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OTTAWA, July 18 (Reuters) - Canada on Tuesday defended its decision to push ahead with its implementation of digital services taxes starting next year, citing national interest even as Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland expressed hope in reaching an international consensus. Ottawa refused, saying an extension of the freeze would disadvantage Canada relative to governments that have been collecting revenue under their pre-existing tax regimes. Ottawa's new levy would see a 3% tax on revenue earned by large technology companies in Canada. The process of launching such taxes has dragged on, and the governments planning national digital services taxes had agreed to put them on ice until the end of this year or drop them altogether once the first pillar of the deal takes effect in 2025 or later. Freeland said Canada was already in the process of implementing the second pillar, which calls on governments to set a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% in 2024.

Persons: Chrystia Freeland, Freeland, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren, Matthew Lewis, Susan Heavey Organizations: OTTAWA, Apple, Ottawa, Thomson Locations: Canada, New Delhi, India, Ottawa

☆ AT&T does not intend to immediately remove lead cables from Lake Tahoe -court filing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoJuly 18 (Reuters) - AT&T (T.N) said on Tuesday it does not intend to immediately remove lead cables from Lake Tahoe pending further analysis, according to a court filing. AT&T on Tuesday harshly criticized the newspaper's reporting and testing, saying it "differs dramatically from the expert testing commissioned by AT&T." In Tuesday's court filing, AT&T argued that lead-clad cables "make up a small part" of its network. The company estimated that lead-clad cables "represent less than 10% of its copper footprint of roughly two million sheath miles of cable, the overwhelming majority of which remains in active service." The company in 2021 agreed to remove lead-clad telecommunications cables from Lake Tahoe, which straddles California and Nevada, to resolve a lawsuit despite its belief that they pose no danger.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, ”, David Shepardson, Chris Reese, Matthew Lewis Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Journal, AT, Wall, Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Defense Fund, EDF, EPA, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Tahoe, California, Nevada, Washington

☆ Biden creates new competition role on National Economic Council
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary White House readying actions in new corporate sectorsCompetition Council to have fifth meeting on WednesdayIndustry chafes at 'regulatory overreach'WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden has created a new role on the National Economic Council (NEC) to tackle anticompetitive business practices, naming NEC member Hannah Garden-Monheit as Director of Competition Council Policy, the White House said on Tuesday. One may be the retail sector, which National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard singled out last October before leaving her job as Federal Reserve vice chair, arguing it had "ample room" to "recompress margins" after COVID-19 price hikes. "Institutionalizing competition policy within the National Economic Council and the White House is another critical step ... to make sure we right the wrongs of failed antitrust enforcement and competition policy enforcement for the last several decades." Columbia University Professor Timothy Wu, who led the White House antitrust push until December, said Biden's decision to create a specific role centered on the competition council reflected its importance. "Creating a White House director of competition policy is a big deal — it cements the White House role in antitrust policy and ensures a lasting impact," he said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Hannah Garden, Biden, Monheit, Lael Brainard, Morgan Harper, Timothy Wu, Andrea Shalal, Josie Kao, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Competition Council, Industry, National Economic Council, NEC, Competition, Reuters, Economic, Reserve, U.S . Chamber, Commerce, Council, Consumer Financial, Bureau, American Economic Liberties, Columbia, White, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Wednesday's, Washington

BRASILIA, July 18 (Reuters) - Brazil's government is considering changes to the taxation of closed-end funds and shareholder payouts in order to shore up revenue in next year's budget, said three senior economic officials with direct knowledge of the matter. The government signaled on Tuesday it would propose a comprehensive income tax reform only after the Senate has passed a consumption tax reform that cleared the lower house of Congress this month. A more complex and structural reform, involving income tax exemptions, taxation of profits and dividends and reductions to payroll taxes, would be presented after the consumption tax reform clears the Senate, the sources said. "When the budget bill is sent, revenue measures to meet the targets must also be sent, and some of these measures will already appear in the proposal," said one of the sources. Closed-end funds offer favorable investment opportunities to wealthier Brazilians by taxing earnings only when they are distributed to investors.

Persons: Marcela Ayres, Bernardo Caram, Brad Haynes, Matthew Lewis, Richard Chang Organizations: Finance Ministry, Finance, Senate, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Brasilia

GRUENHEIDE, Germany, July 18 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O) on Tuesday sought to assuage Brandenburg state residents' concerns by holding a question-and-answer session on the EV maker's planned expansion that would make its local plant the biggest car factory in the country. Tesla, which currently produces around 5,000 cars a week, hopes to double the plant's production capacity to 1 million vehicles a year and add 50 gigawatt hours of battery production capacity, though it has not provided a timeline. While Volkswagen still holds the highest EV market share in the region, Tesla is making its mark. Tesla has long argued that the plant's impact is relatively low and referred to the benefits of EVs in combating climate change. "Water isn't a Tesla problem - it's a general problem," said 68-year-old local resident Matthias Handschick.

Persons: Tesla, Emily, Matthias Handschick, Victoria Waldersee, Nette Noestlinger, Leon Malherbe, Christoph Steitz, Louise Heavens, Matthew Lewis Organizations: EV, Volkswagen, Reuters, Thomson Locations: GRUENHEIDE, Germany, Brandenburg, Wolfsburg, Europe, Gruenheide

☆ Exclusive: American Airlines pilot deal in 'jeopardy' after United's contract agreement -union memo
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Rajesh Kumar Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CHICAGO, July 18 (Reuters) - American Airlines' (AAL.O) pilot union has warned that the ratification of the company's new contract deal is in "jeopardy" as United Airlines (UAL.O) has raised the benchmark with its own deal, according to a union memo seen by Reuters. A spokesperson for American Airlines said the company will work with the union to make sure its pilots are taken care of. United's four-year pilot deal offers cumulative pay raises of 34.5% to about 40%. Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for American's pilots union, said United's contract will lead to at least a 2% pay gap between United and American pilots. United's back pay provisions are also better than what American has provided in its pilot deal, he said.

Persons: Dennis Tajer, United's, Tajer, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sonali Paul, Matthew Lewis Organizations: American Airlines, United Airlines, Reuters, American, Allied Pilots Association, Management, TA, Thomson Locations: Chicago

NAPERVILLE, Illinois, July 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Corn Belt has experienced much more forgiving weather this month after an unusually dry June crashed both corn crop conditions and yield ideas. Three weeks ago, corn was just 50% GE, the week’s worst since 1988. Although long ago, most years with similar gains around this time frame featured corn yields within a couple percent of trend, if not better. Keep in mind that the concept of “trend yield” is subjective and often varies by analyst. USDA’s 2023 corn trend of 181.5 bushels per acre, which some considered too high, was reduced to 177.5 last week after the dry June.

Persons: Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S . Department of, GE, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, U.S

OTTAWA, July 18 (Reuters) - Canada sees a path forward in reaching international consensus on digital services taxes, and a decision to not back a global agreement on freezing the implementation of domestic taxes was taken in the national interest, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday. Last week, most countries with planned digital services taxes agreed to hold off applying them for at least a year longer than what was agreed initially as a global tax deal to replace local taxes was pushed back. Ottawa did not back that deal to extend, saying such a delay would put Canada at a disadvantage relative to countries that have been collecting revenue under their pre-existing digital services taxes. Freeland, in India to attend G7 and G20 meetings, said she had good conversations about finding a path forward on digital services taxes. More than 140 countries were supposed to start implementing next year a 2021 deal overhauling decades-old rules on how governments tax multinational companies.

Persons: Chrystia Freeland, Freeland, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren, Matthew Lewis Organizations: OTTAWA, Finance, Ottawa, Apple, Thomson Locations: Canada, New Delhi, Freeland, India, Ottawa

☆ Focus: United Airlines grapples with pilots avoiding the captain's chair
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Rajesh Kumar Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

One industry official dubbed it the "no one wants to be a junior captain syndrome." Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for American's pilots union, said the number of pilots declining promotions has at least doubled in the past seven years. At United, bids for 978 captain vacancies, or about 50% of the vacancies posted, have gone unfilled in the past year, United pilot union data shows. A captain's pay is better, but junior pilots, currently, face greater risks of being subjected to unpredictable flying schedules, more on-call duty and assignments on short notice. A failure to substantially improve work rules was a major reason why United pilots overwhelmingly rejected a deal last year.

Persons: Phil Anderson, Anderson, Robert Mann, Mann, Dennis Tajer, Garth Thompson, Scott Kirby, would've, Greg Sumner, Sumner, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Allison Lampert, Ben Klayman, Matthew Lewis Organizations: United Airlines, United, American Airlines, Airlines, LinkedIn, Delta Air Lines, U.S, Reuters, Indiana, Thomson Locations: Chicago, Montreal

☆ US Powerball jackpot hits $1 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Rachel Nostrant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Powerball jackpot has reached a whopping $1 billion for only the third time in the game's history after another Monday night drawing produced no winning ticket. The Monday drawing was the 38th in a row without someone winning the top prize, which increases every time the jackpot goes unclaimed. The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292.2 million, according to the Powerball website. The last winning jackpot ticket was picked on April 19, for a grand prize of $252.6 million. The largest Powerball jackpot ever won was in November, when a California man drew the lucky numbers for $2.04 billion.

Persons: David Shanosky, Shanosky, Rachel Nostrant, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S, New, RLI Insurance, Powerball, of Columbia, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Arkansas , Georgia, Texas, Connecticut , Florida , Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, California, of Columbia , Puerto Rico, U.S, U.S . Virgin Islands

☆ Israeli official says Biden invited Netanyahu to White House in September
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement at the Palmachim Air Force Base near the city of Rishon Lezion, Israel July 5, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File PhotoJERUSALEM, July 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden has invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet at the White House in September, Israel's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said on Tuesday, though the White House has yet to confirm the details. Hanegbi told N12 News that in their phone call on Monday, "The president of the United States told the prime minister, contrary to reports which I saw here too, that he is inviting him to the White House in Washington for a meeting in September." In response to a Reuters query about Hanegbi's remarks, a White House official said the two leaders have agreed to meet but did not specify where. Reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem and Steve Holland in Washington Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Amir Cohen, Joe Biden, Tzachi Hanegbi, Hanegbi, Netanyahu, Maayan Lubell, Steve Holland, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Palmachim Air Force Base, REUTERS, White House, White, N12, United, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Rishon Lezion, Israel, United States, Washington, Jerusalem

☆ New York City pension chief urges pay clawbacks at Bank of America
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Since the financial crisis of 2008, provisions to recover pay have been strengthened at top U.S. banks to limit risk-taking. Bank of America did not admit wrongdoing in its July 11 agreements with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Lander oversees public-employee pension funds with some $300 million worth of Bank of America (BAC.N) stock. It said Bank of America charged multiple fees to customers who did not have enough funds in their accounts from February 2018 until February 2022. The bank said it voluntarily reduced overdraft fees and eliminated all nonsufficient fund fees in 2022.

Persons: Brad Lander, Lander, Wells, Michael Garland, Ross Kerber, Matthew Lewis Organizations: New York, of America's, Bank of America, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Reuters, Bank of, Human, of America, Thomson Locations: New, Charlotte , North Carolina, Reuters , New York City, New York City, Boston

☆ El Salvador arrests more than 100 Colombians in financial scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Nelson Renteria | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAN SALVADOR, July 17 (Reuters) - Salvadoran police arrested more than a hundred Colombians for their alleged involvement in operating a microfinancing scheme that laundered money from drug running and gang activities, security officials said on Monday. The criminal group reportedly made loans, using funds obtained illegally, to individuals and small businesses with 20% interest, according to the officials. Some $20 million in money linked to drug trafficking gangs is estimated to have been sent to Colombia since 2021 under the scheme, added Delgado. Colombia's foreign ministry said it was in talks with its embassy and consulate in El Salvador over the arrests, but did not offer further comment on the accusations facing the Colombian nationals. Reporting by Nelson Renteria in San Salvador; Additional reporting by Oliver Griffin in Bogota Writing by Kylie Madry Editing by David Alire Garcia and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nayib Bukele, Rodolfo Delgado, Delgado, Bukele, Nelson Renteria, Oliver Griffin, Kylie Madry, David Alire Garcia, Matthew Lewis Organizations: SALVADOR, Salvadoran, Twitter, Colombian, Thomson Locations: Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemalan, Argentine, San Salvador, Bogota

[1/2] Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard logo in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. Nonetheless, Microsoft, which makes the Xbox gaming console, has been seeking the contract extension to ensure that Activision is not wooed by another potential acquirer or has a change of heart, the source said. The terms of the extension under negotiation and whether it would come with more financially advantageous terms for Activision could not immediately be learned. Microsoft and Activision did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Microsoft and Activision are negotiating potential remedies with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which they hope will appease its antitrust concerns.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Anirban Sen, Matthew Lewis, Stephen Coates Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, REUTERS, Microsoft Corp, Competition, Markets Authority, CMA, Sony Group, Sony, U.S . Federal, Thomson Locations: Britain, U.S, New York

WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - U.S. chip company executives met with top Biden administration officials on Monday to discuss China policy, the State Department and sources said, as the most powerful semiconductor lobby group urged a halt to more curbs under consideration. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked with chip company chief executives about the industry and supply chains after his recent trip to China, a department spokesperson told reporters. The chip industry is keen to protect its profits in China as the Biden administration considers another round of restrictions on chip exports to China. Last year, China accounted for $180 billion in semiconductor purchases, more than a third the worldwide total of $555.9 billion and the largest single market, according to Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). The Biden administration is considering updating a sweeping set of rules imposed in October to hobble China's chip industry and a new executive order restricting some outbound investment.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Gina Raimondo, Lael Brainard, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Blinken, Matthew Miller, Commerce's Raimondo, Washington, hobble, Pat Gelsinger, David Shepardson, Andrea Shalal, Simon Lewis, Stephen Nellis, Chris Sanders, Susan Heavey, Matthew Lewis, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Biden, State Department, National Economic, National Security, Intel, Qualcomm, Nvidia, Reuters, Semiconductor Industry Association, SIA, Department, White, Commerce Department, Huawei Technology Co, San, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Washington, San Francisco

☆ Buffett cut Activision stake before judge approved Microsoft merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a regulatory filing on Monday, Berkshire said it owned about 14.7 million Activision shares, or 1.9%, worth $1.24 billion on June 30, down from 49.4 million shares, or 6.3%, on March 31. The filing did not discuss the prices of any sales, or whether Berkshire bought or sold Activision stock in July. One of Berkshire's portfolio managers invested in Activision in late 2021, with Buffett boosting the stake to nearly 10% in 2022. Berkshire's remaining Activision stake - 14,658,121 shares - is exactly the size it was before Buffett started buying, suggesting that he has exited the arbitrage bet. Activision shares rose 10% to $90.99 on July 11 after U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco rejected U.S. Federal Trade Commission arguments that the merger would hurt competition in cloud gaming, consoles and subscription services.

Persons: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Jonathan Stempel, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Activision, Berkshire, Buffett, U.S, Federal, Commission, Markets Authority, BNSF, Apple, Bank of America, Thomson Locations: Berkshire, San Francisco, Omaha , Nebraska, New York

☆ Wall St ends higher with earnings poised to ramp up
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Chuck Mikolajczak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"By and large, the market in its totality continues to be reasonably priced if not kind of cheap. The S&P and Nasdaq have advanced in five of the past six sessions. Tesla (TSLA.O) gained after the company said on Saturday it had built its first Cybertruck, after two years of delays. Bank shares recovered from Friday's losses, with the S&P 500 bank index (.SPXBK) up and the KBW regional bank index (.KRX) also advancing. Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak in New York Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ford, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Stephen Massocca, CME's, Tesla, General Motors, Chuck Mikolajczak, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Citi, NEW, Netflix, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wedbush Securities, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Dow Jones, Ford, General, Reuters Graphics Apple, . Bank, Activision, Microsoft, PlayStation, Verizon, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, India, United States, New York

The chip industry is keen to protect its profits in China as the Biden administration considers another round of restrictions on chip exports to China. The Biden administration is considering updating a sweeping set of rules imposed in October to hobble China's chip industry and a new executive order restricting some outbound investment. Not every official is expected to meet with every company, the source who spoke on condition of anonymity added. Further rule-tightening by U.S. officials risks "disrupting supply chains, causing significant market uncertainty, and prompting continued escalatory retaliation by China," the industry group said. "The availability of Gaudi2 in China continues Intel’s nearly 40-year history of delivering innovative yet legally-compliant products to this key growth market," Intel said in a statement.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Gina Raimondo, Lael Brainard, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Matthew Miller, chafed, hobble, Blinken, Pat Gelsinger, Raimondo, David Shepardson, Andrea Shalal, Simon Lewis, Stephen Nellis, Susan Heavey, Matthew Lewis, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Biden, National Economic, National Security, Intel, Qualcomm, Nvidia, Semiconductor Industry Association, SIA, Department, Administration, White, Reuters, Commerce Department, U.S, Huawei Technology Co, San, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Washington, Intel’s, San Francisco

☆ US securities regulator 'disappointed' with defeat over Ripple's XRP
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. securities regulator said Monday the agency was "disappointed" with a judge's recent ruling that Ripple Labs Inc did not violate federal securities laws in a major blow to its efforts to rein in the cryptocurrency sector. The SEC has sued a number of crypto firms in recent months, arguing that most crypto tokens are securities that should be registered with the agency. AI could also amplify the world financial system's interconnectedness, something for which current risk management models may not be prepared, Gensler said. "Many of the challenges to financial stability that AI may pose in the future ... will require new thinking on system-wide or macro-prudential policy interventions." Gensler's remarks echoed statements he has made in recent months on managing risks created by the use of AI in finance.

Persons: Gary Gensler, Gensler, Gensler's, We've, It's, Douglas Gillison, Andrea Shallal, Hannah Lang, Matthew Lewis, David Evans, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Ripple Labs, U.S . Securities, Exchange, SEC, prudential, Thomson Locations: cryptocurrency, U.S, Washington

Macklem came under a rare attack last year from opposition politicians for misjudging inflation and locking in to a rigid forward guidance. "We are turning the corner on inflation," Macklem told reporters in January when the BoC became the first major central bank to announce a pause. The central bank's tightening campaign is a major concern for Canadians who loaded up on cheap mortgages and took on credit card and other debt in recent years. "Now maybe you're getting a certain maturity of the central bank that says, 'We're not going to do that again,'" Holt said. He assured Canadians during the pandemic that rates would rise only in 2023 when it expected the economic slack to be absorbed, but the central bank began hiking rates in March 2022 as inflation spiked.

Persons: Derek Holt, Macklem, Holt, Marc Chandler, Steve Scherer, Fergal Smith, Denny Thomas, Matthew Lewis Organizations: OTTAWA, Bank of Canada, BoC, Scotiabank ., Canadian Real Estate Association, Bannockburn Global Forex, Thomson Locations: Bannockburn, Ottawa, Toronto

☆ Brazil's Light unveils proposal to restructure $2.3 billion of debt -filing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, July 15 (Reuters) - Rio de Janeiro-based electricity distributor Light SA (LIGT3.SA) has submitted a plan to restructure about 11 billion reais ($2.30 billion) of debt, according to a securities filing late on Friday. Light said it will seek to raise at least 1 billion reais ($209 million) of new funds as part of its reorganization plan. There is also a provision to convert unsecured debt into equity in the proposed restructuring. Another payment option involves the issuance of new debt securities to unsecured creditors, to be placed with a 20% discount on face value. Light would repay the principal on such new debt securities in 15 years, including a five-year waiting period.

Persons: Ana Mano, Letícia, Matthew Lewis Organizations: SAO PAULO, Light SA, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: Rio de Janeiro, Sao

☆ Florida's rising water temperatures raise concerns for health of coral reefs, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Maria Cardona | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MIAMI/KEY WEST, Florida, July 15 (Reuters) - Rising temperatures in Florida's waters due to climate change have sparked an extreme stressor for coral reefs causing bleaching, which has scientists concerned. Just within the last week, as the U.S. South struggles under a heat wave, NOAA has reported Florida water temperatures in the mid-90s Fahrenheit (35 C). Coral reefs create homes for millions of species of marine life, support healthy ocean food webs and protect coastlines, experts say. Florida's coral reefs are also a tourist attraction and help support the local economy. Reporting by Maria Alejandra Cardona in Miami and Key West, Florida Writing by Matthew Lewis; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: it's, Michael Studivan, Michael Crosby, Studivan, Maria Alejandra Cardona, Matthew Lewis, Diane Craft Organizations: MIAMI, National Oceanic, Health, Monitoring, U.S, NOAA, Mote Marine Laboratory, Aquarium, Key, Thomson Locations: Florida, Miami, Port of Miami, Key West

☆ Drag queens compete for top prize in Nicaragua pageant
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Mix Imperial Central American Tropical Drag Royale provided a stage for drag performers in a region where LGBT people often face discrimination and economic hardship. "It's a form of catharsis," said Alexa Evangelista, a drag queen from El Salvador and one of the night's performers, who lip-synched and danced for the adoring crowd. Drag queen Peppe Pig said the pageant gave her the opportunity to travel outside her home country of Guatemala, and that drag has helped her meet new friends and her current partner. Nicaraguan drag queen Akeyra Davenport took home the night's crown in her first competition after 11 years as a drag artist. Reporting by Maynor Valenzuela in Managua Writing by Brendan O'Boyle Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Maynor Valenzuela, Alexa Evangelista, Evangelista, Peppe Pig, Akeyra Davenport, Brendan O'Boyle, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Imperial, REUTERS, Maynor, Central, Thomson Locations: Guatemala, Managua, Nicaragua, Maynor Valenzuela MANAGUA, El Salvador, Central America, Nicaraguan

Since the news broke, several victims in addition to the Commerce Department have acknowledged they were affected, including personnel at the State Department and U.S. House of Representatives. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the accusations "disinformation" in a statement to Reuters earlier this week. Raimondo's department has implemented a series of export control policies against China, curbing the transfer of semiconductors and other sensitive technologies. A Commerce Department spokesperson said on Wednesday that Microsoft had notified the agency of "a compromise to Microsoft’s Office 365 system, and the Department took immediate action to respond." Reporting by David Shepardson, Christopher Bing and Simon Lewis in Washington Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Raimondo, David Shepardson, Christopher Bing, Simon Lewis, Matthew Lewis Organizations: . Commerce, Microsoft, ., State Department, Commerce Department, House, Representatives, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commerce, Department, FBI, Thomson Locations: China, Jakarta, U.S, Washington

It can boost security, especially for small organizations that lack the resources to run their own IT or security departments. But competitors squeezed by Microsoft's security offering are sounding the alarm over how wide swaths of industry and government were effectively putting all their eggs in one basket. Adair said he understood that Microsoft wanted to make money from its premium security product. He noted that the hackers - which Microsoft nicknames Storm-0558 - were caught only because someone at the State Department with access to Microsoft's top-of-the-line logging noticed an anomaly in their forensic data. "Having Microsoft further empower customers and security companies so they can work together is probably the best way," Adair said.

Persons: Steven, Adair, Gina Raimondo, Microsoft, Ron Wyden, Redmond, Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike, Raphael Satter, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Microsoft, NASA, Reuters, U.S, State Department, Storm, Thomson Locations: cyberdefense, U.S, Washington

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