
Fast-food chains find breaking up with Russia is hard to do
CBSN
Some fast-food chains are struggling to disentangle their brands from Russia amid intense public pressure on U.S. companies to withdraw from the country over its attack on Ukraine.
Canada's Restaurant Brands International (RBI), the owner of Burger King, has said it wants to close the 800 restaurants it operates in Russia. But the company's local partner, Russian businessman Alexander Kolobov, has refused to comply, while exiting business agreements set up 10 years ago is legally complicated, RBI said.
"Would we like to suspend all Burger King operations immediately in Russia? Yes. Are we able to enforce a suspension of operations today? No. But we want to be transparent with our actions and explain the steps we have taken to stand with the international business community in response to Russia's attack on Ukraine and its people," David Shear, international president of RBI, said this week in a news release.

Yangon — Myanmar's military leader lauded President Trump and asked him to lift sanctions, the ruling junta said Friday, after a tariff letter from the U.S. president that it has taken as Washington's first public recognition of its rule. Min Aung Hlaing endorsed Mr. Trump's false claim that the 2020 U.S. election was stolen, and thanked him for shutting down funding for U.S.-backed media outlets that have long provided independent coverage of conflict-wracked Myanmar.

After years of unsuccessful attempts to finance and build a public alarm network that would warn residents of Kerr County, Texas, about dangerous flooding, officials in the region, nicknamed "flash flood alley," were going to start developing a centralized flood monitoring system this summer to help leaders and emergency managers plan ahead.

Washington — The Senate is expected to vote next week on a request from the White House to claw back funding for international aid and public broadcasting. But the funding for rural radio and television stations — sometimes an area's sole source for emergency warnings and other news — has sparked concern among some Senate Republicans, especially after the recent devastating flash floods in Texas.