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Japan's famous sake joins UNESCO's cultural heritage list, a boost to brewers and enthusiastsDA suggests unusual idea for halting Trump's hush money case while upholding convictionPolice reportedly searched South Korea President Yoon's office on as part of an investigation into his six hour martial law declaration that has sparked massive backlash in the country. The same day, reports emerged that his already detained ex-defense minster attempted suicide. The fallout from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law continues amid reports of his office being raided and his former defense minister attempting suicide. Police searched the president's office on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the six-hour martial law declaration that has sparked massive backlash in political turmoil in the country, according to a report from local news agency Yonhap. Yoon was reportedly absent from the building when police arrived to gather materials. Raids were also conducted at the offices of the Seoul Metropolitan Police and the National Assembly Police Guards, police told Yonhap. Amid the raids, the chief of South Korea's Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials told reporters that it would seek to detain and arrest Yoon if the necessary conditions are met. South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik also told reporters Wednesday that he had invoked his authority to conduct a parliamentary probe into Yoon, calling for the formation of a special committee to handle the investigation. Already, Yoon's former defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, had been detained on insurrection charges related to an investigation of his part in the six hours of martial law. On Wednesday, in his eastern Seoul detention facility, the ex-official made an attempt on his life, according to a Yonhap report . The head of the correctional center told lawmakers during a parliamentary hearing that Kim has since been placed in a protective cell and his health remains stable, the report added. The events come amid continued calls from opposition lawmakers, civil groups and protestors for Yoon to be removed from office. South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP) is reportedly set to introduce a second impeachment motion against Yoon Wednesday, after the president survived an earlier parliamentary vote on Saturday. While members of Yoon's party l eft parliament ahead of the impeachment vote, its leader has since said the president would step down.The French government collapsed on Wednesday following a successful no-confidence vote, throwing France, the eurozone’s second-largest economy, into political turmoil. The Details: The motion passed with 331 votes, far exceeding the required 288, as lawmakers from both the leftist New Popular Front (NFP) alliance and the far-right National Rally (RN) united in opposition. Read Next: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Fatally Shot Outside NYC Hotel The historic vote was triggered after Prime Minister Michel Barnier used special constitutional powers to force a social security budget bill through Parliament without a vote. Barnier, who had been in office for just three months, will now have to resign, marking the shortest tenure for a prime minister in France’s Fifth Republic. Why It Matters: The government’s fall complicates France’s efforts to address its budget deficit and implement planned spending cuts and tax increases. French President Emmanuel Macron must face the challenge of appointing a new prime minister, with the political landscape remaining divided until the next possible legislative elections in summer 2025. Barnier is expected to resign immediately and Macron is supposed to ask him to continue as a “caretaker” prime minister while looking for a replacement. Investors can monitor the market's reaction to the political turmoil through the iShares MSCI France ETF EWQ which provides targeted exposure to the French economy. The ETF's top holdings include LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton LVMHF LVMUY , TotalEnergies SE TTE and Schneider Electric SE SBGSY . Read Next: Art Cashin’s Lessons: Cuban Crisis Trades To Timeless Wall Street Wit Photo: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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Kroger Co. stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitorsJapan's famous sake joins UNESCO's cultural heritage list, a boost to brewers and enthusiasts
C.Williams 3-5 0-0 6, Fields 2-6 0-0 5, Ja.Lane 5-14 1-2 14, Ortiz 1-9 2-2 5, Soucie 6-12 0-0 13, Jefferson 3-7 1-2 9, Bacchus 2-5 2-3 6, de Kovachich 0-1 0-2 0, Jenrette 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-59 6-11 58. Colonel 6-6 0-2 12, Patterson 1-3 0-0 2, W.Williams 2-6 0-0 4, Jumawan 4-7 2-2 12, Sanders 3-15 2-2 9, Mubiru 5-6 2-2 13, Bettis 3-8 2-2 10, J.Warren 3-3 0-0 7, Thomas 1-3 0-0 2, Laku 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-57 8-10 71. Halftime_North Alabama 29-28. 3-Point Goals_North Alabama 8-26 (Ja.Lane 3-6, Jefferson 2-4, Fields 1-2, Soucie 1-4, Ortiz 1-9, Bacchus 0-1), Northwestern St. 7-23 (Jumawan 2-4, Bettis 2-5, J.Warren 1-1, Mubiru 1-2, Sanders 1-8, Patterson 0-1, Thomas 0-2). Rebounds_North Alabama 28 (C.Williams 9), Northwestern St. 33 (W.Williams 7). Assists_North Alabama 8 (Fields 3), Northwestern St. 21 (Patterson, W.Williams 6). Total Fouls_North Alabama 13, Northwestern St. 10. A_228 (3,900).LUQUE – Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It's brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savored in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts. The smooth rice wine that plays a crucial role in Japan's culinary traditions was enshrined on Wednesday by UNESCO on its list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity." Recommended Videos At a meeting in Luque, Paraguay, members of UNESCO’s committee for safeguarding humanity's cultural heritage voted to recognize 45 cultural practices and products around the world, including Brazilian white cheese, Caribbean cassava bread and Palestinian olive oil soap. Unlike UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which includes sites considered important to humanity like the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Intangible Cultural Heritage designation names products and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition. A Japanese delegation welcomed the announcement in Luque. “Sake is considered a divine gift and is essential for social and cultural events in Japan,” Takehiro Kano, the Japanese ambassador to UNESCO, told The Associated Press. The basic ingredients of sake are few: rice, water, yeast and koji, a rice mold, which breaks down the starches into fermentable sugars like malting does in beer production. The whole two-monthlong process of steaming, stirring, fermenting and pressing can be grueling. The rice — which wields tremendous marketing power as part of Japan's broader cultural identity — is key to the alcoholic brew. For a product to be categorized Japanese sake, the rice must be Japanese. The UNESCO recognition, the delegation said, captured more than the craft knowledge of making high-quality sake. It also honored a tradition dating back some 1,000 years — sake makes a cameo in Japan’s famous 11th century novel, “The Tale of Genji,” as the drink of choice in the refined Heian court. Now, officials hope to restore sake's image as Japan's premier alcoholic drink even as the younger drinkers in the country switch to imported wine or domestic beer and whiskey. “It means a lot to Japan and to the Japanese,” Kano said of the UNESCO designation. "This will help to renew interest in traditional sake elaboration.” In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, in a statement, said he was “delighted” by the inscription of traditional sake-making, the traditional technic that Japan is proud of. Ishiba congratulated those who dedicated to preserving and promoting the tradition. Also, Japanese breweries have expressed hope that the listing could give a little lift to the country's export economy as the popularity of sake booms around the world and in the United States amid heightened interest in Japanese cuisine. Sake exports, mostly to the U.S. and China, now rake in over $265 million a year, according to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, a trade group. Japan's delegation appeared ready to celebrate on Wednesday — in classic Japanese style. After the announcement, Kano raised a cypress box full of sake to toast the alcoholic brew and cultural rite. ___ This story corrects the surname of Japanese official to Kano from Takehiro.
The Jewish Museum in New York has purchased Israeli artist Ruth Patir ’s (M)otherland , a video installation that was to have filled the Israeli Pavilion at the Sixtieth Venice Biennale. Patir and the pavilion’s curators, Mira Lapidot and Tamar Margalit, announced ahead of the Biennale’s April 20 launch that the pavilion would remain shuttered until “a cease-fire and hostage release agreement” was reached between Hamas and Israel, following the former’s attack of October 7 and amid the latter’s sustained bombing of Gaza. “Every time someone had asked me if it was still not open or if anything has changed,” Patir told the New York Times , “I would have to remind them that nothing has changed. I really didn’t imagine it was going to stay like this.” The Biennale closed on November 24 with more than sixty hostages in captivity and no ceasefire in place. Patir’s work—which comprises four videos in which ancient female figurines act out the artist’s psychologically fraught decision to freeze her eggs after learning she carries the breast cancer gene mutation, and a fifth in which the broken figures mourn the October 7 attack—would have been shown as Israel’s official entry. “I refused to participate in that platform during a time of a devastating war and ongoing hostage crisis,” she told the Times . “But that doesn’t mean I feel I am not allowed to make work, or that I think a public shouldn’t see it in other contexts.” The Jewish Museum has not publicly disclosed the sum paid for the installation. “We are honored to bring Ruth Patir’s powerful and poignant work to US audiences,” said the institution’s director, James S. Snyder, in a statement, noting that the acquisition “underscore[ed] our commitment to collecting and showcasing work that invites dialogue and reflects on universal issues.” (M)otherland will go on view for the first time in March at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, after which it will return to the Jewish Museum, whose collection galleries will be reinstalled later in 2025.Tech stocks and artificial intelligence pull Wall Street to more records
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The leader of Kurdish separatist group PKK said he’s ready to cooperate with the Turkish government in a bid to end a long-running conflict that’s claimed thousands of lives, according to a statement by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM, on Sunday. “Re-strengthening the Turkish-Kurdish fellowship has not only become a historical responsibility, but also of fateful importance and urgency for all peoples,” Abdullah Ocalan was cited as saying. “I am ready to take the necessary positive step and make the necessary call,” he said when a party delegation met him on Saturday at Imrali Island, where he’s been imprisoned since his capture in 1999. “I have the competence and determination to contribute positively to the new paradigm that Mr. Bahceli and Mr. Erdogan are empowering,” Ocalan said in the statement, referring to the leader of the ultra-nationalist MHP party Devlet Bahceli and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In October, Bahceli had called for Ocalan’s solitary confinement to be lifted and for him to be allowed to speak in parliament and urge the PKK to lay down arms. Erdogan supported his ally’s call. Bahceli’s remarks were seen as an unexpected shift, given his party’s historically hard-line stance against the Kurdish movement. One day after Bahceli’s call, PKK attacked Turkish state defense firm Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc., killing five people. PKK said at the time that the attack had been planned “a long time ago” and wasn’t connected to the recent “political agenda.” Although Ocalan no longer directs the PKK’s day-to-day operations, he’s still revered by the movement’s commanders. At the same time, any peace deal negotiated by him would mean little if the PKK refused to sign onto it. The Kurdish-backed militant group, which has been waging a war for autonomy in Turkey’s southeast since 1984, is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Turkey and the European Union. Turkey regards the armed wing of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party of Syria, known as the People’s Protection Units or YPG, as an affiliate of PKK. YPG, which seeks autonomy for Syria’s Kurds, has shown a willingness to work with any power capable of advancing that goal. Syrian Kurds control a zone in Syria’s northeast. On Sunday, Turkey’s Industry and Technology Minister Fatih Kacir announced a new initiative aimed at revitalizing the country’s southeast, an area long affected by clashes with the PKK. The plan, to include $14 billion in investments over the next three years, focuses on agriculture in the region where the population is mostly Kurdish. The southeastern provinces, once a center of intense fighting between PKK and Turkish military, have struggled with underdevelopment and economic instability. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The US military has carried out extensive airstrikes in Syria since the Assad regime collapsed over the weekend, and it's not the only one taking advantage of the country's open airspace to go on the hunt for targets in this uncertain moment. American, Israeli, and Turkish forces have all been involved in bombing targets across Syria over the past few days in actions said to be in support of their respective national security interests. For the US, this means continuing to go after the Islamic State, as it has done for years, but with an intensity. The Biden administration has stated that this mission will continue despite uncertainty about the future of Syria's leadership. The US has repeatedly said that it is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS. "We don't want to give ISIS an opportunity to exploit what's going on," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday, adding, "They love nothing more than ungoverned space." Widespread military action in Syria As rebel forces reached Damascus on Sunday and Syrian President Bashar Assad fled the country, US Air Force B-52 bombers, F-15 fighter jets, and A-10 attack aircraft . The widespread strikes hit the terrorist group's leaders, operatives, and camps, said US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations. A senior administration official, speaking to reporters, described the combat operation as "significant" and said the American warplanes dropped around 140 munitions to hit 75 targets. The US military said the goal of the strikes was to prevent ISIS from reconstituting in central Syria. Jonathan Lord, a former political-military analyst at the Pentagon, told Business Insider the US military is "rightly worried that ISIS could slip through the cracks in the chaos," so it is hitting as many targets as possible. The widespread bombing since Sunday has, however, not been limited to just the US. Israel has across neighboring Syria, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor. Israel has targeted the remnants of Assad's former military, including aircraft, ammunition depots, weapons storage facilities, warships, radar systems, and additional assets, the SOHR said. Israeli officials have said these strikes are from falling into the hands of potential adversaries. "Israel is taking no chances with their security and not waiting to find out if the new Syrian government is friendly or hostile," said Lord, who is now the director of the Middle East Security program at the Center for a New American Security think tank. The Israeli military has also the Syrian border beyond a United Nations-monitored buffer zone that separates the two countries. The UN has criticized the move, which Israel said is a measure to protect its citizens amid the uncertainty in Damascus. Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official, told BI that the actions are a "combined effort to try to minimize as much as possible the risk of growing military challenges following the current situation in Syria." He said the Israeli approach likely includes diplomatic efforts to complement the airstrikes and buffer zone operation. Meanwhile, a Turkish drone a military site in an area held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the SOHR said on Tuesday. Ankara, which views the nearby SDF as a terror group, has targeted Kurdish forces for years. The US frequently works closely with the SDF on counter-ISIS operations. "The Turks have a legitimate counter-terrorism threat that they, too, have a right to deal with," Kirby, the White House spokesperson, said in response to a reporter's question about action against Kurdish groups. The widespread military actions come on the heels of the shock collapse of the Syrian Army amid a stunning, only that removed Assad from power. The longtime dictator had relied extensively on military support from Russia, Iran, and Lebanese Hezbollah to keep opposition forces at bay. US officials are blaming on the reality that these three actors have been weakened and distracted lately by their respective conflicts with Ukraine and Israel. Russia, in particular, used to exercise significant control over Syrian airspace, but the in the country is now unclear. Read the original article onAhead of Market: 10 things that will decide stock market action on MondaySuspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggled with deputies and shouted while arriving for a court appearance in Pennsylvania a day after he was arrested at a McDonald’s and charged with murder. Luigi Nicholas Mangione emerged from a patrol car, spun toward reporters and shouted something partly unintelligible while deputies pushed him inside Tuesday. At the brief hearing, the defense lawyer informed the court that Mangione would not waive extradition to New York but instead wants a hearing on the issue. Mangione was denied bail. Brian Thompson, who led the United States’ largest medical insurance company, was killed last Wednesday as he walked alone to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. From wealth and success to murder suspect, the life of Luigi Mangione took a hard turn Luigi Nicholas Mangione was apparently living a charmed one: the grandson of a wealthy real estate developer, valedictorian of his elite Baltimore prep school and with degrees from one of the nation’s top private universities. Friends at an exclusive co-living space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Hawaii where the 26-year-od Mangione once lived widely considered him a “great guy.” Pictures on his social media accounts show a fit, smiling, handsome young man on beaches and at parties. Now, investigators are working to piece together why Mangione diverged from a path of seeming success to make the violent and radical decision to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a brazen attack on a Manhattan street. Key details about the man accused of killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO The 26-year-old man charged in last week’s killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in New York City has appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom. Luigi Nicholas Mangione was arrested Monday after a worker at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, notified police that he resembled the suspect in last Wednesday's killing of Brian Thompson. While being led into court to be arraigned Tuesday, Mangione shouted something that was partly unintelligible but referred to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.” During the hearing in Hollidaysburg, Mangione was denied bail and his attorney said Mangione would not waive extradition. DA suggests unusual idea for halting Trump’s hush money case while upholding his conviction NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors are trying to preserve President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction as he returns to office, and they're suggesting various ways forward. One novel notion is based on how some courts handle criminal cases when defendants die. In court papers made public on Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books. The proposals included freezing the case until he’s out of office, or agreeing that any future sentence wouldn’t include jail time. Another idea: closing the case with a notation that acknowledges his conviction but says that he was never sentenced and that his appeal wasn’t resolved because of presidential immunity. There's no immediate response from Trump's lawyers. Middle East latest: Israel bombs hundreds of sites across Syria as army pushes into border zone Israel says it bombed more than 350 military sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wave of strikes was necessary to keep the weapons from being used against Israel following the Syrian government’s stunning collapse. Israel also acknowledged its troops were pushing into a border buffer zone inside Syria, which was established after the 1973 Mideast war. However, Israel denied its forces were advancing Tuesday toward the Syrian capital of Damascus. Life in the capital was slowly returning to normal. People celebrated for a third day in a main square, and shops and banks reopened. Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they were also prime trolling opportunities. Throughout his first term in the White House and his recent campaign to return there, the Republican has dished out provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. Now that’s he’s preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. Report on attempts to kill Trump urges Secret Service to limit protection of foreign leaders WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional task force looking into the assassination attempts against Donald Trump during his presidential campaign is recommending changes to the Secret Service. These include protecting fewer foreign leaders during the height of the election season and considering moving the agency out of the Department of Homeland Security. The 180-page report was released Tuesday. It constitutes one of the most detailed looks so far into the July 13 assassination attempt against Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and a second one in Florida two months later. South Korea's ex-defense minister is formally arrested over brief imposition of martial law SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's previous defense minister has been formally arrested over his alleged collusion with President Yoon Suk Yeol and others in imposing martial law last week. Kim Yong Hyun resigned last week and has been detained since Sunday. He is the first person arrested in the case. Prosecutors have up to 20 days to determine whether to indict him. A conviction on the charge of playing a key role in rebellion carries the maximum death sentence. Kim is accused of recommending martial law to Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it. Homes burn as wind-driven wildfire prompts evacuations in Malibu, California MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of Southern California residents are under evacuation orders and warnings as firefighters battle a wind-driven wildfire in Malibu. The flames burned near seaside mansions and Pepperdine University, where students sheltering at the school’s library on Monday night watched as the blaze intensified. Officials on Tuesday said a “minimal number” of homes burned, but the exact amount wasn’t immediately known. More than 8,100 homes and other structures are under threat, including more than 2,000 where residents have been ordered to evacuate. Pepperdine University on Tuesday morning said the worst of the fire has pushed past campus. It was not immediately known how the blaze started. More beans and less red meat: Nutrition experts weigh in on US dietary guidelines Americans should eat more beans, peas and lentils and cut back on red and processed meats and starchy vegetables. That's advice from a panel of nutrition experts charged with counseling the U.S. government about the next edition of the dietary guidelines. The panel did not weigh in on the growing role of ultraprocessed foods that have been linked to health problems or alcohol use. But they did say people should continue to limit added sugars, sodium and saturated fat in pursuit of a healthy diet. Tuesday’s recommendations now go to federal officials, who will draft the final guidance set for release next year.