looked at as a preview of what to expect from the federal data.

Europe-wide inflation data is due at 0900GMT. French inflation data on Friday also came in a whisker above expectations, and Dutch inflation also rose. "Inflation data in the eurozone will be an important driver, (for the euro)" said Francsco Pesole, FX strategist at ING, who expects the euro to reach $1.10 some time next week, after consolidating today. The dollar has also been dragged back as the focus on the U.S. banking sector in March caused U.S. interest rate markets to dramatically reprice the outlook. Both currencies found support from expanding Chinese manufacturing activity, though data on Friday showed the pace was slowing down.

"Sterling markets will continue to digest yesterday’s Budget delivered by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt as well as the broader global environment. Markets remain ambivalent whether the Bank of England will raise interest rates next week," said Hann-Ju Ho, senior Economist, Commercial Banking at Lloyds Bank. The European Central Bank (ECB), meanwhile, is a little behind the BoE in its quest to fight inflation. Traders attach a 60% chance of the ECB raising rates by 50 bps on Thursday, with a 40% chance of 25 bps. Money markets show investors expect ECB rates to peak around 3% later this year, compared with a peak of 4% just over a week ago.

☆ Will AI Kill the Radio Star?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Spencer Jakab | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Whether it is musicians or talking heads such as Joe Rogan, yesterday’s radio stars have mostly become streaming and podcast stars. Video didn’t kill the radio star—it just wounded him. MTV launched its service in 1981 with The Buggles’ prophetic hit. Young people were soon glued to the cable sensation as VHF dials gathered dust, hastening the decline of over-the-air TV. More than 40 years later, video streamers such as Netflix are now choking cable to death with penetration soon expected to drop below half of U.S. households.

☆ Constantine, the former and last king of Greece, dies at 82
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

ATHENS, Greece — Constantine, the former and last king of Greece, who won an Olympic gold medal before becoming entangled in his country’s volatile politics in the 1960s as king and spent decades in exile, has died. Prince Constantine on his sailboat at the Olympics in 1960. With minimal nostalgia for the monarchy in Greece, Constantine became a relatively uncontroversial figure. Crown Prince Constantine, left, arrives at the Raiding Forces' Headquarters on July 5, 1956. Prince Charles and King Constantine II of Greece attend Sunday service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate in King's Lynn, England, on Dec. 9, 2007.

☆ Mortgage rates drop for fifth week in a row
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Washington, DC CNN —Mortgage rates fell once again this week, dipping for the fifth straight week. But mortgage rates have tumbled in the last several weeks, following data that showed inflation may have finally reached its peak. The rate hike was already factored in to where mortgage rates are, but signaled more good news on inflation. Mortgage rates tend to track the yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds. Mortgage applications tick upFor people looking to buy a home, and homeowners wanting to sell, the retreat in mortgage rates over the past several weeks has been welcome.

☆ Manuel Neuer breaks leg in skiing accident a week after Germany was knocked out of Qatar 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Germany goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer will miss the rest of the season after breaking his leg in a skiing accident, just over a week after his side crashed out of Qatar 2022. The 36-year-old said he had gone on holiday to clear his head after Germany was knocked out of the group stages of the tournament, but he subsequently suffered a fracture to his right leg. “While I was trying to get my head clear while ski touring, I suffered a lower leg fracture. Bayern Munich currently sits four points clear atop the Bundesliga, with games restarting on January 20 after a winter break. The German powerhouse will also have to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16 without its captain.

☆ Mortgage rates fall for the third week in a row as inflation fears ease
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Mortgage rates dipped again this week, marking the third straight week of falling rates. Mortgage rates have risen throughout most of 2022, spurred by the Federal Reserve’s unprecedented campaign of hiking interest rates in order to tame soaring inflation. But in the last couple of weeks, mortgage rates have tumbled following reports that indicated inflation may have finally reached its peak. The average mortgage rate is based on mortgage applications that Freddie Mac receives from thousands of lenders across the country. Taken together with yesterday’s news from Powell, US Treasury yields fell, suggesting mortgage rates are likely to go in the same direction.

He froze until 2028 a threshold at which employers start to pay social security contributions, which will cost companies more. Public spending would grow more slowly than the economy but rise in overall terms, he said. It now expects gross domestic product to contract by 1.4% next year compared with its projection in March for growth of 1.8%. The OBR forecasts GDP growth of 1.3% in 2024 and 2.6% in 2025, compared with previous forecasts of 2.1% and 1.8% respectively. Thursday's forecasts by the OBR showed that target would be met in the 2027/28 financial year.

☆ U.K. hikes taxes and slashes spending in tough budget after Truss chaos
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

British finance minister Jeremy Hunt announced a string of tax increases and tighter public spending in a tough budget plan on Thursday that he said was needed after the blow dealt to the country’s fiscal reputation by former prime minister Liz Truss. “Credibility cannot be taken for granted and yesterday’s inflation figures show we must continue a relentless fight to bring it down, including an important commitment to rebuild the public finances,” he said. Hunt announced changes to tax rules that will mean more people pay basic income tax, a lower threshold for paying the top rate of income tax, and a cut in tax-free allowances for earnings from dividends. He froze until 2028 a threshold at which employers must start to pay social security contributions, meaning companies will have to pay more. The belt-tightening comes against the backdrop of a weak outlook for the economy.

Debris was scattered across Dallas Executive Airport on Saturday after two planes collided in midair at an airshow. Six people were killed when two vintage warplanes collided in midair Saturday afternoon during an airshow over a Dallas airport, a Texas county official said. “According to our Dallas County Medical Examiner, there are a total of 6 fatalities from yesterday’s Wings over Dallas Airshow incident,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins wrote on Twitter Sunday. Authorities are still identifying the victims, he said.

☆ Republicans who questioned the 2020 results are bringing back an old norm: Admitting defeat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

WASHINGTON — The losers of this year’s midterm elections are winning praise for doing something that would be entirely unremarkable in another era — admitting defeat. Of course, dozens of Republican candidates who questioned the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s election won on Tuesday and will end up in Congress, including Ohio’s J.D. This year, Trump helped Cox defeat a well-connected moderate in the GOP primary to run for governor of Maryland. “I will pray for them and their new role for all of us.”Most losing Republican candidates followed scripts more like Cox’s than Trump’s. Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon initially said Tuesday night that she wanted to see more results before admitting defeat.

An analysis of debate schedules by NBC News confirms what many political observers have speculated: The number of debates in competitive 2022 Senate races has hit a new low since 2008. Before 2022, each election saw an average of about 20 debates among the most competitive Senate candidates surveyed. The audience awaits a debate between Ohio Senate candidates, Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat, and J.D. He pointed to the recent Pennsylvania Senate debate in which John Fetterman’s stroke-affected performance was widely panned. For instance, far more people likely saw a picture of Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker holding an honorary sheriffs badge on stage than listened to a single minute of his debate with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.

Numbers don’t lie (Madonna is one of the bestselling pop stars of all time), but they don’t often tell the whole story. Without question, I view Madonna as someone who pushed the boundaries of overtly and unabashedly sexual performances in popular culture. But Black artists often get excised from predominating narratives about U.S. popular culture. But Black artists often get excised from predominating narratives about U.S. popular culture. The risks were much higher for the Black women and the Black and Latinx queer people across genders who chose to be sexually provocative entertainers.

☆ James Corden says drama over restaurant ban is 'silly' because he did nothing wrong
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

James Corden said the drama surrounding his brief ban from the famed New York City restaurant Balthazar is "silly" because he has not done anything wrong. "I haven’t done anything wrong, on any level,” Corden said in an interview with The New York Times to promote his new Amazon Prime Video mini-series "Mammals." It’s certainly beneath your publication," he told The New York Times. One report said Corden showed a hair to an apologetic restaurant manager and demanded "another round of drinks this second." During his interview with The New York Times, Corden pointed out a customer who "curtly" returned the eggs she ordered.

☆ Xi Jinping's Party Congress speech: yes to zero-Covid, no to market reforms?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Priorities presented at the political gathering of more than 2,000 party members will also set China’s trajectory for the next five years or even longer. In his speech Sunday, Xi struck a confident tone, highlighting China’s growing strength and rising influence under his first decade in power. China's President Xi Jinping speaks during the opening session of the 20th Chinese Communist Party's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 16, 2022. And China’s economy is in bad shape. Meantime, a comparison between this year’s speech and the last one delivered by Xi in 2017 at the 19th party congress revealed a potentially worrying trend.

RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina district attorney said Friday that she intends to charge the 15-year-old suspected in a mass shooting that killed five people in Raleigh as an adult. Freeman's announcement came as a neighborhood northeast of Raleigh was left reeling and families of those killed mourned their loss. Officials said the suspect was taken into custody after a “long standoff” with police and was in critical condition. She always knew how to “take charge of everything” in order to help her loved ones, Howard said, his voice heavy with emotion. “This is an incredibly difficult time for our school community as well as the broader Raleigh community,” Richardson wrote in a statement.

☆ Arizona abortion ruling will set women back 'more than a century' - White House
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Fencing including razor wire forms a barrier to the Arizona state Capitol complex after it was installed following protests against the United States Supreme Court after it overturned the landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision, in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Caitlin O’Hara REFILE -WASHINGTON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Friday's ruling allowing Arizona to enforce a ban on nearly all abortions, if allowed to stand, will result in "catastrophic, dangerous, and unacceptable" consequences for women, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Saturday. "Yesterday’s ruling in Arizona is dangerous and will set Arizona women back more than a century – to a time before Arizona was even a state," Jean-Pierre said in a statement. The Arizona ruling by Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson granted a request by the state's Republican attorney general to lift a court injunction that had barred enforcement of Arizona's pre-statehood ban on abortion after the Supreme Court decision. Johnson's ruling bans all abortions in Arizona except when the procedure is necessary to save the mother's life.

☆ Reactions: Putin mobilises more troops for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin makes an address on the conflict with Ukraine, in Moscow, Russia, in this still image taken from video released September 21, 2022. I think even with this Russia stuff it’s hard to see the market really rally a lot more from here ahead of the FOMC. From a geopolitical standpoint, Putin is frustrated that the war isn’t going his way and he’s threatening the west. "If it gets really, really bad, I'd expect the dollar to rise." This announcement by Putin to intensify the escalation in Ukraine definitely doesn’t help.

REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinHONG KONG, Sept 14 (Reuters Breakingviews) - China biotech’s American honeymoon is ending. Key to his initiative is ensuring that “biotechnologies invented in the United States of America are made in the United States of America”. With more bad news set to trickle out of Washington, Chinese biotech companies have a bitter pill to swallow. The order "directs the federal government to ensure biotechnologies invented in the United States of America are made in the United States of America," Biden said. Hong Kong shares of WuXi Biologics, a Chinese contract drug manufacturer, closed down 20% on Sept. 13 to HK$53.40.

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