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<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/layoffs-sweeping-us-these-are-companies-making-cuts-2024">Recent layoffs</a> at Meta are a sign that some employers are willing to make recurring cutbacks.</li><li>That's a change from a prior "big cuts" mentality.</li></ul>The hashtag affixed to Andy Welfle's LinkedIn photo says it all: #sickofthisshit.Welfle wrote earlier this month that he was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/awelfle_seems-like-ive-been-seeing-a-lot-of-these-activity-7249852142998413312-kQaT/">laid off from Microsoft</a> after only nine months. Before that, he'd also spent nine months at Cruise — before being laid off.His dual layoffs might have been worse than what many others experienced, but Welfle is hardly alone in getting hit by what appears to be some employers' penchant for regular layoffs, particularly in Silicon Valley.One of the latest examples comes from Meta, which said Wednesday it was rejigging some of its biggest businesses. The changes mean <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-reorganized-major-businesses-eliminated-roles-whatsapp-instagram-reality-labs-2024-10">lost jobs at Instagram</a>, Reality Labs, and WhatsApp.It wasn't clear how many roles were eliminated. A Meta spokesperson told Business Insider on Wednesday that the company was looking for other positions for affected workers.After shedding workers in sweeping layoffs in late 2022 and early 2023, many tech companies are adopting a more methodical, department-by-department approach to making cuts. Major firms, from Google to Amazon to Microsoft, have announced <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/layoffs-sweeping-us-these-are-companies-making-cuts-2024">sizable reductions</a> followed by more modest trimming.Take Google. The tech giant's parent company, Alphabet, began 2023 by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-ceo-says-more-layoffs-to-come-2024-1">cutting some 12,000</a> jobs, or about 6% of its workforce. It has followed that large cut with smaller reductions this year.Art Zeile, CEO of the tech career marketplace Dice, told BI that some of the biggest companies in the industry have determined that certain departments aren't sufficiently profitable any longer. As a result, companies need to redirect resources to growth areas like artificial intelligence."It is a shifting of bets," he said. This routine trimming of jobs here and there is the new normal — for now, Zeile said.Unsurprisingly, even with growth in some areas, the drip-drip of reductions in the last couple of years appears to be making some tech workers nervous. In a new <a target="_blank" href="https://www.indeed.com/lead/tapping-into-todays-tech-talent">survey from Indeed</a>, 40% of respondents said they expected to be hit if their company conducted layoffs. Seven in 10 said they would start looking to other employers if their company made layoffs.Indeed surveyed more than 1,100 US tech workers from early to late June.<h2 id="45b631ca-a979-402e-84e9-cacd8e6e300f">A costly decision</h2>Linsey Fagan, senior talent strategy advisor at Indeed, told BI that most of the recurring layoffs are in tech. That's likely because many companies in the industry grew so fast during the pandemic and are still making adjustments.But those recurring cuts don't come without costs, Fagan said."It's definitely not a sustainable strategy," she said.Fagan noted that employee sentiment starts to drop before a layoff as workers suspect cuts are coming. Then, after the layoffs are made, workers' feelings about the company — and a CEO's acumen — take "a long-term dive," she said."When you look at a business trying to come back from that — if they're continuously laying off, it simply can't happen," Fagan said.Even smaller-scale layoffs can make workers jittery, she said. Fagan also noted that the rise of technologies like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-threaten-jobs-of-coders-who-dont-shift-their-focus-2024-9">generative AI</a> and the threat of layoffs are pushing many in tech to want to build their skills.In a departure from the past, tech workers looking for jobs on Indeed are now more likely to apply to staffing firms, which might offer temporary gigs, or to areas like healthcare than to tech firms, she said.Fagan said some tech workers are drawn to the flexibility that contingent or part-time roles can offer. Yet, ultimately, she said, tech is the #1 industry tech workers historically want to work in.However, "they're just not feeling that stability right now," Fagan said.<h2 id="b104b21a-d3c7-4c4c-8f96-abe4129a39ac">Why they do it</h2>Some companies' penchant for undergoing regular nips and tucks could be because Wall Street often celebrates that type of trimming.At Meta, CEO Mark Zuckerberg was "beautifully rewarded" by the market for making cuts, Dice's Zeile said, noting the rise in the company's stock price.Beyond what investors might cheer, the tech giants are also getting older and no longer in growth mode, when their aim was often to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-new-normal-constant-layoffs-job-cuts-google-amazon-meta-2024-1">snap up workers</a>. Hence, many companies made cuts following the rush of hiring during the pandemic.Since then, some bosses have been looking to trim the size of their organizations and otherwise make improvements. Zuckerberg famously declared that 2023 would be the company's <a target="_blank" href="https://about.fb.com/news/2023/03/mark-zuckerberg-meta-year-of-efficiency/">"year of efficiency</a>." He also said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-firms-laying-off-employees-again-efficiency-amazon-google-2024-1">the directive</a> would become an ongoing feature, not a bug.<h2 id="f4238de0-992d-4404-9264-eec504b4387b">It's not all bad news for tech jobs</h2>Zeile said that investors will eventually look to tech companies to do more than boost profits by trimming costs and want to see a return to growth. He said that's when <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/finding-job-awful-right-now-drop-in-openings-tough-search-2024-9">hiring will pick up</a> broadly because companies might have many areas <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-meta-big-tech-companies-rehire-workers-employees-laid-off-2023-9">in need of workers</a>.For now, a company like Meta might be cutting in some areas, but it's growing elsewhere, Zeile said."Meta is actually on a tear right now. They're just no longer hiring VR engineers. They are hiring AI engineers, so they've actually boosted their hiring," he said.Indeed's Fagan said a sign that the tech industry might be closer to stabilizing is that after declining for several years, job postings in areas like software development have remained flat in recent months, though they're still 30% below 2020 levels. Of course, that means there are fewer opportunities for laid-off workers. Still, she said, it's also an indication that companies are being careful not to hire too many people."It's not like they're going out and massively hiring and then doing layoffs," Fagan said.For his part, Welfle, who was laid off from Microsoft, wrote on LinkedIn that he's looking for a content design role — maybe with a smaller company. He also said some of his recent feelings are similar to those he experienced after his prior layoff in December."I'm having a hard time disentangling my sense of value and self-worth from my identity as a corporate worker. But I'll definitely be reflecting on that, and finding gentler, more sustainable ways to exist in a capitalist society," he wrote.Do you have something to share about what you're seeing in the workplace or in your job search? Business Insider would like to hear from you. Email our workplace team from a nonwork device at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:thegrind@businessinsider.com">thegrind@businessinsider.com</a> with your story, or ask for one of our reporter's Signal numbers.

Meta layoffs are the latest sign that constant job cuts are the new Big Tech normal

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China's military has flown into Taiwan's ADIZ almost every day since 2020.</li><li>Crossings of the median line have soared, effectively erasing it altogether.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-sent-warplanes-ships-first-aircraft-carrier-to-surround-taiwan-2024-10">China's warplanes are pressuring Taiwan</a> and have all but eliminated an important dividing line, with near-daily incursions creating a dangerous new normal.Since 2020, Taiwan has released regular, almost daily updates on incursions in its air defense identification zone by Chinese military aircraft. It has also documented continuous Chinese efforts to degrade the Taiwan Strait median line established in 1955.Researchers Thomas J. Shattuck, a non-resident fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Fellow, and Benjamin Lewis, co-founder of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.platracker.com">PLATracker</a> organization, have tracked increasingly bold Chinese behavior. A review of data from Taiwan revealed that ADIZ incursions over the past four years have shown a growing rejection of the unofficial dividing line put in place for deconfliction.<div type="image" title="An Apache attack helicopter fires flares below it as it flies against a grey sky." height="4078" width="6264" msid="114787510" hostid="261" sizebytes="1698568"></div>China's military incursions into Taiwan's ADIZ and its crossings of the median line in the Taiwan Strait have skyrocketed, with the ADIZ incursions climbing from an average of 2.56 aircraft per day four years ago to 11.63 now.A nation's ADIZ extends far beyond its territorial airspace, but the area is closely monitored for national security purposes. When Chinese aircraft enter Taiwan's de facto ADIZ, it dispatches combat air patrol (CAP) aircraft in response.In 2021, the Chinese military flew 972 aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ, and that number nearly doubled in 2022. 1,703 aircraft were recorded in 2023. And 2024 looks to have a record-breaking number, with over 2,000 aircraft documented as of September. They're also no longer limited to a corner of the ADIZ.Crossings of the median line have become increasingly common since August 2022, when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi controversially visited Taiwan, and China has been steadily erasing it altogether. In a recent drill surrounding Taiwan, 111 Chinese warplanes crossed it, marking a single-day high. A few years ago, Taiwan might see hundreds cross the line but over months."We've become desensitized to high numbers of the military aircraft flying across the median line of the Taiwan Strait," Shattuck told Business Insider. "Five years ago, that was unheard of. Now, it's just another Thursday."<div type="image" title="A screen grab captured from a video shows the Taiwan army conduct military exercise following China's large-scale joint military drill around Taiwan on May 23, 2024." height="2160" width="3840" msid="114787506" hostid="261" sizebytes="204554"></div>China claims Taiwan as its own territory and hasn't ruled out using its growing military to achieve unification, raising concerns in Taipei, the US, and other Western nations that China could one day enact a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/three-ways-china-could-blockade-taiwan-2024-8">blockade</a> or <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/red-flags-tell-us-when-chinas-ready-to-invade-taiwan-2024-4">full-scale invasion</a> of Taiwan to force it to give in to Beijing's authority.Beijing's tactics run the gamut of intimidation and coercion, including political and economic pressure and massive military exercises aimed at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-military-drills-near-taiwan-send-new-president-a-message-2024-5">forcing the Taiwanese people to reject independence</a>.Recently, two joint-force drills, "Joint Sword 2024-A" and "Joint Sword 2024-B," saw the Chinese People's Liberation Army effectively surround Taiwan, simulating how it could blockade key ports and areas, assault maritime and ground targets, and seize territory.During "Joint Sword 2024-B," Taiwan's defense ministry said that a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-sends-record-number-of-warplanes-to-fly-around-taiwan-2024-10">record number of Chinese warplanes</a>, over 150, flew into its ADIZ in one day. In response, Taiwan's new president, Lai Ching-te, said China aims "to undermine stability and the status quo."<h2 id="d126030a-b931-4157-bf8b-8cd2fb7579da">Chinese incursions are tiring out Taiwan's forces</h2>The near-daily ADIZ incursions aren't just changing the status quo in the area; they're also exhausting Taiwan's military.In October 2020, then-Taiwanese Minister of National Defense Yen Teh-fa said Taipei's air force and navy spent almost $1 billion monitoring Chinese sorties. Since then, Taiwan has adjusted its responses to the ADIZ violations in order to reserve resources, but it is still taxing.<div type="image" title="A group of grey Taiwanese fighter jets are lined up on a runway against a grey sky." height="2532" width="3798" msid="114787507" hostid="261" sizebytes="154538"></div>In this tough situation, "the concern is the continued degradation of Taiwan's military assets and the draining of Taiwan's military personnel," Shattuck said, explaining that China "exploits" Taiwan's military capabilities "by flooding the field and forcing Taiwan to choose what things deserve a response."That degradation could ultimately leave Taiwan's military weakened should one of China's large-scale drills suddenly become the real deal, and with US aid to Taiwan "long-delayed and overdue," Shattuck said, it could hamper Taiwan's readiness."The median line of the Taiwan Strait—a de facto boundary that created some semblance of cross-Strait stability—is no more" and "Taiwan cannot push back on all fronts against these PRC incursions," Lewis and Shattuck wrote recently.This is an attritional fight, they said, arguing that while Chinese military activities around Taiwan "have become normalized and are a part of the ever-deteriorating status quo in the Taiwan Strait," Taipei and Washington still have cards to play.Taiwan has spent years navigating tricky relations with Beijing, which is opposed to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and has labeled Lai a "separatist."<div type="image" title="A map of the East China Sea with various air defense identification zone lines surrounding territory is shown on a computer screen." height="1754" width="2500" msid="114787512" hostid="261" sizebytes="126296"></div>During his inauguration speech, Lai promised to uphold Taiwanese democracy as a global beacon, calling on China to cease its intimidation against Taiwan. The speech further inflamed relations, and "Joint Sword 2024-A" shortly followed. Lai toned down rhetoric during his National Day speech earlier this month, demonstrating restraint in calls for peace and understanding."Lai's National Day speech indicates that Taipei is attempting to find ways to offer an olive branch to China while maintaining its assertions of Taiwan's de facto sovereignty," Amanda Hsiao, Crisis Group's Senior Analyst for China, told BI. But China's reaction, "Joint Sword 2024-B," was intense and sent a message.Regardless of what Lai says or how he approaches relations, Shattuck said, China doesn't trust him. "It no longer matters what sorts of olive branches a DPP president may extend because Beijing will not accept them," he said, explaining that "Beijing is attempting to accelerate its squeezing of Taiwan's own sovereign territory." That has implications for Taiwan and its international partners.<div type="image" title="An outdoor screen shows a news coverage of China's military drills around Taiwan, in Beijing on May 23, 2024." height="3472" width="5218" msid="114787515" hostid="261" sizebytes="1116816"></div>As the Chinese military continues its incursions in Taiwan's ADIZ, Washington and its allies "need to remain vigilant in protesting these activities so that it is clear that military coercion of Taiwan is unacceptable," Shattuck said."It is unrealistic to argue that Taiwan or the United States will be able to stop the PRC aerial and maritime incursions around Taiwan," he and Lewis wrote, but there are options. "Washington," they said, "should work to elevate Taiwan's ability to track the situation around its territory and provide it with the necessary resources to push back as needed."

China's warplanes have all but erased the dividing line in the Taiwan Strait, creating a dangerous new normal

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The biggest money managers on Wall Street are shedding billions in stocks for this one tax strategy.</li><li>Tax-loss harvesting allows investors to offset capital gains taxes by selling securities at a loss.</li></ul>It's officially stock-selling season, according to Bank of America.Institutional investors usually increase their selling activity towards the end of the year, and this year was no exception. Bank of America's clients alone sold $1.3 billion in US equities last week. The bank reported that institutional selling activity was 80% higher this October than the historical average.What's the reason behind these elevated levels of security selling? The answer is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tax-savings-strategy-offset-gains-income-loss-harvesting-morgan-stanley-2024-10">tax-loss harvesting</a>.Tax-loss harvesting has long been a strategy of Wall Street and the wealthy to reduce their tax bills. They do this by selling underperforming investments for a loss to offset capital gains taxes on other investments sold at a profit. As a result, taxes are only paid on the net profit.You can replicate this strategy in your own portfolio, too. Below are some tips and tricks on how to use it to reduce your taxes, according to Jere Doyle, estate planning strategist at BNY Wealth.<h2 id="68a94438-775f-431a-954e-0e5b2d8dcb75">How tax-loss harvesting works</h2>Investors might look to rebalance some portfolio positions as the end of the year approaches. For example, after this year's incredible runup in tech stocks, some investors might be looking to sell their positions to realize their gains and diversify their holdings.That's where tax-loss harvesting comes in. If you're selling Nvidia stock with a $10,000 gain, you can pair that with a sale of another asset with a $10,000 loss to avoid paying capital gains taxes.You can also front-load your losses, according to Doyle. If you sell one asset at a $10,000 gain and another at a $15,000 loss, you can use up to $3,000 of the loss to offset other ordinary income — and carry forward the remaining $2,000 to subsequent years.Tax-loss harvesting can be especially advantageous in today's environment, according to Doyle.The market has been experiencing heightened volatility from factors such as mega-cap earnings and the election.This environment creates big winners and losers, giving investors plenty of opportunity to recognize losses. Investors shouldn't be scared of pullbacks in a volatile market. Instead, take advantage of price dips in the market to sell losing securities and lower your tax bill.<h2 id="c83964ce-4da2-4126-a044-a3769347944b">Tax-loss harvesting tips and tricks</h2>There are a few things to consider before using a tax-loss harvesting strategy.First, investors should be aware of the wash-sale rule. The wash-sale rule states that if you sell a security at a loss and buy the same or "substantially identical" security in a 30-day timeframe before or after the sale, you cannot use the loss for income tax purposes.Sometimes, people forget about this rule. "They made the mistake of repurchasing those same assets within that 61-day period, and they lose the deductibility of loss," Doyle said.If you want to sell a security at a loss but still want exposure to a specific area of the market, you can use the proceeds of the sale to purchase a similar, but not substantially identical, asset. However, the IRS hasn't provided a clear definition of what constitutes a substantially identical asset, so investors should approach this with caution. Or, you could double down on the asset more than 30 days before selling at a loss.Another piece of advice Doyle: try to match your gains and losses.It might be tempting to record a larger loss than gain to carry it over in subsequent years, but it might not be worth taking the loss if you don't plan to use it for tax-harvesting purposes in the near future."Given the time value of money, those long-term capital gain losses lose their value over a period of time," Doyle said. A $2,000 loss today will be worth less carried over many years in the future — in that case, it would be more advantageous to just record the loss in the future. In other words, don't incur excessive losses today just to be able to use them in the future.Lastly, Doyle recommends thinking through this strategy carefully to make sure it's a good fit for your current portfolio."From an investment point of view, it may not make sense. Maybe the securities you have at a loss are going to bounce back later on. Maybe the securities you're selling at a gain have future appreciation left," Doyle said.Investors should keep in mind that tax-loss harvesting isn't a one-size-fits-all strategy — but if you do have gains and the losses to offset them, the end of the tax year might be a good time to think about implementing this plan.

Bank of America's clients are selling stocks 80% more than normal to use this strategy that allows you to avoid capital gains taxes on big returns

Mumbai, Three out of five consumers surveyed in India believe it is normal for people to exaggerate income on <keyword id="20243269" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="loan-applications" source="keywords">loan applications</keyword>, according to a report on people's attitudes toward first-party <keyword id="20490528" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="financial-fraud" source="keywords">financial fraud</keyword>. The survey by global analytics software company FICO stated that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of Indians believe it is normal for people to deliberately misrepresent their income on mortgage applications. "Three in five consumers (63 per cent) think it is OK or normal for people to exaggerate their income on loan applications, significantly more than the global average of 39 per cent," the survey said. More than half (54 per cent) believe it is normal to falsify insurance claims, the global survey which examined 1,000 people in India said. Many Indians consider it fine to exaggerate income on personal loan applications, further complicating financial integrity. Just one third (33 per cent) of consumers believe it is never acceptable to exaggerate income on a personal loan application, while another third (35 per cent) finds it acceptable under specific conditions. "With over 60 per cent of Indian consumers viewing income falsification as acceptable or justified, banks face a very real problem of 'liar loans' that could skew risk assessment and increase bad loan rates," said Aashish Sharma, APAC segment leader for risk lifecycle and decision management at FICO. As many 1,000 Indian adults were surveyed, along with approximately 12,000 other consumers in Canada, U.S., Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, U.K. and Spain. Globally, attitudes are notably different, with the survey revealing the majority of consumers (56 per cent) firmly reject the idea of exaggerating income on loan applications, viewing it as never acceptable. Just, one in four (24 per cent) consider it permissible in certain circumstances, and only one in seven (15 per cent) view it as a normal practice, the report said. "Many consumers may not see this as harmful behaviour, but it's important to understand that when applying for financial products, applicants typically certify that the information they provide is accurate," Sharma said. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/arkade-developers-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/113493854.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/arkade-developers-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/113493854.cms" target="_blank">Arkade Developers IPO allotment – Check allotment status, GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/western-carriers-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/113511375.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/western-carriers-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/113511375.cms" target="_blank">Western Carriers IPO allotment – How to check allotment, IPO GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/iphone-16-series-allows-users-to-wirelessly-restore-the-firmware-using-an-iphone-or-ipad/articleshow/113455048.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/iphone-16-series-allows-users-to-wirelessly-restore-the-firmware-using-an-iphone-or-ipad/articleshow/113455048.cms" target="_blank">iPhone 16 series allows users to wirelessly restore the firmware using an iPhone or iPad</a>

Three out of 5 consumers think it's normal to exaggerate income on loan applications: Survey

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Kremlin is trying to convince Russians to accept Ukraine's Kursk incursion, per Meduza.</li><li>Sources said it wants to hold off on retaking the region until after a victory in eastern Ukraine.</li></ul>The Kremlin is trying to indoctrinate Russians into accepting Ukraine's military presence in the Kursk region as the "new normal," according to a report.Unnamed Russian government sources close to the Russian Presidential Administration told independent Russian outlet <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://meduza.io/feature/2024/08/21/v-kremle-schitayut-chto-boi-v-kurskoy-oblasti-prodlyatsya-neskolko-mesyatsev-i-hotyat-ubedit-rossiyan-chto-eto-novaya-normalnost">Meduza</a> that the Kremlin is exploiting propaganda to persuade Russians to hold off on retaking the Kursk region until after an "inevitable" Ukrainian defeat in eastern Ukraine, per a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-21-2024-0">translation</a> by the Institute for the Study of War.Ukrainian forces launched a surprise offensive into Russia's Kursk region on August 6, catching <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-kursk-russian-drinking-coffee-sitting-forest-attack-2024-8">Russian forces</a> off guard and grabbing around <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-rapid-assault-kursk-russia-shows-learned-from-war-isw-2024-8">386 miles of territory</a> in a matter of days.Ukraine's army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Tuesday that Ukrainian forces were <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-general-disbanded-group-meant-protect-kursk-border-ukraine-report-2024-8">22 miles</a> into Russia's Kursk region.Russia has struggled to respond quickly and effectively to the attack, in part due to its <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kursk-ukraine-exploited-russias-dysfunctional-military-command-2024-8">complex military structures</a> and a lack of contingency plans.Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-general-disbanded-group-meant-protect-kursk-border-ukraine-report-2024-8">reported</a> that a Russian general disbanded a group charged with protecting Kursk's borders months before Ukraine's surprise incursion, citing an unnamed official in Russia's security services, leaving the border region vulnerable.To minimize the significance of Ukraine's incursion — now in its third week — the Kremlin may be trying to weaponize Russian state media's coverage of its monthslong offensive in eastern Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War.TV stations are busy portraying Russia's advances around the Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk as huge victories while actively contrasting Ukraine's incursion in Kursk as a limited operation, it said.This could be a way for the Kremlin to buy itself some time and space before reacting to Ukraine's incursion, it added.In an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/assessing-significance-current-russian-and-ukrainian-operations-course-war">update</a> on Sunday, the ISW said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's military command are likely prioritizing their offensive operations in eastern Ukraine because they see it as a strategic priority to win the war of attrition against Ukraine.But in the past two weeks, Ukraine says its forces in Kursk have captured <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-captured-more-territory-kursk-than-russia-seized-ukraine-year-2024-8">as much territory as Russia has</a> this year, <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-takes-out-bridges-in-kursk-isolate-russia-troops-experts-2024-8">destroyed</a> at least two bridges, and are consolidating their grasp over the area.While the incursion appears to be advancing, it <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-ukraine-audacious-military-offensive-kursk-russia-could-backfire-experts-2024-8">could easily backfire on Ukraine</a>.A Ukrainian commander told the <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-soldiers-face-shell-shortage-east-kursk-russia-offensive-commander-2024-8">Financial Times</a> this week that Russian soldiers were making advances in eastern Ukraine in part due to ammunition being redirected for military operations in Kursk, forcing his soldiers to ration shells.But the main risk facing Ukraine right now is manpower, according to Matthew Savill, military sciences director at the Royal United Services Institute.If Ukrainian forces try to hold Kursk in the long term, they will extend the front line of the fight, he told Business Insider on Tuesday."This raises the stakes and may result in them committing beyond a sustainable position," he said.

The Kremlin is trying to convince Russians to accept Ukraine's Kursk incursion as a 'new normal': report

Above-normal rainfall is expected during the 2024 southwest <keyword id="6358301" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="monsoon" source="Orion">monsoon</keyword> season over most parts of <keyword id="19897710" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="south-Asia" source="keywords">south Asia</keyword>, the South Asian <keyword id="21481676" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-outlook" source="keywords">Climate Outlook</keyword> Forum said on Tuesday. The forecast follows the prediction of above-normal rain in the monsoon season in <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> on the back of favourable <keyword id="20146476" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="La-Nina" source="keywords">La Nina</keyword> conditions, expected to set in by August-September. "Above normal rainfall is most likely during the 2024 southwest monsoon season (June-September) over most parts of south Asia, except some areas over northern, eastern, and northeastern parts of the region, where below-normal rainfall is most likely," the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum (SASCOF) said. Above-normal maximum and minimum temperatures are predicted over most parts of south Asia during the season, except a few areas over the southeastern part of the region where normal temperatures are most likely. This regional climate outlook for the 2024 southwest monsoon season has been developed by all nine National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) of south Asia with support from international experts at the 28th session of SASCOF-28, conducted online. SASCOF said moderate <keyword id="19949878" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="El-Nino" source="keywords">El Nino</keyword> conditions are prevailing at present. ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation) neutral conditions are expected in the first half of the monsoon season. Thereafter, La Nina conditions may set in by the second half. El Nino conditions -- periodic warming of surface waters in the central Pacific Ocean -- are associated with weaker monsoon winds and drier conditions in India. La Nina conditions -- the antithesis of El Nino -- are the dominant factor in the likelihood of "above-normal" rainfall during the monsoon season, DS Pai, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), told PTI. Positive Indian Ocean Dipole conditions, favourable for the Indian monsoon, are predicted in the later part of the season. Additionally, the snow cover in the northern hemisphere is low. The northern hemisphere winter and spring snow cover extent generally have an inverse relationship with the subsequent southwest <keyword id="20575709" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="monsoon-rainfall" source="keywords">monsoon rainfall</keyword> over south Asia. Earlier this month, the IMD said the seasonal rainfall in India will be on the higher side of 'above-normal' and pegged it at 106 per cent of the long-period average (87 cm). SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/mahindra-xuv-3xo-compact-suv-launched-in-india-starting-at-7-49-lakh/slidelist/109715525.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/mahindra-xuv-3xo-compact-suv-launched-in-india-starting-at-7-49-lakh/slidelist/109715525.cms" target="_blank">Mahindra XUV 3XO compact SUV launched in India starting at ₹7.49 lakh</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/upcoming-cars-and-two-wheelers-launching-in-india-in-may-2024/slidelist/109723620.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/upcoming-cars-and-two-wheelers-launching-in-india-in-may-2024/slidelist/109723620.cms" target="_blank">Upcoming cars and two-wheelers launching in India in May 2024</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/upcoming-smartphones-launching-in-india-in-may-2024/slidelist/109682003.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/upcoming-smartphones-launching-in-india-in-may-2024/slidelist/109682003.cms" target="_blank">Upcoming smartphones launching in India in May 2024</a>

Above-normal monsoon rainfall predicted in south Asia

<ul class="summary-list"><li>PETA urged British paint company Farrow &amp; Ball to rename paint colors like "Au Lait."</li><li>The nonprofit singled out several paint color names saying they "normalize animal exploitation."</li></ul>Animal rights nonprofit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, has urged a British paint company to rename some of its colors to be more "vegan-friendly."The provocative organization sent an open letter to Farrow &amp; Ball objecting to paint names like "Dead Salmon" and "Smoked Trout," which they said "normalize exploiting animals."PETA's vice president of corporate projects, Yvonne Taylor, wrote that "renaming animal product-monikered paints would be a fun way to appeal to more conscious consumers."Founded in 1946, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-luxury-wallpaper-is-made-farrow-ball-england-ford-2019-6">Farrow &amp; Ball is known for</a> its upscale and largely sustainable <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-paint-colors-for-property-value-home-improvement-renovation-2021-10">paint colors</a> and wallpapers.Costing up to about $160 a gallon, it's been <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtJRJVdUFx4">lampooned by SNL</a> for its aspirational status, and was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/18/the-luxury-paint-company-creating-a-new-kind-of-decorating-anxiety">profiled by The New Yorker</a> in 2019 as "creating a new kind of decorating anxiety."It's also known for its evocative and sometimes unusual paint names.These include "Arsenic" and "Churlish Green" — as well as a handful of names referencing animals and animal products.Those are the ones that PETA has taken offense to."Au Lait" and "Skimmed Milk White," the organization said, "normalize exploiting cows."Meanwhile, it suggested that "Dead Salmon" — a pinkish taupe — could be renamed "Magic Mushroom."PETA is notorious for seizing headlines with outlandish stunts — and often takes aim at much more boisterous figures than a sedate British paint company.In 2023, its cofounder, Ingrid Newkirk, said she was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/peta-cofounder-send-elon-musk-part-heart-when-she-dies-2023-6">considering sending Elon Musk part of her heart</a> after her death, "because I don't think he has one," she <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/peta-ingrid-newkirk-pete-davidson-voicemail-1234768229/">told Rolling Stone</a>.A year earlier, the NGO <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gordon-ramsay-peta-tiktok-video-2022-8">called on Gordon Ramsay's kids to disown him</a> following a video in which he picked out a goat for slaughter.Farrow &amp; Ball did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.farrow-ball.com/sustainability/our-paint">According to its website</a>, the company's paints are environmentally sustainable and "cruelty-free," with none tested on animals.Eight of its most commonly-used finishes are completely vegan, it says, while two specialist finishes use animal products such as leather offcuts and a milk derivative.

PETA took aim at a posh British paint company over color names like 'au lait' because they 'normalize exploiting cows'

20 things that are normal in the US that the rest of the world finds weird

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Pieter Levels makes good money by creating startups while traveling the world.</li><li>Levels, a digital nomad, has lived in 40 countries and 150 cities but felt depressed.</li></ul>With over 40 startups, self-taught software developer and "indie hacker" <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-place-to-live-digital-nomad-thailand-pieter-levels-2024">Pieter Levels</a> has said he's been able to bring in millions in revenue right from his laptop while traveling the world.While that sounds glamorous, it wasn't always that way. It started with him feeling like a loser in Asia."I was making $500 a month or something, and I was looking at the ceiling thinking like, 'Now I'm 27, I'm a loser,'" he said. "And that's the moment I started building startups."Levels is a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/digital-nomad-lifestyle-lessons-drawbacks-challenges-2023-8">digital nomad</a>, a person who works remotely while traveling, and said he's lived in 40 countries and 150 cities. While it sounds like a perpetual vacation, Levels said in <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFtjKbXKqbg">a recent episode</a> of the "Lex Fridman Podcast" that he often felt depressed while trying to establish himself and find success."It is romantic, memories of this kind of vagabond, individualistic solo life," Levels said. "But the thing is, it didn't make me happy."A <a target="_blank" href="https://archive.hshsl.umaryland.edu/bitstream/handle/10713/7693/IJHP_Jan_2018_The-Mental-Health-Status-of-Expatriate-versus-US-Domestic-Workers-A-Comparative-Study.pdf?sequence=1&amp;isAllowed=y">2018 study</a> comparing the mental health of ex-pats and domestic US workers found that three times as many ex-pats reported feeling trapped or depressed as their US-based participants. Additionally, of the 455 surveyed expats, 25% expressed feeling anxious or nervous — over twice the rate of US-based workers who participated.But while expats have the benefit of only having to settle into a single new environment, digital nomads who don't settle in one spot are constantly having to re-adjust to different places."You're traveling around, you're hopping from city to city," Levels said. "You don't have a home anymore. You feel disrooted."Digital nomad and psychologist Carolin Müller <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-being-a-digital-nomad-affects-your-mental-health-2019-3">previously told</a> Business Insider that it is "harder for digital nomads to stay mentally healthy" because of this constant feeling of not understanding and feeling understood."You're never in a stable culture," she said. "You're always changing from one culture to another, you're coming and going, and sometimes you have a culture shock."Other digital nomads have expressed similar stories of struggling with feelings of isolation and instability on social media. One person <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/y4sp0l/does_anyone_else_become_a_digital_nomad_because/">on Reddit</a> described the experience as "profoundly lonely" and eventually had to return home. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/soag7y/anxiety_and_depression_thanks_to_dn_but_now_i/">Another post</a> said that they developed "strong feelings of anxiety and depression" because they missed their family and friends and isolated themselves too much.Levels said that it can be "psychologically taxing" to travel solo without the comfort of a reliable schedule and rules."Anything is possible. You can go anywhere. And everybody's like, 'Oh, that must be super nice — freedom. You must be very happy,'" Levels said. "And it's the opposite. I don't think that makes you happy, I think constraints probably make you happy."He said that watching his friends in Holland continue to do well with a normal life made him feel like an "outcast," especially since he was not as successful then. However, Levels assured people that "it's normal, if you're young, that you feel like a loser.""Because you have nothing," he said. "Probably no money, you have no business, you have no job yet."So, his solution was to try to make money and build a business — or several. In 2014, Levels launched his <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://levels.io/12-startups-12-months/">"12 Startups in 12 Months"</a> project, where he would create a startup every month and launch it with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-collison-brothers-built-stripe-most-valuable-us-startup-2021-3">Stripe</a>."Which is kind of an interesting way to deal with depression," he said. "It's not like, 'Oh, let's talk about it.' It's more like, 'Let's go do something.'"While some proved unsuccessful, one of these startups was <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://nomadlist.com/">Nomad List</a>, which Levels claims now generates $48,000 per month, according to Level's X bio. Based on a spreadsheet he created with other digital nomads, Nomad List is a site for digital nomads that provides data about cities around the world, such as their cost of living, internet speed, and safety.And while Levels was transparent about the downsides of being a digital nomad, there are also perks, such as the ability to see more of the world and live in locations with lower cost of living.A decade after launching the site — and many others, including PhotoAI — Levels is continuing to live abroad. Despite the sometimes isolating feeling, he said that traveling from city to city is beautiful and fun, especially with the growing community of digital nomads."It's romantic," he said. "It's colorful if I think about the memories."

Digital nomad who built over 40 startups says it's normal to 'feel like a loser' in your 20s — especially when isolated in a foreign country

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Trump rally shooting was unsurprising, says Rachel Kleinfeld, an expert on political violence.</li><li>That's because lawmakers and their incendiary comments created a climate of violence, Kleinfeld said.</li></ul>Political leaders like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Lauren Boebert have created an environment in the US where violence is normalized, a political violence expert said in the wake of former President Donald Trump's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-butler-pennsylvania-rally-secret-service-2024-7">attempted assassination</a>.Rachel Kleinfeld, an expert on political violence, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/14/how-to-curb-political-violence-qa-00168105">told Politico</a> she thinks it's "political leaders like Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert or so on" who've been "amplifying the extremes" in the country.Kleinfeld, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, added that she thought the best way to handle this rhetoric is to vote out people who try to "normalize violence." Per Politico, part of Kleinfeld's proposal would be to eliminate political primaries and go straight to a general election."When you have political leaders like Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert or so on, who are elected with less than 10% of their voting public because it's just a small primary base, then you're allowing more extreme positions to put political leaders in place, who then continue normalizing violence," Kleinfeld said."When you change those incentive structures and force people to run in a general electorate, they can't be so incendiary," Kleinfeld added.She also told Politico that she was not surprised that the attempt on Trump's life happened."Sadly, I am not surprised — given the reality of a tenfold rise in threats against members of Congress, increases in violence and threats against everyone, from people running for school board to state legislators, the doubling of serious threats against judges," she said to Politico."An attempted assassination on a presidential candidate was almost just a matter of time," she added.Trump was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-butler-pennsylvania-rally-secret-service-2024-7">shot at on Saturday</a> during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He ducked for cover after gunshots went off but was later <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://businessinsider.com/trump-photos-secret-service-rushing-blood-ear-2024-7/">seen with streaks of blood on his face</a>.After the shooting, Greene blamed the incident on the Democratic Party."The Democrat party is flat out evil, and yesterday they tried to murder President Trump," she <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/mtgreenee/status/1812551674705195066">wrote on X</a>.Boebert paid condolences to Trump rally shooting victim Cory Comperatore, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/laurenboebert/status/1812555850348916982">saying</a>: "Corey should be here with us today, going to many more Trump rallies!It's notable that Greene and Boebert have been two of the GOP's loudest advocates for guns and have been known to make controversial statements.After the 2022 Uvalde school shooting, which left 19 students and two teachers dead, Greene said that she believed <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-says-children-should-be-trained-with-firearms-2022-6">children should receive firearms training</a> in school to protect themselves against shooters.She also said in December 2022 that if she had planned the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mtg-says-if-she-planend-jan-6-rioters-armed-2022-12">the people charging into the Capitol "would've been armed"</a> and "would have won."Boebert, meanwhile, previously <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lauren-boeberts-former-gun-themed-restaurant-replaced-by-mexican-restaurant-2022-12">owned a gun-themed restaurant</a> called "Shooters Grill" in Rifle, Colorado.In the restaurant, waitresses carried guns as part of their uniform, and customers could order dishes like the "M16 burrito" and a "bump stock corned beef hash."On the morning of the January 6 riot, Boebert also <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://x.com/laurenboebert/status/1346811381878845442">tweeted</a>: "This is 1776," a comment that's since been <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/25/among-the-insurrectionists">interpreted as a move to rile up the mob outside the Capitol</a>.On Sunday — less than a day after the Trump rally shooting — senior lawmakers like House Speaker Mike Johnson asked people to cool it with the heated rhetoric."We've got to turn the rhetoric down," Johnson <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mike-johnson-trump-rally-shooting-political-rhetoric-election-2024-7">said on Sunday.</a> "We've got to turn the temperature down in this country.""We need leaders of all parties, on both sides, to call that out and make sure that happens so that we can go forward and maintain our free society that we all are blessed to have," he added.Trump and Biden have also called for unity in the US after the shooting.Representatives for Trump, Greene and Boebert did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

You Searched For "normal" and got 10 results

Meta layoffs are the latest sign that constant job cuts are the new Big Tech normal

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China's warplanes have all but erased the dividing line in the Taiwan Strait, creating a dangerous new normal

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The Kremlin is trying to convince Russians to accept Ukraine's Kursk incursion as a 'new normal': report

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Above-normal monsoon rainfall predicted in south Asia

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PETA took aim at a posh British paint company over color names like 'au lait' because they 'normalize exploiting cows'

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20 things that are normal in the US that the rest of the world finds weird

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Digital nomad who built over 40 startups says it's normal to 'feel like a loser' in your 20s — especially when isolated in a foreign country

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MTG and Lauren Boebert are incendiary lawmakers who helped 'normalize' a climate of violence that led to the Trump shooting, a political expert says

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