Trap and trace

Ukrainian partners of Azovstal's soldiers of Marioupol, Olha Andrianova, Katerina Prokopenko and Hanna Naumenko pose during a photo session on May 15, 2022 in Paris. Their menfolk are the last pocket of resistance in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, holed up in a warren of underground tunnels and bunkers at the vast Azovstal steelworks under heavy Russian bombardment. But while their partners, all fighters in Ukraine's Azov regiment, make a last stand at Azovstal, Olha Andrianova, Hanna Naumenko and Kateryna Prokopenko are engaged in their own personal battle -- to get the West to intervene to save them. After leaving Kyiv on April 23, they stopped off at the Vatican, where they were granted a five-minute audience with Pope Francis , and also visited Poland and Germany. Now in France, the young women are determined to do whatever is necessary to help save the men's lives. "The more countries we go to, the more chances we have of finding a quick solution," said … [Read more...] about Ukrainian women ask West to save trapped Mariupol defenders

- A + A PARIS/MANILA (May 16): International wheat prices jumped on Monday as an export ban by India, the latest country to use trade curbs to counter food inflation, threatened to further squeeze world wheat supply strained by the war in Ukraine. US and European wheat futures climbed by nearly 6%, with the Chicago market — the global benchmark — earlier reaching its daily trading limit and Paris prices approaching all-time highs. By end of its overnight trading session, Chicago futures were up 4.9%, off an earlier two-month peak. Wheat has contributed to record highs this year for global food prices as measured by the UN's food agency, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine upending the market by halting massive shipments from Ukrainian sea ports. India's embargo, prompted by a heatwave that has cut harvest prospects and sent domestic prices soaring, marks a policy U-turn after the government maintained just days earlier that it was still targeting record exports of … [Read more...] about Wheat prices jump as India export ban adds to supply squeeze

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 16): Continuous heavy rain since the afternoon has triggered flash floods in several locations in three states; however, only one relief centre (PPS) was opened on Monday (May 16) night. The locations are Kuala Kubu Bharu in Selangor; Nilai, Seremban and Kuala Pilah in Negeri Sembilan and Baling in Kedah. In SELANGOR, state Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis said they received a report of flash floods at about 6pm, involving Kampung Jawa, Kampung Pasir and Kerling Estate, Sungai Dua Kerling in Kuala Kubu Bharu. He said the water level in the affected areas was about 1.8 metres and no PPS had been opened so far. In NEGERI SEMBILAN, Nilai Fire and Rescue Station chief Bakarya Mohd Salleh said about 10 houses in Kampung Sungai Mahang were affected by flash floods. Meanwhile, five individuals faced an anxious moment after the Toyota Avanza they were travelling in was swept away by the floods in Kampung Dingkir Inas, Kuala … [Read more...] about Flash floods strike several areas in three states

Tired, deflated, hanging by a thread: These are just a few keywords your average American worker might use to describe themself these days. And who can blame them, as we head into year three of the pandemic? Compared with the “before times,” remote employees are working longer hours, attending more meetings, and juggling more communication channels. According to Zendesk, more than a quarter of working American adults say they now suffer from some form of depression, and nearly 60% report negative effects of workplace-related stress. advertisement advertisement So, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when 47.4 million Americans resigned from their jobs last year—with another 52% eyeballing the exit. To be sure, myriad factors have contributed to this mass exodus, but it’s worth noting that toxic culture is the top predictor of voluntary turnover. In fact, when compared with salary, toxic cultures are 10.4 times more likely to push an employee … [Read more...] about One key way to prevent employee burnout? Addressing toxic clients

BRASÍLIA, Brazil — Brazil’s highest court on Thursday rejected a lower court’s decision to remove from Netflix a comedy depicting Jesus Christ in a gay relationship. The head of the Supreme Federal Court, Judge Antonio Dias Toffoli, sided with the streaming platform’s appeal against a temporary injunction banning the movie. It denied the idea that the movie was insulting to Christians. “One cannot suppose that a humorous satire has the ability to weaken the values of the Christian faith, whose existence is traced back more than two thousand years, and which is the belief of the majority of Brazlian citizens,” the judge said. The film, entitled “The First Temptation of Christ”, by the Brazilian production company Porta dos Fundos, came out on December 3 and drew strong criticism from conservative politicians in the mainly Catholic country, from the church itself and from evangelicals. It depicts Jesus returning home with his boyfriend Orlando after 40 days in the desert, as … [Read more...] about Brazil supreme court sides with Netflix over gay Jesus comedy

(CNN) "Who wants spaghetti?" I call out to my children as I peer into our pantry. "Me!" scream my two sons, ages 2 and 4, in unison. I bring the water to a boil, toss in the pasta but absolutely no sauce because my kids prefer it with butter. I ask the boys what color dinner plates they want. Without fail, my 4-year-old yells out, "I want green!" while my 2-year-old throws his hands out toward the other with excitement, "Blue, blue, Mommy!" I toss the plates down in front of them with a side of sliced strawberries and some diluted apple juice in their sippy cups, and I pour myself a glass of wine. Read More My kids fight constantly: What do I do? I feel accomplished, but 15 minutes later that feeling dissipates. My children haven't touched anything on their plates minus a few berries. "No like!" my youngest pouts. Without looking up, the 4-year-old says, "I want a Popsicle." Here we go again, I … [Read more...] about My children’s picky eating is overtaking mealtime

File Image. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth during a meeting, in New Delhi, Friday, December 6, 2019. (PIB/ PTI Photo) After being the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) for India since economic liberalisation in 1991, Mauritius is looking to attract investments from Indian businesses as it attempts to shed the image of being a tax haven. The Indian Ocean island nation also wants to reduce its reliance on China as a development partner and mend a tourism-dependent economy hurt by the global travel shutdown in the aftermath of the pandemic. Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, in India on an eight-day trip, is scheduled to meet with business leaders in Lucknow and other cities. He has already met the Chief Ministers of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, seeking both bilateral partnerships as well as support to push Mauritius as an investment destination in these states, multiple sources in the know said. During … [Read more...] about ​Exclusive| Mauritius seeks Indian investments amid major bid to shed tax-haven image

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Biden administration has reinstated restrictive policies under the guise of environmental protections that impact the construction of major infrastructure projects in the United States, including pipelines and highways. The timing could not be worse. Federal government regulatory intervention is on the rise. The new rule will require federal agencies to examine the climate impact of infrastructure projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a 1970 law that requires the government to assess the environmental outcomes. Critics say that the Biden administration took these measures to reverse his predecessor’s policy liberalization, leading to an unprecedented increase in America’s hydrocarbon production. This move has come under scrutiny amid the skyrocketing prices for oil and natural gas domestically and internationally and the need for the US to ramp up liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to … [Read more...] about How Biden’s New Energy Restrictions Defeat His Goals For Helping Ukraine