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☆ 'Unthinkable' that Russia does not pay for Ukraine's reconstruction, EU chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has dubbed it 'unthinkable' that Russia not pay for Ukraine's reconstruction. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday it would be "unthinkable" for Russia not to pay for Ukraine's reconstruction. The EU chief told CNBC that she was "disappointed" by a decision that Swiss authorities took last week against using seized Russian assets to assist with Ukraine's post-war reconstruction. "It's unthinkable that, in the very end, the international community will reconstruct Ukraine, and Russia does not contribute. Von der Leyen described the ruling as putting business interests ahead of political justice.

☆ The week that tech became exciting again
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN Business —Let’s be honest: For much of the past decade, tech events have been pretty boring. In each case, the changes were powered by new AI technology that allows for more conversational and complex responses. And there are already rumors of another event next month for Microsoft to demo similar features in its Office products, including Word, PowerPoint and Outlook. Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Baidu also said this week that they would be launching their own ChatGPT-style services. Microsoft employee Alex Buscher demonstrates a search feature integration of Microsoft Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond.

☆ Swiss gov't rejects request from Spain to allow it to re-export anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ZURICH, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Switzerland has rejected a request from Spain to allow it to re-export Swiss-made anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine, the Bern government said on Friday. Madrid had made the request in January to allow two 35mm anti-aircraft guns, which were made in Switzerland, be sent to Ukraine. Switzerland has previously vetoed requests from Denmark and Germany who wanted to send Swiss-made armoured vehicles and ammunition to help Ukraine in its war against Russia. Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: Swiss neutrality on the line as arms-for-Ukraine debate heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Buyers of Swiss arms are legally prevented from re-exporting them, a restriction that some representing the country's large weapons industry say is now hurting trade. Under Swiss neutrality, which dates back to 1815 and is enshrined by treaty in 1907, Switzerland will not send weapons directly or indirectly to combatants in a war. Third countries can in theory apply to Bern to re-export Swiss weapons they have in their stocks, but permission is almost always denied. Meanwhile the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), the lower house's largest party and traditionally staunch defenders of neutrality, now appears divided. ($1 = 0.9132 Swiss francs)Reporting by John Revill; editing by John Stonestreet and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

How LGFCU accounts compare Local Government Federal Credit Union Share SavingsLocal Government Federal Credit Union Checking AccountLocal Government Federal Credit Union Money Market AccountLocal Government Federal Credit Union Share Term Certificates Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. How Local Government Federal Credit Union worksLocal Government Federal Credit Union is a financial institution that serves North Carolina's local government employees and volunteers. The credit union doesn't have branches, but it's partnered with State Employees Credit Union. Local Government Federal Credit Union vs. Truliant Federal Credit UnionTruliant Federal Credit Union is a CDFI that serves local communities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Local Government Federal Credit Union offers higher interest rates, but Truliant Federal Credit Union doesn't charge monthly services.

The Kremlin and Russia’s defence ministry didn’t respond to Reuters’ questions, including about alleged torture and unlawful detentions. Ukraine’s top war crimes prosecutor, Yuriy Belousov, said authorities have identified ten sites in the Kherson region used by Russian forces for unlawful detentions. Belousov added that hundreds of bodies of civilians had been found in other areas that Russian forces had withdrawn from. Some of the thousands of alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces could be escalated to overseas tribunals if they are deemed sufficiently serious. The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened an investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

☆ Swiss central bank posts biggest loss in its 116-year history
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Swiss national flag hangs from the Federal Palace, Switzerland's parliament building, in Bern, Switzerland, on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. The Swiss National Bank cut its inflation forecast and showed no inclination of moving off its crisis-era settings, citing the francs strength and mounting global risks. Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe Swiss National Bank on Monday reported a loss of 132 billion Swiss francs ($143 billion) for the 2022 financial year, citing preliminary figures. It represents the biggest loss in the central bank's 116-year history and equates to roughly 18% of Switzerland's projected gross domestic product of 744.5 billion Swiss francs. Its previous record loss was 23 billion francs in 2015.

☆ An architect bought a crumbling 19th-century French château and restored it to match the original owners' plans. Now you can rent it for up to $600 a night — see inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Claire Turrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sibylle Thomke, a Swiss architect, bought a 19th-century château in France with her savings in 2017. Sibylle Thomke. "You could buy a three-bedroom apartment in Zurich for the price that I paid for this property," Thomke said. "My biggest concern was how to make sense of the château," Thomke said. As they offer the luxury of a dinner service four nights a week at the château, Thomke chose not to place it on Airbnb.

☆ I'm a leg-lengthening surgeon. I won't do cosmetic procedures because they cheapen what my work is really about — fixing deformities.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Natalie Rahhal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Dr. S. Robert Rozbruch has led limb-lengthening and reconstruction surgery for more than 20 years. Rozbruch performs 350 to 400 limb-lengthening surgeries and deformity corrections a year. I also loved the TV show "M*A*S*H." The character Hawkeye Pierce, who's a surgeon, was like a mentor to me. I really like helping these kinds of patients and feeling their appreciation for something special that not every orthopedic surgeon can do. Cosmetic limb-lengthening surgeries are a one-offI do limb-lengthening reconstruction, not that bullshit cosmetic limb-lengthening that was discussed in GQ.

Here are 12 of the weirdest and most fascinating animal behaviors scientists spotted in 2022. Here are 12 bizarre and amazing things animals were spotted doing, some of which had never been seen before. It turned out that at least 12 species of primates had been reported doing so, a review published in the Journal of Zoology in October found. A dolphin swallowed 8 venomous sea snakesA sea snake (indicated with pink arrow), moments before it is captured and eaten by a Navy dolphin. Though animals have often been spotted using tools, these usually are used to give the animal a clear survival advantage.

☆ Swiss National Bank Chairman welcomes new Credit Suisse strategy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Bern, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The Swiss National Bank has welcomed Credit Suisse's (CSGN.S) new strategy with Chairman Thomas Jordan saying the overhaul reduced risks for the Swiss financial system. The successful execution of the embattled lender's capital raising was also an "important milestone," Jordan told reporters after the central bank's latest interest rates decision. Reporting by John Revill, editing by Mike ShieldsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/4] Chairman Thomas Jordan of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) looks on as he attends a news conference in Bern, Switzerland December 15, 2022. Although Swiss inflation plateaued at 3% in November, it remains elevated by the country's own standards and outside the SNB's price stability goal of annual increases of 0-2%. The European Central Bank is expected to increase its deposit rate by half a percentage point later on Thursday, according to a Reuters poll, while the Bank of England is also forecast to add 50 basis points to its Bank Rate. In its latest forecast on Thursday, the SNB said it expected inflation rates of 2.9% in 2022, 2.4% in 2023 and 1.8% in 2024. Inflation was then expected to rise again, to 2.1% in the third quarter of 2025, the central bank said - above its price stability goal.

☆ Why tech insiders are so excited about ChatGPT, a chatbot that answers questions and writes essays
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Lately, Zwingmann has been generating lecture notes using ChatGPT, a new chatbot that's quickly become the latest fad in tech. ChatGPT automatically generates text based on written prompts in a fashion that's much more advanced and creative than the chatbots of Silicon Valley's past. Five days after OpenAI released ChatGPT, Altman said that the chat research tool "crossed 1 million users!" ChatGPT is essentially a variant of OpenAI's popular GPT-3.5 language-generation software that's been designed to carry conversations with people. While ChatGPT is free, OpenAI sells access to its underlying language and related AI models for businesses to use.

☆ Fact Check-Stock photo of a hospital patient shared in Facebook community groups labeled as victim of hit and run accident
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A stock photo of a woman in hospital has been mistaken as a hit and run accident victim on social media. Users in multiple U.S. locations have shared the photograph believing it shows a victim of a hit-and-run accident. Reuters found no evidence to suggest the woman pictured was involved in a recent accident or that authorities are trying to identify her. A reverse image search shows that the photo used in the claims ( here ) appears as a stock image on the photo hosting website Alamy.com. A reverse image search shows the picture is a stock image.

Kurpas expressed hope that the school year would run until the summer, but the wider situation is bleak: nearly half of Ukraine's power grid has been wrecked and Kyiv has said it expects further attacks. The official said that about 85% of Kyiv's pre-war school staff remained in the city, compared with 60% of pupils. As a result, schools have been working in hybrid mode both in person and online since the start of the academic year. [1/8] Students attend a lesson of English language in a classroom at a school, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 2, 2022. A small private school in north Kyiv has even established a heated and powered "hub" for parents who want to find refuge from cold, dark homes.

☆ Credit Suisse shares get closer to offer price in $2.4 bln cash call
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Switzerland's national flag flies above a logo of Swiss bank Credit Suisse in front of a branch office in Bern, Switzerland November 29, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd WiegmannMILAN, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) shares fell to a fresh record low on Thursday approaching the offer price of the 2.24 billion Swiss francs ($2.37 billion) rights issue the loss-making bank needs to help stabilise its finances. By 1019 GMT, Credit Suisse shares fell to as low as 2.667 francs, which is around 5% above the 2.52 francs offer price in the rights issue. Rights to subscribe to the capital increase fell as much as 51% on the day. "The share price is... above the offer price of CHF 2.52 for their CHF 2.2bn rights offering, which is also the 'hard underwriting' price for the consortium of 19 banks.

However, the patterns suggest that sexual violence “maybe even more frequent” in territories that were occupied for longer periods, he added, without providing evidence. Widespread or systematic sexual violence could amount to crimes against humanity, which are generally seen as more serious, legal specialists said. Moscow, which has said it is conducting a “special military operation" in Ukraine, has denied committing war crimes or targeting civilians. Evidence that sexual violence was planned could indicate it was part of a systematic attack or that some level of command was aware, said Kim Thuy Seelinger, an advisor to the ICC on sexual violence in conflict and a research associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s office said it has opened dozens of criminal cases involving sexual violence by members of the Russian armed forces against women, children and men.

REUTERS/Gleb GaranichHORENKA, Ukraine, Nov 21 (Reuters) - As they head into a cold winter, residents of a bombed-out Ukrainian village say they appreciate a warm bath in a mural painted by graffiti artist Banksy. The dirt of the Russian Federation...," Tetiana Reznychenko, 43, told Reuters as snow fell around her. The mural is one of one of seven that Banksy has confirmed painting in Ukraine. Reznychenko said she had given Banksy's team a mug of instant coffee in her apartment, as it was cold when the artist came to paint the mural. She has a wood stove in her apartment but no electricity, heating or running water as winter sets in.

[1/5] The first train from Kyiv to Kherson arrives after Russia's military retreat from the city, at the main train station in Kherson, Ukraine November 19, 2022. Ukrainian forces liberated Kherson from Russian occupation on Nov. 11 in what amounted to another major battlefield setback for Moscow. It had been the only regional capital captured by Russian forces since the Feb. 24 invasion. The event included a performance by Ukrainian rock singer Oleh Skrypka, with passengers in the crowd, including Ukrainian soldiers, singing along. The southeastern city of Mariupol, which was heavily damaged earlier this year and is still occupied by Russian forces, is among the other destinations.

☆ Women's Rugby World Cup final: New Zealand defeat England in record-breaking game
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But sometimes, the occasion can elevate the final into a historic match, as was the case at the women’s rugby World Cup as New Zealand defeated England 34-31 in Auckland to become the first ever host nation to win the tournament. It had everything: countless tries, a red card, a brilliant comeback, a hat-trick, and a world-record crowd for a women’s rugby game packed into Eden Park. Five minutes later, Cokayne completed her hattrick and set up a grandstand finale with the scoreline poised at 29-31 to England. “You could not have asked for more from the girls, it’s a very special group and we can be immensely proud of what we’ve done for the women’s game. “It will hurt, we don’t want to be losing World Cup finals especially in the manner that we’ve done, but I’m so, so proud of what we’ve done.”

☆ Ukrainian adventurer draws on camping skills to prepare for harsh winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Stefaniia Bern | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian infrastructure has been hammered by Russian air strikes in recent weeks amid the full-scale Kremlin invasion launched on Feb. 24. Much of the equipment was gifted by her son, who is serving as a medic in the Ukrainian military. "I never intended to use a camping tent in Kyiv," she told Reuters from inside her living room in the Ukrainian capital, laughing as she demonstrated how to set up the accessory. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko recently told Ukrainian media the city was preparing for the prospect of total outages of power, heating, and running water. Reporting by Stefaniia Bern; writing by Dan Peleschuk; editing by Tom Balmforth and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chinese ambassador warns Swiss: Sanction us and ties will suffer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ZURICH, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Switzerland should avoid following the European Union by imposing sanctions on China if it cares about Swiss-Sino relations, the Chinese ambassador to Bern told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper. "If Switzerland adopts the sanctions and the situation develops in an uncontrolled direction, Sino-Swiss relations will suffer," he added. In unveiling a new strategy on China last year, Bern announced few concrete policy changes and stressed the importance of bilateral ties. But it spoke more openly about its disapproval of China's human rights record than it has tended to do in the past. Since 2010, China has been its biggest trading partner in Asia and its third-largest globally after the EU and the United States.

☆ Swiss again reject German request to re-export Swiss ammunition to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ZURICH, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Switzerland has again rejected an appeal from Germany to allow it to re-export Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine, the government said on Thursday, saying such a move would violate Swiss neutrality. But Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin gave the same response the Swiss government had given in June when it rejected an earlier request. "As the legal situation remains unchanged, approval of a transfer of Swiss war materiel by Germany to Ukraine is still not possible," it added. The 35mm shells were originally supplied by Swiss companies to the German army decades ago on the condition that it could not re-export the munitions without Swiss approval. Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Noele Illien and Michael ShieldsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/3] Local residents queue for water after about 80 percent of the inhabitants of the Ukrainian capital were left without water supply according to the mayor, after a Russian missile attack, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 31, 2022. Shmyhal said hundreds of settlements lost power across Ukraine, despite the air force saying its air defences had knocked out 44 of 50 the missiles fired by Russia. Long queues formed for water in some parts of Kyiv after Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 80% of residents were left without water and local authorities said 350,000 homes in the capital were without electricity. In Kyiv, residents queuing for water were defiant. It says it has been hitting military and energy facilities, but many residential buildings have been damaged.

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