EXCLUSIVE China’s Sinopec pauses Russia projects, Beijing wary of sanctions -sources

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March 25 (Reuters) – China’s state-run Sinopec Group has suspended talks for a major petrochemical investment and gas marketing venture in Russia, sources told Reuters, heeding a government call for caution as sanctions mount over the invasion of Ukraine. The move by Asia’s biggest oil refiner to hit the brakes on a potentially half-billion-dollar investment … Read more

57% of U.S. households paid no federal income tax in 2021: Study

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More than half of American households paid no federal income tax last year due to Covid-relief funds, tax credits and stimulus, according to a new report. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates that 57% of US households paid no federal income taxes for 2021, up substantially from the 44% before the pandemic. Howard Gleckman, senior … Read more

Wordle has a hidden ‘hard mode’ – but players claim it might actually make the game EASIER

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Wordle has a hidden ‘hard mode’ – but players claim it might actually make the game EASIER Wordle’s Hard Mode can be toggled on via Settings in the top right of the screen Activating it means you can’t put in a word with completely different letters If any green or yellow letters show up, they … Read more

Recession risks are ‘uncomfortably high and moving higher,’ Mark Zandi says

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The US economy has at least a one-in-three chance of sinking into a recession over the next 12 months, Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi told CNN. “Recession risks are uncomfortably high — and moving higher,” Zandi said. Before Russia invaded Ukraine, economists hoped energy prices and overall inflation would cool off this spring and … Read more

Plastics found in human bloodstream by researchers in the Netherlands

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New research has found evidence of plastic in the bloodstream of humans for the first time. Microplastics, microscopic pieces of plastic, have been found in water, air, fish and foods. Microplastics occur from the breakdown of paints and plastic products, including single-use objects such as plates and shopping bags. Plastic – it’s in your blood. … Read more

Orsk landing ship: Ukrainians claim to have destroyed large Russian warship in Berdyansk

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The port, which had recently been occupied by Russian forces with several Russian warships in dock, was rocked by a series of heavy explosions soon after dawn on Thursday. Social media videos showed fires raging at the dockside, with a series of secondary explosions reverberating across the city. The Ukrainian armed forces on Friday named … Read more

Lauren Pazienza, suspect in fatal shove of NYC voice coach, is ‘pure trouble’

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Lauren Pazienza, the 26-year-old woman accused of shoving an elderly former vocal coach to her death, has been described by her former college classmates as “pure trouble” and having “no empathy.” The fiery socialite and scion of a cesspool dynasty has been hit with manslaughter and assault cartoons in the March 10 death of Barbara … Read more