Wednesday, May 18th, 2022
Neil Patrick Harris apologizes for ‘corpse of Amy Winehouse’ meat platter Neil Patrick Harris has apologized for an Amy Winehouse joke that became legendary in the worst way possible. In 2011, the How I Met Your Mother star hosted a Halloween party that featured a grotesque meat platter meant to look like Amy Winehouse’s dead body, which was labeled “the corpse of Amy Winehouse.” This was just months after the singer tragically died of alcohol poisoning at 27. Harris faced renewed backlash for the dark joke after a picture from the party resurfaced, and he has now apologized in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “A photo recently resurfaced from a Halloween-themed party my husband and I hosted 11 years ago,” he said. “It was regrettable then, and it remains regrettable now.” The actor praised Winehouse as a “once-in-a-generation talent,” adding, “I’m sorry for any hurt this image caused.” ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Another four cases of monkeypox are confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency, bringing the total number recorded in the current outbreak to seven. Notably, these new cases appear to be the result of community transmission, with no known links to previous cases. (BBC News)
The United States lifts some economic sanctions on Venezuela, including allowing the Chevron Corporation to negotiate its license with the Venezuelan PDVSA state-owned oil company and removing the names of some Venezuelan officials from a United States government list of sanctioned individuals. (AP)
U.S. lets Chevron talk to Venezuela about resuming oil sales The Treasury Department on Tuesday gave Chevron a “narrow” license that will allow the energy giant to start talks with Venezuela to resume oil production halted under U.S. sanctions against the South American country’s socialist government, The Washington Post reported, citing U.S. officials. The license marked the first step toward possible sanctions relief under discussion since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered new sanctions on Russia and disrupted global oil markets. Successful talks could clear Chevron to extract and sell Venezuelan crude. Renewing purchases of Venezuelan oil could increase available supply while driving a wedge between the government of controversial Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Russia, a close ally. THE WASHINGTON POST
Hezbollah coalition loses majority in Lebanon Iran-aligned Hezbollah and allied parties have lost their majority in Lebanon’s parliament, according to election results released Tuesday. Neither Hezbollah’s bloc nor its rivals in a Saudi-aligned coalition led by the Lebanese Forces, a right-wing Christian party calling for disarming Hezbollah militants, were able to secure a majority, both sides said. Hezbollah’s alliance appears likely to secure at least 61 seats, slightly more than the Lebanese Forces bloc but down from the 70 it won in the last election in 2018. The division could hamper efforts to form a government as Lebanon contends with a devastating economic crisis, although Hezbollah still might be able to pull together a majority if it can win over some independent legislators. THE WASHINGTON POST
Allianz’s American asset management unit pleads guilty to criminal securities fraud and agrees to pay $5.8 billion to those who have been misled about the risk of investing in some hedge funds that collapsed with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to more than $1 billion to the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Reuters)
Powell says Fed will curb inflation even if ‘some pain involved’ Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told The Wall Street Journal in a Tuesday interview that the central bank is committed to bringing down the highest inflation in 40 years, even if there is “some pain involved.” “Restoring price stability is an unconditional need. It is something we have to do,” Powell said during the Journal‘s Future of Everything Festival. Powell said he hoped the Fed’s efforts, which include interest rate hikes and a reduction of its balance sheet, will do the trick without weakening the labor market, but that bringing down price pressures could result in a slight rise in unemployment, which was near a half-century low at 3.6 percent in April. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Finland, Sweden formally apply to join NATO Finland and Sweden on Wednesday formally applied to join NATO. The two Nordic countries had long held proudly to their military nonalignment, but shifted toward applying for membership in the Western military alliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Security experts said adding Sweden and Finland to NATO would significantly strengthen the alliance in the Baltic Sea. “This is a historic moment, which we must seize,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a ceremony where Swedish and Finnish ambassadors to the alliance submitted their application letters. All 30 NATO members will have to approve the expansion, and Turkey recently unexpectedly said it had reservations about admitting Finland and Sweden due to their purported willingness to harbor Kurdish militants Turkey considers terrorists. REUTERS
FDA authorizes Pfizer booster for kids ages 5 to 11 The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized giving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster to children ages 5 to 11. Children in the age group will be eligible for the third dose of the vaccine at least five months after they received the second shot. The companies asked the FDA to approve the booster, which will be the first available to children that young, based on a small study they said indicated it was safe and effective in boosting antibody levels to counter waning immunity. Previously, only people 12 or older were able to get booster shots. The companies said the booster dose intended for younger children increased protection against the coronavirus, including the highly infectious Omicron variant that has increased the number of children hospitalized with COVID-19. NPR
Data suggests intentional crash of China jet Flight data from one of the black boxes of a China Eastern jet that crashed in March indicated that someone crashed the plane intentionally, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with U.S. officials’ preliminary assessment. The Boeing 737-800 was cruising at high altitude and suddenly went into a near-vertical dive, slamming into a southern China mountain and killing all 123 passengers and nine crew members. “The plane did what it was told to do by someone in the cockpit,” a person familiar with the preliminary assessment told the Journal. Chinese officials have not flagged any mechanical problems related to the crash. Boeing and the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which is leading the investigation, did not immediately comment. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
White House offers public 3rd set of free at-home COVID tests The White House announced Tuesday that Americans can now order a third set of free, at-home coronavirus tests to be delivered by the Postal Service. Under the expanded program, the number of tests being made available to each household doubled to 16. President Biden first promised to make the tests available at no charge as Americans were dealing with a shortage of tests during the winter Omicron coronavirus wave. More than 70 million households had ordered and received a total of 350 million tests by the time the extension of the program was announced. The move came as fast-spreading Omicron subvariants are sending infection rates climbing in many parts of the United States, although deaths and severe illnesses remain far below winter peaks. THE NEW YORK TIMES
Target shares fall as high costs dent profit Target shares plunged by 16 percent in pre-market trading on Wednesday after the retailer reported disappointing quarterly profits due to rising freight and inventory costs. Target reported strong quarterly net sales of $25.17 billion, beating the $24.47 billion analysts expected, but the cost increases caused diluted earnings per share to come in at $2.19, far short of the $3.07 expected. “We never expected the kind of cost increases in freight and transportation that we’re seeing right now,” Target Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell told Yahoo Finance. Target expects another $1 billion in freight and transportation costs this year related to high fuel and diesel prices. Like Walmart, it slashed its profit outlook for the year after the rough start. CNBC
A Russian airstrike kills eight people and injures twelve others in Desna, Chernihiv Oblast. (Reuters)
Heavy fighting breaks out in Tripoli, Libya, forcing Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha to flee the capital. (AP)
Nine people are killed during an explosion caused by a gas leak at a primary school and a store in Kano, Nigeria. (BBC News)
Tuesday, May 17th, 2022
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin warns that Russia will react to the “expansion of military infrastructure” by NATO in Sweden and Finland, saying that “problems are being created for no reason at all. We shall react accordingly”. (Sky News)
Ukraine says that its troops have pushed back Russian forces in a counter-offensive, reaching the border with Russia. Kharkiv governor Oleh Synyehubov confirms that Ukrainian forces have restored control of a border crossing with Russia in the region. (Reuters)
The Russian ruble approaches a 5-year high against the Euro. (Reuters)
Ukrainian fighters evacuate Mariupol steel plant, ending standoff Hundreds of Ukrainian fighters, dozens of them seriously wounded, were evacuated Monday from the besieged Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, ending their standoff against Russian fighters who have seized control of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Ukraine and Russia agreed to a local cease-fire that allowed dozens of buses to leave. “Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes alive,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said. About 1,000 Ukrainian fighters, many from the skilled and controversial Azov Regiment, had held out for weeks in the steel plant’s network of underground tunnels and bunkers as Russia bombarded the complex. Hundreds of civilians who had sheltered there were evacuated earlier after being trapped for weeks. THE WASHINGTON POST
Five buses and an armored personnel carrier evacuate several hundred soldiers from the Azovstal steel works following negotiations with the Russian Armed Forces. The evacuated soldiers will be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war. (BBC News)
The Russian Defence Ministry says that its forces have shot down three Ukrainian Air Force warplanes, including a Su-25 over Mykolaiv and a Su-24 strike jet near Snake Island in the Black Sea. (Reuters)
McDonald’s announces that it has begun the process of selling all of its restaurants in Russia citing the “humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine”, as the reason for ending operations in the country after 32 years. It is later announced that these restaurants will reopen under a new brand in mid-June, and that their menus will be retained. (Reuters)
Trump must post on Truth Social before Twitter Former President Donald Trump plans to “partially restrict himself” on social media sites like Twitter, even if Elon Musk completes his purchase of the company and follows through on his recently stated intention to let Trump back on the platform, CNBC reported Monday, citing an SEC filing from Digital World Acquisition Corp., the SPAC working to take Trump’s media and technology company public. According to the filing, Trump must first post to his social network Truth Social, and “can’t publish the same content on another social media site for six hours,” CNBC said. Once the six hours are up, he can post on “any site to which he has access,” the filing says. AXIOS
Biden reverses Trump order, redeploying U.S. troops to Somalia President Biden has authorized the military to send hundreds of Special Operations forces into Somalia, The New York Times reported Monday, citing four officials familiar with the matter. The Obama administration, in which Biden served as vice president, had about 700 ground troops stationed in the country, but former President Donald Trump withdrew nearly all of them. Biden also approved a Pentagon request to target leaders of Al Shabab, a Somali terrorist group affiliated with al Qaeda, the Times reported. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson confirmed the orders, which she said would permit “a more effective fight against Al Shabab.” THE NEW YORK TIMES
U.S. President Joe Biden announces that American troops will be redeployed to Somalia, reversing a previous order under former President Donald Trump. (ABC News)
Biden reverses some Trump restrictions on Cuba The Biden administration announced Monday that it will ease some restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba that were imposed by the Trump administration. The State Department said it would lift a $1,000-per-quarter limit on money families can send to their relatives in Cuba. The U.S. also will allow non-family remittances to help Cuban entrepreneurs establish and maintain independent businesses. The U.S. will permit passenger flights to locations other than Havana, increase visa processing, and revive the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program, as well. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the moves would “support Cubans’ aspirations for freedom and for greater economic opportunities so that they can lead successful lives at home.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Macron names Elisabeth Borne as French prime minister Newly re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday named Labor Minister Elisabeth Borne to replace Jean Castex as prime minister. Borne will be the first woman to serve as France’s prime minister in 30 years, and only the second in the country’s history. “Nothing should stop the fight for the place of women in our society,” Borne said. The first woman to serve in the post was Édith Cresson, who was prime minister from 1991 to 1992 under Socialist President François Mitterand. Borne, a centrist, is expected to use her deep experience in how the state works to try to push through retirement reform and climate change measures Macron promised in his re-election campaign. ABC NEWS
FDA, Abbott reach agreement to reopen baby formula plant The Food and Drug Administration and Abbott Laboratories reached an agreement Monday aiming to help speed up the reopening of the company’s shuttered baby formula plant. The FDA said the deal could make it possible for Abbott to resume production at the Sturgis, Michigan, facility in two weeks. The factory has been shut down since February, when a potentially deadly bacteria was detected on equipment there following illnesses and two deaths among babies that consumed formula produced at the plant. The effort to reopen the factory is part of the plan to ease a nationwide shortage of baby formula that is stoking alarm and hardship among parents. The FDA said Monday it would make it easier to import some infant formulas from abroad. CNN
Twitter deal can’t ‘move forward’ without data on fake accounts Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted Tuesday that Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal “publicly refused to show proof” that fewer than 5 percent of the social media platform’s accounts are fake, and said his $44 billion bid to buy Twitter “cannot move forward until he does.” Musk claims 20 percent or more of Twitter accounts could be fake or spam accounts, possibly more. Agrawal on Monday defended Twitter’s effort to crack down on bots. He said the company suspends more than half a million accounts daily, and locks millions of suspected fake accounts until they are verified. “Spam harms the experience for real people on Twitter, and therefore can harm our business,” Agrawal posted Monday. TESLARATI
JetBlue attempts hostile takeover of Spirit JetBlue on Monday launched a hostile takeover bid for Spirit Airlines. Spirit rejected a $3.7 billion offer from JetBlue two weeks ago, arguing that regulators were unlikely to approve the deal and sticking with an earlier agreement to merge with fellow discount carrier Frontier Airlines. JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said in a March 29 letter to Spirit that a tie-up would “create a leading player best positioned to serve our customers by offering increased flight schedules and more competitive fares.” JetBlue’s original offer was for $33 per share. It now is offering shareholders $30 per share and urging them to vote against the Frontier deal. Spirit shares closed at $16.90 on Monday. CNBC
Commercial flights from Sanaa International Airport in Sanaa, Yemen, resume after six years. The Yemenia flight carried 151 passengers to the Jordanian capital Amman. (France 24)
French Minister of Labour Élisabeth Borne is appointed by President Emmanuel Macron as the new Prime Minister of France, succeeding Jean Castex. (Le Monde in English)
Monday, May 16th, 2022
McDonald’s to sell Russia business McDonald’s announced Monday that it plans to sell its Russia business after 32 years. It paused operations in the country two months ago due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. “This is a complicated issue that’s without precedent and with profound consequences,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski wrote in a letter to franchises, employees, and suppliers that The New York Times obtained. Numerous restaurant chains and consumer product manufacturers have suspended operations in Russia since it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, including Starbucks and Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut. McDonald’s has 39,000 restaurants in over 100 countries. It has invested billions of dollars in Russia since opening in Moscow in 1990. THE NEW YORK TIMES
Goldman’s Blankfein: Prepare for possible recession Goldman Sachs Senior Chairman Lloyd Blankfein on Sunday warned that the United States faces a “very, very high risk” of recession. “If I were running a big company, I would be very prepared for it,” Blankfein said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “If I was a consumer, I’d be prepared for it.” Blankfein said the Federal Reserve still has “very powerful tools” available to cool down the economy and contain inflation without cutting off growth completely, so a recession isn’t “baked in the cake.” The comments came as the investment bank’s economists cut their growth forecast for 2022 to 2.4 percent, down from 2.6 percent, and their 2023 estimate to 1.6 percent from 2.2 percent. BLOOMBERG
Commercial flights from Sanaa International Airport in Sanaa, Yemen, resume after six years. The Yemenia flight carried 151 passengers to the Jordanian capital Amman. (France 24)
McConnell expects vote on $40 billion Ukraine aid package this week Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Sunday that he expects senators to advance the new $40 billion Ukraine aid package on Monday, followed by a final vote to approve the funding on Wednesday. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) held up the money last week, but McConnell, who made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Saturday, said “it’s important for the United States to help, important for the free world to help.” McConnell said the Ukraine aid is “not charity” but a necessary step to protect U.S. interests by showing that a “ruthless thug” can’t “march through Europe” unchecked. McConnell also said he would support designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. THE WASHINGTON POST
Romania Protecting Europe in Turbulent Times. Bucharest Leaders Summit: Enduring Power of Solidarity. (Stiri din Romania)
Fourteen people die and nineteen others are injured after a tourist bus smashes into a billboard in Mojokerto, East Java, Indonesia. (Associated Press)
The Ghanaian Ministry of Defence warns that the possibility that a terrorist attack will occur in the country is “very real” and that the country’s defence system has been placed at high alert. (yen.com.gh)
Sweden’s government backs applying to join NATO Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced Sunday that her party, the Social Democrats, had decided that Sweden should join NATO. The Social Democrats voted in a Sunday meeting to support working toward applying to join the Western military alliance, setting up a vote in parliament. Hours earlier, Finland formally announced it will seek to join NATO. Andersson said Sweden’s military non-alliance had served it well for 200 years, but Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine showed the policy “will not serve us well in the future.” The invasion demonstrated that the Kremlin is “prepared to use violence to achieve their political objectives and that they don’t hesitate to take enormous risks,” Andersson said. CNN
Nebraska governor vows to push abortion ban if Roe overturned Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday he will call a special legislative session to pass a total abortion ban if the Supreme Court strikes down the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established abortion rights nationwide. Ricketts said he doesn’t want to allow exceptions for rape or incest. The comments came a day after abortion-rights protesters held rallies nationwide calling for keeping abortion legal. Expectations of a Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe mounted last week after the leak of a draft opinion by a five-justice conservative majority in which Justice Samuel Alito indicated the court was poised to reverse Roe and uphold a Mississippi abortion law tightening abortion restrictions. CNN
U.S. to remove 5 inactive groups from terrorist list The United States plans to take five defunct extremist organizations off its list of foreign terrorist organizations, The Associated Press reported Sunday. The groups include “the Basque separatist group ETA , the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo, the radical Jewish group Kahane Kach, and two Islamic groups that have been active in Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Egypt,” AP reported. The Islamist groups are the Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem, an umbrella group of jihadist organizations in Gaza, and Gama’a al-Islamiyya, or Islamic Group–IG, an Egyptian Sunni Islamist movement that battled Egypt’s government in the 1990s. The five groups have been blamed for killing hundreds or thousands of people. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Shanghai to let businesses resume limited operations Shanghai officials on Sunday detailed their plan to reopen businesses, including shopping malls and supermarkets, in China’s largest city on a limited basis under an ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. Shanghai’s deputy mayor, Chen Tong, said the city would allow limited operations starting Monday, under a transitional phase “from emergency response to normalized prevention and control.” Daily new infections in the city of 25 million people have dropped from a high of more than 20,000 last month to about 1,200 on Saturday. Despite the falling infection rates, neighborhood-level authorities in many areas have increased restrictions in recent days out of fear new cases could spike again. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Harris heads delegation to UAE after Emirati president’s death Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to lead a presidential delegation expressing condolences on the death of the country’s president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Harris is scheduled to meet in the capital city, Abu Dhabi, with the new president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, her office said in a statement. Harris “will underscore the strength of the partnership between our countries and our desire to further deepen our ties in the coming months and years,” her press secretary, Kirsten Allen, said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the two countries would continue working together to build “a more peaceful and secure region and world.” CNN
Wheat prices jump after India bans exports Wheat futures jumped by more than 5 percent on Monday after India announced a ban on most exports of the grain as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatened global shortages. Soft red winter wheat for July delivery locked in at $12.39 a bushel after rising as high as $12.47, its highest level since mid-March. The price of Chicago wheat futures has risen 60 percent this year. India announced the ban on Friday, but said Sunday it would continue exporting to needy nations. Russia and Ukraine account for a combined 25 percent of global wheat exports. The United States and the European Union are scrambling to boost crop yields and improve food supply chains. Group of Seven foreign ministers warned over the weekend that the Ukraine war is increasing the threat of a global hunger crisis. CNBC
The End
artificial stupid 