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☆ Storm in California leaves thousands without power, more rough weather ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Capitola Wharf damaged by heavy storm waves is seen in Santa Cruz, California, U.S., January 5, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. The ominous forecast comes on the heels of a massive Pacific storm that unleashed high winds, torrential rains and heavy snow across the region for two days. As of Friday morning, some 60,000 homes and businesses remained without power because of the weather, according to data from Poweroutages.us. The blast of extreme winter weather marked the third and strongest atmospheric river to strike California since early last week. At least six people have been killed in the severe weather since New Year's weekend, including a toddler killed by a fallen redwood crushing a mobile home in northern California.

[1/4] Traffic navigates around downed tree limbs along 19th Avenue after a new bout of rainstorms threatens to flood San Francisco, in California, U.S. January 4, 2023. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, and state officials urged Californians to avoid travel during the storm. Crews in San Francisco spent the night cleaning up debris from felled trees that blocked roadways. The area lies in the heart of the Sonoma Wine Country, a tourist magnet just north of San Francisco. Nearly 100 flights were canceled at San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday, and an additional 15 had already been canceled on Thursday.

[1/5] High water levels caused by stormwater flood Discovery Park, located in the convergence of the Sacramento River and the American River, in Sacramento, California, U.S. January 4, 2023. The latest "atmospheric river" - an airborne current of dense moisture flowing from the ocean - was expected to drench much of California ahead of a Pacific storm front bringing additional showers to low-lying areas and more snow to the Sierra Nevada Mountains through Thursday. Authorities warned that heavy downpours would likely unleash flash flooding and mudslides, especially in areas where the ground remains saturated from rains that soaked northern California days earlier. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday to support the state's winter weather hazards response, and activated California's flood operations center. A separate storm system hovering on Wednesday over parts of the Midwest was forecast to drift off the East Coast by Friday.

☆ Japan to Spend Billions on U.S. Tomahawk Missiles in Military Buildup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Alastair Gale | Chieko Tsuneoka | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A file photo showing the USS Preble conducting an operational Tomahawk missile launch in a training area off the coast of California. TOKYO—Japan earmarked more than $2 billion to buy and deploy U.S. Tomahawk missiles on its naval destroyers, enough for several hundred of the weapons as it seeks to deter China and North Korea. The spending is part of a record defense budget approved by the cabinet Friday equivalent to $51.4 billion for the fiscal year starting in April. Tokyo last week signaled one of its biggest military buildups since the end of World War II with plans to nearly double defense spending over the next five years.

☆ Deep freeze grips U.S. as winter 'bomb cyclone' looms ahead of holiday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Numbing cold intensified by high winds was expected to extend as far south as the U.S.-Mexico border. The NWS map of existing or impending wintry hazards, stretching from border to border and coast to coast, "depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever," the agency said. The bomb cyclone could unleash snowfalls of a half inch (1.25 cm) per hour driven by gale-force winds, cutting visibility to near zero, the weather service said. Power outages were expected from high winds, heavy snow and ice, as well as the strain of higher-than-usual energy demands. The weather service said relief from the deep freeze was in sight for the northern Rockies and High Plains, where the arctic blast first materialized on Thursday.

☆ Japan’s Weapons Buildup to Bolster U.S. Efforts to Counter China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Alastair Gale | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO—Japan’s plans to spend billions of dollars on missiles and other weapons to deter China and North Korea herald a new phase of military competition in Asia. Tokyo is aiming to narrow a vast military gap with China and reach a stalemate that will help maintain peace, as well as counter North Korea’s growing military power. The Pentagon estimates Beijing has more than 900 short-range ballistic and ground-launched cruise missiles that could hit Japan.

☆ Japan to Build a More Powerful Military, Citing China as Its No. 1 Menace
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Alastair Gale | Chieko Tsuneoka | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO—Japan called China its biggest security challenge and said it would sharply raise military spending including for missiles that can hit other countries, marking one of Tokyo’s biggest post-World War II shifts away from pacifism. Releasing its long-awaited military strategy for the next decade, Tokyo said Friday that by fiscal 2027, it would spend about 2% of its gross domestic product on defense, up from about 1% now. Based on current GDP, that would bring annual spending to the equivalent of around $80 billion, putting Japan third in the world behind the U.S. and China.

☆ China Recruited Western Pilots With Knowledge of Stealth Fighters and Aircraft Carriers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Alastair Gale | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China’s military sought to enlist veteran Western pilots into a program that aimed to improve its ability to fly planes from aircraft carriers, among other capabilities that could be useful in the event of a conflict with the U.S., including potentially over Taiwan, according to official documents, legal filings, emails and people familiar with the matter. The program, some details of which were first revealed by the U.K. defense ministry in October, involved close collaboration between China and a South African flight academy that recruited former military pilots with expertise in areas where China’s military lags behind Western counterparts.

☆ 'Significant storm' to batter west with high winds and heavy snow forecast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A "significant winter storm" will dump heavy snow and make travel dangerous as it makes its way across the west of the country over the weekend, forecasters warned early Saturday. “High winds, heavy snow and heavy precipitation will reach the Pacific Northwest today, then impact California,” the National Weather Service said in a bulletin. More than 5 feet of snow is expected in the Sierra Nevada, resulting in “extremely dangerous travel, especially across mountain passes,” it added. “A winter storm with gale force winds, high intensity snowfall and feet of new snow accumulation may result in widespread avalanche activity in the mountains,” the Forest Service Sierra Avalanche Center said Friday. Elsewhere 1-3 feet of snow are expected across mountain ranges of the west coast, the NWS said.

☆ Greece rescues hundreds of migrants adrift on fishing boat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ATHENS, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Greece rescued hundreds of migrants on Tuesday after the fishing boat they were travelling on issued a distress signal off the island of Crete, the coast guard said. A spokesperson for the coast guard cited survivors as saying about 400 to 500 people were on board. [1/5] Migrants stand onboard a fishing boat at the port of Paleochora, following a rescue operation off the island of Crete, Greece, November 22, 2022. REUTERS/Stringer 1 2 3 4 5The migrants were taken to the southern seaside town of Paleochora. Most asylum-seekers cross to Greece from neighbouring Turkey, though Greek news websites suggested those rescued on Tuesday had sailed from Libya.

☆ First TVs, now tortillas: U.S. companies set minimum prices to halt discounting
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Jessica Dinapoli | Thomson Reuters | New York-Based Reporter Covering U.S. Consumer Products Spanning Paper Towels To Packaged Food | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

read moreFor many years manufacturers set the lowest price at which retailers could advertise certain big-ticket items like TVs. read more As a result, consumers have struggled to find a lower advertised price anywhere else. This compels brands that sell huge volumes of goods on Amazon to set, and then enforce, a minimum price. "We have no role in creating them or in their continued adoption," the Amazon spokesperson said when asked about minimum advertised pricing policies. Amazon said in response that it does not prevent sellers from offering lower prices elsewhere.

☆ Japan’s Leader Seeks Steady China Ties in First Meeting With Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Alastair Gale | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sought to steady ties with Beijing in his first meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping , reflecting the importance to Japan of economic links with China and Tokyo’s worries of being drawn into a conflict over nearby Taiwan. “Both countries are great powers with important responsibilities for the peace and prosperity of the international community. It is important that both sides accelerate their efforts to build constructive and stable Japan-China relations,” Mr. Kishida said at the start of a meeting with Mr. Xi in Bangkok that lasted around 45 minutes. The meeting took place ahead of a summit of leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation group in Thailand, following a Group of 20 meeting in Indonesia.

☆ Connecticut Question 1: Voters will decide if they will be given access to early voting
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Connecticut Question 1 would allow early voting for Connecticut voters. Proponents say that the measure would allow the state to join 44 other states that allow for early voting. Ballot measure detailsConnecticut does not allow in-person early voting in the state, but if passed, Question 1 would change that. Supporters argue that Connecticut voters should have the option to vote early like the voters in the majority of other states. "On Election Day 2022, Connecticut voters will get to decide if they want the option of voting in person before Election day — just like the voters in 44 other states.

But the new era at Twitter could also be an opportunity for the company to redefine its brand for the better. But it remains unclear what Twitter under Mr. Musk will actually be, Mr. Calkins said. Twitter before Mr. Musk weathered a number of controversies that rattled some advertisers and users. But this is a potential inflection point for Twitter, Mr. Miller said. “I think the brand is irrevocably damaged, actually, unless and until Musk finds somebody else to run Twitter,” Mr. Kwittken said.

☆ At least 20 migrants drown off Greek island, dozens more feared dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ATHENS, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Greek rescuers on Wednesday recovered 20 bodies of migrants who drowned after their small boat capsized while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece, the coast guard said, and dozens more were feared dead. The boat sank on Tuesday in rough seas and gale force winds and a search-and-rescue operation was still under way off the Greek island of Evia on Wednesday, the coast guard said. Twelve people have been rescued but survivors told authorities said as many as 68 people had been on board. But Greek authorities say they have seen an increase in attempted entries through its land and sea borders with Turkey. On Monday, four migrants were rescued near the eastern Aegean island of Samos, close to Turkey, after their inflatable dinghy capsized.

☆ UK interior minister denounced for asylum seeker 'invasion' comments
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Her comments came a day after a man used fire bombs to attack an immigration processing centre in the port town of Dover. Robert Jenrick, an immigration minister in Braverman's interior ministry, said his boss's language reflected the scale of the challenge, after a record number of nearly 40,000 asylum seekers arrived in Britain via small boats so far this year. She has also been accused of failing to listen to legal advice on the prolonged detention of migrants at another processing centre, and failing to secure adequate accommodation, both claims she has denied. "Let's stop pretending they are all refugees in distress, the whole country knows that is not true," Braverman told parliament. "No Home Secretary who was serious about public safety or national security would use highly inflammatory language on the day after a dangerous petrol bomb attack on a Dover initial processing centre," she said.

Jerry Lee Lewis, the rock ’n’ roll trailblazer and piano virtuoso who electrified audiences with his raucous, free-wheeling performances but attracted scandal after he married his 13-year-old cousin, died Friday, his publicist said. Jerry Lee Lewis in 1957. He is a defiant, reckless, indefatigable wild man that can rock you into oblivion,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame said when he was inducted in 1986. Jerry Lee Lewis with Myra Gale Brown in 1962. Jerry Lee Lewis performs in 1986.

☆ Japan Considers Buying U.S. Tomahawk Missiles to Deter North Korea and China
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Alastair Gale | Chieko Tsuneoka | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO—Japan is in talks with the U.S. about buying Tomahawk cruise missiles so that it can more quickly gain the ability to attack North Korean and Chinese military bases, people familiar with the matter said. The long-range missiles would represent a big step up in Tokyo’s ability to strike regional rivals, a power that it traditionally held back from obtaining. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he wants to improve deterrence, particularly after North Korea fired a missile that flew over Japan earlier this month and China’s military stepped up activity near Japan and Taiwan.

☆ Jerry Lee Lewis, rock ’n’ roll pioneer who sang ‘Great Balls of Fire,’ dies at 87
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Brandon Griggs | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And I’ve been on one all my life,” Lewis said in “Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story,” a 2014 biography by Rick Bragg. Jerry Lee Lewis performs on stage at the Country Music Festival held at Wembley Arena, London in April 1982. In 1989 “Great Balls of Fire!”, a biopic starring Dennis Quaid as Lewis, brought new attention to Lewis’ life and music. Jerry Lee Lewis speaks at the Country Music Hall of Fame 2022 inductees presented by CMA at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on May 17, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. Well, forget about it, let me hear that song.’”Lewis is survived by his wife, Judith Coghlan Lewis, his children Jerry Lee Lewis III, Ronnie Lewis, Pheobe Lewis and Lori Lancaster, sister Linda Gail Lewis, cousin Swaggart and many grandchildren, nieces and nephews, according to his representative’s statement.

☆ Rivian owners can’t help but gush about their trucks, flaws and all
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Matt Mcfarland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The Rivian is probably my favorite vehicle.”A Rivian R1T leaves the assembly line at its manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois. Rivian owners have generally praised the R1T's features, including the gear tunnel for extra storage. Barnhart was one of several Rivian owners who said they were pleased with how accurately Rivian estimates its vehicles range. Feehley and other Rivian owners say it’s common to get questions from curious onlookers in parking lots, or to have people in cars driving alongside them taking pictures. Rivian owners describe being unwilling to ever sell their trucks.

☆ Credit Suisse's possible First Boston revival may face hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Megan Davies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The source said Credit Suisse has been making efforts to reclaim the First Boston brand since retiring it years ago. It was unclear whether Credit Suisse would be happy to co-exist with the other First Boston brands. When contacted by Reuters, FirstBoston.net said via email that it was not affiliated with Credit Suisse and declined comment on whether Credit Suisse had contacted it. Another company with First Boston branding is First Boston Advisors, an investment banking advisory business previously branded as Methuselah Advisors. McShane said that reviving First Boston would probably see Credit Suisse "try and brush over that the brand was abandoned."

☆ North Korea Lured Japanese by Promising Paradise. Some Escapees Are Now Suing Kim Jong Un—‘We Were Deceived.’
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Alastair Gale | Photographs Shiho Fukada For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As one of five siblings left behind in North Korea, Sora Li says she often struggled to contain her anger at her mother who had fled the country. “I couldn’t sleep. I went outside and shouted about how much I resented her,” she said.

☆ $228 Million Privacy Ruling Against Rail Giant Is ‘Wake-Up Call’ for Third-Party Risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( David Uberti | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Companies have paid out eye-popping sums in recent years to settle claims they violated Illinois’s biometric privacy law. Last week, a historic legal judgment against BNSF Railway Co. highlighted that data lapses by third-party contractors also don’t come cheap. A jury’s award of $228 million to truck drivers whose fingerprints were scanned without proper consent signaled that businesses can’t blame data violations on vendors, privacy lawyers say. Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act provides little distinction between companies and contractors that process data on their behalf, upping the ante for firms as they vet potential vendors’ data practices and structure contracts. There is no comprehensive federal privacy law.

☆ China’s Military Is Catching Up to the U.S. Is It Ready for Battle?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Alastair Gale | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China’s military is emerging as a true competitor to the U.S. under Xi Jinping. The People’s Liberation Army now has hypersonic missiles that evade most defenses, a technology the U.S. is still developing. Its attack drones can swarm to paralyze communications networks. China’s naval ships outnumber America’s, and it launched its third aircraft carrier this summer, the first to be designed and built in the country. China’s military has more serving members, at around 2 million, compared with just under 1.4 million in the U.S.

☆ China’s Military Is Catching Up to the U.S. Is It Ready to Fight?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Alastair Gale | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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