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☆ California, Northeast menaced by late-season winter storms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A general view shows flooded streets in Pajaro, California, U.S., March 12, 2023, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. On the West Coast, the storm targeted areas of northern and Central California already saturated from the unusual bout of bad weather. It promised to dump as much as seven inches (18 cm) of rain in higher elevations and up to three inches elsewhere, the National Weather Service said in its forecast. The growing frequency and intensity of such storms amid bouts of prolonged drought are symptomatic of human-caused climate change, experts say. The storm in the Northeast threatened to produce wet snow that could topple power lines and trees, causing power outages.

☆ Kiska, Canada's last captive killer whale, dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Kiska, the last captive orca or killer whale in Canada, swims in her concrete tank in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Phil Demers/ Instagram & TikTok @UrgenSeas/via REUTERSMarch 10 (Reuters) - Kiska, the last captive killer whale in Canada, has died, the Ontario government said late on Friday, adding it was informed of the death by the theme park where Kiska lived. "The ministry was advised by MarineLand that the whale named Kiska passed away at MarineLand on March 9, 2023. Canadian non-profit group Animal Justice, which advocates for animal rights, called for a probe into MarineLand's treatment of the killer whale. "Animal Welfare Services was onsite to determine compliance with the Standards of Care," Ross said.

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO to tell senators how he plans to 'make it right' after Ohio derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw will tell a U.S. Senate panel Thursday how he plans to "make it right" after one of the company's trains derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, last month. Other committees in Congress are also investigating the East Palestine derailment. On Saturday, another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Ohio, after which residents near Springfield were ordered to shelter in place. Hours after that derailment, internal emails obtained by CNBC indicated that Norfolk Southern was making broad safety adjustments to prevent future incidents.

☆ As parliament meets, China keeps would-be protesters at bay
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Engen Tham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Demonstrators hold up signs during a protest over the freezing of deposits by some rural-based banks, outside a People's Bank of China building in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China July 10, 2022, in this screengrab from video obtained by Reuters. Text in foreground reads, "Henan Bank, return to us our legal deposits! The people's life-saving deposits!" China has a low tolerance for group displays of discontent, even if anger is not directed against the government. Some of those who spoke with Reuters declined to use their full names due to the sensitivity of the matter.

☆ Sister's note led police to mafia boss Messina Denaro
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Rosalia (Rosetta) Messina Denaro, 67, was detained in Sicily on mafia membership charges, Carabinieri police said, releasing a 57-page arrest warrant. Her brother, Matteo Messina Denaro, 60, was Italy's most wanted man until his arrest on Jan. 16, after 30 years on the run. Italian authorities had already said that Messina Denaro was snared by his failing health, but on Friday they revealed the source of the key tip. 'BIG STRAWBERRY'While on the run, Messina Denaro followed mafia tradition in communicating with relatives and affiliates via "pizzini", small pieces of paper sometimes written in code. Rosalia's husband, Filippo Guttadauro, is another convicted Sicilian mobster, while her daughter Lorenza is Matteo Messina Denaro's defence lawyer.

☆ Fact Check-Deliberately fake tweet about Coronation Day medals for MPs taken seriously online
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image of a deliberately falsified tweet supposedly on the legacy verified account of Britain’s Ministry of Defence, which says only specific staff, including MPs, will receive medals to commemorate the coronation of King Charles, is being taken seriously online. Showing how some people will believe & share any old rubbish.”An advanced Twitter search produced no evidence of the Ministry of Defence posting the tweet (bit.ly/3Yl6KKd). The Ministry of Defence was not immediately available for comment. The fake tweet was uploaded by an account which intentionally posts false content. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

☆ An 'elite' Russian unit has been weakened by severe front-line losses, and the replacements appear to be making things worse, Western intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's 155th Naval Infantry Brigade has suffered heavy losses while fighting in Ukraine. The 155th was considered to be an "elite" unit, but has been degraded, Western intelligence says. It's the latest high-profile Russian unit to see a high number of causalities on the battlefield. SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty ImagesThe 155th is not the only Russian unit considered elite that has suffered severe setbacks and losses in Ukraine. Western intelligence estimates that Russian forces may have suffered as many as 200,000 casualties while fighting in Ukraine, with up to 60,000 troops dead.

☆ China coal mine death toll at six, 47 missing as rescue resumes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CGTN/Handout via REUTERSFeb 24 (Reuters) - The death toll from a coal mine collapse in northern China rose to six with at least 47 people missing as rescue efforts resumed after a landslide had halted the search for survivors, state media said on Friday. Six people had been pulled alive from the mine in Inner Mongolia by 10:30 p.m. (1430 GMT) on Thursday, state media reported. Three hundred rescue workers were using heavy machinery and rescue dogs in their search for the miners, state media said. The mine, once underground, was converted to an open-pit operation in 2012, according to state media. It had suspended production for three years before restarting in April 2021, state media said, without specifying the cause of the closure.

☆ Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says his office made a criminal referral in East Palestine train derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Rebecca Shabad | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday said that his office has made a criminal referral in response to the recent train derailment over the border in East Palestine, Ohio, and the aftereffects on the environment and nearby communities. Shapiro shared the information during a press conference in East Palestine with Ohio Gov. Meanwhile, consumer advocate Erin Brockovich is planning a town hall in East Palestine for Friday. In an interview Tuesday on MSNBC, she reacted to footage of Regan and DeWine drinking an East Palestine resident's tap water.

☆ Buttigieg urges U.S. railroads to boost safety, not oppose reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/7] Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. Buttigieg said he would soon outline specific safety improvements railroads should take immediately. He harshly criticized them for lobbying against steps "intended to improve rail safety and to help keep Americans safe." Buttigieg said he also planned to outline "prioritized actions planned" by the U.S. Department of Transportation on rail safety. In response to the derailment, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell Friday opened an inquiry into railroad hazardous materials safety practices.

☆ 6 ways shopping sites trick you into buying more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Avery Hartmans | Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Online retailers use psychological tricks and tools to get consumers to make purchases. But we're shopping online now more than ever before, and these subtle nudges are starting to feel more widespread. Buy online, pick up in storeBuy online, pick up instore was all the rage during the pandemic. So much of how we shop and make purchase decisions is subconscious, he said, and while you may rationally know that scarcity is a marketing tactic, your subconscious doesn't. Tips for avoiding retailers' marketing tricksJust being aware of these marketing tactics isn't enough to protect you from them, Goldberg said.

[1/3] Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. NTSBGov/Handout via REUTERSFeb 14 (Reuters) - Cleanup is moving quickly after a train carrying toxic materials derailed in Ohio 11 days ago, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on Tuesday, while residents and observers questioned the health impacts of pollution that spilled into the Ohio River. Officials said the volume of the river diluted the plume and the plume did not pose a serious threat. UNION WARNINGSRailroad union officials said they have been warning that such an accident could happen because railroad cost-cutting harmed safety measures. "No one wants to listen until we have a town blown off the face of the earth, then people listen," said Whitaker, whose union is the largest U.S. railroad union representing conductors, engineers and other workers.

☆ Fact Check-Screenshot of article headline about ‘racist Ukrainian refugee sex workers’ is digitally altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A screenshot of what appears to be a news article about racism among Ukrainian refugee sex workers has been digitally altered and shared on social media. The screenshot also includes an article date of Sept. 24, 2022, and a date for the accompanying photo in the photo caption of Sept. 23, 2022. Reuters did, however, find an authentic Vision Times article which used the same photo as seen in the screenshot. The authentic article is headlined “Ukraine War Puts Refugee Women at Risk of Human Trafficking, Sex Predators," and can be viewed on the outlet’s website (here). Moreover, the authentic article credits Neil Campbell and has a similar byline description to the one in the screenshot.

☆ Worried residents near Ohio train derailment report dead fish and chickens as authorities say it's safe to return
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Aria Bendix | David K. Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. For days, authorities have been telling residents of the area around East Palestine, Ohio, that it is safe to return home after a 150-car train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed Feb. 3. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said the chemical spill resulting from the derailment had killed an estimated 3,500 small fish across 7½ miles of streams as of Wednesday. For some people who live near the derailment site, the reports continue to spur fear that they and their animals might be exposed to chemicals through the air, water and soil. The Ohio Department of Agriculture said the risk to livestock remains low.

☆ Controlled chemical release scheduled to prevent explosion in wake of Ohio train derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Dennis Romero | Marlene Lenthang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. Three days after a 150-car train derailed in northeastern Ohio, and risked exploding due to chemicals on board, authorities have announced a planned chemical release. Josh Shapiro ordered an immediate evacuation of a 1-mile by 2-mile area surrounding East Palestine that includes parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Graham on Sunday identified at least 10 of the derailed cars as "hazmat cars," or those carrying hazardous materials or chemicals. In a statement Saturday, the village of East Palestine said "zero health risks" had been discovered so far.

☆ Ohio to carry out controlled release of chemicals at train derailment site
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. NTSBGov/Handout via REUTERSFeb 6 (Reuters) - Ohio officials on Monday said they would carry out a controlled release of hazardous chemicals after ordering evacuations near the site of a train derailment in the northeastern part of the state that led to a chemical fire. The contents will be drained in a controlled fashion," railroad operator Norfolk Southern Corp (NSC.N) said in a statement on Monday. Images posted on social media from East Palestine, a town northwest of Pittsburgh, showed several train cars on fire. We are ordering you to leave," Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on Monday.

☆ How shopping sites are using psychology to trick you into spending more — and 3 ways to avoid them
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Avery Hartmans | Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Online retailers use psychological tricks and tools to get consumers to make purchases. Offering incentives for adding more items to online carts like free shipping is another example of the psychological tricks a retailer can play. Buy online, pick up in storeBuy online, pick up instore was all the rage during the pandemic. So much of how we shop and make purchase decisions is subconscious, he said, and while you may rationally know that scarcity is a marketing tactic, your subconscious doesn't. Tips for avoiding retailers' marketing tricksJust being aware of these marketing tactics isn't enough to protect you from them, Goldberg said.

Catalano's brother, Agostino, was a policeman who died in a 1992 bomb that killed anti-mob magistrate Paolo Borsellino - a attack that prosecutors say Messina Denaro helped mastermind. The last confirmed sighting of Messina Denaro was in 1993, making it difficult for police to identify the most wanted man in Italy. Only one of them decided to collaborate with justice," said Roberto Piscitello, a prosecutor who tried to capture Messina Denaro from 1996 to 2008. FALSE IDENTITYPolice say they managed to catch Messina Denaro after learning from wiretaps of his relatives that he had cancer. BUSINESS CONTACTSMagistrates said they found evidence that Messina Denaro had visited Spain, Greece and Austria over the years.

[1/5] Police officers detain a man, believed by law enforcement to be the Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect, in Half Moon Bay, California, U.S., January 23, 2023, in this screengrab taken from a social media video. California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was visiting wounded survivors from Saturday night's massacre in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park when he was informed of Monday's killings in northern California. A semi-automatic handgun was found in his car, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus told an evening news conference. It ranked as the deadliest mass shooting ever in Los Angeles County, according to Hilda Solis, a member of the county Board of Supervisors. Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said investigators were looking into unconfirmed reports that the violence may have been precipitated by jealousy or relationship issues.

☆ TikTok is quietly testing a podcast feature that allows users to listen to audio in the background
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

TikTok is testing a new "Podcasts" feature that allows users to listen to audio in the background. TikTok is testing a new "Podcasts" feature that allows users to continue to listen to a video's audio even while the app is in the background. Ordinarily, moving away from a TikTok video pauses it outright. One in three respondents said YouTube was their preferred podcast app, followed by Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Spotify has since borrowed tactics from TikTok, including testing a TikTok-like feed for discovering audio on its app.

☆ Jordan truckers' strike exposes woes of impoverished south
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Diesel is my lifeline," said 54-year-old Abu al-Zait, who has seen his livelihood thrown into jeopardy by high fuel price rises since Russia invaded Ukraine. The month-long sit-in cost Jordan tens of millions of dollars in losses when it paralysed unloading at the Red Sea port of Aqaba, according to officials and industrialists. It was the latest bout of unrest in Maan, a poor tribal stronghold about 250 km (156 miles) south of the capital. Fuel price rises, combined with high taxes and spiralling food costs in a nation that imports most goods, has made life unaffordable for many. Like many Arab states, Jordan has in the last decade seen widespread unrest as it reduced food and fuel subsidies.

☆ Now is an 'ideal' time for young people to start building wealth, says investing expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It shows a screengrab from a TikTok picturing a young, smiling woman, whose username is cropped out. It's enough to cause many investors to panic, when most market experts will tell you to do the exact opposite. Dollar-cost averaging is a classic long-term investing strategy that involves investing a set amount of money into your portfolio at regular intervals. There's no guarantee that the woman from TikTok is doing it or plans to. But if she is, here's why she's right to be excited that the market is down.

☆ Photos show record California floods led to boat rescues, mudslides, and breached levees. More rain is coming.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An atmospheric river dumped record rainfall across Nothern California on New Year's Eve. A car is partially submerged on a flooded road after heavy rains in San Francisco, California, December 31, 2022, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesOakland saw its wettest day on record on Saturday, and San Francisco was just shy of its record. Another person died after being pulled from the waters, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In Tahoe, the atmospheric river dumped snow onto roadways that left some drivers stranded and prompted authorities to close major roadways.

☆ Creator economy experts say 2023 will be a buyer's market for M&A. Here are 5 themes to watch, from tech buyers like Shopify to startup consolidation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Marta Biino | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"As a result, institutional acquirers, like PE firms who still have dry powder to spend, will start snatching up mid-to-large sized creator startups at much more advantageous prices." Insider spoke with creator-economy and market experts about what deals and the broader M&A landscape in 2023 may look like. "They're going to see that the creator economy exists as a direct failure of them to support creators," Gestetner said. "But if an opportunity arises for us to significantly enhance our capabilities to make us a better business powering the creator economy, we'll consider it." Startups can expect consolidation in saturated marketsThe crowded niches within the creator economy startup sphere could also face a wave of consolidation.

[1/5] An aerial view of buildings during a blizzard in Buffalo, New York, U.S. December 26, 2022, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. "It's still snowing" in Western New York, said NWS meteorologist Bob Oravec, predicting two more inches. "This is probably the last of the snow," added Oravec, who is with the NWS Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. Buffalo, New York state's second largest city, was ground zero for the blizzard that took shape on Friday. Poloncarz, speaking at a press briefing Tuesday, urged residents to stay home and the curious to stay away.

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