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IMPORTANT
|  | All Aboard | US Rail Shipping, Travel Will Grind to a Halt if No Deal Struck Unions are pushing for improved conditions for rail workers, including unpaid time off to attend healthcare appointments or for sick leave, but employers haven’t budged. A “cooling off period” is set to expire Friday, sparking fears of an imminent strike in the sector. President Joe Biden has waded into the fray, calling on rail companies and unions to hatch a deal that will ensure shipping is not disrupted. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is hosting emergency talks in Washington, but as the Friday deadline ticks closer, four of the eight unions — including two of the largest and most powerful — are holding out. (Sources: NYT, WaPo) |
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|  | The End Is Near | WHO Leadership Sings an Upbeat Tone on the Pandemic “We are not there yet. But the end is in sight,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. It’s the most optimistic outlook the agency has offered the world since formally declaring COVID-19 a pandemic in early 2020. Global deaths attributed to the virus hit a record low last week, which WHO has credited to the vaccine rollout and the availability of new therapies. But, Tedros cautioned, now is not the time for complacency. We must “run harder and make sure we cross the line and reap the rewards of all our hard work,” he told the world. (Source: Reuters) |
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| | |  | Balancing Act | Sweden’s First Female PM Stands Down as Right Takes Power Magdalena Andersson vowed to stay on as opposition leader of the Social Democrats in her concession speech Wednesday. “We have an election result, we have the mandate for change we asked for,” incoming leader Ulf Kristersson of the Moderate Party told supporters. It’s a tight mandate. Counting has been slow and the race close, with Kristersson’s center-right faction holding a mere three-seat majority. His Moderate Party will need to keep the far-right Sweden Democrats happy — the party won 21% of the vote, the second biggest share — even as more centrist and progressive Swedes shudder at the party’s 1990s neo-Nazi roots. (Sources: Euronews, Politico) |
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|  | Arms Down | Armenia Announces Tentative Border Cease-fire — Again Azerbaijan officials have yet to confirm the negotiations. The cease-fire follows the breakdown of a Russia-led truce declared between the two neighbors on Tuesday. Fighting in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region has flared on and off for decades but erupted last week amid street protests in Armenia demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over accusations he had acquiesced to Azerbaijan. Both sides have accused the other of provocation from shelling in recent days, and Armenia says part of its land has been occupied. More than 100 Armenian soldiers have been killed since Monday and Azerbaijan says it has lost 50. (Sources: AP, BBC) |
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|  | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: National pastime. Mourners in London lined up for two miles to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Some waited overnight to file past her coffin, lying in state at Westminster Hall. (Source: The Independent) Not us. The South American country of Suriname is threatening legal action against the South Korean producers of the Netflix hit Narco-Saints, which it says unfairly portrays the country as being run by mobsters. (Source: Reuters) Cut off. The European Commission is set to announce it will slash funding to Hungary in protest over corruption in Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s administration. The decision follows months of investigations. (Source: Bloomberg) |
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INTRIGUING
| | | Green Light | Patagonia Founder Gives Up Company to Save the World “As of now, Earth is our only shareholder,” a statement announced, adding that all profits “in perpetuity” will go toward saving the planet. Founder Yvon Chouinard and his family transferred 2% of Patagonia’s stock, as well as all authority, into a trust to keep the company on track and faithful to its mission. Holdfast Collective, a nonprofit, will hold the remaining 98% of the stock. Each year, all profits not reinvested in Patagonia will be spent on fighting “the environmental crisis.” The California-based company is worth around $3 billion after 50 years of leading the way on climate-conscious capitalism. (Sources: NYT, The Guardian) |
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| | | Primed | Prices Too High? That’s Amazon’s Fault, California Claims California is suing Amazon for allegedly blocking competition via the platform’s policy of prohibiting sellers from offering lower prices in other e-commerce marketplaces. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading the charge, but Amazon isn’t worried. It points to a similar case lodged by the District of Columbia that was dismissed in April. “The relief the AG seeks would force Amazon to feature higher prices to customers,” a spokesperson said. Not so, said Bonta, who is also aiming for compensation for Californians — a figure that has yet to be determined. In Washington, the Department of Justice has filed an appeal. (Source: Ars Technica) |
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| | | Judgment Day | Testimony From R Kelly’s Godchild ‘Jane’ Convinces Chicago Court The federal jury found Kelly guilty on three counts of child pornography for videotapes he made of himself sexually abusing Jane in the 1990s. The charges carry a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Kelly was acquitted 14 years ago of similar charges for a video that depicted Kelly abusing Jane at his home. Jane did not cooperate in that trial. He was also found guilty on three of five counts of enticement of a minor involving Jane and two other victims. Kelly and two associates were acquitted of interfering with the 2008 case, including pressuring Jane into lying to law enforcement. (Sources: Chicago Tribune, Variety) |
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| | | Go to Town | What’s In a Name for Kazakhstan’s Capital? First, it was Astana, then it was Nur-Sultan. Soon it will be Astana again. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has agreed to switch the name back after he changed it just three years ago to honor his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev. Nazarbayev’s legacy is a spotty one. He led the country for 30 years, beginning as a Soviet state and through independence in 1991, before stepping down in 2019. Though Nazarbayev was no longer president, he continued to wield immense power until violent political unrest in January and a vote to change the constitution in June severed his ties from the government. (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | | | | Black and White | Chess World Rocked by Scandal and a Salacious Theory Gone Viral Former top-rated player, 31-year-old Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, withdrew from the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis last week after losing to Hans Niemann, 19, and the fallout has captivated the chess world ever since. Shortly after his withdrawal — a rare move for a champion — Carlsen fired off a tweet that seemed to imply Niemann cheated. A subreddit for fans briefly entertained the notion that it was indeed Carlsen who has long cheated and withdrew for fear of being found out, with some floating an outlandish theory involving vibrating anal beads. Unlikely, say chess watchers, who instead point to Niemann’s spotty online game history. (Sources: Deadspin, NYT) |
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COMMUNITY
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