Author: bcbegley

World News

US imposes sanctions on 3 companies, 2 individuals for ‘illicitly’ generating income for North Korea

The US Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on three companies and two individuals for “illicitly” generating income for the North Korean government. The sanctions come after months of internationally condemned missile launches by Pyongyang – the most recent of which took place last month. North Korea’s “unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs threaten international security and regional stability,” Under Secretary of … Continue reading US imposes sanctions on 3 companies, 2 individuals for ‘illicitly’ generating income for North Korea

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Business

Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices, cap costs at $35 for many people with diabetes

Eli Lilly announced Wednesday a series of price cuts that would lower the price of the most commonly used forms of its insulin 70% and said it will automatically cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 for people who have private insurance and use participating pharmacies. Lilly says it will also expand its Insulin Value Program, which caps out-of-pocket costs at $35 or less per month … Continue reading Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices, cap costs at $35 for many people with diabetes

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Politics

China, Belarus presidents call for establishing peace in Ukraine

China President Xi Jinping and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko have called for a ceasefire and negotiations to bring about a political settlement to the Ukraine conflict at talks in Beijing. The two leaders issued a joint statement on Wednesday in which they expressed “deep concern about the development of the armed conflict in the European region and extreme interest in the soonest possible establishment … Continue reading China, Belarus presidents call for establishing peace in Ukraine

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World News

Man found carrying around a mummified corpse up to 800 years old in a food delivery bag in Peru

A mummified corpse up to 800 years old was found in a food delivery bag in Peru, authorities in the South American country have said. Photos released by the Directorate of Culture in the southeastern city of Puno show a skeleton in the fetal position, lying in a red bag with a reflective inner lining, commonly used by food delivery companies. It bears the logo … Continue reading Man found carrying around a mummified corpse up to 800 years old in a food delivery bag in Peru

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World News

Death toll keeps rising in Greece’s deadliest train crash

Rescuers searched for survivors Wednesday in the mangled, burned-out wreckage of two trains that slammed into each other in northern Greece, killing at least 43 people and crumpling carriages into twisted steel knots in the country’s worst-ever rail crash. The impact just before midnight Tuesday threw some passengers into ceilings and out the windows. “My head hit the roof of the carriage with the jolt,” … Continue reading Death toll keeps rising in Greece’s deadliest train crash

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Politics

Harry and Meghan evicted from Frogmore Cottage by King Charles

KING Charles is evicting Prince Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage — and has offered it to Prince Andrew. The Sussexes are now drawing up plans to ship their remaining belongings to the US. The move, which follows damning allegations from Harry and Meghan about the royals, throws into doubt their chances of a coronation invite in May. An insider said: “This surely spells the … Continue reading Harry and Meghan evicted from Frogmore Cottage by King Charles

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Politics

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot blames election loss on racism, gender

Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot blamed racism and her gender for her landslide defeat in her re-election bid, as Chicagoans weary of the rising crime on her watch celebrated her fall from “political rock star to rock bottom.” “I’m a black woman in America. Of course,” she replied when asked by a reporter if she had been treated unfairly. But she called being Chicago’s mayor … Continue reading Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot blames election loss on racism, gender

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Technology

RESEARCHERS SAY THEY MANAGED TO PULL QUANTUM ENERGY FROM A VACUUM

A team of physicists claims to have pulled energy out of a vacuum, Quanta reports — a trick that required them to teleport it from a different location using quantum tech. The work builds on previous research by Tohoku University theoretical physicist Masahiro Hotta, who back in 2008 claimed to have found a way to produce negative energy, a seemingly counterintuitive aspect of quantum theory, inside … Continue reading RESEARCHERS SAY THEY MANAGED TO PULL QUANTUM ENERGY FROM A VACUUM

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World News

As Russian forces bear down on Bakhmut, Ukraine admits situation there is ‘more and more difficult’

Officials in Kyiv conceded that the situation is rapidly deteriorating around Bakhmut, a besieged mining city in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine that Russian forces have been hellbent on capturing for months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday night that the situation in the Bakhmut area “is getting more and more difficult.” “The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions, … Continue reading As Russian forces bear down on Bakhmut, Ukraine admits situation there is ‘more and more difficult’

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World News

Kim Jong Un orders ‘fundamental transformation’ of agriculture amid reports of N.K. food shortages

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged government officials to engineer a “fundamental transformation” in agricultural production, state media reported on Tuesday, amid fears that the country’s food shortage is worsening. Kim said hitting grain production targets this year was a top priority and emphasized the importance of stable agriculture production during the second day of the seventh enlarged plenary meeting of the 8th Central … Continue reading Kim Jong Un orders ‘fundamental transformation’ of agriculture amid reports of N.K. food shortages

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Technology

 TikTok is being banned for some government employees

The White House is giving U.S. federal agencies 30 days to delete popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices amid growing concerns about security. Canada announced a similar ban. Congress, the White House itself and more than half of U.S. states had already banned TikTok amid concerns that China could use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain private user data … Continue reading  TikTok is being banned for some government employees

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Politics

Blinken warns Central Asia of dangers from war in Ukraine

The Biden administration on Tuesday pledged to support the independence of the five Central Asian nations in a not-so-subtle warning to the former Soviet states that Russia’s value as a partner has been badly compromised by its year-old war against Ukraine. In Kazakhstan for a series of meetings with top Central Asian diplomats, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said no country, particularly those that … Continue reading Blinken warns Central Asia of dangers from war in Ukraine

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Archaeology

4,000-year-old city along Chinese river is a breakthrough for understanding ancient life

Thousands of years ago, a sprawling city along the banks of China’s Yellow River thrived. For years, archaeologists have been at work uncovering the city’s history, and now, they are sharing their findings.  The Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology shared its final report from the Bicun archaeological site on Feb. 16, according to the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences via … Continue reading 4,000-year-old city along Chinese river is a breakthrough for understanding ancient life

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Archaeology

3,200-year-old tomb, filled with gold treasure, unearthed in Armenia

Scouring an ancient necropolis in Armenia, looters dug up burial sites and kept whatever valuables they found. As the centuries stretched on, once-elaborate tombs were picked clean one by one. For whatever reason, one particular tomb went unopened for millennia.  The Metsamor archaeological site in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, was inhabited from the 4th millennium B.C. until the 17th century, according to a … Continue reading 3,200-year-old tomb, filled with gold treasure, unearthed in Armenia

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World News

Argentine fishermen find remains of missing man inside shark

The remains of a man who had disappeared in southern Argentina earlier this month appear to have been found inside a school shark that was captured by local fishermen. The family of Diego Barría, 32, recognized his remains due to a tattoo that was visible, Daniela Millatruz, the law enforcement officer who was in charge of the search, told local news media. Barría had last … Continue reading Argentine fishermen find remains of missing man inside shark

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U.S. News

Majority Disapprove of Federal Government’s Handling of Ohio Derailment

A whopping 62 percent of likely voters rate the federal government’s handling of the Ohio train derailment as fair (16 percent) to poor (46 percent). Meanwhile, only 30 percent rank the federal government’s response as “excellent” (10 percent) or “good” (20 percent). Thankfully, Rasmussen directly asked about the “federal government” instead of just the “government” because this was a federal government boondoggle from A-Z. When … Continue reading Majority Disapprove of Federal Government’s Handling of Ohio Derailment

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Space

NASA warns of 3 skyscraper-sized asteroids headed toward Earth

Our solar system is home to millions of renegade space rocks, and this week three particularly large ones will blaze past Earth. But don’t worry – the closest one will still miss our planet by a comfy 2.2 million miles (3.5 million kilometers), or about 10 times the average distance between Earth and the moon, according to NASA. On Monday (Feb. 27), an asteroid named … Continue reading NASA warns of 3 skyscraper-sized asteroids headed toward Earth

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Politics

‘Gang of Eight’ Congressional Leaders to Be Briefed on Classified Documents

Congressional leaders and top Intelligence committee members on Tuesday will receive a briefing about the classified documents found at the homes of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and former Vice President Mike Pence, according to multiple reports. There has been a bipartisan effort from members of Congress to secure these briefings with representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office … Continue reading ‘Gang of Eight’ Congressional Leaders to Be Briefed on Classified Documents

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Politics

UK, EU hail ‘new chapter’ with deal to fix Brexit trade spat

The U.K. and the European Union sealed a deal on Monday to resolve their thorny post-Brexit trade dispute over Northern Ireland, hailing the agreement as the start of a “new chapter” in their often fractious relationship. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the grandly titled “Windsor Framework” after agreeing to the final details in Windsor, near London. … Continue reading UK, EU hail ‘new chapter’ with deal to fix Brexit trade spat

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Space

SpaceX begins launching second-generation Starlink satellites with four times the network capacity

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched the first batch of its next-generation Starlink internet satellites as the company upgrades and further builds out its orbiting network. A Falcon 9 rocket carried 21 of the satellites, known as “V2 Mini” satellites, into orbit on Monday. The satellites represent the first iteration of Starlink’s “Gen2” plans, which the Federal Communications Commission authorized in December. Musk shared a video … Continue reading SpaceX begins launching second-generation Starlink satellites with four times the network capacity

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Business

Russia Turns to China’s Yuan in Effort to Ditch the Dollar

Russia’s economy, restricted from Western financial networks and the U.S. dollar, has embraced a burgeoning alternative: the Chinese yuan. Energy exporters are increasingly getting paid in yuan. Russia’s sovereign-wealth fund, a war chest to support government spending burdened by battlefield costs in Ukraine, is using the Chinese currency to store its oil riches. Russian companies have borrowed in yuan, also known as renminbi, and households … Continue reading Russia Turns to China’s Yuan in Effort to Ditch the Dollar

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U.S. News

Supremes Say Domestic Spying Too Secret To Be Challenged in Court

Abusive government behavior has again been found to be too sensitive to national security to face legal challenges in the court system. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a lower court’s dismissal of the Wikimedia Foundation’s lawsuit against a National Security Agency surveillance program revealed a decade ago by Edward Snowden. With “state secrets privilege” barring litigation, that leaves upcoming congressional debates … Continue reading Supremes Say Domestic Spying Too Secret To Be Challenged in Court

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Politics

A bipartisan group of Senators is talking about raising the retirement age on Social Security

A bipartisan group led by Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Bill Cassidy, R-La. is considering gradually raising the retirement age to about 70 as part of their legislation to overhaul Social Security, Semafor has learned from two people briefed on their efforts. Other options on the table include changing the existing formula that calculates monthly benefits from one based on a worker’s average earnings over … Continue reading A bipartisan group of Senators is talking about raising the retirement age on Social Security

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Politics

Marjorie Taylor Greene says she was ‘attacked’ by ‘insane’ woman in restaurant

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she was “attacked” by an “insane” woman in a restaurant on Monday night. “I was attacked in a restaurant tonight by an insane women and screamed at by her adult son,” Greene said in a tweet. “They had no respect for the restaurant or the staff or the other people dining or people like me who simply have different … Continue reading Marjorie Taylor Greene says she was ‘attacked’ by ‘insane’ woman in restaurant

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U.S. News

U.S. Marshals Service suffers ‘major’ security breach that compromises sensitive information

The U.S. Marshals Service suffered a security breach over a week ago that compromises sensitive information, multiple senior U.S. law enforcement officials said Monday. In a statement Monday, U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson Drew Wade acknowledged the breach, telling NBC News: “The affected system contains law enforcement sensitive information, including returns from legal process, administrative information, and personally identifiable information pertaining to subjects of USMS investigations, … Continue reading U.S. Marshals Service suffers ‘major’ security breach that compromises sensitive information

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