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Good evening. Here’s the last one at the end of Wednesday.
1. A new inflation report causes problems.
Prices in June increased by 9.1 percent of last year in the US, the fastest pace since 1981, as the cost of gas, rent and groceries continued to rise and everyday life became more expensive for US households.
There was even more unwelcome news: A core inflation index that excludes food and fuel prices — providing a sense of underlying inflation trends — rose unexpectedly to 5.9 percent, spelling problems for the Federal Reserve. As people begin to demand higher wages in anticipation of price increases, companies may try to pass on their labor costs to customers by raising prices, perpetuating the cycle.
Biden promised not to give in to one of Tehran’s main demands — that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps be removed from Washington’s list of foreign terrorists as part of an agreement — and assured Israel that the US would use force if necessary to attack Iran. from developing a bomb.
From Israel, Biden will travel on to Saudi Arabia, where he will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. The journey will include full of political dangersincluding the formalities of a handshake†
3. Confidence in American democracy has eroded across the political spectrum, a Times/Siena College poll found 58 percent of voters polled saying the system needs reform.
The discontent among Republicans is: driven by their widespread, unfounded doubts on the legitimacy of national elections. For Democrats, it’s the realization that although their party controls the White House and Congress, Republicans are the ones achieving long-sought political goals.
The final investigation results will come as the House committee investigates on Jan. 6 revealed new evidence this week that Donald Trump and his aides had a hand in leading the crowd to the Capitol. The committee tightened up one “unhinged” meeting in particular which, even by Trump White House standards, was extreme.
4. Sri Lanka plunged deeper into crisis as protesters lost patience with the leadership.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe acting president before Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives in a military plane. But the appointment is unlikely to meet the demands of protesters calling for a large-scale change of political leadership, which they blame for the near-bankruptcy of the country. This is how Sri Lanka reached this moment of crisis†
Protesters did not flinch after Wickremesinghe’s nomination and surrounded the prime minister’s residence, where they were met with tear gas, in the capital Colombo. They also took control of the Prime Minister’s office. Wickremesinghe a curfew declared and referred to some protesters as a “fascist threat.”
5. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are working on release grain from Ukraine’s blocked ports and ship to countries with increasing hunger.
Representatives from Turkey and the UN took part in the talks in Istanbul. António Guterres, the UN Secretary General, said after the meeting that “the progress was” extremely encouraging† We hope that the next steps will allow us to reach a formal agreement.”
The urgency is real† More than 22 million tons of grain are stuck in Odessa and other Black Sea ports blocked by Russian warships. Famine looms in the Horn of Africa, where years of drought have devastated communities in Somalia.
on the front line, The Ukrainian army said: newly arrived western weapon systems have allowed to strike deep into the Russian-controlled territory.
6. Most elite colleges boost applicants who are children of alumni. The age-old tradition faces perhaps its greatest test yet.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments this fall over the race-conscious admissions policies of Harvard and the University of North Carolina. If, as many experts expect, the court ends or reverses affirmative action — the common practice of considering race when selecting students — the ruling could lead to a reconsideration of legacy applicants†
Many colleges say that legacy students cement family ties and multi-generational loyalty. Explicitly favoring alumni’s children would be harder to defend if racial preferences were no longer allowed.
7. Our reporters traveled to a forest community in the Democratic Republic of Congo to understand what causes deforestation.
Logging companies operating in the Congo Basin cut down precious old trees for use in furniture and housing construction. But ordinary people looking for bundles of wood to make charcoal also takes a heavy toll on the forest. They play a surprisingly large role in the deforestation of a region that rivals the Amazon in ecological importance.
That’s partly because felling and burning trees releases stores of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and cooking with wood fires and charcoal affects air quality. But for people in Congo there is often no choice.
8. Two cities in Sardinia compete for the award of the longest-lived inhabitants.
Perdasdefogu hopes that Guinness World Records recognition as the municipality with “the largest concentration of centenarians” will stimulate an economic revitalization. Currently, the town has seven residents over 100. But Seulo, a smaller town on the island, has threatened Perdasdefogu’s grand schemes by filing a rival claim to the title.
If you try to live as old as some Sardinians, a comprehensive new study found that healthy eating and regular workouts by themselves do not prevent health problems later in life. They should be done together†
9. Give native plants a chance.
Say the word “annuals” and most gardeners think of subtropical plants such as petunias, begonias and marigolds that grow in temperate gardens during the warmest months. However, native annuals do so much more than just provide summer color. As one expert put it, “Anniversaries are Earth healers.”
Native annuals such as partridge pea, black-eyed Susan, lemon bergamot and even sunflowers are great options, writes The Times garden columnist Margaret Roach† While providing space for the perennials to grow, they also support the food web (and look beautiful when they do). The tricky part is that most of us can’t name native annuals, so there’s some homework involved.
10. And finally, something weird.
Canned sardines have a new following. But your new favorite treat is actually a product of a very old operation.
We traveled to Porto, the second largest city in Portugal and the capital of the fish canning industry, to visit Conservas Pinhais & Cia. The fish cannery was established in 1920 and opened to visitors last year. The fish are known for their high quality and perfect seasoning, and the employees of the cannery, mostly women, will often sing. Look†
Make it a tightly packed (with fun) evening.
David Rosenberg has compiled photos for this briefing.
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