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☆ As Gaza Celebrates Eid, a Gift for Women — and a Duty for Men
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Raja Abdulrahim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

GAZA CITY — On the morning of Eid al-Fitr, Arafat Helles will start the day with a special prayer at the mosque to mark the end of Ramadan, and eat a breakfast of salty cheeses to line his stomach for what is to come. Then, he will set out with his three brothers and father across the Gaza Strip. At each home, the men will be plied with coffee and sweets. After little more than 15 minutes, the social calls will end — a rarity in a society where such visits may last for hours, and often end in an invitation to stay for dinner. “This is the eidiya visit,” said Mr. Helles, 48, a professor of social services at Al-Quds Open University, in Gaza.

☆ After Settler Attacks, a Palestinian Town Fears for Its Survival
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Raja Abdulrahim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From Jan. 1 to March 13, the United Nations recorded 219 settler-related attacks that led to four Palestinian deaths as well as injuries or damage to Palestinian property, more than twice the number in the same period last year. Israeli forces killed more than 70 Palestinians in the West Bank over that period. Attacks by Palestinians on settlers have also more than doubled in that period, with 20 this year, resulting in the deaths of 12 settlers and one foreigner, the United Nations said. Palestinians say the repeated attacks by settlers are aimed at driving them off their land. In 2021, the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank was more than 465,000, according to Peace Now, an Israeli group that monitors settlement activity.

☆ Morgan Stanley, Deutsche and others raise UK rate-hike forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Simon DawsonLONDON, April 19 (Reuters) - A number of banks including Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank on Wednesday revised upward expectations for further UK interest rate hikes as a second straight day of data suggested price pressures remain elevated. Previously, the bank had anticipated no change in UK rates next month. Hence, we now expect a 25bp hike from the BoE in May," Morgan Stanley UK economist Bruna Skarica said. Deutsche Bank said it also expects two more rate hikes from the BoE, taking the terminal rate to 4.75% in June. "Importantly, we now see risks to our terminal rate forecast skewed to the upside," said Deutsche Bank senior economist Sanjay Raja.

☆ Delta bets on premium travel as 'shock absorber' for economic downturn
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Rajesh Kumar Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] Delta Airlines passenger jets are pictured outside the newly completed 1.3 million-square foot $4 billion Delta Airlines Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport in the Queens borough of New York City, New York, U.S., June 1, 2022. REUTERS/Mike SegarCHICAGO, April 12 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) is doubling down on more profitable premium travel as it looks to shore up its defenses against an economic downturn. Chief Executive Ed Bastian told Reuters the U.S. carrier will have premium seats on every plane it flies starting this summer. Rivals United Airlines (UAL.O) and American Airlines (AAL.O) are also chasing premium revenue. CHANGING TRAVEL PATTERNSThe quest for premium revenue has its underpinnings in the post-pandemic travel patterns.

☆ Elon Musk reveals plans for a new factory making Megapacks on Shanghai visit, while Apple mulls 'decoupling' from China
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk announced plans Sunday for a new battery factory in Shanghai during a visit there. Rep. Mike Gallagher met with Apple CEO Tim Cook earlier this month to discuss ties with China. While the Tesla CEO is continuing to invest in China, other companies may be looking at ways to distance themselves. Gallagher told Bloomberg that he didn't expect companies to sever all ties with China. Tesla, Apple, and Gallagher didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.

CNN —The Arkansas House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would require social media companies to verify their users’ ages and confirm that minors have permission from a parent or guardian before opening an account. The bill, dubbed the Social Media Safety Act, was passed by an overwhelming vote of 82-10, according to a tweet from the House account, and adds to the swell of efforts by state and federal lawmakers to regulate social media platforms and protect children online. If the Arkansas bill is signed into law, social media companies would be required to use third-party vendors to verify Arkansas residents’ ages – regardless of whether or not they are minors. For users younger than 18, the platform must obtain the consent of their parent or guardian in order to open an account for them. Similar bills have also been proposed in Connecticut and Ohio, where the legislation would require a guardian’s consent for minors younger than 16 to have accounts.

☆ European investigators to revisit Lebanon in central banker fraud case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, April 5 (Reuters) - European investigators will return to Beirut in April to question two key people who have been charged in Lebanon in a case involving alleged fraud by Lebanese central bank governor Riad Salameh, two sources with direct knowledge of the probe told Reuters. Lebanon and at least five European countries are investigating whether Salameh and his brother Raja Salameh took more than $300 million from the central bank between 2002 and 2015. The three have been charged in Lebanon with embezzlement, illicit enrichment and money laundering in two separate cases but have not been detained. The European investigators are due to arrive in Beirut on April 24. The governor enjoyed strong backing from Lebanese elites in his three decades as central bank chief, during which the central bank financed a state rife with corruption and enforced policies that earned commercial banks massive profits.

☆ Ex-Intel chief architect explores data center deals for AI startup in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Chavi Mehta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, April 5 (Reuters) - Intel Corp's (INTC.O) former chief architect Raja Koduri is in talks with Hiranandani-backed data center operator Yotta for a deal for his generative artificial intelligence startup, which he said will have a big presence in India. Koduri, who has worked on nearly two dozen generations of computer graphics chip, plans to build local data centers to ease the access to massive computing power needed for generative AI tools. Generative AI refers to technology such as ChatGPT that can use prompts to whip up haikus, essays and images. The southern state of Karnataka and Telangana have been "very supportive", he said, adding that subsidies on electricity will be crucial as data centers are power guzzlers. He is also joining the board of AI chip startup Tenstorrent, led by veteran chip architect Jim Keller, who led the design of Tesla's (TSLA.O) self-driving chip in 2016.

☆ Where TikTok users may go if the app gets banned
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —On the eve of a high-profile TikTok hearing this week, the company shared that it now has more than 150 million US monthly active users. “This uncertainty could push some TikTok content creators to focus more on, and possibly begin, pushing their audiences to other social network platforms,” Mogharabi said. Snap’s stock rose in the days leading up to TikTok’s appearance before Congress amid renewed talks among federal officials of a TikTok ban. Alex Brandon/APIf that happens, Lian Jye Su, an analyst with ABI Search, believes users will follow their favorite TikTok influencers and content creators wherever they go. For now, talk of a TikTok ban may still be premature.

☆ U.S. House panel on China to highlight abuse of Uyghurs in second hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - A new U.S. congressional committee on China will hold its second hearing on Thursday, seeking to highlight what Washington says is an ongoing genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang region. Rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses, including forced labor, mass surveillance and the placement of 1 million or more Uyghurs - a mainly Muslim ethnic group - in a network of internment camps in Xinjiang. China vigorously denies abuses in Xinjiang, and says it established "vocational training centers" to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism. A United Nations report last year said China may have committed crimes against humanity in the region. Its top Democrat, U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, told reporters that what happens to the Uyghur community in China affects Americans.

☆ Fact Check-Metropolitan Police letter to Pakistani retired major is fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A letter imitating a summons from London’s Metropolitan Police to a retired Pakistan army major and now UK-based YouTuber, is circulating online. An image of the fake letter, dated March 3, can be seen (here ), (here ) (here ). But the Metropolitan Police told Reuters that the letter, which includes multiple basic spelling mistakes, is not authentic. The Metropolitan Police says the letter is fake. It includes multiple basic spelling errors as well as a fake email address.

☆ Departing Intel exec to focus on loosening Nvidia's grip on AI for movies, games
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

New software tools can generate fresh imagery from just a text prompt and hold great promise for fields like visual effects and video games, Koduri said. Koduri, a veteran of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O) and Apple Inc (AAPL.O), joined Intel five years ago. But Koduri, who has worked on nearly two dozen generations of computer graphics chips, has also had a long interest in movies. "Because to truly democratize AI computing for everybody, we have got to get the cost down dramatically." Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler and Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Vaccine makers prep bird flu shot for humans 'just in case'; rich nations lock in supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | Thomson Reuters | Jen Reports On Health Issues Affecting People Around The World | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

There has also been a push among companies to develop a bird flu vaccine for poultry, a market potentially far larger than that for humans. Many countries' pandemic plans say flu shots should go first to the most vulnerable while supply is limited. The agreements include six of the largest seasonal flu manufacturers, such as GSK, Sanofi and CSL Seqirus, the WHO said. NEW APPROACHESIn a pandemic, vaccine manufacturers would shift production of seasonal flu vaccines and instead make shots tailored to the new outbreak when needed. The results will be closely watched, as the data on Moderna’s seasonal flu candidate was mixed.

☆ Lebanon judge sets March 15 hearing for central bank chief in graft probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIRUT, March 6 (Reuters) - A Lebanese investigative judge has scheduled a March 15 hearing for Lebanese central bank governor Riad Salameh as part of a cross-border corruption probe into Salameh and close associates, a judicial source said. Judge Charbel Abu Samra took over the case late last month after another judge charged Salameh with embezzlement, illicit enrichment and money laundering. The charges against Salameh are the product of an 18-month probe into whether Salameh and his brother, Raja, embezzled more than $300 million from the Central Bank between 2002 and 2015. Salameh, central bank governor since 1993, still enjoys backing from powerful Lebanese leaders. He was charged last year over illicit enrichment in a case related to the purchase and rental of Paris apartments, including some to Lebanon's central bank.

☆ ACLU urges US lawmakers not to ban TikTok, citing free speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A TikTok ban would "limit Americans’ political discussion, artistic expression, free exchange of ideas — and even prevent people from posting cute animal videos and memes," the ACLU said in a letter to lawmakers. Earlier this month, Biden said he was not sure if Washington would ban TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. Representative Michael McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in a statement on Monday, said the legislation "empowers the administration to ban TikTok or any software applications that threaten U.S. national security. TikTok, he said, "allows (China) to manipulate and monitor its users while it gobbles up Americans' data to be used for their malign activities." TikTok officials have been on Capitol Hill this month trying to convince lawmakers of its efforts to protect data security.

☆ Watch live: U.S. House China panel holds first hearing after lawmakers push seven bills targeting Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Gallagher and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., ranking member of the select committee, called the balloon a "violation of American sovereignty" in a joint statement. The administration's move prompted the advancement of several bills designed to bolster U.S. national security against China. Seven out of 10 bills passed by the House Financial Services Committee Tuesday addressed China or its neighbor, Taiwan. The Select Committee will not allow the CCP to lull us into complacency or maneuver us into submission." Matthew Pottinger, former U.S. Deputy national security adviser; former U.S. National Security Adviser H.R.

Instead the opposite happened," said Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat on the select committee, in his opening remarks. McMaster said the United States must put a priority on expediting delivery of billions of dollars of weapons and munitions that Taiwan has already purchased. Although the committee is bipartisan, some Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns that it could fuel anti-Asian sentiment within the United States. The select committee has 13 Republican and 11 Democratic members. It will not write legislation, but will draw attention to competition between the United States and China on a range of fronts and make policy recommendations.

☆ Swiss regulator investigates 12 banks in Lebanese central banker corruption case
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ZURICH, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Switzerland's financial regulator has investigated 12 banks and launched enforcement proceedings against two of them in relation to corruption charges against longtime central banker Riad Salameh, it said on Monday. Lebanese authorities charged Salameh, his brother Raja and one of his assistants on Thursday with money laundering, embezzlement and illicit enrichment after months of delay in the high-profile case. The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) on Monday said it has investigated 12 banks in relation to allegations of money laundering linked to the case. FINMA declined to comment on the nature of the enforcement proceedings in this case, or the banks involved. The Salameh brothers are alleged to have transferred $330 million to Swiss accounts via the offshore company Forry Associates, which is registered in the British Virgin Islands, Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported.

☆ Top-ranking Democrat on House China committee says TikTok probably won't be banned in the US but there are serious questions about its data being 'controlled by an adversarial regime'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A top democrat on the House China committee said it's unlikely TikTok will be banned. The concerns stem from the Chinese governments ability to potentially access user data. —Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) February 26, 2023He added: "All we're saying is, if TikTok is gonna operate here, don't have that user data and algorithms controlled by an adversarial regime." The EU also banned staff members from having TikTok on their personal devices if those devices access corporate services. More than half of US states have banned TikTok from government devices, Insider previously reported.

☆ Global Financial Watchdog Suspends Russia’s Membership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

A global financial watchdog, in an unprecedented move, suspended Russia’s membership in the organization, on the first anniversary of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. FATF said Russia’s war in Ukraine is a violation of the group’s principles to promote security, safety and the integrity of the global financial system and breaks with FATF’s commitment to international cooperation and mutual respect. Russia’s suspension from FATF significantly restrains the country’s influence on any FATF decisions while casting a shadow on its business climate, observers said. Russia, however, remains liable for membership dues if it intends to reapply for membership in the future. “The measure is both an important political statement as well as a recognition of the threats to the global financial system posed by Russia.

The charges come in the waning months of Salameh's latest term as governor, a position he has held for three decades and for which he was often celebrated - until 2019, when Lebanon's economy began to unravel. In comments to Reuters on Thursday, Salameh said the charges were "not an indictment" and pledged to abide by the judicial procedures. The governor has dismissed accusations of illicit enrichment as part of an effort to scapegoat him for Lebanon's financial collapse. TWO INTERPRETATIONSSalameh was charged last year over illicit enrichment in a case related to the purchase and rental of Paris apartments, including some to Lebanon's central bank. Oueidat referred the case - which included Salameh and a number of unidentified associates - to a Beirut prosecutor to file charges including illicit enrichment, embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion.

☆ Explainer: The probes into Lebanese central bank chief Salameh
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

BEIRUT, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Lebanese authorities charged longtime central bank governor Riad Salameh, his brother Raja and one of his assistants on Thursday with money laundering, embezzlement and illicit enrichment after months of delay in the high-profile case. Top prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat stopped Tannous from attending a Paris meeting last year with European prosecutors investigating Salameh, Reuters reported. In June 2022, Oueidat ordered a prosecutor to formally charge Salameh with crimes including money laundering, illicit enrichment, forgery and tax evasion. On Thursday, a newly appointed prosecutor, judge Raja Hamoush, charged Salameh with money laundering, embezzlement and illicit enrichment. The finance minister said this month replacing him would be difficult, citing Lebanon's political complexities.

☆ Matt Gaetz called for Biden to 'blow up TikTok' after the Air Force shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US Air Force shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on Saturday using an F-22 fighter jet. "It is an intelligence tool for the Chinese communist party, and no spunky dance is worth having the Chinese communist party being able to exploit information from almost every American family," Gaetz told WEAR-TV. In China, the TikTok app is known as Douyin. It opens the door for the Chinese Communist Party to access Americans' personal information, keystrokes, and location through aggressive data harvesting," Hawley wrote on his website. Hawley's bill came after after a bipartisan bill also aiming to ban TikTok was introduced on December 13.

☆ TikTok Dealt Another Hit as Democratic Senator Joins Calls for Banning the App
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( John D. Mckinnon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Another prominent Democrat has joined Republicans seeking to hobble TikTok, with Sen. Michael Bennet (D., Colo.) calling on Apple Inc. and Google to bar the Chinese-owned video platform from their app stores. Republicans have been the most outspoken critics of TikTok, but in recent weeks, Democrat Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois joined with Republicans to sponsor legislation to ban TikTok outright.

☆ House Democrats pressure Kevin McCarthy to keep his promise on stock trade ban after they were burned by Pelosi
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

House Democrats pushing for a stock trade ban in Congress got burned by Pelosi last year. In a letter exclusively shared with Insider, they're now pushing McCarthy to pick up where she left off. The GOP House Speaker has spoken favorably of a ban in the last year, but hasn't gotten specific. Since the new Congress kicked off, lawmakers have been re-introducing bills to ban stock trading by members of Congress, arguing that members of Congress should not be allowed to profit off of information they receive as public servants or their ability to influence legislation. Spanberger re-introduced the bipartisan TRUST in Congress Act last month, while Craig put forward her more expansive HUMBLE Act.

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