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☆ ECB pushes through 50 bps rate hike despite market turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The ECB raised its three policy rates by 50 basis points in its sixth consecutive rate hike and said future moves will depend on incoming data. Thursday's decision increases the rate the ECB pays on bank deposits, which is the benchmark for borrowing costs in the euro zone, to 3.0% from 2.5%. Some calm returned to financial markets on Thursday after the Swiss central bank threw Credit Suisse a $54 billion lifeline overnight. ECB President Christine Lagarde will be certain to face questions about the turmoil and the euro zone banking sector at a news conference starting at 1345 GMT. After Thursday's hike, the rate on the ECB's little used weekly cash auctions will rise to 3.5% while overnight loans from the central bank will now cost 3.75%.

☆ Chile starts second attempt to draft new constitution
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A Constitution expert commission kicks off prior to the next constitution process of Chile, in Santiago, Chile, March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Ivan AlvaradoSANTIAGO, March 6 (Reuters) - Chile has begun its second attempt to write a new constitution as a group of experts that Congress appointed to start preparing a preliminary draft was installed on Monday. It will then work off the experts' draft in June, while the vote to approve or reject the proposed text will be held on Dec. 17. Assuming all goes to plan, Chile will have a new constitution by the end of this year," consultancy Teneo said. The current constitution dates back to the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, although it has undergone dozens of reforms over the years.

☆ Sticky inflation fuels some of ECB's worst fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Balazs Koranyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Overall inflation eased a touch to 8.5% last month from 8.6% in January, data on Thursday showed. But nearly all the drop came from lower energy costs, while prices for most other items - including food, services and durable goods - surged again, confirming the worst fears of some ECB policymakers. A jump in underlying inflation - to 5.6% from 5.3% - reinforces already copious evidence that past price rises are filtering down into the broader economy, including via wages. "Core inflation and other measures of underlying inflation were likely to be stickier, with only limited evidence of a stabilisation so far," the ECB said in the accounts of the Feb. 1-2 meeting. "In particular, we upgrade (the rate hike view in) May from 25bp to 50bp, which takes our terminal rate forecast to 3.75% in June."

☆ Erythritol, an ingredient in stevia, linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —A sugar replacement called erythritol — used to add bulk or sweeten stevia, monkfruit and keto reduced-sugar products — has been linked to blood clotting, stroke, heart attack and death, according to a study. “If your blood level of erythritol was in the top 25% compared to the bottom 25%, there was about a two-fold higher risk for heart attack and stroke,” Hazen said. Clots can break off and travel to the heart, triggering a heart attack, or to the brain, triggering a stroke. “There appears to be a clotting risk from using erythritol,” Freeman said. In all three populations, researchers found that higher levels of erythritol were connected to a greater risk of heart attack, stroke or death within three years.

Persons: ”, Stanley Hazen, ” Hazen, “, erythritol, Andrew Freeman, ” Freeman, Robert Rankin, ” Rankin, Hazen, “ It’s, Erythritol, Hazen’s, Oliver Jones, ” Jones, You’ll, Health’s Freeman Organizations: CNN, Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, People, Nature, Jewish Health, European Association of Polyol, Cleveland Clinic’s Center, Human, RMIT University, National Health, European Food Safety Authority, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Denver, United States, Europe, erythritol, Australia

☆ The War in Ukraine: One year later
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | 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 EmailThe War in Ukraine: One year laterJefferies’ Sheila Kahyaoglu, Atlantic Council’s Fred Kempe and RBC Capital Markets’ Helima Croft join 'The Exchange' to discuss the war in Ukraine and the affect it's had on the U.S. and global markets.

☆ Unidentified Flying Object Debris Search Is Hampered by Weather, Location
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Ken Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. hasn’t yet been able to locate debris from the three unidentified objects shot down over North America last weekend and has been hampered by remote, frigid conditions, the White House said Tuesday. John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, said there were intensive recovery operations under way to try to recover debris from the takedowns that occurred over Alaska on Friday, Canada’s Yukon territory on Saturday and Lake Huron on Sunday.

☆ Flying Objects’ Origins Remain Uncertain as Debris Recovery Continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. hasn’t seen any evidence that the three objects shot down since Friday over the U.S. and Canada were part of China’s spy balloon program, though searchers have yet to recover debris from them, a senior White House official said. The search for the remnants of the objects is hampered by the remoteness of the search area and frigid conditions there, said John Kirby , the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, Tuesday.

☆ Unidentified Flying Object Debris Search Hasn’t Found Spy-Balloon Evidence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. hasn’t seen any evidence that the three objects shot down since Friday over the U.S. and Canada were part of China’s spy balloon program, though searchers have yet to recover debris from any of them, a senior White House official said. The search for the remnants of the objects is hampered by the remoteness of the search area and frigid conditions there, said John Kirby , the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, Tuesday.

Hong Kong CNN —China will fully reopen borders with its special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao next week, in what is expected to be a major boost for the economies of the two cities. From Monday, travelers entering mainland China from Hong Kong or Macao will no longer need to provide proof of negative Covid tests, as long as they have not traveled abroad in the previous week, the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said in a Friday statement. Hong Kong is a major international financial center, and, before the pandemic, Macao was the world’s casino capital. Over the past three years, limited cross-border travel to mainland China has been listed as the top concern for businesses across the city, according to industry groups. Businesses began seeing some relief last month, when residents of Hong Kong and mainland China were permitted to resume two-way, quarantine-free travel.

☆ Major aid groups suspend work in Afghanistan AS Taliban bar women
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

KABUL, Afghanistan — Four major international aid groups on Sunday suspended their operations in Afghanistan following a decision by the country’s Taliban rulers to ban women from working at non-governmental organizations. Excluding women from schools and NGO work in Afghanistan “can and will lead to catastrophic humanitarian consequences in the short to long term,” the International Committee of the Red Cross warned. Half of Afghanistan’s population, or 24 million people, are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the group. The International Rescue Committee said it was dismayed by the Taliban decision, adding that more than 3,000 of its staff in Afghanistan are women. The Economy Ministry’s order comes days after the Taliban banned female students from attending universities across the country, triggering backlash overseas and demonstrations in major Afghan cities.

The councilman has defied demands for his resignation and attended last week’s meeting, amid vociferous protests, “to get back to work,” he told CNN’s Kate Bolduan before the meeting. Calls for de León’s resignation have continued since October, when audio of a year-old conversation between de Léon and fellow council members was posted anonymously on Reddit and obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Much of the conversation focused on maps proposed by the city’s redistricting commission and the council members’ frustration with them, but it also featured racist remarks about a fellow council member’s Black son and about Oaxacans. “I shouldn’t have said what I said,” de León told CNN on Tuesday, clarifying his remarks comparing White colleague Mike Bonin’s Black child to a designer handbag. De León pointed to his body of work, including his work on environmental issues and advocacy on behalf of undocumented immigrants.

☆ Biden chose humanity over geopolitics with Griner release
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But President Joe Biden’s decision to exchange WNBA star Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout goes beyond the exchange’s bottom line. And it prompted top Republicans to charge that he had prioritized a basketball superstar over an ex-marine who benefited from a vocal political pressure campaign on Biden. This adds another layer of complication for Biden as he seeks to get Whelan free, since it involves another government and would require German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to potentially agree to supersede his country’s own legal system. While Biden is being castigated by some political opponents in Washington for doing a bad deal, administration officials insisted that he got the best one on offer. It was a choice between bringing home one particular American, Brittney Griner, or bringing home none,” a senior administration official told reporters on Thursday.

Other researchers have also tracked the spam campaign. Videos of the protests quickly spread on Chinese social media, with online censors struggling to keep up. Many of them also made their way onto Twitter and other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, all of which are blocked in China but some Chinese users access via virtual private networks. There are no firm numbers on the scope of the spam campaign, but Wright said she has observed thousands of Twitter posts an hour in some cases. “So essentially, it can be very effective as a method for driving out the truth, the real videos, and the real content about the protests.”

☆ Americans are eating more whole grains, but are still confused by the food labels
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Linda Carroll | Linda Carroll Is A Regular Health Contributor To Nbc News | Reuters Health. She Is Coauthor Of | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

At least half of the grains consumed daily should be whole grains, according to the USDA's recommendations. “Consumers need to be careful when they go shopping for whole grain foods,” said Zhang. What’s important is the percentage of the total grain in the food that is actually whole grain, Zhang said. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identifies whole grain foods as those containing 50% or more by weight of the grain- or flour-containing component as whole grain ingredients. For example, when a product is described as being made with whole grains, that doesn’t mean it’s 100% whole grains, Cholewka said.

☆ Abandoned Greek airport to be transformed into a 600-acre coastal park
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Tegel Projekt GmbH/Atelier Loidl Kai Tak International Airport, Hong Kong -- With a runway that protruded into the sea, Kai Tak International Airport in Hong Kong once had one of the most arresting approaches in the world. PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Hellinikon International Airport, Athens, Greece -- Hellinikon was once the only international airport in Athens, Greece, before Hellinikon was once the only international airport in Athens, Greece, before closing down in 2001 . Developer LAMDA is looking to complete the first phase of construction in 2025 courtesy LAMDA Development Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado -- A photo of Stapleton International Airport from 1963. The grounds of the old airport became the 125-hectare (309-acre) Quito replaced its main airport with another bearing the same name. RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Downsview Airport, Toronto -- Downsview Airport in north Toronto was once a Canadian Air Force base.

Persons: Sasaki, ”, Michael Grove, Eero Saarinen, Kai, Kok, FREDERIC J . BROWN, Kai Tak, PHILIPPE LOPEZ, Hellinikon, Milos Bicanski, Ken Tillis, Lisa Martine, Sean Gallup, Maja Hitij, RODRIGO BUENDIA, Eleni Myrivilli, …, Aleksandra Kazmierczak, it’s, we’re Organizations: CNN, Ellinikon International, Games, Charleston Waterfront Park, Newcastle University, Tegel Airport, Tegel Projekt, Kai Tak International Airport, Kai Tak International, Getty, Foster + Partners, AFP, Stapleton International Airport, Denver International Airport, Denver, Getty Images, Airport, CNN Galeville Army, Galeville, United States Military Academy, West, Wildlife Refuge, Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife, Nazi, Maja, Mariscal Sucre International Airport, Old Mariscal Sucre International, Downsview, Canadian Air Force, Downsview Airport, City, Resilience, European Environment Agency, Development, Ellinikon Locations: Athens, Greece, Ellinikon, Boston, Charleston, Beijing, American, Grove, Berlin, Hong Kong, AFP, Europe, Hellinikon, Denver , Colorado, Central, New York, Ulster County , New York, Germany, Quito, Ecuador, Toronto, Downsview Park, Canada, Downsview, City of Athens, ”

☆ U.N. condemns Iran's crackdown on protests, establishes probe into alleged abuses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The U.N. Human Rights Council voted Thursday to condemn the bloody crackdown on peaceful protests in Iran and create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses, particularly those committed against women and children. Thursday’s session in Geneva is the latest international effort to put pressure on Iran over its crackdown, which has already drawn international sanctions and other measures. “The only answer we received was more violence, more death.”Protesters wave Iranian pre-Islamic revolution flags in front of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva on Thursday. The U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk, expressed concerns that Iran’s government has not been listening to the world community. The council will now set up a “fact-finding mission” to investigate rights violations “especially with respect to women and children” linked to the protests that erupted on Sept. 16.

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday, the second missile test by the Kim Jong Un regime in two days, in actions condemned as unacceptable by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. “North Korea is continuing to carry out provocative actions at frequency never seen before,” Kishida told reporters Friday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. Increased missile testsThe aggressive acceleration in weapons testing and rhetoric has sparked alarm in the region, with the US, South Korea and Japan responding with missile launches and joint military exercises. The tally includes both cruise and ballistic missiles, with the latter making up the majority of North Korean test this year. North Korea isn’t interested talking right now,” Lewis said.

☆ The trade issues at stake for US and China economies at Indonesia meeting
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Frustrated by China’s huge trade surplus and accusing it of stealing US intellectual property, former President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods in June 2018. China, with its nearly $18 trillion economy, has in recent years been the main driver of global growth. China responded by slapping tariffs of its own on iconic American products like Harley-Davidson and Jack Daniel’s. Tech curbsBekink said she did not expect any dramatic shifts in trade flows to emerge as a result of the Biden-Xi meeting. US imports of semiconductors from China are 26% lower than before the imposition of 25% tariffs, according to Peterson.

☆ Biden faces scrutiny about America's future as he heads abroad
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Peter Nicholas | Peter Nicholas Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

For the world leaders meeting with Biden over the next week, there’s no assurance that he'll be the president they’ll be dealing with for the next six years. The U.S. is unnerved by Chinese military exercises that threaten Taiwan and raise the specter of a future invasion. “Tuesday was a good day for America, a good day for democracy,” Biden said Thursday at a Democratic National Committee event. Another reason that Biden might find the trip more gratifying is that he averted the midterm wipeout that sitting presidents normally endure. Biden’s midterm test went much better.

☆ LA City Council censures Latino members amid racism scandal
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles City Council formally rebuked two members and its former president Wednesday for their involvement in a racism scandal that has led to days of protests, police and state investigations and shaken public faith in City Hall. Earlier, the council meeting was called into recess to allow police to clear chanting protesters. Council President Paul Krekorian warned the protesters they would not deter the council’s business. “We will continue to do the work of the people of Los Angeles,” he said. Krekorian, the president, and other council members have said Cedillo and de León must resign.

☆ Iran Is Training Russian Drone Pilots in Crimea to Aid Moscow’s War Effort, U.S. Says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Vivian Salama | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Iranian personnel have been working in Crimea to train Russian pilots to use Iranian-made drones, the U.S. said Thursday, as Moscow attempts to maintain its hold on the territory in southern UkraineThe statement by John Kirby, the National Security Council’s Coordinator for Strategic Communications, marks the first official U.S. accusation that Iran is directly involved in the war in Ukraine.

☆ Racist Remarks Reveal Deep Divisions in Los Angeles Government
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Christine Mai-Duc | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles City Council canceled its planned meeting Friday as politicians grappled with how to move forward after racist remarks by the council’s former president laid bare enduring racial fissures in the government of America’s second most populous city. The crude remarks—part of a secretly recorded conversation involving three of the council’s most prominent Latino members and a local union heavyweight discussing how to attain greater power in a redrawing of council districts—have also rekindled discussion over whether L.A. should expand its 15-member council, and reform redistricting.

☆ Los Angeles’ Nury Martinez’s shocking anti-Black remarks hurt at the deepest level
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Amir Whitaker | Amir Whitaker Is Senior Policy Counsel With The Aclu Of Southern California. Before Joining The Aclu | Whitaker Represented Students | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Many of us in Los Angeles are still in shock from the recently leaked audio recording of politicians spewing racist and hateful language. It laid bare the true colors of four of the most influential Latinx leaders in the country, whose collective power affects nearly 4 million Angelenos. But this is Los Angeles, one of the most diverse cities in the world. Hearing a public servant in one of the most powerful seats in our city government fantasize about committing violence against a Black child was extremely troubling. I get anxious just thinking about having to explain to my Black child what they need to know to survive in America.

CNN —For many, the name Patrick Vieira brings to mind one of the most dominant midfielders in English Premier League history. To the younger generation, he is now one of the up-and-coming modern managers emerging in the Premier League. But Vieira wants to remind the world that he was born in Senegal and is proud to be African. “The diversity of our French and French national team was a success as well as winning the World Cup.”Patrick Vieira holds aloft the Premier League trophy after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Leicester City in 2004. The former Arsenal captain is currently the only manager from an ethnic minority in the Premier League and only the 10th Black manager since the competition’s inception in 1992.

Some may want to see the explosive, racist diatribes of a handful of prominent Los Angeles City Council members as an unfortunate incident that will eventually fade away. But the reality is that such prejudice from Latino to Latino and Latino to other racial groups is not so uncommon. That was on stark display in the conversation among former Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, council members Kevin De León and Gil Cedillo and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, who resigned Monday. "If you’re going to talk about Latino districts, what kind of districts are you trying to create?” she asks her colleagues in frustration. Zapotecs, or Indigenous people of Oaxacan descent, number about 200,000 in Los Angeles County, one of the largest Oaxacan communities outside Mexico.

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