Former MI6 Spy Alastair Crooke: Iran Takes Its Chances With War

US Adult Cigarette Smoking Rate Hits Another All-Time Low Via Headline USA, The cigarette smoking rate among U.S. adults dropped to another all-time low last year, with 1 in 11 adults saying they were current smokers, according to government survey data released this week. Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, and it’s long been considered the leading cause of preventable death. The preliminary findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were based on survey responses from more than 24,200 adults. In the survey, CDC officials defined current...

Anthropic Enters $1.5 Billion Joint Venture That Includes Goldman, Blackstone AI startup Anthropic on Monday announced the creation of a joint venture which includes Goldman Sachs, Blackstone and several other Wall Street firms, with the goal of selling artificial-intelligence tools to companies, the Wall Street Journal reports.  The new venture will act as a consulting arm for Anthropic, and will educate businesses - including companies in the private-equity firms' portfolios, how to integrate AI across their operations.  The deal is being anchored by Blackstone and Hellman & Friedman - each of which are expected to invest roughly $300...

Is It Time For Von Der Leyen To Go? Via Remix News, Amidst continued fears regarding Putin attacking beyond Ukraine and economic uncertainty caused by the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Brussels is reportedly beginning to grumble, i.e., look for someone to blame and remove. Now, according to a report by Finnish public service media Yle, cited by Világgazdaság, voices are growing to remove the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Several European leaders, as well as NATO officials, have long warned that Moscow may potentially attack NATO states, which...