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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s House of Representatives has ramped up pressure on the United States and Britain to end the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange by passing a motion calling for the Australian citizen to be allowed to return to his home country. Independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie moved the motion on Wednesday one week ahead of Britain’s High Court of Justice hearing Assange’s appeal against extradition to the United States on espionage charges. Leaders of both the government and the opposition have publicly stated that the United States’ pursuit of the 52-year-old had dragged on for too long. Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton on Thursday welcomed the lawmakers' vote, adding that his notorious sibling could potentially be extradited to the United States next week. Senior opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan said the motion did not reflect his party’s wish that the prosecution progress more quickly.

Persons: Julian Assange, Andrew Wilkie, Anthony Albanese, Assange, Gabriel Shipton, he’ll, ” Shipton, Wilkie, Albanese, Australia’s, Joe Biden, State Anthony Blinken, Dan Tehan, ” Tehan, Tehan, Chelsea Manning, Manning, Barack Obama Organizations: —, Independent, Australian, Ecuadorian Embassy, House, U.S, State, WikiLeaks, Army, Manning’s Locations: MELBOURNE, Australia, United States, Britain, Britain’s, Ecuadorian, London, Sweden

In the aftermath of that storm, safety experts offered advice on how people can stay safe if they are stuck in their vehicles. First, do not leave your car, experts said. If you run out of water, drink melted snow, Dr. Mitchell said. Drive slowly to avoid skidding, and note that it takes longer to decelerate in icy road conditions, according to AAA. Drivers should inspect tires monthly and before long trips, according to guidance issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Persons: Ken Zafren, ”, Gordon Giesbrecht, Steve Mitchell, Grant Lipman, Mitchell, Lipman Organizations: Woodrow, Stanford University, Alaska Native Medical Center, University of Manitoba, Credit, . Virginia Department of Transportation, Associated Press, American Kennel Club, National Weather Service, AAA, National, Traffic Safety Administration Locations: Alexandria, Va, Virginia, Alaska, Anchorage , Alaska, Seattle, Fredericksburg

☆ Can Germany’s sputtering economy be revived in 2024?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Europe’s biggest economy shrank last year for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. And the outlook isn’t much brighter: the International Monetary Fund predicts that Germany will be the slowest-growing major economy in 2024, eking out an increase of just 0.5%. “Germany needs a fundamental economic transformation,” Marcel Fratzcher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin, told CNN. Carsten Koall/Getty ImagesHomegrown troublesAlongside an external environment that has become more hostile to Germany’s outward-facing economy, the country’s internal political climate has worsened. Businesses such as these, which can find new markets and applications for their know-how, may hold the key to reviving Germany’s moribund economy.

Persons: What’s, ” Marcel Fratzcher, ”, Carsten Brzeski, Jens Schlueter, Constanze Stelzenmuller, Christian Lindner, Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Carsten Koall, Michael Probst, Karl Haeusgen, ” Sebastian Shukla, Chris Stern Organizations: London CNN — Trains, Lufthansa, International Monetary Fund, European Union, European Commission, German Institute for Economic Research, CNN, ING, Brookings Institution, Volkswagen, Biden, Free Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party and, Green Party, Deutsche, LinkedIn, Investors, SAP, chipmaker Infineon, Intel, MAN Energy Solutions, Germany’s Machinery, Equipment Manufacturers Association Locations: Europe’s, Germany, Ukraine, Berlin, Europe, China, Zwickau, United States, Russia, “, Japan, masse, Frankfurt, ”, Hamburg, Jungheinrich, Augsburg, Munich, Esbjerg, Denmark

☆ Houthis could cut undersea global internet cables, minister warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An analyst has warned that the Houthis' next target could be undersea internet cables. That analysis warned of the potential shift in the Houthi's strategy in the Red Sea. Such a move would see the Houthis' strategy shift from targeting shipping — itself deeply disruptive to the global economy — to the global flow of information. In the analysis published last week, analyst Emily Milliken at the DC-based Askari Defense & Intelligence described undersea cables as the Houthi's "next casualty." Advertisement"Even partial damage to the undersea cables could eliminate internet access across vast areas, causing major economic disruptions for entire countries," she wrote.

Persons: —, Moammar, Emily Milliken, Milliken, Yemen's, Jake Epstein, group's Organizations: UN, Service, Gulf International, Askari Defense & Intelligence, Telegram, General Telecommunications Corporation, Guardian, Yemen Telecom, of Telecommunications, Information Technology, US Central Command Locations: Aden, Gulf, Red, Yemen, Gaza

☆ Still love your landline? Phone service providers are getting closer to phasing it out
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —More people who are still using telephone landlines will soon need to decide if they want to finally hang up on their service. That’s part of a sweeping move by phone service providers to replace older copper wire-based telephone systems lines, also known as Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), with faster and more advanced technology that doesn’t work with landlines. In the United States, the shift away from copper landlines will most likely impact people over age 65 and small business owners. “Traditional landline telephone service is the most dependable communications tool currently available in rural communities and is vital to reliably accessing 9-1-1,” he said. Because phone service workers will need to be deployed during the removal process, this could extend the completion time.

Persons: CNN —, “ We’ve, “, ”, Lisa Pierce, Patrick Blacklock, ” Pierce, Will McKeon, White, ” McKeon Organizations: CNN, Verizon, Old Telephone Service, landlines, UK, Consumers, California Public Utilities Commission, Gartner, California, Federal Communications Commission, Forrester Research Locations: California, France, California ”, United States, Pennsylvania, Rural County

☆ Heavy snow, rain threaten travel chaos during China’s Lunar New Year
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Heavy snow and rain is forecast to hit central and eastern China in the coming days, threatening travel plans for hundreds of millions of Chinese workers heading home for the Lunar New Year. However, Xu Jun, chief forecaster from the Central Meteorological Observatory, told CCTV the forecast snowfall won’t be as heavy or widespread as that experienced around the holiday season 16 years ago. “The rain and snow overlap with the peak period of Spring Festival travel. This has posed risks to safe (travel) and brought inconvenience to the transportation,” weather expert Wang Lijuan, from China Meteorological Administration, told CCTV. Xu, from the Central Meteorological Observatory, told CCTV freezing rain could affect many provinces over an area as wide as 43,000 square kilometers (16,600 square miles).

Persons: Xu Jun, Wang Lijuan, Xu Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Central Meteorological Observatory, Meteorological, Festival, China Meteorological Administration, Central Meteorological Locations: Hong Kong, China, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Liaoning, Hubei, Zhengzhou, China's, Xinjiang, Anhui, Weibo, Mohe, Heilongjiang

☆ Samsung Electronics' operating profit falls 34.57% in the fourth quarter, in line with guidance
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

(Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesSamsung Electronics on Wednesday posted a 34.57% drop in operating profit in the fourth quarter from a year ago, in line with its guidance issued earlier this month. Here are Samsung's fourth-quarter results versus estimates: Revenue: 67.78 trillion Korean won (about $51 billion), vs. 69.27 trillion Korean won expected by LSEG analysts67.78 trillion Korean won (about $51 billion), vs. 69.27 trillion Korean won expected by LSEG analysts Operating profit: 2.82 trillion Korean won, vs. 3.43 trillion Korean won expected by LSEG analysts Samsung's revenue for the quarter ending December fell 3.8% from a year ago, while operating profit dropped 34.57% in the same period. In its earnings guidance earlier this month, Samsung said it expected operating profit for the October-December quarter to be 2.8 trillion South Korean won ($2.13 billion), down 35% from the same period a year ago when the firm reported an operating profit of 4.31 trillion won. Daiwa Capital Markets in a Jan. 9 report said Samsung's revenue and operating profit estimates were "lower than our market estimates." "We aim to establish Samsung as the leading brand in the AI smartphone market," said Samsung.

Persons: Jakub Porzycki, SK Kim, Apple, Bryan Ma, Ma Organizations: Samsung, Getty, Nurphoto, Samsung Electronics, Korean, South Korean, Daiwa, SK, Apple, International Data Corporation, IDC Locations: Krakow, Poland

☆ Pacific Islands Need to Boost Digital Security to Join Undersea Cable, Says US Official
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kirsty NeedhamSYDNEY (Reuters) - Pacific Islands nations that want to connect to U.S.-funded undersea cables will need to secure their digital ecosystems to guard against data risks from China, a senior U.S. State Department official said. The United States pledged last year to jointly fund two undersea cables, to be built by Google, connecting the U.S. territory of Guam with hubs in Fiji and French Polynesia, and further branching out across remote Pacific Islands. The proposed intra-Pacific cable project has offered to branch out to Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Fiji, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Wallis and Futuna and the Federated States of Micronesia. China and the U.S. are jostling for influence in the Pacific Islands with competing offers for infrastructure. The Solomon Islands, which struck a security pact with Beijing, is rolling out a Chinese-funded mobile network built by Chinese telecommunications company Huawei.

Persons: Kirsty Needham SYDNEY, Nathaniel Fick, Kirsty Needham, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Pacific, U.S . State Department, United, Google, Futuna, Federated, The U.S . Department of, Washington, Sydney, Huawei, Telstra, Microsoft, U.S Locations: U.S, China, Guam, Fiji, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Wallis, Federated States, Micronesia, The, Solomon, Beijing, Australia, Asia, Pacific

☆ America's Zoomtowns Face a Growing Housing, Traffic, Culture Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Emily Cataneo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

We're transitioning from a sleepy capital city into a midsize-to-major city," Jonathan Melton, a member of Raleigh's City Council, told me. The first wants to solve the problem of too little housing by, well, building more housing. But Melton and the YIMBYs' vision rankled some Raleigh residents who eventually started to push back on what they considered extreme pro-development policies. The new buses seem like a great idea, but as with all these changes, residents are worried that the route will have unintended consequences. It's worth noting, too, that most Raleigh residents, even those who oppose the current pace of development, point to some positives.

Persons: Raleigh, I've, Jonathan Melton, Zillow, Raleighites, We're, Frank Hielema, Hayes, Barton, Margie Case, Hayes Barton, Kesha Monk, Monk, who've, she'd, they'd, shudder, Adam Terando, Terando, Melton, that'll, Shaw, she's, Case, there's, There's Organizations: Raleigh's City Council, Council, Raleigh, Public, Shaw University, Raleigh City Council, New, Seaboard Station, Seaboard, City Council Locations: Raleigh , North Carolina, Southern, Wake County, Raleigh, Oaks, Raleigh's, Melton, Hayes Barton, Hayes, Hielema, Biltmore, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vermont, Austin, Cleveland, Scottsdale , Arizona, Wake, New Bern, downtown Raleigh, New York City, downtown that's

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — A giraffe named Benito started a 40-hour road trip Monday to leave behind the cold and loneliness of Mexico’s northern border city of Ciudad Juarez to find warmth — and maybe a mate — in his new home 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) to the south. With temperatures in Ciudad Juarez reaching as low as 39 degrees F (4 degrees C) Monday, Benito set off in a crate strapped to the back of a flat-bed truck. Benito is being transported across Mexico to Africam Safari park in central Puebla state where the low temperatures are about 20 degrees F warmer than in Ciudad Juarez. So he was donated to Ciudad Juarez. At the Africam Safari park, the giraffes live in a much larger space that more closely resembles their natural habitat.

Persons: Benito, —, ”, “, Flor Ortega, Benito couldn’t, zookeepers, munch, Frank Carlos Camacho, Camacho, “ Benito, Benito “, Benito doesn't, Maria Verza Organizations: Modesto, National Guard, Associated Locations: CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico, Ciudad Juarez, Puebla, Benito, Pacific, Sinaloa, El Paso , Texas, Zacatecas, Mexico City

☆ Japan takes earthquake safety seriously. Here's how its culture of preparedness keeps so many people alive.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-05 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

With its history of natural disasters, Japan is one of the countries best prepared for emergencies. Japan now has some of the strictest building codes of any country in the world, The New York Times reported after the 2011 earthquake. Japan installs resilient infrastructureMuch like its buildings, Japan has the experience and the money to fortify its infrastructure against earthquakes. During that 2011 disaster, rapid response teams were able to quickly repair roads to help move supplies and assistance to affected areas. According to the World Bank, historical knowledge may have helped save lives during Japan's 2011 tsunami.

Persons: —, Daniel Aldrich, Aldrich, he's, Kim Kyung, They're Organizations: Service, Reuters, World Bank, Northeastern University, Japan, New York Times, BBC News, Officials, Universal Studios Japan, Kyodo, REUTERS, Japan Meteorological Society, Japan Railways, Japan Times, Guardian, KYODO, Japan Meteorological Agency, NOAA Locations: Japan, Noto, Turkey, Syria, Haiti, Pakistan, Wajima, Tokyo, Mashiki, Kumamoto, Fukushima, Natori

☆ Millions of Americans will soon be able to turn their roofs into a lucrative side hustle
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-07 | by ( Kartik Menon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

People on the traditional grid could see lower costs, greater grid reliability, and less volatile energy prices. And the rate of residential installation is booming: A record 700,000 homeowners installed arrays in 2022, according to the trade group Solar Energy Industries Association. Henglein and Steets/GettyAnother option for homeowners is peer-to-peer energy trading. Users buy and sell electricity with any counterparty, whether it's a neighbor or the broader electricity market. There are, of course, concerns about the reliability of solar energy.

Persons: Localvolts, Kartik Menon, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Business Insider's, Solar Energy Industries Association, Solar Investment Tax, US Department of Energy, Goldman Locations: Localvolts, editorial.standards@insider.com, California , Texas, Florida, California, Arcadia, Washington, DC, Australia, Texas

☆ WindCORES cuts emissions by putting data centers inside wind turbines
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Arya Jyothi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Accounting for up to 1.5% of global electricity use, data centers are fueling the climate crisis. WindCORES, a subsidiary of German renewable electricity company WestfalenWIND, operates data centers inside wind turbines located in a wind park in the Paderborn district in western Germany, which the company says makes the centers almost carbon neutral. The concept uses existing wind turbines to power data centers on site, while fiber optic cables provide a constant internet connection. WindCORES estimates that the unused electricity generated during this period could power one-third of all German data centers. Zattoo joined windCORES in 2020, when it moved one of its six data centers into a wind turbine in Paderborn.

Persons: ”, Fiete Dubberke, Dubberke, WestfalenWIND, windCORES, Zattoo, Viliyana Ivanova, “, Viliyana, windCORES Dubberke, Zattoo’s, Asim Hussain, that’s, they’ve, ” Hussain, ” WindCORES, Klee Organizations: CNN, windCORES, Green Software Foundation Locations: Paderborn, Germany, “, ”, Lichtenau, Munich

☆ Period poverty: How air pollution in Kenya could make periods heavier, more painful and more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Elizabeth Wells | Eoin Mcsweeney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Studies have linked air pollution to an increased risk of endometriosis , a condition that causes tissue like what lines the womb to grow outside of the uterus. Compared with Kenya, women can more easily access anti-inflammatory drugs and birth control commonly used to manage painful periods. She believes that the new research on air pollution should be a major concern for the millions of women struggling to manage their periods in Nairobi. Kenyan Senator Gloria Orwoba is calling for more research on the link between air pollution and women's reproductive health. Now, she tells CNN, targeted government intervention is needed to address the possible effects of air pollution on menstrual cycles.

Persons: Alice Shikuku, Shikuku, Mercy, Audrey Gaskins, we've, Gaskins, Oscar Lee, Lee, Emmie Erondanga, Miss Koch, Erondanga, Wanjiru Kepha, Kepha, Wanjiru, Damaris Atieno, Atieno, Sen, Gloria Orwoba, Orwoba, William Ruto's, she's, I'm Organizations: CNN, US Agency for International Development, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, China Medical University, World Health Organization, Miss, Huru International, Kenya, Kenyan, William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Korogocho, United States, Taiwan, Taichung, Shikuku's, Dandora, Miss Koch Kenya, Mukuru, Miss, Wanjiru Kepha

☆ The Garisenda 'leaning tower' in Bologna, Italy, is on 'high alert' for collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —It’s the ‘leaning tower’ that has stood tipsily – but steadily – for nearly 1,000 years. But now, the days of the Garisenda tower in Bologna, Italy, could be numbered. Following investigations last month, the city is instigating a civil protection plan for the “sudden and unexpected collapse of the tower,” which has dominated the Bologna skyline since the 12th century. The Garisenda leans at an angle of four degrees – only a little more upright than the Leaning Tower of Pisa’s five degrees. “The overall situation has unfortunately worsened considerably, with worrying implications for the overall stability of the tower,” reads the report.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, CNN —, “, ”, Dante, Michele Lapini, Garisenda, Matteo Lepore, ‘ Organizations: CNN, intel, Bologna’s, Bologna, UNESCO Locations: Bologna, Italy, Manhattan

☆ 5G is set to make watching the Paris Olympics more accessible and intimate
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Chris Stokel-Walker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

5G and other connections will also power access to the venues: The 2024 Paris Olympics will be the first to operate solely with digital — not paper — tickets. The opening ceremony will also use 5G: At the Paris Olympics, instead of the traditional parade around a stadium, the athletes will move down the Seine River in boats. "Ahead of the Olympic Games, Orange is reinforcing its 5G coverage across France, including on all Olympics sites," he added. But the 5G mobile capacity won't just be useful for those who want to share moments. "Our 5G mobile capacity will also allow additional services, such as haptic tablets for blind people to follow the events in real-time," Rojat said.

Persons: —, Paris Olympics Bertrand Rojat, Rojat, Bruno Marie, Rose, Marie, It's, There's, It'll Organizations: Olympic, Service, Paris Olympics, Orange Locations: Paris, Orange, France

☆ Amazon’s space dreams deserve to be grounded
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Founder, Chairman, CEO and President of Amazon Jeff Bezos unveils his space company Blue Origin's space exploration lunar lander rocket called Blue Moon during an unveiling event in Washington, U.S., May 9, 2019. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne - RC153E11B8F0 Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Oct 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Amazon.com’s (AMZN.O) Project Kuiper is a misguided technological marvel. A recent U.S. government report warned that space junk from currently planned networks could start regularly falling back to Earth by 2035. Facing an uncertain payoff and the possibility that its efforts will burn up on reentry, Amazon’s best move is bowing out of a futile space race. The $1.3 trillion technology company plans to eventually launch over 3,200 satellites into low-earth orbit to provide high-speed internet globally.

Persons: Amazon Jeff Bezos, Clodagh, Jeff Bezos, SpaceX’s, Andy Jassy, Bill Gates, SpaceX honcho Elon Musk, OneWeb, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Amazon, REUTERS, Reuters, SpaceX, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Kuiper, Eutelsat Communications, Origin, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Bezos, China

☆ 700 passengers were left stranded and without toilets for 8 hours after a Eurostar train broke down
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hundreds of passengers traveling to Amsterdam were stuck on a Eurostar train in London for hours. AdvertisementSome 700 passengers were left stranded after a Eurostar train broke down 30 minutes after leaving London's St Pancras station on Thursday, reported the BBC. Ben Williams, a passenger on the train, told The Independent that four or five hours after the train broke down, passengers were each offered one free item of food. AdvertisementIt's not the first time passengers were left stranded after a train broke down. In August 2022, passengers were stranded in the undersea Eurotunnel for five hours after a Le Shuttle train broke down.

Persons: —, Ben Williams, Ashleigh Furlong, Furlong Organizations: Eurostar, Service, London's St Pancras, BBC, Independent, Politico, Business, Amtrak, Le Shuttle Locations: Amsterdam, London, London's St, England, France, St Pancras

☆ Britain to send seven Royal Navy ships to patrol areas with undersea cables
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday it will send seven Royal Navy ships and a maritime patrol aircraft to take part in Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) patrols of areas with vulnerable undersea infrastructure next month. Europe and NATO have become increasingly concerned about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure around and under the Baltic Sea. JEF, a 10-nation military alliance of northern European countries, is focused on security in the High North, North Atlantic and Baltic Sea region. That followed explosions in September 2022 that ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea and cut Europe's supply of Russian gas. Vessels will be spaced to cover a wide area from the Channel to the Baltic Sea, it added.

Persons: JEF, Grant Shapps, Kylie MacLellan, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Royal Navy, Expeditionary Force, NATO, British, Royal Fleet, Royal Air Force, Channel, Thomson Locations: Britain, Europe, Baltic, North Atlantic, Sweden, Estonia, Finnish, Estonian

[1/3] Polish trucks are parked as they block crossings at the Ukrainian border near the village of Hrebenne, Poland November 19, 2023. The Polish hauliers' central demand is to stop Ukrainian truckers having permit-free access to the EU, something that Kyiv and Brussels say is impossible. Jan Buczek, head of Poland's main trucker business association, said Kyiv was showing no readiness to compromise and was creating obstacles for EU truckers operating in Ukraine. POLISH POLITICAL TRANSITIONThe Polish truckers say they will continue protesting until their demands are met and want more engagement from politicians from Poland's main political parties. The Federation of Employers of Ukraine, an industry lobby group, has estimated direct losses to the economy at around 400 million euros ($437 million).

Persons: Yan, hauliers, Taras Kachka, Kachka, it's, Vitaliy Vavryshchuk, Taras Vysotskiy, Serhiy Derkach, Derkach, Jan Buczek, Donald Tusk, Kromberg, Schubert, Olena Makarchuk, Karol Badohal, Alan Charlish, Mike Collett Organizations: REUTERS, Union, Reuters, EU, Justice, Federation, Employers of, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Hrebenne, Poland, Ukraine, KYIV, Kyiv, Brussels, Goods, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine's Zhytomyr, Employers of Ukraine, Warsaw

☆ How the U.S. courted the Philippines to thwart China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

What followed was two trips to the United States in less than a year for Marcos, and visits to the Philippines by high-ranking Biden administration officials. Marcos’ predecessor, the populist firebrand Rodrigo Duterte, was openly hostile to the United States and attempted to bring his country closer to communist China during his six-year term. For the United States, cementing alliances in the Asia-Pacific region is likewise crucial to keeping China in check. China’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement to Reuters, characterized China and the Philippines as “close neighbors across the sea” with a common interest in friendship. At the time, he said the cancellation of his visa was the latest in a list of “gripes and disrespect” by the United States.

Persons: Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Joe Biden, Marcos, Gregorio Maria Araneta III, “, ” Araneta, Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Defense Lloyd Austin, Julio Amador III, Marcos ’, Rodrigo Duterte, China’s, Xi Jinping, ” Marcos ’, Ferdinand Marcos Sr, ”, Marcos family’s, Washington, Duterte, China “, Becca Wasser, Wasser, Barack Obama, Xi, “ I’ve, ” Duterte, Ronald “ Bato, dela Rosa, Dela Rosa, gripes, Toribio Adaci, hadn’t, Blake Herzinger, Herzinger Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Defense, ., Party, China, U.S . State Department, ” Reuters, Philippine, United, Foreign Ministry, ” ‘, People’s Liberation Army, Center, New, New American Security, CNAS, U.S . Department of Defense, U.S ., Initiative, Philippines National Economic Development Authority, United States, Philippine National Police, Washington, Forces, VFA, Mutual, China’s, U.S . Pacific Fleet, Cooperation Locations: Philippines, Philippine, Manila, United States, U.S, China, America, Asia, Taipei, Taiwan, Beijing, South, East Asia, Pacific, Washington, Hawaii, South China, It’s, American, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New American, Taiwan . U.S, Duterte, China’s, Guangdong

As technology titans jockey to back hot new startups, they are extracting explicit or implicit promises of revenue in return. loadingMicrosoft’s injection of $10 billion into OpenAI in January helped kick off the craze. As part of their deal, the ChatGPT operator agreed to exclusively use its new investor’s cloud computing services. Much of the invested capital should be returned relatively quickly as AI firms buy back-end services. Nvidia (NVDA.O) has at least 80% and as much as 95% of the AI market, according to estimates by analysts.

Persons: Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, OpenAI, Optimists, cynics, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Microsoft, Financial Times, Apple, Nasdaq, Big Tech, OpenAI, Wall Street, Google, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Cisco Systems, Lucent Technologies, Nortel Technologies, Company, Global, Telecom, Nortel, Network, Nvidia, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, Silicon Valley

We were shocked to see our homes, our streets, our lands, our yards and everything demolished," said Gihad Nabil, who was recently married and had been living in Abu Ta'imah with his wife. We don't need this truce, we need a complete ceasefire," he said, likening what he was seeing to an earthquake zone. Abdelrahman Abu Ta'imah, a member of the clan that gave the area its name, searched through his bombed-out apartment, pulling clothes and a pink mattress from the debris. Israel says it targets Hamas infrastructure, and accuses Hamas of putting civilians in harm's way by using them as human shields. But Abu Ta'imah said a short truce was not enough and he longed for a permanent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Persons: Mohammed Salem, KHAN YOUNIS, Abu Ta'imah, Gaza's Khan Younis, Gihad Nabil, Nabil, Israel, Antonio Guterres, Khan Younis, we've, Estelle Shirbon, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Khan, Gaza, Abu, Gaza's, Egypt

☆ Britain to Send Seven Royal Navy Ships to Patrol Areas With Undersea Cables
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday it will send seven Royal Navy ships and a maritime patrol aircraft to take part in Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) patrols of areas with vulnerable undersea infrastructure next month. Europe and NATO have become increasingly concerned about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure around and under the Baltic Sea. JEF, a 10-nation military alliance of northern European countries, is focused on security in the High North, North Atlantic and Baltic Sea region. That followed explosions in September 2022 that ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea and cut Europe's supply of Russian gas. Vessels will be spaced to cover a wide area from the Channel to the Baltic Sea, it added.

Persons: JEF, Grant Shapps, Kylie MacLellan, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Royal Navy, Expeditionary Force, NATO, British, Royal Fleet, Royal Air Force, Channel Locations: Britain, Europe, Baltic, North Atlantic, Sweden, Estonia, Finnish, Estonian

☆ NATO navies are worried about Russia using its unique weapons to pick a fight on territory nobody controls
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Recent damage to undersea pipelines and cables in Europe has raised concern among NATO members. AdvertisementThe emphasis on defending underwater infrastructure is visible in the alliance's operations. The annual Dynamic Messenger exercise includes a focus on protecting critical underwater infrastructure and involves information exchanges between alliance militaries and private-sector actors. OLE BERG-RUSTEN/NTB/AFP via Getty ImagesProtecting underwater infrastructure is no simple task, however. AdvertisementThe situation becomes more complicated because underwater infrastructure often passes through international waters, muddling the legal framework around its protection and making a response harder.

Persons: —, David Cattler, Shawn Coover, Adm, Ben Key, Jens Köhler, JEF, Andrey Luzik, Key, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: NATO, Service, Finnish Border Guard, REUTERS, Steam, US Marine Corps, Staff, British Royal Navy's, Royal Navy, Getty, Joint Expeditionary Force, Norwegian Coast Guard, OLE BERG, Russia Ministry of Defense, Directorate, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Europe, Russia, NATO's, Estonia, Finland, Baltic, Norway, Norwegian, Germany, Ukraine, Hiddensee, Nordic, AFP, Severomorsk

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