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☆ Burger King wants staff to give off a 'positive aura' by offering cardboard crowns and saying 'you rule' to every customer
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Burger King wants to exude a "positive aura" by having staff say "you rule" to every customer. Deborah Derby told Bloomberg that the exchange "forces that extra few seconds of engagement." The phrase was a tagline introduced by Burger King in 2022. AdvertisementThe announced changes come amid a renewed focus by Burger King on customer satisfaction. January 12, 9:00 p.m. — This story has been updated with comments from Carrols Restaurant Group Inc. and Burger King.

Persons: Burger King, Deborah Derby, —, Derby, Patrick Doyle, Burger, aren't, Doyle, Peter Perdue, Perdue Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Inc, Derby, Carrols, Restaurant Brands, Burger King North, Burger King Locations: Burger King North America

☆ Australia Government Seeks Opposition Support on Immigration Detention Legislation
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The verdict overturned an court ruling from about 20 years ago that said indefinite immigration detention was lawful as long as the government intended to remove the person from Australia eventually. The federal government is scrambling to pass the law as the opposition coalition and government lawmakers continued to clash over the ramifications of the high court ruling. The proposed law will allow the government to refer non-citizens freed from immigration detention to judges to decide whether they pose a risk to the community. Three of the about 150 people who were freed since the court ruling have been charged with fresh offences, media have reported. Dreyfus said the government would reject amendments to the bill because they risk exposing it to further challenges in the high court.

Persons: Mark Dreyfus, Dreyfus, Renju Jose, Lewis Jackson, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SYDNEY, Australian, Wednesday, Attorney Locations: Australia's, Australia, Sydney

HONG KONG, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow, who fled to Canada while free on bail, says she won't return home amid a crackdown that curbed her freedoms, defying a warning from Hong Kong's leader that she would be pursued for life. "In consideration of the political situation in Hong Kong and my personal health, my mental health, my physical health, and the high political risk of not being allowed to leave Hong Kong again, I've decided not to go back." The security law has drawn criticism from Western governments as a tool of repression, but China says it has restored stability after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019. "The national security police are not doing their job according to the legal system in Hong Kong," she told Reuters. Hong Kong leader John Lee on Tuesday described Chow as a "liar" and "devoid of integrity".

Persons: Agnes Chow, Hong, Chow, I've, Tyrone Siu, John Lee, Lee, Nathan Law, Anna Kwok, wasn't, James Pomfret, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Hong Kong, HK, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, Canada, Toronto, China, Shenzhen, Japan, Hong

☆ McDonald's raises China bet, bucking Western firms' derisking trend
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Casey Hall | Thomson Reuters | Casey Has Reported On China'S Consumer Culture Her Base In Shanghai For More Than A Decade | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A woman sits on a swing attached to a giant sign of McDonald's, outside its themed exhibition in Beijing, China December 4, 2023. One advantage for McDonald’s: its majority partner in the China business, CITIC, provides top-level political cover, said Jason Yu, greater China managing director of market research firm Kantar Worldpanel. McDonald's China, Carlyle Group and CITIC declined to comment. Other consumer-facing U.S. firms, including Starbucks (SBUX.O), Apple (AAPL.O), Coach owner Tapestry (TPR.N) and sportswear giant Nike (NKE.N), have remained similarly dedicated to the China market. Although the McDonald's China menu would be familiar to U.S. consumers, there are nods to local tastes, including taro pie, rather than apple.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, McDonald's, Jason Yu, Kantar, Yu, Carlyle, Wallace, Greg, Euromonitor, Ben Cavender, Casey, Kane Wu, Deborah Sophia, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Group, Carlyle Group, Starbucks, Apple, Nike, Research, Investment, China Market Research, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, U.S, Hong Kong, Macau, Yum China, Russia, Shanghai, Bengaluru

The political branch of the powerful Koch network is facing scrutiny as operatives chafe against a decision to endorse Nikki Haley for president that many see as out of step with their values. A day later, Maidment was "terminated" from the organization, he said, and he told NBC News that he is not the only one within the Koch-backed group who is disappointed in the Haley endorsement. As the group started to see public criticism from those with ties to AFP, Seidel sent some AFP leaders an email about the overall response. "Some of you may have seen some recent public posts from some colleagues who disagree with AFP Action's endorsement," Seidel wrote in the email. If Trump feels Koch moved the needle for Haley, he'll have more interest in working with them.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Koch, —, Chris Maidment, Haley, Maidment, Mark Lucas, Donald Trump, Trump, Lucas, Ron DeSantis, Emily Seidel, Seidel, Mark Holden, Marc Short, Mike Pence, he'll, I'm, Jamie Dimon Organizations: U.S, United, Prosperity's, PAC, GOP, Prosperity, NBC News, Koch, AFP, Trump, White, NBC Locations: Hooksett , New Hampshire, U.S, New Hampshire, Iowa, Cedar Rapids, Florida, AFP

☆ South Korea flies solid-fuel rocket amid space race with North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A solid-fuel space rocket is launched during a test flight over the sea near Jeju Island, South Korea, December 4, 2023. The Defense Ministry/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - South Korea on Monday successfully conducted a flight of a solid-fuel rocket carrying a satellite over the sea near Jeju Island, the defence ministry said, amid a growing space race with neighbouring North Korea. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried South Korea's first spy satellite into orbit on Friday from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. North Korea on Monday denounced what it called Washington's "double standard" over the two Koreas' satellite launches and said such "brigandish" American standards would never be tolerated. A functioning reconnaissance satellite could allow North Korea to remotely monitor U.S., South Korean, and Japanese troops.

Persons: California's, Kim Jong, Hyunsu Yim, hyang Choi, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: The Defense Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Agency for Defense Development, Korea's Hanwha, Hanwha Systems, SpaceX, California's Vandenberg Space Force, White House, Pentagon, U.S, Thomson Locations: Jeju, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, Pyongyang, United States, Korea, Norfolk , Virginia, South

The world also said goodbye to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died Nov. 29. Political Cartoons View All 1277 ImagesAnother political figure who died this year was former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19. Among the entertainers who left the world this year was singer Tina Turner, who died May 24. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2023 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Fred White, 67. A Hall of Fame forward who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup Final.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, Henry Kissinger, Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, Silvio Berlusconi, Dianne Feinstein, James Buckley, James Abourezk, Nigel Lawson, Pervez Musharraf, Sandra Day O’Connor, Li Keqiang, Martti Ahtisaari, United Nations Bill Richardson, Gov, Sheila Oliver, Theodoros Pangalos, Tina Turner, Ike Turner, Suzanne Somers, Matthew Perry, Raquel Welch, Richard Belzer, Chaim Topol, Jacklyn Zeman, Lance Reddick, Alan Arkin, Paul Reubens, David McCallum, Richard Roundtree, Tom Sizemore, Jimmy Buffett, Sinéad O’Connor, Rita Lee Jones, Burt Bacharach, David Crosby, Fito Olivares, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Astrud Gilberto, Coco Lee, Tony Bennett, Harry Belafonte, Cormac McCarthy, William Friedkin, Bob Barker, Jerry Springer, Louise Glück, Jeff Beck, Mary Quant, Kaija Saariaho, Lloyd Morrisett, Fred White, Maurice, Verdine White, Ken Block, Walter Cunningham, Fay Weldon, ” Jan, Russell Pearce, Charles Simic, Lynette “ Diamond ” Hardaway, Donald Trump, Diamond, Constantine, Jan, Tatjana Patitz, George Michael’s, Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley, Robbie Knievel, Evel Knievel, Ray Cordeiro, Elmo, Cookie, Gina Lollobrigida, Chris Ford, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Cindy Williams, Shirley, “ Laverne, Billy Packer, Sylvia Syms, Alex ”, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield, “ Papa, Rollin ’ Stone, Tom Verlaine, Patti Smith, Bobby Hull, Paco Rabanne, Harry Whittington, Dick Cheney, Hsing Yun, ”, San Jose ”, Carlos Saura, Spain’s, Hugh Hudson, Oscar, “ Greystroke, Hans Modrow, David Jude Jolicoeur, Huey “, ” Smith, Little Richard, Lloyd Price, “, Leiji Matsumoto, Yamato ”, Tim McCarver, Stella Stevens, Jerry Lewis’s, John Munch, Ahmed Qureia, Betty Boothroyd, Ricou Browning, Gill, Gérard Latortue, Fontaine, Barbara Everitt Bryant, Ryan ”, Kenzaburo Oe, Judy Heumann, Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Georgina Beyer, Traute Lafrenz, Rose, Peterson Zah, Tevye, Robert Blake, Jiang Yanyong, Bud Grant, Dick Fosbury, Pat Schroeder, Gloria Bosman, Jacqueline Gold, Britain’s Ann Summers, John Wick ”, John Jenrette, Juana La, Willis Reed, Darcelle, Paul O’Grady, Lily Savage, Emperor ”, Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter, Margaret Thatcher, Ben Ferencz, Nuremberg, Elisabeth Kopp, Michael Lerner, Jack Lipnick, “ Barton Fink, Bugsy Calhoun, Anne Perry, Thomas Pitt, William Monk, Al Jaffee, magazine’s, Charles Stanley, Richard Riordan, Todd Haimes, Tony Awards, Barry Humphries, Tony, Dame Edna Everage, Len Goodman, Carolyn Bryant Donham, Emmett Till, LeRoy “ Lee ” Carhart, Larry “, ___ Gordon Lightfoot, Tori Bowie, Vida, Grace Bumbry, Rock ”, Ovelha, Denny Crum, Heather Armstrong, Bobbie Spencer, Rolf Harris, Kenneth Anger, Doyle Brunson, Jim Brown, Timothy Keller, Andy Rourke, Ray Stevenson, Thor ”, Ed Ames, George Maharis, Carroll Cooley, Miranda, John Beasley, Kaija, George Winston, Ipanema ”, Robert Hanssen, Richard Snyder, Simon & Schuster, Françoise Gilot, Pablo Picasso —, Pat Robertson, Theodore “ Ted ” Kaczynski, Roger Payne, Treat Williams, Glenda Jackson, Daniel Ellsberg, Richard Nixon, Big, George Frazier, Lee Sarokin, Rubin “, ” Carter, Winnie Ewing, Sheldon Harnick, Jerry Bock, “ Fiorello, John Goodenough, Peg Yorkin, Sue Johanson, Yan Mingfu, John Berylson, James Lewis, poisonings, Mikala Jones, André Watts, Jane Birkin, Kevin Mitnick, San Francisco ”, Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga, Hugh “ Sonny ” Carter Jr, Jimmy, Randy Meisner, Herman, Angus Cloud, Fezco, ” O’Neill, ___, Mark Margolis, Hector Salamanca, Saul, Sixto Rodriguez, flamed, Robbie Robertson, Tom Jones, Magoo, Timbaland, Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Clarence Avant, Quincy Jones, Bill Withers, Ada Deer, Jerry Moss, Herb Alpert, Alpert, Michael Parkinson, Muhammad Ali, Miss Piggy, Jiri Cerny, Betty Tyson, Richard Nixon’s, John Warnock, Ron Cephas Jones, Howard Hubbard, Samuel “ Joe ” Wurzelbacher, Joe, Barack Obama, Gil Brandt, Tom Landry, Tex Schramm, Bill Richardson, Steve Harwell, Shabtai Shavit, Jordan, Ian Wilmut, Dolly, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Roy Kidd, Eno Ichikawa, Michael McGrath, Fernando Botero, Giorgio Napolitano, Matteo Messina Denaro, Michael Gambon, Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter ”, Mankombu Sambasivan, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Hosni Mubarak, Tim Wakefield, Dick Butkus, Michael Chiarello, Michael Chiarello ”, Masters, Burt Young, Paulie, Sylvester Stallone, Hughes Van Ellis, Kevin Phillips, Louise Meriwether, Mark Goddard, Major Don West, Rudolph Isley, Isley, unblinking, Piper Laurie, Chrissy Snow, Bobby Charlton, Bishan Bedi, Richard Moll, Xi Jinping, Wu Zunyou, Chandler Bing, Ken Mattingly, Bob Knight, Frank Borman, Steve Norton, Don Walsh, Mariana Trench, Terry R, Taylor, Daisaku Ikeda, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Ussery, George “ Funky ” Brown, Joanna ”, Marty Krofft, Pufnstuf, Donny, Marie ”, Terry Venables, Tim Dorsey, Serge A, Frances Sternhagen, ” “, Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Gerald Ford, Shane MacGowan, Bernard McGhee Organizations: Wagner Group, Russian, White House, U.S, Supreme, United Nations, Greek Foreign, Republican, Hong, Boston Celtics, NBA, NBC, CBS, Television, Fame, Chicago Blackhawks, ”, New, of Fame, Louis Cardinals, “, Palestinian, Israel, South Dakota Democrat, Arab, Arab American U.S, Britain’s, Commons, . Census Bureau, Alabama ”, Zealand, Navajo, Minnesota Vikings, People, Playboy, Capitol, Juana La Cubana, New York Knicks, Guinness, World Records, Hollywood, Treasury, Southern Baptist Convention, Los Angeles, Roundabout Theatre Company, Air Force, Harlem Globetrotters, Janeiro Games, baseball’s, Germany’s Bayreuth, NCAA, Hall of Famer, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Legion, Ames, Phoenix, FBI, Simon &, Christian Broadcasting Network, Republican Party, Christian Coalition, Harvard, Feminist Majority Foundation, “ Little, Communist Party, Millwall, New York Philharmonic, San, Brigade, Wing, Eagles, HBO, of Indian Affairs, M, Police, Carpenters, Adobe Systems, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dallas Cowboys, escapist, Democratic, Zulu, Eastern, AA, Broadway, Communist, U.S . Senate, Red Sox, Yankees, Boston, Chicago Bears, Major, Isley Brothers, New York Times, Manchester United, India, Indiana, Nevada — Resorts, Atlantic City —, Navy, Associated Press, Soka Gakkai, Kentucky Derby, Kool, The, European, Barcelona, Tottenham, City Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russian, U.S, Finnish, New Mexico, New Jersey, British, Greece, American, Hong Kong, Italian, America, New York, Spanish, catwalks, Texas, Taiwan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, San, New Orleans, Rosebud, Arab American, Haiti, “, African, Brooklyn, London, Los, Mississippi, United States, Rivers, Georgia, Savannah, Louisville, New York City, Irish, HBO’s “ Rome, Brazilian, Ipanema, Moscow, Virginia, Montana, Vietnam, Canada, Asia, Chicago, Hawaii, France, South Africa, Wisconsin, Los Angeles, Czech, Eastern Kentucky, Colombian, ”, California, Tulsa, Finland, China, Nevada, Atlantic City, Florida, Berkshire

☆ China's BYD says will keep reward system for smear campaign tipsters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Dec 4 (Reuters) - China's electric vehicle giant BYD (002594.SZ) said on Sunday it would make permanent its system offering tipsters who report smear campaigns against the company up to 5 million yuan ($700,918). The company in June 2022 increased the maximum amount providers of such information could receive from 1 million yuan to 5 million yuan, saying that policy was valid for a year. "Such information should be legally effective and BYD will give the provider a generous reward once it verifies it to be true." In September, the company hit back against online discussions that said BYD had leaked commercial secrets, saying those posts were pure rumours. Warren Buffett-backed BYD is China's largest seller of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and Tesla's (TSLA.O) closest rival in the global electric vehicle sales race.

Persons: Issei Kato, BYD, Warren Buffett, Brenda Goh, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Weibo

[1/5] Honoree Dionne Warwick and her family attend the 46th Kennedy Center Honors gala at the Kennedy Center in Washington, U.S., December 3, 2023. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Washington celebrated singer Dionne Warwick, comedian Billy Crystal, Bee Gees member Barry Gibb, rapper and actress Queen Latifah, and opera star Renée Fleming on Sunday at the Kennedy Center Honors, the top U.S. honor for achievements in the arts. "There simply is no song that Dionne Warwick cannot sing," said record producer Clive Davis, adding that she had "inspired musicians all over the world." Crystal, 75, known for roles in films such as "When Harry Met Sally," "City Slickers," and "Analyze This," was next up. Opera singer J'Nai Bridges said ahead of the show that Fleming had helped make opera more mainstream.

Persons: Dionne Warwick, Julia Nikhinson, Billy Crystal, Bee, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah, Renée Fleming, Joe Biden, Gladys Knight, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Clive Davis, Singer Cynthia Erivo, Alfie, Harry Met Sally, Meg Ryan, Robert De Niro, De Niro, Biden, Tony, Whoopi Goldberg, Crystal, Oscar, Kerry Washington, Tituss Burgess, Christine Baranski, Susan Graham, Fleming, Sigourney Weaver, Fleming's, J'Nai Bridges, Gibb, Robin, Maurice, Michael Bublé, Ben Platt, Jeff Mason, Jasper Ward, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Kennedy Center, REUTERS, Rights, Washington, Kennedy, White, Broadway, Bee, Big Town, U.S, CBS, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Warwick

Cyclone Michaung was expected to make landfall on the coast of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday morning, the country's weather office said, with sustained winds of 90-100 kph (56-62 mph), gusting to 110 kph. Two people were killed when a wall collapsed because of heavy rain in the Chengalpattu district of neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, joint director of the state disaster management department, C. Muthukumaran, told Reuters. [1/3]People move in a boat past partially submerged vehicles in a residential area following heavy rains ahead of Cyclone Michaung in Chennai, India, December 4, 2023. Parts of Andhra Pradesh were likely to get more than 200 millimetres (8 inches) of rain over the next 24 hours, India's weather office said. At least 800 people have been evacuated so far from Bapatla, the coastal town in Andhra Pradesh where the cyclone is expected to make landfall on Tuesday, P Ranjit Basha, district collector of Bapatla, said.

Persons: Cyclone Michaung, Muthukumaran, Ranjit Basha, Praveen, Jatindra, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Gerry Doyle, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Cyclone, Reuters, REUTERS, Authorities, ., Thomson Locations: CHENNAI, Andhra Pradesh, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, India, Bapatla, Sadam, Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar

U.S. officials, after learning about the plot in late July, demanded that India investigate, a senior administration official said. High-level meetings and pledges of closer cooperation have continued, with Biden's secretaries of state and defense visiting Delhi this month. A senior U.S. administration official called the assassination plot a "serious matter" and said Washington expects India to stop such activities, even as the Biden administration pursues "an ambitious agenda to expand our cooperation" with India. Biden has made a priority of nurturing ties with India, hoping to counter China’s ambitions in Asia while drawing India away from Russia as the U.S. seeks to isolate Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. "Both the U.S. and India realize that they need each other, perhaps the U.S. a bit more than India."

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Nikhil Gupta, Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Biden, Modi, Lisa Curtis, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada’s, Happymon Jacob, Richard Rossow, Ashley Tellis, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Krishn Kaushik, Jonathan Landay, Trevor Hunnicutt, Don Durfee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Eisenhower, White, REUTERS, Rights, Federal, New, New York City, Indian, White House, CIA, Washington, South, National Security Council, Canada, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Biden Administration, Carnegie Endowment, International, U.S, Thomson Locations: United States, India, Washington , U.S, U.S, China, Manhattan, New York, New Delhi, Delhi, The U.S, Central Asia, Asia, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, York, Canada, Vancouver suburb, Gujarat

Japan, a key U.S. ally, had sought the suspension of all non-emergency V-22 Osprey flights over its territory after one fell into the sea on Wednesday in western Japan. Japan's Coast Guard has said one person was found and confirmed dead, and the search for the remaining seven aboard continues. The Pentagon said on Thursday that it was still flying Ospreys for now, and that it was not aware of any official request for their grounding. "We are concerned that despite our repeated requests, and in the absence of sufficient explanation (from the U.S. military), the Osprey continues to fly," he told a news conference. The Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF), which also operates Ospreys, has said it would suspend flights of the transport aircraft.

Persons: Hirokazu Matsuno, Yoko Kamikawa, Rahm Emanuel, Robert Dujarric, Dujarric, Mariko Katsumura, John Geddie, Chang, Ran Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Japan's Coast Guard, Pentagon, Ospreys, U.S ., Japan Self - Defense Forces, U.S, Pacifist Japan, U.S . Marine Corps, Tokyo's Temple University, Thomson Locations: Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, U.S, Tokyo

☆ Hungary's Orban says EU should first sign strategic partnership accord with Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The European Union should first sign a strategic partnership agreement with Ukraine instead of starting membership talks with the country, Hungary's Viktor Orban said on Friday, flagging a way to a possible compromise ahead of a crucial EU summit. Orban reiterated on Friday that several issues would need to be cleared before membership talks could start with Ukraine, saying the country, making it impossible to assess what consequences Ukraine's membership would have on the bloc. So I will represent the view that the EU should first sign a strategic partnership agreement with Ukraine," Orban said in an interview on state radio. "Let's give time for us to work together, and when we see that we can work together, then let's bring up the issue of membership." The Hungarian premier urged a ceasefire in Ukraine, and said if the EU wanted to give more money to Ukraine then it should set up a separate financial fund outside the EU budget based on an intergovernmental agreement.

Persons: Hungary's Viktor Orban, Orban, " Orban, let's, Krisztina, Sharon Singleton, Gerry Doyle Organizations: European Union, EU, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Ukraine, Hungary, Hungarian, Brussels, Budapest, EU

Ms. Dettore and Mr. Grozier were each fined several hundred dollars, and she has since left Rankin County. After Mr. McAlpin arrested Mr. Loveday and accused him of consorting with drug dealers, he ordered him to leave town. Before he left Mississippi, Mr. Loveday said, he called Sheriff Bailey personally to warn him about his deputies’ behavior. He called Mr. Loveday a dirty cop and accused him of secretly recording the call. Then, Mr. Loveday said, “He hung up on me.”Jerry Mitchell , Ilyssa Daly , Eric Sagara and Irene Casado Sanchez contributed reporting.

Persons: Robert Grozier, Christian Dedmon, Dettore, Grozier, Hobson, Loveday, McAlpin, ”, Sheriff Bailey, Bailey, “, ” Jerry Mitchell, Ilyssa Daly, Eric Sagara, Irene Casado Sanchez, Kitty Bennett Organizations: Big Local, Stanford University, Pulitzer Center Locations: Rankin County, Mississippi

China has decommissioned 70.45 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired plants in the last decade, and is building far more renewable energy capacity than any other country. Coal power makes up about 70% of emissions in China, which has committed to being carbon neutral by 2060. After 2025, it is unclear whether China will approve new coal plants. But like many cities in China's coal country, coal revenues and jobs are an incentive to keep building. Several workers in Yulin expressed little doubt about whether new coal plants make economic and environmental sense.

Persons: Li, Gao Yuhe, Xu Mingjun, China's, Xie Zhenhua, Yuheng, Duan, Colleen Howe, Ella Cao, David Stanway, Tony Munroe, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters, Greenpeace, Shenhua Energy, Global Energy Monitor, Development and Research Center, Shaanxi Yulin Energy, Shaanxi Daily, Thomson Locations: YULIN, China, Yulin, Yangquan, Shanxi, Dubai, Ukraine, Canada, Shaanxi, China's, Beijing, Singapore

☆ Japan asks US military to ground Osprey aircraft after fatal crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | Thomson Reuters | Kantaro Writes About Everything Japan'S Economic Indicators To North Korea'S Missiles To Global Regulation On Ai Companies. His Previous Stories Have Been Published In The Associated Press | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Japan Coast Guard vessel and a helicopter conduct a search and rescue operation at the site where a U.S. military aircraft V-22 Osprey crashed into the sea off Yakushima Island, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan November 30, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. The Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF), which also operates Ospreys, will suspend flights of the transport aircraft until the circumstances of the incident are clarified, another senior defence ministry official said in parliament. A spokesperson for U.S. military forces in Japan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The deployment of the aircraft in Japan has been controversial, with critics of the U.S. military presence in the southwest islands saying it is prone to accidents. The last fatal U.S. military aircraft crash in Japan was 2018, when a mid-air collision during a training exercise killed six people, according to the defence ministry.

Persons: Minoru Kihara, Witnesses, Chang, Ran Kim, Kantaro Komiya, Tim Kelly, John Geddie, Kim Coghill, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Japan Coast Guard, Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S . Air Force, U.S, Ospreys, Japan Self - Defense Forces, Boeing, Bell Helicopter, Marines, Navy, U.S . Marine Corps, Osprey, Thomson Locations: Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, U.S, Australia, Okinawa

☆ US, partners target North Korea with sanctions following satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The list includes senior officials from the National Aerospace Technology Administration, which oversaw the satellite launch, and the munitions industry department. Since the launch of the satellite, North Korea said that its leader, Kim Jong Un, has reviewed spy satellite photos of the White House, Pentagon and U.S. aircraft carriers at the naval base of Norfolk. Kimsuky's hacking operation has been historically focused on South Korea, Japan and the United States. The RGB is a North Korean intelligence agency that is involved in cyber warfare activities, according to analysts, and is under U.S. sanctions. Two Russia-based representatives of North Korean banks and one China-based representative were also hit with sanctions, among others.

Persons: Kim Jong, Brian Nelson, Nelson, Kimsuky, Daphne Psaledakis, David Brunnstrom, Christopher Bing, Hyonhee Shin, Sandra Maler, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, U.S . Treasury Department, North, Terrorism, Financial Intelligence, Democratic People's, National Aerospace Technology Administration, United Nations, White House, Pentagon, U.S, North Korea sparred, Security Council, Treasury, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Agency, Security, U.S . National Security Agency, Korea's, Bureau, UN, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, SEOUL, United States, Korea, U.S, Australia, Japan, North Korea, Korean, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, South, New York, Norfolk, South Korea, Guam, Italy, Washington, Europe, Russia, North Korean, Iran, China, North, Seoul

☆ Malaysia Brings Home 121 Suspected Victims of Job Scams Trapped in Myanmar Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A total of 121 people, mostly Malaysians suspected of being victims of job scams, were evacuated from Myanmar on Friday after being stranded by fighting between the military and rebel groups in the country's north, Malaysia's foreign ministry said. The mission came amid continuous fighting in northern Myanmar after an alliance of armed ethnic groups launched an offensive in late October. The groups have seized control of several towns and military outposts near the country's border with China, disrupting trade. Malaysia's deputy foreign minister Mohamad Alamin said the rescued group were among 128 people stranded in Laukkaing, a town in Myanmar's northern Shan state, state news agency Bernama reported on Friday. Hundreds of Malaysians have been rescued from cybercrime and job scam networks across Southeast Asia in recent years.

Persons: Mohamad Alamin, Bernama, Malaysia's, Mohamad, Rozanna Latiff, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters Locations: KUALA LUMPUR, Myanmar, Indonesian, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming, China, Laukkaing, Shan, Southeast Asia

☆ North Korea's Kim calls for military readiness against any 'provocation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits Korean People's Army Air Force headquarters on the occasion of Aviation Day in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on December 1, 2023. On Thursday, the United States targeted North Korea with fresh sanctions over the satellite launch, designating foreign-based agents it accused of facilitating sanctions evasion. Local media reported that North Korean soldiers at the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the DMZ had started carrying firearms again after the North withdrew from the inter-Korean military deal. The DMZ tours had restarted last week; they had been halted after a U.S. soldier's unauthorised crossing into North Korea while on a tour in July. Private Travis King was later handed back by the North and returned to the United States, where he faces charges.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong, Kim, KCNA, Travis King, Soo, hyang Choi, Richard Chang, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Korean People's Army Air Force, Aviation, North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, United Nations, United, Local, Joint Security Area, Korean, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Rights SEOUL, Pyongyang, Seoul, United States, Korea, South Korea, U.S

REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - A cyber extortion gang suspected of being an offshoot of the notorious Russian Conti group of hackers has raked in more than $100 million since it emerged last year, researchers said in a report published on Wednesday. An attempt to reach Black Basta via its darkweb site was not immediately successful. Elliptic cofounder Tom Robinson said the massive haul made Black Basta "one of the most profitable ransomware strains of all time." "Conti was perhaps the most successful ransomware gang we've seen," Robinson said. The latest findings suggest "some of the individuals responsible are replicating its success with the Black Basta ransomware."

Persons: Kacper, Russian Conti, Tom Robinson, Robinson, Conti, Black Basta, we've, Basta, Raphael Satter, James Pearson, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Insurance, U.S . Treasury, Thomson Locations: Russian, bitcoin, Black, Russia, Ukraine, London

☆ Japan space agency hit with cyberattack, rocket and satellite info not accessed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A logo of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is seen in front of a gate at the JAXA Chofu Aerospace Center Aerodrome Branch in Tokyo January 22, 2013. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Japan's space agency was hit with a cyberattack but the information the hackers accessed did not include anything important for rocket and satellite operations, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. "There was a possibility of unauthorised access by exploiting the vulnerability of network equipment," the spokesperson at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said, declining to elaborate on details such as when the attack took place. The space agency learned of the possibility of the unauthorised access after receiving information from an external organisation and conducting an internal investigation, the spokesperson said, declining to identify the organisation's name. Japanese media reported Wednesday that the cyberattack occurred during the summer and the police became aware of the attack and notified JAXA this autumn.

Persons: Issei Kato, Satoshi Sugiyama, Tom Hogue, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, JAXA Chofu, Branch, REUTERS, Rights, Yomiuri, Thomson Locations: Tokyo

☆ North Korean special economic zone poised for revival in new Russia trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

China accounted for 97% of North Korea's overall trade in 2022, according to South Korea's Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). But Russia resumed oil exports to North Korea in December 2022 and had exported 67,300 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea by April, United Nations data shows, the first such shipments reported since 2020. "Assuming North Korea and Russia's honeymoon period becomes a long one, North Korea could get Russian support on food, energy and infrastructure through Rason," Cho said. Those ships are suspected of military supplies from North Korea to Russia, the reports said. From Rason's port, North Korea has sent Russia an estimated 2,000 containers suspected of carrying artillery shells, and possibly short-range missiles, South Korean military officials have told reporters.

Persons: Rason, Jeong Eunlee, Jeong, Lee Chan, Cho Sung, Cho, Alexander Kozlov, Chung Songhak, Chung, Kim Jong Un, Kozlov, Kim Il Sung, Abraham Choi, Choi, Rason . Lee, Lee, Josh Smith, Gleb Stolyarov, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, South, Korea Institute for National Unification, Russian Federal Customs Service, South Korea's Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency, United, Teikyo University, North Korean, Korean, Kremlin, Korea Institute for Security, South Korea's National Institute for Unification Education, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Korean, Russia, Ukraine, China, North Korea, Rason, Korea, South Korea’s, Russian, South Korea's Korea, United Nations, Tokyo, South Korean, Pyongyang, Rason's, Soviet, North, South

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - Cigna (CI.N) and Humana (HUM.N), two of the biggest U.S. health insurers, are in talks for what could be the largest merger announced in 2023, according to a source familiar with the matter. A Humana and Cigna combination would give the merged company the scale to rival UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) and CVS Health (CVS.N). In July 2016, the Justice Department filed lawsuits against two health insurance mergers on the same day, saying they would lead to less competition and higher prices for Americans. Health insurers have been facing higher medical costs as people return for procedures they had put off during the pandemic. Humana in February said that it would sell its commercial business but keep its Medicare Advantage products.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Cigna, Cigna's, Aetna, Bill Baer, Andre Barlow of Doyle, Barlow, Mazard, Bernstein, Lance Wilkes, Craig Garthwaite, Manas Mishra, Diane Bartz, Deena Beasley, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Humana Inc, REUTERS, Street Journal, UnitedHealth, CVS Health, Humana’s, Medicare, Affordable, Justice Department, Humana, U.S ., Reuters, Northwestern University, Thomson Locations: Queens , New York City, U.S, Cigna, Bengaluru, Washington, Los Angeles

TOKYO, Nov 29 (Reuters) - A U.S. military V-22 Osprey aircraft crashed near an island in western Japan on Wednesday with eight people onboard, Japan's coast guard said. The aircraft disappeared from radar at 2:40 p.m. local time, Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said. Another crash-landed in the ocean off Japan's southern island of Okinawa in December 2016, prompting a temporary U.S. military grounding of the aircraft. The deployment of the Osprey in Japan has been controversial, with critics saying the hybrid aircraft is prone to accidents. The U.S. military and Japan say it is safe.

Persons: Hirokazu Matsuno, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Tim Kelly, Satoshi Sugiyama, John Geddie, David Dolan, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Osprey, U.S, Marines, U.S . Marines, U.S . Navy, Japan Self Defense Forces, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, U.S, Japan, Australia, Okinawa

The U.S. military said the mishap occurred during a routine training mission off the shores of Yakushima Island, about 1,040 km (650 miles) southwest of the capital Tokyo. Another Osprey thought to have been travelling with the crashed aircraft landed safely at the island's airport on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the local government said. Japan, which also operates Osprey aircraft, said on Wednesday it had asked the U.S. military to investigate the crash. The deployment of the hybrid aircraft in Japan has been controversial, with critics saying it is prone to accidents. In August, a U.S. Osprey crashed off the coast of northern Australia while transporting troops during a routine military exercise, killing three U.S. Marines.

Persons: Kiyoshi Takenaka, Tim Kelly, Kantaro, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, John Geddie, David Dolan, Gerry Doyle, Nick Macfie, Deepa Babington Organizations: Japan Coast Guard, Yakushima Fisheries Cooperative, . Air Force Special, Command, United, ., Boeing, Bell Helicopter, U.S . Air Force, Marines, Navy, Japan Self - Defense Forces, Osprey, U.S, Thomson Locations: Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, TOKYO, U.S, Yakushima, Tokyo, Japan's, United States, Taiwan, Okinawa, Australia

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