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HONG KONG, July 18 (Reuters) - China plans to appoint the CEO of state-owned telecoms giant China Unicom (0762.HK), (600050.SS), Liu Liehong, as the head of its new national data bureau, four sources said, putting him in charge of efforts to make the country a digital superpower. China announced plans for the data bureau in March as part of a sweeping government reshuffle. Its formation is part of efforts to achieve President Xi Jinping's vision of a "digital China", where data is managed alongside labour and capital as a key economic driver. China's internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), will also transfer some staff to the data bureau, said one source. "Whether Mr. Liu Liehong will take up any role in the National Data Bureau shall be subject to the decision of the PRC government," it added.

Persons: Liu Liehong, Liu, Xi, China Unicom, Julie Zhu, Kevin Huang, Jane Xu, Brenda Goh, Sam Holmes Organizations: HK, National Data Bureau, Reuters, China, Tech Development Department, Cyberspace Administration of China, CAC, Information Office, National, Bureau, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, Ministry of Industry, Information Technology, Communist Party, Committee, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Hong Kong, Chengdu, Sichuan province

New Delhi CNN —India’s defense minister told his Chinese counterpart on Thursday that violations of their shared border erode the “entire basis” of relations between the two Asian neighbors. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh made the comments during a meeting with newly appointed Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu in New Delhi ahead of a regional security summit on Friday. “He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation,” the statement added. His visit comes four days after India and China concluded the 18th round of talks to attempt to resolve the border issue. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s visit to the country will be the most senior-level one in seven years.

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden attends the groundbreaking of the new Intel semiconductor manufacturing facility in New Albany, Ohio, U.S., September 9, 2022. But all that new construction has a real estate problem. That would be a problem for the Biden administration, which has pushed through legislation to fuel the developments. A White House official said it was a "high-class problem" to have, adding: "Folks are finding places to build. The governors of South Carolina, Virginia and North Carolina have each proposed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on readying industrial sites in the coming years.

☆ Vatican repudiates colonial-era 'doctrine of discovery'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, March 30 (Reuters) - The Vatican on Thursday formally repudiated the colonial-era "doctrine of discovery", used centuries ago to justify European conquests of Africa and the Americas, saying "it is not part of Catholic Church teaching". The Vatican acknowledged in a statement from its culture and human development departments that papal documents from the 15th century were used by colonial powers to give legitimacy to their actions, which included slavery. The Vatican departments admitted that the bulls, which gave political cover to Spanish and Portuguese conquests in Africa and the Americas, "did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of indigenous peoples". Argentine-born Pope Francis, the first pontiff from the Americas, has made several outreach gestures towards indigenous people. Last year, he travelled to Canada's Arctic region to apologise for the oppression of the Inuit people.

☆ U.S.-sanctioned general to become public face of China's growing military
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Greg Torode | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In 2016, Li was named deputy commander of the PLA's then-new Strategic Support Force - an elite body tasked with accelerating the development of China's space and cyber warfare capabilities. He was then appointed head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), China's governing defence body, headed by President Xi Jinping. Some security scholars note the sanctions - while not a deal-breaker for future meetings - add a potential complication, and could provide China's military leadership with leverage. Li's term at the Central Military Commission has highlighted his ties to Xi, who has strengthened his grip across the military. Some scholars believe Li has close ties to Zhang Youxia, a close military ally of Xi, whom Li replaced as head of the department.

☆ European Investment Bank proposes new fund to counter US green subsidies - Spiegel
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The European Investment Bank could set up a new fund to counter subsidies offered by the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which pressure companies to move their production there, its president said in an interview published on Tuesday. Werner Hoyer told German news magazine Der Spiegel a fund set up to help companies stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic could serve as a model for a fund to help safeguard European industry. "In principle, every investment project that has not yet received final approval is currently being put to the test." The European Commission earlier this month proposed allowing increased levels of state aid so that Europe can compete with the United States. The $430-billion act was passed by U.S. Congress last August and offers subsidies and tax incentives for a swathe of domestically produced green industry products.

LOS ANGELES — A Tennessee rapper who boasted about committing Covid-19 relief fraud in a music video was sentenced to over six years in prison Wednesday, prosecutors said. Baines, 33, bragged about the fraud in videos on YouTube and Instagram, according to court documents. In addition to the prison sentence, Baines was also ordered to pay $704,760 in restitution. Congress approved massive financial resources to help people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which shut down large parts of the economy. The U.S. Labor Department’s inspector general’s office has estimated that $872.5 billion in pandemic unemployment insurance funding — and at least $163 billion in pandemic unemployment insurance benefits — could have been paid improperly, some of it through fraud.

The records, a series of state tax lien notices from the last two years, show the state of California claiming that Yeezy Apparel, a company managed and reportedly owned by Ye, owes over $600,000 in unpaid tax debt. Four tax law experts said the amount owed by Yeezy Apparel is significant and could be a sign of deeper issues at the company. “Multiple California tax liens, adding up to $600,000, that’s certainly a sign of either extreme incompetence or extreme cash problems,” said USC Gould School of Law Professor Edward McCaffery, who specializes in tax law. Yeezy Apparel has been operating in California since 2017, according to public California business records, and was recorded as being active and in “good” standing in an annual filing in January. “Tax lien indicates that the state maintains that a debt is owing to the state,” LoPucki said.

☆ Pope sacks leadership of worldwide Catholic charity, names commissioner
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

VATICAN CITY, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Tuesday fired the entire leadership of the Roman Catholic Church's worldwide charity arm following accusations of bullying and humiliation of employees, and appointed a commissioner to run it. The surprise move involved the executives of Caritas Internationalis (CI), a Vatican-based confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social services organisations working in more 200 countries. "Real deficiencies were noted in management and procedures, seriously prejudicing team spirit and staff morale," it said. The former staffer said employees had left jobs at the headquarters because of a climate of bullying, fear and "ritual humiliation". Apart from Tagle and one priest, all members of the CI executive were lay people.

☆ Twitter cut more than 950 California employees after Elon Musk took over, WARN notice shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

According to the letters from Twitter, shared by the California Employment Development Department, Twitter notified affected employees on Nov. 4. This kind of arrangement may serve as "payment in lieu of notice," in California depending on specific terms of employment. At the company's satellite locations in Santa Monica, Twitter cut approximately 93 employees including 17 mid-level officials and managers, 66 professionals and 10 combined sales and administrative support workers, the WARN notice showed. At a San Jose office, Twitter cut approximately 106 employees, including one executive or senior-level official or manager, 18 mid-level officials and managers, 85 professionals and two administrative support workers, according to the WARN notice. Shannon Liss-Riordan, a worker's rights attorney representing the terminated Twitter employees, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Man accused in 2014 massacre of co-worker's family arrested after landing in U.S. from China
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A man accused of killing his co-worker’s family in their Texas home more than eight years ago was arrested over the weekend after he arrived at San Francisco’s airport from China, officials said. Similar to what he told the FBI, Lu told sheriff's office investigators he didn't know where the Sun family lived until he saw news coverage of their deaths. Authorities also interviewed Lu’s wife. The sheriff’s office said there were inconsistencies between her version and Lu’s versions of what happened. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation continues.

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