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☆ Exclusive: Former Coast Guard head covered up secret investigation into sexual assaults at the Coast Guard Academy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Melanie Hicken Blake Ellis Curt Devine Pamela Brown Scott Bronstein | Melanie Hicken | Blake Ellis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Coast Guard Admiral Karl Schultz took over for Admiral Paul Zukunft as Coast Guard commandant at a Change of Command ceremony in June 2018. Jacquelyn Martin/APBy keeping the investigation secret, the Coast Guard avoided further scrutiny of how alleged rapists and other attackers were not held accountable at the academy. Linda Fagan became the first female commandant when she took charge of the Coast Guard in 2022. Fagan is not the only current Coast Guard official who was aware of the secret operation at some level. “There is always a new problem every day.”Do you have information to share about the Coast Guard Academy or Coast Guard?

Persons: Pamela Brown’s, Karl L, Schultz, —, Admiral Paul Zukunft, don’t, ” Zukunft, Admiral Charles W, Ray, Democratic Sens, Maria Cantwell, Tammy Baldwin of, Karl Schultz, Jacquelyn Martin, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, “, ”, Chad Wolf, Ken Cuccinelli, Linda Fagan, Evan Vucci, “ Fagan, Fagan, Paul Zukunft, Jessica Hill, Melissa Bert, ” Bert Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, Academy, DHS, Democratic, Senate, Committee, AP, United States, Loy Institute for Leadership, “, Coast Guard Academy Locations: Washington, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Connecticut

Summary German inflation falls modestly in JulyStronger declines expected starting in SeptemberCore inflation easesBERLIN, July 28 (Reuters) - German inflation fell in July, resuming the decline since the start of the year that was interrupted the previous month due to the base effects in June's data. Although inflation fell in July, economists called the pace of decline sluggish mainly due to the comparison with last year. By comparison, inflation fell to 5.0% in France and it rose to 2.1% in Spain. Italian and euro zone inflation data is due on Monday. Economists polled by Reuters expect euro zone inflation to fall to 5.2% in July from 5.5% in June.

Persons: Ralph Solveen, Thomas Gitzel, Maria Martinez, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Union, Analysts, Reuters, European Central Bank, VP Bank Group, ECB, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, France, Spain, Germany

☆ ‘The heat is relentless’: Scorching temperatures bring misery to daily life in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Vivi Vitalone | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Cristina Quicler | Afp | Getty ImagesSEVILLE, Spain — The day-to-day reality of scorching summer heat in Spain is taking its toll. The mercury in the southern Spanish city of Seville hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on July 20, shortly before national elections failed to produce a clear winner. "During the day I work here where I have air conditioning but the walk home is ... agony," Sánchez told CNBC. Tacho Rufino, economist at the University of Seville, told CNBC that when classes are not in session, he lives in Cádiz in the southwest. Olive oil prices soared further into record-breaking territory this month and analysts have told CNBC that high prices could be here "for some time to come."

Persons: Cristina Quicler, Carlo Núñez, Sevillian, chatted, Maria Sánchez, Sánchez, Tacho Rufino, Rufino, Pedro Sánchez, Alberto Núñez Feijóo Organizations: Afp, Getty, CNBC, del Triunfo, University of Seville, People's Party, United Nations, PP, European Commission, La, Europa Press, Greenpeace, Observatory Locations: Sevilla, Spanish, Andalusia, SEVILLE, Spain, Europe, Greece, Italy, Albania, Seville, del, Cádiz, Cadiz, Puntagorda, La Palma, Canary Islands

☆ Bel Canto Rarities, Delivered With Unflashy, Revelatory Style
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Oussama Zahr | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Opera fandom is often built around a preoccupation — zealous, territorial, absolute — with distinctive voices. Maria Callas, Renée Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Luciano Pavarotti — they’re all immediately identifiable by timbre alone. Teatro Nuovo, the brainchild of the bel canto specialist Will Crutchfield, inverts that value system. It asks: What would happen if all of the singers onstage shared a particular school of singing and even a certain vocal quality? The singers in the two casts largely shared a vocal profile and style — a trim yet colorful sound with a quick, understated vibrato and an emphasis on legato, portamento and unaspirated coloratura.

Persons: Maria Callas, Renée Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Luciano Pavarotti — they’re, Will Crutchfield, Donizetti’s, ”, Federico, Luigi Ricci’s “ Organizations: Teatro Nuovo, Theater, Lincoln Center

More than a year later, she was told her application required a key document that was stuck behind enemy lines in Ukraine. "There's always a trade-off between rapid and sustainable labour market integration," said Thomas Liebig, chief economist for the OECD's international migration department. Researchers from Minor, a migration policy think tank, said the large-scale inflow of refugees from Ukraine is seen as a great opportunity in Germany. While the refugees' fate is partly tied to the unknowable course of the Ukraine war, the EU's temporary protection scheme for Ukraine refugees is at present due to expire in March 2024. This puts employers who want to hire refugees in a difficult situation, as they don't know if Ukrainian refugees will be able to stay.

Persons: Maria, Lukas Barth, Svetlana Chuhil, Chuhil, Lauren, Thomas Liebig, Oksana Krotova, Krotova, Ildiko Pallman, Gizem Uensal, Enzo Weber, Jan Lopatka, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Deloitte, Reuters, OECD, United Nations, Minor, German Institute for Employment Research, Thomson Locations: Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Aschheim, Munich, Germany, BERLIN, WARSAW, Poland, Zgorzelec, Goerlitz, Paris, Europe's, Berlin, Kyiv, Prague

☆ Alzheimer's diagnosis revamp embraces rating scale similar to cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

July 16 (Reuters) - Alzheimer's disease experts are revamping the way doctors diagnose patients with the progressive brain disorder - the most common type of dementia - adopting a seven-point rating scale based on cognitive and biological changes in the patient. "Stage 1a is really the beginning of evidence that someone has the disease," Jack said. The new scale also includes a Stage 0 for people who carry genes that guarantee they will develop Alzheimer's. Noting the new system's similarity to cancer stages, Jack said, "There's no such thing as mild breast cancer. Jack also noted that many other conditions can cause dementia but not all dementia is Alzheimer's disease.

Persons: Clifford Jack, Eli Lilly's, Maria Carrillo, Jack, Julie Steenhuysen, Will Dunham Organizations: Alzheimer's Association, Mayo Clinic, National Institute of Aging, government's National Institutes of Health, Drug Administration, FDA, Down, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Rochester , Minnesota, Chicago

☆ Joe Manchin has the straightest and whitest staff of any Democratic senator, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Joe Manchin appears to have the least diverse staff of any Democratic senator. A Senate diversity survey found that 0% of his staff identify as LGBTQ, and just 12% are non-white. According to an annual survey of diversity among Senate Democratic staffers released this week, just 12% of the conservative West Virginia Democrat's staffers identify as non-white — the lowest of any Senate Democratic office. And in a stark contrast from the rest of the Democratic caucus, 0% of his staffers identify as LGBTQ, according to the survey. When it comes to gender diversity, Manchin also ranks low among the rest of his colleagues: 46% of his staff are women.

Persons: Sen, Joe Manchin, Manchin, — Sens, Maria Cantwell, Chris Coons, Raphael Warnock, Georgia Organizations: Democratic, Service, West Virginia Democrat's, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Democrats, Republicans Locations: Wall, Silicon, West Virginia, West, Maria Cantwell of, Chris Coons of Delaware

☆ German inflation bucks downward trend in June with higher-than-expected rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Maria Martinez | Thomson Reuters | Maria Martinez Is A Reuters Correspondent In Berlin Covering German Economics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

French and euro zone inflation data is due on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters expect euro zone inflation to fall to 5.6% in June from 6.1% in May. "The June figures in Germany only interrupt the downward trend in the inflation rate and do not mark its end," said Ralph Solveen, senior economist at Commerzbank. Non-harmonized consumer prices rose 6.4% in June year-on-year, following a 6.1% rise in the previous month. The year-on-year rebound in German inflation midway through the second quarter is almost exclusively due to base effects from last year's temporarily-reduced rail fare, said Claus Vistesen, chief eurozone economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

Persons: Analysts, Ralph Solveen, year's, Claus Vistesen, Carsten Brzeski, Commerzbank's Solveen, Brzeski, Maria Martinez, Friederike Heine, Miranda Murray, Angus MacSwan, Conor Humphries Organizations: Union, Reuters, Commerzbank, Pantheon, European Central Bank, ING, Economists, ECB, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Spain, Italy, Germany

☆ If China goes into Taiwan, then the U.S. should disrupt Chinese operations in Cuba: Rep. Salazar
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailIf China goes into Taiwan, then the U.S. should disrupt Chinese operations in Cuba: Rep. SalazarRep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Florida), joins 'Last Call' to discuss U.S.-China relations and President Biden referring to Xi Jinping as a 'dictator'.

Persons: Salazar, Maria Elvira Salazar, Biden, Xi Jinping Organizations: U.S Locations: China, Taiwan, U.S, Cuba, Florida

☆ Chess photography: Body language, knowledge of the game and luck
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“That’s always a very difficult question,” Emelianova told CNN Sport when asked how she would describe the art of chess photography. So like people who know very little of chess and of the personalities can kind of get very close to the game and feel like they are right next to this chess game. She went on to become a professional chess player before taking a break from competitive chess. Lennart Ootes“My mother was doing some photography stuff when she was younger in university, but it was analog photography,” Emelianova explained. But I already know enough to even, like – to catch a really, really subtle head shake or sitting like too straight or pretending to be very relaxed,” she said.

Persons: Maria Emelianova, Emelianova, “ That’s, ” Emelianova, “, ” Ian Nepomniatchtchi, Ding Liren, –, Carlsen, Lennart Ootes “, ”, Mobina, gazes, it’s, she’s, Emelianova –, don’t, Jennifer Shahade, Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, British, “, Moscow State University Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Khanty, Mansiysk, Moscow, Uzbekistan, India

We'll also guide you step-by-step on how to use a VPN to watch UFC 289 no matter where you are. How to watch UFC 289 in the USUS viewers can watch the main event of UFC 289 on ESPN+ tonight at 10 p.m. In Canada, UFC 289 will be available as a pay-per-view though several TV providers as well as directly via UFC Fight Pass. Here's the fight card for UFC 289: Nunes vs. AldanaESPNEarly Prelims — 7 p.m. ET on UFC Fight PassDavid Dvorak vs. Stephen Erceg (Flyweight)Diana Belbita vs. Maria Oliveira (Women's strawweight)Prelims — 8 p.m.

Persons: Amanda Nunes, Irene Aldana, We'll, Miesha, Julianna Peña, Nunes, Peña, ExpressVPN, Aldana, David Dvorak, Stephen Erceg, Diana Belbita, Maria Oliveira, Women's, Chris Curtis, Miranda Maverick, Jasmine Jasudavicius, Aiemann, Kyle Nelson, Blake Bilder, Charles Oliveira, Beneil, Mike Malott, Adam Fugitt, Dan, Nate Landwehr, Marc, Andre Barriault, Eryk Anders Organizations: UFC, Rogers Arena, ESPN, BT, Miesha Tate, Amazon, Apple, PlayStation, Samsung, BT Sport, Express, Aldana ESPN Locations: Vancouver, Canada

BERLIN, June 7 (Reuters) - German industrial output rose less than expected in April, darkening the outlook for the euro zone's largest economy following weak new orders data earlier this week. The statistics office revised up the industrial production figure for March to a 2.1% decrease from a provisional figure of a 3.4% fall. Even with this revision, German industrial production is 1.6% below its level a year earlier. Data on Tuesday showed industrial orders fell by 0.4% in the month of April. "Without any significant pick up in activity, the German economy's recession could continue in the second quarter," ING's global head of macro Carsten Brzeski said.

Persons: Andrew Kenningham, Kenningham, April's, Commerzbank's, Ralph Solveen, Solveen, Carsten Brzeski, Anastasiia Kozlova, Maria Martinez, Miranda Murray, Christina Fincher Organizations: Companies, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Europe, China, United States

"Germans are cautious by nature," said Stephan Fetsch, Germany's head of consumer goods at KPMG. Economists polled by Reuters are split on its second quarter fortunes: views ranged from a 0.3% GDP fall to a 0.5% gain, with a median forecast of 0.2% growth. However, German consumer sentiment remains below its pandemic low in the spring of 2020 and the consumer barometer from the German Retail Association (HDE) shows a similar picture. German consumers were hit particularly hard by high energy prices, being more dependent on Russia gas. "The German consumer has reasons to be scared and the result of all the economic uncertainty is usually an increase in precautionary savings," said Michael Burda, economics professor at Humboldt University Berlin.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Germany's, Stephan Fetsch, Holger Schmieding, Carsten Brzeski, KPMG's Fetsch, Joerg Kraemer, Michael Burda, Brzeski, Maria Martinez, Prerana Bhat, Indradip Ghosh, Mark John, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, KPMG, Reuters, German Retail Association, Berenberg, ING, European Central Bank, Humboldt University Berlin, Thomson Locations: Cologne, Germany, BERLIN, Europe, France, Italy, Russia, Berlin, China, Bengaluru

London generated $2 billion in venture capital funding in the first quarter of 2023, compared to Berlin's $800 million, a DEEP Ecosystems analysis of Dealroom data showed. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsTOUGHER TIMESIn 2022, 501 startups were founded in Berlin, a fifth of Germany's total. About a fifth of openings at startups were vacant and more than half were struggling to fill posts, German Startups Association said. In Germany, it has been accompanied by the sharpest contraction in venture capital funding in Europe in the past 12 months, down 42%. The funding crunch is hitting Germany's push to encourage the growth of new renewables businesses, given manufacturing startups are particularly capital intensive.

Persons: Avitosh Sawhney, Christian, headwinds, Katharina Beck, Lindner, Maximilian Tayenthal, Christoph Stresing, Tobias Lechtenfeld, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Maria Martinez, Riham Alkousaa, Matthias Williams, Mark John, Edmund Blair Organizations: Wall, Greens, Reuters, Startup Heatmap, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Manpower, Association, European Central Bank, Tech, Zero Alliance, Free Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Berlin, London, BERLIN, Paris, Germany, Europe

BERLIN, May 31 (Reuters) - Inflation eased in five economically important German states in the month of May, preliminary data showed on Wednesday, suggesting that national price rises are set to slow to their lowest in more than a year. The inflation rate in North-Rhine Westphalia fell to 5.7%, while in Bavaria it slowed to 6.1%, in Brandenburg to 6.3%, in Hesse to 5.9% and in Baden-Wuerttemberg to 6.6%. In April, inflation rates for those five states, out of 16 in Germany, had been between 6.8% and 7.6%. National inflation data will be published at 1200 GMT, with economists surveyed by Reuters forecasting a 6.5% year-on-year rise. Furthermore, the base effects from high energy and food prices in May 2022 will disappear from the year-on-year comparison.

Persons: Luis de Guindos, Maria Martinez, Balazs Koranyi, Matthias Williams, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, ECB, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Rhine Westphalia, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Hesse, Baden, Wuerttemberg, Germany, Dutch

☆ $787 million settlement with Fox News rested on an unwritten agreement to fire Tucker Carlson: Variety
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tucker Carlson's ouster at Fox News was reportedly linked to a secret deal with Dominion Voting Systems. According to Variety, Dominion made Carlson's departure an unwritten condition of its settlement with Fox. Variety cited multiple unnamed sources who were aware of an April 26 conversation Carlson had with an unnamed member of Fox Corporation's board who reportedly told Carlson about the agreement. Instead, Carlson's ouster as the highest-rated cable news host was based on a verbal agreement. "That condition was intended to hurt Fox, and Tucker is just collateral damage," a source told Variety.

BERLIN, May 8 (Reuters) - German industrial production fell more than expected in March, partly due to a weak performance by the automotive sector, spurring again recession fears in Europe's largest economy. Production decreased by 3.4% on the previous month following a slightly revised increase of 2.1% in February, the federal statistical office said on Monday. "After a buoyant performance by industrial production at the beginning of the year, there was an unexpectedly sharp decline in March," the economics ministry said. In the first quarter, production was 2.5% higher than in the last quarter of 2022, according to the statistics office. GDP was unchanged quarter on quarter in adjusted terms in the first quarter, following a 0.5% contraction in the fourth quarter of 2022.

CNN —Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency, the World Health Organization said on Friday. WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee discussed the pandemic on Thursday at its 15th meeting on Covid-19, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus concurred that the public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, declaration should end. “Yesterday, the emergency committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. Each country, in turn, declares its own public health emergency – declarations that carry legal weight. The United States is set to let its Covid-19 public health emergency end on May 11.

"The German economy remained stuck in the mud at the start of 2023, only barely avoiding recession," Pantheon Macroeconomics' chief eurozone economist Claus Vistesen said. The German economy shrank by a revised 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared with the previous three months, reviving fears of a technical recession, defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction. "A gradual recovery is underway, despite a persistently difficult environment," German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in the presentation of the forecasts. "The recent renaissance in industrial production could very well carry the economy through the second quarter," ING's global head of macro Carsten Brzeski said. "However, we are afraid that looking into the second half of the year, the German economy will continue its flirtation with recession."

☆ Bipartisan Senate bill would push ticket sellers to disclose fees upfront
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

You also have the option of purchasing live tickets that can be printed directly from your computer or wireless device. WASHINGTON — Swifties, the BeyHive and Cure fans may have a reason to rejoice: Senators on Wednesday are set to introduce a bipartisan bill targeting hidden ticket fees for live events. Dubbed the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act, the measure would require ticketing merchants to disclose upfront full ticket prices, including fees, for concerts, sporting events and other large gatherings. Ticket fees can comprise 21% to as much as 58% of the total cost of tickets, according to a statement from the committee. The bill aims to promote competition "by delivering ticket fee and speculative ticket transparency for the benefit of all consumers," the committee said.

Lilly has not previously discussed its Medicare coverage optimism publicly. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Such "coverage with evidence development" requirements are rare and historically used by Medicare to evaluate medical devices. Amyvid, Lilly's Alzheimer's imaging agent that can detect amyloid plaques on PET scans, has been subject to CMS' evidence development program for a decade. "It shuts out many patients," said Dr. Maria Carrillo, chief science officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, "especially minorities and rural patients."

SL Naturenergie's predicament is common in the renewables sector where companies, from startups to medium sized and blue-chip firms, are competing for a limited pool of labour with appropriate skills. Currently it faces a shortage of around 216,000 skilled workers needed for the expansion of the solar and wind energy sectors, a study by German organisation KOFA, or the Competence Centre for securing skilled labour, showed. In many jobs in the renewable energy sector, pay is above average, he said, citing a renewable energy wage premium of more than 10% in construction and installation activities, as well as architectural and engineering services. Volker Quaschning, a professor of renewable energy systems at HTW university in Berlin, says a third of places on these courses at HTW are unfilled. Last month Germany also unveiled draft reforms on skills training accreditation and promoting immigration in a bid to plug labour shortages in the economy.

☆ This is what happened when 25 AI avatars were let loose in a virtual town
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Researchers let 25 AI avatars loose in a virtual town. "To be honest, I don't like Sam Moore," the AI Tom said. Jaime Sevilla, an AI researcher not involved in the study, told Insider the models behind the study could be applied to non-player characters in video games. After all, the AI agents in the study were prone to hallucinations — like failing to recall certain events — which he attributes to how the model was trained. While researchers concluded their AI agents displayed emergent human behaviors, Woolridge said "we need to be skeptical" and "question" what AI tells us at face value.

☆ Russian girl who drew anti-war picture leaves orphanage with mother
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova said she had spoken to the girl and to her mother, named Olga. Lvova-Belova posted a picture of the girl and her mother sitting on a bed, looking into each other's eyes. "I am glad about the beginning of the reunion of daughter and mother," Lvova-Belova said. He was accused of discrediting the Russian armed forces in social media posts. While on the run, he was sentenced in absentia to two years in a penal colony for discrediting the armed forces.

☆ Google Flights will pay you the difference if a ticket gets cheaper after you book — here's how to use the new tool
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google Flights launched a "price guarantee" program for some flights departing from the US. If you buy an eligible ticket and the price drops afterward, Google will pay you the difference. Through its new "price guarantee" pilot program launched in April, Google Flights promises to pay travelers the difference if their ticket price drops anytime after booking. If your ticket price drops anytime between booking and take-0ff, you'll receive a notification after your first flight. Within 48 hours, the difference should be deposited in your Google Pay account — just make sure to use the same email for Google Pay and Google Flights and download the Google Pay app.

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