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It was one of the last still providing Ukrainian citizenship for newborns in the southern city of Kherson which was then under Russian occupation. Early in the occupation, Ukrainian parents faced pressure to accept Russian citizenship for their newborns. "When we asked for diapers, the Russians told us, 'If you come without Russian birth certificates, we will not give you diapers'," said Natalia Lukina, 42. The ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the situation in Kherson during Russian occupation. It is unclear how many babies received Russian citizenship, because Russian officials recorded them and Ukrainian registration workers did not cooperate with them, Klimenko said.

☆ Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian paid only $15,000 for ether worth $80 million today - and has made $50 million on the crypto and Coinbase stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

If the Reddit cofounder kept all of the coins, they would be worth about $80 million today. Ohanian made a total of $50 million from early bets on the crypto and Coinbase stock. "In hindsight, I didn't invest nearly as much as I should have," Ohanian told Forbes. Ohanian told Forbes that he owns at least 700 non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Moreover, in 2021, Ohanian spent over $500,000 worth of ether at today's prices on seven NFTs that he thought looked like Williams, and gifted his favorite one to her.

Prime Trust made $650 million in wire transfer deposits into the Binance.US account during the quarter, the bank records show. The Binance global exchange, Binance CEO Zhao and Prime Trust did not respond to detailed questions about the transfers. Among the dealers on Binance.US was Merit Peak, according to company messages, the trading firm managed by CEO Zhao. From January to March 2021, the account records show that Merit Peak received 89 transfers from the Binance.US SEN account totalling $404 million. These transfers often immediately followed a deposit into the Binance.US account by Prime Trust, the crypto custodian firm for Binance.US client funds.

☆ Banking Group Asks Treasury to Withdraw Ownership Database Proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

The American Bankers Association was one of the biggest proponents of a new corporate ownership registry, saying it hoped the project would help cut regulatory costs for its members. The legislation approved by Congress outlines a range of civil and criminal penalties for individuals or entities that fail to disclose ownership information, or that intentionally disclose inaccurate information. To use the database, banks would have to identify and correct discrepancies, which would require additional staff and resources, the group said. FinCEN’s proposal is its second related to the new ownership database. The Treasury bureau has said it would issue a third rule addressing banks’ due diligence obligations related to the database.

Since the start of the pandemic, Americans have been able to access free weekly credit reports. "Even when consumers are successful in having their complaint addressed, complaints call into question the underlying data contained in consumers' credit reports," the report read. Navigating the credit reporting system in the United States requires skill and often a good deal of patience. Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California, who chaired the panel at the time, said during the hearing that a public credit reporting agency "would be a major upgrade over today's broken, biased credit reporting system." Consumer advocates stress that not only should credit reports be easily accessible but that Americans should be able to scrutinize the information contained in credit reports.

Feb 9 (Reuters) - German authorities searched the premises of three companies early Thursday as part of an ongoing probe into the possible violation of European Union sanctions against Russia, prosecutors said in a statement. German authorities also searched the residences of three suspects, according to the statement, which didn't name the companies or individuals. Reuters was unable to reach Smart Impex or its manager, Gokturk Agvaz, by phone on Thursday for comment. Some went to a Moscow customer that had received American and non-U.S. products from Smart Impex before Russia invaded Ukraine last February. The correspondence is available on handelsregister.de, a public German companies registry.

The banks said there were no allegations they knew about or actively did anything to further Epstein's sex trafficking, and had no legal duty to protect the women from his abuses. The plaintiffs have said numerous cash payments from the banks were used to pay Epstein's victims. Epstein killed himself at age 66 in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The cases are Jane Doe 1 v Deutsche Bank AG et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 22-10018, and Jane Doe 1 v JPMorgan Chase & Co in the same court, No.

☆ How Bed Bath & Beyond ended up on the verge of bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Here’s how Bed Bath & Beyond, once a retailer pioneer, veered to the edge of bankruptcy and where it turns next. Brands coveted a spot on Bed Bath & Beyond’s shelves, knowing it would lead to big sales. Discount chains such as HomeGoods and TJ Maxx and have also undercut Bed Bath & Beyond’s prices. Without the differentiators of the lowest prices or widest selection, Bed Bath & Beyond’s sales stagnated from 2012 to 2019. Otherwise, too much of Bed Bath & Beyond’s revenue will go toward repaying debt that it won’t be able to turn a profit.

Identity theft protection services can protect you against various forms of fraud, such as credit-related fraud or criminal identity theft. With three individual identity theft plans and additional options for families, Identity Guard can offer you the peace of mind that your identity is secured. Identity Guard ReviewIdentity Guard is an identity theft protection service owned by Aura, another credit monitoring and theft protection company that made it to our guide for the best identity theft protection services for the best family plan. Identity Guard Identity Theft PlansIdentity Guard has three plans: Value, Total, and Ultra. Identity Guard Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)Does Identity Guard offer a trial period?

☆ Leipzig's Orban to donate stem cells, doubtful for Union game
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 7 (Reuters) - RB Leipzig's Willi Orban will become a stem cell donor for a blood cancer patient with a procedure on Wednesday and is doubtful for Saturday's Bundesliga match against second-placed Union Berlin, the club said on Tuesday. "He could now give another human being a second chance," the club said in a statement. Orban, who has missed training since Sunday to prepare with special injections, will undergo the harvesting procedure on Wednesday. Leipzig said it was unclear if he would feature in their league match against Union. "I might of course miss the Union game but even with my sporting ambitions, football is of secondary importance," he added.

☆ Robocallers are preying on the elderly with fake Medicare calls. It's a no-brainer to stop it, but nobody has.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

These honeypots comprise only a sliver of the total number of US phone numbers but provide valuable insights into how robocalling scams operate. Every day, the honeypot numbers get inundated with calls from scammers purporting to be from Medicare. Many of those calls spoof the services' "1-800-MEDICARE" (1-800-633-4227) hotline in the phone's caller ID. "Many seniors are targeted by scammers who want to steal their Medicare numbers to do things like rack up fake health care charges and commit identify theft," the representative said. With this in mind, it's unclear why the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services use the phone line for both outbound and inbound calls.

☆ Kamala Harris tells Tyre Nichols' funeral attendees that Congress must pass a sweeping police reform bill: 'It's non-negotiable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vice President Kamala Harris demanded passage of police reform legislation at the funeral for Tyre Nichols. As a senator, she co-authored a bill mirroring the House-passed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021. Harris told mourners on Wednesday that "Tyre Nichols would be here with us today" if police had been in pursuit of public safety. Speaking directly to Nichols' mother and stepfather, she called them "extraordinary." Biden and Harris both spoke with Nichols' mother and stepfather to offer support, and Biden pledged to continue pushing Congress to pass the bill, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday.

Downing Street referred requests for comment to the business ministry, which oversees Companies House, Britain’s public registry of companies. And, in most cases, if foreign companies purchased the property before 1999 or hold UK property in a trust they don’t need to publicly disclose the beneficial owners. The Cyprus-based company, A. Corp Trustee Limited, wasn’t listed on Britain’s new property register as of Tuesday morning. A listing on the UK’s new property register for Hanley Limited identifies the beneficial owner as a Swiss company called Pomerol Capital Sa. Ravellot also wasn’t on the new property register.

☆ Amid high levels of contamination, Puerto Rico town's residents plead for action
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

SALINAS, Puerto Rico — Shuttered windows are a permanent fixture in Salinas, an industrial town on Puerto Rico’s southeast coast that is considered one of the U.S. territory’s most contaminated regions. Salinas also has one of the highest incidence rates of cancer in Puerto Rico, with 140 cases reported in 2019, the newest figures available from the island’s Central Registry of Cancer. Those measures have a limited effect, however, and residents continue frustrated that their complaints about contamination have been ignored for years. That has been hailed by many in Puerto Rico, which has one of the highest asthma rates in a U.S. jurisdiction and whose power generation system is 97% based on fossil fuels. Although she has been the target of protests organized by frustrated residents, she said she is pushing for corrective measures.

☆ China's Sichuan frees unmarried people to legally have children
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Beijing, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Health authorities in China's southwestern province of Sichuan will allow unmarried individuals to raise a family and enjoy benefits reserved for married couples, in the latest effort to bolster a falling birth rate. From Feb. 15, married couples and any individuals who want offspring will be allowed to register with the government in China's fifth most populous province, with no ceiling on the number of children they can register for. Until now, the commission had allowed only married couples who wanted to have up to two children to register with local authorities. China's population shrank last year for the first time in six decades, a historic turn expected to usher in a period of decline. Much of China's demographic downturn stems from its one-child policy imposed between 1980 and 2015.

☆ Italy's post office invests $1.3 bln to refurbish branches
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Italy's post office Poste Italiane (PST.MI) plans to invest 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) of mostly public money to renovate 7,000 outlets across the country, aiming to help older people in small towns who are struggling to access public services online. Poste said it would tap a fund financed by the Italian state for 800 million euros and add half that amount of its own money to refurbish thousands of post offices, with a particular focus on towns with less than 5,000 people. Under the terms of the plan, the renovated post offices will provide less digitally savvy customers with machines to access online services within branches, with staff assistance. The revamped post offices would include 4,000 stations for people to obtain documents such as ID cards and passports, or access the land registry. ($1 = 0.9192 euros)Reporting by Valentina Za in Milan and Alvise Armellini in Rome; Editing by Gavin Jones and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Billions of political text messages were sent last year — and there’s little to stop more from coming
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Alex Ford | Alex Ford Is An Interactive Journalist At Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

More than 15 billion political texts were sent in 2022 according to call-blocking service Robokiller — about 50 messages for every phone in the country. Political texts spiked last fall during the run-up to November’s midterm election. Republican campaigns and groups sent the bulk of political texts sent in 2022, Robokiller’s data shows. Even if they don’t recall consenting to political texts, voters have limited options for revoking it. Political texts are not subject to the federal Do Not Call registry, which allows consumers to opt out of telemarketing calls and text messages.

☆ Fact Check-Inhaling hydrogen peroxide and iodine unsafe, and not a proven treatment for respiratory symptoms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Topical antiseptics such as hydrogen peroxide, iodine, or a combination of the two are not safe to inhale and not proven to treat respiratory infections, contrary to social media claims that breathing in these liquids is a good idea. Still, social media users are sharing a video that claims using a nebulizer to make a vapor from a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and iodine can treat respiratory infections like sore throat. Both hydrogen peroxide and iodine solutions are used on the skin, usually to prevent infection of minor cuts and scrapes (here). Evidence from studies of accidental inhalation shows that hydrogen peroxide can damage tissue and iodine can be toxic. There is no evidence that combining hydrogen peroxide and iodine in a nebulizer will treat respiratory symptoms, and the practice is potentially damaging and toxic, experts told Reuters.

☆ I teach pickleball on the side. It's fun, easy to get certified and find clients, and a great way to make some extra cash.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Debbie Kaplanink | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

David Fisher is a teacher in Florida who became a pickleball instructor as a side gig last April. The coaching-certification process is reasonableI joined the Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR), which you need to do to become a pickleball coach, in April 2022. Given that this is South Florida, there are a lot of tennis pros who retire here and then continue playing and teaching tennis. Since I'm a self-employed pickleball instructor, I save my receipts for anything I purchase relating to the work, like paddles, balls, and the ball hopper. Teaching pickleball is funWhile pickleball is good for any age, I prefer to teach adults at this point.

☆ Iranian currency falls to record low amid isolation and sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Iran's troubled currency fell to a record low against the U.S. dollar on Saturday amid the country's increasing isolation and possible Europe Union sanctions against Tehran's Revolutionary Guards or some of its members. Ties between the EU and Tehran have deteriorated in recent months as efforts to revive nuclear talks have stalled. The EU is discussing a fourth round of sanctions against Iran and diplomatic sources have said members of the Revolutionary Guards will be added to the bloc's sanctions list next week. But some EU member states want to go further and classify the Guards as a whole as a terrorist organisation. The European Parliament called on Wednesday for the EU to list Iran's Guards as a terrorist group, blaming the powerful force for the repression of protesters and the supply of drones to Russia.

☆ Firms use Google ads to entice small businesses to pay for help the gov't provides free
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jesselyn Cook | Jesselyn Cook Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Several draw in unwitting customers like Talbot through Google ads that outrank the legitimate SAM.gov page, illustrating the ease of buying visibility on the world’s largest search engine. Google removed the ads for a number of these sites in response to an inquiry for this article but subsequently reversed its decision. “We have strict ads policies that govern the types of ads and advertisers we allow on our platforms,” Google spokesperson Davis Thompson said in a statement. But the Small Business Administration urges people not to spend their precious resources on these services when so many free alternatives exist. She expects new, prominently displayed Google ads to play a part in the problem.

☆ Nord Stream 2 German subsidiary wound up -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The German subsidiary of the consortium behind the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has been wound up, German news portal T-Online reported on Friday citing trade registry documents. Nord Stream 2 would have doubled Russia's gas export capacity to Germany via the Baltic Sea but Germany withheld permission to operate after Moscow's sent troops into Ukraine last February. "It has no information about a dissolution of the company," the spokesperson said, but noted a provisional debt restructuring moratorium granted to Nord Stream 2 AG, the company's Switzerland-based parent, had been extended until January 10. Nord Stream 2 was not immediately available for comment. As-yet unexplained explosions occurred on the parallel Nord Stream 1 pipeline and on one line of the twin-piped Nord Stream 2 in Swedish and Danish waters in September 2022.

☆ Many Companies Are Shying Away From Carbon Credits
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Many companies are hesitant to buy carbon credits as the market faces criticism and coming standards remain unclear. Carbon credits are also expected to be discussed at this week’s World Economic Forum annual summit in Davos, Switzerland. As officials work to develop the market, sustainability chiefs must weigh the pros and cons of carbon credits in their climate plans. Carbon solutionsTo address concerns in the carbon market and scale up climate action, there is a movement toward better, widely accepted standards. The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market ended its public comment period in September on the 10 so-called Core Carbon Principles it proposed in July.

☆ China Buys Stake in Alibaba Unit, Signaling New Normal of State Oversight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China’s cyberspace regulator also appointed an official to the board of an Alibaba subsidiary, say people familiar with the matter say. SINGAPORE—Chinese authorities recently acquired a stake in a subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., indicating regulators intend to keep the sector on a tight leash even as they move past an extended crackdown on the country’s internet-technology giants. A Beijing-based entity controlled by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet watchdog, took a 1% stake in a Guangzhou, south China-based Alibaba business on Jan. 4, according to China’s corporate registry. The cyberspace regulator also appointed an official to the board of the Alibaba entity, whose media portfolio includes mobile browser UC Web, people familiar with the matter say.

☆ Fact Check-Video of street shootout in Mexico between military and other vehicles predates Ovidio Guzman’s arrest in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The video has been online since at least Dec. 25, 2022 and appears to have been recorded in Tamaulipas, another Mexican state. “The Sinaloa Cartel Has launched wide scale retaliatory attacks against Mexican Security forces after the capture of Ovidio Guzmán. The video clip, however, predates his capture. Local media reports locating the video clip in Nuevo Laredo in the state of Tamaulipas are viewable (here), (here), (here), (here). The video clip does not show retaliatory attacks by the Sinaloa Cartel in January 2023.

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